Here is where my 15-book streak of alternating between finishing a fiction and nonfiction book ends. Actually, I think it’s longer than 15 books, but I’m just counting from the start of this year and when I started reviewing again. Anyway.
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama (translated by Alison Watts) is a quick, easy read. If you’re looking for something relaxing and dare I say cozy, or if you’re looking to read more work in translation (especially by women!), this is a good choice.
This book consists of five chapters, each from the point of view of one person who finds themself at the small library in their local neighborhood. There, the wise librarian Sayuri Komachi not only gives them recommendations for the books they’re looking for, but also each gets suggested an unexpected book which turns out to have the real answers they need. Also, she gives each of them a little needle-felted “bonus gift”, which I thought was a cute detail, especially since I tried needle-felting for the first time last summer.
Our five narrators consist of a young woman languishing in her retail job and not taking good care of herself; a man in his thirties who worries he’ll never save enough to leave his office job and follow his dream of opening an antique store; a new mother who was sidelined when she returned from her parental leave; a young man who wants to be an illustrator and has struggled to hold down a job; and a recently retired man trying to find new meaning and not drive his wife bonkers.
You may have noticed a theme: each of these characters’ struggles are tied at least in part to their work. I suspect this is purposeful on the author’s part, probably a statement about how much we define ourselves by our work (and from what I understand, this is an even bigger issue in Japan). Each story does touch on other themes such as family and friendship, but it was mostly about work.
This, paired with the similar structure of each story and the similarity of how each character describes the library, librarian, and assistant librarian, make the book feel repetitive if you read it quickly. I do wonder if this was originally published, or intended to be published, as a serial? That would have helped to create some continuity and familiarity as readers returned to the story.
Other than that complaint, I enjoyed the book, but I don’t think it will really stick with me.
TWs and CWs: Sayuri is very large, and every character reacts to this. Some of them think of her briefly in some pretty fatphobic terms.
Format and Source: I read this as an ebook from Sno-Isle Libraries.
Book Bingo Prompts
Nook & Cranny (Card 1): Found in Translation. This is a book in translation, which I learned about from the YouTube channel Willow Talks Books, where Willow reviews a fair amount of works in translation.
Brick & Mortar: ~Cozy Vibes.~ This is a low-stakes, low-angst read. And good thing too, because the book I originally thought would be a good fit for this prompt is still three weeks out on my hold list. Anyway, I feel like a lot of “cozy” reading recs are romance, mystery, or fantasy, so if none of those genres are your thing, check this one out! Or if you just want a change of pace!
Current Bingo Challenge Progress
Nook & Cranny (Card 1): 7 out of 25 prompts complete. 0 bingos.
Nook & Cranny (Card 2): 4 out of 25 prompts complete. 0 bingos.
Brick & Mortar: 15 out of 25 prompts complete. 1 bingo.