Will I love What You Are Looking for Is in the Library?

This is a Japanese short story collection about 5 people who seek guidance from a librarian. Each character has a specific topic they ask the librarian to help them find books on, but the librarian always gives them an extra book that seems completely unrelated. She also gives them a gift, some items she was felting while speaking with them about their interest. As the lives of each character was changed after they read the books and gained new perspectives, I found myself wanting to meet this insightful librarian. The writing is fresh and the topic presented in such and… show more.

A charming story of simple vignettes that all tie together with a heartwarming finish. I read this for my book club. My reading tastes (and the books I write) tend toward cozy mysteries, and this reminded me of a cozy in that the characters are all in an enclosed space of a neighborhood, their stories interweave with dropped clues along the way, the plot is engrossing, and the ending is uplifting. Everyone in the book club could relate to one of the characters or their situation, and the gentleness of the presentation and the solving of each problem was lovely.

The older I get, the more that I appreciate my Asian American heritage. Books set in Asia give me glimpses into Eastern philosophy, customs, and history.

So I really loved the quiet, delicate storytelling in What You Are Looking For Is in the Library. Beautifully wrought, each chapter tells a vignette of a Japanese citizen whose life lacks something: meaning, purpose, love, et al.

The thread that ties all the stories together is a reference librarian who unlocks insight by simply asking "what do you want?" With a keen ear, then rat-a-tat-tat against her keyboard, she produces a list of… show more.

I was utterly charmed by this book. Although the woman who is smart doesn’t get a lot of page time in the book, she is its core. Sayuri Komachi is a librarian in a neighborhood library who is literally larger than life. This book has five overlapping stories, and Ms Komachi is at the center of all of them.  When they come to her reference desk for help, she gives them three things: 1) what they ask for, 2) a ‘bonus’ gift, and 3) what they need. 

What they need is a book they never would have chosen on their… show more.