About The Book:

Pages: 150

Genre: Japanese Literature, Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher: Manilla Press

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★★

Hidden in Jimbocho, Tokyo, is a booklover’s paradise. On a quiet corner in an old wooden building lies a shop filled with hundreds of second-hand books.

Twenty-five-year-old Takako has never liked reading, although the Morisaki bookshop has been in her family for three generations. It is the pride and joy of her uncle Satoru, who has devoted his life to the bookshop since his wife Momoko left him five years earlier.

When Takako’s boyfriend reveals he’s marrying someone else, she reluctantly accepts her eccentric uncle’s offer to live rent-free in the tiny room above the shop. Hoping to nurse her broken heart in peace, Takako is surprised to encounter new worlds within the stacks of books lining the Morisaki bookshop.

As summer fades to autumn, Satoru and Takako discover they have more in common than they first thought. The Morisaki bookshop has something to teach them both about life, love, and the healing power of books.

My Thoughts:

The highlights of “Days at the Morisaki Bookshop” are in the quotes. Sometimes, there is a book where I will annotate so many things, and now that I try and put them into a review, it turns into a random mess. Well, let it be. This is my random messy review of a book I genuinely and thoroughly loved. 

It’s a beautiful story about Takako , who gets her heart broken and decides to spend some time staying with her uncle in his bookshop. As the days pass, she gets to know her uncle better, she meets some lovely people in the coffee place across the street, and she re-kindles her love for reading.

It’s short and sweet, and very enjoyable. Full of meaningful conversations about life. This book oozes with a sense of tranquillity I haven’t felt in a while. In this world of fast paced books, I am glad I found one that slowed time. It was very refreshing for me and I would definitely warmly recommend it.

“In a melodrama this would’ve been my moment to get up and throw my wine in his face. But I’d never been good at expressing my feelings like that. It’s only once I’m alone, mulling things over, that I can figure out what on Earth I’m really feeling.”

“I wanted to see the whole world for myself. I wanted to see the whole range of possibilities. Your life is yours. It doesn’t belong to anyone else. I wanted to know what it would mean to live life on my own terms.”

“I think maybe I’ve been wasting my time, just doing nothing.”

“I don’t think so. It’s important to stand still sometimes. Think of it as a little rest in the long journey of your life. This is your harbour. And your boat is just dropping anchor here for a little while. And after you’re well rested, you can set sail again.”

“It’s funny. No matter where you go, or how many books you read, you still know nothing, you haven’t seen anything. And that’s life. We live our lives trying to find our way.”

“The act of seeing is no small thing. To see something is to be possessed by it. Sometimes it carries off a part of you, sometimes it’s your whole soul.”

“Don’t be afraid to love someone. When you fall in love, I want you to fall in love all the way. Even if it ends in heartache, please don’t live a lonely life without love. I’ve been so worried that because of what happened you’ll give up on falling in love. Love is wonderful. I don’t want you to forget that. Those memories of people you love, they never disappear. They go on warming your heart as long as you live. When you get old like me, you’ll understand.”

“Men are simple. It doesn’t matter who they are. You can always seduce them with food.”

About The Author:

八木沢 里志 (Satoshi Yagisawa) was born in Chiba, Japan, in 1977. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, his debut novel, was originally published in 2009 and won the Chiyoda Literature Prize.

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