Friday, 3 April 2026

Book Reviews with Amber ~ The Cat Book Connoisseur at The Mewton-Clawson Library ~ #356 featuring **The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare** by Lilian Jackson Braun **PLUS** Friendly Fill-Ins

A festive Easter‑themed banner featuring Amber the cat wearing bunny ears in front of a colourful bookshelf. Decorative Easter eggs, flowers, and garlands frame the scene, with text reading “Welcome to The Mewton‑Clawson Library at BBHQ – Book Reviews with Amber.”
This review of The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare by Lilian Jackson Braun is part of Book Reviews with Amber, the Cat Book Connoisseur at the Mewton-Clawson Library. Scroll to read.

The world’s leading feline literary critic

From the shelves of the Mewton-Clawson Librarya curated review destination for cat-centric fiction at BionicBasil.com

Amber's Book Review Pink Dot Divider ©BionicBasil®

✨ This Week’s Intro ~ 89% Calm, 7% Paper‑Based Peculiarity, 4% Fax‑Related Shenanigans ✨

Hello, my gorgeous library guests,

and

Welcome back to the Mewton‑Clawson Library at BBHQ.

I am delighted to report that the library remains mostly calm this week, not buttery like last time, and not sparkly like the week before, but instead infused with a faint, papery rustle of … anticipation.

Yes, my dahlings, something new has arrived.

Something cylindrical, shiny, and it has buttons, and has been known to glow! MOL

And no, before mew ask, it’s not Melvyn’s new “Calmness Tracker 3000” (he’s still working out the bugs in the programming, they keep escaping and hiding in his fur!)

It’s a brand‑new piece of stationery.

A sleek, glossy, utterly irresistible multifunctional library pen that claims, in its detailed instruction pamphlet, to “enhance creativity, improve handwriting, and possibly detect mild anomalies.”

Naturally, the moment it entered the building, the fax machine woke up.

📠 Yes. The fax machine. The one we unplugged in 2014.

It is now fully operational. It is humming. It is printing.

And what is it printing?

Not overdue notices. Not inter‑library memos. Not Melvyn’s emergency anomaly reports.

No, my dahlings.

It is printing pretty pictures.

Soft watercolour florals. Little landscapes. A surprisingly accurate portrait of a mouse wearing a beret. And most intriguingly, a rolling list titled:

“Top Books to Read This Week.”

A whimsical library‑desk scene featuring a fax machine printing a long, paw‑print‑decorated sheet titled “Top Books to Read This Week!” The list includes playful, cat‑themed book titles. A glowing blue pen‑like device stands beside the fax machine, with warm bookshelves and a wall lamp in the background, creating a cosy BBHQ atmosphere.

📚 A Morning of Fax‑Fueled Mystery

Me: “Melvyn, sweetie, why is the fax machine alive?”

Melvyn: “I think it sensed the new pen.”

Me: “Sensed it?”

Melvyn: “Yes. They’re communicating.”

Me: “Communicating how?”

Melvyn: “The pen glows when the fax prints.”

Me: “That’s … concerning.”

Melvyn: “Also, the thermal roll is printing in colour now.”

Me: “Thermal rolls don’t print in colour.”

Melvyn: “This one does.”

Me: “Should we intervene?”

Melvyn: “It’s recommending books. I don’t want to upset it.”

Me: “Fair point.”

Melvyn: “It just printed a list titled ‘Essential Feline Mysteries for the Discerning Reader.’”

Me: “And what’s on it?”

Melvyn: “The Cat Who series.”

Me: “All 29 books?”

Melvyn: “Yes. In order. With paw‑ratings.”

Me: “Well, that’s efficient.”

Melvyn: “It highlighted Book 7.”

Me: “Book 7? How odd, that this week's review.”

Melvyn: “Very, do mew think it can read minds?”

Me: “Perhaps we should start wearing tinfoil hats.”

Melvyn: “No, I think it might be fun, let's see what else it does.”

Me: “Are mew sure?”

Melvyn: “Yes, and look, it just printed a recipe for hot cross buns with extra catnip.”

Me: “Of course it did.”

📚 General Library Status Update

Happy mice Happy vibe Happy fax machine Happy pen (currently vibrating with purpose) Happy thesaurus (now writing limericks about resuscitated office equipment)

In short:

The library is calm. Mostly calm. Calm with a faint whiff of toner and destiny.

And honestly? I’m intrigued.

So, my meowvellous library guests, if mew hear gentle whirring from the main desk or find a freshly printed list of recommended reads drifting past your whiskers, don’t worry, it’s simply the library embracing its new technological renaissance.

Probably.

And if mew’d like a copy of this week’s mysteriously generated “Top Books to Read,” just follow the trail of colourful thermal paper. It’s very enthusiastic.

A split image shows two sections of a large home library. The top section features long white bookshelves filled with colourful books and magazines, with a cat walking along the wooden floor in front of them. The lower section shows another area lined with shelves of older, leather‑bound volumes and encyclopedias, with chairs placed nearby for reading. Text in the centre reads “Part of The Mewton‑Clawson Library ©BionicBasil®,” highlighting the cosy, well‑stocked library setting.
**Alt Text:**   A black‑and‑white line illustration shows three stacked books arranged like steps. A cartoon mouse with large ears stands proudly on the top book, while another mouse on the ground to the right looks up toward it. The drawing has a playful, storybook feel.
The P.A. is also joining in Friday Fill-ins Blog Hop with the pawesome 15 & Meowing and Four-Legged Furballs.
**Alt Text:**   A cartoon illustration titled *Friendly Fill‑Ins* shows two cats sitting on a grassy field dotted with flowers. The cat on the left is orange with a red collar and a winking expression, while the cat on the right is black with green eyes and a blue collar. A butterfly flies above them, and rolling green hills and a blue sky form the background. Text at the top reads “Friendly Fill‑Ins — Hosted by Four‑Legged Furballs & 15andmeowing.”

1. My favourite Easter ( or Passover) treat is ________________________.
2. My life would be different without __________________________.
3. If I could, I would give an Easter basket full of _________ to _________.
4. Is it weird that I _________?

The P.A.'s answers are...

1. My favourite Easter (or Passover) treat is a good amount of chocolate Easter eggs, with extra treats inside - well, it is Easter, and it would be terribly rude not to! LOL

2. My life would be different without cats, books, writing books, oh and the blog, of course, which is now almost a full-time job!

3. If I could, I would give an Easter basket full of catnip eggs to The B Team - hah, I already did that - that means I need to think of something else ...

4. Is it weird that I talk to the cats more than most humans? LOL

Amber's Book Review Pink Dot Divider ©BionicBasil®

Let's see what I've got to show mew this time!

**Alt Text:**   A black‑and‑white illustration features a vintage typewriter with a paw print on the sheet of paper. Stacks of books sit on both sides: on the left, a small cartoon mouse stands atop the books, and on the right, a cartoon elephant balances on the stack. The scene has a playful, literary feel, fitting as a divider for Amber’s book reviews.

A cosy library scene with Amber, an orange‑and‑white cat, sitting behind a wooden desk surrounded by books, plants, and warm lighting. A glowing “SHHHHH!!!” sign sits on the desk alongside a lamp, quill, and a tiny mouse perched on a book stack. In front of Amber is the featured book, The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare by Lilian Jackson Braun, displayed with its purple cover. Text above introduces “This Week’s Top Book Pick with Amber, the world’s leading feline literary critic and cat book connoisseur.”
Mewton-Clawson Library Copy

The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare 


The Cat Who… Mysteries, Book 7


by 

Lilian Jackson Braun

**Alt Text:**   A symmetrical black‑and‑white illustration shows four cartoon mice arranged in pairs on either side of two pieces of Swiss‑style cheese placed in the centre. Each mouse faces inward toward the cheese, creating a playful, balanced composition.

Today I'm back with The Cat Who series; there are 29 in total, but don't quote me. I got an urge to reread this epic series earlier this year, for the first time since 2007.

Nine down, including today's review, and ONLY twenty to go! MOL

Here are the previous reviews. Fluff knows what I was thinking, jumping to the middle of the series, maybe the catnip tea was a bit too strong, and I wasn't thinking straight:








The Cat Who Wasn't There ~ BK 14     

📚 This Week’s Paw‑Approved Top Pick: The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare

Dahlings, straighten your whiskers and prepare for a literary delight, because this week’s mystery is steeped in drama, secrets, and just a hint of theatrical tragedy. And at the centre of it all? The incomparable Siamese sleuth Koko, who has apparently decided to add Shakespearean scholar to his already impressive C.V. or résumé, depending on where in the world mew are! MOL.

❓What’s the Vibe?

Think cozy crime with a theatrical twist.

A small town full of secrets, a suspicious “accident,” and a cat who insists that the Bard holds the key to everything.

It’s clever, warm, witty, and sprinkled with just enough Shakespearean flair to make even the most dignified feline raise an approving whisker.

🐾 What’s the Story?

In the quiet town of Pickax, tragedy strikes when the eccentric publisher of the local paper dies in what appears to be an accident.

But Jim Qwilleran, moustache maestro, journalist, and full‑time cat staff to Koko and Yum Yum, smells something rotten in the state of Pickax.

And Koko? He knows something is amiss.

He becomes obsessed with an unusual edition of Shakespeare, pawing at passages, knocking over volumes, and generally behaving like a furry, dramatic librarian, and no, I am NOT like that at all! MOL And as always, his instincts are impeccable.

Meanwhile, Pickax is brimming with:

a lady who loves not wisely but too well

a widow who is far too merry

a stranger with a lean and hungry look

The Bard himself couldn’t have staged it better.

As the clues pile up, Qwill and his brilliant feline duo must unravel a plot worthy of a second act before the curtain falls on someone else.

⚔️ What I Loved

😼 Koko: Dramatic, brilliant, and now apparently fluent in Shakespeare. His literary clue‑finding is iconic.

😺 Yum Yum: Sweet, delicate, and quietly observant, the emotional anchor of the trio.

📰 Qwilleran: Earnest, thoughtful, and forever trying to keep up with his cats’ superior intellect.

📚 The Shakespeare Motif: Clever, playful, and woven beautifully into the mystery. A delight for book lovers.

🏘 Pickax: Small‑town charm with a side of scandal. The purrfect cozy‑crime setting.

🔍 The Mystery: Twisty, atmospheric, and full of character‑driven intrigue. A satisfying puzzle from start to finish.

📖 Final Thoughts

This is one of the most charming and inventive entries in the Cat Who… series so far. The Shakespearean clues add a delightful literary sparkle, the mystery is engaging, and Koko’s dramatic flair is at its absolute finest.

If mew adore cozy crime with clever cats, bookish clues, and a touch of theatrical mischief, this is a purrfect pick for this, hopefully sunny Easter weekend.

🪄 Summed Up in One Sentence

🐾 A witty, whisker‑twitching mystery where Shakespeare holds the clues and Koko steals the spotlight - again! MOL 🐾

A Top Paw Read!

Paperback:  212 pages
Audio:  n/a
**Alt Text:**   A black‑and‑white line illustration shows three stacked books arranged like steps. A cartoon mouse with large ears stands proudly on the top book, while another mouse on the ground to the right looks up toward it. The drawing has a playful, storybook feel.
My Rating Scale

**Alt Text:**   A simple black‑and‑white rating chart uses rows of pink paw prints to show five levels of book ratings. Five paw prints correspond to “Top Paw ~ Read Immediately,” four to “Furry Good ~ Read As Soon As,” three to “Good ~ Put It On Stand‑By,” two to “Average ~ Emergency Reading,” and one to “Meh! ~ Take a Nap Instead.”

Amber's Book Review Pink Dot Divider ©BionicBasil®

Ratings of:

The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare 


Overall Enjoyment

A horizontal row of five identical pink paw prints representing the highest rating level in the pet‑themed book‑review scale, corresponding to “Top Paw ~ Read Immediately.”
**Alt Text:**   A black‑and‑white illustration features a vintage typewriter with a paw print on the sheet of paper. Stacks of books sit on both sides: on the left, a small cartoon mouse stands atop the books, and on the right, a cartoon elephant balances on the stack. The scene has a playful, literary feel, fitting as a divider for Amber’s book reviews.

Other Fun Blog Hops to Join in Today

A horizontal row of six square graphics, each representing a different themed blog hop: “Brian’s Thankful Thursday Blog Hop” with a cat silhouette; “The Cat Blogosphere” with a globe and cat; “Feline Friday” with stylised cat drawings; “Nature Friday Blog Hop” on a stone background; “Flashback Friday” with a cat and dog; and “Friendship Friday” featuring two cats.
          Brian's Home   Catblogosphere    Feline Friday   Nature Friday    Flashback Friday   Friendship Friday          
Amber's Book Review Pink Dot Divider ©BionicBasil®

I really hope mew enjoy the book if mew choose to read it.

It's time for me to say BFN or bye-for-now as mew know the drill, so many books, so little time, and I'll be back next week with another specially paw-picked book just for mew, and don't forget that all my previous reviews can be found on my Book Review page.

Until next time...

Keep calm and read more books

Amber 

The Cat Book Connoisseur

A single bright pink paw print with a soft black shadow sits centered on a plain background. The design features one large rounded pad and four smaller oval toe pads, creating a bold, playful icon used as Amber’s signature sign‑off





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