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iaproton's review
hopeful
informative
mysterious
relaxing
sad
2.0
More slice of life than magical realism. Some mild to moderate life problems,husband not helping around the house and fighting about it, called into HR for being angry and treated like a doormat ,not liking one's job,being put in a different lower status job after having a child...
Mostly relaxing audio until you get to the 3rd main character and her child that likes to scream ''no.''
Most of the book is the main characters' thoughts with some dialogue every so often.Problems are solved simply and too quickly, it is nice to see some personal growth but it almost happened overnight.
The book has about 20 different characters which makes it quite difficult to follow occasionally.
There are multiple narrators. The one toward the last quarter of the book has a really terrible falsetto.
Wanting to find out more about the librarian was what made interested in finishing. She isn't mentioned often and every time uneccesarily in a fatphobic way.
I wouldn't give it a 2nd listen ,whereas DallerGut Dream Department Store I would as it has more magic and whimsy with less misery taking up 3/4 of the book.
There aren't many cats depsite the cover.
I was hoping that the last chapter would be dedicated to the librarian solving the mysterious aspects , but there was no such chapter.Very disappointing.
Mostly relaxing audio until you get to the 3rd main character and her child that likes to scream ''no.''
Most of the book is the main characters' thoughts with some dialogue every so often.Problems are solved simply and too quickly, it is nice to see some personal growth but it almost happened overnight.
The book has about 20 different characters which makes it quite difficult to follow occasionally.
There are multiple narrators. The one toward the last quarter of the book has a really terrible falsetto.
Wanting to find out more about the librarian was what made interested in finishing. She isn't mentioned often and every time uneccesarily in a fatphobic way.
I wouldn't give it a 2nd listen ,whereas DallerGut Dream Department Store I would as it has more magic and whimsy with less misery taking up 3/4 of the book.
There aren't many cats depsite the cover.
I was hoping that the last chapter would be dedicated to the librarian solving the mysterious aspects , but there was no such chapter.Very disappointing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Sexism
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Ableism, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Animal death, Bullying, and Pedophilia
Divorce, anxietygoldenwing's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Minor: Pedophilia
vaykay's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Amazing character work. I really connected with #1 and I additionally felt as if I would one day relate to the struggles of #5 in some way. I was able to connect to all of the characters and found their development to be beautiful.
The translator needed an editor though; there were over a dozen typos in the English copy. It was especially disappointing during #3, where you are connecting to a former magazine editor (lol!).
The translator needed an editor though; there were over a dozen typos in the English copy. It was especially disappointing during #3, where you are connecting to a former magazine editor (lol!).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Misogyny
Moderate: Body shaming and Pregnancy
Minor: Alcohol and Pedophilia
carojust's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is such a sweet collection of stories with the same comforting formula -- a librarian at a small community center recommends the perfect book for everyone, accompanied by a felted gift that she's handmade. I love that each book mentioned is a real book that we can all check out at the library, ourselves.
The common theme is about those who are lost, finding themselves. Some of us may feel behind, less successful than our peers. Some may feel we've been dealt a bad hand, and exhausted by unfair circumstances. And many of us want to be seen and appreciated. Michiko Aoyama replaces these insecurities with courage and hope, in a way that's not overbearing, but charming and creative.
I felt that the women in these stories were portrayed as being capable, inspiring and passionate, and yet succumbing to the gender inequalities of imbalanced household responsibilities, sexist professional practices, body image issues (lots of focus on how large the librarian is, in a kinda weird way that's disguised as magical realism?). These situations were illustrated lightly, and still went unaddressed, leaving me rather dejected.
Still, you'll enjoy this read if you love Japanese fiction and themes about work-life balance, finding purpose, and the transition to new life stages.
The common theme is about those who are lost, finding themselves. Some of us may feel behind, less successful than our peers. Some may feel we've been dealt a bad hand, and exhausted by unfair circumstances. And many of us want to be seen and appreciated. Michiko Aoyama replaces these insecurities with courage and hope, in a way that's not overbearing, but charming and creative.
I felt that the women in these stories were portrayed as being capable, inspiring and passionate, and yet succumbing to the gender inequalities of imbalanced household responsibilities, sexist professional practices, body image issues (lots of focus on how large the librarian is, in a kinda weird way that's disguised as magical realism?). These situations were illustrated lightly, and still went unaddressed, leaving me rather dejected.
Still, you'll enjoy this read if you love Japanese fiction and themes about work-life balance, finding purpose, and the transition to new life stages.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming and Pedophilia
arturo_luzen's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Body shaming
Minor: Toxic friendship, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Sexism, Fatphobia, Grief, and Bullying
mika3's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Needed this. Sometimes I wish I could be gently guided to learning little life lessons in the way the characters did. Oftentimes I logically know, but a little lesson is needed for it to feel real. This world makes it hard to remain hopeful that your actions can make a difference and it can be borderline impossible in the depths of depression to see that mistakes and misfortune are part of creating a beautiful future. Characters felt so real and relatable. I love books about books and it was an incredible touch to show how the lives of all the disparate characters are softly connected. Where is the sequel detailing all of the wisdom of Yakita's life??? /s. If you need a pick me up, if you need a little inspiration, if life has been feeling hopeless, these little stories are perfect. Can be read individually or all together. I'm recommending it to my friends.
If you are wondering about the content warnings:
-A woman is moved to a worse position after her maternity leave as they believe she will be an inefficient worker. -A man is questioned by the police (and presumably arrested?) on suspicion of harm to children due to him looking into a schoolyard in a "suspicious outfit". -The wonderful librarian lady is physically described in every chapter in an unkind way when the character first sees her. The only part of this book that made me unhappy, but entirely unsurprising to see a fat woman portrayed this way in Japanese media.
If you are wondering about the content warnings:
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming
Minor: Pedophilia, Fatphobia, and Misogyny
pia_h's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is a hommage to reading and the importance of books and libraries. In five stories the author shows how reading books recommended by a librarian can change people's attitudes towards life and their behaviour. Each story has a different lesson / philosophical insight. I enjoyed the collection and seeing some characters from the first few stories popping up in later ones.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Pedophilia
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