Days at the Morisaki Bookshop

A charming story in the vein of There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job, The Nankano Thrift Shop and Convenience Store Woman.

When Takako's boyfriend announces that he's getting married, but not to her, she takes refuge in her uncle's secondhand bookshop. Not a reader to begin with, she gradually comes to love both the books and the neighbourhood, and her heart slowly heals under their influence as well as her uncle's care.

I really love this type of contemporary Japanese literature, with its focus on small things and ordinary people. The author paints a lovely detailed miniature of everyday life and its joys, struggles, pains and triumphs. I've never visited Japan but I felt like I was there with Takako, meeting the people she meets and journeying with her. I also came away with many recommendations for classic Japanese novels!

I recommend this book if you enjoy Japanese literature and have liked any of the novels I mentioned at the beginning. I'll keep an eye out for this author in the future. 4.5 stars.

I'd like to thank the publishers and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

The Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is one of those books that is hard to pigeon hole into a category- yes, it is contemporary fiction but like many Japanese stories there is a quirky calm, curious melancholy and something movingly profound. After being ceremoniously betrayed by her supposed boyfriend, Takako is offered refuge by her uncle Satoru at his secondhand bookshop. Takako is initially not enamoured by books but as the book progresses Takako’s life begins to reawaken as she discovers a love for the neighbourhood and in particular the local coffee shop.Uncle Satoru also hides a story behind his amiable nature- his wife left him five years previously and when she reappears Takako begins to piece together the story of what happened. This is a book about love , life relationships and finding out where we can find we belong in the most unexpected places - and of course the power of books add an additional dimension to the tale. This is a one sit read to charmed by and as a reader recognise the magic that books can feed us with.

Read this in one sitting! Really enjoyed it. Really like the thematic work that was discussed. It was such an easy read too.

A calming feel good read and a glimpse into life in contemporary Japan. I had to google Jimbocho when I started reading the book and found it was a real place exactly as described. Having seen the pictures of the real life "Book City" the tale felt a lot less twee and a lot more realistic. It's more Convenience Woman than Before the Coffee Gets Cold, but fans of satisfying quirky Japanese tales will not be disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for a review.

I really liked this translated work - although I will say that it did feel a little robotic in its translation, and I felt like it needed some more descriptive and narrative work towards it. It felt a little "he said" then "I did".

Overall, it was a cute, cosy read!

The story of Takako, a 25-year-old woman, struggling with love, work, and self. The story truly begins when she moves into her uncle's second hand bookshop, discovers the joy of reading, and meets a cast of characters that help her recover her emotional balance, and fall in love with life once again. Each character is interesting, but perhaps most interesting are the uncle, Satoru, and his wife, Momoko, who are brimming with life, energy, and yearning.

There is something monumentally genle and elegant about this book. It is touching, gentle, humane, and endearing. It stops just short of being a tear jerker. Essentially, it is a book about kindness and the food that life has to offer to anyone with the courage to look for it.

I enjoyed it tremendously. It was refreshignly optimistic and not too complex, and its aesthetic delivery was a joy to experience. Something of Murakami, and even Dazai.

Highly recommended to anyone frankly. No one I know will find this book a disappointment.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Books about books is a genre that I unfailingly go back to, even after disappointing experiences. What can I say? I bloody love books.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is a short little wonder that stole my heart within even only a couple of pages. Takako is an ordinary woman who has enjoyed an easy and ordinary existence until her boyfriend casually tells her he is marrying another woman. Suddenly, everything Takako knows is gone: she quits her job, distances herself from friends and acquaintances and begins to feel depressed, when her uncle, Satoru, calls out of the blue.

Satoru runs a second-hand book store: the Morisaki Bookshop. And so Takako finds herself helping out her uncle at his bookshop in exchange for temporary board in the tiny room on its second floor. This is an understated little read: we follow as Takako lives her mundane days, developing a passion for the old Japanese literature that she sells, becoming a regular at a local café and meeting individuals each with layered stories to tell.

First published in 2010 and translated to the English this year, I absolutely loved Days at the Morisaki Bookshop and urge you all to pick up a copy. It’s a feelgood, comforting read all about how one can start afresh, anytime, and – of course – seek comfort and solace in books. It feels soft, sweet and cosy – the perfect Sunday afternoon read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the Arc of Days at the Morisaki bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa.

Quirky, cute, cosy read! Absolutely loved it!

'Days at the Morisaki Bookshop' is an enjoyable read; an entertaining story of the characters as their lives become intertwined around this little used-book store is heartwarming and gentle. Lyrical and often funny in places, it was a refreshing read.

The Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is an extraordinary contemporary fiction book that masterfully blends various elements to create an immersive and unforgettable reading experience. The story is set in Japan and features a cast of complex characters that are beautifully developed throughout the book.

The protagonist, Takako, is a young woman who has been betrayed by her boyfriend. Seeking comfort and refuge, she turns to her uncle, Satoru, who owns a charming secondhand bookshop. The shop is a place of solace and contemplation, filled with books that offer a respite from the outside world.

As the story progresses, Takako's life begins to transform as she discovers a newfound love for the neighborhood and the local coffee shop. The book explores themes of love, loss, and the search for belonging, weaving together a rich tapestry of emotions that will leave readers moved and inspired.

Uncle Satoru is a fascinating character who adds depth and complexity to the story. He has his own story to tell, one of heartbreak and resilience, and his relationship with Takako is at the heart of the book. The power of books is a recurring theme, and the author deftly shows how they can be a source of comfort, inspiration, and transformation.

Overall, The Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is a beautifully written, evocative, and thought-provoking book that will capture the hearts and minds of readers. It is a one-sit read that will leave you charmed and inspired, reminding us of the magic that books can bring into our lives.

Takako is mortified to find the boyfriend she thought she had was just using her whilst courting someone else. The worst thing was as he was a work colleague that she lost her job as well as the person she thought was the love gif her life. She reluctantly goes to work with her Uncle Satoru who she's not really seen for years. She initially spends her time trying to sleep her woes away but the bookshop slowly works its magic on her and starts to revive her. A gentle story of relationships.

Lovely little book about a young woman who goes to live with her uncle following the discovery that her boyfriend is awful, her uncle runs a bookshop and at first she finds this repellant but over time she begins to read the books and her life opens up. Set in Japan, this is a calm story about how books and reading are important and about simple pleasures in life.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Japanese literature, and this is one of the best I have read. It's calming, never boring, and very atmospheric.

This book is set Jimbōchō, the part of Tokyo famous for its secondhand bookshops. The main character Takako is dumped by her longtime boyfriend, and as she doesn't want to see him with his new fling at work everyday, she quits her job. Her uncle offers her to come and stay at his bookshop, offering her a job and a place to stay. With no other options in sight she decides to go for it, even though she's not particularly fond of books. Here we meet the customers, and the people at a local cafe, and the runaway wife of her uncle.

Even though this book feels like light reading, the subject isn't necessary. There's plenty heartbreak. But the bookshop is always there at the centre of it all, and that's what makes it all feel so cosy.
I highly recommend this quiet, short read, especially with Autumn slowly approaching. It's perfect!

I inhaled this in one sitting. Gorgeous, unusual, life affirming. I love Japanese fiction and Yagisawa is a welcome addition to my bookshelves. Her voice and writing style is reminiscent of Haruki Murakami and Sayaka Murata yet also so quirky and original. Looking forward to reading whatever she writes next. Highly Recommend.

Takako has been dumped by her boyfriend and had to leave work as a result. Feeling stupid and lost, she gets a call from her Uncle Satoru, who runs a bookshop in the Bookshop District of Tokyo (there is such a thing: I checked!) offering a room to live in and a job to do.

Off she goes, except she's not much of a reader and at first feels oppressed by the books all around her, not to mention the somewhat peculiar customers. But the place grows on her, her uncle is a steady and supportive presence, where once she thought him odd and eccentric, even though his wife walked out on him a few years ago.

There's a glorious scene where Uncle Satoru stands up for Takako but a lot of the character development and friendship making is done in little scenes in the shop or the cafe. We see Takako blossom and grow in confidence, there's a prospect of a boy on the horizon, and might Uncle get a happy plot point, too?

A lovely, warm novel about the healing power of books, eccentric relatives and friends, and an interesting translator's note discussing books that have been translated into English at the end.

Online review will appear on my blog tomorrow.

Translated from the Japanese, this book is quirky and maybe an acquired taste.

Takako doesn't get jilted, but she may as well have been. Her long term boyfriend tells her he is getting married, but not to her! As you can expect she is heartbroken and also this leads to her giving up her job.

An uncle she hasn't seen for many years offers her a room rent free above his bookshop. This might appeal to many readers, but Takako doesn't read books. When she agrees to the arrangement she has to move a lot of old books to get to her room, and that is all they are to her piles of books. Until she decides to read one, and then things begin to change for her.

This tale is not like a lot of other Japanese books I have read. There is no magical bookshop or books. Takako just learns a lot from her Uncle about life and of course from books. Just when I thought the book was going exactly where I thought it would a new character appears, and the book changes completely. A little intrigue as to what is happening, and who the new person is, and what they are about led me to love the book even more.

A gently paced book with loveable characters I came to care for, this is a comfort read.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is a book set in modern day Tokyo and follows 25 year old Takako who nursing a broken heart goes to stay at the family bookshop, run by her uncle changing her life's path forever. Much like other contemporary Japanese literature in the same vein (Murata's Convenience Store Woman and Kawakami's Mr Nakano's Thrift Shop come to mind - in that the genre is what I would describe as being a slice of life, an observation of society, one's relationships and the mundane everyday), the book is relatively short and sweet running at `156 pages, so it's ideal as a travel/commuter read on-the-go.

I recommend if you are a fan of books mentioned above...

Thank you Netgalley and Bonnier Books for the ARC, I will be on the hunt for a physical copy to re-read as I greatly enjoyed this book!

If ever there was a book that made you want to visit Japan it is this one, utterly lovely and one you will devour if you are lucky enough to have it with you on holiday this year

This book seemed to be everywhere on social media around National Book Shop Day, so that inspired me to want to read it. It’s a short charming read about the joys of quirky little indie book shops, the joy of reading, and the shared love and delight that can be found between the covers of a book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for a review.

This short novel (really a novella) takes me back to Tokyo, where I lived for some years. So it was nice to read about places and people I recognise, but also a little jarring. The translation strays too far into 'Western' expressions, in my opinion, which hides nuances of the story. It comes across as a rather shallow romantic tale of an immature girl. But actually, it is about the main characters discovering themselves outside the mainstream.

The book is a first-person narrative by the young woman Takako that tells the reader what she's experiencing, rather than showing it. Although that seems clunky, it emphasises the gap between truth and Takako's perception. Meanwhile, there are description of people and places that I found very evocative.

Takao has a shock when her boyfriend announces that he’s marrying someone else. To distance herself, she accepts a job at her uncle’s bookshop, living in the tiny flat above. Gradually, she discovers the healing power of books and a new respect for her uncle. A short book, great for anyone who loves to read.

A treasure of a book. It made me smile, getting to know relatives and find out your perception of them and yourself is incorrect. Discovering new things through books and people's book choices.
Enjoy I did

This is the first book I have read which has been translated from Japanese, it was a lovely story which I really enjoyed. A cosy autumn read that I would most definitely recommend. Enjoy it because I certainly did

"Days at the Morisaki Bookshop" by Satoshi Yagisawa is a heartwarming tale of love and renewal set in the quaint Morisaki Bookshop in Tokyo. When Takako's relationship crumbles, she takes refuge in her uncle Satoru's eccentric, second-hand bookshop. Here, amidst the shelves of books, they discover the healing power of literature and its ability to offer profound life lessons. As summer turns to autumn, the quirky characters, the bookshop's charm, and the wisdom hidden within its pages help both Takako and Satoru mend their hearts and find solace. This beautifully written narrative is a tribute to the comfort and transformation that books can bring during challenging times.

It never ceases to amaze me how brilliantly books such as this are translated. This is the first Japanese translation I have read and it is a very easy read that I finished inside a day. The Japanese background to the tail is not lost in translation and the story it tells us easy to understand. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the char to read and review this book.

A lovely book, a tale of love, new beginnings, and the comfort that can be found between the pages of a good book. It is one of those books that transports you making you forget about real life and full of delightful characters that spring to life. I actually felt like I was there in the story with them ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book is exactly what I needed! This is sunshine and a big old hug in a book.
It’s a warm jumper on a chilly day.

Everyone who knows me will know that if a book has been translated from Japanese and is about heartbreak and love I’m in, if it’s about books or cats then bonus points.
I have been wanting to read this book for what feels like an eternity (bloody book buying bans 😭) so thank goodness I finally gave in and bought it.

After takakos boyfriend breaks up with her in the most devastating way and her life gets thrown into turmoil she gets offered the chance of a lifetime by her uncle and decides to move above the family bookshop rent-free to work out what she wants to do next in life. (Why was I never given this option 🤣)
Whilst staying there she discovers the worlds that books can transport her to and falls in love with reading along with discovering the world that her little bookshop inhabits.
If you’re feeling those winter blues then pick up this little joyous book today.

This is one of those easy to read books which is so beautifully told and with so many layers built into it that you can keep going back to it year after year.

My favourite quotes:
“And yet for all I read, I found book after book that I still wanted to read.”

“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.”

This brilliant story is eloquent in its description of how it feels to love books. It has the special kind of comfort that you can only find in a book shop. Takako discovers her love of reading through one novel that kickstarts her joy, I know this experience so it resonated with. Hugely recommend.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is a heartwarming and comforting story about the possibility of starting anew at any time, with a delightful emphasis on finding solace in books. An absolute must for the lovers of the many Japanese tales that have been circulating this year. 📚

Devoured in on sitting. A beautiful story interwoven with love, family, friendship and honour. The description of the bookstore felt so real, I felt I was there, I wished I could be there. Loved the characters, loved the story, I didn’t want it to end.

A wonderful, gentle, life affirming little book. I want to visit Jimbocho, the bookshop district of Tokyo. This book was a real pleasure to read. Easy to read and left me wanting more.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley UK for providing me with an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book. A great cast of characters and a gentle storyline of love, heartbreak, betrayal and finding yourself.. Right at the beginning we meet 25 year old Takako as she is breaking up with her boyfriend of 12 months who casually informs her that is getting married next year. And not to her. Suffering from abject heartbreak, she leaves her job, because he works for the same firm, and her flat. Takako moves in with her uncle who owns a second hand book shop. In exchange for helping out in the shop, she gets to stay in the tiny flat above the shop. At first she hates the smell of the musty old books and when not working sleeps and sleeps her way through the weeks. Eventually her Uncle Saturo gets her to leave her bed and join him his local coffee shop. And here we meet a gorgeous cast of characters. We see Takako learn to love both the books and reading, making friends with the locals and slowly come back to life.

This is a lovely gentle book that I will return to over and over again. A thoroughly enjoyable book set in the Morisaki Bookshop in Jimboku district of Tokyo. An area full of bookshops.

Thank you to Bonnier Books UK and Netgalley for providing a DRC of "Days at the Morisaki Bookshop" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

This hug of a book ticked every box and honestly felt written for me - set in Japan, a love letter to books and bookshops, and completely and utterly cosy. I practically inhaled this, and it has just left me feeling warm, happy, and nostalgic for the year i spent living in Japan.

This is a story of two halves. The first focuses on Takako, a young woman who discovers she is the 'other woman' in her relationship and so, feeling broken hearted and lost takes up the offer of her uncle, Satoru, to live on the second floor of his second hand bookshop to help him out and figure out what she wants to do next.
The second half adds Momoko, her estranged aunt, who returns suddenly into their lives and who Takako is tasked with getting to know more and to try and uncover why she has returned.

I just can't coherently begin to explain why I loved this so much. I have a jumble of feelings about the story, which is just a lovely trip through the lives of our characters, following the seasons changing over a couple of years and how they change with it.

It's also just so classically Japanese. The translation is perfect and portrays in English exactly how people act, think, and live. The setting, whilst being in a suburb of Tokyo (Jimbocho), could have been the town I lived in. I could picture everything and relate to my own experiences over there. When Momoko and Takako visited a shrine in the mountains, I saw the shrines in my prefecture. The coffee shop owner was the owner of a café I used to go to regularly, and Takako herself reminded me so much of the younger teachers I worked with.

This book is also COSY. It is a flowing, beautiful prose following these characters without anything too intense or dramatic, which I wanted and needed. Even the most dramatic scenes - Satoru taking Takako to her ex-boyfriend's house to get him to apologise, for example, is written in a languid, humorous, and easygoing manner.

Can you tell I just loved it?! Overall, if you want a comfort blanket of a book, read this, and if you have an interest in Japan, read this, and if you love books, you really should read this.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is a very sweet story and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit.

Heartwarming and thought-provoking, an ode to the magic of a good bookshop.

This book was beautiful!
It’s a lovely story the ultimately examines lives in some of its varied forms.
The writing was gorgeous and the characters wonderful!
I can’t recommend this enough!
*** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher ***

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is a short, slice of life fiction book by Satoshi Yagisawa, which has been translated into English by Eric Ozawa.
I absolutely love books about books. This was such an easy and enjoyable read, it is definitely not plot-driven by any means but getting to know these characters was a true delight. There is strong themes of family and love, and whilst there is romance, this is not the focus of the storyline. The characters are charming, I really enjoyed the main character Takako and seeing her fall in love with reading and books. Momoki was an interesting character and I thought the book was going to take a darker turn but it was clear after all she had been affected by how her personality had evolved. I thought that the Tokyo setting was very immersive too.
There is a second book in this series which I'm hoping will get the chance for an English translation so I will keep an eye out. I would have probably rated this 3.5 stars if Goodreads allowed half stars but it is definitely deserving of being rounded up to 4 stars overall. I think the book would have benefited from some stronger plot lines and I'm hoping we get this in book #2.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Bonnier Books UK and Satoshi Yagisawa for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review posted to Goodreads and Amazon.

A beautiful, poignant story of books, bonds and bravery, of making changes and embarking on new adventures. A love letter to the power of books and bookstores.

Aw, this is just a nice feel good read - perfect for people who want something a bit different but to leave a bit of fuzz in their heart - enjoyed this!