that book everyone loves : Morasaki Bookshop

9.8/10

This was a surprise, not an expected reason for surprise. I was expecting a hyper anime style romantic, nostalgic, subtle taste of salty intellectualism, hidden fanciness etc. writing - it is about a bookstore after all, and the illustration is really good.

It's slice of life meets very subtle expression of casual coffeeshop culture and life in a used bookstore . I am sure, we all know some uncle with shop house or have a district we know is hidden from patrons but is a gem. I guess Japan Specialises in those. Working at your uncle's used bookstore while living there, broke in your twenties (financially and romantically) not totally unheard of. And the way the main character goes from a rather raw, young woman who isn't very fancy, lives with a very simple and childlike mindset expresses herself growing to be more immersed in life is interesting. There's no magic, and the writing is so frank it feels like you have dust stuck on you'd sweaty body from a long day at school but it still breathes at you like a real person. Nothing amazing happens but you will love reading it because it's so real and relatable. The characters are not extraordinary, they're not clichés and even though the setting seems like it's set up for a cliché epic romantic vibes - it talks abt atypical things in a very simplistic but refreshing, cheerful, frank fashion.

You can feel the story's soft heartbeat, unnoticed like another person's, but you know it's there.

Understand the great love for this story first published in 2010 (it was well loved when it came out too)

AmazonPrime had a discount on it for $14.. (It's usually $17)

It's probably cheaper as a ebook but I usually feel lonely reading on an e reader... I do read on my phone via bookshelf.. but not a lot..

27/100

#bookrecommendation #BookReview #conmingofage