Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme that was started by @Lauren’s Page Turners but is now currently being hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog. This meme is quite easy to follow – just randomly pick a book from your to-be-read list and give the reasons why you want to read it. It is that simple.
This week’s book:
The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa
Blurb from Goodreads
The Cat Who Saved Books is a heart-warming story about finding courage, caring for others – and the tremendous power of books.
Grandpa used to say it all the time: ‘books have tremendous power’. But what is that power really?
Natsuki Books was a tiny second-hand bookshop on the edge of town. Inside, towering shelves reached the ceiling, every one crammed full of wonderful books. Rintaro Natsuki loved this space that his grandfather had created. He spent many happy hours there, reading whatever he liked. It was the perfect refuge for a boy who tended to be something of a recluse.
After the death of his grandfather, Rintaro is devastated and alone. It seems he will have to close the shop. Then, a talking tabby cat called Tiger appears and asks Rintaro for help. The cat needs a book lover to join him on a mission. This odd couple will go on three magical adventures to save books from people who have imprisoned, mistreated and betrayed them. Finally, there is one last rescue that Rintaro must attempt alone . . .
Sosuke Natsukawa’s international bestseller, translated from Japanese by Louise Heal Kawai, is a story for those for whom books are so much more than words on paper.
Why I Want To Read It
Just like that, the weekends are over. It is again time to don those office clothes. Woah, it is Monday again and we have no choice but to kick the ground running again. Lucky for me, I am currently on vacation (again). Sadly, I have exhausted all my vacation leave credits this year. This means that for my succeeding travels, I will be having salary deductions. Nevertheless, all my travels this year have been memorable. In early February, I traveled to Taiwan with my friends. Later that month, I traveled to El Nido, Palawan with my family. Now, I am currently in Japan, spending time with myself. Japan is just the sixth country I visited, one that I have long been looking forward to. I am glad I was finally able to realize this dream. How about you fellow reader? I hope that you are healthy and that you will fulfill your dreams, if not some of your dreams this year.
This reminds me, today is also the first Monday of April. Woah. Time does fly fast. To kick off another week (and month) of blogging, let me share my first Goodreads Monday update for the month. Goodreads Mondays have become part of a weekly ritual. I am not complaining though for it allows me to talk about books that I have added to my (perpetually) growing reading list. Because I am in Japan, I have decided to indulge in one of my favorite parts of the literary world this April. I have already started with Morio Kita’s The House of Nire, a parody of Nobel Laureate in Literature Thomas Mannn’s The Magic Mountain. It then comes as no surprise that I am featuring a work of Japanese literature in this Goodreads Monday update.
Sōsuke Natsukawa’s (夏川草介) The Cat Who Saved Books was a book I first came across during one of my random trips to the bookstore (not too random to be honest). Before that random encounter, I have never heard of Sōsuke Natsukawa previously nor had I read any of his works. I just learned that he is a doctor profession. His first book, Kamisama No Karute (‘God’s Medical Records’) won the Shogakukan Fiction Prize. The book was also a commercial success, selling about 1.5 million copies. My curiosity about this new Japanese writer on-the-rise makes me look forward to The Cat Who Saved Books.
But more than my interest in exploring Natsukawa’s literature, what really reeled me in toward the book was its title and cover page. The word “cat” was more than enough to pique my interest. You see, I noticed how cats have always played a seminal role in the works of Japanese literature. Natsume Sōseki’s I Am A Cat is a book that immediately comes to mind. Lest I forget, cats also feature prominently in the novels of Haruki Murakami. More recently, Hiro Arikawa’s The Travelling Cat Chronicles, Takahashi Hiraide’s The Guest Cat, and Genki Kawamura’s If Cats Disappeared from the World have all hit the bookstands and have captivated many a reader across the world. I still want to understand the place cats occupy in Japanese literature.
How about you fellow reader? How was your Monday? What books have you added to your reading list? Do drop it in the comment box. For now, happy Monday and, as always, happy reading!
The Pine-Scented Chronicles 