The Cat Who...

On Saturday, June 4, 2011, Lilian Jackson Braun died at the age of ninety-seven. She was the author of the Cat Who series, which featured former newspaper reporter James Qwilleran and his two Siamese cats, Koko and Yum Yum.

I started reading this series off and on from the time I was in elementary school. I loved mysteries and cats, so it was a perfect choice. My mom got into the series a little later than I did, and we both own quite a few copies of the Cat Who mysteries. I think reading this series also made me love Siamese cats even more (not that I don't love all cats, but still...).

The Cat Who mysteries started in 1966. Three novels were published in the ‘60s, but she didn’t publish another one for twenty years because of the way mysteries were heading during that time. Yet she found a place for her light, humorous mysteries, and I’m glad she continued writing. A quote from her about publishing is “I don’t pay attention to the publishing business. I just write my kitty-cat stories.” She is also quoted to have said, “I always wrote, first for fun, then for an advertising job, then for a newspaper, and then for The Cat Who readers.” Her greatest regret was not finishing her last Cat Who book for her fans.

"The Cat Who..." novels:

    The Cat Who Could Read Backwards (1966)

    The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern (1967)

    The Cat Who Turned On and Off (1968)

    The Cat Who Saw Red (1986)

    The Cat Who Played Brahms (1987)

    The Cat Who Played Post Office (1987)

    The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare (1988)

    The Cat Who Sniffed Glue (1988)

    The Cat Who Went Underground (1989)

    The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts (1990)

    The Cat Who Lived High (1990)

    The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal (1991)

    The Cat Who Moved a Mountain (1992)

    The Cat Who Wasn't There (1992)

    The Cat Who Went into the Closet (1993)

    The Cat Who Came to Breakfast (1994)

    The Cat Who Blew the Whistle (1995)

    The Cat Who Said Cheese (1996)

    The Cat Who Tailed a Thief (1997)

    The Cat Who Sang for the Birds (1999)

    The Cat Who Saw Stars (copyright, 1998; published, 1999)

    The Cat Who Robbed a Bank (2000)

    The Cat Who Smelled a Rat (2001)

    The Cat Who Went up the Creek (2002)

    The Cat Who Brought Down the House (2003)

    The Cat Who Talked Turkey (2004)

    The Cat Who Went Bananas (2005)

    The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell (2006)

    The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers (2007)

Have you ever read a Cat Who novel?