The Cat Who Saved Books

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I am not a cat person, although they make excellent book characters. Cats are snarky, and Rintaro Natsuki, the protagonist of The Cat Who Saved Books, needs a generous dose of snark, along with an occasional humorour insult, to pull him out of his hikikomori life. With this, readers uncover the core of reading that has been forgotten through the evolution of books and reading as a whole. The Cat Who... Companion, 1998 ( ISBN 0-425-18642-3) by Sharon A. Feaster, including Braun interview 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.

And with that sentence in The Cat Who Saved Books, my beautiful ginger cat Chloe hissed at the Kindle and leapt from my lap, where she had been reading along with me. Don’t hurt anyone. Never bully people weaker than yourself. Help out those in need. Some would say that these rules are obvious. But the truth is, the obvious is no longer obvious in today’s world. What’s worse is that some people even ask why. They don’t understand why they shouldn’t hurt other people. It’s not a simple thing to explain. It’s not logical. But if they read books they will understand. It’s far more important than using logic to explain something. Human beings don’t live alone, and a book is a way to show them that.” I found the quests quite boring and the problems encountered not really that monumental. Maybe I'm missing the big picture but for me it was marred by airs of superiority. If we don't read classics, over and over, we don't love books? 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?Books are an excellent tool, but without experiencing life as well as books, we just become ‘ an old encyclopaedia, his head stuffed with out-of-date information,’ wasting away on the shelf of our own lives without the lessons being of use to anyone.

Rintaro, Sayo and the tabby cat, Tiger were the most significant characters. The adventures these three took us on was not only great insight to readers, but also brought character growth Rintaro and Sayo respectively. The Plot 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.” In chapter 1, “How It All Began,” Rintaro fondly remembers his grandfather’s morning tea ritual, performed every day after cleaning the bookshop. In his journeys Rintaro meets other tea-drinkers, including the Imprisoner of Books and the Mutilator of Books. Between adventurers, Rintaro makes tea for Sayo, using his grandfather’s white teapot and Wedgewood cup. At the end of the story that tea set appears again. What could be little more than a saccharine “cat novel” is also a witty satire on the state of the publishing industry, academia, and the capitalist market of ideas. The Cat Who Saved Books, Sosuke Natsukawa, Louise Heal Kawai (trans) (HarperVia, December 2021; Picador, September 2021)We don’t care about issues such as messages that needs to be imparted, or philosophy that needs to be handed down to the next generation. We don’t care about any harsh reality or difficult truths. Society isn’t interested in things like that. Publishers don’t need to worry about what they should be telling the world, they need to understand what the world wants to hear. Sosuke Natsukawa There were times this book gets a bit overly precious about books, but the heart is in the right place. Love books the way you love books. Dog ear and underline to your hearts content if that makes you happy despite what the haters say (I personally do it a lot, I think books look all cool and punk and loved that way), make art from your books, keep them in a special place, give them away, collect as many editions of your favorite, have way more than you’ll ever read (or even intend to read), just do you. And there are many ways to enjoy them and I’m not into gatekeeping reading. Don’t let anyone make you feel less of a reader for what you enjoy. Only like graphic novels, GREAT, they are just as valid. Prefer audiobooks? Just as valid as well, listen until your heart is content. Like to read only for easy pleasure? ENJOY! Read only YA books despite being an adult? Dive right in. Only like fantasy? Have a magical time. Only read the classics? Do it up! If a book, any book (that isn’t like…pro genocide or something, I gotta draw a line somewhere) makes you happy, that is what counts. There is some great stuff in here about difficult books though, which the grandfather compares to climbing a mountain:

the title is very misleading! I would have liked for Tiger to play a much larger role in the adventures! Instead, he occasionally seemed clueless in these situations, or he leaves Rintaro to fend for himself. Essentially, Tiger takes Rintaro to a new dimension and that's pretty well it for him; The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa (translated by Louise Heal Kawai) is a book about books. The cat? Those cunning jade eyes stay with Rintaro only as long as needed (which occurs before the ending) — until Rintaro comes out of his shell. To do that isn’t so hard as he thought. He doesn’t even need to leave the bookshop. Next Month’s Selection Rintaro Natsuki es un joven introvertido al que le cuesta relacionarse. Cada día más encerrado en su propio mundo, pasa el tiempo en la librería de segunda mano que regenta junto con su abuelo. Entre libros Rintaro se encuentra seguro, a través de ellos viaja y descubre otros mundos, pero siempre desde la seguridad que le aporta la destartalada librería donde pasa la mayor parte de su vida. De pronto, su abuelo fallece, y Rintaro se encuentra solo ante un mundo que le obliga a abrirse poco a poco ante él. Un día un gato llamado Tora, aparecerá por la tienda y le pedirá su ayuda, y este será el inicio de un viaje mágico y muy especial.The charm of the characters really help this book sink in. They are a bit generic at times—the shy bookish boy, the overachiever girl, the athlete with an inflated ego—but they really mesh well and drive the story all the same. Tiger the cat is a delight in all his blunt, no-nonsense ways, though unfortunately he is a bit under utilized. Still, they all makes for a rather pleasing read as they come together to support one another. For Rintaro, we see he must accept ‘ books can't live your life for you’ and, like the dreamer in White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky, must put himself out into the world to truly live. 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.

Nobody is interested in truth or ethics or philosophy. People are worn out from living. All they want is either to be stimulated or healed. Sosuke Natsukawa 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. 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). A story about books, a cat, a friendship, a relationship, a grandfather, an auntie, fantasy, a bookstore, and many more. Yes, if you love books and are not afraid to be challenged by the author. This book did make me rethink my reading choices and habits.Reading isn’t only for pleasure or entertainment. Sometimes you need to examine the same lines deeply, read the same sentences over again. Sometimes you sit there, head in hands, only progressing at a painstakingly slow pace. And the result of all this hard work and careful study is that suddenly you’re there and your field of vision expands. It’s like finding a great view at the end of a long climbing trail.’ Combine “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” with “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore” and you might get a feel for this delightful novel. A talking bookstore cat persuades a young man named Rintaro to embark on a quest to save books from barbarous fates, including languishing on shelves and being “tortured” by a man whose speed-reading tutorials involve scissors.” So Sosuke Natsukawa’s The Cat Who Saved Books, now in translation by Louise Heal Kawai, is in good company. Books can't live your life for you. The reader who forgets to walk on his own two feet is like an old encyclopaedia, his head stuffed with out-of-date information. Unless someone else opens it up, it's nothing but a useless antique.” Have you observed someone use a book as a weapon, to insult or silence someone else? Even people who love books can abuse them in this way. Tiger warns Rintaro that “A book with a soul is not always an ally.”