What You Are Looking For Is in the Library ~ From the Bookshelf
What are you looking for?
One of the posts I wanted to start here on Mooey’s Cozy Corner was a book discussion sort of post which I’m naming From the Bookshelf. I’m by no means a book reviewer but I enjoy reading other people’s thoughts on books. In these From the Bookshelf posts, I will be going over a book I recently read, a quick synopsis of said book, my thoughts on said book, and anything else that lingered on my mind after I finished this book. Because we’re keeping this corner, ‘cozy’ I will try my best to only include cozy books, recommend me your favorite cozy books!
The first book pick in this series is What You Are Looking For Is in the Library. I read this book back in January I had like 3 other people whom I follow on Instagram who were also reading this book around that time so I couldn’t wait to see what all the hype was all about and it sure didn’t disappoint!
*This post contains some spoilers
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama (translated by Alison Watts)
What are you looking for?
This is the famous question routinely asked by Tokyo’s most enigmatic librarian, Sayuri Komachi. Like most librarians, Komachi has read every book lining her shelves—but she also has the unique ability to read the souls of her library guests. For anyone who walks through her door, Komachi can sense exactly what they’re looking for in life and provide just the book recommendation they never knew they needed to help them find it.
Each visitor comes to her library from a different juncture in their careers and dreams, from the restless sales attendant who feels stuck at her job to the struggling working mother who longs to be a magazine editor. The conversation that they have with Sayuri Komachi—and the surprise book she lends each of them—will have life-altering consequences.
I loved What You Are Looking For Is in the Library! It was my first 5-star read of the year! This is a collection of five short stories that revolve around a community library and a librarian, Ms. Sayuri Komachi, who recommends books to those who are looking for a new direction in their lives, along with the recommendations the librarian also includes a handmade “bonus gift” that somehow resonates with their journey.
The first story revolves around a 21-year-old saleswoman who works at a department store, who feels stuck in her job and wants to quit to level up her life but doesn’t know if she should.
The second story is about an accountant who feels trapped by his day job but wants to pursue his childhood dream of opening an antique shop.
The third story focuses on an unemployed aspiring illustrator who struggles to secure a job and feels like it’s too late for him.
The fourth short story is about a mother and magazine editor who struggles with her work-home balance after returning to work from maternity leave.
The final story is about a recent retiree who struggles to find his place in society after retiring from his job of 45 years.
The stories are interconnected beautifully. I enjoyed hearing about certain charaters in different stories and how much they’ve changed in merely a few pages! I resonated with all of the stories in some way but my favorite story was the first story. Each story was heartwarming and made me both smile and even cry, some stories hit too close to home at times. I felt each character was charming and you were rooting for them to succeed. I love how the librarian was empathic yet comical at the same time and withheld judgment from the charaters when they expressed too much about their situation.
At first, I thought the librarian wasn’t real because this book does contain some magic realism, plus some of her features and mannerisms seemed otherworldly. However, once we learned more about her I realized that maybe she was real! Throughout the book, we learn more about Ms. Komachi and the librarian assistant which I enjoyed because they came off as genuine and were helpful to the charaters.
All of the charaters mentioned in this book are of different ages and have different backgrounds but they all have one thing in common, they feel lost and have lost their passion for life despite of age, you’re never too ‘old’ or ‘young’ to feel lost, haha! However, the main message is that it’s never too late to start over.
I would recommend What You Are Looking For Is in the Library to anyone who has ever felt lost in life or is going through a difficult time and needs some inspiration or just a comforting message that things can always turn around!
Have you read What You Are Looking For Is in the Library?
“In a world where you don’t know what will happen next, I just do what I can right now.”
― Michiko Aoyama, What You Are Looking for is in the Library
One of my favourite recent reads, and one I'm already looking forward to rereading. It was so comforting to read (fictional) stories of others who felt stuck in a situation.