Days at the Morisaki bookshop follows Takako who is an average woman who upon loosing her boyfriend and leaving her job finds herself working in her uncles second hand bookshop.

The book is split into two parts with the first being focused around Takako working in the shop and the second centering around her uncle and aunt and their relationship together. I did prefer the first half and the scenes in the bookshop were some of my favourites. They really highlighted the magic of books and reading and especially reading second hand books.

There was a massive sense of community and love throughout but also on the flip side there was loss.

Reading this was so exciting to see another person fall in love with reading and it was incredibly wholesome and lovely.

As a native English speaker I was not familiar with the Japanese pronunciations of a lot of the places mentioned and so having the audiobook helped with that. I would encourage everyone to listen as it is a relatively quick read.

I loved this audiobook. A great cast of characters and a gentle storyline of love, heartbreak, betrayal and finding yourself.. Right at the beginning we meet 25 year old Takako as she is breaking up with her boyfriend of 12 months who casually informs her that is getting married next year. And not to her. Suffering from abject heartbreak, she leaves her job, because he works for the same firm, and her flat. Takako moves in with her uncle who owns a second hand book shop. In exchange for helping out in the shop, she gets to stay in the tiny flat above the shop. At first she hates the smell of the musty old books and when not working sleeps and sleeps her way through the weeks. Eventually her Uncle Saturo gets her to leave her bed and join him his local coffee shop. And here we meet a gorgeous cast of characters. We see Takako learn to love both the books and reading, making friends with the locals and slowly come back to life.

This is a lovely gentle book that I will return to over and over again. A thoroughly enjoyable book set in the Morisaki Bookshop in Jimboku district of Tokyo. An area full of bookshops. The audio book is beautifully narrated by Susan Momoko-Hingley.

This book definitely gave me the cosy vibes. Although I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I would have liked. It felt flat in places where there could be so much more depth. There are some good plot points around new beginnings, friendships and family but it also has a really strong sense that books can be so transformative. I don’t know if it’s the writing or probably the translation but it didn’t flow as easily in some spots. I preferred the first section of this book to the second. The audio narration was decent and easy to follow along with the book. I think if you are really into your books and like a cosy bookshop vibe then you should give this a go.

This is a short but sweet book. Set in and around Tokyo, it is based more on a couple of characters rather than the bookshop as I expected. The main characters, a young woman and her uncle have a strong bond although she was not aware of it for years.

The story begins when her relationship breaks up and she leaves her job before becoming depressed and tells the story of her recovery.

The narrator was perfect for the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC

This was such a sweet heart warming book! I really enjoyed the audiobook narration and I loved the short chapters.

I really loved the relationship between Takako and Satoru and how it grew and developed over the years, I felt it was such a good reflection on how we are drawn towards the people we need in difficult times.

The descriptions of the book shop were enough to make me want to pack up and live there, I think even a week would be so incredibly restorative.

I didn’t find the second half of the book as enjoyable, I really struggled to like Momoko’s character so the times spent with herself and Takako I felt were a bit boring and the story dragged slightly.

Overall this was such a sweet and lighthearted read!

3.5
Reading this was like having a relaxing bubble bath on a cosy autumn evening. This is the ultimate quick and easy autumn read centered around a bookshop and explores the joy of books and reading, family and relationships. It was cosy and charming, perfect for this time of year.

For full disclosure I received free copy of this audiobook from the publisher through NetGallery.

i am quite surprised at how much i enjoyed this book.
it's a story about a woman who finds solace in books and it's done really well. it centred around the beauty of reading books but encompassed love, friendship, family, and community.
it was a very peaceful read and i felt so calm and happy after i read it.

it was also narrated really well and easy to follow!

Thanks to the publisher for allowing me access to the audiobook of this title - as a bestseller in our store I was curious, and enjoyed the story generally and will happily continue to recommend to customers looking for short novels/translations.

This was a lot more emotional than I was expecting based on the blurb. I enjoyed the slower and more character based pacing. It definitely made me believe that just reading all the time can cure anything.

A cute comforting read ✨
Absolutely loved this one and so many quotes just resonated and hit perfectly.


“It’s funny. No matter where you go, or how many books you read, you still know nothing, you haven’t seen anything. And that’s life. We live our lives trying to find our way.”


“I wanted to see the whole world for myself. I wanted to see the whole range of possibilities. Your life is yours. It doesn't belong to anyone else.”



“I don’t think it really matters whether you know a lot about books or not. That said, I don’t know that much myself. But I think what matters far more with a book is how it affects you.”


“Don’t be afraid to love someone. When you fall in love, I want you to fall in love all the way. Even if it ends in heartache, please don’t live a lonely life without love. I’ve been so worried that because of what happened you’ll give up on falling in love. Love is wonderful. I don’t want you to forget that. Those memories of people you love, they never disappear. They go on warming your heart as long as you live.”

Enjoyable and thought-provoking listen.

I’ve always wanted to read this book, but hadn’t got round to it so was very keen to listen to the audiobook. It didn’t disappoint. Whilst a simple plot on the face of it, it was a relaxing yet compelling listen with some thought-provoking messages at its heart. Would recommend.

Well narrated too.

What a lovely way to sasy: I love books!
In this story we follow a young woman who lost everything in a short time. When she spends time with her uncle in his bookshop she learns to love books and to stand up for herself.
It was a unique story all about reading, family and new beginnings. A perfect gift for everyone.
I enjoyed listening to this and could forget all about everyday life.

A touching novel about the joy of reading, a calming, well written and enjoyable book. Definitely one to recommend

Lighthearted read. Nice and quick for those looking for a peaceful read. Good example of why contemporary Japanese literature has become so popular over the last few decades. Not quite my type of book but enjoyed the story and the love of books this novel puts forward. Thanks for this audio copy!

This short, but sweet, book had me enchanted from the start to finish. I loved the everyday life, nothing startling but kept me reading. It really felt like a cosy hug on an autumnal night. I am going to recommend this to my English students.

Sweet and gentle story centred around a little bookshop in Japan. This is very readible but without much depth or excitement.

"It's important to stand still sometimes. Think of it as a rest in the long journey of your life. This is your harbour and your boat is just dropping anchor here for a little while and after you're well rested you can set sail again"

Ok I will admit I went into this book pretty blind. I didn't read the summary but I'd seen a lot of people calling it a cosy and comfort read. But even now, reading the summary after finishing the book, it feels slightly misleading. I thought the book would centre more around the bookshop itself, and the customers but instead the setting felt pretty secondary. Instead the plot and characters the book did focus on didn't particularly interest me, although I could see why others would enjoy it. The main character also slightly annoyed me at times and could be pretty dramatic (which was further dramatised through the audiobook). Speaking of dramatic, the few mentions of books and the 'power of books' felt pretty melodramatic too.

I did however like the writing for the most part and the themes of feeling lost in life. Although, in terms of the cosiness, I think I would have maybe felt it more with the physical book instead of an audiobook.

Thanks Netgalley for the audiobook.

After a bad breakup, Tatako finds shelter at her uncle's (Satoru) scond-hand bookshop, located in Jinbōchō (Tokyo). Years later, she remembers that pivotal period during which she fell in love with books, reconnected with her uncle and made new friends.

Days at the Morisaki bookshop is a fairly short novel that can be read in a day. There’s nothing complicated about it, it is charming, immersive and full of interesting characters. The first part of the book centers around Tatako and her healing journey, while the second part focuses on her uncle and his wife's story (which was considerably less engaging, in my opinion). The whole setting and vibe made me think of the Midnight Diner (Shin'ya Shokudō) and its K-drama adaptation (I'm being very specific here, don't know if anyone can relate).

Listening to the audio was a very pleasant experience, the narrator, Susan Momoko Hingley, was simply perfect.

Thank you NetGalley and Bonnier UK audio for giving me access to this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

A comforting and optimistic novel about a young woman who suffers a heartbreak and job loss and is offered a job in her Uncle's book shop. I found this novel really comforting and cosy; a lovely novel. The narrator was very good and really brough the story to life.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

4/5⭐️

Such a cute and uplifting read. You can breeze through the book in a day. It swallows you whole and leaves you needing more.
At some points in the book you could almost smell the dust and beautiful smell of old books.
My favourite character was the uncle ! So eccentric it kind of reminded me of myself!
This was really good quick read to get you out of a reading slump!!