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A review by luluwoohoo
What You Are Looking For is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
What You Are Looking For Is In The Library by Michiko Aoyama (translation by Alison Watts)
☀️☀️☀️☀️🌥️
A charming and endearing exploration of the service librarians and the library provide to society with a sprinkle of magical realism for good measure.
This cozy little book is so unassuming at first, but it finds its way into your heart very quickly. Ms Komachi is a mysterious and intimidating figure at the Hatori Community House Library (and is described in some pretty unforgiving ways by the patrons) but she proves to be kind, knowledgeable and instinctively knows how to help each of the five characters we see journey into her library. Each of them have lost their way in some sense, needing guidance on everything from motivation, inspiration, and perceiving ourselves in society, but every chapter is resolved like a warm hug.
I enjoyed the simplistic writing style and equally simplistic premise. Each character's situation was relatable and the paths they took to overcome their issues were believable without always being predictable. The suggestions and gifts from Ms Komachi strike me as such a beautiful way to be seen by a complete stranger, and signals to the importance of such institutions existing as they do. Long story short: libraries are fundamentally important spaces and should never be underestimated!
☀️☀️☀️☀️🌥️
A charming and endearing exploration of the service librarians and the library provide to society with a sprinkle of magical realism for good measure.
This cozy little book is so unassuming at first, but it finds its way into your heart very quickly. Ms Komachi is a mysterious and intimidating figure at the Hatori Community House Library (and is described in some pretty unforgiving ways by the patrons) but she proves to be kind, knowledgeable and instinctively knows how to help each of the five characters we see journey into her library. Each of them have lost their way in some sense, needing guidance on everything from motivation, inspiration, and perceiving ourselves in society, but every chapter is resolved like a warm hug.
I enjoyed the simplistic writing style and equally simplistic premise. Each character's situation was relatable and the paths they took to overcome their issues were believable without always being predictable. The suggestions and gifts from Ms Komachi strike me as such a beautiful way to be seen by a complete stranger, and signals to the importance of such institutions existing as they do. Long story short: libraries are fundamentally important spaces and should never be underestimated!
"While I do believe that it was hard work for my mother to give birth to me, it also took me every ounce of my own strength to endure the extremely difficult process of being born. After all that time inside my mother’s belly growing into a human being with nobody to guide me, all of a sudden I was thrust into an entirely new and strange environment. Imagine what an awful shock it must have been to come into contact with air for the first time, not knowing where I was. Of course I’ve forgotten what that felt like now. But it’s why, whenever I feel happy or glad about something, I count my blessings and think to myself, Now, wasn’t that worth all the effort of being born?"