Rating: 
Summary: Short Being the Keyword
Review: Short being the keyword in this collection of Moose County legends. James Mackintosh Qwilleran interviews the old timers in individual "articles." While Kao K'o Kung ("Koko") and Yum Yum don't make an appearance in this compendium, there is a marvelous cat tale within. Reading these 2 page articles was fascinating and fast, like sitting around listening to a bunch of old timers swapping truths and lies, embroidering some of them along the way. But, don't expect something very meaty, this is an easy afternoon read, why some of the reviews are as long as the book!I LOVE the way Lilian Jackson Braun shares credit with her fictional character. After so many books, I suspect she's still having fun.
Rating: 
Summary: Are re-runs worth the money?
Review: Someone wanted to make a buck without coming up with a new book, and I confess I bit. OUCH! The short stories in this book are all cute, but I couldn't find one I didn't recognize: they are taken from the "oral histories" collected in the regular series, so if you are an avid fan, you have read these already. Do we really need all the "yarns" in one place? I think they add flavor to the mysteries, and are just fluff on their own. (Supposedly there is one short that is original, but it blends right in!)
Rating: 
Summary: A book for The Cat Who fans
Review: The purpose of my review is to say whether or not, in my opinion, a book is worth buying. If you are one of Lilian Jackson Braun's "The Cat Who. . . " fans, then, Yes. This is a book you can read in one sitting if you like. It is not a mystery, but rather just what the title says, a collection of little "tall" tales that are written as though the main character in the series, Mr. Q, would write if he were a real author. I thought the book was exceedingly charming and although I can barely wait between publications of Bruan's mystery books, I thoroughly enjoyed this little collection. The idea of it is extremely novel and I would say it is a success from her fans' point of view. Some of the stories were already mentioned, or alluded to, in some of the author's other "The Cat Who. . . " books, but that was OK. It was a good refresher and the stories really do cement the flavor of Moose County. Again, I cannot say how much I just enjoyed the "chit-chattiness" of this little, easy-to-read volume. Ms. Braun has an amazing imagination--that is, she is able to reign it in and make it "fit" the imaginary people of Moose County. My railroader father especially enjoyed the tale about the hoghead. I also enjoyed the size of the book. It was light and easy to hold and felt very comfortable in my hands. I am looking forward to getting my hands on The Cat Who Brought Down the House soon. If you are new to Ms. Braun, this book is probably not the one you should start out with. But buy it anyway and set it aside until after you read a few of The Cat Who books. After you are well introduced to the characters of Moose County, pull out this little book. If you wait, you will be able to really enjoy it better that way.
Rating:
Summary: A book for The Cat Who fans
Review: The purpose of my review is to say whether or not, in my opinion, a book is worth buying. If you are one of Lilian Jackson Braun's "The Cat Who. . . " fans, then, Yes. This is a book you can read in one sitting if you like. It is not a mystery, but rather just what the title says, a collection of little "tall" tales that are written as though the main character in the series, Mr. Q, would write if he were a real author. I thought the book was exceedingly charming and although I can barely wait between publications of Bruan's mystery books, I thoroughly enjoyed this little collection. The idea of it is extremely novel and I would say it is a success from her fans' point of view. Some of the stories were already mentioned, or alluded to, in some of the author's other "The Cat Who. . . " books, but that was OK. It was a good refresher and the stories really do cement the flavor of Moose County. Again, I cannot say how much I just enjoyed the "chit-chattiness" of this little, easy-to-read volume. Ms. Braun has an amazing imagination--that is, she is able to reign it in and make it "fit" the imaginary people of Moose County. My railroader father especially enjoyed the tale about the hoghead. I also enjoyed the size of the book. It was light and easy to hold and felt very comfortable in my hands. I am looking forward to getting my hands on The Cat Who Brought Down the House soon. If you are new to Ms. Braun, this book is probably not the one you should start out with. But buy it anyway and set it aside until after you read a few of The Cat Who books. After you are well introduced to the characters of Moose County, pull out this little book. If you wait, you will be able to really enjoy it better that way.
Rating: 
Summary: Stories don't cut it
Review: These 27 sketches or stories by Qwill, i.e. Braun, just aren't worth reading. They are superficial and self-consciously "cute," in almost every case. Perhaps Qwill just doesn't write as well as Braun. There's nothing more to be said.
Rating:
Summary: Stories don't cut it
Review: These 27 sketches or stories by Qwill, i.e. Braun, just aren't worth reading. They are superficial and self-consciously "cute," in almost every case. Perhaps Qwill just doesn't write as well as Braun. There's nothing more to be said.
Rating:
Summary: Short and Tall Tales : Moose County Legends
Review: This book contains the familiar stories and legends collected by "Qwill". The book is an enjoyable, quick and easy read. I wished the stories were more detailed than what has already been published in other "Cat Who" books. I would also have enjoyed reading about "Tipsy" the black and white cat of "Tipsy's diner" fame but this story was not included in the collection.
Rating:
Summary: Fun read
Review: This book was my introduction into the Cat Who world created by Lilian Jackson Braun. I found the stories to be fun and characters light hearted. Since reading this book almost two years ago, I've read several of the Cat Who chronicles and fallen in love with the characters and charisma of the stories.
Rating: 
Summary: 28 snippets of Pickax background
Review: Throughout Qwilleran's Moose County years in Braun's The Cat Who series (hereafter "TCW"), we've seen him collecting oral histories; here we see some of the results. Some aren't stories, in that they have no plot; some have appeared previously in various volumes of Qwill's adventures. Otto Limburger and Karl Klingenschoen, the German immigrants who established their respective fortunes and families during Moose County's mid-nineteenth century boom, forged their friendship as youngsters over "The Legend of the Rubbish Heap" (_TCW Went Up the Creek_), sealing their partnership by tearing in half a piece of paper money they'd found to signify share and share alike. "The Secret of the Blacksmith's Wife" was told only on her deathbed (see _TCW Smelled a Rat_). Her husband's unknown past had been overlooked when he arrived in town just after the previous blacksmith's death; Pickax, as the new county seat, *needed* someone who could make nails to keep up with the building boom. Many thought Emma had made quite a catch, although she knew nothing of his past. As Euphonia Gage told Qwill in _TCW Knew Shakespeare_ when speaking of her grandfather, a physician's life in Moose County's pioneer era consisted of "Housecalls on Horseback", with its saloon brawls, logging industry, and natural disasters added to the hazards of accident, disease, and childbirth. "Hilda the Clipper", told by Gary of the Black Bear Cafe in _TCW Tailed a Thief_, was a squatter who in these days would have been the more worrying variety of street person: never without her threatening hedge clippers. "Milo the Potato Farmer" swore to give his children a better chance than he'd had, in the days when Prohibition gave Moose County an economic boost. As a youngster, Bruce Abernathy encountered "The Little Old Man in the Woods" (_TCW Went Up the Creek_), who inspired a lifelong devotion to trees. After her husband's death in a carriage accident, possibly arranged by Ned Bucksmith (who owned the Buckshot mine), Bridget Borleston ran "My Great-Grandmother's Coal Mine" - the Big B - herself. When her competitors, enraged that she did a "man's job" better than they could, began sabotaging her operation, Bridget took steps to checkmate them. "The True (?) History of Squunk Water" (_TCW Saw Stars_) is from the research school of What Some Guy in the Pub Told Me - the story of Qwill's favorite mineral water. (Personally, I'm inclined to blame the legend on transplanted kudzu rather than miraculous water.) "Whooping It Up with the Loggers" gives the tone of life in a lumber camp. "'The Princess' and the Pirates", told by Weatherby Goode's cousin and fellow native of Horseradish in _TCW Saw Stars_, recounts how their grandfather used the town's ultimate weapon to protect _The Princess_' cargo from pirates. "Wildcattin' with an Old Hog" (_TCW Blew the Whistle_) is an old railroad engineer's story of how North Fork's name was changed to Wildcat. Two of Emma Wimsey's stories from _TCW Went Underground_ are presented: how her childhood game of "The Scratching Under the Door" with her beloved cat Punkin saved her life more than once, and "A Scary Experience on a Covered Bridge", from her schoolteaching days when she walked to work before dawn. "The Dimsdale Jinx" (_TCW Tailed a Thief_) - how the Dimsdale mine crashed, despite (or due to?) the fact that its owner and namesake was one of the few mining tycoons to treat his employees decently. "The Mystery of Dank Hollow" (_TCW Tailed a Thief_) happened to Wallace Reekie after his brother's funeral. Thornton Haggis' "Tale of Two Tombstones" (_TCW Sang for the Birds_) relates how his father coped with an unusual bootlegging tactic during Prohibition. Wesley's gift for baseball stood him in good stead during "The Pork-and-Beans Incident at Boggy Bottom", when a 'ghost' tried to scare him into dropping the groceries his family scan barely afford. "At Last, a Hospital in the Wilderness" focuses not on the hospital itself, but on the women's auxiliary's efforts to supply its needs. "Emmaline and the Spiral Staircase" (_TCW Talked to Ghosts_) Fugtree Farm's ghost story, although Q doesn't explain why Kristi, who didn't want it printed in the _Something_, consented to have it appear in his book. "The Curious Fate of the Jenny Lee" (_TCW Saw Stars_) is the tragedy behind Bushy's grandfather's sale of Bushland Fisheries. "A Cat Tale: Holy Terror and the Bishop" The bishop liked both cats and Bloody Marys, so the vicar felt safe leaving Holy Terror, his Siamese, loose while preparing his first Bloody Mary for his guest. "Those Pushy Moose County Blueberries" established Mildred's family blueberry business (long since sold to Toodles' Market). "The Curse on the Apple Orchard" is one version of how the apple barn on Trevelyan Road - long since renovated as Qwill's home - came to be abandoned amongst long-dead apple trees, alongside the burned-out wreck of the Trevelyan farmhouse. "Matilda, a Family Heroine" saved the Campbells by giving warning of a tornado, earning a place in the family plot - but her headstone doesn't bear the family name. "How Pleasant Street Got Its Name" is also the story of how the Campbells had to turn their fine shipbuilding skills to other uses when technology swept away the great shipyard at Purple Point. "The Noble Sons of the Noose" can be studied in greater detail in the series. Believe in the Campbells' story (_TCW Smelled a Rat_) of "Phineas Ford's Fabulous Collection" at your own risk. Pokes fun at collectors, particularly of antiques.
Rating:
Summary: Lame
Review: Unhappily, this is a rather lame attempt to cash in on the popularity of her "Cat Who..." series. The series itself, while
entertaining to many, is rather tame and plain, so this slimmed-down version of some "local" folk lore from the same locale is
just too weak to be sustainable.
These tales are very short, and while that itself is not a criticism, the reader will search in vain for anything of value
here.
At bottom, there is simply no substance here at all in any of
the little stories, and the only reason most readers will even bother going on to the next one is the hope that it will be better than the one just left. But any hope is quickly dashed
as the stories continue on in a very low-level attempt to seem
folksy. There is just no substance, no real style, no interesting characters, no truths, and no fun.
Please don't waste your time with this.
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