Recent Reads - The Goodbye Cat

The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa - I really enjoyed The Travelling Cat Chronicles by this author, so I was confident I'd enjoy this volume as well, but it took me forever to get started. It's actually a collection of seven short stories. The title character is the first one, and it's from the perspective of a cat who grows up with the younger son in the family and wants to find a way to become a spirit cat so he can stay with him always. 

In the second story, a young wife returns home from her parents' with her newborn and is surprised to find out that her husband has rescued a kitten and has been taking care of it. He is well-known for his indecisiveness, disorganization, and being just generally absent-minded and irresponsible, but took the responsibility of caring for Spin seriously, which spurred him to prepare and care for their baby remarkably well. This was also a very sweet and heartwarming story. 

Good Father/Bad Father and Cat Island were good stories, but did grab hold of me in the same way. The father seems to be a non-emotional and distant character, and yet the family is surprised that the family cat has an unwavering devotion to him that they cannot figure out. Cat Island is more about the family than the cats that live on the island, but it's in observing his father interact with the cats and hearing stories about how his father and stepmother met that a young boy learns some perspective in his relationships. There is a little bit of a surprise ending to this one. 

My favorites were the last two stories. In Finding Hachi, a kitten is taken in by a young boy and grows very attached to him, but when tragedy strikes the boy must take Hachi to live with relatives. As the cat Hachi grows older, his original owner Satoru and his new owner blur in his mind, but it's a bittersweet story of the faithful devotion of this sweet cat. Life Is Not Always Kind is something of a follow-up to Finding Hachi, and it is also an introduction to Nana, who is the title character in The Travelling Cat Chronicles. The boy Satoru is all grown up and this short story dovetails into his journey with his cat Nana, with some reminiscing about his first cat Hachi. Satoru is trying to find someone that Nana can live with but Nana is determined not to leave Satoru. Bittersweet and very touching, especially if one has already read The Travelling Cat Chronicles. 

From the publisher:

In the much-anticipated follow-up to the bestselling and beloved The Travelling Cat Chronicles, seven cats weave their way through their owners' lives, climbing, comforting, nestling, and sometimes just tripping everyone up in this uplifting collection of tales by international bestselling author Hiro Arikawa.

Against the backdrop of changing seasons in Japan, we meet Spin, a kitten rescued from the recycling bin, whose playful nature and simple needs teach an anxious father how to parent his own human baby; a colony of wild cats on a popular holiday island show a young boy not to stand in nature's way; a family is perplexed by their cat's undying devotion to their charismatic but uncaring father; a woman curses how her cat will not stop visiting her at night; and an elderly cat hatches a plan to pass into the next world as a spirit so that he and his owner may be in each other's lives forever.

Bursting with love and warmth, The Goodbye Cat exquisitely explores the cycle of life, from birth to death―as each of the seven stories explores how, in different ways, the steadiness and devotion of a well-loved cat never lets us down. A huge bestseller in Japan, this magical book is a joyous celebration of the wondrousness of cats and why we choose to share our lives with them.

By the same author: The Travelling Cat Chronicles

This is a book with a final sentence less than six words long (#36) for The 52 Book Club's 2025 Reading Challenge. It also features a wise character and is by an Asian author, for the Lunar New Year Mini-Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2025

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot.

©2008-2025 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human.  http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

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Recent Reads - Harvest of Rubies

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Harvest of Rubies by Tessa Afshar - I don't know why I haven't read this book before, but I'm so glad I did. It's a poignant story and also provides insight into life in the Persian noble classes during the time of King Artaxerxes, which is shortly before Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. And Nehemiah is a character that appears a couple of times in this story.

The story centers around Sarah, a young Jewish woman who has a gift for writing and languages. Her father is a scribe serving the Persian court, and at cousin Nehemiah's urging, allows Sarah to start learning the scribe's craft when she is a young girl. Sarah delights in learning, and sees it as a way to finally connect with her distracted and distant father. As a young woman she is given an opportunity to be the chief scribe to the queen and works tirelessly at proving herself worthy of this great honor. In the course of her service, she deftly handles a legal matter, diffusing a situation that would have caused great embarrassment to the queen and a schism in the royal household. To reward Sarah, the queen arranges a very advantageous marriage for her, to a young noble named Darius.

Unfortunately, Sarah has no desire to be married and turns away all the assistance offered to her until the very last moment and the wedding celebration proves a disaster, and causes Darius to view his new bride with distaste and mistrust. The result is that Sarah and her maid are left on their own at his country home which is woefully understaffed. Sarah makes a couple of friends that help her find purpose and joy in the lonely life, and it seems that one purpose is to deal with the hostile steward in charge of the estate when Sarah suspects he is mismanaging Darius' property and money . . . or worse.

Even if Sarah and her friends can find proof, will Darius ever trust her, or even listen to her concerns? Is there any possibility he will forgive her or respect her? Can Sarah learn to see her own worth and value is not merely in her ability as a scribe?

I love that the characters in this story all have a believable mix of positive and negative traits. Sarah, Darius, the king and queen, and Sarah's father all show admirable qualities and flaws, although of course it is the characters of Sarah and Darius that get the focus. 

From the publisher:

The prophet Nehemiah's cousin can speak numerous languages, keep complex accounts, write on rolls or parchement and tablets of clay, and solve great mysteries. There is only one problem: she's a woman in a man's court.

In her early childhood years, Sarah experienced the death of her mother and her father's subsequent emotional distance, and she came to two conclusions: God does not care about me, and my accomplishments are the measure of my worth.

Catapulted into the center of the Persian court, Sarah is working too many hours, rubbing elbows with royalty, and solving intrigues for the Queen. Ironically, it isn't failure―but success―that causes Sarah to lose her only source of external validation.

Sarah soon learns that she has something of worth to offer beyond her ability with languages and sums; her very being proves to be a blessing to others, particularly the aristocrat Darius, whom she is given to in marriage.

Sarah and Darius' story continues in Harvest of Gold. Darius may be able to learn to love his wife, but can he ever learn to trust Sarah and her Lord?

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This is part of a duology (#15) for The 52 Book Club's 2024 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2024

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Recent Reads - The Kamogawa Food Detectives

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The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai - I was drawn to this book by the cute cover and a couple of teasers posted on book blogs, and took a chance on it. It could be considered a series of short stories featuring Nagare Kamogawa, a former police detective turned chef, and his daughter Koishi. Together they run a unusual little restaurant - a true "hole in the wall" since it has no sign and doesn't advertise its location. While they serve delicious meals to their regular customers, they also have a unique sideline at the Kamogawa Diner. They are also food detectives, who will hunt down the special ingredients and cooking techniques to recreate the dishes that their clients remember from the past.

Koishi and Nagare rely on any details their clients can remember about the special dish they want to enjoy once more, and Nagare puts his detective skills to work. There is a sense of nostalgia to the memories and searches, and some are bittersweet. A former colleague of Nagare's wants to relive a dish the way his late wife used to make it - and it turns out it's a bit of closure for him as he moves on to a new relationship. An older woman remembers the beef stew she had on the day she was surprised by a proposal, and wonders what her life would have been like if she'd reacted differently. 

A charming collecction of vignettes, with evocative descriptions of the foods and the city of Kyoto. Elements of foodie fiction and cozy mystery are combined into a narrative that is both sweet and savory by turns, and reminds us of how taste and smell can transport us back in time and are connected to our memories.

From the publisher:

The Kamogawa Food Detectives is the first book in the bestselling, mouth-watering Japanese series, for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold.

What's the one dish you'd do anything to taste just one more time?

Down a quiet backstreet in Kyoto exists a very special restaurant. Run by Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare, the Kamogawa Diner serves up deliciously extravagant meals. But that's not the main reason customers stop by . . . 

The father-daughter duo are 'food detectives'. Through ingenious investigations, they are able to recreate dishes from a person's treasured memories - dishes that may well hold the keys to their forgotten past and future happiness. The restaurant of lost recipes provides a link to vanished moments, creating a present full of possibility.

A bestseller in Japan, The Kamogawa Food Detectives is a celebration of good company and the power of a delicious meal.

This is a book with a title starting with the letter K (#11) for The 52 Book Club's 2024 Reading Challenge.

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2024

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Recent Reads - The End of The Magi

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The End of the Magi by Patrick W. Carr - This novel follows the epic journey of a young magi acolyte as he flees the city where his father was murdered, joins a merchant caravan, and eventually makes his way to Bethlehem following a star that not everyone can see.

The prophet Daniel called on a select group of magi to keep a calendar counting down the days until the arrival of a king promised to Israel. For generations, these few magi counted the days faithfully, until a Parthian queen ordered the magi slaughtered. Myrad's adoptive father was one of this select group, and he had been bringing Myrad up as a magus as well. Despite being lame, Myrad is able to escape the city with his father's important documents, including the calendar. He had also received a dream that directed him to a special star appearing in the sky, and Myrad's journey is a combination of survival, desperation, and a determination to follow the star and keep the calendar.

Myrad's insight and gift for negotiation earns the respect of a wealthy merchant, and a place traveling with the merchant's caravan. They must navigate clever trade agreements, war and intrigue, enemies, and much more as their travels take them through the Parthian and Roman Empires and into Judea. As a few other magi join their numbers, Myrad learns more about the ancient prophecies about a Messiah king for Israel, and the magi all consider whether the calendar and star are pointing to that Messiah and how a baby born to a peasant couple could possibly be the promised one.

This historical fiction gives a fresh perspective and possible explanations of the background of the 'wise men from the east' that visited the baby Jesus. It would make a good read for young people, in my opinion. A lot happens to Myrad along the way, the storyline is straightforward and uncluttered.

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Friday Fun - The Friday 56 and First Lines for December 10, 2021

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"The only people allowed to copy the Torah are scribes designated by the high priest in Jerusalem. When they are done with a page, they add the letters and check the sums both horizontally and verically, comparing them to the original. If even one the sums is wrong, they do not correct the page. they burn it and start over. If you think it is difficult to get me to part with my silks you haven't seen me trying to get a synagogue to part with their Torah. There are some things money cannot buy." Longing filled the Hebrew's expression.

~from page 56 of The End of the Magi by Patrick W. Carr

Following his vision of the coming Messiah, the prophet Daniel creates a select group of men who will count down the calendar to the arrival of Israel's promised king. Centuries later, as the day nears, Myrad, a young magi acolyte, flees for his life when his adoptive father and others are put to death by a ruthless Parthian queen.

Having grabbed only a few possessions, Myrad escapes the city, and searching for a way to hide from the soldiers scouring the trade routes, he tries to join the caravan of the merchant Walagash. The merchant sense that Myrad is hiding secrets, but when the young man proves himself a valuable traveler, an epic journey filled with peril, close escapes, and dangerous battles begins.

With every day that passes, the calendar creeps closer to the coming Messiah. And over everything shines the dream of a star that Myrad can't forget and the promise that the world will never be the same.

The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice

*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your e-reader.

*Find a snippet, short and sweet.

*Post it, and share in the Linky.

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BABYLON - 537 BC

Any day now, Daniel thought, any day now they would be free. He looked out over the brick parapet that could hold ten chariots abreast toward the sluggish flow of the Euphrates. Somewhere in the distance, beyond the vision of his rheumy eyes, his dead countrymen lay buried in the sands of Mesopotamia, doomed to rest in the land of their conquerors.

~From the beginning of The End of the Magi by Patrick W. Carr

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader.

*It's Book Beginnings on Fridays! Time to gather with our fellow book lovers and share the opening sentence (or so) of the books we are reading this week. Or share from a book that is on your mind right now -- whatever catches your fancy.

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First Line Fridays is hosted at Reading is My SuperPower

*Share the first line or two of the book closest to you, then visit other FLF participants.

*Please keep posts family friendly or clean reads.

*Link back to Reading is My SuperPower within your post or grab a button.

©2008-2021 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

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Recent Reads - The Travelling Cat Chronicles

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The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa - This story was charming from the very first pages, with the cat introducing himself in the Prologue before he has a name. He is a stray cat that has found a warm place to sleep on the hood of a silver van. Turns out the owner of the van is generous with snacks, and clever about petting the cat, so when an accident leaves the cat with a broken leg, he turns to the man for help. And so the man, Satoru Miyawaki, and the cat become friends and the cat is given a name - Nana, which is the number Seven in Japanese. 

After a few years, Satoru takes Nana on a road trip to visit his old school chum Kosuke. Then another to visit another old friend, Yoshimine. And a third trip to visit a pet-friendly motel run by a couple that he'd been friends with in high school. In each of these chapters, Nana's pragmatic but affectionate feline point-of-view narration is interspersed with the stories of these friendships from the past. We discover along with Nana that the purpose of these visits is to find out of if any of these old friends would provide a good home for Nana. We also sense that Satoru doesn't really want to part with Nana, and once Nana catches on, he certainly has no intention of leaving Satoru. And by the time Satoru and Nana go on their final road trip to see Satoru's only family, an aunt, there is an uneasy knowledge about the reasons behind Satoru's purpose.

Nana is as practical and serene as any mature cat, and is determined to have his own way, but he also proves himself to be the most loyal and supportive friend a cat-lover could ever have. On their journeys together, the bond between Nana and Satoru is strengthened, and Satoru's old friendships are rekindled. Satoru is a generous and thoughtful friend who has earned the respect of all his friends, and the undying loyalty of his best friend who happens to be a cat. 

A gentle road trip through friendship, healing, gratitude, love and loss, this story is heartwarming and inspiring without being sentimental or preachy. It strikes a perfect and satisfying balance.

This is a book in translation for the Modern Mrs. Darcy 2020 Reading Challenge.

©2008-2020 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

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Connect Five Friday - Prejudice

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The Friday Five Link Up is a List Link Up hosted by The Book Date. It can be five connections of any kind. Books can have been read last year or any year. Books can be used more than once. They may not have been read yet. . . It can be as simple or as complicated as you like. Maybe it's not a list of actual books, but things connected to books - e.g. favourite book shops, recipes etc. It might even be five movies related to books or five poems or five poets or five bookish moments, five thoughts about reading - be creative! The link-up will be open each Friday and will close on Thursday. Use the hashtag #connect5books

Last week I listed five books I had read or was reading because they were assigned in classes I am teaching. One of those books makes an appearance on this list as well, because shortly after finishing it, I realized that my reading list included some other books in which prejudice or racial bias played a huge role in the theme and plot.

Five Books Featuring Racial Prejudice

Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain (reviewed HERE) - Pudd'nhead Wilson is the lawyer in Dawson's Landing, Missouri, but the story centers around children switched as infants. A slave woman switches her fair-skinned baby with the wealthy white family's baby in an attempt to keep him from being sold down the river. Tom grows up believing he is the Driscoll heir and never suspecting that he has the "drop of black blood". Racial prejudice features prominently and affects the actions and motivations of several key characters in this crime drama set in the antebellum south.

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The Heart Changer by Jarm Del Boccio (reviewed HERE) - This is a YA novel about a Hebrew girl taken as a slave to Syria. Naturally she has prejudices towards the people that have attacked Israel and taken her captive! Her master, Naaman, although a good man, has so much prejudice against the Hebrews that he almost refuses to follow the instructions of the prophet Elisha so that he can be healed of leprosy.

**



Shadow among Sheaves by Naomi Stephens (reviewed HERE) is a retelling of the Biblical story of Ruth, but set in England shortly after the Great Rebellion in India. A young Indian widow goes to England with her widowed mother-in-law, and the two face extreme poverty and homelessness because the prejudice against Indians is so great that even the mother-in-law is shunned, despite being a member of British aristocracy.

**



Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals is what I'm currently reading. It's the author's memoir of her experiences as one of the Little Rock Nine - the first black students to attend Central High School in 1957. I'm just a couple of chapters in but already I'm horrified by how hateful and cruel people could be simply because of skin color.

**



Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton - This is one I started reading late in 2019 but wound up setting aside. I do plan to take it up again. It's a story about Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son, Absalom, in South Africa. The devastating effects of racial injustice and the apartheid system make for a melancholy and discouraging setting, but in what I've read so far the patience and gentleness of Stephen Kumalo is a hopeful contrast.

©2008-2020 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

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Wordless Wednesday - Family Dinner

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We celebrated my husband's birthday with dinner out at Iron Age, a Korean barbecue place where you cook your own meat! Good food and lots of fun with the "extended" family!

This post is linked at Wordless Wednesday, hosted by Life on Chickadee Lane, and at Pictoral Tuesday, hosted by Peabea Scribbles.

Pictorial Tuesday

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Recent Reads - Dark Road to Darjeeling

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Dark Road to Darjeeling (A Lady Julia Grey Mystery) by Deanna Raybourn - Lady Julia and Brisbane are newlyweds, nearing the end of their honeymoon trip, when Julia's sister Portia joins them and insists on their accompanying her to India. Portia's beloved Jane is expecting a baby, and has also been recently widowed. Portia wants Julia and Brisbane to investigate because she suspects foul play. Julia is eager to prove that she can be a full partner in investigation, but Brisbane is angry that Portia has tried to manipulate him and refuses to go along. Julia carries on with Portia and their brother Plum and is determined to solve the mystery and present all the evidence to Brisbane upon his arrival.

Jane's in-laws and the neighbors in the remote Himalayan tea plantation community provide Julia with plenty of possibilities as she considers who may have had motive or opportunity to murder Freddie Cavendish. In her stubborn zeal, Julia makes several blunders, and Brisbane has his hands full keeping her out of trouble and conducting his own investigation. Julia is shocked to find Brisbane's connection to one of the local characters, and there are several surprises in store as she continues to narrow down the possible choices for the villain. Secrets are revealed and tragedies strike but in the end Julia and Brisbane do uncover the truth, and come to an agreement about Julia's involvement in Brisbane's investigation business as well.

The cast of characters in a Lady Julia mystery are always an odd assortment of mildly quirky and completely bizarre personalities, and are as entertaining as the mystery itself. Lady Julia is a plucky and headstrong heroine, and despite her foolhardiness at times, one can't help but cheer her on and love her. Brisbane is the perfect dark and complicated hero, and their passionate and tempestuous relationship is a romantic backdrop to the dangerous business of finding a murderer.

By the same author: A Treacherous Curse, A Perilous Undertaking, A Curious Beginning, Night of a Thousand Stars, Bonfire Night, Twelfth Night, City of Jasmine, Whisper of Jasmine, Midsummer Night; A Spear of Summer Grass, Silent in the Grave, Silent in the Sanctuary, Silent on the Moor, Dark Road to Darjeeling, The Dark Enquiry, Silent Night, The Dead Travel Fast

This is one of three books by the same author, for the 2019 Modern Mrs Darcy Reading Challenge.

©2008-2019 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.