Ponder: The Cat Who Saved Books

The best parts about The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa ©2021 are the title and the cover art. The worst part about The Cat Who Saved Books is the contents.

Rather than spend my time writing a summary, here is the book description from Amazon:

Bookish high school student Rintaro Natsuki is about to close the secondhand bookstore he inherited from his beloved bookworm grandfather. Then, a talking cat 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 the cat 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, the cat 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 . . .

The description sounds enticing, but the weak plot is confusing and the characters are so underdeveloped that I never bonded with any of them - even the cat. I bought this book for my husband since he loves cats and books about cats. He read all of it (because it was a gift) but was unimpressed. I wanted to read it to see if it was appropriate to pass on to my bookworm granddaughter who reads fantasies. I was captive in an airport and on airplane. Lack of any other reading material is the reason I read as much as I did. I only got halfway through the book before quitting and I rarely stop midway in a book. To be more forgiving, perhaps I can rationalize that something was lost in the translation from the 2017 copyright. I would have given The Cat Who Saved Books zero stars, as I do for books I do not finish, but the cover and title deserved at least one star. 

★☆☆☆☆ Awful but I read most or maybe even all of it

Ponder: Stupid Things

Stupid Things I Won't Do When I Get Old ©2021 by Steven Petrow is a humorous yet insightful read. It is classified as a self-help book, in the non-fiction genre. The author was 64 years old as of the copyright date for this book. I am 70 years old at the time of this post so many, many, things really hit home. If younger folks would read this it would help fill a generation gap; but, I suspect if the reader is not yet experiencing some of the situations in the book, either personally or in respect to a loved one, the messages will not resonate. I am sharing the Table of Contents to show the situations addressed and my response to them. 

I am surprised I did not get a sore neck as much as I was bobbing my head in agreement with most of the topics of Part I about "today" and fewer, but still many, of the topics of Part II of "tomorrow". Having friends of a variety of ages "today" is very valid and keeps me learning. The "Organ Recital" topic where older folks discuss their health ad nauseum is a point not to be taken lightly. In Part II the "Leaky Pipes" topic gets real. I will admit that some of the topics in Part III about "the end" brought tears to my eyes; however, others truly gave me a heads up and were deserving of some serious thought.

But don't just rely on my point of view.  Stupid Things I Won't Do When I Get Old was awarded 4 stars on Amazon and per Google books it is described as...

For fans of David Sedaris and Nora Ephron, here is a humorous, irreverent, and poignant look at the gifts, stereotypes, and inevitable challenges of aging, based on the wildly popular New York Times essay from award-winning journalist Steven Petrow...
A Highly Judgmental, Unapologetically Honest Accounting of All the Things Our Elders Are Doing Wrong

The Google link actually has some clickable links to chapter excerpts. With the right audience, this book is definitely worth 4 stars. If my son and daughter were to find the time to read it, it would be a great conversation starter.

★★★★☆ Really good; maybe only one weak aspect or limited audience

With my husband and close friends (my age, of course), I would selectively up its worth to 5 stars.

★★★★★ Great! Read it!