For March I'm reading the novel 本を守ろうとする猫の話 by 夏川草介(なつかわ そうすけ). The prologue introduced our main character, Rintarō, who was raised by his grandfather and who is currently dealing with the death of that same grandfather.
As Rintarō is still coming to terms with his loss and considering his options on what to do regarding his grandfather's beloved antique bookstore, the titular cat appears to take him to another world and save the books.
From what I've read so far, I was strongly reminded of the typical story structure of a Ghibli film. From the young protagonist to the talking cat to the journey to another world, it ticks all the boxes so far and I'm intrigued.
I've already started another book in Japanese that I will post about soon, but the 本を守ろうとする猫の話 book hangover is real, so I'm posting a longer quote for you that stuck with me over the last month.
Context: Rintarō was raised by his grandfather who has just died. While he is still grieving, he starts going on adventures with a talking cat to save the books. On those adventures Rintarō is able to change some hearts by reflecting back on lessons his grandfather taught him when he was still alive. This is one of those lessons:
I though it was a very kind and gentle way for a grandfather who manages an antique book shop himself and who certainly is a book worm just as much as his grandson to reach out to a young boy who was on the verge of shutting himself off completely.
I also think it's generally good advice: Read your books and then walk with the new knowledge and experiences for a while. See were it will lead you and give it space to influence how you see the world around you.