First Impression Friday will be a meme where you talk about a book that you JUST STARTED! Maybe you’re only a chapter or two in, maybe a little farther. Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.

Synopsis:

What are you looking for?

So asks Tokyo’s most enigmatic librarian. For Sayuri Komachi is able to sense exactly what each visitor to her library is searching for and provide just the book recommendation to help them find it.

A restless retail assistant looks to gain new skills, a mother tries to overcome demotion at work after maternity leave, a conscientious accountant yearns to open an antique store, a recently retired salaryman searches for newfound purpose.

In Komachi’s unique book recommendations they will find just what they need to achieve their dreams. What You Are Looking For Is in the Library is about the magic of libraries and the discovery of connection. This inspirational tale shows how, by listening to our hearts, seizing opportunity and reaching out, we too can fulfill our lifelong dreams. Which book will you recommend?

Happy Friday everyone! Another work week in the books! I hope everyone is ending the work week on a high note. For me, I didn’t report to the office this week as I am on vacation. For the second time this year, I am in Japan. This trip has been memorable as I got to witness a winter wonderland for the first time. I got to see a different landscape. Japan, as always, is wonderful. It has certainly usurped South Korea as my favorite country. Unfortunately, I fell sick yesterday evening, hence, I was not able to go out and explore Tokyo today; this is my first time visiting Japan’s capital city. Hopefully, I will be fully recovered for a final tour of Tokyo’s shopping districts tomorrow. To more travels in 2024!

With 2023 slowly dwindling down, I hope your year has been amazing. I hope that it is brimming with good news and blessings. Woah. I can’t believe that we are just days away from greeting a new year. I hope that the new year will usher in more hope and more blessings. For those who had a bad year, I hope that you will experience a reversal of fortune in the coming days, if not in the coming year. Just know that it is just a bad day but not a bad life. I also hope you will achieve everything you want to achieve this year. I hope that you get repaid for the hard work you poured in this year. More importantly, I hope everyone will be healthy, in body, mind, and spirit, during the rest of the year and in the coming year.

2023 is a year for the books, literally. This year, I have broken new ground in my reading journey. For the second year in a row, I was able to read over one hundred books. I have also reset my previous record of most books read in a year. I have lost count already. I think Michiko Aoyama’s What You Are Looking For is in The Library is my 124th read this year. I am supposed to be on a literary journey across North American literature but I decided to deviate a little. My current travel to Japan prompted me to squeeze in a couple of works written by Japanese writers. Japanese literature is one of my favorites and I already had a two-month Japanese Literature months way back in April and May this year.

I am fascinated with how Japanese writers integrate their love for books and libraries into their works. Earlier this year, I read Sôsuke Natsukawa’s The Cat Who Saved Books. Another book I am looking forward to is Satoshi Yagisawa’s Days at the Morisaki Bookshop. Anyway, What You are Looking For is in the Library has recently gained the interest of the reading public, including me. Set in the fictional ward of Hatori in Tokyo, the novel introduces an eclectic cast of characters. The first of these characters is 21-year-old womenswear sales assistant Tomoka. The second character was Ryo, a thirty-five-year-old accountant working in the accounts department of a furniture manufacturer. Natsumi, the third character was a former magazine editor and was forty years old. It is in Natsumi’s story that I am currently in right now. Two more characters will be introduced.

The first thing I noticed was the mention of the characters’ ages. This is an important detail as it seemingly highlights the stages in life they are currently in. For Tomoka, she was currently learning to navigate the strange world of adulthood while Ryo was in the midst of a pre-forty life crisis. Each of the characters is also caught in impasses. They were not really unhappy but they felt like they were stuck, forced to repeat a cycle. They wanted some change but their effort was stymied. They wanted to break out of the box and pursue things that they were passionate about. Ryo, for instance, wanted to open his own antique shop but his hectic job would not allow it. It is this desire for change that brought them to the community library manned by the enigmatic librarian Sayuri Komachi.

The characters’ dilemmas are relatable. This also makes them likable as they are reflections of ourselves and our own struggles. They resonate with us. The first-person point of view used by Aoyama further provided the readers an intimate experience. We get to know the characters and their struggles. Theirs are tender and heartwarming stories. These are slices of life stories but they form a cohesive whole. What is also remarkable is how the story highlights how the role of libraries has changed over time. They used to be seen as repositories of books but now they are also hubs for cultural enrichment. They bring together the community; this was also underlined in Sara Nisha Adams’ The Reading List.

There are a couple more characters that are going to be introduced and I can’t wait to see how their lives will be transformed by the mysterious librarian and her book recommendations. How about you fellow reader? What book or books are you taking with you for the weekend? I hope you get to enjoy them. Again, happy weekend everyone!