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Darla's Reviews > The Cat Who Saved Books
The Cat Who Saved Books (The Cat Who..., #1)
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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?
Rintaro Natsuki is seventeen and has embraced being a hikiomori. That's your new vocabulary word for the day in case you are looking. His grandfather, the owner and proprietor of Natsuki Books has recently died. Rintaro is going to have to leave the store behind and go live with an aunt. Before he can close down the business, Tiger comes to visit and takes him on four adventures. Each time Rintaro enters a different labyrinth and is exposed to a way that books are being misused, misunderstood, or mistreated. During their trips Tiger always refers to Rintaro as Mr. Proprietor and allows one other person to join them -- Sayo, a classmate who has been bringing Rintaro his homework and encouraging him to come back to school. The two students begin to bond over books and the labyrinth. One of the most exciting trips occurs on Christmas Eve making this a good holiday read. I enjoyed this book, but not as much as others that have been translated from Japanese. This one seemed a bit awkwardly worded at times. It is still worth a read to remind us of the treasure to be found in even the oldest of books.
Thank you to HarperVia and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
Rintaro Natsuki is seventeen and has embraced being a hikiomori. That's your new vocabulary word for the day in case you are looking. His grandfather, the owner and proprietor of Natsuki Books has recently died. Rintaro is going to have to leave the store behind and go live with an aunt. Before he can close down the business, Tiger comes to visit and takes him on four adventures. Each time Rintaro enters a different labyrinth and is exposed to a way that books are being misused, misunderstood, or mistreated. During their trips Tiger always refers to Rintaro as Mr. Proprietor and allows one other person to join them -- Sayo, a classmate who has been bringing Rintaro his homework and encouraging him to come back to school. The two students begin to bond over books and the labyrinth. One of the most exciting trips occurs on Christmas Eve making this a good holiday read. I enjoyed this book, but not as much as others that have been translated from Japanese. This one seemed a bit awkwardly worded at times. It is still worth a read to remind us of the treasure to be found in even the oldest of books.
Thank you to HarperVia and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
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Reading Progress
November 18, 2021
–
Started Reading
November 18, 2021
– Shelved
November 18, 2021
– Shelved as:
fantasy
November 18, 2021
– Shelved as:
cultural
November 18, 2021
– Shelved as:
magical-realism
November 18, 2021
–
Finished Reading
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Regina
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Nov 19, 2021 08:18AM
Sign me up, too!!!
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Regina wrote: "Sign me up, too!!!"You can download an ARC on Edelweiss+ today, but I know your TBR pile is overflowing like mine. ; )
I love this premise! Fantastic review, Darla. :)
Kat wrote: "I love this premise! Fantastic review, Darla. :)"Thanks, Kat! Who can resist a talking cat in a bookstore? <3
This sounds lovely, Darla! I think a lot of us on Goodreads enjoy a good "bookshop" book! Thanks for sharing!
Debbie wrote: "This sounds lovely, Darla! I think a lot of us on Goodreads enjoy a good "bookshop" book! Thanks for sharing!"My pleasure, Debbie! The adventures of Rintaro and the talking cat provide some food for thought regarding why we read books, too.
Darla wrote: "Debbie wrote: "This sounds lovely, Darla! I think a lot of us on Goodreads enjoy a good "bookshop" book! Thanks for sharing!"My pleasure, Debbie! The adventures of Rintaro and the talking cat pro..."
Thanks to your review, it is now on my WTR list with a hold at my local library!
Debbie wrote: "Darla wrote: "Debbie wrote: "This sounds lovely, Darla! I think a lot of us on Goodreads enjoy a good "bookshop" book! Thanks for sharing!"My pleasure, Debbie! The adventures of Rintaro and the t..."
Yay, Debbie! Enjoy. <3
Loved reading your review, Darla! I need to read this book, too :) I remember translating the title The Cat Who Saved Books from Japanese, because one of my Goodread friends said that its title does not correspond to the concept of the book.
This was the outcome:
本を守ろうとする猫の話 - A tale of a cat who tries to protect a (the) book.
Or A tale of a cat who tries to be true to his beliefs he had come to through reading the book.
本- book. There’s no concept of plural in Japanese. Therefore, it can be said "a lot of books" but it's not the case with this title. It says "book"
守る - it has different translations. Maybe the meaning was not to "save" but "true to one's beliefs"? But usually "mamoru" means to protect.
I'm still learning the language, so my translation might be or probably is inaccurate :)
Cam wrote: "Loved reading your review, Darla! I need to read this book, too :) I remember translating the title The Cat Who Saved Books from Japanese, because one of my Goodread friends said that its title d..."
Thank you, Cam! That is fascinating. I will be interested to see how you compare the actual translation of the title with the contents. 😻🤔
Dee wrote: "Sounds beautiful 🧡🐱"It had a dreamlike feel to it, Dee. 😽
Wonderful review Darla! A great explanation of the journey!
Karen wrote: "Wonderful review Darla! A great explanation of the journey!"Thank you, Karen. Hopping over to check out your review. 🐰
