Here I sit, on the precipice of completing my reading goal of 52 books, read and reviewed. And just like last year, I needed a teeny tiny book I could tear through to get the job done. And that’s okay, dangit! Last year ended with the first book in this slim series, so it’s appropriate that I visit the Jimbocho district of Japan once again.
When we begin, Takako and those in her life are doing much better than they were in the first volume. Her aunt has returned, ending the estrangement to her uncle Saturu, to once again work with him at his small book shop, one of 200 bookstores in the Jimbocho district. Saturu is as fussy as ever, pleased to have his wife back, but worried about her health as a significant health event is what originally pushed them apart. Takako is working an office job and has settled into the local community, with her favorite coffee shop, her new romance with Wada, a few close friends, and frequent visits to her uncle and aunt and the bookstore she loves. It is a small cast of characters who will warm your heart, as you follow them in their daily lives. Takako undergoes an emotional journey as she learns to break down her walls so that she may be fully present and engaged in her life and with those around her.
Also, and this is super important, as I did in my review of the first volume I have to tell you this very important fact. JIMBOCHO IS A REAL PLACE IN JAPAN. At present today, it has over 150 bookstores. I KNOW. SHOCKING. And I still want to visit.
Together this quiet little series will warm your heart, make you smile, and maybe illicit a tear or two.
