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I read this translated novel for my book club. I look forward to our discussion because it was a small book with a big punch. I loved the fantastical elements, and the love of books shining through. The cute cover is a bonus!
Read if you like talking animals, books, coming of age stories, or puzzles.
🐈🐈🐈🐈🐈

📸 Taken outside of Winslow, Arizona last week.
Yes I was worried my book would fall off the bridge into the river. 🙃

It‘s the middle of March so that means time for my tbr stack. 😅

📋 Currently reading The Guest List by Lucy Foley for the February #keywordreadingchallenge (guest)
🐈‍⬛ If It Bleeds by Stephen King for the #LosersClub
🐈 tagged for book club
🪯 Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal for the March #keywordreadingchallenge (story)

2 #reesesbookclub books and 2 books with cats on the cover - should be a good month.

#tbr #Marchtbr

What a lovely book — a quiet meditation on grief and loss, what makes us human, and what makes us strong. A voyage of self-discovery, of a very curious and interesting type. The exploration of books and reading, why we read and what it means, enriched this little book far beyond its size. I loved it

Started this today and although it feels like a meditation on grief, it‘s also warm and lovely and like a love letter to books. I can tell I‘m going to love it🥰

This is one journey that I have somewhat enjoy and yet felt a little underwhelmed. The adventure is book related focusing on book lovers weaknesses yet not as livelier, maybe due to the translation. It‘s suitable for young adults, similar to John Connolly‘s The Book of Lost Things IMO. I‘ve rated this ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️½
This wasn't anything spectacular, but I enjoyed it.

Sixteen-year-old Rintaro was raised by his grandfather, who owned a secondhand bookshop. After his grandfather dies, Rintaro is set to move away to live with an aunt. He stops going to school and plans to shut the bookshop. But then a talking cat arrives, requests his help saving books from those who mistreat them, and everything changes.

A very Japanese novel. Charming and peculiar.

I listened to this one via BorrowBox,
It was interesting and all about the love of books.

Reading for reading prompts.

4.25/5

I liked this. It was a quick read with a thoughtful core. I liked how Rintaro grew in confidence over the course of the story.
(I had intended to read this for #JubilantJuly 2023 but finished it early 😆)

4 stars ⭐️
This was a really sweet story about the power of books and reading. The main character's favorite childhood character comes to help him in a time of grief and doubt. Very raw, but in a healthy way, like raw vegetables. The author says some very blunt things about the book industry, which I really appreciated. I found the story to be encouraging and heartwarming.

It‘s a BINGO! @TheAromaofBooks

May was a good reading month! I got through:

12 - The secret Garden
5 - Property of the Rebel Librarian
10 - And the Birds Rained Down
21 (FREE) - Shadow & Bone
18 - The Cat Who Saved Books

The cover is pretty. That is all.
It‘s been a while since I‘ve read something so elitist, pretentious, condescending and boring. The author beats the reader over the head with tired old complaints that aren‘t even true. In reality people do read, good books come out all the time, there is more than one way to enjoy the books. We never really get to know the characters. The dialogue is repetitive. Oh and the cat is barely there.

Today‘s #BookHaul from our traditional half way stop at B&N on the way home from the Cabazon Dinosaurs.

“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.”

This resonated for me today 😌😺 (though I'd throw compassion and empathy in there, too, even if (or especially because) they can sometimes be hard to hold onto).

I enjoyed this tale about a boy, a talking cat and their quest to save books. Rintaro loses his grandfather and inherits his small bookshop. He is living a hikikoimori lifestyle hiding in books. A grieving Rintaro meets a talking cat who helps him work through his grief and learn the power of books and how they can help him connect with others. Favorite quote - “Empathy, that's the power of books“. Translation was choppy but ok. Cat annoyed me.

#TemptingTitles #April2023 Day 19: #WithCat

#Japan #Tokyo #cats #photochallenges
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

#temptingtitles #withcat

I definitely did not need to get this #LibraryHaul 📚😮‍💨 Oh, well, I suppose I better put the kettle on and get the biscuits!

But I did bring THIS book to my pedicure (and am Litsy-ing instead of reading) #ICTReads Nonhuman narrator category #translation

This is a shortish story but packs quite a punch about how we all individually read and deal with books. It reminded me a little of Alice in Wonderland as it definitely takes the reader on a journey down the rabbit hole! It‘s a magical and whimsical little tale. Never underestimate the power of books! Quite thought provoking in its way. An enjoyable, delightful, quick and easy little read. The translation flows well, too.

I should stay away from books about books, even when there's a cat on front. This cat was the reason I wanted to read this one. Sadly, the cat is basically non-existent to the story and only makes some short appearances.
The rest was exactly what I didn't want it to be. It felt like the author just wanted to throw around some big names and to play moral instance. Sure, he had some points about our society and the new media, but it felt forced.

My cat-loving, book-obsessed heart truly enjoyed this book. Part of my #JapaneseAuthors challenge I found this to not only be a quick read but a charming one as well. I mean what's not to love when you have a talking cat who wants to save books? Just saying.

#Soul #InQuotes
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

for a #bookclub #japan #cats #translation

#Booked2023 #QuietYANovel

@BarbaraTheBibliophage @alisiakae @Cinfhen

Wish there had been more of the cat in the story.

Story about books. But furthermore about overcoming grief.

I loved this audiobook, cosy and magical featuring a cat and books. What more could you want? 🥰

I thought this explanation of the Japanese word 'hikikomori' was really interesting. Its use in the book was well done and I was able to infer the meaning from context clues and I like that the translator decided to keep it in.
#weirdwords @CBee

I spotted this at the library on my last visit and couldn't resist - my two favorite things, cats and books!
This was a cozy read. Rintaro is a shy bookworm who just lost his grandfather and must now close his used bookstore. Then a mysterious talking cat shows up and demands his help to save books from neglecting owners. They travel through different labyrinths and face new challenges.
The story was just a bit magical and had an inspiring message

My last book of 2022 was A Merry Little Meet Cute. The first book I picked up in 2023 was The Cat Who Saved Books (I don't know if it'll be my first completed bc I'm a multi-book kinda gal but 🤷🏼‍♀️)
#lastfirst @BookNAround

A teenager is taken on a journey through labyrinths by a ginger cat called Tiger to save books, but can Rintaro find his way out of the labyrinths? A short story that I enjoyed and had many meanings. Is this a book about grief? Self-discovery? Meaning of life? A coming-of-age tale? Understanding of mental health? I think it is all of these and many more, it all depends on the reader and that is what makes it a good read.

"That first time the mysterious cat took me on journey, I thought that if it was a dream I wouldn't mind never waking up, and if it wasn't a dream then I wouldn't mind not being able ever to make it home...But ever since that cat turned up, I've been thinking more and more about everything that's been going on. I feel like I'm starting to see things a little differently."

#Grief #Loss #Love #FindingSelf

“If you combined the kanji character for “go” with the one for “live” you get a strange-looking word meaning “to pass away.” Somehow seeing this word was what had shaken Rintaro the most; it struck him as out of place.

An unexpected gem showcasing the power of books.

Been on my TBR for forever now and decided to buy during the Libro holiday sale, such a good read esp relating to books. I was iffy about the whole "girlfriend" talk bc it was so random and uncalled for but it's such a norm to see this type of (idk what to call it) heteronormative pushings(?) In Japanese lit. That said, I did like that Natsuki came out of his shell and reforged his relationship w his grandpa #family #fantasy

I love this cover, but the book wasn't for me. Similar vibe to Before the Coffee Gets Cold, so it felt almost like a fable or an allegory.

This book isn‘t action-packed. Instead it‘s a story about a young, introverted teenager who, after his grandfather dies, is forced to confront monsters — both his own and those trying to destroy books — and defeat them with the power of his words and the help of a talking cat and a school friend.

This is a lovely thought. 🥰📚

#catsoflitsy

It‘s just shy of midnight in my neck of the woods and the kick off of to one of my favorite reading seasons on Litsy. Looking forward to #spookoween2022 and #ominousoctober Pulled this title featuring a #cat from my frightfully long want to read list.

Lovely book about the love of books!
A typically Japanese fantasy story that one should especially (re-)read when life seems out of your own control and you need some motivation and courage to go on.

Loved it!

🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱/5

Definitely a fun distraction that book lovers will enjoy reading. I can't say I was blown away with it but it transported me to a fantastical world where the mission was to save books. And the snarky feline companion was a great sidekick as well.

There are also some truly beautiful passages about grief as the main character deals with the loss of his grandfather.

A cat and book combo. What could be better?
I have been thinking to read this for a while and my library had it available today!

My new lunch time audio book. It is charming so far. If you liked Before the Coffee Gets Cold, you will like this one I think.

(I finally jumped on the #Bookly train!) This #audiobook was fun for us book-lovers, and the cover is 😍, but I would probably never reread it, nor was I wowed by it. As I'm getting back to reading for fun, and also going through a challenging time in my life, it was a comfortable audiobook to sink into while on airplanes or driving to my grandfather's funeral. A pick if you're in the mood for a cozy book-loving aesthetic/vibe 💕

Our family finally got around to opening gifts for my birthday (last Friday) and husband‘s Father‘s Day. My mom @Doll8455 sewed all the table toppers (isn‘t she brilliant?), the fam got me the books and Dickens puzzle, my in-laws in England gave me the necklace, and I gave myself the bee puzzle. It was a gorgeous birthday and I couldn‘t wait to share it with you all! PS I just realized I can read the books for #Japan #foodandlit!

First day of summer break (yes last day of school was weirdly a Monday). And it‘s a nice day for a swim and a read by the pool!

This gave me Phantom Tollbooth vibes.

First read for May. It was a nice read and made me think about books in new ways. The only thing is I wanted to know more about the cat. Thanks @Yuki_Onna for including this in my swap package.

This also fits the #roaringwolf prompt #1 - Animal. For a book that has an animal the appears regularly. @Roary47 @Littlewolf1

This read like a modern fairytale about the power of books. I wasn't completely blown away by it, but it was a fun story.