The Cat Who Saved Books (The Cat Who..., #1)

by Sōsuke Natsukawa

As he watched her, Rintaro didn’t forget to make sure he looked a bit sad, despite the lingering sense that none of this was real. But no matter how much he thought about it, he just couldn’t bring himself to sob in front of his grandfather’s funeral photo. It felt absurd to him, and it would be a lie.

This world throws all kinds of obstacles at us; we are forced to endure so much that is absurd. Our best weapon for fighting all the pain and trouble in the world isn’t logic or violence. It’s humor.”

“It looks like it’s full, but in fact it’s empty.” The cat’s response was very Zen. “There’s no philosophy behind it and no taste. No matter how rich and wonderful it all looks on the outside, when you take off the lid and look inside there’s nothing but a jumble of borrowed junk. It’s the worst kind of ignorance.”

Scholars who at bottom do little nowadays but thumb books . . . ultimately lose entirely their capacity to think for themselves. When they don’t thumb, they don’t think.’”

All the intellectual leaders of our time, such as myself, are constantly reading. It’s vital for us always to be brushing up on our philosophy and expanding our knowledge.

The world is full of books, you agree? It’s impossible to count the number of books that have been, and are still being, written. To find the time to read the same books over again—well, it’s just inconceivable.”

You never read the same book twice. I find every time I reread a book, I find something I missed or interpret something differently. It's impossible to read every book in existence, but rereading is liking reading a new book each time because you have a different understanding than before, whether it's knowledge, age, or experience.

“The world is full of ‘readers,’” the man went on. “But a person of my standing is required to read far more books than the average reader. Someone who has read twenty thousand books is much more valuable than someone who has read only ten thousand. And so why would I reread the same book when there are still piles of books that need to be read? Out of the question! Ridiculous waste of time!”

Reading 20,000 books means nothing if you don't understand or remember them. Reading 10,000 books but thoroughly examining them is much more meaningful. Jack of all trades... master of none, but better than the master of only being able to read many books.

Books have tremendous power. But take care. It’s the book that holds the power, not you.”

“It’s not true that the more you read, the more you see of the world. No matter how much knowledge you cram into your head, unless you think with your own mind, walk with your own feet, the knowledge you acquire will never be anything more than empty and borrowed.”

“Books can’t live your life for you. The reader who forgets to walk on his own two feet is like an old encyclopedia, his head stuffed with out-of-date information. Unless someone else opens it up, it’s nothing but a useless antique.”

“It’s all very well to read a book, but when you’ve finished, it’s time to set foot in the world.”

Helping people out may not be my forte, but when I hear that books need my help then I’m ready.”

He’d believed that he was so unimportant, such a nobody, that his absence from school would go unnoticed, but the look in his class rep’s eyes told a different story.

“I think that he’s using Beethoven to block out all the stuff he doesn’t want to hear.”

Here, along with the latest speed-reading techniques, are the synopses of a hundred classic books, from both Eastern and Western cultures, that I have devoted myself to summarizing. In other words, if you have this book on your shelf, you’ll be able to read a hundred books in a single day. I have a second and third volume in the works. Very soon, people will have access to books from all over the world without wasting even the tiniest bit of time. Isn’t

You can listen to music while you’re jogging, but you can’t read a book. You can work on your research while listening to Beethoven’s Ninth, but you can’t write a paper and read Faust at the same time.

audiobooks??

“Reading a book is a lot like climbing a mountain.”

“Reading isn’t only for pleasure or entertainment. Sometimes you need to examine the same lines deeply, read the same sentences over again. Sometimes you sit there, head in hands, only progressing at a painstakingly slow pace. And the result of all this hard work and careful study is that suddenly you’re there and your field of vision expands. It’s like finding a great view at the end of a long climbing trail.”

Hurrying means that you miss out on many things. Riding a train will take you far, but it’s a misconception to think that this will give you more insight. Flowers in the hedgerow and birds in the treetops are accessible only to the person who walks on their own two feet.

“There are books here that are considered masterpieces all over the world. They’ve endured for years—until now. They’re becoming more and more difficult to find in regular bookshops.

One thing I have about this book is that the masterpieces are all Western.

“Because they don’t sell,” he concluded. “Bookshops aren’t volunteer organizations. They can’t survive if they don’t make sales, and that’s why books that don’t sell just disappear. That’s why your grandpa’s shop really stands out. There’s an incredible assortment of books here on these shelves, even if they’re no longer bestsellers—in fact, they take pride of place. I mean, of course it’s because it’s a used bookshop, but in here I can get my hands on anything but the absolute rarest of titles.”

In today’s world, people don’t have the time or the money to spend on ‘literary masterpieces’ or any fabulously long tome. But at the same time, reading is still fashionable.

“Nobody’s interested in truth or ethics or philosophy. People are worn out from living. All they want is either to be stimulated or healed.

“In our stifling daily lives, we’re all so occupied with ourselves that we stop thinking about others. When a person loses their own heart, they can’t feel another’s pain. They lie, they hurt others, use weaker people as stepping-stones to get ahead—they stop feeling anything. The world has become full of those kinds of people.”

“A book that sits on a shelf is nothing but a bundle of paper. Unless it is opened, a book possessing great power or an epic story is mere scraps of paper. But a book that has been cherished and loved, filled with human thoughts, has been endowed with a soul.”

“A cherished book will always have a soul. It will come to its reader’s aid in times of crisis.”

“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.”

“Don’t hurt anyone. Never bully people weaker than yourself. Help out those in need. Some would say that these rules are obvious. But the truth is, the obvious is no longer obvious in today’s world. What’s worse is that some people even ask why. They don’t understand why they shouldn’t hurt other people. It’s not a simple thing to explain. It’s not logical. But if they read books they will understand. It’s far more important than using logic to explain something. Human beings don’t live alone, and a book is a way to show them that.”

“I think the power of books is that—that they teach us to care about others. It’s a power that gives people courage and also supports them in turn.”

Empathy—that’s the power of books.”

“If you find it difficult, it’s because it contains something that is new to you. Every difficult book offers us a brand-new challenge.” “What are you talking about?” Sayo didn’t look convinced. “If you find a book easy to read, that means it’s all stuff that you already know,” he went on. “That’s why it’s easy. If you find it difficult, then that’s proof it’s something brand new.”