[Book] I Finally Finished the Morisaki Bookshop Books || And I Understand the Hype Now

Hello Everyone! Hope you all are doing great.

A little while ago I shared a post about two books I had just received, Days at the Morisaki Bookshop and More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa,and I saw people talking about them everywhere, especially on Instagram, and the whole thing started because I came across a reel recommending the first book.

I finished both of them.

I think I understand now why so many people describe these books as cozy.

There is something about Japanese translated fiction that I can not really explain right now, and whenever I read it I get this feeling of peace and, calm that I do not usually get from other books, kinda like it settles in my head. Maybe it's the slow pace. The focus on everyday moments. The quiet conversations. Or just the way ordinary things are written.

Whatever it was, days at the Morisaki Bookshop had that effect on me.

A Very Simple Story That Has More Going On

The first thing I noticed about these books is how simple the writing is.

They aren't huge novels, they don't have complicated plots with hundreds of characters or massive twists. The prose is straightforward. The story moves at a pace. It is comfortable.

But somehow, that simplicity works.

Takako starts out as a sensitive and reserved young woman who is not living the most exciting life. She faced hard times in her personal life. Then she stayed at her uncle Satoru's second hand bookshop in Tokyo.

And, this is basically where the story starts to change.

At first, Takako isn't exactly excited about spending her time surrounded by old books, and, when she first arrives she isn't much of a reader either. But slowly. Being around the bookshop as well as the people connected to it changes her.

I really liked watching that transformation.

It’s not a dramatic "I am completely different now" kind of change, it’s much more gradual. She becomes open. She becomes curious. She wants to try new things. She starts to explore what she does not know.

By the end, she feels like a much more confident version of herself.

That was one of the main points I took from the book.

So you do not need to change your life overnight but just need a different environment, some time, , a few people willing to be there for you.

There Is Something Special About a Bookshop

The bookshop is my favourite part of the story.

The Morisaki Bookshop sits in Jimbōchō, an area of Tokyo famous for its many bookstores and the book made the place feel almost like another character.

The shop is not a modern bookstore.

This second hand bookstore has old books, conversations, coffee and people who love reading.

And honestly, I want to visit a place like that.

There is something comforting about walking into a bookstore where books are stacked everywhere and you have no idea what you'll find.

You can go in for one book and, leave with something else entirely.

That has happened to me before, and it is one of the best parts of being a reader.

Minor Spoiler Ahead

Takako's relationship with reading develops in a way that I enjoyed.

At the beginning books are not the center of her life but like spending time around the bookshop it pulls her into that in modern times you know.

She starts discovering books for herself and also starts understanding why other people care about them so much.

And many readers can relate to that.

Sometimes we do not fall in love with reading because someone tells us that a certain book is "important". We fall in love with it because one particular story reaches us at the right time.

The same book can mean absolutely nothing to one person & mean everything to someone else.

That idea comes through really nicely in these books.

There are quite a few literary references throughout the story &, I gotta admit most of them were lost on me.

There were moments where characters would talk about a particular author or book and I knew absolutely nothing about it.

But it didn't bother me much.

I did not feel that I needed to know every reference to understand what the story was trying to say.

The important part was not always the specific book being discussed, it was the connection people created because of books.

As well as that is something I think anyone who loves reading can understand.

Books, Coffee and Conversations

Another thing I loved is the social side of reading in this story.

So we think of reading as something personal, you sit somewhere alone, open a book as well as disappear into another the landscape of.

But books can also bring people together.

So you meet someone because of a book, and you recommend something to a friend. You can talk about a character for an hour. The character will be not real. You can sit in a cafe with someone. You discuss what you read. You stay.

That connection applies everywhere.

It does not matter if you are in Japan, Pakistan, the UK, the US or anywhere else.

People connecting over books and coffee will always be a good thing.

I think that's probably one of the reasons the story feels so warm.

What About The Sequel?

After finishing Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, I obviously had to continue with More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop.

The second book keeps the same cosy feeling. I read it differently after already knowing the characters.

I wanted to see where their lives would go more than who they were.

There are still books, relationships, everyday problems, as well as quiet moments.

And like the first book, it does not try to be complicated.

That's something I appreciate about both books.

These days many stories seem to require larger stakes, larger twists and, larger emotional moments.

The Morisaki books do not do that.

They are comfortable being small.

Sometimes that's what I want from a book.

CONCLUSION

Overall, I'm really glad I decided to buy these two books.

I originally bought them because I kept seeing people recommend them online, and honestly I wasn't sure whether I would actually enjoy them.

But I have finished both, I can say they were worth the Rs. 650 I paid for the two.

So they are not books that completely changed my life or anything like that, and I do not think every book needs to do that.

Sometimes a book can simply make you feel calm for a few hours.

Sometimes you need a simple story about people, books, coffee and life.

That is what these books gave me.

So days at the Morisaki Bookshop left me with that warm feeling you get after finishing a story that did not try too hard to impress you, it just told a simple story as well as allowed the characters to grow naturally.

I also liked Takako's journey, seeing her slowly come out of her shell was my favourite part, i guess.

I want to visit a second hand bookstore, find a random Japanese novel, sit down with coffee and spend a few hours reading.

Those books are the best compliment I can give.

They made me want to read more.

And after finishing two cosy books about a bookstore, I think I might need to find my next cozy read soon.

Anyway thats it for this post. Please do give your reviews in the comments section below. I would really appreciate it :)

I'll be back with another one soon. So do follow me if you want to stay updated. Till then, Stay Happy and Stay Hydrated.

Rating: 77/100

Originally posted through scrobble.life/books.