Overview
For fans of The Midnight Library and Before the Coffee Gets Cold, a charming Japanese novel about how the perfect book recommendation can change a readers’ life.
What are you looking for? is the question that Tokyo’s most enigmatic librarian, Sayuri Komachi, poses to those who come to her for their next book. The list of recommendations she gives, however, always contains one unexpected addition that promises to give its the borrower the motivation they didn’t realize they needed to change their life.
Each visitor comes to the library from a different juncture in their career, family, or stage of life, from the restless sales attendant who feels stuck at her job, to the struggling working mother who dreams of being a magazine editor. The conversation that they have with Sayuri Komachi – and the surprise book she lends each of them – will have life-altering consequences.
With heartwarming charm and wisdom, What You Are Looking for is in the Library is a paean to the magic of libraries, friendship, and community, perfect for anyone who has ever found themselves at an impasse in their life and in need of a little inspiration.
Review
Each visitor that comes into this library arrives at a time in their life when they need a change. The librarian, Sayori Komachi, always gives the visitor a little surprise in their book list. It is a surprise the visitor did not know they needed but it leads to life changing decisions.
This story reads like a compilation of short stories. But each story takes place within the scope of this library and its librarian. I would love to see a tv adaptation. I would like to see if what shows up on the screen is what I pictured in my head as I was reading this.
The librarian, Sayuri, is clairvoyant…or something like that. She knows exactly what each patron needs to hear to discover their strengths. And that is what she does. Isn’t this what a lot of librarians do…listen and discover what is needed.
I really enjoyed this novel. Now, I was not very hip on the short story style format. But, that is just my preference. But each story has its own power and energy!
Need a unique, heartwarming tale…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
Author Bio:
Born in 1970 in Aichi prefecture, and currently living in Yokohama, Michiko Aoyama worked for two years as a reporter for a Japanese newspaper in Sydney after graduating from university. After her return to Tokyo, she started to work as a magazine editor at a publishing house before turning to full time writing. Her work has won the 1st Miyazakimoto Prize, the 13th Tenryu Literary Prize, and has been a runner up of the 2021 Japan Booksellers Awards. This is her English-language debut.
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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18144498.Michiko_Aoyama
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