The Cat Who Saved Books
- Downloads：9114
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-11-29 08:51:08
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sōsuke Natsukawa
- ISBN：1529081475
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Bookish high school student Rintaro Natsuki is about to close the secondhand bookshop he inherited from his beloved grandfather。 Then， a talking cat named Tiger appears with an unusual request。 The cat needs Rintaro’s help to save books that have been imprisoned， destroyed and unloved。
Their mission sends this odd couple on an amazing journey， where they enter different labyrinths to set books free。 Through their travels， Tiger and Rintaro meet a man who locks up his books， an unwitting book torturer who cuts the pages of books into snippets to help people speed read， and a publisher who only wants to sell books like disposable products。 Then， finally， there is a mission that Rintaro must complete alone 。 。 。
An enthralling tale of books， first love， fantasy， and an unusual friendship with a talking cat， The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa， translated by Louise Heal Kawai， is a story for those for whom books are so much more than words on paper。
Their mission sends this odd couple on an amazing journey， where they enter different labyrinths to set books free。 Through their travels， Tiger and Rintaro meet a man who locks up his books， an unwitting book torturer who cuts the pages of books into snippets to help people speed read， and a publisher who only wants to sell books like disposable products。 Then， finally， there is a mission that Rintaro must complete alone 。 。 。
An enthralling tale of books， first love， fantasy， and an unusual friendship with a talking cat， The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa， translated by Louise Heal Kawai， is a story for those for whom books are so much more than words on paper。
Reviews
Kris McCracken
，
The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke NatsukawaWhile this book has a beautiful message of love， loss， family， and the persistent power of books and reading， I found it far too twee and trite for my blood，While not marketed as a young adult novel， it reads as such。 The episodic structure is mainly reminiscent of many standard children’s adventure stories。 Look， if you’re a fan of banal fables like The Alchemist or Jonathan Livingston Seagull， you’ll be sure to love this one！⭐ ⭐
Sabrina Sell
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A wonderful， light story about a boy dealing with grief and finding his place in the world through his love for books and a snarky little tabby cat。
Redheadreader
，
Absolutely loved this gem of a book。 If you are lucky enough to get a Christmas gift from me this year， it is probably this book。
Irina
，
I expected something heart-warming ， maybe even heart-breaking， and cute， but instead it felt more like a surface level book， which was disappointing。 Although I think my standard for books like these are pretty high now， after reading The Travelling Cat chronicles （which is now one of my favourite books of all time， it is a masterpiece！） It was really good when there was talk About books。 But the cat was a sarcastic asshole for most of it （which is， I guess， is exactly how cats would be in real I expected something heart-warming ， maybe even heart-breaking， and cute， but instead it felt more like a surface level book， which was disappointing。 Although I think my standard for books like these are pretty high now， after reading The Travelling Cat chronicles （which is now one of my favourite books of all time， it is a masterpiece！） It was really good when there was talk About books。 But the cat was a sarcastic asshole for most of it （which is， I guess， is exactly how cats would be in real life， but still not what I had in mind going into this book） Also， why does the cat care so much about books？？？ That was never explained and actually bugged me throughout the book。 Overall though， it was interesting and cute， perfect for book lovers。 And cats。 。。。more
Sandra
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3。5*
Stefan Garland
，
Prosto je nemoguće da se jednom knjigoljupcu/mačkoljupcu ova knjiga ne dopadne。 Autor je prikazao vrlo lepu i važnu priču i podsetio nas zbog čega su knjige （i mačke！） toliko važne i zašto ih toliko volimo。 Međutim， i priča i stil su vrlo， vrlo jednostavni， i iako autor dolazi do vrlo lepih zaključaka， oni nisu nimalo originalni， niti su izneti na neki nikad ranije viđeni način。
Lauren
，
A short， and beautiful book set in Japan。 Perfect for people who love books。 Some great messages about reading， friendship and family。I did find it hard to get into this book， and it was part of a buddy read。 We all found the book had such huge potential， but something was missing for us， i had high hopes that this was gonna be a 5 star。 A brilliant storyline， and being set in a bookshop， and basically the story being all about books and how to save them， it sounded perfect。 In this book you wil A short， and beautiful book set in Japan。 Perfect for people who love books。 Some great messages about reading， friendship and family。I did find it hard to get into this book， and it was part of a buddy read。 We all found the book had such huge potential， but something was missing for us， i had high hopes that this was gonna be a 5 star。 A brilliant storyline， and being set in a bookshop， and basically the story being all about books and how to save them， it sounded perfect。 In this book you will find magical & fantasy elements throughout， a talking cat， and a budding romance。 I really could see this being made into a TV/movie adaptation。 It had Midnight Library vibes ， and overall a cute and short read。 。。。more
s
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this was such a cute short read and the perfect addition for the last book of my reading challenge
Melissa Laidman
，
Well I have a lot of thoughts about this book， but none of them are good。 Gotta say this “books are holy and must be saved” story is just not my thing。 The story itself reminded me of a video game or something， but it was so heavy on the morals， I couldn’t even enjoy the fun parts。 At least there was a talking cat。
Iris Henzel
，
Although this book is charming enough with its imagery of Western and Japanese fantasy environments， I can't shake the feeling that I don't fully agree with the book's message。 The idea that a book that's difficult to read will teach you something， while a book that's easy to read is easy because you already understand its point。 The idea that books are like mountains， the harder they are to climb， the more beautiful the views are。 The mention of how books are getting shorter and shorter， as if Although this book is charming enough with its imagery of Western and Japanese fantasy environments， I can't shake the feeling that I don't fully agree with the book's message。 The idea that a book that's difficult to read will teach you something， while a book that's easy to read is easy because you already understand its point。 The idea that books are like mountains， the harder they are to climb， the more beautiful the views are。 The mention of how books are getting shorter and shorter， as if you can only truly love books if you read the thick classics。 It feels elitist。 And also slightly ironic coming from a book that is very on the nose。This book's message about empathy being the power of books is beautiful and would have been more so if it recognised that a love of books is not exclusive to readers of classics or difficult-to-read books。 Surely if empathy is the power of books， this power can be drawn from books of all types， contemporary or classic， thick or thin， inaccessible or accessible。 。。。more
Anne
，
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review，I enjoyed this little book overall。 It was a fantastical story about a hikikomori named Rintaro， whose grandfather dies suddenly one day。 He is left as the sole proprietor of his father's old bookshop。 One day， a mysterious talking cat visits him and asks for his help "saving books"。 Overall， this was a cute story， but I felt like the themes it was trying to convey were a bit muddied， and it was a b Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review，I enjoyed this little book overall。 It was a fantastical story about a hikikomori named Rintaro， whose grandfather dies suddenly one day。 He is left as the sole proprietor of his father's old bookshop。 One day， a mysterious talking cat visits him and asks for his help "saving books"。 Overall， this was a cute story， but I felt like the themes it was trying to convey were a bit muddied， and it was a bit difficult to feel the weight of the stakes or feel anything for the characters in only 208 pages。 But still cute and enjoyable！ 。。。more
Kathryn Hemmann
，
The Cat Who Saved Books is an entertaining story filled with warmth， kindness， and bright-eyed hope for the future of books as a means of encouraging empathy and inspiring imagination。 A high school junior named Rintaro Natsuki has inherited a bookstore from his recently deceased grandfather。 During the week following the funeral， Rintaro is visited by a talking cat who spirits him away to a series of four magical “labyrinths，” which are book-themed abstract puzzles。 At the center of each labyri The Cat Who Saved Books is an entertaining story filled with warmth， kindness， and bright-eyed hope for the future of books as a means of encouraging empathy and inspiring imagination。 A high school junior named Rintaro Natsuki has inherited a bookstore from his recently deceased grandfather。 During the week following the funeral， Rintaro is visited by a talking cat who spirits him away to a series of four magical “labyrinths，” which are book-themed abstract puzzles。 At the center of each labyrinth is an adult in a position of power who misuses his authority to mistreat books。 Accompanied his crush Sayo， Rintaro is tasked with reminding these jaded adults of the true joy of reading。 The Cat Who Saved Books is unabashedly sentimental， and Rintaro and Sayo’s earnest sincerity can feel embarrassingly naïve at times。 That being said， the story’s satire is surprisingly sharp。 I was especially impressed by the third labyrinth， which offers a clever critique of giant corporations that put out a steady stream of publications simply for the purpose of pursuing profit。As a middle-grade novel， The Cat Who Saved Books will appeal to younger readers just beginning their journey with books。 Like an animated Pixar movie， however， the novel speaks both to the kids delighted by its adventure and to the adults amused by its satire。 。。。more
Clare
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Unusual。
Katie
，
This is an absolutely delightful book， we have fantasy， second hand book shops， angst ridden teenagers and a talking cat。 To top it off there are some rather profound thoughts on the importance of books and literature in the modern world。 If you are a bibliophile and perchance a cat lover， this book is worth a read。
Katie Lumsden
，
A real joy to real - fun， delightful， bizarre and heartwarming。 Definitely a book for booklovers。
emily♡︎
，
4。5**i really loved this book it made me so happy。The perfect cozy November read。I cried at the parts about the granddad for no reason really，it was just cute。
Giada Herondale （breathingwords。_）
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Davvero troppo carino！
Lucie Quack
，
This book reminded me to appreciate and value books and their messages。 It's also very heartwarming and left me happy。 This book reminded me to appreciate and value books and their messages。 It's also very heartwarming and left me happy。 。。。more
Smriti
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There’s a Japanese word and it’s “Kawaii” and it means cute and that’s the word I’ll use to describe this book - Kawaii！ The book is about a young boy who has just lost his grandfather who owned a second hand bookshop。 He’s an introverted shut in who just loves the company of books more than anything （hard relate）。 But one day， a talking cat comes to him and tells him that he needs help to go rescue some books - so off they go into a secret portal to distant lands to rescue books from various pe There’s a Japanese word and it’s “Kawaii” and it means cute and that’s the word I’ll use to describe this book - Kawaii！ The book is about a young boy who has just lost his grandfather who owned a second hand bookshop。 He’s an introverted shut in who just loves the company of books more than anything （hard relate）。 But one day， a talking cat comes to him and tells him that he needs help to go rescue some books - so off they go into a secret portal to distant lands to rescue books from various people。 And what I loved about the adventures was the conversations they had about books - from hoarding them to abridged versions and summary reading to even the publishing industry and its many faults。 It covered so many things that us readers talk about。 But the overlying thing through the book that you could see was just the love of books and it warmed my heart。 This is a book that sounds like it's targeted to the younger audience （the voice in the book does seem that way） but it could be read by anyone。 So much love。 。。。more
Mia
，
*3。5"Books have tremendous power。 But take care。 It's the books that holds the power， not you。"I don't have too much to say about this book except that it was cute。 I was expecting it to go a little deeper with its representation of grief - I feel like the appearance of the Cat wasn't really explained AS a metaphor for grief but that's how I saw it。 Each little labyrinth was very short as well which was a little jarring but I understood the reason for that was to keep the pace up as well as maki *3。5"Books have tremendous power。 But take care。 It's the books that holds the power， not you。"I don't have too much to say about this book except that it was cute。 I was expecting it to go a little deeper with its representation of grief - I feel like the appearance of the Cat wasn't really explained AS a metaphor for grief but that's how I saw it。 Each little labyrinth was very short as well which was a little jarring but I understood the reason for that was to keep the pace up as well as making it something younger children would be able to get through。 Very much reminded me of the SpongeBob SquarePants episode 'Karate Island' because there's these different levels that he has to beat， I was honestly just thinking of that the whole time。 This was still pretty cute and enjoyable， especially if you're someone who loves books！ But， a fair warning， I found myself agreeing with some of the men in the labyrinths， particularly that guy who was against rereading books - I simply don't have enough time！！ 。。。more
Sadie-Jane Alexis Nunis
，
What a wonderful book。 The translator did an excellent job to ensure that the essence of the book is kept true and you can tell from the way the story is told。There are times when I read books like this and wish I could read the original and understand the language。 Until that happens， for now， I will just appreciate the brilliance of the author as told by the translators who put in the effort to ensure that the story is told as true as it has been in its original language。
McKenzie
，
This quirky short book about an absurdly well read teen is going to wiggle its way into many hearts。 However， for me there was a bit of a disconnect with the story。 It didn’t actually evoke any feelings within me。 Sure， I found the journey a tad fantastical and interesting enough to finish， but it lacked any sort of wow factor。 Despite that， this is a really heartwarming and gentle read that is sure to go straight to the heart of most book lovers。Rintaro himself is a shut-in， who doesn’t even wa This quirky short book about an absurdly well read teen is going to wiggle its way into many hearts。 However， for me there was a bit of a disconnect with the story。 It didn’t actually evoke any feelings within me。 Sure， I found the journey a tad fantastical and interesting enough to finish， but it lacked any sort of wow factor。 Despite that， this is a really heartwarming and gentle read that is sure to go straight to the heart of most book lovers。Rintaro himself is a shut-in， who doesn’t even want to go to school since his grandfather died。 He spends all his time at the bookstore until his aunt comes to collect him。 Because he is extremely well read， he doesn’t come across as a high school student。 I found myself rooting for him on his journey， but not strongly。 I liked Sayo and his other friend， but I didn’t get a great feel for them。 The real reason this is going to resonate with readers isn’t the characters， the setting， or even to a certain extent the story itself， but the questions it asks。This book discusses questions that many readers have asked over the years: Is it better to read favorite books several times or many books only once？ Is it better to continue to publish older books and classics， even if they don’t sell well， or to only publish the flashy new novels？ Should you try to speed through books or take your time and really get to know them？ I’m not sure if there is a correct answer to these questions， but it is something to think about。Overall， I recommend this for readers who like to read books about books and reading。 Cat lovers might find some love here as well as readers who like books set in bookstores。 While I enjoyed this book， it isn’t going to be on my favorites list。 However， I am willing to check out anything else by Sosuke Natsukawa that I see in the future。 。。。more
Liina
，
3-3。5？
Kelly Rosalyn Moore
，
A cute simple read — I would’ve loved this growing up！ However the moral teachings were very overt and cheesy for older audiences
Bee
，
I love this book with my whole heart！ Its such a cute and heartwarming story。 :）
Debbie De Louise
，
Note: I reviewed this book through a NetGalley advanced reader copy。 It will be published in December。Although this book is geared toward a young adult audience， as the main character， Rintaro Natsuki， is a high school student， book lovers of all ages will enjoy this story。 There's a paranormal theme as well as a sweet romance， and it all takes place during the holiday season。Rintaro's grandfather has died leaving him a used bookstore。 As he is grieving for his grandfather and contemplating his Note: I reviewed this book through a NetGalley advanced reader copy。 It will be published in December。Although this book is geared toward a young adult audience， as the main character， Rintaro Natsuki， is a high school student， book lovers of all ages will enjoy this story。 There's a paranormal theme as well as a sweet romance， and it all takes place during the holiday season。Rintaro's grandfather has died leaving him a used bookstore。 As he is grieving for his grandfather and contemplating his move to his aunt's house， Rintaro is visited by a talking tabby cat who requests his help saving books。 Thus follows Rintaro's adventures into three labyrinths that appear in the back of the bookstore。 After solving the mystery of the first labyrinth， Rintaro's friend， Sayo， the school rep who has been bringing him makeup work after he's missed classes， is able to see the cat who reappears and asks for help in the second labyrinth。As Rintaro becomes more involved with Sayo， the cat named Tiger begins to make comments that they could be girlfiend and boyfriend。 Working together， Sayo and Rintaro solve two other labyrinths and save more books。 The stories behind these adventures will make sense to booklovers who know that in today's society， print books and classics are less in demand than digital， commercial reads。 Rintaro's love of books increases as he solves each labyrinth's dilemma。The final labyrinth has Rintaro facing his feelings for Sayo and realizing the true worth of books and how they connect people。 A story that can be read on several levels。 Book and cat lovers will enjoy it very much。 。。。more
WF
，
Charming story。 I liked the first three labyrinths， but found the last "quest" a little boring， and feel it would have been better for the book to have ended upon completion of the third quest。 Charming story。 I liked the first three labyrinths， but found the last "quest" a little boring， and feel it would have been better for the book to have ended upon completion of the third quest。 。。。more
berrypuree
，
𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐚𝐰𝐚- a review 🐈📚✨→ translated by louise heal kawai→ description The cat who saved books is a whimsical tale about friendship， grief and。。well。。a cat and books？ We follow our “teenaged book-loving protagonist” Natsuki who’s coming to terms with the death of his grandpa whom he was raised by。 After his death， Natsuki is left with the only thing that keeps the memory of his grandpa alive， his old second hand bookshop。While he locks himself up in the shop， an 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐚𝐰𝐚- a review 🐈📚✨→ translated by louise heal kawai→ description The cat who saved books is a whimsical tale about friendship， grief and。。well。。a cat and books？ We follow our “teenaged book-loving protagonist” Natsuki who’s coming to terms with the death of his grandpa whom he was raised by。 After his death， Natsuki is left with the only thing that keeps the memory of his grandpa alive， his old second hand bookshop。While he locks himself up in the shop， an uninvited guest， the tabby cat named Tiger turns up on his doorstep， sweeping him away on a mission to save books。→ review Reading this book was such a magical experience。 Tiger the tabby cat reminded me of Fenestra （my favorite grumpy， short-tempered Magnificat :’）） I also loved the fact that the cat didn’t have a gender as it isn’t referred to as ‘he’ ‘she’ or ‘it’ but just ‘the cat’ in the original text。 Even though it sounded more like a man than a woman in the japanese， the translator （louise heal kawai） didn’t feel the need to add another male character and stuck with a neutral pronoun （WE STAN！！） （I got this information from the translator’s note btw）Uhhh I’m losing track。。I enjoyed the journey overall although I have to say that I would’ve liked the books that were mentioned to be a bit more diverse and not almost all of them to be written by dead white men 😐 Idk。。I understand the people that didn’t enjoy it as much as it gets a bit repetitive but if you can overlook that， you’ve got a quiet lovely book ！ :）→ who should read this book？lovers of japanese literature， middle grade， cats and of course books！！ 。。。more
Irni Farid
，
A good read for me。 Story of books in a book from the eye of Rintaro and his late grandpa。 Losing someone due to death and strengthening oneself in making choices from the labybrinths of Natsuki Bookstore accompanied by a tabby cat。 Appreciating your surroundings especially young love and of course books。 Nice translation too。
Ceyda Şendoğan İlgün
，
Japon edebiyatı merak ediyor ve okumak istiyorum。 Ama bu kitap olmadı bende。 Basit， okuması kolay ama sıkıcı。 Baş karakterin de dediği gibi zorlanmıyorsan belki de yeni bir şey öğrenmiyorsundur。 :）
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Cat Who Saved Books
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Cat Who Saved Books&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft