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maimona's review against another edition
4.0
This was brilliant and fascinating.
In this book we dive into four labyrinths which are built with architectural with reference to the ancient Greek myths, at the same time we are on a journey to discover the true power that books held and how we - as readers should handle and treat them.
Very educating, personally it has taught me a lot.
We say we love books, what in the core of that love, I have never been able to grasp it. reading this made me widen my vision and get closer to getting it!
.
.
In the book, the male lead deals with his demons but we all have our owndemons to handle. Each person can have trouble facing them but here we can see how the core to face it is somehow similar to others, for some of us, only with the help of others it can be faced.
.
.
Brilliant is not enough to describe this book!!
.
.
It may have a fantasy element but if we deconstruct the book it is a very realistic and tangible text.
It all comes down to our love for books and what they teach us and how they held power over us.
>> Highly recommended!
In this book we dive into four labyrinths which are built with architectural with reference to the ancient Greek myths, at the same time we are on a journey to discover the true power that books held and how we - as readers should handle and treat them.
Very educating, personally it has taught me a lot.
We say we love books, what in the core of that love, I have never been able to grasp it. reading this made me widen my vision and get closer to getting it!
.
.
In the book, the male lead deals with his demons but we all have our owndemons to handle. Each person can have trouble facing them but here we can see how the core to face it is somehow similar to others, for some of us, only with the help of others it can be faced.
.
.
Brilliant is not enough to describe this book!!
.
.
It may have a fantasy element but if we deconstruct the book it is a very realistic and tangible text.
It all comes down to our love for books and what they teach us and how they held power over us.
>> Highly recommended!
ambersapphire98's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
friedmochi's review against another edition
3.0
A delightful lecture for kids in the form of a novel.
Maybe it was because I came across this in an Editors' Picks section of a bookstore that I had mismatched expectations for what it would contain. In short, it's a great children's book. However, it's not marketed as one, so I wasn't expecting that when I started reading.
It's a nice, breezy fantasy adventure about a boy named Rintaro overcoming the grief of his grandfather's death over the course of a series of adventures brought to him by the titular magical cat.
It was enjoyable, and I would recommend this to book lovers. In essence, though, it's structured like a YA book for young tweens. At no point in time did I feel that Rintaro was in any actual danger. The challenges he faces are all - in some sense - philosophical debates about how best to enjoy books and reading. Side characters take the form of acquaintances from Rintaro's high school who show more care and compassion for him than he - or frankly, that I as a reader - expect given how little effort Rintaro has made in the past to make any friends.
The real payoff is seeing Rintaro's character growth throughout as he overcomes each obstacle. This book is great for book lovers because it reminds us repeatedly about the magic of books. However, for a fantasy tale, the side characters felt flat, and the story was lacking a sense of conflict throughout. This minimized the potential payoff of the themes the author is hoping to convey. So it's good but likely also forgettable.
Maybe it was because I came across this in an Editors' Picks section of a bookstore that I had mismatched expectations for what it would contain. In short, it's a great children's book. However, it's not marketed as one, so I wasn't expecting that when I started reading.
It's a nice, breezy fantasy adventure about a boy named Rintaro overcoming the grief of his grandfather's death over the course of a series of adventures brought to him by the titular magical cat.
It was enjoyable, and I would recommend this to book lovers. In essence, though, it's structured like a YA book for young tweens. At no point in time did I feel that Rintaro was in any actual danger. The challenges he faces are all - in some sense - philosophical debates about how best to enjoy books and reading. Side characters take the form of acquaintances from Rintaro's high school who show more care and compassion for him than he - or frankly, that I as a reader - expect given how little effort Rintaro has made in the past to make any friends.
The real payoff is seeing Rintaro's character growth throughout as he overcomes each obstacle. This book is great for book lovers because it reminds us repeatedly about the magic of books. However, for a fantasy tale, the side characters felt flat, and the story was lacking a sense of conflict throughout. This minimized the potential payoff of the themes the author is hoping to convey. So it's good but likely also forgettable.
moadlc's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It's a fun, quick read and perfect for a pallate cleanser between heavier books.
sageoki's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Reading this book in one sitting (i took breaks in between sections but і BASICALLY read this in one sitting) was like sitting down for a nice cup of tea (not that i would know as i don't drink tea but you know the vibe). It was relaxing and delightful and I'm grateful to have read it.
I feel like I learned things about books, about reading and being a reader that we all probably take a little for granted. While short and sweet, there were a lot of lines I loved, lots of quotes I jotted down (*cough* took a picture of *cough*) and overall, I feel like this book was a love letter from books themselves to readers. It was a wonderful adventure into a bizarre little bookish wonderland and I look forward to reading it again one day.
calliope1607's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
lememories's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
i honestly love this book it’s so cute. the descriptions & imagery is just ARGHH absolutely well said. it’s a mix whimsical & realism which is v interesting to contrast both worlds.
tofilmfiles's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
lostintranslatedbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I love this quote about books: ‘Books are filled with human thoughts and feelings. People suffering, people who are sad or happy, laughing with joy. By reading their words and their stories, by experiencing them together, we learn about the hearts and minds of other people besides ourselves. Thanks to books, it’s possible to learn not only about people around us everyday, but people living in totally different worlds.’
yars_reading_corner's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVEEE how wisely this book has been written, there is a lot of modern Japanese societal norms mentioned in it but also, it was definitely written by someone who loves books and there are some coats that I just loved so I'll be blunt and highlight them down below;
“Here at the world’s number one publishing company, we don’t publish books to inform or teach people. We print the books that society wants. We don’t care about issues such as messages that need 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.”
“Your feelings about a book don’t determine its value. The number of copies in circulation does. In other words, in our society it is the banknote that is the arbiter of value.”
“Books teach us how to care about others.”
“Books are filled with human thoughts and feelings. People suffering, people who are sad or happy, laughing with joy. By reading their words and their stories, by experiencing them together, we learn about the hearts and minds of other people besides ourselves. Thanks to books, it’s possible to learn not only about the people around us every day, but people living in totally different worlds.”
“Here at the world’s number one publishing company, we don’t publish books to inform or teach people. We print the books that society wants. We don’t care about issues such as messages that need 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.”
“Your feelings about a book don’t determine its value. The number of copies in circulation does. In other words, in our society it is the banknote that is the arbiter of value.”
“Books teach us how to care about others.”
“Books are filled with human thoughts and feelings. People suffering, people who are sad or happy, laughing with joy. By reading their words and their stories, by experiencing them together, we learn about the hearts and minds of other people besides ourselves. Thanks to books, it’s possible to learn not only about the people around us every day, but people living in totally different worlds.”