Scan barcode
whitne_ey's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia and Body shaming
Minor: Sexism
This book is VERY similar in tone and structure to the “Before The Coffee Gets Cold” series by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, and could be good for someone looking for more of that. The 5 short stories are meant to be inspiring, but I found the endings to be predictable and flat. It was also quite repetitious, over describing the details that repeat in the stories, such as the appearance of the librarians, the characters’ love for a certain brand of cookies, the characters’ confusion over felting, etc. The concept is good, and I definitely enjoyed some moments and found them relatable, but overall it was an underwhelming experience for me. This could be because I read “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” first, and this wasn’t as whimsical as that (not saying it needs to be! It just might have impacted my experience of this book!) I do wish those cookies were real though, I’d like to try them.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, anxietykestrel's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It was fine. All five stories had a feel-good, basic life lesson. I enjoyed four of them and found them sweet.
I actively disliked the third story, the one about a woman grappling with her career and motherhood. What we won't do is blame a woman for a man's false incompetence. He's an adult and can put the dots together and realize how he can help his wife.
Also, I would rather not have read fatphobic commentary from five different POVs. The librarian was compared to a polar bear, the Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters, and Genma Saotome. Like, come on!
I actively disliked the third story, the one about a woman grappling with her career and motherhood. What we won't do is blame a woman for a man's false incompetence. He's an adult and can put the dots together and realize how he can help his wife.
Also, I would rather not have read fatphobic commentary from five different POVs. The librarian was compared to a polar bear, the Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters, and Genma Saotome. Like, come on!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Sexism and Body shaming
royalwaves's review against another edition
4.0
This is exactly what I needed right now and made me want to work in a library so badly. The only reason I’m not giving this a higher rating is because the judging of the librarians weight was 100% not needed and I started to roll my eyes when a new character met her.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Misogyny, Fatphobia, and Sexism
filmcritic23's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Sexism
crystalisreading's review
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, and Sexism
breadhag's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Sexism
daniellekat's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.75
This was so charming and had me tearing up more than once. A similarly feel-good read as Before the Coffee gets Cold by Kawaguchi, but I found the characters more endearing here (however, I am a library worker so I'm definitely biased). I understand the repetitive aspect of the storytelling but I did find a few points to be overdone. The only thing I really disliked was the focus on Ms. Komachi's size. Overall, a must read for those who believe in the magic of libraries and the power of books.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism and Body shaming
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
clovetra's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
wowowowow what a cute book!!!! i loved the cosy yet hopeful vibe this book had!!! ugh i understand why people love this so much. i want to just say the reason my rating is so “low” is simply because;
a) the book gets a bit formulaic at times - person’s life is doodoo, they go to the library, their life is a bit less doodoo solely by chance
b) these people’s lives are getting “better” often in abstract ways, or the changes literally happen at the drop of a dime. i would’ve preferred to see their progression be a bit more slow, even with chapters ending with less clear endings but still seem realistic (i get this is a magical realism book + it’s only like ~250 pages for so im asking a lot here but hey im being honest about my experience).
i will say i do like how there were individual chapters following 5 people in very different situations. i will also say i love how each story is connected, whether that be just simply because they all visit the library & were disillusioned with life prior to visiting, or in more significant ways such as characters reoccurring. i think its best for me to talk about my thoughts with each chapter, so here i go
chapter 1 (tomoka): i really liked this story! it was a nice chapter to ease me into this book. it’s also quite relatable seeing as i’m also a uni student, i get not liking part-time random retail jobs 💀 the ending was really cute though, and honestly i felt her chapter to be the most “believable”
chapter 2 (ryo): i’ll be candid, this was probably my second-least favourite chapter. i found ryo as a character to be a bit of a shithead because of how he is with his gf, but idk him visiting a cat cafe was very cute vibes. i wanted to visit a cat cafe whilst reading about a cat cafe. pretty mid imo
chapter 3 (natsumi): i liked this a lot! i enjoyed the theme of misogyny in the workplace + the commentary of being a working mother. the ending was really sweet as well! i would say this is probably my fav chapter!!!
chapter 4 (hiroya): easily least fav chapter, simply because sometimes i feel like him 💀💀 granted im at uni so im not a NEET but idk reading about him was a look in the mirror i did not like! i did think the ending was cute and honestly has kinda motivated me to look for a job at a bookstore? thanks for that hiroya ig
chapter 5 (masao): this chapter felt redundant to me. like we just had hiroya explaining life without a purpose because of not having a job….. and these chapters are back to back. i will say this story felt stronger simply because masao wasn’t a whiny baby (looking at u hiroya) but it felt repetitive with the themes!
overall this was a nice book! i sure had a fun time. sometimes i like my books to lack deeper meaning - if i don’t have to watch 3 youtube video essays to understand ur cozy book its a win for me. plus sometimes i just want to vibe not think whilst reading, and this book did that so well.
also shout out books within books i love this trope 🙏🙏
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Sexism and Misogyny
jolineliest's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Sexism, and Misogyny
Minor: Pregnancy