Days at the Morisaki Bookshop | By Satoshi Yagisawa

Title: Days at the Morisaki Bookshop
Author: Satoshi Yagisawa
Translator: Eric Ozawa

After enjoying “Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop,” I’m keen to dive into another story centered around a bookstore, as I genuinely appreciate the storytelling style. “Days at the Morisaki Bookshop” is next on my list! You know, Japanese-translated fiction has the power to stir deep emotions in me. If you enjoy books such as “Before the Coffee Gets Cold,” “The Cat Who Saved Books,” “If Cats Disappeared from the World,” and “She and Her Cat,” I’m sure this book will be an excellent emotional addition to your reading list.

“Still, there are a lot of people in this world who love old books. There are even some girls your age. For people like that, this place is heaven. And I happen to be one of those people.”

In the book’s first part, I felt a deep connection and found myself underlining entire pages. By the end of that part, I felt emotional but also filled with a sense of joy. This book has become one of my all-time favorite comfort reads, offering me so much in just 145 pages. For some book lovers like me who find joy in stories involving books or an author’s life, this book encompassed all that and more. It delicately addressed sensitive topics like heartbreaks, loss, loneliness, and reconciliation without coming across as didactic. The characters were appealing, and the depiction of the Jimbocho area, known for its numerous second-hand bookstores, was a reader’s paradise. I loved how Takako formed this bond with Uncle Sator when she got to know him and how she changed. Takako’s uncle’s support and her healing journey through immersing herself in books, she discovered a newfound strength she never knew she possessed. Each page she turned, each story she read, became a stepping stone toward reclaiming her sense of self.

“Little by little, I felt something wash over me, a feeling of peace that words can’t express. If I had to explain it, I’d say it could only have come from the writer’s fervent love for life.”

Witnessing Takako discover the pleasure of reading was like rediscovering it myself. Her heartfelt description of this experience made me appreciate her character even more. Though it was a short read, the book was incredibly powerful and moving. I am excited to read the book 2!

“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.”