A review by littlelibraryofsky
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

3.0

"At some point in the past, someone reading this book had felt moved to take a pen and draw a line under these words. It made me happy to think that because I had been moved by that passage too, I was now connected to that stranger. Another time, I happened to find a pressed flower someone had left as a bookmark. As I inhaled the scent of the long-ago faded flower, I wondered about the person who had put it there. Who in the world was she? When did she live? What was she feeling? It's only in secondhand books that you can savor encounters like this, connections that transcend time. And that's how I learned to love the secondhand bookstore that handled these books, our Morisaki Bookshop."

First things first, I have to say I'm totally in love with the cover of this book. And secondly, books about books? Count me in!

This book presents a charming narrative with peculiar yet lovable characters, which I found to be its primary appeal. However, the execution left something to be desired. I wish each of the characters were explored more individually. The writing felt disjointed and awkward at times, and the pacing seemed inconsistent, almost as if I were reading two separate books. I couldn't shake the feeling that the story didn't fully realize its potential. Additionally, the shift in focus in the second half away from the literary elements that drew me in initially left me somewhat disappointed.

In sum, my experience with this book was mixed. It's a quick read and while I appreciated certain aspects, particularly the strength of the first half, I couldn't ignore its shortcomings. It will make you want to book a trip to Japan and visit the secondhand bookshops though!