This was a joy from start to finish. I felt like hugging it when I was done. The characters were nuanced and I really felt invested in their stories. I loved the sprinkle of magic. A delightful read. Thank you Hanover Press for the ARC.

Sayuri Komachi has a unique ability to recommend just the right book to her patrons; in fact, she can sense what the individual is looking for or what is missing in her or his life. The books she recommends to each of five patrons change the person’s life in some way. What You Are Looking For is in the Library is an ode to librarians and the life-changing magic of reading the right book at the right time.

Do you believe a book can be life-changing? Has a book ever come to you at just the right time? Have you experienced a profound insight into your own life after reading a certain book? Has one book caused you to rethink something in your own life? Have you been changed because of a book you’ve read?

This story is told in a series of five short stories or vignettes. The library, the librarian, and the community serve as the connection points between the stories. I was a bit surprised and perhaps disappointed that there wasn’t more of a conclusion to tie the stories together. The book ends abruptly at the end of the last vignette.

It’s sometimes challenging for me to read loosely connected stories. With the introduction of each new character, I feel like I’m starting over again. During my reading experience, I was delighted and surprised to find that I quickly engaged with each story and found each character relatable in small and big ways to my life. I think the author brilliantly creates a lovely variety of characters which includes a women’s wear sales assistant, an accountant, a former magazine editor, a 30-something NEET (not in employment, education, or training), and a retiree.

If you love thinking about the magic of reading and you enjoy simply told and poignant character-driven stories with a bit of whimsey, you might love this quiet collection of short stories connected by a quirky librarian. Of course, fans of translated literature, books about books, and books about libraries/librarians will appreciate What You Are Looking For is in the Library. Book clubs will find many discussion possibilities.

Thanks #NetGalley @HarperCollins @HTP_Books @Hanover_Square for a complimentary e ARC of #WhatYouAreLookingForIsInTheLibrary upon my request. All opinions are my own.

Contemporary Fiction | Adult
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Five stories of individuals seeking to find their purpose are connected by a community house, a tiny library featuring a sharp and enigmatic librarian with a passion for wool felting. In this collection, originally published in 2020 in Japanese and ably translated to English by Alison Watts, each story features a character mired in inaction by fear and self- doubt. When circumstances lead each of them to the little community house library, they leave with just the right book recommendations from the librarian, Sayuri Komachi, along with a bonus gift – a little felted creation that helps open their eyes to hope, possibility and opportunity. The stories are touching and reflective of the Japanese setting, with a high degree of respect for authority and expectations dominating individual aspirations. But thanks to Ms. Komachi, each discovers a way to draw out their potential and take the first steps toward realizing their goals and dreams, once they have figured out what those are. It’s almost a coming of age novel, except with characters at every stage of adulthood, from new graduate to recent retiree. Aoyama offers much for the reader to ponder, especially those who are nearing a crossroads in their lives. Or perhaps wishing for one. A gentle and sweet collection about the mundane and sometimes pivotal moments in our lives that nudges you toward hope just when society needs that push. My thanks to Hanover Square Press for the digital reading copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
More discussion and reviews of this novel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/91274427

This novel is very cute and heartwarming. An ode to book lovers in search of that next life-changing read.

I am a great fan of books about books. A favorite of mine is The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George, and I recently read Days at the Morisaki Bookshop. Aoyama’s lovely title shares with the others a love of books and reading, an acknowledgment of how books open worlds to readers, and an understanding of how self-knowledge and growth are fostered through reading.

A bit like, Wait Until the Coffee Gets Cold, What You are Looking for consists of a series of vignettes about people who are at a crossroads. When they meet a very particular librarian, they may not understand why she gives them certain recommendations (a small felted frying pan, the suggestion of a children’s book when the reader was asking for books on Excel) but readers can trust that all will become clear and that the books’ borrowers will benefit.

This book is one that reads in a deceptively simple manner. There is much to think about as well in these pages, however, especially about the meaning of work.

This book would make a delightful gift for a book lover. It looks very nice in its hardcover version.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars. This is a lovely book, translated from Japanese, about a librarian who gives unlikely book recommendations that initiate life changes. Comprised of a collection of interconnected stories about individuals who are stuck in life, this is largely about work and what work could and should mean in the span of a human life. There is nothing fancy about this book, it is about common people and the decisions that make up their lives. I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

Each visitor that comes into this library arrives at a time in their life when they need a change. The librarian, Sayori Komachi, always gives the visitor a little surprise in their book list. It is a surprise the visitor did not know they needed but it leads to life changing decisions.

This story reads like a compilation of short stories. But each story takes place within the scope of this library and its librarian. I would love to see a tv adaptation. I would like to see if what shows up on the screen is what I pictured in my head as I was reading this.

The librarian, Sayuri, is clairvoyant…or something like that. She knows exactly what each patron needs to hear to discover their strengths. And that is what she does. Isn’t this what a lot of librarians do…listen and discover what is needed.

I really enjoyed this novel. Now, I was not very hip on the short story style format. But, that is just my preference. But each story has its own power and energy!

Need a unique, heartwarming tale…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

"Readers make their own personal connections to words, irrespective of the writer's intentions, and each reader gains something unique."

A sweet story for book lovers. What You Are Looking For Is in the Library is the story of 5 characters who all stumble into the small community library in Toyoko looking for guidance. They all are at different crossroads in their lives: wanting to start a business, wanting to better themselves, switch careers, feel valued in the world and finding their identity after retirement. At first the characters don't overlap at all but then they start to. A reminder that we're all connected and can truly benefit from our community. My favorite part of the story was the Librarian, Ms.Komachi. When each character meets her she gives them the books they are requesting but also a bonus book. That book helps lead their journey to whatever they are really seeking, the bigger picture if you will. I loved that through these books there's a bigger connection. As woo woo as this sounds, I'm a big believer that certain books come into our lives when we need them most. This happens to me all the time and I loved that this happened for our characters too. This book was translated from Japanese so a few times the sentences felt a little off but overall it was an easy read that will fill your cup this Fall. Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. This wonderful story publishes today!

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama.
What are you looking for? So asks Tokyo’s most enigmatic librarian. For Sayuri Komachi is able to sense exactly what each visitor to her library is searching for and provide just the book recommendation to help them find it. A restless retail assistant looks to gain new skills, a mother tries to overcome demotion at work after maternity leave, a conscientious accountant yearns to open an antique store, a recently retired salaryman searches for newfound purpose.
An OK read with likeable characters. 3*.

This collection feels cozy and charming and does, in fact, remind me of Before the Coffee Gets Cold. (Nice work, marketing department.) As a librarian, I obviously felt compelled to read this, but I wasn't expecting how poignant the stories would be; I loved the focus on community and the exploration of human nature Michiko Aoyama facilitates through them. I wanted to read more about Sayuri Komachi--the librarian--but maybe Aoyama will explore that in a sequel.

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama was a lovely surprise of a book. I assumed I would love it because it mentioned library in the title, but it was about so much more than that; it was about the connections and bonds that form community, or society, as is mentioned in the novel. Told in chapters about different characters who connect in multiple ways, large and small, important and seemingly unimportant, this story offers a look at Japanese society and communities. But its stories are universal; the struggles the characters face are completely relatable on a human level. I did not want this book to end. Also, I really wanted Sayuri Komachi's story. She was the most compelling character in the book, and it's no coincidence that she is the librarian and the one that ties all the stories together. I will be looking forward to more writing from Michiko Aoyama.

I would rate this book 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

This story involves 5 individuals who are in different forms or stages of employment. There is an individual who is looking at changing careers, one who wants to open his own antique store, one who is forced into another position when she comes back from having a baby, one who is living with mom and cannot not hold or find a job and last and individual who is dealing with being newly retired. For various reasons al the main characters are drawn to the Hatori Community house to pick up items or learn a new skill. They all find that with in the building is a library that they all go to and meet a very special librarian who not only gives them a list of books on the subject they want to learn about but each one has a recommend book that on the surface does not look like it should be there. Through their search for further knowledge, they also learn about the current situation they are in. The author does weave all these together as you will see. Overall, this was a little better than average.

I was really looking forward to this title, but the NetGalley pdf is a format that I cannot read on my phone. It's teeny tiny, and I can't enlarge the font. I have suggested this for purchase with my public libraries, so hopefully I will get to read it. I'm just sorry that it was not legible on my device. Based on other reviews, I'm still giving it a good rating.

This was just lovely. There are five different stories about five very different people all linked by feeling a little discontented or lost. All five people discover the library and through that librarian Sayuri Komachi.
These are gentle stories. Not sweet stories but stories with a gentle pace and message. Each character goes on a journey of self discovery and self reflection as they figure out what is missing in their life or what they are looking for. I loved each character though I must admit I did find the story of the working mother feeling lost and overwhelmed was probably my favorite.
I read this book in a day - not because it was a fast paced edge of your seat kind of read but because I was pulled into the world the author created and loved each of the characters. I especially loved seeing the characters from previous stories woven into each story.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and its quiet uplifting feel. Each character was relatable and I couldn't help but cheer them on their journey.

What You Are Looking for is in the Library, by Michiko Aoyama, and translated by Alison Watts, is a book of sweet and gentle interlocking short stories around a library where the reading recommendations are always just what each reader needed to find. This book has the overall vibe of the gentle healing of Before The Coffee Gets Cold, but with a magical realism hint, instead of full-on time-travel fiction. It has all the quiet warmth and gentle realizations of a good Maeve Binchy novel, too.

The basic Hatori Community House offers everyday resources like computer classes and meeting rooms for locals. The librarian, Sayuri Komachi, gives personal reading recommendations and a charming felted bonus gift to patrons. These readers might think they’re just looking for a regular how-to book about playing Go or building a website, but these special recommended books have a little bit extra, opening new perspectives for the readers.

Each story is about a person feeling disappointed in their life. We first meet a twentysomething retail worker, who’s proud of making it to a job “in fashion” in the big city, but also wonders if the repetitive, lonely work is all there is for her. When she visits the library to learn more about computers and maybe improve her career prospects, she also checks out an old favorite children’s book, which starts to unlocks new ideas, new perspectives, and new habits for her. It’s a charming and gentle transformation, without any insta-makeover or too-easy conclusions.

So I read What You Are Looking for is in the Library at exactly the right time for me (but honestly, aren’t we always learning to better cope with setbacks?) and as I was reading, I could sort of feel that this book is about to be big. It’s very easy to read, with a warm, gentle atmosphere in each short story. The stories have positive resolutions, but not overwhelmingly so, so there’s a wonderfully relatable feeling, as if the same kind of hopeful, warm perspective is just a book away for all of us.

Another visitor to the library has a private dream of opening an antique store, and being surrounded by beautiful treasures all day, but fears leaving his stable, unexciting job for a completely new venture. An unemployed and lonely young man faces the deeply relatable situation of being creative and skilled enough to get into art school, but not skilled enough to land the great jobs his classmates got after graduation. New mother Natsumi has lost her career path and her free time when her daughter was born, and she tries to make sense of being the default parent for a thousand tiny concerns, and finding her once-meaningful work on the mommytrack. And after these stories of work and identity, a newly retired man wonders what his life and identity will be without his career at the center.

Without too much of a spoiler, I have to say that I loved one character’s path to a new career. In fiction, we often find a great new job opportunity, and the deadline to apply is almost here! Then the character takes the risks and goes for it and of course they get it, right? So I particularly liked that even with the magical realism of the library, our character didn’t automatically get the first job she applied to.

What You Are Looking for is in the Library is short and spare, with more implied than shown directly to readers. With these short, interconnected stories, the book introduces us to complicated and relatable characters, and shows them struggling to find contentment and fulfillment. There is also a theme of being kind to others, of being a good friend or a loving parent or child. This is a warm and encouraging book for any reader.

I wanted to like this one so badly but I just couldn't. I am a retail manager; I've been an entry level employee. I had a lot of patience with the beginning of the story but it was just such a boring start with the extensive description of her work days ect., and unfortunately for me it just never picked up.

I'm not normally a fan of story collections. But the five stories in this book intertwine in subtle ways. Each character finds themselves in the local library, where a solemn librarian asks them, “What are you looking for?” After listening carefully, she types up a list of book titles for them—and one book always seems like an outlier. But it's often that one book that leads a person to consider their lives differently.
It's a treasure!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲
𝐁𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐤𝐨 𝐀𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐦𝐚 | 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟗.𝟓.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝒪𝓊𝓉 𝒮𝑜𝑜𝓃!


Thank you @htpbooks @hanoversquarepress and @harpercollins for a spot on tour and a gifted ebook.


𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭!

When I was young, I remember my favorite part of school was library hour. We could browse the stacks and search the card catalogs (yes, that was a thing in my day), and the librarian would share the book of the week.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 brings together five different people of different ages and stages of life. They all find themselves searching for something: purpose, fulfillment, contentment, answers for the future - and it leads them to the Hatori Community House’s Library.

What makes this book so cozy and a bit magical, as well, is not only the community within the book stacks but Sayuri Komachi, the librarian around whom each person's story centers. Sayuri Komachi seems to have a unique gift to recommend a book that “speaks” to each visitor's need or problem.

This was such a peaceful book; a library lover book indeed. Ms. Komachi is kind and thoughtful; there is no air of judgment on her patrons as she recommends each book. It beautifully displayed the power of books - for a sense of community, knowledge, insight, and even well-being.

I highly recommend this for book lovers or anyone looking for excellent translated fiction.

4.5⭐️

Librarian Sayuri Komachi greets all visitors at the library at Hatori Community House with this simple question, the answer to which isn’t always clear to the person to whom the question is directed.

“What are you looking for?”

Along with her recommendations, she adds a title that is seemingly unrelated to the patron’s query. She also adds a handmade ”bonus gift” to her patrons, that strangely resonates with the person on a deeply personal level.

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama (translated by Alison Watts) follows the stories of five such people, each of whom is searching for a purpose or a new direction in life. A twenty-one-year-old sales assistant feels stagnated in her career and is unable to find value in her work-life, a thirty-five-year-old accountant feels trapped in his regular job but hesitates to sacrifice stable employment in the interest of pursuing his passion for antiques as a career; an unemployed thirty-year-old aspiring illustrator is consumed by thoughts of his unfulfilled dreams to be an artist; a forty-year-old former magazine editor transferred to an unfulfilling but less demanding position after returning from maternity leave struggles with her need to branch out while maintaining a work-home balance and finally a recent retiree who questions his worth in society. After a life devoted to his career. Each of these characters, though at different junctures in life, is plagued by feelings of self-doubt and insecurity, but Ms. Komachi’s helpful suggestions prove to be profoundly impactful.

Through these five interconnected stories, the author explores the need for human connection, friendship, community and above all, the fact that change and personal growth are possible at every stage in life. This short novel is an ode to the role of libraries, librarians and the transformative power of books. How books enable readers to gain perspective and inspire clarity of thought and personal change is an underlying theme in this novel. I do wish we had gotten to know a bit more about the kind and perceptive librarian Ms. Komachi, which is my only complaint.

Beautifully written in simple yet elegant prose, with realistic and well-thought-out characters and situations, insightful and inspiring, this is a sweet and heartwarming read. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would not hesitate to recommend it to those who enjoy stories that revolve around libraries and the profound impact of books and reading on our lives.

Many thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’m becoming a huge fan of books about Japanese library as they’re both heartwarming and multi-layered. You read a story that will make you smile but there’s also an evolution and a change.
The books, the libraries are a portal to discover who you are and what you need to change and be happy.
This is a celebration of community library as a place where you can find knowledge and librarians that act as interface.
This is a fast read and it celebrates life and the possibility of changing and getting a better life using books as tools for magic spells.
Loved it and want to read other books by this author.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine