The Cat Who Saved Books

 

Blurb:

A celebration of books, cats, and the people who love them, infused with the heart-warming spirit of The Guest Cat and The Travelling Cat Chronicles.
Bookish high school student Rintaro Natsuki is about to close the second-hand bookstore he inherited from his beloved bookworm grandfather. Then, a talking cat named Tiger 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 Tiger 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, Tiger 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...

Thoughts:

Rintaro Natsuki, the 17-year-old protagonist of The Cat Who Saved Books, inherits a bookshop when his grandfather dies. He is preparing to close it up and go live with an aunt when Tiger, a talking ginger tabby cat, appears in the shop and demands that he help it save books.

Tiger takes him inside four labyrinths filled with books. Sayo, Rintaro's classmate who visits him frequently, also accompanies them from the second trip onwards.
In the four mazes, they meet people who the author, Sōsuke Natsukawa, represents as people who misuse, mistreat, or misunderstand books:

• The first person is only interested in the number of books he reads. He wants to read the most books possible in his lifetime; he no longer derives any pleasure from reading.
• The second one thinks that the only way to keep people interested in reading is to shorten/summarize or cut books.
• The third does not care for great books—he is interested only in popular books, meaning those that sell well.
• The fourth person, one whom Tiger calls the most dangerous, makes Rintaro question the meaning/purpose of literature and books.

If you love books and agree with the author's opinions, you may enjoy this. I did, especially because I love cats and books. However, it left me wondering about many things:

• Why are the characteristics of Rintaro, Sayo, and Tiger described repeatedly?
• Where did Tiger come from? What does it represent/symbolize?
• The title says the cat who saved books. Then why is Tiger only taking Rintaro to places where books are being mistreated and Rintaro doing the actual saving?
• Are the villains actually evil or just representatives of the changing times?
• Are classics disappearing? Aren't they more accessible these days? Does everyone who loves books need to read classics? If readers find them difficult, isn't it all right if they read condensed versions or summaries?
• Don't readers' tastes or neurodivergence count?
• The grandfather, the bookshop owner who left it to Rintaro, was a former university professor. He has supposedly imparted a lot of wisdom, especially about the 'power of books'. However, that is not clearly explained in the book.
• How will Rintaro, a high school student, manage to run the shop?

That said, the book emphasizes the general importance of books and the joy of reading. It talks about books making you aware of other people and places and helping develop compassion, tolerance, and empathy.
Rintaro tells Sayo that if you find a book difficult, it's because it contains something new to you and that it offers you a challenge. This is true not just of books but a lot of the things you encounter in life.
I can't comment on the translation by Louise Heal Kawai. I liked her note about the hows and whys of it at the end of the book. 

To summarize, a simple story with a touch of magical realism that makes you think.

Beautiful Writers

 

Blurb:

From the host of the Beautiful Writers Podcast comes a heartwarming, how-I-made-tale from a working writer you’ve never heard of, and inspiration and advice from the legends you love.
This book gives aspiring writers and seasoned literary veterans a look into the lives of iconic authors and answers the burning question, “How did they do it?!”
As a young writer in Los Angeles, Linda Sivertsen was hungry to be more like her literary idols. Fame and fortune seemed to happen so easily—and so fast—for them. But how exactly did these bestselling authors bust through all the obstacles and deliver, day after day, year after year, book after book?
When her questions remained unanswered by multiple how-to guides, despite how her writing career was now thriving, Linda decided to go straight to the source: her favorite storytellers across numerous genres. So, Linda co-created the Beautiful Writers Podcast, where she began interviewing authors for the secrets behind their careers—and, without realizing it, began building a platform of eager listeners who wanted to learn from their shared idols. With more than two million downloads, Linda’s podcast has since become a bright beacon of inspiration for writers at all stages of their journeys.
Now, in Beautiful Writers: A Journey of Big Dreams and Messy Manuscripts—with Tricks of the Trade from Bestselling Authors, Linda shares—and expands on—the best of advice and storytelling from the podcast and follow-up interviews with literary greats, including:

• Terry McMillan
• Cheryl Strayed
• Tom Hanks
• Van Jones
• Jenny Lawson
• Steven Pressfield
• Elizabeth Gilbert
• Anne Lamott
• Mary Karr
• Seth Godin
• Abby Wambach
• Martha Beck
• Marie Forleo
• Lee Child
• Patricia Cornwell
• Dean Koontz
• Maria Shriver
• Dr. Jane Goodall
• Sabaa Tahir
• Tomi Adeyemi
• Ann Patchett
• Dani Shapiro
• Danielle LaPorte
• Tosca Lee
• Joy Harjo
• Deepak Chopra

Wrapped around the page-turning, magical, and wonderfully relatable account of the highs and lows of her own career writing bestselling, award-winning books for herself and others, these stories from the trenches are packed with suspense, laugh-out-loud humor, and raw honesty. Their passion and wisdom will help aspiring writers avoid common pitfalls and energize career authors with a treasure trove of writing insights from their peers.

Beautiful Writers is a love letter to reading, writing, and to everyone who reads and writes. It’s the book Linda wished she had when she was starting out. Beautiful Writers will become the evergreen companion for creatives everywhere. Write on!

Thoughts:

'Beautiful Writers' is Sivertsen's memoir on writing. While her stories are entertaining and hilarious, they are also compassionate and insightful. The book also has advice from many writers in it. She has managed to intersperse that with some major events in the beginning of her writing career..

Sivertsen discusses a wide range of problems/questions you may face when you write. She describes how much hard work goes into bringing out a book—from conception to writing to editing to publishing to marketing.

You may not like Sivertsen's lifestyle or her writing method/process. For example, you may balk at praying for inspiration or consulting a guru. You may not appreciate her attitude towards some authors. You may not agree with some of the people she has quoted. You may not find definitive information on how to plan, write, or develop a plot.

However, whatever stage you are in your career—beginner, established writer—you will find some part of the book that speaks to you. Similarly, whichever page you turn to, you will find practical, relevant advice about some aspect of writing.

The Reading List

Blurb:

An unforgettable and heartwarming debut about how a chance encounter with a list of library books helps forge an unlikely friendship between two very different people in a London suburb.

Widower Mukesh lives a quiet life in the London Borough of Ealing after losing his beloved wife. He shops every Wednesday, goes to Temple, and worries about his granddaughter, Priya, who hides in her room reading while he spends his evenings watching nature documentaries.

Aleisha is a bright but anxious teenager working at the local library for the summer when she discovers a crumpled-up piece of paper in the back of To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s a list of novels that she’s never heard of before. Intrigued, and a little bored with her slow job at the checkout desk, she impulsively decides to read every book on the list, one after the other. As each story gives up its magic, the books transport Aleisha from the painful realities she’s facing at home.

When Mukesh arrives at the library, desperate to forge a connection with his bookworm granddaughter, Aleisha passes along the reading list… hoping that it will be a lifeline for him too. Slowly, the shared books create a connection between two lonely souls, as fiction helps them escape their grief and everyday troubles and find joy again.

Thoughts:

In her debut novel, Sara Nisha Adams talks of the magic of books and the human connection that they can forge. I believe in both.

I often think that books find readers rather than the other way around. Many a time, I find myself reading something and thinking that is exactly what I wanted to hear right now.

Similarly, readers are considered introverted and unsociable, preferring the company of books over people. Of course, some of us probably are. Yet, you may find so many of us referring to books that led to great decisions, charitable acts, and good civic sense.

Adams tells you a story of books bringing about healing and comfort during devastating loss. She also manages to remind you why reading books is important without being preachy.

An old widower Mukesh, who visits the library for the first time in his life, and a teenage girl Aleisha, who reluctantly takes up a summer job there, bond over books. These books are from a handwritten list that she finds tucked inside another book. They have nothing in common.

However, their plots align subtly with the lives of the people who read them. The readers find things that resonate with their circumstances and learn from them. I liked the idea of introducing plots of other novels into the plot of the book.

Adams does not discuss the books in detail. You don’t need to read any of them either. She gives you a general idea about them and how Mukesh, Aleisha, or someone else relates to them.

The opinions of those of you who have read them may differ from those of Adams. This is quite natural because your experiences influence your perceptions.

A few questions remain unanswered. For example, what is Aleisha’s mother suffering from? Why did her brother make such a drastic decision?

This did not bother me as the story did not revolve around these two main characters. Adams expertly weaves in their families, friends, and a larger circle of people with whom they interact.

All of them have their own stories of loss, trauma, or loneliness. Although there are potential romances, the emphasis is on friendship and compassion.

I love to read anything about books, libraries, and reading. I chose this book because of its title. I am glad I did.