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Cat Who Saved Books
Cat Who Saved Books | S?suke Natsukawa
13 posts | 11 read | 16 to read
From the #1 bestselling author in Japan comes a celebration of books, cats, and the people who love them, infused with the heartwarming spirit of The Guest Cat and The Travelling Cat Chronicles.Bookish high school student Rintaro Natsuki is about to close the secondhand bookstore he inherited from his beloved bookworm grandfather. Then, a talking cat appears with an unusual request. The feline asks for--or rather, demands--the teenager's help in saving books with him. The world is full of lonely books left unread and unloved, and the cat and Rintaro must liberate them from their neglectful owners. Their mission sends this odd couple on an amazing journey, where they enter different mazes to set books free. Through their travels, the cat and Rintaro meet a man who leaves his books to perish on a bookshelf, an unwitting book torturer who cuts the pages of books into snippets to help people speed read, and a publishing drone who only wants to create bestsellers. Their adventures culminate in one final, unforgettable challenge--the last maze that awaits leads Rintaro down a realm only the bravest dare enter . . . An enthralling tale of books, first love, fantasy, and an unusual friendship with a talking cat, The Cat Who Saved Books is a story for those for whom books are so much more than words on paper. Translated from the Japanese by Louise Heal Kawai.
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rachaich
Cat Who Saved Books | S?suke Natsukawa
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Pickpick

Ah, nice tale with a moral undertone. I do like these Japanese novels.
But who knew there's a whole genre called feline fantasy fiction?!!! Could be properly misinterpreted!

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K.M.-Forester
The Cat That Saved Books | SOSUKE. NATSUKAWA
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Forgot to post! It‘s been so crazy the last two weeks, but I loved my book swap ❤️🎄. I miss Christmas already.

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Robotswithpersonality
Cat Who Saved Books | S?suke Natsukawa
This post contains spoilers
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Pickpick

I loved it. I think the author has a tendency to enshrine books in a way that can be interpreted as elitist or too focused on the material item, but like the main character, his love for all aspects of books eventually shines through.
The final labyrinth answer: empathy? Oh, it got me. 🥹
🐱♥️ Side note: The translator's note discussing the decision not to gender the cat in English made me ridiculously happy.

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Robotswithpersonality
Cat Who Saved Books | S?suke Natsukawa
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"Flowers in the hedgerow and birds in the treetops are accessible only to the person who walks on their own two feet."
As an avid pedestrian, I can vouch for the strength of the analogy. But I would like to add, there are also short books full of meaning; which are not difficult to grasp. In reference to the preceding page relating struggling through a book to mountain climbing ("the view will be so much better"): All reading has value! ??‍♂️

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BookBelle84
Cat Who Saved Books | S?suke Natsukawa
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Rambo found his way to the top of the bookshelf and now doesn't want to come down. #catsoflitsy #readingbuddy

RaeLovesToRead Rambo! 🥰🥰🥰 2y
29 likes1 comment
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NotCool
Cat Who Saved Books | S?suke Natsukawa
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Mehso-so

… I don‘t know. That decorating hack where people put their books on the shelf with the pages facing out fills me with a blind rage. At the same time I wanted to tell the protagonist “let other people read the way they want to read, they aren‘t bothering you.” So the amount of hypocrisy this stirred up in me was substantial.

HatefulGrablin Every time I see shelves like that I can't help but imagine how frustrating it would be to try and find a specific book. 2y
5 likes1 comment
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akaGingerK
Cat Who Saved Books | S?suke Natsukawa
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“I think the power of books is that- that they teach us to care about others. It‘s a power that gives people courage and also supports them in turn.”
Finished this today - a quick read, heavy-handed on the allegory but in an enjoyable way for readers… but I‘ve got reservations/questions about the translation decisions, and the #ARC doesn‘t contain the translator‘s note. So I‘m going to check out the finished copy before choosing a rating.

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Curvybookgirl
Cat Who Saved Books | S?suke Natsukawa
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Pickpick

This book was a gift and I read it in one day. It‘s a beautifully translated slightly fantasy themed novel. It‘s a lovely heartwarming read with lots of positive messages about the power of books

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jenniferw88
Cat Who Saved Books | S?suke Natsukawa
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wanderinglynn Yay! 🙌🏻🖤🎃 3y
sisilia Cute! 3y
77 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Nebklvr
The Cat That Saved Books | SOSUKE. NATSUKAWA
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Pickpick

Scheduled for release in December. Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for an advanced review copy. A magical cat, a compassionate young woman, and a grieving teen travel to different labyrinths to save books. This is an allegory about reading challenges, blinkist, and modern publishing versus the innocent joy of knowledge and reading. It could have been sharp, cynical, and mean spirited. The joyous nature is a testament to the author.

KatieDid927 Well this is a most excellent cover. 3y
Nebklvr @KatieDid927 yes, I thought it was lovely too! 3y
KathyWheeler I never heard of Blinkist, so I looked it up. Sounds similar to Cliff Notes. I don‘t think you can properly get the point of a book in 15 minutes. I love that cover. (edited) 3y
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Nebklvr @KathyWheeler I find the Blinkist idea similar to Twitter. Just enough info to get me into trouble 3y
KathyWheeler @Nebklvr I just can‘t do Twitter because it‘s hard to follow conversations — for me anyway. I have an account basically because my rec center announces swimming pool closures on it. 😄 (edited) 3y
Nebklvr @KathyWheeler That is the best use of Twitter! 3y
42 likes3 stack adds6 comments
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Andrew65
Cat Who Saved Books | S?suke Natsukawa
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Pickpick

This took my attention as it combined a talking cat and a book about books, what more could you want?

This was a very cleverly written book that involved a boy, whose grandfather had just died, going on a number of adventures to save books. As he set about doing this he learnt a lot about himself and this helped him to overcome the death of his grandfather.

Andrew65 It was also a clever discussion about books, the role of books and power of books and how that is changing. Overall I found this a very engaging and delightful read and feel it has been translated very well. I am happy to recommend this book to any book lovers out there.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for providing a copy of this book for me, for an an open and honest review.
3y
Clwojick Hahahahahha. I feel like this speaks to my soul. Adding to the list. 3y
jenniferw88 Glad you enjoyed it! 3y
Gissy Sounds cute! 3y
86 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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Andrew65
The Cat That Saved Books | SOSUKE. NATSUKAWA
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We book started for #AwesomeAugust.

Who could resist a book about books and that has a talking cat!

jenniferw88 I've pre-ordered this! 3y
Andrew65 @jenniferw88 Quite enjoyable but different so far. 3y
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jenniferw88
The Cat That Saved Books | SOSUKE. NATSUKAWA
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As my #pet is a cat, I chose this pre-order for #curiouscovers! @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Eggs 👏🏻🐈🧡👍🏼 3y
55 likes3 stack adds1 comment