Browsing Barnes and Noble recently with my teenager, I happened across an endcap populated with light mystery reads. Not my usual genre, but a large cat on a stack of books caught my eye, and after reading the book description, decided to give it a try.

The book I grabbed was The Silence of the Library by Miranda James. Turns out I had inadvertently grabbed book 5 (of 15) of The Cat in the Stacks mystery series but thankfully the author does a great job of recapping enough so while it is helpful to read in order, you can certainly enjoy the story and not feel lost if you goof and start somewhere other than book 1.

I absolutely loved it! It was a fun read. Charlie Harris is a retired librarian who has returned to his hometown and splits his time between part-time/volunteering at the local public library circulation desk and the Rare Book department of the local college. His near constant companion is an oversized Maine Coone cat named Diesel, who is quite personable and adds many tender interactions throughout the book.

I decided right there and then I would order book 1 and work my way through the entire series, and that is just what I am doing this summer. I’m currently reading Out of Circulation (Book 4) – and yes I love that all the titles are bookish or involve some sort of book pun!

I have enjoyed getting to know the residents of Athena, Mississippi, and love the humorous interactions that occur between characters. Interesting twists as each book includes a case that needs solving, and Charlie and Diesel somehow (much to the annoyance of the Chief Deputy) get involved in figuring things out.

And now that I am sort-of obsessed with cats and books, you can see the new puzzle I am working on. Not affiliated with the book series at all, but Cats and Books and Sleuthing! I love it!