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A review by wlreed312
The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Rintaro Natsuki is preparing to leave the bookshop his grandfather owned and move in with his aunt after his grandfather's passing, when a talking cat walks into the shop and demands Rintaro's help in saving books from disrespectful owners. In their quest, Rintaro grapples with the loss of his grandfather while learning more about himself.
This is a book I heard about from the tiktok account of a book store owner in New York (Queens, I believe, but that might be wrong) that recommends work almost exclusively by BIPOC authors (it's BookPapi, his content is great if you want to get more recs for lesser known diverse authors) and it sounded so whimsical and charming I immediately checked to see if my library had a copy. I listened to the audiobook, which I enjoyed greatly. I really liked Rintaro as a character, and thought his journey was very sweet.
Where it lost a bit of the shine for me was how it talked about people reading old versus newer books, and what kinds of book are more worthy of reading. In one of the world, there is a conversation about people not reading "seriously" anymore (or reading "frivolously") and the more I think about it the more it bugs me. Yes, I think people should read books that are challenging and make them think outside the box, but sometimes you want or need something a little lighter. And shaming someone for what they read is never the best policy. There is probably some nuance I didn't get because of cultural differences, or possibly translation, but it was a bit off-putting.
Overall, though, this was a lovely story about grief, the love of books, and finding your place in the world.
This is a book I heard about from the tiktok account of a book store owner in New York (Queens, I believe, but that might be wrong) that recommends work almost exclusively by BIPOC authors (it's BookPapi, his content is great if you want to get more recs for lesser known diverse authors) and it sounded so whimsical and charming I immediately checked to see if my library had a copy. I listened to the audiobook, which I enjoyed greatly. I really liked Rintaro as a character, and thought his journey was very sweet.
Where it lost a bit of the shine for me was how it talked about people reading old versus newer books, and what kinds of book are more worthy of reading. In one of the world, there is a conversation about people not reading "seriously" anymore (or reading "frivolously") and the more I think about it the more it bugs me. Yes, I think people should read books that are challenging and make them think outside the box, but sometimes you want or need something a little lighter. And shaming someone for what they read is never the best policy. There is probably some nuance I didn't get because of cultural differences, or possibly translation, but it was a bit off-putting.
Overall, though, this was a lovely story about grief, the love of books, and finding your place in the world.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent