I have just finished #thecatwhosavedbooks by #sosukenatsukawa, thanks to @netgalley #netgalley for the #arc

This book is just beautiful, so philosophical and thought provoking. There are lots of balanced ideas and thinking it really got me.

If you enjoyed #beforethecoffeegetscold and #kafkaontheshore then I think you will love this.

I would recommend that everyone reads it, it's beautiful and a book I need to own when it comes out 16th September 2021. Enjoy!

#books2021 #japanesefiction #translatedfiction #translatedjapaneseliterature #booksfromjapan #booklover #translatedgems #japaneseauthor #japaneseauthors

Rintaro has inherited a bookshop from his grandfather. His Aunt wants him to close the shop and go and live with her. A cat called Tiger suddenly appears and takes Rintaro on three journeys to save books from people who are not treating them properly. This gives Rintaro the confidence to decide what to do. It is an imaginative and quite charming short novel which would make a good Manga style film.

I loved it.

Absolutely, completely loved it.

The Cat Who Saved Books is a story full of wisdom. If you're looking for fantastic quotes that you can use everywhere, you'll find many here. Incredible number of truths that we don't think about on daily basis, but which are extremely important.

The story itself is truly enjoyable. It starts very sadly where Rintaro's grandpa passes away. This is an extremely sensitive topic to me, because my grandpa passed away a decade ago, but there isn't a single day when I don't miss him. It was difficult to read the first chapter... Rintaro is lost, he doesn't have much will to do anything, he stopped going to school and spends his days in his grandpa's bookshop.
One day a talking cat appears in the store and asks him for help. People are destroying books and Rintaro is the only one who can save them. They go to the labyrinth together and defeat the evil. Until the next time...
A school representative Sayo brings Rintaro's homework, she really cares about the boy, and she has special character traits which allows her to see and hear the talking cat! They make a perfect team that will deal with any books destroyers.

I feel that this story is simply *perfect* for everyone who loves books. For everyone who sees power of books. For everyone who would do anything to save the stories.

I loved it. It definitely goes on my list of top 2021 (and I've read over 100 books already!), I'll be buying a hardback for myself and for other people.

Philosophical fantasy about the value of books and the power of change – quite good.

This Japanese short novel deals with a teenage bookshop owner confronting four aspects of book reading and publishing today. This character, well-developed, does this with a talking tabby cat and a school friend. It's a quick easy read taking issue with abridged editions, pulp fiction selling and other aspects of modern publishing and reading. As a hymn to books and reading, it's successful. Not really my sort of book but still interesting. I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Winning formula for lovers of books, bookshops, cats and Japanese literature. Very cute - will appeal to anyone who enjoyed The Travelling Cat Chronicles, Before the Coffee Gets Cold and Sweet Bean Paste.

This was a cosy and fast read as it is not a long one. It is marketed as a book for adults but it would be a nice one for young adults too, The writing style is of my liking and the translation is really well done!

It is a book about books, empathy and friendship. The main message from this book is the importance of the type of books that we read, how we take care of those books and different types of readers. I really enjoyed this one, I definitely recommend it if you are into Japanese literature.

This is an utterly charming little tale about a high school student called Rintaro Natsuki. He lives with his grandfather who owns a second hand book shop and when his grandfather dies he inherits the shop. This is where Tiger the tabby cat enters the tale (who calls him Mr Proprietor which I think is so sweet) and takes him through a series of labyrinths to help him save books who are in peril. Along the way you can see Rintaro's character evolve as he starts to understand the tremendous power books can have not only on himself but others as well. There are also some fabulous quotes in the book such as 'reading a book is a lot like climbing a mountain. Sometimes you progress at a painstakingly slow pace  and the result of all this hard work is finding a great view at the end of a long climbing trail.' Which is a fabulous way to approach reading in my opinion.

“A book that sits on a shelf is nothing but a bundle of paper. Unless it is opened, a book possessing great power or an epic story is a mere scrap of paper. But a book that has been cherished and loved, filled with human thoughts, has been endowed with a soul.”

At the start of “The Cat Who Saved Books”, by Sosuke Natsukawa, and translated here by Louise Heal Kawai, Rintaro Natsuki has just lost his grandfather. Rintaro is now the proprietor of Natsuki Books, a small and insignificant secondhand bookshop, established by his grandfather and a haven for book-loving recluse Rintaro. Struggling to deal with his feelings of loss, and with his departure from the bookshop to live with an aunt approaching, Rintaro has withdrawn even further from the world - not attending high school, and assuming no one will notice or care.

But a few days after his grandfather’s death, whilst minding the bookshop as usual, Rintaro receives a visit from tabby cat Tiger. Much to Rintaro’s surprise, Tiger not only speaks to him, but needs his help - to save books from a terrible fate. Though doubting he is the best man for the job, Rintaro sets out on a series of quests with Tiger, taking on three magical labyrinths and the threats to the books they find there. Will Rintaro’s love of books be enough to overcome the opposition they face, and will he find his way safely back to the world?

I was drawn to this book having read and enjoyed previous books such as “The Guest Cat” and “If Cats Were to Disappear from the Earth”, and I wasn’t disappointed. I loved the surreal yet real atmosphere of the writing, describing things that were fantastical but also painting the characters and their feelings, particularly that of Rintaro dealing with his grief over the loss of his grandfather, so vividly and with realism. And Tiger himself was a force to be reckoned with!

What really shone through on reading though, was the author’s love of all things books - the stories, their characters and the role they play in our lives, particularly when we need them most. I would recommend this book to all lovers of Japanese fiction, or lovers of books full-stop.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and of course the author for providing an advanced ebook copy.

What a lovely book. If you suspend belief that one of the main characters is a talking cat then you are sorted, as the cat tells Rintaro early on in the book! Anyway, this book might suit fans of Studio Ghibli or Anime (it has that aura about it and would make a fab film). It's also for those who love books. The cat accompanies Rintaro on 4 quests to save books and himself. Will keep it as simple as that.

'The Cat Who Saved Books' is a young adult novel focusing on Rintaro Natsuki - a very introverted young man whose grandfather has just died. Rintaro is in the process of moving in with his distant aunt, but before he does that he wants to spend as much time in his Grandfather's beloved used book store as possible.

One day, a talking cat appears and asks for Rintaro's help in rescuing books. And so Rintaro - aided by the cat and a love interest - adventures off to save the books he loves while also learning to process his grief and learn more about himself in the process.

Although younger in tone the questions that Rintaro faces in the labyrinths he encounters got me thinking. Reading is always seen as "a good thing" but what is the point of it? Do people who read know more? Is it better to read quickly or slowly? Why re-read books?

This is a book that would have really spoken to me when I was younger. I would definitely have aspired to the levels of thought and profundity Rintaro is able to show when confronting those harming his beloved books. This is an easy gift to get that 14 year old relative who loves reading.

I haven't specifically seen this labelled as a 'Young Adult' novel but considering the age of the main character and the 'coming-of'age' feel I would definitely label it as such. Because of this I was able to forgive some of the clumsy pacing.

However, I know it's necessary to the story but why is Rintaro just allowed to live alone? After his only family has died? And nobody has any problem with him running a bookshop on his own? I really had difficultly with this aspect of the novel and felt as though the author could have come up with a better excuse for this.

I think that considering the age demographic and the amount of times this book called me out as a reader this is five stars from me, but I can understand why some people wouldn't enjoy it.

'Empathy – that’s the power of books' - the key message of this heartwarming book where a love of books and a wise ginger tabby help a boy through grief. What is not to love about this combination? In typical Japanese fashion, the prose is clear and sentimental and yet no less heart wrenching for this. In arguing for the power of reading books, we are told that there is no substitute - I would disagree. In the world of audiobooks velvet voices like Juliet Stevenson I believe have brought a whole new dimension to the book reading experience.
A small quibble with what is a book lovers book, reminding us as if we need it, the power of books.

Thank you Net Galley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC

This combines two of my likes, cats and books, so I thought I would wish to read it, and having done so, I am impressed. It was a quick read, and an enjoyable one. Thank you so much to netgalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book.

An enjoyable, quick read and well translated into English. I would recommend this for book lovers as it debates the importance of books and the types of books we read. It also celebrates books and would make a lovely gift.

There were some things I really enjoyed about this book, and others not so much. My favourite parts by far were in the 'real' world. I wanted to know more about the bookshop, and about the grandfather. I didn't particularly like Sayo, but she was interesting, and I cared about what was going to happen. From the title, I thought what I'd be most interested in was the cat saving books. Sad to say, the cat was a huge letdown, and nearly pushed this to a 2 star rating. The cat is boring! There didn't seem much point to him, and he wasn't saving the books! I felt like I was left with a lot of questions, and no clarity.

I do normally enjoy quirky Japanese stories, and this definitely had potential, but the messages about books and reading felt just a little heavy-handed (perhaps down to the translation?), and the story wasn't quite there for me. It's a quick little read though.

A lovely, lovely book for anyone who loves books, bookshops, cats and tea. Reminded me of a Studio Ghibli movie - heartwarming and sincere, reading it makes you feel like you're having a cosy hug. Made me sigh at the end - a rare thing these days!

This is a gorgeous and deceptively simple read with many layers. An 18year old high school student has been living with his grandfather after the death of his parents and helping him run his second hand bookshop. When his grandfather suddenly dies he inherits the shop and his Aunt tells him he is too young to look after it and must clean it out and close it. Feeling rudderless and directionless, Natsuki is visited by a talking cat who asks for his help with 3 tasks to save damaged and unloved books.
This is a modern day parable about empathy, friendship and love of all things but especially the love readers have for books. While this Japanese translation is officially listed as adult it would easily cross to the YA market of 13 plus.
An absolute delight for book lovers of all ages. Who knows? The story may even encourage those reluctant young readers to appreciate books more as well!

This is a very interesting lovely way to introduce someone to the sci-fi genre. In a way I'm disappointed this hadn't been made into manga as the artwork would've been fantastic (think along the lines of umbrella academy) given how normal yet unusual it all is. It's a fairly quick read (only about an hour and a half) but it has a nice message and is interesting. I'd say it's great especially for teenagers

Combining two of my favourite things, cats and books, “The Cat Who Saved Books” by Sosuke Natsukawa was a pleasant, quirky surprise.
Following the death of his grandfather, the proprietor of a secondhand bookshop, Rintaro Natsuki prepares to close the shop for good and move away when a tabby cat called Tiger saunters into the store and whisks Rintaro away on a bizarre quest to rescue “imprisoned” books from a succession of labyrinths. Tiger is, of course, a talking cat and is sassy with it.
The intrepid and unlikely duo meet many colourful characters along the way, including a man who reads thousands of books but never rereads any as there are too many to get through, another who cuts up books to enable speed reading, and one who wishes only to sell books as disposable products. All are deemed by Tiger to have imprisoned, harmed or treated books badly and so must be put to rights by this odd couple and their books freed.
Author Sosuke Natsukawa, a Japanese doctor, has already enjoyed success with his previous book, the title of which translates as “God’s Medical Records”, which was made into a film in Japan. It wouldn’t surprise me if his latest book received the same treatment; it has the feel of a Studio Ghibli-type film.
Translated skilfully and sympathetically by Louise Heal Kawai, the book is written in what appears to be a fairly simple way; this is not a bad thing because it makes the true depth of the story more profound. Rintaro is a lost soul at the beginning, often repeating “Grandpa, this is messed up” to himself as he tries to come to terms with his grandfather’s passing, but by the end of the story he gains strength and purpose. Tiger is a catalyst for Rintaro’s growth as a person. I cannot fault this book, other than to bemoan the fact that it isn’t longer!
Overall, “The Cat Who Saved Books” is a quirky, fun and touching joy for those who love books…and cats!