Another DNF unfortunately. This was just too slow for my liking and I wasn't fond of the writing (it could have been a translation issue), but this really was not for me.

"Days at the Morisaki Bookshop" by Satoshi Yagisawa is an ebook about a bookstore in Japan and the people who run it and shop there.

Takako has had a breakup and finds herself a bit unmoored in life. Her uncle Satoru offers her a room above his used bookstore in exchange for help in the bookstore. Takako starts a new life in Jimbocho, Tokyo's famous bookstore district, and learns about the different people who come to shop. She also learns about the history of the bookstore and about Satoru’s wife Momoko, who left him five years earlier.

I liked the first half of this book better than the second half. It could be because of the ponderous prose. Still, I enjoyed my time spent in this setting with these characters.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop really encompasses the idea that books and stories save lives. After Takako's boyfriend breaks up with her and she leaves her job, she decides to move in with her uncle and help him run his bookshop. Takako is not a reader, but she meets all the regulars in the bookshop and sees how books, reading and each other impact everyone's lives. Soo, Takako does start reading and finds the healing power of books and stories.

This was a sweet little story about a young woman coming into her own as she works at her uncle’s bookshop. I loved the quaint Japanese book street it was set on and loved the main character. Unfortunately, the translation was simplistic and clunky and took me out of the story. It needed some extra oomph and descriptive language—that would have made it really special.

Thanks to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for this free ARC in return for my honest review.

Enjoyable and gentle book that centers around Satoru the owner of the Morisaki Bookshop, along with his niece, Takako, and Satoru's absent wife, Momoko. As Takato suffers from a broken relationshp her uncle Satoru offers her a chance to come live and work at the bookshop. After a period of continued despair she finally comes to love the bookshop and a few of the people who enter. Not a book that goes into detail about the books at the used bookshop, but rather about relationships, including Momoko's return after a 5 year absence. I enjoyed the book but felt it needed a bit more depth to the characters and more characters on the whole. I did enjoy it and there is only so much one can fit into 150 pages. I am looking forward to the sequel. As I am not familiar with a lot of Japanese novels I give this a benefit of the doubt, 4****

Days At The Morisaki Bookshop opens on our FMC finding out that her boyfriend is getting married to someone else, and she's been a fling all along. Due to them working at the same firm, she quits her job and is absolutely heartbroken. In enters her uncle at the Morisaki Bookshop...

The main thing I loved about this book is how the characters in this book were so unique; each had their own individual personality, and they were unlike anything I've read in any other book.

I also love that you could tell just how much the author loves books; this really felt like a love letter to Japanese literature, and I'm living for it<33

Although I enjoyed this book, I did find some of the conversation stilted; whether this was down to the translation, I'm unsure. I also felt that not much actually happened throughout the book, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just something to note if you were considering reading it.

This was such a cozy read, which isn't a descriptor that usually gels with my reading taste. But I really enjoyed DAYS AT THE MORISAKI BOOKSHOP and found it the perfect book for fall.

Short and sweet, this work of translated fiction tells the story of Takako who moves in to live in her Uncle's bookshop after experiencing a heartbreak. I loved the low stakes and the quiet peace that came about on the page.

Now I want to go to Japan and live in a bookshop!

A book about books, and a bookshop, and the gentle art of connecting to others in the broken places life inflicts on us? A non-reader learning the power of books, and stories, to help and heal and bring us together? Sign me up!

You get all of that in this internationally bestselling novel. It is exactly correctly marketed, and aimed directly at the book-gollum that lurks in your #Booksgiving circle...the mid-teens niece who gobbles the usual suspects of YA fiction, the later tween granddaughter who needs a fresh subject to care passionately about. The reader who is also a bookaholic is likely to get less from it than a newer reader, as this is largely well-traveled territory for most of us over a certain age; still enjoyable, certainly, and so short that it's a long sitting of reading.

I've just been here before quite often. Moods and atmosphere make for fun experiences of reading and Jimbocho, in a few deft strokes feels real. Why then am I recommending it for your teen bookeaters? It's...fine. It's not more than fine, but it's solidly...fine. I reserve phrases like "good enough" to damn with faint praise. This is..fine. Sitting around with one's less than riveting relatives of a Yuletide eve, this is the best kind of read to have, and so to give to someone who's in that situation.

Coping with heartbreak is always going to appeal to younger audiences. They experience so much of it. The nature of Takako's dumping by her pretty rotten boyfriend is going to appeal; the nature of Satoru and Motoko's estrangement will certainly raise a lot of tissues.

Finding Family within one's family is a rare and wonderful experience. I think the story is a hit around the world for a very clear reason. Get it into the right hands and it will make the Yuletide bright, shiny, and bearable.

Thank you Frenzy Books for the eARC! This was honestly just such a relaxing read. It’s very slow-paced and everything that happens is just so subtle. This book does cover some darker topics, but they are discussed in such a relaxing way, if that makes any sense. I enjoyed the story and how things ended up for Takako. I loved the part where she bonds with her uncle over books they’ve read. This book describes the setting so well too. I really want to visit that coffee shop because it sounds so cozy. This book just gives me relaxing Ghibli vibes.

I would liken this book to a slice-of-life story. It's about a twenty-some young woman trying to find herself after a bad break-up. She finds solace in her uncle's used bookstore, amongst all the books on the shelves.

Be forewarned that there are two parts to this book. I was a little surprised since the second portion of the book shifts a little in focus. However, that didn't deter me from enjoying the book. I'm always happy to read a book about books/booklovers.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is a gently written slice-of-life love letter to bibliophiles written by Satoshi Yagisawa and translated by Eric Ozawa. Released 4th July 2023 by HarperCollins on their Harper Perennial imprint, it's 160 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is such a warm and whimsical story, entirely character driven. It meanders, often touchingly, through the daily lives, dreams and hopes of the characters and their interactions with one another. It's indelibly Japanese in its sensibilities, culture, and grammar. It does read as though it's literature in translation (and that's not a bad thing). The translation work is competent and seems true to the original text.

The book is full of references to other works of Japanese literature. In the translator's afterword, he notes that not all of the books mentioned are available in translation (yet), but also notes many of the ones which are currently available.

Four stars. It's a delightful very short read. Quite a lot of story, without a lot of conflict or action. A relaxing and delightful experience. This would make a great choice for public or school library acquisition, book club discussion, or home library.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

"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"

4.3 🌟

A wholesome cozy book, where you just want to lay around, reading & to get comfort. Telling a story about Takako who is sad over the breakup with her boyfriend & resignation, then finds solace in the room above her Uncle's secondhand Bookshop. The book is divided into 2 parts, in which the first part focuses on Takako’s journey. While part 2 revolves around her uncle & his wife Momoko who disappeared 5 years ago & suddenly returned to the bookshop leaving her uncle more unanswered questions.

First of all, I love how this book is based on the existing place which is Jimbocho Book Town, Tokyo (also known as City of Books), & also houses the headquarters of multiple major Japan publishing companies including Shueisha! The book describes the town in detail which you couldn't help but be amazed with. I can imagine & smell all the books mentioned in the story. And I love all the literary references too.

I love the fact that the book is so cozy & relaxing. It's a book that reminds you to take your time to recover and take life at your own pace. And I love how it gives me reassurance that everything will be okay, and not all things that happen to you are a bad thing. The book also has such a lovely and beautiful comment about life and how you need to appreciate the little things in life; Book, coffee, your time with yourself etc.

Even though I didn't like part 2 that much but I appreciate the message behind it, & Takako's friendship with her aunt. it was very heartwarming & sweet. Overall, I highly recommend this book if you want something that is light, easy to read & just a cozy vibe ✨ huge thanks to Harper Publisher for the advanced review copy!!

I picked this to try a taste of Japanese literature. I appreciate that the love of books transcends culture. I’m not sure if it was the translator’s style or the original writing style but I found the dialogue stilted and the pacing uneven. It wasn’t the most enjoyable read but I’m glad I tried it.

This book was such a fantastic exploration of life and depression and loss. Takako experiences a devastating breakup and ends up in a deep depression. She quits her job and spends time listless and sleeping. When she gets a call from her uncle asking her to help out in his bookstore, Takako is reluctant but makes the trip. While she is there she starts to find herself again. She is finally able to get out of her funk and go back to her normal life in Tokyo. In the second part of the book, she gets a call from her uncle once again. He needs her help again. This time she gets to help him with finding himself.

This is such a beautiful book. I loved the realistic depiction of depression. Even though it was such a short book, I felt really connected to the characters. I also loved that books played such a big role in the book. Books really are transformative and this book was able to showcase this. I need to pick up a physical copy of this book to have on my shelf. I loved seeing the growth that all the characters went through during the story and really found myself feeling for them. I cannot wait until the sequel is translated so I can get my hands on it!

Takako feels like her life has turned upside down when her boyfriend tells her he’s getting married—but not to her. Devastated, she quits her job (which is where she met both him and the woman he will be marrying) and mopes at home until her somewhat estranged uncle invites her to stay at his bookshop in Jimbocho to clear her headspace, in exchange for helping him run the store. Reluctantly, she agrees, even though she has no interest in books. Eventually, she finds herself falling in love with the books around her, with reading, with the bookstore, and her temporary home in Jimbocho and the people in it.

This book is as much a love letter to Jimbocho as it is to reading. Jimbocho is a part of Tokyo with a rich history, and known for all its secondhand bookstores—something that Takako’s uncle is proud to share with her on the day she moves in. The book also drops the names and titles of various Japanese writers and works of literature, not all of which have English translations. It’s one of those feel-good books where you get the see the protagonist gradually heal from her emotional turmoil, and in turn tries to heal those around her, and you get the read about the closeness of a tight-knit community brought together by their love of their space and the things that make their neighbourhood unique.

The narrative itself wasn’t particularly memorable or exciting, and the characters didn’t leave much of an impression on me either (apart from my wanting to give Takako’s ex a good punch in the face) but it was generally lighthearted and endearing, easy to get through.

2.5 🌟🌟.5 stars! This book is about Takako and how her life evolves when she lives at the Morisaki book shop. She recently had something happen in her life which made her move to her uncle’s bookstore and this is where her life changes and also where she forms new relationships. This book was OK not really, as interesting as I thought it would be for me

The setting is perfect. A whole neighborhood filled with second hand book stores? I am moving there. The personal story in part one was kind of meh, but part 2 was more impactfull. Loved this line a lot:

"I read them voraciously, the authors whose names I knew but hadn’t read, the ones whose names I’d never even heard of, any book that seemed interesting. And yet for all I read, I found book after book that I still wanted to read. I’d never experienced anything like this before. It made me feel like I had been wasting my life until this moment."

Living in a bookstore may sound like a dream come true for some readers but for the main character in this story, it's a last resort when her personal and professional lives implode simultaneously due to a relationship that she completely misread. There are a few different complicated relationships offered in this quiet novel including that of her uncle, who owns the bookshop, and his wife. Definitely worth a read.

This was a quick and easy read about a young woman who loses her boyfriend and then her job. She is at a loss with what to do next, until her Uncle invites her to come and help him with his bookstore located in a city of bookstores. I enjoyed watching Takako find her love of books and her relationship with her Uncle grow.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop follows a young woman named Takako whose boyfriend has just informed her that he’s about to marry another woman. In her devastation she agrees to move into the small apartment above her uncle’s bookshop rent free. In the beginning Takako doesn’t really care about the shop or her uncle, but as she works in the shop she learns to love books, grows closer to her uncle, builds relationships with new people, and finds herself again.

This book is just as fun and wholesome as it sounds. Watching Takako learn about the quirks of book lovers and learn to love books herself made me smile. The writing is simple but beautiful and descriptive, which is my favourite writing style. At the beginning of the book Takako was unlikable and miserable. By the end I really cared about her and the new happy life she was building for herself.It was satisfying and refreshing to read about a main character who had a solid growth arc. Overall I just felt like this was an entertaining little story with great characters and good writing. It has all the basic elements of a good read.

My big complaint is that halfway through the book a completely different story starts. I didn’t care about that story. If the entire book had only been the story described in its summary I would’ve probably given it 5 stars, but the second story felt a little random and unnecessary.

I recommend this! I personally think it’s great, but on top of that it’s such a short book that I highly doubt you will regret reading it even if you don’t like it.