What You Are Looking for is in the Library, by Michiko Aoyama, and translated by Alison Watts, is a book of sweet and gentle interlocking short stories around a library where the reading recommendations are always just what each reader needed to find. This book has the overall vibe of the gentle healing of Before The Coffee Gets Cold, but with a magical realism hint, instead of full-on time-travel fiction. It has all the quiet warmth and gentle realizations of a good Maeve Binchy novel, too.

The basic Hatori Community House offers everyday resources like computer classes and meeting rooms for locals. The librarian, Sayuri Komachi, gives personal reading recommendations and a charming felted bonus gift to patrons. These readers might think they’re just looking for a regular how-to book about playing Go or building a website, but these special recommended books have a little bit extra, opening new perspectives for the readers.

Each story is about a person feeling disappointed in their life. We first meet a twentysomething retail worker, who’s proud of making it to a job “in fashion” in the big city, but also wonders if the repetitive, lonely work is all there is for her. When she visits the library to learn more about computers and maybe improve her career prospects, she also checks out an old favorite children’s book, which starts to unlocks new ideas, new perspectives, and new habits for her. It’s a charming and gentle transformation, without any insta-makeover or too-easy conclusions.

So I read What You Are Looking for is in the Library at exactly the right time for me (but honestly, aren’t we always learning to better cope with setbacks?) and as I was reading, I could sort of feel that this book is about to be big. It’s very easy to read, with a warm, gentle atmosphere in each short story. The stories have positive resolutions, but not overwhelmingly so, so there’s a wonderfully relatable feeling, as if the same kind of hopeful, warm perspective is just a book away for all of us.

Another visitor to the library has a private dream of opening an antique store, and being surrounded by beautiful treasures all day, but fears leaving his stable, unexciting job for a completely new venture. An unemployed and lonely young man faces the deeply relatable situation of being creative and skilled enough to get into art school, but not skilled enough to land the great jobs his classmates got after graduation. New mother Natsumi has lost her career path and her free time when her daughter was born, and she tries to make sense of being the default parent for a thousand tiny concerns, and finding her once-meaningful work on the mommytrack. And after these stories of work and identity, a newly retired man wonders what his life and identity will be without his career at the center.

Without too much of a spoiler, I have to say that I loved one character’s path to a new career. In fiction, we often find a great new job opportunity, and the deadline to apply is almost here! Then the character takes the risks and goes for it and of course they get it, right? So I particularly liked that even with the magical realism of the library, our character didn’t automatically get the first job she applied to.

What You Are Looking for is in the Library is short and spare, with more implied than shown directly to readers. With these short, interconnected stories, the book introduces us to complicated and relatable characters, and shows them struggling to find contentment and fulfillment. There is also a theme of being kind to others, of being a good friend or a loving parent or child. This is a warm and encouraging book for any reader.

I wanted to like this one so badly but I just couldn't. I am a retail manager; I've been an entry level employee. I had a lot of patience with the beginning of the story but it was just such a boring start with the extensive description of her work days ect., and unfortunately for me it just never picked up.

I'm not normally a fan of story collections. But the five stories in this book intertwine in subtle ways. Each character finds themselves in the local library, where a solemn librarian asks them, “What are you looking for?” After listening carefully, she types up a list of book titles for them—and one book always seems like an outlier. But it's often that one book that leads a person to consider their lives differently.
It's a treasure!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲
𝐁𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐤𝐨 𝐀𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐦𝐚 | 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟗.𝟓.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝒪𝓊𝓉 𝒮𝑜𝑜𝓃!


Thank you @htpbooks @hanoversquarepress and @harpercollins for a spot on tour and a gifted ebook.


𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭!

When I was young, I remember my favorite part of school was library hour. We could browse the stacks and search the card catalogs (yes, that was a thing in my day), and the librarian would share the book of the week.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 brings together five different people of different ages and stages of life. They all find themselves searching for something: purpose, fulfillment, contentment, answers for the future - and it leads them to the Hatori Community House’s Library.

What makes this book so cozy and a bit magical, as well, is not only the community within the book stacks but Sayuri Komachi, the librarian around whom each person's story centers. Sayuri Komachi seems to have a unique gift to recommend a book that “speaks” to each visitor's need or problem.

This was such a peaceful book; a library lover book indeed. Ms. Komachi is kind and thoughtful; there is no air of judgment on her patrons as she recommends each book. It beautifully displayed the power of books - for a sense of community, knowledge, insight, and even well-being.

I highly recommend this for book lovers or anyone looking for excellent translated fiction.

4.5⭐️

Librarian Sayuri Komachi greets all visitors at the library at Hatori Community House with this simple question, the answer to which isn’t always clear to the person to whom the question is directed.

“What are you looking for?”

Along with her recommendations, she adds a title that is seemingly unrelated to the patron’s query. She also adds a handmade ”bonus gift” to her patrons, that strangely resonates with the person on a deeply personal level.

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama (translated by Alison Watts) follows the stories of five such people, each of whom is searching for a purpose or a new direction in life. A twenty-one-year-old sales assistant feels stagnated in her career and is unable to find value in her work-life, a thirty-five-year-old accountant feels trapped in his regular job but hesitates to sacrifice stable employment in the interest of pursuing his passion for antiques as a career; an unemployed thirty-year-old aspiring illustrator is consumed by thoughts of his unfulfilled dreams to be an artist; a forty-year-old former magazine editor transferred to an unfulfilling but less demanding position after returning from maternity leave struggles with her need to branch out while maintaining a work-home balance and finally a recent retiree who questions his worth in society. After a life devoted to his career. Each of these characters, though at different junctures in life, is plagued by feelings of self-doubt and insecurity, but Ms. Komachi’s helpful suggestions prove to be profoundly impactful.

Through these five interconnected stories, the author explores the need for human connection, friendship, community and above all, the fact that change and personal growth are possible at every stage in life. This short novel is an ode to the role of libraries, librarians and the transformative power of books. How books enable readers to gain perspective and inspire clarity of thought and personal change is an underlying theme in this novel. I do wish we had gotten to know a bit more about the kind and perceptive librarian Ms. Komachi, which is my only complaint.

Beautifully written in simple yet elegant prose, with realistic and well-thought-out characters and situations, insightful and inspiring, this is a sweet and heartwarming read. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would not hesitate to recommend it to those who enjoy stories that revolve around libraries and the profound impact of books and reading on our lives.

Many thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’m becoming a huge fan of books about Japanese library as they’re both heartwarming and multi-layered. You read a story that will make you smile but there’s also an evolution and a change.
The books, the libraries are a portal to discover who you are and what you need to change and be happy.
This is a celebration of community library as a place where you can find knowledge and librarians that act as interface.
This is a fast read and it celebrates life and the possibility of changing and getting a better life using books as tools for magic spells.
Loved it and want to read other books by this author.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

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…