Palaver centers on the relationship between a queer Black man living in Japan and his mother, who unexpectedly visits from the US. The book explores the hurt we accumulate and carry with us as adults. It looks at the difficulties of tending to that hurt while living our day-to-day lives and the hard work of …
Three interconnected short stories, all centered around the Torunka Cafe by the author of Days at the Morisaki Bookshop. While this book fits into the “healing Japanese fiction” genre, this particular book doesn’t rely on magical realism. The stray cats don’t talk. There is no time travel. It’s just a book about lonely people finding …
Takiko is an overlooked heroine—a stubborn, pregnant young woman with nothing to recommend her except her conviction that she and her child should be entitled to a life worth living. Highlighting the healing powers of nature and small acts of social resistance, this book is inspiring in the subtlest of ways. —Lucy, Secret Garden Books, …
First, let’s get one thing straight: Bryan Washington is amazing. I knew my excitement for this book would not be in vain. The story is simple, yet complex; beautiful and horribly gritty; heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once. And the cover…forking perfect. –Kasey, Country Bookshelf, Bozeman, MT Find books that are perfect for you at …
March 1st is Plan a Solo Vacation Day. On short, cold days, it can be particularly fun to think about possible destinations for treating yourself. Whether you’re considering an international excursion or a house- and book-swap with a neighbor, you might want to browse your local bookstore for inspiration. Here are some books that transported …
On a … whimsical note, here is Sosuke Natsukawa’s The Cat Who Saved Books, which is about a young bookseller and a talking cat. The cat has a mission, you see—a mission to rescue books from mistreatment, misappropriation, and general misuse. Naturally, the bookseller agrees to help the cat. Mysteries ensue. –A Good Book, Sumner, …
This is a true story about a girl who was sent to live in Japan with her grandmother for six months. Waka is very funny, and it was very interesting reading about what Japan was like for Japanese Americans in the ’80s. Definitely made we want to visit Japan someday! –Hailey, Liberty Bay Books, Poulsbo, …
This tiny book embodies curiosity and quirk! This is the kind of story that makes you lean in, do a double take, and then reread the chapter. The Factory is very Kafkaesque, with reality slipping sideways before you even begin to notice. –Christina, King’s Books, Tacoma, WA Short and not at all sweet, Oyamada delves …
“In a small back alley of Tokyo, there is a café that has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. Local legend says that this shop offers something else besides coffee—the chance to travel back in time.” Kawaguchi wrote this story originally as a play which was adapted into a novel …
