More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

I hadn't read the first Morisaki Bookshop book but I will definitely go and read it now. A lovely book which is gentle and wise - no huge plot lines, no big twists and turns, just a lovely few hours spent with Takako and her family, neighbourhood and most of all her uncle's bookshop. Very highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

We return to Uncle Satoro's shop very soon after the events of the first book. Although Takako has a new job, she's back at the bookshop a lot, and indeed she offers to look after it to give her uncle a break. But he comes back in an odd mood and there's some news to come. As well as Takako and her family we have her friends and the characters from the coffee shop as well as the bookshop customers - who Takako is warned not to be too inquisitive about!

Atmospheric and more melancholic than the first book, there are some beautiful descriptions, good book recommendations and lovely scenes. The plot is gentle and then quite sad, which is sort of to be expected as it follows a theme from the previous book to its natural outcome. I'm trying not to be too spoilery for anyone who hasn't read that one yet!

There's a very interesting translator's note at the end which talks about some of the books and authors mentioned in the novel and where you can find them in translation.

Review will be on my blog on 5 July

Thank you at NetGalley for the arc review and the opportunity to read this book, which I have been so excited to read. I have read so many lovely and heartwarming reviews for this story… and let me tell it was everything and more so so special.

The writing and story is so simple but yet so powerful. I loved how the author described the bookstore it felt I was there soaking up all the warmth and how you could feel all the special stories how each book was written and the meaning behind it. Takaka the main character was a pleasure to read and see her journey and rediscover her love for reading. I loved the first half of the book getting to know each character which grabbed me the most.

It was an easy and joyful book to read

This book picks up sometime after Days at the Morisaki Bookshop. You don't need to have read that book, but it does help to give you background.
Takako goes to her Uncle's bookshop to see him and her Aunt Momoko. She loves the bookshop having spent a great deal of time there a few years before. She is still going out with Wada, but their relationship doesn't seem to be going forward. When her best friend Tomo confesses the reason why she she is like she is about relationships, it causes Takako to rethink her approach. After a heart to heart with her Aunt, she is able to take the bull by the horns and sort her life out, helping Tomo along the way. When her Aunt gets devastating news, Takako needs to be there for her Aunt and Uncle.
It's difficult to characterise this book as like other Japanese translations I've read, they are in a category of their own. Although short, this is a lovely story and easy to read.

Having enjoyed the first installment of the Morisaki Bookshop, I was delighted to read the second. However, it’s not as good because there’s not very much plot until the last part of the book where something very bittersweet happens. Despite being quite short, I spent the first chunk wondering when the story was going to get going!

Glad to have read but not one I can recommend. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

2.5 ☆ thank you NetGalley for this arc! I was so surprised but so happy when I was accepted because I really enjoyed the first book and couldn’t wait to read this one. these are the ultimate short, sweet and cosy reads. however this sequel was very slow and there wasn’t a whole lot going on until the last 40% which was so sad but had a very bittersweet ending. if you love books, bookstores, family and a story about enjoying the small things in life with lots of beautiful quotes, this is the perfect book for you.

This sequel was a surprising delight.

I wasn't quite sure where this story was going to go but found myself engaged from the offset. The last 50% of this book is a masterpiece and I thoroughly enjoyed the way it handled it's themes.
This book covers more delicate topics than its predecessor and I really felt as though that helped with the flow, connection and engagement from the reader to the book.

These books are the perfect length for a quick break between heavier, longer books.

Please check the TWs before reading & thankyou to Netgalley and the Publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5

The first book focuses on a new stage/chapter of life following a setback. This book follows 3 years post the book. It is a heartwarming book that follows grief in all its forms.

The first 25% is a lot of recapping what happened in the first book, so it could be read as a stand-alone, which is good for new readers, but as someone who read the first book it made it a slower read at first.

This book has a beautiful quote on grief, which did hit home for me. "When you’re sad, don’t try to hold it in. It’s okay to cry a lot. The tears are there because you’ve got to go on living. You’re going on living, which means there’ll be more things to cry about. They’ll come at you from all sides. So don’t ever try to hide from the sadness. When it comes, cry it out. It’s better to keep moving forward with that sadness; that’s what it means to live."

Thank you to Bonnier books and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

"More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop" by Satoshi Yagisawa is a charming sequel that continues the heartwarming journey of Takako and many loving characters. Set in Jimbocho neighborhood in Tokyo, this story is a bookworm delight, rich with the atmosphere of cozy bookshops and the gentle unfolding of personal connections. Yagisawa's writing is both tender and engaging, capturing the essence of finding solace and community in the most unexpected places.

The characters are vividly drawn and relatable, particularly Takako, whose growth is a highlight of the narrative. The book's leisurely pace allows readers to truly savor each moment, making it a perfect read for a quiet afternoon.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves stories about books, personal transformation, and the simple joys of life.

Thanks to Manilla Press and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this delightful read.

I really enjoyed the slower pace of this book. It really makes you feel like you’re standing in the bookshop listen to the conversations between the characters. It’s not a book that has a lot of storylines happening at once which I enjoyed and was able to follow along without reading the first book.

Firstly thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the copy of this book . After having read and enjoyed the first book I was really keen to read the second book and I didn’t disappoint.

Although I thought the first half of the book was a bit slow the second half more than made up for it tackling difficult subjects like grief which affected me a lot whilst reading this to the point where a tear was shed as it reminded me of things in my own life that have happened .

Also the translators note really bought home what a joy it is to read a book .

This is a sequel to Days at the Morisaki Bookshop. This book can be read as standalone, but you will really get to know the characters better if you read the first book. Also, you will be missing so much of the back story.

Takako is once again the central character in the book. This time she gifts a short break to her Uncle and Aunt and looks after the bookshop whilst they are away. She really relishes the time spent at the bookshop, even sleeping over in her old room.

Once her Uncle and Aunt return from their trip things seem to be different, and Takako is unsure what is wrong. She also has some worries around her own relationship with Wada. Meanwhile two of her friends are also having a difficult time relating to one another.

The writing is as always magical and so eloquent, but the themes running through the book are a little melancholy at times. Sometimes to the Western mind it seems that it could all be resolved so easily but that is not the way in Japan. Without wishing to spoil the book I won't say anymore about that.

I really enjoyed reconnecting with the characters, it was like meeting old friends.

A must for book lovers everywhere! The writing here is just as enchanting and magical as Book 1. I would defy anyone not to be moved by the beautiful simplicity of this writing

A bittersweet follow up to Days in the Morisaki Bookshop. A couple of years have passed but Takako still enjoys spending time at the bookshop on her days off. Whilst the first one was about the healing power of books and reading, this one was more about searching for books, finding one that will speak to you as a reader. Bamako gets to learn more about herself, and grow as a person, as do one or two of her friends.

I personally preferred this one to the first one, though there is more sadness in this instalment.

*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a review copy in exchange for an honest opinion.*

I absolutely adored the first Morisaki Bookshop book and was overjoyed to hear there was a sequel and I was itching to get my hands on it.

I don't like overly long books or overly short books. 300-400 pages is my sweet spot. Not that I don't read longer or shorter books, but that's where I am happiest. But this book made me conflicted. I loved the first one soooo much that going into this, I wished it was longer so I could spend more time in it. But it didn't reach the heights of the first one (explanation coming below), and so I feel it might have been a bit too stretched thin if it was longer.

What I love about this book (and the first one) is the unashamed love for books and reading, and how books and bookshops can change us, whether we know we need it or not.

It's not the most intense of books. There's not really much of a plot. There's also not a huge amount of character development either. But I don't think that's a really big problem here. It's more about the feeling it gives you rather than what you're actually reading.

I'd have liked a bit more of the bookshop if I'm honest. I am happy to plod along and just take it for what it is, but it felt a bit flat for a while sadly. For a book that's called "...at the Morisaki Bookshop", I expected more of the bookshop, but perhaps that's been left in the first book.

It isn't as good as the first one. No. That's not right. It's not worse than the first one. It's just too similar. It doesn't add much to it annoyingly, as I do believe I would have been happy to read more and more, and I'm about to contradict myself here given what I said at the start of this review, but it might have benefited from being longer. But it would need something extra. As it is, it's the right length because otherwise it would be too flat and stretched out. But if it had been longer, then we might have had a chance to have more plot and more development, making it on the same level as the first one.

It does get going, things do happen (I won't say what), but not till quite near the end. I know you needed this build up, but I think that if "the thing" had started a little earlier, it would have given us more time to get invested in it. As it is, "the thing" starts, happens, and it's done, and you're a bit bamboozled.

I felt the first book was a must read. This one is a pleasant read but I don't think you're missing too much if you just stick with the first.

I did enjoy it, it was pleasant, easy to read, quick to read, cosy, heartwarming, and very bookish, but overall it did feel somewhat flat, and a bit anticlimactic after the joy of the first one.

A delightful visit back to the Morisaki Bookshop and the second hand book district of Tokyo finds us catching up with Takako and her uncle a few years on from when we left them. Whilst now in a relationship with Wado, Takako’s character is still as it was before at the beginning of this story, however I felt like she grows significantly throughout this book. Through her search for a book she explores relationships, family, friendships, love and grief. A gentle meander through the seasons, reminding us of the important of books in people’s lives. Another charming little book full of wisdom.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Bonnier Books for inviting me to read this arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for the ARC

Finally! I've been waiting for this sequel since I saw it announced. I loved been back in the Morisaki bookshop and once again visit Takako, her uncle and aunt. This one picks up directly after the first novel and we get to follow their lives and so many good stories. If you loved the first book, there's no doubt you will enjoy this just as much

I enjoyed this book much more than the first one! The adventure of our protagonist at the Morisaki Bookstore continues, blending the cozy atmosphere we loved in the first novel with more melancholic moments.
While the theme of grief is touched upon lightly, it remains a constant thread throughout the book, paired with the theme of rebirth, which was hinted at in the previous volume.
Some parts of the book moved me deeply, while others made me smile. Overall, I would describe this novel as "bittersweet."
While some might see this as just a simple read with a straightforward story, I found it to be quite enriching. This book taught me a lot about self-discovery, envisioning one's future, handling grief and sadness, and embracing people in our lives with all their imperfections.

4.25*

This was another heart warming read from Satoshi Yagisawa and followed on well from the original story. Whilst not quite as instantly charming as DATMB it still hit the cosy contemporary vibe I was after and the final third of the story was what raised it up for me, it truly was a beautifully touching piece of writing and a wonderful piece of translation work by Eric Ozawa.

The story is much more a series of linked vignettes this time, rather than being a clear part one and part two like in the first book. I particularly liked the Tomu and Takano piece and of course the final third. In the vein of cosy fiction nothing truly happens in the story, until that final section and even then it's about the beauty of family, love, loss and time passing. The book as a whole is a love letter to books and reading, and this time much more about finding books and finding comfort in stories.

Overall, despite being generally melancholic in tone, this is a gentle and enjoyable sequel. It's a short and quick read, with a setting and characters beautifully brought to life. I feel like Takako and Satoru's stories have been told and finished and it's a fitting ending to our visits to the Morisaki Bookshop.

Thank you to Bonnier Books UK and Netgalley for inviting me to read an eArc of "More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

Another extremely hearwarming read! Yagisawa really does have a way with words and I enjoyed learning about these characters' individual struggles.