After an unexpected breakup, Takako’s world collapses. She spirals into despair and shuns the world. She lives in isolation until her uncle offers her the opportunity to reside on the second floor of his bookshop. In exchange for lodging, she must open and manage the bookshop in the mornings while her uncle is in the hospital.

I enjoyed the book. It was easy to read, and I appreciated the cheerful tone. Surprisingly, my favorite character is not the protagonist, but the Uncle. I liked his personality – his wit, kindness, purity, and transparency. I found his and his wife’s backstory intriguing and feel it could stand alone as a separate book.

“Days at the Morisaki Bookshop” is a heartwarming book that explores the themes of resilience and closure. I chose this book expecting to read short stories or references to the books the main characters encountered at the bookshop. However, the book focused more on listing titles and authors that addressed similar themes instead of providing those stories.

The writing was good, but it was too simple for my taste. I would have preferred descriptive and metaphorical language with greater imagery and sensory details about the bookshop to create a more authentic and unique feel.

More days at the Morisaki Bookshop

In this sequel, the story picks up where the first book ends.

I can’t help but feel that this book was created because of the success of the first one. There was no need for a sequel as the ending of the first book was perfectly fine.

I wish I could discuss the plot or the storyline, but there are no plot or storyline. It feels like the book is just providing a series of random events and emotions without giving much depth in the character’s development. The protagonist’s growth lacks depth, and I found it hard to care about their mundane life. The writing is even simpler than in the first book.

I found no salvageable elements in this book until I almost reached the end. I had to force myself to get through the hundred and thirty pages. I got the impression that the author didn’t want to write it. But something happened. The last thirty pages were good. Very good. This drastic difference surprised me. It explores the relationship between Momoko and the protagonist’s Uncle. They were fleshed out and layered. Their story was complicated enough to captivate me. Even the writing awakened me from my boredom.

I feel like the author intended to write more about the characters, but for some reason did not. The passages about the Uncle in the first book convey a humorous tone, while in the second book, they convey a melancholic one.