The Cat Who Saved Books

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Oh my goodness: the cat as Gandalf? YES! He does indeed stir up our courage. Maybe every reader needs to be assigned a magical guide. Preachy, patronising, paternalistic, and just plain smug. The author's love for books is everywhere evident, but unfortunately so is his belief that there is a particular way to enjoy them, and that other ways are wrong and hurt the books, ignoring, for example, neurodivergence, differences in taste, and personal preference.

As Rintaro meets the villains in the various labyrinths, he helps them change by understanding their motivations, book-lover to book-lover. Some of those changes do have unforeseen consequences. But Rintaro doesn’t regret his actions, saying, “I’ve made it this far because books kept me going.”I really liked the fantasy aspect of this novel. Little details like – why only some people could see the cat was a nice touch. Honestly, it was an easy fantasy read. Nothing too elaborate or difficult to comprehend. Which is all very lovely. I’m reminded of Roberto Bolaño writing about wrestling with the great, dense classics ‘ when the great masters struggle against that something, that something that terrifies us all, that something that cows us and spurs us on, amid blood and mortal wounds and stench,’ but that its all worth it because ‘ reading is pleasure and happiness to be alive or sadness to be alive and above all it's knowledge and questions. (from 2666). Cats feature prominently in the work of Haruki Murakami; in Kafka on the Shore, for example, one of the main characters can speak to cats. In the past decade, Hiro Arikawa’s The Travelling Cat Chronicles, Takahashi Hiraide’s The Guest Cat, and Genki Kawamura’s If Cats Disappeared from the World, have all debuted in English-language translations. Even if you try to destroy a book, it doesn’t disappear that easily. Right now, in places all over the world, people have connections to books.” History China Translation India Japan Hong Kong Biography Short stories Memoir Current affairs Historical fiction Korea Travel-writing South Asia Immigration Geopolitics Southeast Asia Russia WW2 Middle East Culture Central Asia Economics Society International relations Singapore Art Politics Japanese Iran Literary history Philippines Religion Turkey SE Asia Business Photography Colonialism Indonesia Taiwan Crime Chinese Essays Illustrated Islam Recent articles

I enjoyed Rintaro's growth, through the quests he gained confidence and started to think about his own life differently and believe in himself.

Pues me ha gustado, es un libro que se sale un poco de lo que suelo leer, pero la lectura ha sido fácil y amena. Un libro que nos intenta transmitir que los libros son algo mas de páginas escritas, que tienen un valor intrínseco, que tienen ALMA.

It is also a heart-warming story. Don’t be surprised if you end up shedding a tear or two when Rintaro shares his love for books. This love stems from his late Grandfather who owns a bookstore called Natsuki Books. of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa Absolutely gorgeous cover! I'm going to put this art on my desktop! (update: the art is by Yuko Shimizu) A book about a bookstore and a talking orange tabby named Tiger? Sign me up! This is a relatively short read that ponders the power of books. Why do we read books? Does the one who reads the most wins? Can we save time by providing one sentence or paragraph synopses? Should only the most popular books be published?I love books. I suspect you do, too, seeing as you are here on goodreads reading about books, and I love that for you. ‘ Books keep me going,’ admits the shy, young and recently orphaned protagonist in The Cat Who Saved Books, a lovely little novel sure to warm the hearts of bookworms by Sōsuke Natsukawa, and I can confess to the same. And not simply because they are my livelihood, working days in the public library and evenings in a charming, little independent bookstore (I often joke with locals you can’t get a book in this town without going through me), but there have been many times books have quite literally given me the emotional strength to keep going. To keep learning, to keep thinking, to keep believing it’s worth dancing through the absurdity of life and enjoying the beautiful moments. So while the worst I could say about this book is it can be a bit over sentimental and idealistic, it is a sentiment worth getting soppy over and an ideal worth striving for and I spent a few days blissfully exploring the labyrinth along with the characters in their quest to protect the love of books. When teenage Rintaro’s guardian and grandfather passes, he is left alone as proprietor of their second-hand bookstore, something he soon must leave behind to live with a distant aunt. Suddenly Tiger, a magical cat on a mission, appears to whisk Rintaro away on adventures to save books and, in turn, learn he has a strength inside he never knew. Wonderfully translated by Louise Heal Kawai, this is a joy to read and also makes for an excellent reading list with all the nods to older literature, most of which are Western classics. The Cat Who Saved Books is an endlessly charming read, as empowering as it is entertaining while reminding us there are many ways to love reading and that books are worth protecting. This world throws all kinds of obstacles at us, we are forced to endure so much that is absurd. Our best weapon for fighting all the pain and trouble in the world isn't logic or violence. It's humour.” A talking cat and a quiet teenage boy, Rintaro takes us through four labyrinths that hold its challenges respectively.