“It’s only in secondhand books that you can savour encounters like this, connections that transcend time. And that’s how I learned to love the secondhand bookstore that handled these books, our Morisaki Bookshop. I realized how precious a chance I’d been given, to be a part of that little place, where you can feel the quiet flow of time.”

- Satoshi Yagisawa

This book made me smile so many times. I am an avid reader and I love supporting our local indie new and used bookstore. Wandering the aisles and perusing the shelves for treasures brings me great joy. This book made me feel like I was transported right into the Morisaki Bookshop. 

I loved how Takako’s view of her uncle changed as she got to know him better, and I really enjoyed how Takako and her aunt bonded over cooking and eating. 

I will definitely be reading the second book. 

I listened to this in a day because I loved it so much. The characters are so well fleshed out. The plot in the first half was stronger than the second half for me but both still were incredible. 
The depiction of depression and loneliness hit in such a real way that I cried multiple times throughout this book. The way the characters treat each other with such care and understanding felt healing. It’s just like a giant hug. 
My favorite part was by far the depiction of falling in love with reading. That part also made me cry. There is nothing quite like picking up a book and falling into it wholeheartedly. This book perfectly encapsulated that feeling. Plus you get to see so many different people’s relationship with books. Almost all the characters get a moment to share why they love reading which I adored. 

Calm, quiet book to relax with in a cosy corner. Getting to know Takako and her Uncle and the Jimhocho area of Tokyo was delightful. My batteries are recharged, i enjoyed the re-connections practical healing and care between the characters. 

Inspiring slice of life. A young woman turns her life around after hitting rock bottom by working in her uncle's secondhand bookshop. 
Cute short novel. Only issue I had with it, is it reads too simply. I felt as though I was reading a series of diary entries. Some aspects progressed too quickly for the message of the story. 
Overall, very wholesome, simple, straightforward slice of life. 

Characters: 10/10
Relationships: 8.5/10
Atmosphere/Setting: 10/10
Writing Style: 10/10
Plot/Intrigue: 8/10
Internal Logic: 9/10
Entertainment: 10/10
Overall: 65.5/70, 5*

"Somehow the whole story is suffused with this quiet tenderness. Little by little I felt something wash over me: a feeling of peace that words can't express. If I had to explain it I'd say it could only have come from the writer's fervent love for life." - Chapter 4, 1:12:14

"After all I was crying because I wanted to cry, and these were the happiest tears I'd ever known." - Chapter 8, 2:23:38

I think I’m suffering from cultural dissonance - or maybe I just don’t get it. This Japanese book was so very Japanese that perhaps I was lost just because I found it unfamiliar. 

Okay, first of all, as petty as this is, I am *really* annoyed that there are cats on the cover of the book but none in the story. I love books about books and the people who love them, but a book about a bookshop that included cats would have been just fabulous IMO. 

Between the cover and a somewhat misleading description, I was expecting something else, and every time the book did what the author intended, I was left feeling bewildered. I’d thought the book was about a young woman, Takako, working in her uncle’s bookshop (with cats) but that was only the first half. The second half is about the reappearance of the uncle’s wife, missing these past five years. By then, though, Takako has moved out so the bookshop is no longer as much a part of the story. Then there’s some misdirection (in both the description and the plot) about Takako’s romantic life. Again I was left feeling bewildered. 

Overall I especially enjoyed that this story was a love letter to books, bookshops, and book lovers. It just wasn’t at all what I expected. I’m sure I’d have appreciated it much more had I not read the description and had there been no deceptive cats on the cover. False advertising!