The Fireside Chats

I enjoyed reading this book. I’ve started getting into reading books from Japan (that have been translated into English, of course) once I got into the “Before the coffee gets cold” series. Different people who are different times in their life and from different walks of life, all end up at the same library and end up finding books they didn’t know they needed (with the help from the librarian at the library). I think this book is a great read for anyone who is an avid reader. I think this book may be geared towards adults but I think students from the high school age could benefit from this novel as well.

Synopsis: 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.

With heartwarming charm and wisdom, What You Are Looking For Is in the Library is a paean to the magic of libraries, friendship and community, perfect for anyone who has ever found themselves at an impasse in their life and in need of a little inspiration.