I love Japanese literature, and this is one of the best I have read. It's calming, never boring, and very atmospheric.

This book is set Jimbōchō, the part of Tokyo famous for its secondhand bookshops. The main character Takako is dumped by her longtime boyfriend, and as she doesn't want to see him with his new fling at work everyday, she quits her job. Her uncle offers her to come and stay at his bookshop, offering her a job and a place to stay. With no other options in sight she decides to go for it, even though she's not particularly fond of books. Here we meet the customers, and the people at a local cafe, and the runaway wife of her uncle.

Even though this book feels like light reading, the subject isn't necessary. There's plenty heartbreak. But the bookshop is always there at the centre of it all, and that's what makes it all feel so cosy.
I highly recommend this quiet, short read, especially with Autumn slowly approaching. It's perfect!

I inhaled this in one sitting. Gorgeous, unusual, life affirming. I love Japanese fiction and Yagisawa is a welcome addition to my bookshelves. Her voice and writing style is reminiscent of Haruki Murakami and Sayaka Murata yet also so quirky and original. Looking forward to reading whatever she writes next. Highly Recommend.

Takako has been dumped by her boyfriend and had to leave work as a result. Feeling stupid and lost, she gets a call from her Uncle Satoru, who runs a bookshop in the Bookshop District of Tokyo (there is such a thing: I checked!) offering a room to live in and a job to do.

Off she goes, except she's not much of a reader and at first feels oppressed by the books all around her, not to mention the somewhat peculiar customers. But the place grows on her, her uncle is a steady and supportive presence, where once she thought him odd and eccentric, even though his wife walked out on him a few years ago.

There's a glorious scene where Uncle Satoru stands up for Takako but a lot of the character development and friendship making is done in little scenes in the shop or the cafe. We see Takako blossom and grow in confidence, there's a prospect of a boy on the horizon, and might Uncle get a happy plot point, too?

A lovely, warm novel about the healing power of books, eccentric relatives and friends, and an interesting translator's note discussing books that have been translated into English at the end.

Online review will appear on my blog tomorrow.

I liked some of this book a lot but mostly it just left me feeling a little empty and wanting more. It just didn't have the same hooks or compelling narrative that many of the recent books translated from (or set in) Japan have

Translated from the Japanese, this book is quirky and maybe an acquired taste.

Takako doesn't get jilted, but she may as well have been. Her long term boyfriend tells her he is getting married, but not to her! As you can expect she is heartbroken and also this leads to her giving up her job.

An uncle she hasn't seen for many years offers her a room rent free above his bookshop. This might appeal to many readers, but Takako doesn't read books. When she agrees to the arrangement she has to move a lot of old books to get to her room, and that is all they are to her piles of books. Until she decides to read one, and then things begin to change for her.

This tale is not like a lot of other Japanese books I have read. There is no magical bookshop or books. Takako just learns a lot from her Uncle about life and of course from books. Just when I thought the book was going exactly where I thought it would a new character appears, and the book changes completely. A little intrigue as to what is happening, and who the new person is, and what they are about led me to love the book even more.

A gently paced book with loveable characters I came to care for, this is a comfort read.

A light, sweet read, our shy heroine starts out by discovering that her “boyfriend” has been dating 2 women simultaneously and has decided to propose to the other. This prompts something of a tailspin but is rescued from it by her uncle who runs a secondhand bookshop. Through reading and meeting others in the bookshop district, our heroine regains her poise, even half-confronting the useless ex-boyfriend, and starts living again. Her uncle also gets some redemption - for what and from whom, well you’ll just have to read the book and find out.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is a book set in modern day Tokyo and follows 25 year old Takako who nursing a broken heart goes to stay at the family bookshop, run by her uncle changing her life's path forever. Much like other contemporary Japanese literature in the same vein (Murata's Convenience Store Woman and Kawakami's Mr Nakano's Thrift Shop come to mind - in that the genre is what I would describe as being a slice of life, an observation of society, one's relationships and the mundane everyday), the book is relatively short and sweet running at `156 pages, so it's ideal as a travel/commuter read on-the-go.

I recommend if you are a fan of books mentioned above...

Thank you Netgalley and Bonnier Books for the ARC, I will be on the hunt for a physical copy to re-read as I greatly enjoyed this book!

If ever there was a book that made you want to visit Japan it is this one, utterly lovely and one you will devour if you are lucky enough to have it with you on holiday this year

Hurt and humiliated after being dumped by her colleague, Takako takes a drastic decision. Removing herself from the rat-race for the time being, she decides to take her uncle, Satoru, up on his offer, and moves into the space above his bookstore.

Despite her lack of interest in books, Takako gradually begins to recognise the solace and absorption to be taken from the comforts of storytelling. Exploring the locality, getting to know the eccentric customers in the bookstore, and spending time in that undemanding environment proves to be healing for her.

Meanwhile, Satoru has his own story - which will unfold further along the line - involving the mysterious reappearance of his wife Momoko.

The two story lines don't blend together entirely seamlessly, albeit quite harmoniously, but this is a charming offering. And it is likely to appeal to any bookworm who has ever longed to spend more uninterrupted time in a cosy bookstore!

A simple and calm story about the healing power of books and how a shared love of reading can bring people together.

Set in Tokyo, this is the story of Takako, a young woman who, on discovering her boyfriend is marrying another woman, gives up her job and goes to live above her uncle’s bookshop.

In time, Takako rediscovers herself, finds out what is important to her and rebuilds her life.

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

The story of Takako, a 25-year-old woman, struggling with love, work, and self. The story truly begins when she moves into her uncle's second hand bookshop, discovers the joy of reading, and meets a cast of characters that help her recover her emotional balance, and fall in love with life once again. Each character is interesting, but perhaps most interesting are the uncle, Satoru, and his wife, Momoko, who are brimming with life, energy, and yearning.

There is something monumentally genle and elegant about this book. It is touching, gentle, humane, and endearing. It stops just short of being a tear jerker. Essentially, it is a book about kindness and the food that life has to offer to anyone with the courage to look for it.

I enjoyed it tremendously. It was refreshignly optimistic and not too complex, and its aesthetic delivery was a joy to experience. Something of Murakami, and even Dazai.

Highly recommended to anyone frankly. No one I know will find this book a disappointment.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Books about books is a genre that I unfailingly go back to, even after disappointing experiences. What can I say? I bloody love books.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is a short little wonder that stole my heart within even only a couple of pages. Takako is an ordinary woman who has enjoyed an easy and ordinary existence until her boyfriend casually tells her he is marrying another woman. Suddenly, everything Takako knows is gone: she quits her job, distances herself from friends and acquaintances and begins to feel depressed, when her uncle, Satoru, calls out of the blue.

Satoru runs a second-hand book store: the Morisaki Bookshop. And so Takako finds herself helping out her uncle at his bookshop in exchange for temporary board in the tiny room on its second floor. This is an understated little read: we follow as Takako lives her mundane days, developing a passion for the old Japanese literature that she sells, becoming a regular at a local café and meeting individuals each with layered stories to tell.

First published in 2010 and translated to the English this year, I absolutely loved Days at the Morisaki Bookshop and urge you all to pick up a copy. It’s a feelgood, comforting read all about how one can start afresh, anytime, and – of course – seek comfort and solace in books. It feels soft, sweet and cosy – the perfect Sunday afternoon read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the Arc of Days at the Morisaki bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa.

Quirky, cute, cosy read! Absolutely loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for a review.

I really liked this translated work - although I will say that it did feel a little robotic in its translation, and I felt like it needed some more descriptive and narrative work towards it. It felt a little "he said" then "I did".

Overall, it was a cute, cosy read!

This is a short book about a book shop, the owner, His niece and his estranged wife who comes back.

I enjoyed it and thought the topics which could be quite heavy like Long term illness, heartbreak, divorce etc have been handled really well in this book.

Not as magical as I thought it would be and quite quirky. I was expecting something like Before the coffee gets cold so that's on meA very easy, entertaining and short read. Great for Japanese literature lovers.

A calming feel good read and a glimpse into life in contemporary Japan. I had to google Jimbocho when I started reading the book and found it was a real place exactly as described. Having seen the pictures of the real life "Book City" the tale felt a lot less twee and a lot more realistic. It's more Convenience Woman than Before the Coffee Gets Cold, but fans of satisfying quirky Japanese tales will not be disappointed.

A charming story in the vein of There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job, The Nankano Thrift Shop and Convenience Store Woman.

When Takako's boyfriend announces that he's getting married, but not to her, she takes refuge in her uncle's secondhand bookshop. Not a reader to begin with, she gradually comes to love both the books and the neighbourhood, and her heart slowly heals under their influence as well as her uncle's care.

I really love this type of contemporary Japanese literature, with its focus on small things and ordinary people. The author paints a lovely detailed miniature of everyday life and its joys, struggles, pains and triumphs. I've never visited Japan but I felt like I was there with Takako, meeting the people she meets and journeying with her. I also came away with many recommendations for classic Japanese novels!

I recommend this book if you enjoy Japanese literature and have liked any of the novels I mentioned at the beginning. I'll keep an eye out for this author in the future. 4.5 stars.

I'd like to thank the publishers and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

The Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is one of those books that is hard to pigeon hole into a category- yes, it is contemporary fiction but like many Japanese stories there is a quirky calm, curious melancholy and something movingly profound. After being ceremoniously betrayed by her supposed boyfriend, Takako is offered refuge by her uncle Satoru at his secondhand bookshop. Takako is initially not enamoured by books but as the book progresses Takako’s life begins to reawaken as she discovers a love for the neighbourhood and in particular the local coffee shop.Uncle Satoru also hides a story behind his amiable nature- his wife left him five years previously and when she reappears Takako begins to piece together the story of what happened. This is a book about love , life relationships and finding out where we can find we belong in the most unexpected places - and of course the power of books add an additional dimension to the tale. This is a one sit read to charmed by and as a reader recognise the magic that books can feed us with.

Read this in one sitting! Really enjoyed it. Really like the thematic work that was discussed. It was such an easy read too.