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…

This is a charming book of stories about people who are at a turning point in their lives. It tells how they come in contact with a special librarian who has a gift of reading people and suggesting just the right combination of books to set them on a better path for their lives. Each story is amazing in itself, because each person find solace for what they might not have know they were searching for, but also each story slowly builds a interconnected community of people helping people.
The author builds beautiful heartfelt characters. The reader might even recognize a situation similar to something in their own life. The book is also a wonderful picture of community life. This is a thoughtful, beautiful book. It will move you and make you wish you knew a librarian like Sayuri Komachi.

Heartwarming stories about people finding their ways through life from short but meaningful conversations with the enigmatic librarian and from the books she recommended to them. I do feel like that this book is written for people who are already lovers of libraries, but this book also renews my faith on the importance of public libraries as a community space.

This was just ok for me. The plotlines seemed a little state sponsored to me. I felt like these were morality stories meant to teach me about being a good citizen. Honestly, the Chinese government comes to mind. Also I thought the translating seemed clunky.

First of all, there is a cat and a pile of books on the cover. Not to mention it is written by a Japanese author who happens to share my family name. I knew I'd want to read this and it did not disappoint.

Aoyama brings a whimsical touch to her vignettes with an all powerful gentle giant of a librarian who knows the answers to problems that the readers may not even realize that they have. What more could you ask from a librarian? It's terribly sweet but not in a cloying way. It's a bit other-worldly, but not so out there that the reader couldn't be convinced that such a library and librarian exists. Or at least wish for it.

Fans of modern Japanese literature should grab this book off the shelf the minute they can!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's... everything.

I loved this one! Such a charming book that I found myself relating to. The English at times was a little awkward just due to the translation but it didn't affect the heartwarming stories. I highly recommend this one! A huge thank you to the publisher for the ARC and to Netgalley.

This one reads a bit like No Two Persons, and is such a touching novel of how books can change the trajectory of life.
The local library is somewhat of a scene, but how the neighbors come to be patrons is my favorite part of this whole tale. We have older people, a young mother, a couple, and it is just so charming to watch the librarian give the people she comes into contact with a book from their past or a book that they’ve yet to read to set their worlds on a different path. I loved this novel, and I think had it not been a translation it would have really been a four or five star book. I think, at the end of the day, the title says it all: what we are looking for truly is in the library, even if we don’t know it just yet.



*thank you, NetGalley, for a free advance copy of this book!*

A Massive Thank You to the Author, the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book prior to its release date.

What a wonderful, sweet, inspiring book! Four loosely connected stories of people searching for something. They all end up at the library where the reference librarian points them in unexpected directions, and they discover the answers they are looking for.

Japanese culture is a critical piece of these stories, but they will be instantly relatable to anyone of any cultural background. A mother struggling with trying to be a career woman and a mother, a young woman with a career going nowhere, a young man with a promising career who does not feel fulfilled, a retiree feeling lost without his job. They are all tangentially connected, but the real thread is the librarian who gives them book recommendations and a "bonus gift". I loved this story and could not put it down. There are messages here for everyone, but it somehow avoids the trap of being overly didactic or saccharin. The perfect book for someone looking for something endearing, uplifting and inspiring, but with a believable storyline about following your dreams. I loved it!

This was such a thought-provoking, moving series of vignettes—I loved the central metaphor of the library, with the different lessons to be found in every book, and each story resonated with me in a different way. Elegant and resonant—I'll be thinking about this for a long time to come.

What You Are Looking For is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama was an enjoyable read. 5 people are questioning their lives and where they're going next. Are they on the right track? Could they be happier and more fulfilled? They all stumble into a community library where they meet an unexpected librarian who helps them find more than they realized the were originally looking for. I appreciate NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced review copy.

A library where a mysterious librarian offers enigmatic and life changing materials? Sign me up! This was a sweet novel, each chapter dedicated to an individual who is struggling – a newly retired company man, an unhappily demoted working mother, a restless young man- to find their way. Each person finds themselves at the community center interacting with the inscrutable Sayuri Komachi who greets each patron with a brusque, “What are you looking for?” Each interaction results in the patron leaving with a list of the books they actually asked for, an appealing but not requested item, and a felted creature Komachi gifts them. Each questioner leaves a bit bewildered by the interaction, but are set on a path to find meaning in the librarian’s choices for them. The small world of the community center leads to a few interconnections, as the changes in one character’s path affects another. Set in Toyko, this Japanese novel also serves as a reminder how alike we all are as these characters search for the same kind of personal fulfillment we all desire. My one quibble is that it felt like it ended somewhat abruptly. However, perhaps that’s the rule- leave the reader wanting more.

I do enjoy books about bookshops, librarians and books. Although it was sweet and charming, it fell somewhat flat to me. I could be something was lost in translation. However, it is an ode to the power of books and to all intuitive librarians.

A librarian making seemingly odd recommendations that turn out to have an important transformative impact on the reader. What's not to love. Set in a Tokyo neighborhood, the library is part of the community center. In these interrelated stories, different residents come to the library for the first time, where they get, in addition to their actual request, an extra book. Reading the books brings different things to the different readers, but it is a positive experience which helps the people grow and flourish. This book is sweet and touching. It reminds you how connecting to others helps you when you are stuck. It reminds you to try new things and accept new opportunities when they arrive. While different in premise, I left with the same feeling as when I read the "Before the Coffee Gets Cold" series.

When I got approved for this one on Netgalley, I was so excited. Between it looking to be the coziest slice-of-life and having a cat on the cover, I thought I would love it. Sadly, that wasn't the case.

While most of the book didn't bother me, one particular element did. The descriptions of the librarian. She was humongous. She was gruesome. Her weight and size was constantly talked about. And this may be a small thing, but it made me super uncomfortable. In a book that spent so much of its time challenging us to think beyond appearances, to have the pivotal character described only by her size was disturbing.

Even if you ignore that rather large element, I still didn't enjoy this one. It just felt so empty. I was able to read it fast, but it doesn't feel like I read anything of substance. It was fluff, and not particularly good fluff. Turns out I will be continuing my search for the perfect slice-of-life read.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book felt like a warm hug. I don't know if it's that I'm a librarian and identified so much with the main character, but I absolutely loved this. It's in my top five. Quiet without being forgotten, impactful without bludgeoning you over the head, this was the exact read I didn't know I needed until I read it.