This book is a tribute to all librarians, their talent and their ability to connect readers with just the right book. In this story, a Tokyo.librarian does just that, enriching and changing people's lives through her recommendations.

An oddly introspective and interesting dive into the way a library book change lives. You don't have to convince me that books will change lives, but I like the almost sly way this book goes about it.

I love a good bookish contemporary, and there was just something about the blurb of this Japanese translation that really spoke to me. Add the fact that the cover of What You Are Looking For Is In The Library reminded me of a favorite Japanese fiction title (The Travelling Cat Chronicles), and I simply couldn't resist adding it to my shelves. I'm glad I did now, because I ended up really enjoying my time with this book. Unique, quirky, simple but profound; this book definitely left its mark.

What You Are Looking For Is In The Library actually feels more like a short story collection rather than a novel, as it basically focuses on a selection of different character being changed by their meeting with the librarian. The librarian herself isn't all that developed as a character, but somehow it worked in favor of this story as it only made her more mysterious. Her ability to give people such life changing recommediations gives this book a touch of magical realism; this genre can go both ways for me, but in this case it really added more dept and intrigue to the plot.

The plot focuses on five different characters, and as such it seems like there are five different short stories in play. When you look closely though, you can see the connections between the different characters, and I enjoyed learning more about how their lives collided. The characters themselves were all interesting, and I liked watching them work on themselves and grow after their visit with the librarian. The plot itself is simple and focuses a lot on daily life and personal problems, but I think the beauty is in its simplicity.

I really enjoyed the writing style itself, and the translation seems to be flawlessly done. It's really easy to keep turning those pages, and I liked how the plot was divided into the different parts focusing on the five characters. The characters themselves are all well developed, and I loved the Japanese setting. The felting and 'bonus gift' was also very cleverly incorporated into the plot! If you enjoy a well written, character-driven and unique story, What You Are Looking For Is In The Library is a great choice.

This books was amazing. If you love interconnected stories or even Studio Ghibli, you will love this book. Told in small excerpts of peoples lives when they find their life is changing, they go to the Community Library and find a way to find a way to face that change. Showing the beauty of the small moments in life and how we deal with change, this is such a wonderful book.

I absolutely adored this book about five individuals in Tokyo whose lives are impacted by an interaction with an odd librarian. It's an ode to finding the right book at the right time. The stories slightly intertwine in a perfect way. It's a fast read and will be perfect for book clubs.

As a librarian I airways enjoy reading about libraries and the power of books to change lives. This was a sweet collection of snapshots on how a local library's stories and sense of community helped a series of residents navigate their lives. It was easy to read and an enjoyable ride.

This quiet novel is actually a collection of vignettes that are connected by the power of a library and its staff to help people find themselves. Set in Tokyo, each chapter describes characters who are lost to some extent and find their way to a neighborhood library with surprising results. The inscrutable librarian, who seems to focus only on crafting random small figures out of wool, is in fact successful in recommending the perfect book for each person. The unlikely selections alter each person's mindset, leading to satisfying results.

Cute book with a compilation of short stories of different people going through job and life transitions in their lives. It really makes me wonder which children’s book story would currently relate to my life?

Notable lines:

“’But I meet people here I wouldn’t otherwise and have some really interesting encounters. It’s like traveling to lots of different places every day.’”

“I still don’t know what I want to do, or what I can do. What I do know is that there’s no need to panic, or do more than I can cope with right now. For the time being, I plan to simply get my life in order and learn some new skills, choosing from what’s available. I’ll prepare myself, like Guri and Gura gathering chestnuts in the forest. Because I never know when I might find my own giant egg.”

“Life is one revelation after another. Things don’t always go to plan, no matter what your circumstances. But the flip side is all the unexpected, wonderful things that you could never have imagined happening. Ulti- mately it’s all for the best that many things don’t turn out the way we hoped. Try not to think of upset plans or schedules as personal failure or bad luck. If you can do that, then you can change, in your own self and in your life overall.”

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This book was absolutely delightful and clever. If you are a book or library lover you will enjoy this thoughtful set of stories based around one wise librarian and her knack of suggesting just the right book for each person's situation in life at the time. I loved it and will definitely recommend to my patrons.

Somewhere in Tokyo, nestled beside a school is a small community center that houses a library. A handful of residents from the area find their way to this library for different reasons. On the surface they are looking for books; but like most of us in life, they are looking for more. The librarian tracks down books they request as well as one or two seemingly random titles that end up having a great impact.

As a librarian myself, in a world where libraries have become political warzones, I appreciated this gentle reminder of what an impact libraries and books can have on someone’s life. While each character is different, they are all average, regular people with relatable struggles and desires making it enjoyable to follow them through a period of discovery and into fulfillment.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advance copy of this book.

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama, translated by Alison Watts, is a sweet novella featuring different patrons and how the library helps them. The book is a collection of stories about a wide range of people with a connecting thread of a library and a librarian who helps them at a turning point in their life. The stories are of hope and change and will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy. I recommend this book to people who enjoyed Before the Coffee Grows Cold or want a quick, feel-good novella.

I enjoyed this short story-esque novel. but the premise soon wore thin and I found myself speed reading the last section mostly to see if the protagonist of that section had interactions with the previous library patrons who had encountered the enigmatic librarian. Reminiscent of Before the Coffee Gets Cold in both writing style and delivery, this will be a good readalike to recommend of fans of that series.

3.75 stars

This gentle tale tells several different stories of people whose lives were changed by their interactions with a special library and intuitive librarian. The people in the stories are different ages and in different stages of their lives, everything from a new retiree, to a career woman-mom, to an artist who has lost her muse.

They all wind up at the local community center which houses a library and gives classes. The librarian is other worldly -- she is huge and at first appears hostile, but she has a magical voice and an amazing way of looking into her patron's soul and discovering what they really need to read.

A lovely and thoughtful book with many happy endings. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Lovely stories, like watching a twirling crystal cut with many facets, reflecting everything in new ways…

This is a charming book of stories about people who are at a turning point in their lives. It tells how they come in contact with a special librarian who has a gift of reading people and suggesting just the right combination of books to set them on a better path for their lives. Each story is amazing in itself, because each person find solace for what they might not have know they were searching for, but also each story slowly builds a interconnected community of people helping people.
The author builds beautiful heartfelt characters. The reader might even recognize a situation similar to something in their own life. The book is also a wonderful picture of community life. This is a thoughtful, beautiful book. It will move you and make you wish you knew a librarian like Sayuri Komachi.

Heartwarming stories about people finding their ways through life from short but meaningful conversations with the enigmatic librarian and from the books she recommended to them. I do feel like that this book is written for people who are already lovers of libraries, but this book also renews my faith on the importance of public libraries as a community space.

This was just ok for me. The plotlines seemed a little state sponsored to me. I felt like these were morality stories meant to teach me about being a good citizen. Honestly, the Chinese government comes to mind. Also I thought the translating seemed clunky.

First of all, there is a cat and a pile of books on the cover. Not to mention it is written by a Japanese author who happens to share my family name. I knew I'd want to read this and it did not disappoint.

Aoyama brings a whimsical touch to her vignettes with an all powerful gentle giant of a librarian who knows the answers to problems that the readers may not even realize that they have. What more could you ask from a librarian? It's terribly sweet but not in a cloying way. It's a bit other-worldly, but not so out there that the reader couldn't be convinced that such a library and librarian exists. Or at least wish for it.

Fans of modern Japanese literature should grab this book off the shelf the minute they can!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's... everything.

I loved this one! Such a charming book that I found myself relating to. The English at times was a little awkward just due to the translation but it didn't affect the heartwarming stories. I highly recommend this one! A huge thank you to the publisher for the ARC and to Netgalley.

This one reads a bit like No Two Persons, and is such a touching novel of how books can change the trajectory of life.
The local library is somewhat of a scene, but how the neighbors come to be patrons is my favorite part of this whole tale. We have older people, a young mother, a couple, and it is just so charming to watch the librarian give the people she comes into contact with a book from their past or a book that they’ve yet to read to set their worlds on a different path. I loved this novel, and I think had it not been a translation it would have really been a four or five star book. I think, at the end of the day, the title says it all: what we are looking for truly is in the library, even if we don’t know it just yet.



*thank you, NetGalley, for a free advance copy of this book!*