Cats the world over will be surprised to hear that it’s not International Cat Day every day. Nonetheless, today is the day that whoever it is who decides these things has designated as the day we pay special tribute to our feline overlords. And, as always, what better way to celebrate than books?
The Travelling Cat Chronicles, by Hiro Arikawa, transl. Philip Gabriel
This book is one of my all-time favourites, told in the voice of Nana the cat. In lesser hands this could have fallen flat, but it’s wonderful here; he is by turns grumpy, haughty, smart, selfish, and sweet, just as cats are themselves. In the story, Satoru, the cat’s human, travels around Japan looking for somebody new to take care of Nana, and in doing so reunites with some old friends. The Travelling Cat Chronicles is a lovely, tender book. Bonus: August is Women in Translation Month, so what better time to pick this up?
Love in Small Letters/Love in Lower Case by Francesc Miralles, transl. Julie Wark
If you’re fan of curmudgeonly, loner heroes like Eleanor Oliphant and Don Tillman of The Rosie Project, Love in Lowercase (or Love in Small Letters in the UK) is a great one for you to pick up. On New Year’s Day in Barcelona, a stray wanders into an apartment belonging to Samuel, a lonely professor of linguistics. The cat leads Samuel beyond his tidily defined and boundaried comfort zone and towards new places and people — and a long-ago love. I really enjoyed this one.
The Voting Booth, by Brandy Colbert
When political activist Marva sees Duke Crenshaw turned away from the polling place on Election Day, she decides to fight for his right to vote. But nothing is simple, and capers ensue -- including the search for Marva's Instagram influencer cat, who chooses this already complicated day to go missing. This is a great read for fans of intense, one-day YA love stories like Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and The Sun Is Also a Star.
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, by Abbi Waxman
One of my favourites of recent years, this charming novel tells of a young introverted bookseller whose life is turned upside down when she inherits some money from a family she never knew existed. Between that, the trivia competition she’s trying to win, and the disconcerting experience of falling in love, it’s just as well Nina has the steadying presence of her cat in her life.
Stack the Cats, by Susie Gharemani
If you’re looking for a gift for a baby or toddler, look no further than this lovely board book, in which cats stack themselves in various combinations, teaching the reader to count as they do so.
Want more?
More cat-friendly books can be found here (US) and here (UK).
Feedback is welcome on the format of this newsletter, and please feel free to comment with the thing you love, so I can recommend relevant books for you!
Note that I use affiliate links for Blackwell’s, Bookshop.org, and Libro.fm. When you buy books after clicking, you help support my writing. Thanks for doing that!