Library Loot ~ two books

The Cat Who Saved Books ~ by Sosuke Natsukawa, translated by Louise Heal Kawai, 2017, fantasy fiction, 198 pages

Awkward high school student Rintaro Natsuki is about to close the secondhand bookshop he inherited from his beloved grandfather.  A talking bookstore cat appears with an unusual request — the teenager’s help in saving books from their neglectful abusive owners.  They meet a man who leaves his books to perish on a bookshelf, a scholar who cuts the pages of books into snippets to encourage speed reading, and a publishing drone who cares only about bestsellers.  Their adventures culminate in one final challenge.

Foster ~ by Claire Keegan, 2010, 2022, fiction (Ireland), 92 pages

It is a hot summer in rural Ireland.  A child is taken by her father to live with relatives on a farm, not knowing when or if she will be brought home again.  In the Kinsellas' house, she finds an affection and warmth she has not known and slowly, in their care, begins to blossom.  But there is something unspoken in this new household — where everything is so well tended to — and this summer must soon come to an end.

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Sharlene from Real Life Reading that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library.