MobileRead Book Challenges discussion

The Cat Who Series by Lilian Jackson Braun.
Why: Ms Braun graced the world with her lovable cozy mystery characters Qwill, Koko, and Yum-Yum in her The Cat Who series. Please join us in celebrating her life with a reading challenge of the series. Each person who participates in the challenge must post in ”The Cat Who” Challenge thread with the number of books they are challenging themselves to read.

In order to participate, you can be at any point in the series - just post with which one you last read.

Please use spoiler tags when discussing anything other than general information or status updates.

The novels in the series are, in order:
The Cat Who Could Read Backwards, 1966 (ISBN 0-515-09017-4): Qwill and Koko's first meeting.
The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern, 1967 (ISBN 0-515-08712-2): Qwill is given the interior design beat for his newspaper. He also meets Yum Yum.
The Cat Who Turned On and Off, 1968 (ISBN 0-515-08794-7): Qwill goes to Junktown to write a Christmas feature series.
The Cat Who Saw Red, 1986 (ISBN 0-515-09016-6): Qwill gets assigned to the culinary beat and reunites with an old flame.
The Cat Who Played Brahms, 1987 (ISBN 0-515-09050-6): A contemplative Qwill withdraws from the big city to visit his Aunt Fanny in Moose County.
The Cat Who Played Post Office, 1988 (ISBN 0-515-09320-3): A bicycling mishap and a brightly painted room have Qwill's mustache twitching.
The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare, 1988 (ISBN 0-515-09582-6): Fire and death at the newspaper offices.
The Cat Who Sniffed Glue, 1988 (ISBN 0-515-09954-6): Vandalism appears in Pickax and a couple is murdered.
The Cat Who Went Underground, 1989 (ISBN 0-515-10123-0): Qwill goes on vacation and carpenters in the area start dying.
The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts, 1990 (ISBN 0-515-10265-2): One of Qwill's friends is found scared to death in her own home.
The Cat Who Lived High, 1990 (ISBN 0-515-10566-X): Qwill returns to Junktown to try to restore an old apartment building.
The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal, 1991 (ISBN 0-515-10786-7): Pickax's principal is found fatally shot after a party at Qwill's barn.
The Cat Who Moved a Mountain, 1991 (ISBN 0-515-10950-9): Qwill and the cats go on retreat in the Potatoes.
The Cat Who Wasn't There, 1992 (ISBN 0-515-11127-9): Sixteen Moose County residents go on group tour to Scotland.
The Cat Who Went into the Closet, 1993 (ISBN 0-515-11332-8): Qwill attempts to solve a murder mystery long distance.
The Cat Who Came to Breakfast, 1994 (ISBN 0-515-11564-9): Qwill and his felines take a trip to Breakfast Island resort.
The Cat Who Blew the Whistle, 1995 (ISBN 0-515-11824-9): A railroad buff and president of a local bank disappears.
The Cat Who Said Cheese, 1996 (ISBN 0-515-12027-8): A stranger checks into the New Pickax Hotel. Not too long after, the hotel is bombed.
The Cat Who Tailed a Thief, 1997 (ISBN 0-515-12240-8): Small actions of theft are occurring in Pickax and a few people are found dead.
The Cat Who Sang for the Birds, 1998 (ISBN 0-515-12463-X): An old barn across from the new art center burns down.
The Cat Who Saw Stars, 1999 (ISBN 0-515-12739-6): Qwill takes a vacation in Mooseville.
The Cat Who Robbed a Bank, 2000 (ISBN 0-515-12994-1): A jewelry dealer from Chicago comes to visit and is murdered.
The Cat Who Smelled a Rat, 2001 (ISBN 0-399-14665-2): A very dry year and concerns about wildfires have everyone praying for snow.
The Cat Who Went up the Creek, 2002 (ISBN 0-515-13438-4): Qwill and the cats stay at a riverside inn in Black Creek.
The Cat Who Brought Down the House2003 (ISBN 0-515-13655-7): An aging film star retires to Pickax.
The Cat Who Talked Turkey, 2004 (ISBN 0-399-15107-9): The long-absent turkey population begins to return to Pickax.
The Cat Who Went Bananas, 2005 (ISBN 0-399-15224-5): A new bookstore opens.
The Cat Who Dropped A Bombshell, 2006 (ISBN 0-399-15307-1): Moose County prepares for its 150th anniversary.
The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers, 2007 (ISBN 978-0399153907): Polly unexpectedly takes a library job in Paris, leaving without even saying goodbye to Qwill, and a gardener's so-called accidental death does not seem so accidental.

I started rereading the series this year. I've read most of them 12-15 years ago in Dutch. Last week I read The Cat Who Played Post Office and I'm planning on reading ""Knew Shakespeare" this or next week.

This year I want to read at least half of the series, so the first 15 books.

I plan to read the first 10 in the series, and I just got the first three in the mail!

Ok, I've finished my first book in the challenge!

Cat Who Could Read Backwards, The

I'm about 3-4 reviews behind, so I'll update this post with the actual review later.

on a waiting list in the singapore ebooks library for which has the first three The Cat Who books :)

I keep forgetting I could borrow these books from the library... *face palm*

I've been buying the series in 3 book hb omnibuses from Amazon (I've got prime shipping) for $3.99 or so each with free shipping. It's equaling to about $1 per story.

i would have liked to be able to buy the books myself, but i'm on a tight budget :) $1 per story isn't bad at all!

Yeah, I thought so, too. It's definitely the story I'm telling my husband when he asks. :D

LOL!

still, omnibuses usually tempt me...and it's hb, you say? ;)

Yeah. I'm a sucker for hb. A real sucker.

I've only bought 3 (the first 9 books) omnibuses so far. I'm not going crazy cause my budget is pretty limited, too. And my husband likes to do stuff like call me up and say "You spent ____ on what??

it should be okay if it's books xP there are worse things to spend your money on xP

Sooooo true!

A quick update:

I've been doing good with this challenge! I think the break from all the fantasy has felt good. :)

I've read:

The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern
The Cat Who Turned On and Off
The Cat Who Saw Red

And I'm currently working on The Cat Who Played Brahms

Ok! I've finished The Cat Who Played Brahms !

Here's my summery for the series so far:

I'm really enjoying this reading challenge - this is the 5th book in the series and Qwill, Koko and Yum Yum have finally arrived in Mooseville.

There are a few things - throughout the series so far - that I've noticed that sort of dates these first few books: the treatment of women. There are several references sprinkled here and there in which the reader can really tell that these books were written in the late '60s and early 70s. The most telling of which is the idea of female reporters. The newspaper that Qwill works for - The Daily Fluxton - has a "women's department."

Other than that (and the obvious lack of cell phones/TVs in every room) this series has a certain timeless feel. I enjoy that.

Earlier this week I finished The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare.

I really liked it. The earlier books were pure mysteries. In later books, especially since arriving in Moose County, the story about the people and the town have also become important.

Bianca wrote: "Earlier this week I finished The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare.

I really liked it. The earlier books were pure mysteries. In later books, especially since arriving in Moose County, the sto..."

Oooh! You're a couple of books ahead of me. I still haven't finished The Cat Who Played Post Office. :)

I totally agree, I've been pushing to get to Mooseville. I have lots of fond memories of Mooseville.

I finally read The Cat Who Played Post Office. As always, loved it. is next.

I finished up last night. I'm currently reading .

I buy tons of books by authors I've never read all the time. Especially if there's a sale... :)


Have you tried Patricia Brigg's Mercy Thompson series? It starts with Moon Called.

I've only read two but I've loved both of them. I own all of them already, lol. They are action urban fantasy with a kick-ass heroine.

Good deal! I think you'll enjoy them.

I've been thinking about a couple of new challenges, too. The one I've been pondering is a "Vampires don't sparkle" challenge. I want to read a some different books where vampires aren't portrayed as nice and good. So far I've got:

The Darkangel Trilogy
Monster Hunter Alpha

but that's it. Still working on it.

lol! I agree, I don't do horror either. *shudder*

The Darkangel Trilogy is YA - the hero is a regular guy who is turned into a type of spirit vampire. But that's just the beginning. Anything else is spoilers. :)

Monster Hunter Alpha is book 3 in a series of action Urban Fantasy. It's really fun. For my challenge if anyone wanted to join they could pick their own books - my only thing is that the vampire can't be the hero.

So, did any of you finish this challenge?