#days at morisaki bookstore

[morverenmaybewrites]

Hi! I'm so glad you're back, new chapter of Pizza girl was amazing as always, for me it's absolutely the best dc fic ever!

I especially love how the relationship between Jason and other characters feels heartbreakingly natural, how it isn't a case of "love magically cured trauma" but rather slowly and messyly opening up, and trying to heal with the help of right people at right time.

And as much as I cannot wait for Jason and pizza girl to have more straight up romantic shenanigans, I love how they started with gaining each other trust and building their friendship, I adore them as domestic buddies.

I have a question, if it isn't some kind of spoiler of course, at this point of the story, does Jason have (or wants to have) a life outside of his Red Hood persona? And I mean it half psychologically half practically (similarly to pizza girl, how does he earn money if being a vigilante isn't a source of income?)

But seriously, I find it heartbreaking that as much as he yearns for home, he still lives in safe houses, and I was so happy when he thought about asking Babs for help in looking for something more permanent for himself. And it fits into his fear of being traced of course, but got me thinking, in a more personal sense, does he have a motivations for living other than trying to make up for his mistakes as Arkham Knight?

Something like: does he realise that there's Red Hood who fights for those who can't do it for themselves, but there's also Jason who likes the smell of new books, has his favorite mug and favorite way of drinking coffee, has his favorite chair at the local library, who maybe has quiet and innocent dream to get a degree or his dream job and be loved and needed by someone?

Does he realise the second one exists and deserves to be cherished by him?

(Sorry if this ask is too much, I just now realised how long it got 😭 I will absolutely understand if you don't have time to answer this)

Anyway thank you for writing this amazing and captivating work, I can't wait for next chapters, whenever they'll be ready❤

In the meantime I hope you get time to rest and have fun! Stay safe!

This is a wonderful breakdown of Jason's character! To answer your question, does Jason have a life outside of his Red Hood persona? No. Does he want one? Unconsciously, the answer is yes, but I don't think he can acknowledge it right now. For years following the Joker's torture, he's pretty much been in survival mode, keeping himself alive by being obsessed with a singular goal. First, it was to kill the Joker and Batman, and then when he found out the Joker was dead, it was to kill Batman. Now, it's to seek redemption as the Red Hood. While he may have (somewhat) progressed from his days as the Arkham Knight, he's still clinging to the same unhealthy coping mechanisms. It's a little (or a lot) like depression. He's so focused on getting through today and the next day and the next day that there's little room for anything else. Hobbies and friends and a place to feel at home in sound nice, but they also sound absolutely unattainable. And he's lived with that mindset for so long that he's all but forgotten that there are different ways to live. That's where Jason's head is right now. Maybe one day, he'll progress enough that he'll be able to look around his safehouse, so sparse that it's no different from a prison cell, and he'll think to himself that he wants something more. And it doesn't have to be anything big. Nothing so grand as the Wayne Manor. Just a small place, maybe above a bookstore. Maybe in the beginning, it's not so different from his safehouses. Just a mattress on the floor and a bathroom. But then one day, he'll add something small. Some secondhand book he bought from the store for the change he had in his pocket. It's from an author he's never heard of before. The writing is a little clunky, but it's enough to pass the time while he's waiting for updates on his cases. Maybe he reads it next to his window, by the light of the flickering street lamps, trying not to grimace at the way the hard wood is digging into his back. Maybe one of his siblings or even the reader notices. She takes him to one of her favorite flea markets under the guise of buying a new rug. And he ends up taking back an armchair, so old that the stuffing is coming out in places. But he makes do, the way he always has, he washes away the accumulated dust and dirt, he patches up the holes, and he places it next to his window. Where the street lamp shines just enough light to read by, even if it often flickers. He opens his book, written by an author he's never heard of before. The writing is a little clunky in places. But for now, he thinks, it's enough. (And maybe he'll read until morning. And maybe he'll realize, or maybe not: that the Jason Todd who used to spend hours in the Wayne Manor library, who had a favorite armchair by the fire, is still in there, somewhere. And perhaps, he'll think--or perhaps not--that the Joker hasn't killed everything that he used to be. Perhaps there's still a little bit of Robin left in him.)

[genieinanovel]

Review: Days at the Morisaki Bookshop

Hidden in Jimbocho, Tokyo, is a booklover’s paradise. On a quiet corner in an old wooden building lies a shop filled with hundreds of second-hand books.Twenty-five-year-old Takako has never liked reading, although the Morisaki bookshop has been in her family for three generations. It is the pride and joy of her uncle Satoru, who has devoted his life to the bookshop since his wife Momoko left him…

[godzilla-reads]

📚 Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa (trans. Eric Ozawa)

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Twenty-five year old Takako breaks up with her boyfriend and quits her job, but she’s hesitant when her uncle Satoru wants her to come live above his bookshop and help him out. Things begin to change and as these two relatives are ready to move on, figures from their pasts start to resurface.

This book had the perfect pace for the story it was telling, it had such personable characters, it has an eccentric bookstore, it has so much character development and the story just moves so greatly. I really loved the bits and pieces of comedy throughout the book. At first I thought it was cheesy, but I quickly grew to love it.

If you’re looking for a low-key, reflective book then this one is perfect!

[juiceboxscans]

Sobbing, yawning, eating leftovers.

Heyyyyy Raise family! It's the weekend. Finally. Whether it's another epic Fri-yay! or you celebrated People Getting Together and Eating Lots of Carbs Day yesterday and are leaning into Native American Heritage Day today, or maybe you’re getting the jump on your holiday shopping, we hope you're doing well. (´• ω •`) ♡

Reminder: Konishi is on hiatus so there is no new Japanese chapter this month! The next Japanese chapter will be released around Christmas and our version will go up January 15th, 2024 when we're back from our holiday travels and celebrations. We appreciate your patience!

More reminder: If you're collecting the licensed English physicals/digitals, Volume 6 will be available on that big site we all use, or your local bookseller/chain bookstore, on January 16th, 2024.

Mentioning this because it has one of the best covers. In case you needed to be reminded of how hot these two are. ☆*:.｡.(￣﹃￣)

Meanwhile back at JBS HQ: We're chillin' like villains and chatting with our new member, Boudicea, who has mad skills. She did a great job updating CH37.1, which included several Twitter sketches Konishi made in 2021 featuring Shouma. Poor sweet boy has a shitty memory. Riiiiip Morisaki-san. (*ﾉωﾉ)

One more month to go until the new chapter!

[realhumanbean]

Days At The Morisaki Bookshop By Satoshi Yagisawa

"Those memories of people you love,they never disappear. They go on warming your heart as long as you live."

After a really long time I felt the love at first sight feeling when I saw this book on the shelves of Kamal library. Had to take loan from Anika to buy it and had to pay her back by saving up my commute money. But all that unnecessary drama turned out to be so so worth it.

I absolutely loved this book. First of all it's set in Japan,specifically in the Jimbocho book town in Tokyo. The whole environment setting was so scenic that I found myself being immersed in the story even within the bustling of a local bus. As Takako walks through the streets of Jimbocho for the first time, we get to see the neighbourhood through her eyes. Lines and lines of second hand bookshops fill the streets, each with a different genre to specialise in and with a different story to tell. And to add to the vibes,of course there are pockets of cafes and udon stalls to complete the scene. The sense of community and familiarity of the neighbourhood is really what makes it so warm and welcoming. And a shop owner like Satoru is the epitome of just that. Whether it be a visitor exploring around for the first time or a loyal regular like Sabu— to whom it’s more of a hangout spot than just a bookstore, Satoru makes them fit right in.

This book was so good at reminding me why I fell in love with reading in the first place. It was so refreshing to see how Yagisawa took Takako from being skeptical about reading to slowly falling in love with it. And I was so ecstatic to see names of real books, some of which I recognised, and even summaries of books the characters were reading throughout the story. It made me truly respect the book for emphasising the joy of being a reader and being intoxicated by the need of getting through the story as fast as possible.

The dynamic of relationships being formed solely through the shared love for books was my most favourite. The people I bonded with over books turned out to be the most precious to me. Getting to know someone by reading their favourite book is such an underrated form of intimacy. And this book managed to make that a significant part of the story. Let me quote something from the translator's note at the end, "I would also like to thank my wife,Nicole,whom I met one day by chance in a bookstore and who is always my first reader." I really loved that everyone involved in the making of this book are just pure booklovers. At the same time it managed to make me feel special for having stories like these in my own life too.

I was so ready for this to be one of those books where nothing really happens. And I would've happily accepted that too. But even with the amazing world building around books, bookstores and readers this book told a beautiful story about family. And that really is all it’s about. Loving your people and then fuelling yourself up with what you love. Momoko, Satoru and Takako—three seemingly distant relatives were brought together by the magnetic force of the Morisaki bookshop. The adventurous and childlike enthusiasm of Satoru softened the edges of Takako's nonchalant personality. And Momoko— my girl was such a vibe, I loved reading about her. Her character is pretty out of the box compared to the overall type of characters. But that is exactly what brought out the brightness of this story.

Not a single boring moment in the book. Now I finally have a book to gift someone who isn’t a reader but wants to try it out. Or someone going through a reading slump, 'cus it definitely took me out of one. And of course, Jimbocho book town has been added to the Japan honeymoon trip of my dreams.

[libofalilwoman]

📖Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa.

In the first half of the book, Takako moves into her Uncle Satoru's bookstore-the Morisaki Bookshop, to deal with her mental state after being deceived by her trickster boyfriend. Days at the bookshop are slow and soothing. Chaos of her past life eventually simmer down as she gradually loses herself in the serene stories of the old books.

However, the second half of this book takes a different turn and mainly focuses on Satoru's personal life. The plot started feeling a little flat and ngl I started losing interest. Depth in the personalities of the characters is also something I believe the book lacked. But nevertheless, I did enjoy this slow little book (the first half mostly) and I believe this would be a suitable book if you're looking for something that gives off slice-of-life anime vibes.🌷🤍

3/5✨

[shaitaani]

Have you read 1984?

no but it is on my tbr, the last book i read was days at the morisaki bookstore and currently i'm reading before we say goodbye

[skywalker-swift]

BOOKSTORES FOR THE WIN!!! also mini reading update - was in a slump for a bit (midterms suck) but days at the morisaki bookshop really revived my love for reading! It's a cozy, gentle read a I'd definitely recommend it for maybe a long drive/train ride or a rainy day haha! What have you been reading recently?

I love that we both had the immediate same thought to talk about what we have been reading after seeing our tags ksdjfklasfj

Kate talks about reading with meg will have more official moment soon, however, I will list what I have read in August and this month so far - I listened to Thistlefoot, Ink Blood Sister Scribe (while also reading it physically because I couldn't get enough holy shit), Clytemnestra, and I am currently listening to Good Omens, which i love so much. All of these were at least a 3.5+ read for me, all very good narrators and plots.

I finished Immortal Longings, and wow, I was not really prepped for that ending, and will probably pick up the next book. I read A Psalm for the Wild Built and a Prayer for the Crown Shy these past few weeks and holy shit they made me cry. I immediately put the rest of Becky Chambers books on hold ASAP because I just loved them so much. Short, sweet, and just like holy shit.

Currently reading: I just picked up Vampires of El Norte today after getting it through Book of The Month and I am so ready for it. I am traveling this next week so I will either end up reading like so many books or I won't touch a book except for on the plane. I'm traveling with my mom for the first time through an airport (luckily my partner will be with me too) and I am so unsure of what to read with her around. She's a lot more conservative than me. I am fighting so hard not to bring like ten books with me and be a little normal about everything.

That seems like a good summary for now - and yes, I am currently bored at work :)

[thisguybikash]

The act of seeing is no small thing. To see something is to be possessed by it. Sometimes it carries off a part of you, sometimes it’s your whole soul.

— Satoshi Yagisawa, Days at the Morisaki Bookstore

[scvpubliclib]

New story on NPR: Two new feel-good novels about bookstores celebrate the power of reading https://ift.tt/2Q9dHXO

[giapism]

January Reading Updates

Since we’ve just reached the end of the first month of 2020, I thought I’d take some time to share with you all what I’ve been reading and also write a short review about each book (else I’ll completely forget what I read by the end of the year...) The books are listed in the order that I completed them in. 

(*): Read in Vietnamese 

1. American Gods - Neil Gaiman

Neil is perhaps my favorite storyteller ever, and he particularly excels in building strange yet captivating worlds that do a great job of making humans seem more human than ever, despite the fact nothing remotely conforming to the human-norm happens (except marriage problems--I suppose even gods and demi-gods are dumb motherfuckers when it comes to love.)

American Gods follows Shadow, a widower freshly released from jail as he tags alongside a suspiciously rich “Mr. Wednesday” (later revealed to be an undercover God), on a quest to convince the old, forgotten Gods of America to rise up and fight the new Gods (Technology, Media etc.) The book pulls up many characters from Irish, Norse, Hindu, Slavic, African and Egyptian folklore and so on, and offers a very refreshing take on religion in modern society. Although Gaiman didn’t dive deep into any specific culture, it’s a helpful start to continue learning about religion and folklore all over the world. There is a lot of information and I can only imagine how painstaking the research process must have been.  

Genre-wise, I don’t think this book fits into any at all. There’s history, fantasy, horror, maybe some thriller too. The idea of a giant war with hundreds of Gods is very ambitious, so the book does get a little messy and all-over-the-place at times. I’d call it “jigsaw-puzzling”, though, you’re given lots of information that doesn’t seem to make sense, but gradually everything comes together at the end and I absolutely love getting to the end and exclaiming “OH! So THAT’S what it was about” I find that the suspense-building in this book very well-done, too. The only criticism I have is that the ending felt a bit... lacking. You had all this build up, this gigantic feud, but everything’s resolved so simply you almost feel cheated. Or maybe I just have something against how Armageddon-type stories (where 2 sides fight to death) keep ending. Other than that, considering how hard this topic is to write about, I’m flabbergasted at how well Neil pulled it off.

Overall rating: 8/10

2. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck - Mark Manson

Everyone was raving about it so I had to give it a go. For those of you who don’t know, this is a self-help book aiming to show you how to re-purpose your life, communicate effectively and live productively. Surprisingly, it only took me 2 afternoons to finish (I always find self-help books are easier to read than fiction, don’t know why). It’s written very informally and feels more like a humorous conversation with a loving but foul-mouthed friend, which makes it easy to digest whether you’re a 10th grader being peer-pressured to apply to US Colleges or a 53-year old electrician just realising you actually wanted to be a novelist. The only requirement for the the advice to be useful is that you kind of need to mess up a lot.

However, I found that there weren’t that many new things in the book. Mostly, it just reminded us of the things we already knew but consciously (or subconsciously) decide to shove under the carpet, OR put into words things we kind of already think, but don’t know how to explain. There is, no doubt, lots of helpful advice but like all self-help books, I find it too much to remember (unless you’re going to re-read it 20 times), and when I finished, out of the dozens of pieces of advice I only remembered one, “People who make changes aren’t flashy and don’t about what they’re going to do a lot. They just do it.” And from then on I shut up about my plans and just worked on them. Everyone’s going to have their own takeaways relevant to their lives, and I’d encourage you to read it just to see if you can find anything interesting. If out of 20 things, you remember 2-3 things that work for you, that’s still a win.

What I enjoyed the most was actually reading the stories/examples of real people at the beginning of each chapter before getting into the “lecture” part. 

Overall rating: 6.9/10 

3. Dracula - Bram Stoker

A classic in gothic horror. I actually started reading this last year and the first third of the book telling Jonathan’s fearful stays at Count Dracula’s castle had me hooked - it’s written in beautiful, elegant language which we hardly ever hear anymore, and does such a wonderful job conveying the characters’ fears, thoughts and emotions. But the moment Jonathan leaves the castle and the book switches to other characters’ stories, it just got so long and boring that I stopped reading for 3 months altogether and forgot which character was which because there were so many men. The “dull chapters” stretch on for at least a quarter of the book, and things only get interesting again when Dracula returns to the story and certain characters start turning into vampires. The rest of the story follows the “heroes” as they try to defeat the Count and bring peace to his victims, and although many parts are suspenseful and very clever, the ending is also so easily achieved that it’s a bit of a downer. 

The whole book is written in diary entrees, journal entrees and letters of different characters (I’ve only read single-person diaries before) which was surprisingly pleasant in that you feel like you know the characters and by the end, you grow quite fond of them. It even inspired me to start keeping a diary again. It also made me start speaking like an old Englishman for the few days after completion, because I hadn’t really shaken off the language yet. Everyone seemed to be much more caring towards each other in those days, and through the letters I picked up some romantic phrases of which my favorite has been “And so, as you love me, and he loves me, and I love you with all the moods and tenses of the verb, I send you simply his ‘love’ instead.” Lovely, isn’t it? 

Overall rating: 7/10

4. Days at Morisaki Bookstore /  Những Giấc Mơ Ở Hiệu Sách Morisaki - Satoshi Yagisawa*

I’m not sure of the popularity of this book, it seems quite lowkey but has a surprising amount of reviews on Good Reads and even has a film adaptation. I happened to find it on my bookshelf and finished it in one afternoon (it was only 150-ish pages.)

Genre-wise, I’d call it Slice of Life although I don’t know if books are even allowed to be called that, or just anime. There is generally no real plot, only character development as Takako (main character) gets dumped by her cheating boyfriend and moves into her uncle’s antique bookstore to re-charge, gradually finding herself learning to appreciate books and the people around her. It’s a very simple storyline, and there’s almost nothing very special about the main character, but maybe that’s what makes it a relaxing read - because in reality, most humans aren’t the special snowflakes and oddballs we think. Admittedly, I started off finding Takako very annoying, but as she grew through the story, I found myself empathizing with her. For me, the book is a reminder to take things slower in life, remember to recharge and learn to see the beauty in simple things around you. It had a happy ending, too. Good for lazy reads, you don’t really have to think much - just sit there with a nice cup of tea and go with the flow. 

Overall rating: 7/10

5. The Oldest Parents With The Youngest Child / Những Tháng Năm Rực Rỡ - Ae-ran Kim*

I. Loved. This. Even now it’s left me with a tumble of emotions that I don’t even know how to describe, and I can say for sure that it’s made it to my list of favorite books of all time. 

The story recounts the life of a 17-year-old boy with progeria (a disease that makes his body age 4x as fast as a regular person, meaning he has the body of an 80-year-old) and his parents, who had him when they were 17. It talks of the struggles of teen parents learning to cope with an unintended pregnancy, their financial and mental hardships raising a child whilst also battling his illness, and also of the main character’s steel-hard resilience and love for life despite his condition. It actually made me feel ashamed of myself for being perfectly healthy, but not being as curious and hungry to learn, and most of all, to have a perfectly functioning laptop and not be writing. Other than that, it also humanizes persons with disabilities, showing that they too can fall in love, get anxious when ghosted and want to sneakily drink alcohol despite being underaged - anything a typical 17 year old might do. After this book, for the first time in a long time I felt that every aspect of life was truly wonderful and that I was lucky to be here. I also made a list of 30 challenges to do these coming months, to understand and enjoy life more and will keep you updated on my progress. 

Even though the book is written from the perspective of a boy with progeria, the author herself is a perfectly healthy woman in her 40s (who did a lot of research before writing, I’m sure). Yet somehow she’s able to tell the story so vividly, convincingly and emotionally that I feel like I’m in his body, living his life and feeling his disappointment and excitement. The tone is so natural, so nonchalant it just feels like a leaf smoothly riding the breeze down the the ground. Reading this book, I’m reminded again of how powerful a tool literature is in sharing ideas, bridging humans and building empathy. I’m in awe of not just the main character for pushing through his difficulties the way he did, but also of the author for writing something so powerful it changed the way I looked at life. It makes me want to write stories like this one day, too. I just don’t know what to say about this book other than I really loved it. 

Overall rating: 9/10

And that’s it for this month! I’ve only just gotten back on track with reading and remembering how fun it is. Hopefully someone will find this helpful and maybe pick up one of these books. I’ll see you guys next month!