I do enjoy any books about books or set in libraries and bookshops so I was immediately drawn to Days at the Morisaki Bookshop. A short and charming book, I really enjoyed the audio. Set in a district of bookshops in Tokyo, Tatako finds herself living above the shop after a boyfriend treats her badly. Her Uncle Satoru owns the shop It has been in the family for generations), and Tatako gradually learns to appreciate and love books. She makes friends and starts to recover from her heartbreak.
Her Uncle is also suffering as his wife has left him. In part 2 of the book, his wife Momoko returns and Tatako isn't sure what to think of her, wondering if she hurt her Uncle again.
I loved listening to this - I really enjoy reading about the Japanese culture and was thrilled to learn there is a bookshop district in Tokyo. The characters were good and felt very real, not quirky like they often are in Japanese fiction.
The translation and the narration were excellent. I really enjoyed this and look forward to the sequel which is coming later this year!

This was a short audio book that I listened to in a few sittings. It has two parts, one in which a young lost woman is given a form of purpose at her uncle’s ( previously grandfather’s) bookshop. He was her fun younger uncle at a time and they drifted apart as she’s grown older. Now, when he finds out that she’s adrift in life he ripped her in to care for the bookshop.

The rest of the narration in that section is about the people and purposes that they visit the shop, along with the random visits our protagonists make to the neighbouring businesses.

The second part is when the separated aunt suddenly appears back at the bookshop. The uncle decides to have his niece investigate and this leads to a whole new relationship being formed.

I liked the book in the audio format. There was a bit of abruptness in the plotline but that went with the characters being described which was a good thing. I think ( but cannot know for sure) that I might not have enjoyed this as much in the written format. The sudden shifts in discussions and the tones were not standard ones and I might have missed a few cues if I was not being guided by the audio. It is not often I say that, but it might be the case here.

I would recommend this to fans of translated works and for anyone who likes to read about life connected to a bookstore in some fashion.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own listening experience.

I loved the Days At The Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa and so was happy to be approved for the audiobook. The narrator was great and really brought the characters and story to life there were so many times that I thought I was actually there. The characters were great and the plot was fantastic that I cannot wait to get a physical copy of this boook for my personal library.

For the right reader in the right mood, I can see how Days at the Morisaki Bookshop could be a great comfort read. It ambles along slowly with its messages of finding your feet and going at your own pace being matched by the novel's gentle pace and meandering plot. And, of course, it helps that Yagisawa's descriptions of Morisaki and its neighbourhood of bookshops made me want to pack my bags and get on the next flight to Tokyo.

Unfortunately, I personally found it a little underwhelming. There isn't really a strong plot and the story's episodic bursts didn't hold my attention. It's more character-driven, which didn't quite work for me because I didn't particularly warm to Takako. She comes across as a little shallow and judgemental towards her uncle in the beginning though, to her credit, she does learn to appreciate him for his eccentricity and they get some sweet bonding moments as the novel progesses. For me, it was hard to relate to her inital lack of curiosity about the neighbourhood and her ambivalence about moving into the bookshop (she's living the dream!). She also came across as a bit of a doormat in her reaction to her ex-boyfriend's cheating, though I suppose her underreaction could be attributed to cultural differences? On the other hand, I liked the friendships she built with the bookshop's patrons and locals and especially the bond she develops with Satoru, though I was less impressed with her underdeveloped potential romance with another booklover. Or the romantic subplot between two secondary characters Takako is tasked with matchmaking; we just didn't get to know them enough to be invested in their romance. The mystery of Satoru's M.I.A. wife is more interesting, which is the focus of Part Two; I do love a second chance romance and intergenerational friendships between women in fiction! And *spoiler alert* there is a happy ending, of course.

Overall, Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is well written, the characters are a bit bland but generally pleasant, and I always appreciate a book about loving books filled with recommendations for other books. It just didn't grip me or stick in my mind. I'm sure other readers will find a lot to enjoy in it but, for me, it was underwhelming. I didn't particularly enjoy the narration of the audiobook by Susan Momoko Hingley either. For some reason, I found her voice grating. Perhaps it was a little too perky and over-enunciated? I'm not sure how to describe it. Of course, my reaction to the narrator's voice is purely subjective and other readers may not have the same problem. That said, I might try re-reading DatMB one day in a different format when I'm in the mood for something slow-paced to see if it lands better on the re-read.

With thanks to netgalley and the author Satoshi Yagisawa

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is a lovely book about books and the people who use the bookshop and also about families. I loved listening to this audiobook as I travelled to and from work, it make the journey go quick. The narration was also very good

I received a copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

***AUDIO BOOK VERSION***
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop was such a wonderful relaxing book to listen to and delve into audio, and I loved every second. The narrators voice was soothing to listen to and did a great job narrating the book.
We follow Takako, who's been dating a colleague, and finds out he's never taken their relationship seriously and is to be married to another woman. Understandably hurt, upset, and embarrassed, Takako resigns from her job and slumps into depression. When her uncle ( whom she hasn't seen in years ) contacts her and offers her a vacation (with some possible shifts) at his used bookshop for the summer, Takako agrees not knowing just how much of a lifeline this will offer her and her future.
The characters were lovely in this book, and I loved Takakos' uncle - he was such a sweetheart and great fun to read about. As a lover of books and second-hand books and bookstores, this was a dream to read/listen to and I now wish I too had an eccentric uncle with a second hand book store I too could stay at! This was such a heartwarming book, and I'm so glad to have listened to the audio version.

I enjoyed this short book. It's very much a vibes book, gentle and melancholic and comforting, moving from mourning a loss through depression and into rediscovering your joy. Every person Takako meets is charmingly quirky, which gives the whole thing a bit of an unreal dreamlike vibe.

I liked the first half better than the second, and I felt a weird disconnect between the two. I think if the book had stopped after the first half I would have rated it higher and enjoyed it more. As it is, I really didn't like Takako's aunt very much and found it hard to empathize with her. Also I *really* wish there had been some more consequences for the jerk Takako was dumped by in the beginning.

The audiobook is well done and pleasant to listen to, although some of the character voices felt like odd choices to me.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Manilla Press for providing an early copy of the audio for review.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book, it was such a cozy read and I love Japanese translated fiction. Although, I didn't enjoy the main character's story arc that much and felt that the relationships between all the characters lacked depth. The reviews for this book increased my expectations too high which were not met.

Days at the Morisaki bookshop, was a great listen I really enjoyed the story and found it quite easy to follow and listen to.

I would definitely reccomend for a short easy listern.

many thanks to net gallery for the chance to listen and review.

A beautiful little book, I was captivated by the story and felt sad when it was over. I wanted to stroll through the bookshops talked about and I loved Uncle's story and the mystery of his missing wife.

Loved this gentle book. I thought the narrator was very well suited to the text which added to the enjoyment of listening to the audio.

This was such a treasure for book lovers. The characters are lovely and so are the settings and places where the story happens. However, I do think that the second part of the book seemed a little disconnected from the first.

Japanese writing is always very gentle, slow paced bit very accurate in delivering the mood of the story.
I liked the story of the characters, I enjoyed the book elements with in this book, the themes of connections, family, relationships and loss plus the meaning of memories we create with ourselves and the people around us. How we navigate healing, and reimagining ourselves in the.pkaces we belong in.

I absolutely loved the story, the narrator was perfect and went off and got the audiobook myself ready for a re-listen

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an audiobook copy to review!

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is translated from Japanese, and it is set at a Tokyo bookshop. The main character, Takako, is having a tough time after her boyfriend leaves her for someone else. She goes to live with her uncle in a room above his bookshop, and although she is resistant at first, she eventually comes to appreciate both her uncle and the bookshop.

My favourite thing about this book is the atmosphere. I love the bookshop setting, and it felt so distinct and cozy. I wish I could visit! It was also so heartwarming to see Takako’s development, as this is definitely a character driven book.

This is definitely not plot driven, but more focused on every day moments and relationships, similar to Before the Coffee Gets Cold, which is also Japanese literature. As it’s about a bookshop, there is a lot of discussions about reading, which I of course appreciated.

I enjoyed the focus on emotions and relationships, but I felt that the book didn’t have quite as much impact as it could have, because I didn’t fully fall in love with the characters. As the book is so focused on their lives, I felt a bit detached and didn’t think about the book too much after finishing it.

Regardless, I really enjoyed the book while I was reading it, and I would definitely read more by Satoshi Yagisawa. I definitely enjoyed the audiobook narration too!

3.5 stars

This was such a sweet book, but it was almost written in two halves. The first half was pretty much a love story to Japanese Literature. It sang with the joy of reading and made me want to read some of the authors mentioned.

The second part is more about family. I was a little disappointed as there wasn't so much set in the bookshop and I wanted more warm cosy bookshop vibes, but it was a still a nice little story with touching emotions.

The audio was good, the voice actress is half Japanese so there's no pronunciation issues with the Japanese words and she was exactly right for the voice of Takako.

It was pretty mild and very vanilla but I appreciated the message. Compared to so many depressing Japanese novels I had read it felt like a breath of fresh air. I can't say any of the characters were particularly memorable, but it read as an uplifting cosy read, and for that I am grateful.

A cute, heartwarming story about a woman, relationships, family and books.

This story was written in simple but eloquent prose and was easy to read, which was perfect to get me out of my reading slump. It was short and yet adorable and cosy.

Perfect as a sweet, wholesome story that just makes you feel happy.

The story is very well written and the audiobook is easy to follow and lovely to listen to. Very well read.

This was such a refreshing read. Its well translated that the book flows.
I liked the characters and yes a few had flaws but thats true in real life.
Loved the bookshop setting, and the area that knows everyone. And loved the reference to the smell of old books, but also to people reading various books.
After quitting her job, losing the guy shes has been seeing, Takako uproots and goes and helps her uncle at the 2nd hand bookshop. It then becomes a story about finding oneself, reconnecting, and also about family and found family.

The narration was good, but also i think its a story that would be great either read or listened to.

Going to have to look out for other books by the author, but also by the translater.