At times aloof, more than a little mischievous, and unpredictable to the core, blanket cats are rented out from a pet shop for three days at a time. While three days might not seem like long, it is enough. Enough to spark hope. To give closure. And - at least temporarily - to see the world with new eyes.

Reading this book, I almost felt like I had taken one of the blanket cats home myself - flipping through the pages, I didn't realize what I needed from a book until it found me.

Insightful, moving, and delightfully original, these chapters could almost be read as short stories.

Recommended to those who enjoyed 'A Man Called Ove' and 'The Cat Who Saved Books.'

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Blanket Cats.

I love the title and was intrigued by the premise so I was eager to dive into this cozy read.

After my usual reads of murder, mayhem, and blood, Blanket Cats fit the bill.

There's an unique pet shop in Tokyo that offers customers the opportunity to take home one of seven blanket cats whose magic enables the customers to deal with a particular obstacle or challenge in their lives at the moment.

Readers are introduced to seven customers who adopts a cat for three days helps them to resolve or come to terms with a personal issue in their lives; for example, a couple dealing with infertility, a teenage boy dealing with peer pressure, and a family coping with their matriarch's dwindling health.

Some of the chapters resonated with me but nothing stood out.

Many readers can relate to some, if not all, of the personal issues the characters are going through.

I think caring for a pet, however briefly, is valuable self care and may help put things into perspective.

Of course it helps that the cats are magic, too!

The blanket cats is not a direct sequel to We’ll Prescribe You A Cat. The same characters — the doctor and his nurse — do not show up. Instead it’s a shop keeper who rents out cats to a variety of customers, and like the customers, the stories are also varied. From a wistful, childless couple finding themselves brought together by a cat to a story about a demon cat, or the story straight from the cat’s mouth.

I enjoyed some of the stories are better than others, and didn’t find that this collection flowed together as well as the first book. I didn’t really have a favorite out of this collection, and don’t think any of them will linger. That said, I did enjoy what I read. The translation is good and reads smoothly, and I did like that the stories are open ended, hopeful without spelling everything out.

I do wonder how the stories would read to someone more familiar with or a member of a Japanese culture, if they would take away more than I did. I want to thank Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me the ARC.

The sweetest literary story for you! A pet shop located in Tokyo has seven very special cats. The cats have a peculiar magic as long as you care for them. Like a library, you sign the cats out and must follow the care instructions. Do not feed them any of your own food! Do not take away their special blankets. Before you know it, your personal story has changed - maybe for the better or maybe your own perspective has been altereed.

This is such a fun book. I love guessing what would happen with each cat and how the family would change. Because there are some cultural differences the answers were always interesting and surprising and not immediately obvious. If you like cats, special book or just stories in Japan this is an amazing book for you!

Sign me up! I want a blanket cat too. #kiyoshishigematsu #blanketcats #penguinbooks

A perfect cozy fall read. Everything just feels so small-town, cozy, and right out of a pinterest photo of a book shop in autumn. The story follows the lives of customers at a pet shop which rents out cats for 3 days. The temporary ownership of a cat ends up teaching people a lot about themselves. This is such a heartwarming, easy read. Perfect for anybody looking for a good book to curl up and relax by the fire with.