What You Are Looking For Is in the Library- A Novel by Michiko Aoyama
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Web ID: 17302237A learning experience
What You Are Looking for is in the Library By Michiko Aoyama This is literally a little book – but it is packed with ideas and things to say about individuals and how they fit into society. While it takes place in Japan and is culturally different from what we in America experience, the underlying message applies across all cultures. The story here is told in chapters, each about a different person and his/her experiences in the face of what they feel – that they are outside the norms of society. Each person comes to the library as if by chance, and each meets the librarian, Sayuri Komachi, who somehow understands their deepest desires and points them, through books and felt "bonus gifts", to the answers they seek. There is much here that is unique to Japanese culture. Japan is a small country with a large population. Thus individuals are keenly aware of what is required of them to fit in to a society constantly in the forefront of each individual's daily life. The characters here seem to be interested in contributing rather than striving to get ahead. The fact that they have jobs – any jobs – seems to be key. That the characters also take responsibility for what they perceive as their failures, is somehow very foreign in American culture today. It took me some time to really get into this book. I had to get past my lack of cultural understanding. But the thoughts and ideas were well worth the effort. That each interaction of any kind between individuals will have a ripple effect across society is a concept worth remembering.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Pleasantly surprised!
I must admit I was a little hesitant going into this because it seemed a bit boring, but my friend heavily recommended it. Plus, I hope to become a librarian one day and thought maybe this book would provide some useful insight for me. Boy am I glad I gave this book a try! It was so good. I found it to be a quick read but at the same time the story didn’t feel rushed at all. The characters and lessons the stories portrayed all felt so real and it was so heartwarming to read these characters find their way. Only reason I won’t give the story five stars is because I don’t like to give anything five stars since I think nothing is perfect, but a great book nevertheless. Highly recommend!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great book!
I first read this book from the library and liked it so much that I bought it so I could read it again. My wife read it and loved it too.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A Love Letter to Libraries
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars This story is a love letter to libraries and it just made my entire heart so very happy. It is told in a collection of short stories about people whose lives change course after being helped in or inspired by the library. Each story is so full of heart, and relatable to several different milestones of feeling stuck and needing the courage to take a new step. Reading this book made me want to go hang out at my own local library and fall in love with the space all over again. . Libraries are the best and I think any book lover is going to get all the warm and fuzzies reading Aoyama’s story. What you are looking for is in the library after all <3 . Hisses & Kisses 🐍 . *Thank you Harper Collins Canada for the ARC. All opinions are my own.*
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Inspirational
It was a wonderful read. Each story was unique and connected and had layers to each. It was interesting. It is romantic but in a wholesome kind of way. It makes you think about your own life and gives you a different perspective in a gentle, comforting way.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
“What are you looking for?”
“How uncanny the way what one reads can sometimes synchronise with reality.” A book about books and a librarian who recommends the right one at the right time is always going to be a must read for me. I’ve experienced bookish transformative magic and have long suspected some librarians are particularly gifted in wielding it. This book introduces you to five people who are at a crossroads in their life. Whether they’re unsatisfied with their job, wanting to follow a dream or are searching for purpose, they all find their way to the librarian. ‘What are you looking for?’ After a short conversation with Sayuri Komachi, the librarian, she produces a list of books on the subject they have requested but invariably also sneaks in a surprise title that appears entirely irrelevant. It is this title that leads the reader on a journey of self discovery, while trying to decipher the meaning of the librarian’s bonus gift. The comparisons between this book and Before the Coffee Gets Cold made sense early on. Each chapter focuses on a specific individual, although as you make your way through the book you discover connections between characters and their backstories. One of my favourite things about this book was searching for the ways in which the seemingly unconnected stories interwove. One description, which initially niggled at me, became something that impacted my enjoyment of the book. Every character, upon seeing the librarian for the first time, noted their shock at her appearance. She’s described as “huge”, “really huge”, “large” (multiple times), “very large” (more than once) and “humungous”. She has “plump fingers”. Characters are surprised she can move quickly and that she is capable of the fine work of felting. The paleness of her skin was also consistently commented one; it reminded one character of a “white glutinous rice cake”. Comparisons are made between her and a polar bear, the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, Disney’s Baymax and Genma Saotome from Ranma ½. While I’m usually up for any Ghostbusters reference, all of the comparisons felt disparaging rather than descriptive. I haven’t been able to find a better word to describe my experience of this book as a whole than ‘soft’. It’s easy to read. The characters aren’t difficult to get to know and you don’t need to think deeply to follow the story. It’s a nice, feel-good read and there are sentences that leave you feeling warm and squishy. Ultimately, though, while I will remember how it made me feel, I don’t think any of the individual stories are going to linger with me long term. “Everybody should have their own story.” Thank you so much to NetGalley and Doubleday, an imprint of Transworld Publishers, for the opportunity to read this book. I’m rounding up from 3.5 stars.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com