{"title":"Japanese Fiction ","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"lonely-castle-in-the-mirror","title":"Lonely Castle in the Mirror","description":"\u003cb\u003eINTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER! \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA Studio Ghibli-esque work of Japanese translation “that lays bare the anxieties and desperation—and the small triumphs—of adolescence” (Locus), for fans of Mieko Kawakami’s \u003ci\u003eHeaven\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSeven students find unusual common ground in this warm, puzzle-like Japanese bestseller laced with gentle fantasy and compassionate insight.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBullied to the point of dropping out of school, Kokoro’s days blur together as she hides in her bedroom, unable to face her family or friends. As she spirals into despair, her mirror begins to shine; with a touch, Kokoro is pulled from her lonely life into a resplendent, bizarre fairytale castle guarded by a strange girl in a wolf mask. Six other students have been brought to the castle, and soon this marvelous refuge becomes their playground. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe castle has a hidden room that can grant a single wish, but there are rules to be followed, and breaking them will have dire consequences. As Kokoro and her new acquaintances spend more time in their new sanctuary, they begin to unlock the castle’s secrets and, tentatively, each other’s. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLonely Castle in the Mirror \u003c\/i\u003eis a mesmerizing, heart-warming novel about the unexpected rewards of embracing human connection.","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46156590121137,"sku":"9781645660743","price":22.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46156590153905,"sku":"9781645660408","price":36.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook (2022 B)","offer_id":46156590186673,"sku":"f18f519e-eca2-3dc9-a9a1-731091830ff8","price":11.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook (2022 A)","offer_id":46156590219441,"sku":"0c0e94b4-352f-3713-b808-e3321853799c","price":16.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_47b0d173-78ef-430d-996b-c312002c9190.jpg?v=1763715774"},{"product_id":"colorless-tsukuru-tazaki-and-his-years-of-pilgrimage","title":"Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage: A Novel","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eColorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage\u003c\/i\u003e marks a new direction in Murakami's fiction: a return to the lyrical realism not seen since his 1987 novel \u003ci\u003eNorwegian Wood\u003c\/i\u003e, but set against the social realities of contemporary Japan.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn high school, Tsukuru Tazaki belonged to an extremely tight-knit group of friends who pledged to stay together forever. But when Tsukuru returns home from his first year of college in Tokyo, he finds that they want nothing to do with him. Something has changed, but nobody will tell him what—and he never sees them again. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYears later, Tsukuru has become a successful engineer, but is also something of a loner. It is only when he begins dating an older woman named Sara that he confesses the story of this mysterious betrayal and the shadow it has cast over his life. Sara becomes convinced that Tsukuru must track down his old group to try to answer the question that has haunted him all these years, creating a hole inside of him: Why did they suddenly turn on him? Tsukuru searches out his old friends, and as the truth reveals itself, he must confront the simmering emotional undercurrents that the group had suppressed in order to reach their ideal of perfect friendship—and in order to find himself.","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46158517371057,"sku":"9780385681858","price":21.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":46158517403825,"sku":"9780804166737","price":46.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46158517436593,"sku":"1a4ac64c-3ccb-3454-99de-23bdc6790d96","price":13.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_a82fc1bf-eeca-4f7a-9e07-109dbf4d15f6.jpg?v=1763637772"},{"product_id":"ms-ice-sandwich","title":"Ms Ice Sandwich","description":"\u003cb\u003eA witty, moving story of adolescent love and loss from the acclaimed, prize-winning author of \u003ci\u003eBreasts and Eggs\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Haruki  Murakami listed Kawakami as his favourite young writer, so you're going  to want to snatch up this lovely coming-of-age story about a boy who  becomes obsessed with a woman who sells sandwiches” — \u003ci\u003eBustle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In her English language debut, “ceaselessly growing and evolving”novelist Mieko Kawakami renders an adolsecent voice with laser precision (Haruki Murakami).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e“Ms  Ice Sandwich” is a name I made up, of course. I thought of it the  minute I first saw her. Ms Ice Sandwich’s eyelids are always painted  with a thick layer of a kind of electric blue, exactly the same colour  as those hard ice lollies that have been sitting in our freezer since  last summer.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA young boy returns obsessively to a supermarket  sandwich counter, entranced by the beauty of the woman who works there.  Her aloof demeanour and electric blue eyelids make him feel the most  intense joy he's ever known. He calls her Ms Ice Sandwich, and he wants  nothing more than to spend his days watching her coolly slip sandwiches  into bags.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut the complexities of life keep getting in the way –  his beloved grandmother's illness is only getting worse, and his mother  seems to be totally ignoring it. There’s also his faltering friendship  with his classmate Tutti. As she invites him to join her in thrilling  games and fantasy, the boy begins to enter a whole new world of  imagination.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWry, intimate and wonderfully skewed, \u003ci\u003eMs Ice Sandwich\u003c\/i\u003e is a poignant depiction of the naivety and wisdom of youth, just as it is passing.","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (2020)","offer_id":46158233403569,"sku":"9781782276722","price":21.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback (2018)","offer_id":46158233436337,"sku":"9781782273301","price":18.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46158233501873,"sku":"ec83b981-c290-3bee-9d8d-5bc50a28254a","price":11.19,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_26780481-4ddd-443d-ba54-b36f452d7730.jpg?v=1764392953"},{"product_id":"if-cats-disappeared-from-the-world","title":"If Cats Disappeared from the World: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Bestseller\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe international phenomenon that has sold more than two million copies, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eIf Cats Disappeared from the World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e--now a Japanese film--is a heartwarming, funny, and profound meditation on the meaning of life.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis timeless tale from Genki Kawamura (producer of the Japanese blockbuster animated movie \u003ci\u003eYour Name\u003c\/i\u003e) is a moving story of loss and reconciliation, and of one man’s journey to discover what really matters most in life.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe young postman’s days are numbered. Estranged from his family and living alone with only his cat, Cabbage, to keep him company, he was unprepared for the doctor’s diagnosis that he has only months to live. But before he can tackle his bucket list, the devil shows up to make him an offer: In exchange for making one thing in the world disappear, the postman will be granted one extra day of life. And so begins a very strange week that brings the young postman and his beloved cat to the brink of existence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith each object that disappears, the postman reflects on the life he’s lived, his joys and regrets, and the people he’s loved and lost.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46158281605297,"sku":"9781250257680","price":23.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46158281638065,"sku":"9781250294050","price":32.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46158281670833,"sku":"c0fad16b-e909-3049-bd05-9df28185e5f9","price":13.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_870fb596-e359-4911-bd8c-fbc7964fd999.jpg?v=1763716250"},{"product_id":"the-travelling-cat-chronicles","title":"The Travelling Cat Chronicles","description":"\u003cb\u003eWe take journeys to explore exotic new places and to return to the comforts of home, to visit old acquaintances and to make new friends. But the most important journey is the one that shows us how to follow our hearts...\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn instant and international bestseller, \u003ci\u003eThe Travelling Cat Chronicles\u003c\/i\u003e has charmed readers around the world. With simple yet descriptive prose, this novel gives voice to Nana the cat and his owner, Satoru, as they take to the road on a journey with no other purpose than to visit three of Satoru's longtime friends. Or so Nana is led to believe...\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith his crooked tail—a sign of good fortune—and adventurous spirit, Nana is the perfect companion for the man who took him in as a stray. As they travel in a silver van across Japan, with its ever-changing scenery and seasons, they will learn the true meaning of courage and gratitude, of loyalty and love.","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46158247362737,"sku":"9780735235236","price":32.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46158247395505,"sku":"1ced1805-074d-3157-9b25-0f049eb05351","price":10.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_c29dbd1c-c15f-4059-9bb4-eb725454b080.jpg?v=1763714734"},{"product_id":"tales-from-the-cafe","title":"Tales from the Cafe: A Novel","description":"\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the author of the international bestseller \u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e, this book follows four new customers who hope to travel back in time in a little Japanese café.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn a back alley in Tokyo, there is a café that has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. Local legend says that this shop offers something else besides coffee—the chance to travel back in time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith faces both familiar and new, \u003cem\u003eTales from the Cafe\u003c\/em\u003e follows the story of four patrons who visit to take advantage of café Funiculi Funicula's time-traveling offer and revisit moments with family, friends and lovers. Each one must face up to the past to move on with their lives.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKawaguchi's wistful and heartwarming new novel once again invites the reader to ask themselves, \"What would you do if you could travel back in time?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMeet more wonderful characters in the rest of the captivating \u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eseries: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e (Book 1)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eTales from the Cafe \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 2)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore Your Memory Fades \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 3)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore We Say Goodbye \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 4)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore We Forget Kindness \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 5)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e - Boxed Set (Books 1-3)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46159285223601,"sku":"9781335630988","price":26.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46159285256369,"sku":"89c85ae5-bfe8-30f6-85c9-ad68db49dd23","price":17.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_872f68df-4497-4490-84dd-9410a0d5e156.jpg?v=1764373578"},{"product_id":"well-prescribe-you-a-cat","title":"We'll Prescribe You a Cat","description":"\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eUSA Today \u003c\/i\u003eBestseller\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA cat a day keeps the doctor away…\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDiscover the award-winning, bestselling Japanese novel that has become an international sensation in this utterly charming, vibrant celebration of the healing power of cats.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTucked away in an old building at the end of a narrow alley in Kyoto, the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul can only be found by people who are struggling in their lives and genuinely need help. The mysterious clinic offers a unique treatment to those who find their way there: it prescribes cats as medication. Patients are often puzzled by this unconventional prescription, but when they “take” their cat for the recommended duration, they witness profound transformations in their lives, guided by the playful, empathetic, occasionally challenging yet endearing cats.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThroughout the pages, the power of the human-animal bond is revealed as a disheartened businessman finds unexpected joy in physical labor, a young girl navigates the complexities of elementary school cliques, a middle-aged man struggles to stay relevant at work and home, a hardened bag designer seeks emotional balance, and a geisha finds herself unable to move on from the memory of her lost cat. As the clinic’s patients navigate their inner turmoil and seek resolution, their feline companions lead them toward healing, self-discovery, and newfound hope.","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46160173236401,"sku":"9780593818749","price":34.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46160173269169,"sku":"84f373e1-da57-3b84-8d4e-6976649edf87","price":16.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_81d12af4-460e-4982-9697-57af688a4dcd.jpg?v=1764404650"},{"product_id":"norwegian-wood-1","title":"Norwegian Wood (Movie Tie-in Edition)","description":"A special movie-tie in edition for the long-awaited film release based on this beloved novel by Haruki Murakami: the story of one college student's romantic coming-of-age, a journey to that distant place of a young man's first, hopeless, and heroic love.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eToru, a quiet and preternaturally serious young college student in Tokyo, is devoted to Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman, but their mutual passion is marked by the tragic death of their best friend years before.  Toru begins to adapt to campus life and the loneliness and isolation he faces there, but Naoko finds the pressures and responsibilities of life unbearable.  As she retreats further into her own world, Toru finds himself reaching out to others and drawn to a fiercely independent and sexually liberated young woman.","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (2012)","offer_id":46162984239281,"sku":"9780307950628","price":22.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Paperback (2000)","offer_id":46162984206513,"sku":"9780375704024","price":27.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46162984272049,"sku":"936dbf9d-5c4f-4a77-a8eb-f7edafb9bac6","price":14.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_bdbc294b-d5f4-4010-ab24-2d31057a1027.jpg?v=1763719192"},{"product_id":"tokyo-ueno-station-national-book-award-winner","title":"Tokyo Ueno Station (National Book Award Winner): A Novel","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eWINNER OF THE 2020 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN TRANSLATED LITERATURE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eA\u003ci\u003e NEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA surreal, devastating story of a homeless ghost who haunts one of Tokyo's busiest train stations.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKazu is dead. Born in Fukushima in 1933, the same year as the Japanese Emperor, his life is tied by a series of coincidences to the Imperial family and has been shaped at every turn by modern Japanese history. But his life story is also marked by bad luck, and now, in death, he is unable to rest, doomed to haunt the park near Ueno Station in Tokyo. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKazu's life in the city began and ended in that park; he arrived there to work as a laborer in the preparations for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and ended his days living in the vast homeless village in the park, traumatized by the destruction of the 2011 tsunami and shattered by the announcement of the 2020 Olympics.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThrough Kazu's eyes, we see daily life in Tokyo buzz around him and learn the intimate details of his personal story, how loss and society's inequalities and constrictions spiraled towards this ghostly fate, with moments of beauty and grace just out of reach. A powerful masterwork from one of Japan's most brilliant outsider writers, \u003ci\u003eTokyo Ueno Station\u003c\/i\u003e is a book for our times and a look into a marginalized existence in a shiny global megapolis.","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46162943082673,"sku":"9780593187524","price":24.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46162943115441,"sku":"9780593088029","price":34.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46162943148209,"sku":"a759d7e6-55b7-3fcc-89c0-9745b9d04a76","price":7.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_8e57b4cb-b30b-41e2-a514-131e48a9823c.jpg?v=1764385896"},{"product_id":"first-person-singular","title":"First Person Singular: Stories","description":"\u003cb\u003eAN INSTANT \u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e BESTSELLER \u0026amp; EDITORS' CHOICE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA riveting new collection of short stories from the beloved, internationally acclaimed Haruki Murakami.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThese eight stories, all told in the first person, showcase Haruki  Murakami’s reality-bending skills at their very finest. From memories of  youth, meditations on music, and an ardent love of baseball to  dreamlike scenarios and imaginary jazz albums, together these tales  challenge the boundary between the mind and the real world. Here we  encounter men having a beer with a talking monkey, analyzing tanka poems  written by a former lover, and in the throes of Beatlemania.  And,  occasionally, a narrator who may or may not be Murakami himself.  Philosophical and mysterious, the stories in \u003ci\u003eFirst Person Singular\u003c\/i\u003e all touch beautifully on love and solitude, childhood and memory . . . with a signature Murakami twist.","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46163583172785,"sku":"9780385696166","price":22.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46163583205553,"sku":"9780385696142","price":34.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46163583238321,"sku":"c646323a-a0af-3e42-a313-0bd829f53824","price":7.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_1cbf3fcd-d216-47d2-a48e-a9bd2308c99c.jpg?v=1763638199"},{"product_id":"days-at-the-morisaki-bookshop","title":"Days at the Morisaki Bookshop: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe wise and charming international bestseller and hit Japanese movie—about a young woman who loses everything but finds herself—a cozy fiction tale of new beginnings, romantic and family relationships, and the comfort that can be found in books. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwenty-five-year-old Takako has enjoyed a relatively easy existence—until the day her boyfriend Hideaki, the man she expected to wed, casually announces he’s been cheating on her and is marrying the other woman. Suddenly, Takako’s life is in freefall. She loses her job, her friends, and her acquaintances, and spirals into a deep depression. In the depths of her despair, she receives a call from her distant uncle Satoru.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn unusual man who has always pursued something of an unconventional life, especially after his wife Momoko left him out of the blue five years earlier, Satoru runs a second-hand bookshop—a true haven for anyone who loves books about books—in Jimbocho, Tokyo’s famous book district. Takako once looked down upon Satoru’s life. Now, she reluctantly accepts his offer of the tiny room above the bookshop rent-free in exchange for helping out at the store. The move is temporary, until she can get back on her feet. But on her healing journey in the months that follow, Takako surprises herself when she develops a passion for Japanese literature, becomes a regular at a local coffee shop where she makes new friends, and eventually meets a young editor from a nearby publishing house who’s going through his own messy breakup.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut just as she begins to find joy again, Hideaki reappears, forcing Takako to rely once again on her uncle, whose own life has begun to unravel. Together, this unlikely found family of seeming opposites work to understand each other and themselves as they continue to share the wisdom they’ve gained in the bookshop.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTranslated By Eric Ozawa\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46165390164145,"sku":"9780063278677","price":21.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46165390196913,"sku":"c94edc92-5e4f-33da-81e2-f916a74a613d","price":11.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_5f89ad37-8af4-4f0e-8d0e-7a2610c18bfb.jpg?v=1763603455"},{"product_id":"paul-celan-and-the-trans-tibetan-angel","title":"Paul Celan and the Trans-Tibetan Angel","description":"\u003cp\u003ePatrik, who sometimes calls himself “the patient,” is a literary researcher living in present-day Berlin. The city is just coming back to life after lockdown, and his beloved opera houses are open again, but Patrik cannot leave the house and hardly manages to get out of bed. When he shaves his head, his girlfriend scolds him, “What have you done to your head? I don’t want to be with a prisoner from a concentration camp!” He is supposed to give a paper at a conference in Paris, on the poetry collection \u003cem\u003eThreadsuns\u003c\/em\u003e by Paul Celan, but he can’t manage to get past the first question on the registration form: “What is your nationality?” Then at a café (or in the memory of being at a café?), he meets a mysterious stranger. The man’s name is Leo-Eric Fu, and somehow he already knows Patrik…\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn the spirit of imaginative homage like Roberto Bolaño’s \u003cem\u003eMonsieur Pain\u003c\/em\u003e, Antonio Tabucchi’s \u003cem\u003eRequiem\u003c\/em\u003e, and Thomas Bernhard’s \u003cem\u003eWittgenstein’s Nephew\u003c\/em\u003e, Yoko Tawada’s mesmerizing new novel unfolds like a lucid dream in which friendship, conversation, reading, poetry, and music are the connecting threads that bind us together.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46166427861169,"sku":"9780811234870","price":22.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46166427893937,"sku":"cda69499-7a75-35da-894b-4d41287a984b","price":17.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_645172e8-f5a0-4264-8610-8a90154bf2b8.jpg?v=1763679155"},{"product_id":"the-guest-cat","title":"The Guest Cat","description":"\u003cp\u003eA bestseller in France and winner of Japan’s Kiyama Shohei Literary Award, \u003cem\u003eThe Guest Cat\u003c\/em\u003e, by the acclaimed poet Takashi Hiraide, is a subtly moving and exceptionally beautiful novel about the transient nature of life and idiosyncratic but deeply felt ways of living. A couple in their thirties live in a small rented cottage in a quiet part of Tokyo; they work at home, freelance copy-editing; they no longer have very much to say to one another. But one day a cat invites itself into their small kitchen. It leaves, but the next day comes again, and then again and again. Soon they are buying treats for the cat and enjoying talks about the animal and all its little ways. Life suddenly seems to have more promise for the husband and wife — the days have more light and color. The novel brims with new small joys and many moments of staggering poetic beauty, but then something happens….\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eAs Kenzaburo Oe has remarked, Takashi Hiraide’s work \"really shines.\" His poetry, which is remarkably cross-hatched with beauty, has been acclaimed here for \"its seemingly endless string of shape-shifting objects and experiences,whose splintering effect is enacted via a unique combination of speed and minutiae.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46166427533489,"sku":"9780811221504","price":22.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46166427566257,"sku":"681af92c-d634-3c31-b18f-ef6a6b2d914e","price":17.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_b3efd8fc-00d3-404b-abe4-d7afe963d157.jpg?v=1763679148"},{"product_id":"more-days-at-the-morisaki-bookshop","title":"More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn this charming and emotionally resonant follow up to the internationally bestselling \u003cem\u003eDays at the Morisaki Bookshop\u003c\/em\u003e, Satoshi Yagisawa paints a poignant and thoughtful portrait of life, love, and how much books and bookstores mean to the people who love them.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSet again in the beloved Japanese bookshop and nearby coffee shop in the Jimbochi neighborhood of Toyko, \u003cem\u003eMore Days at the Morisaki Bookshop\u003c\/em\u003e deepens the relationship between Takako, her uncle Satoru , and the people in their lives. A new cast of heartwarming regulars have appeared in the shop, including an old man who wears the same ragged mouse-colored sweater and another who collects books solely for the official stamps with the author’s personal seal.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSatoshi Yagisawa illuminates the everyday relationships between people that are forged and grown through a shared love of books. Characters leave and return, fall in and out of love, and some eventually die. As time passes, Satoru, with Takako’s help, must choose whether to keep the bookshop open or shutter its doors forever. Making the decision will take uncle and niece on an emotional journey back to their family’s roots and remind them again what a bookstore can mean to an individual, a neighborhood, and a whole culture.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46165386592433,"sku":"9780063278714","price":21.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46165386625201,"sku":"b22dc6ae-2740-3207-934c-9cdee71b9a7e","price":11.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_45174846-dfb0-4ec3-bde5-04a1b055f8d0.jpg?v=1757127206"},{"product_id":"kitchen","title":"Kitchen","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Ms. Yoshimoto's writing is lucid, earnest and disarming. ... [It] seizes hold of the reader's sympathy and refuses to let go.\" -Michiko Kakutani, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith the publication of \u003ci\u003eKitchen,\u003c\/i\u003e the dazzling English-language debut that is still her best-loved book, the literary world realized that Yoshimoto was a young writer of enduring talent whose work has quickly earned a place among the best of contemporary Japanese literature. \u003ci\u003eKitchen\u003c\/i\u003e is an enchantingly original book that juxtaposes two tales about mothers, love, tragedy, and the power of the kitchen and home in the lives of a pair of free-spirited young women in contemporary Japan. Mikage, the heroine, is an orphan raised by her grandmother, who has passed away. Grieving, Mikage is taken in by her friend Yoichi and his mother (who is really his cross-dressing father) Eriko. As the three of them form an improvised family that soon weathers its own tragic losses, Yoshimoto spins a lovely, evocative tale with the kitchen and the comforts of home at its heart.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn a whimsical style that recalls the early Marguerite Duras, \"Kitchen\" and its companion story, \"Moonlight Shadow,\" are elegant tales whose seeming simplicity is the ruse of a very special writer whose voice echoes in the mind and the soul.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46166389031089,"sku":"9780802142443","price":26.5,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46166389063857,"sku":"edfcd337-e267-3f70-a899-59323748e231","price":15.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_ee08045c-5ec9-45cc-adc9-331d01ebef2f.jpg?v=1763718234"},{"product_id":"self-portraits","title":"Self-Portraits: Stories","description":"\u003cp\u003e“Art dies the moment it acquires authority.” So said Japan’s quintessential rebel writer Osamu Dazai, who, disgusted with the hypocrisy of every kind of establishment, from the nation’s obsolete aristocracy to its posturing, warmongering generals, went his own way, even when that meant his death—and the death of others. Faced with pressure to conform, he declared his individuality to the world—in all its self-involved, self-conscious, and self-hating glory. “Art,” he wrote, “is ‘I.’”\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn these short stories, collected and translated by Ralph McCarthy, we can see just how closely Dazai’s life mirrored his art, and vice versa, as the writer\/narrator falls from grace, rises to fame, and falls again. Addiction, debt, shame, and despair dogged Dazai until his self-inflicted death, and yet despite all the lies and deception he resorted to in life, there is an almost fanatical honesty to his writing. And that has made him a hero to generations of readers who see laid bare, in his works, the painful, impossible contradictions inherent in the universal commandment of social life—\u003cem\u003efit in and do as you are told\u003c\/em\u003e—as well as the possibility, however desperate, of defiance.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eLong out of print, these stories will be a revelation to the legions of new fans of \u003cem\u003eNo Longer Human\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Setting Sun\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eThe Flowers of Buffoonery\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46166429597873,"sku":"9780811232265","price":24.5,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46166429630641,"sku":"492eefd2-9084-3193-ba2d-70a86221cfcd","price":18.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_73d20928-f650-45be-8fb6-15f1731ced0a.jpg?v=1764393919"},{"product_id":"suggested-in-the-stars","title":"Suggested in the Stars","description":"\u003cp\u003eIt’s hard to believe there could be a more enjoyable novel than \u003cem\u003eScattered All Over the Earth\u003c\/em\u003e—Yoko Tawada’s rollicking, touching, cheerfully dystopian novel about friendship and climate change—but surprising her readers is what Tawada does best: its sequel, \u003cem\u003eSuggested in the Stars\u003c\/em\u003e, delivers exploits even more poignant and shambolic.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eAs Hiruko—whose Land of Sushi has vanished into the sea and who is still searching for someone who speaks her mother tongue—and her new friends travel onward, they begin opening up to one another in new and extraordinary ways. They try to help their friend Susanoo regain his voice, both for his own good and so he can speak with Hiruko—and amid many often hilarious misunderstandings (some linguistic in nature)—they empower each other against despair.  Coping with carbon footprint worries but looping singly and in pairs, they hitchhike, take late-night motorcycle rides, and hop on the train (learning about railway strikes but also packed-train-yoga) to convene in Copenhagen. There they find Susanoo in a strange hospital working with a scary speech-loss doctor.  In the half-basement of this weird medical center (with strong echoes of Lars von Trier’s 1990s TV series \u003cem\u003eThe Kingdom\u003c\/em\u003e), they also find two special kids washing dishes. They discover magic radios, personality swaps, ship tickets delivered by a robot, and other gifts. But friendship—loaning one another the nerve and heart to keep going—sets them all (and the reader) to dreaming of something more... \u003cem\u003eSuggested in the Stars\u003c\/em\u003e delivers new delights, and Yoko Tawada’s famed new trilogy will conclude in 2025 with \u003cem\u003eArchipelago of the Sun\u003c\/em\u003e, even if nobody will ever want this “strange, exquisite” (\u003cem\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/em\u003e) trip to end.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46166428582065,"sku":"9780811237932","price":25.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46166428614833,"sku":"78813aac-d984-35da-85d5-53649433f886","price":19.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_1a10a976-2e6c-4929-8376-a50af006a260.jpg?v=1763714270"},{"product_id":"the-blanket-cats","title":"The Blanket Cats","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"Utterly charming . . . I would read a hundred of these stories.\" —Shelby Van Pelt, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eRemarkably Bright Creatures\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSeven struggling customers are given the unique opportunity to take home a \"blanket cat\" . . . but only for three days, the time it’ll take to change their lives.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA peculiar pet shop in Tokyo has been known to offer customers the unique opportunity to take home one of seven special cats, whose \"magic\" is never promised, but always received. But there are rules: these cats must be returned after three days. They must eat only the food supplied by the owner, and they must travel to their new homes with a distinctive blanket. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Blanket Cats\u003c\/i\u003e, we meet seven customers, each of whom is hoping a temporary feline companion will help them escape a certain reality, including a couple struggling with infertility, a middle-aged woman on the run from the police, and two families in very different circumstances simply seeking joy. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut like all their kind, the \"blanket cats\" are mysterious creatures with unknowable agendas, who delight in confounding expectations. And perhaps what their hosts are looking for isn't really what they need. \u003cb\u003eThree days may not be enough to change a life. But it might just change how you see it.\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46166170501297,"sku":"9780593852699","price":37.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46166170534065,"sku":"b3c02cd5-8def-3860-b278-8b85bc842a1e","price":16.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_4211b02f-9828-4c88-b758-b4d33cc1d44a.jpg?v=1763716245"},{"product_id":"the-emissary","title":"The Emissary","description":"\u003cp\u003eJapan, after suffering from a massive irreparable disaster, cuts itself off from the world. Children are so weak they can barely stand or walk: the only people with any get-go are the elderly. Mumei lives with his grandfather Yoshiro, who worries about him constantly. They carry on a day-to-day routine in what could be viewed as a post-Fukushima time, with all the children born ancient—frail and gray-haired, yet incredibly compassionate and wise. Mumei may be enfeebled and feverish, but he is a beacon of hope, full of wit and free of self-pity and pessimism. Yoshiro concentrates on nourishing Mumei, a strangely wonderful boy who offers “the beauty of the time that is yet to come.”\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eA delightful, irrepressibly funny book, \u003cem\u003eThe Emissary\u003c\/em\u003e is filled with light. Yoko Tawada, deftly turning inside-out “the curse,” defies gravity and creates a playful joyous novel out of a dystopian one, with a legerdemain uniquely her own.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46166427926705,"sku":"9780811227629","price":24.5,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46166427959473,"sku":"7ec553ea-7d8f-360d-bb49-575097878f47","price":18.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_94c8b2b7-9cbf-4320-a59c-d11fe139119d.jpg?v=1764393918"},{"product_id":"scattered-all-over-the-earth","title":"Scattered All Over the Earth","description":"Welcome to the not-too-distant future: Japan, having vanished from the face of the earth, is now remembered as “the land of sushi.” Hiruko, its former citizen and a climate refugee herself, has a job teaching immigrant children in Denmark with her invented language Panska (Pan-Scandinavian): “homemade language. no country to stay in. three countries I experienced. insufficient space in brain. so made new language. homemade language.”\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eAs she searches for anyone who can still speak her mother tongue, Hiruko soon makes new friends. Her troupe travels to France, encountering an umami cooking competition; a dead whale; an ultra-nationalist named Breivik; unrequited love; Kakuzo robots; red herrings; uranium; an Andalusian matador. Episodic and mesmerizing scenes flash vividly along, and soon they’re all next off to Stockholm.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eWith its intrepid band of companions, \u003cem\u003eScattered All Over the Earth\u003c\/em\u003e (the first novel of a trilogy) may bring to mind \u003cem\u003eAlice’s Adventures in Wonderland\u003c\/em\u003e or a surreal \u003cem\u003eWind in the Willows\u003c\/em\u003e, but really is just another sui generis Yoko Tawada masterwork.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46166429663409,"sku":"9780811229289","price":25.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46166429696177,"sku":"d91c0546-b732-318f-9550-9d0e00ae440d","price":19.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_075f4858-4a12-4f79-8434-339af916062a.jpg?v=1763679153"},{"product_id":"the-goodbye-cat","title":"The Goodbye Cat","description":"\u003cb\u003eIn this delightful and touching follow-up to the internationally bestselling \u003ci\u003eTravelling Cat Chronicles\u003c\/i\u003e, seven felines teach their humans about love, loss, and the art of facing the inevitable—the perfect gift for every cat lover.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlready a bestseller in Japan, \u003ci\u003eThe Goodbye Cat\u003c\/i\u003e is a collection of simple yet charming, funny, and often very moving tales (tails?) woven by seven wise felines and their humans.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAgainst the backdrop of Japan's changing seasons, we meet Spin, a kitten rescued from the recycling bin, whose playful nature and simple needs teach an anxious father how to parent his own human baby; a colony of wild cats on a holiday island who show a young boy not to stand in nature’s way; a cat whose undying devotion to their charismatic but uncaring father enriches a family; and an elderly cat who hatches a plan to pass into the next world as a spirit so that he and his owner may be in each other’s lives for ever.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBursting with love and warmth, \u003ci\u003eThe Goodbye Cat\u003c\/i\u003e exquisitely explores the cycle of life and how, in different ways, the steadiness and devotion of a well-loved cat never lets us down. A joyous celebration of the wondrousness of cats and why we choose to share our lives with them.","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46166161227953,"sku":"9780735248670","price":29.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46166161260721,"sku":"af7cb737-f671-3ada-9125-2a201a54d1da","price":10.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_2f5c40a9-54e7-4fd9-8598-01a6a5c9c297.jpg?v=1763718207"},{"product_id":"the-full-moon-coffee-shop","title":"The Full Moon Coffee Shop: A Novel","description":"\u003cb\u003eNATIONAL BESTSELLER • Translated from the Japanese bestseller, a charming and magical novel that reminds us it’s never too late to follow our stars.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e“Mochizuki dazzles in her beautifully crafted contemporary fantasy debut. . . . This gentle fantasy is not to be missed.”—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly, \u003c\/i\u003estarred review (Best Books of the Year)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Japan, cats are a symbol of good luck. As the myth goes, if you are kind to them, they’ll one day return the favor. And if you are kind to the \u003ci\u003eright \u003c\/i\u003ecat, you might just find yourself invited to a mysterious coffee shop under a glittering Kyoto moon.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This particular coffee shop is like no other. It has no fixed location, no fixed hours, and it seemingly appears at random.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It’s also run by talking cats.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e While customers at the Full Moon Coffee Shop partake in cakes and coffees and teas, the cats also consult their star charts, offering cryptic wisdom, and letting them know where their lives veered off course.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Every person who visits the shop has been feeling more than a little lost. For a down-on-her-luck screenwriter, a romantically stuck movie director, a hopeful hairstylist, and a technologically challenged website designer, the coffee shop’s feline guides will set them back on their fated paths. For there \u003ci\u003eis \u003c\/i\u003ea very special reason the shop appeared to each of them . . .","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46166134030513,"sku":"9780593726822","price":32.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46166134063281,"sku":"19bfe8da-ef82-3325-ae94-a7c2708d251c","price":13.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_61c225f1-a472-40cd-8af2-1ea34fe971a8.jpg?v=1763718726"},{"product_id":"the-curious-kitten-at-the-chibineko-kitchen","title":"The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen: The beloved Japanese bestseller about a magical restaurant that will nourish your soul","description":"\u003cb\u003e*NOW ALSO AVAILABLE! The second book the series: \u003ci\u003eThe Calico Cat at the Chibineko Kitchen*\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Wonderful . . . A cozy, emotional gem . . . Each chapter is a quiet, healing moment, filled with food, memory and the comfort of cats.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Seattle Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eYour table awaits at the Chibineko Kitchen, where a soul-nourishing meal in the company of the resident kitten will transport you back in time to reunite with departed loved ones—for fans of \u003ci\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/i\u003e,\u003ci\u003e The Midnight Library\u003c\/i\u003e, and Studio Ghibli films like \u003ci\u003eSpirited Away\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn a remote seaside town outside of Tokyo, Kotoko makes her way along a seashell path, lured by whispers of an enigmatic restaurant whose kagezen, or traditional meals offered in remembrance of loved ones, promise a reunion with the departed. When a gust of wind lifts off her hat, she sees running after it a young man who looks like her recently deceased brother. But it’s not her brother; it’s Kai, the restaurant’s young chef, who returns her hat and brings her to the tiny establishment, where he introduces her to Chibi, the resident kitten, and serves her steaming bowls of simmered fish, rice, and miso soup—the exact meal her brother used to cook for her. As she takes her first delicious bite, the gulls outside fall silent, the air grows hazy, and Kotoko begins a magical journey of last chances and new beginnings.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003cb\u003eMenu\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNamero-don: Seasoned minced fish served on rice\u003cbr\u003eEasy omelette sandwich\u003cbr\u003eUmebishio: Pickled-plum jam\u003cbr\u003eSukiyaki-don: Beef hotpot, served over rice","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46165516320945,"sku":"9780143138617","price":24.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46165516353713,"sku":"64ca3f24-c88f-342b-b476-5a3fd33c3aa5","price":13.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_5cfaef13-eeb7-4d8d-aa2f-6099f6e42ba6.jpg?v=1763717287"},{"product_id":"what-you-are-looking-for-is-in-the-library","title":"What You Are Looking For Is in the Library: A Novel","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eTHE NATIONAL BESTSELLER  *  A \u003cem\u003eTIME \u003c\/em\u003eBEST\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003eBOOK OF THE YEAR  *  A \u003cem\u003eWASHINGTON POST\u003c\/em\u003e BEST FEEL GOOD BOOK OF YEAR\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor fans of \u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e, a charming, internationally bestselling Japanese novel about how the perfect book recommendation can change a readers’ life.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhat are you looking for?\u003c\/em\u003e So asks Tokyo’s most enigmatic librarian. For Sayuri Komachi is able to sense exactly what each visitor to her library is searching for and provide just the book recommendation to help them find it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA restless retail assistant looks to gain new skills, a mother tries to overcome demotion at work after maternity leave, a conscientious accountant yearns to open an antique store, a recently retired salaryman searches for newfound purpose.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Komachi’s unique book recommendations they will find just what they need to achieve their dreams. \u003cem\u003eWhat You Are Looking For Is in the Library\u003c\/em\u003e is about the magic of libraries and the discovery of connection. This inspirational tale shows how, by listening to our hearts, seizing opportunity and reaching out, we too can fulfill our lifelong dreams. Which book will you recommend?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFor more by Michiko Aoyama, look for:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat You Are Looking For Is in the Library Illustrated Edition\u003cbr\u003eMatcha on Monday\u003cbr\u003eHot Chocolate on Thursday\u003cbr\u003eThe Healing Hippo of Hinode Park\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46167490887857,"sku":"9781335005625","price":26.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46167490920625,"sku":"82f5fb49-2981-3e82-b45f-4134cc26cf06","price":15.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_14aecf1d-1897-4a8f-917e-0bf8e5104ae1.jpg?v=1764380780"},{"product_id":"before-we-say-goodbye","title":"Before We Say Goodbye: A Novel","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eThe fourth novel in the internationally bestselling Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe regulars at the magical Café Funiculi Funicula are well acquainted with its famous legend and extraordinary time-travel offer. Many patrons have reunited with old flames, made amends with estranged family and visited loved ones. But the journey is not without risks, and there are rules to follow. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the tradition of Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s sensational Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series, readers will once again be introduced to a new set of visitors: the husband with something important left to say; the woman who couldn't bid her dog farewell; the woman who couldn't answer a proposal; and the daughter who drove her father away.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFeaturing signature heartwarming characters and wistful storytelling, in the beautifully haunting \u003cem\u003eBefore We Say Goodbye\u003c\/em\u003e, Kawaguchi asks: Who would you visit if you could travel through time?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMeet more wonderful characters in the rest of the captivating \u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eseries: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e (Book 1)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eTales from the Cafe \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 2)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore Your Memory Fades \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 3)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore We Say Goodbye \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 4)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore We Forget Kindness \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 5)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e - Boxed Set (Books 1-3)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46167494918321,"sku":"9781335009111","price":26.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46167494951089,"sku":"a3669b23-46e3-3d83-a186-b3d36e76f8bb","price":17.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_bd168e7a-611d-40c4-9c6c-3ee9524ddfd1.jpg?v=1764373498"},{"product_id":"breasts-and-eggs","title":"Breasts And Eggs: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA BEST BOOK OF 2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eTIME Magazine\u003c\/em\u003e・\u003cem\u003eThe Atlantic\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e・\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBook Riot\u003c\/em\u003e・\u003cem\u003eElectric Literature\u003c\/em\u003e・\u003cem\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/em\u003e (Notable Book of the Year)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe story of three women by a writer hailed by Haruki Murakami as Japan’s most important contemporary novelist, WINNER OF THE AKUTAGAWA PRIZE.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eOn a sweltering summer day, Makiko travels from Osaka to Tokyo, where her sister Natsu lives. She is in the company of her daughter, Midoriko, who has lately grown silent, finding herself unable to voice the vague yet overwhelming pressures associated with adolescence. The story of these three women reunited in a working-class neighborhood of Tokyo is told through the gaze of Natsu—thirty years old, an aspiring writer, haunted by hardships endured in her youth. Over the course of their few days together in the capital, Midoriko’s silence will prove a catalyst for each woman to confront her fears and family secrets.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eOn yet another blistering summer’s day eight years later, Natsu, during a journey back to her native city, struggles with her own indeterminate identity as she confronts anxieties about growing old alone and childless. \u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eOne of Japan’s most important and best-selling writers, Mieko Kawakami mixes stylistic inventiveness, wry humor, and riveting emotional depth to tell a story of contemporary womanhood in Japan. \u003cem\u003eBreasts and Eggs\u003c\/em\u003e recounts the intimate journeys of three women on the path to finding peace and futures they can call their own.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e“Original and deeply moving…This book is a gift.”—\u003cstrong\u003eLaura van den Berg\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46168078188721,"sku":"9781609456702","price":29.5,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46168078221489,"sku":"3ed1f8cf-c642-3cc1-9a78-f2b4a9e62b10","price":17.59,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_b55e3c13-4f7a-4f81-a243-30539c05e14e.jpg?v=1763714764"},{"product_id":"before-your-memory-fades","title":"Before Your Memory Fades: A Novel","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eThe third novel in the international bestselling Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, following four new customers in a cafe where customers can travel back in time.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn the hillside of Mount Hakodate in northern Japan, Cafe Donna Donna is fabled for its dazzling views of Hakodate port. But that’s not all. Like the charming Tokyo cafe Funiculi Funicula, Cafe Donna Donna offers its customers the extraordinary experience of travelling through time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom the author of \u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eTales from the Cafe\u003c\/em\u003e comes another story of four new customers, each of whom is hoping to take advantage of the cafe's time-travelling offer. Among some familiar faces from Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s previous novels, readers will also be introduced to:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eA daughter who begrudges her deceased parents for leaving her orphaned\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eA comedian who aches for his beloved and their shared dreams\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eA younger sister whose grief has become all-consuming\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eA young man who realizes his love for his childhood friend too late\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTranslated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot and featuring signature heart-warming characters and wistful storytelling, in \u003cem\u003eBefore Your Memory Fades\u003c\/em\u003e, Kawaguchi once again invites the reader to ask themselves: what would you change if you could travel back in time?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMeet more wonderful characters in the rest of the captivating \u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eseries: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e (Book 1)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eTales from the Cafe \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 2)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore Your Memory Fades \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 3)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore We Say Goodbye \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 4)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore We Forget Kindness \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 5)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e - Boxed Set (Books 1-3)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46167510941873,"sku":"9781335429285","price":26.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46167510974641,"sku":"05d1ecea-a3a5-348d-a3b8-54d417787b86","price":17.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_4d877c36-f909-4817-80be-575a9ab587b5.jpg?v=1764373043"},{"product_id":"dead-end-memories","title":"Dead-End Memories: Stories","description":"\u003cb\u003eJapan’s internationally celebrated master storyteller returns with five stories of women on their way to healing that vividly portrays the blissful moments and everyday sorrows that surround us in everyday life\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA New York Times Notable Book\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \"This is a supremely hopeful book, one that feels important because it shows that happiness, while not always easy, is still a subject worthy of art.\" —Brandon Taylor, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFirst published in Japan in 2003 and never before published in the United States, \u003ci\u003eDead-End Memories\u003c\/i\u003e collects the stories of five women who, following sudden and painful events, quietly discover their ways back to recovery.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAmong the women we meet in \u003ci\u003eDead-End Memories\u003c\/i\u003e is one betrayed by her fiancé who finds a perfect refuge in an apartment above her uncle’s bar while seeking the real meaning of happiness. In “House of Ghosts,” the daughter of a yoshoku restaurant owner encounters the ghosts of a sweet elderly couple who haven’t yet realized that they’ve been dead for years. In “Tomo-chan’s Happiness,” an office worker who is a victim of sexual assault finally catches sight of the hope of romance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYoshimoto’s gentle, effortless prose reminds us that one true miracle can be as simple as having someone to share a meal with, and that happiness is always within us if only we take a moment to pause and reflect. Discover this collection of what Yoshimoto herself calls the “most precious work of my writing career.”","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46168182390961,"sku":"9781640096103","price":23.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46168182423729,"sku":"9781640093690","price":34.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46168182456497,"sku":"ea09de4e-421c-307d-bfbf-8091cb2301cd","price":17.59,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_c106e9ce-7aef-4752-b220-b21bffd8e25b.jpg?v=1763716248"},{"product_id":"before-the-coffee-gets-cold","title":"Before the Coffee Gets Cold: A Novel","description":"\u003cstrong\u003e*NOW AN \u003cem\u003eLA TIMES\u003c\/em\u003e BESTSELLER*\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e*AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER*\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe first book in the five million-copy bestselling magical realism series\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eIf you could go back in time, who would you want to meet?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn a small back alley of Tokyo, there is a café that has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. Local legend says that this shop offers something else besides coffee—the chance to travel back in time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOver the course of one summer, four customers visit the café in the hopes of making that journey. But time travel isn’t so simple, and there are rules that must be followed. Most important, the trip can last only as long as it takes for the coffee to get cold. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePrepare to meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the cafe’s time-travelling offer in order to:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003econfront the man who left them\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003ereceive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by Alzheimer's\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003esee their sister one last time, and\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003emeet the daughter they never got the chance to know.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHeartwarming, wistful, mysterious and delightfully quirky, Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s internationally bestselling novel explores the age-old question: What would you change if you could travel back in time?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMeet more wonderful characters in the rest of the captivating \u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eseries: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e (Book 1)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eTales from the Cafe \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 2)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore Your Memory Fades \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 3)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore We Say Goodbye \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 4)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore We Forget Kindness \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 5)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e - Boxed Set (Books 1-3)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46167515693233,"sku":"9781335430991","price":24.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46167515726001,"sku":"1c9db1d5-00cb-3925-9439-6f9458719dbc","price":14.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_12736a0b-807e-4fb7-a66a-eab41e609c61.jpg?v=1764372801"},{"product_id":"dragon-palace","title":"Dragon Palace","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIncluded in \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker's\u003c\/i\u003e Best Books of 2023\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eStories from a Japanese master of transformative fiction, where reality,\r\n myth, and human foibles meet shifting dimensions of gender, biology, \r\nand destiny.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom the bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eStrange Weather in Tokyo \u003c\/i\u003ecomes this otherworldly collection of eight stories, each a masterpiece of transformation, infused with humor, sex, and the universal search for love and beauty—in a world where the laws of time and space, and even species boundaries, don’t apply. Meet a shape-shifting con man, a goddess who uses sex to control her followers, an elderly man possessed by a fox spirit, a woman who falls in love with her 400-year-old ancestor, a kitchen god with three faces in a weasel-infested apartment block, moles who provide underground sanctuary for humans who have lost the will to live, a man nurtured through life by his seven extraordinary sisters, and a woman who is handed from husband to husband until she is finally able to return to the sea.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46168539627697,"sku":"9781737625353","price":29.5,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46168539660465,"sku":"689a7bfc-4487-3e41-9b08-8c3f0a25d7b7","price":10.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_bb502f8b-a407-47c3-aae4-86011742cdd4.jpg?v=1763546109"},{"product_id":"the-lantern-of-lost-memories","title":"The Lantern of Lost Memories","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom acclaimed Japanese author \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eSanaka Hiigari comes a heartwarming, life-affirming novel about a magical photo studio, where people go after they die to view key moments from their life—and relive one precious memory before they pass into the afterlife.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe hands and pendulum of the old wooden clock on the wall were motionless. Hirasaka cocked his head to listen, but the silence inside the photo studio was almost deafening. His leather shoes sank softly into the aging red carpet as he strode over to the arrangement of flowers on the counter and carefully adjusted the angle of the petals...\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e This is the story of the peculiar and magical photo studio owned by Mr. Hirasaka, a collector of antique cameras. In the dimly lit interior, a paper background is pulled down in front of a wall, and in front of it stands a single, luxurious chair with an armrest on one side. On a stand is a large bellows camera. On the left is the main studio; photos can also be taken in the courtyard.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Beyond its straightforward interior, however, is a secret. The studio is, in fact, the door to the afterlife, the place between life and death where those who have departed have a chance—one last time—to see their entire life flash before their eyes via Mr. Hirasaka's \"spinning lantern of memories.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e We meet Hatsue, a ninety-two year old woman who worked as a nursery teacher, the rowdy Waniguchi, a yakuza overseer in his life who is also capable of great compassion, and finally Mitsuru, a young girl who has died tragically young at the hands of abusive parents. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Sorting through the many photos of their lives, Mr. Hirasaka also offers guests a second gift: a chance to travel back in time to take a photo of one particular moment in their lives that they wish to cherish in a special way.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Full of charm and whimsy, \u003ci\u003eThe Lantern of Lost Memories\u003c\/i\u003e will sweep you away to a world of nostalgia, laughter, and love. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46167957209265,"sku":"9781538757437","price":33.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46167957242033,"sku":"9781538757444","price":23.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46167957274801,"sku":"96c52b22-7e99-3672-b399-2f104f474a23","price":1.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_cfc75053-85e3-4693-853c-e9c1434ac0c3.jpg?v=1764403020"},{"product_id":"the-forest-brims-over","title":"The Forest Brims Over: A Novel","description":"\u003cb\u003eA woman turns herself into a forest after long being co-opted to serve as the subject of her husband’s novels—this surrealist fable challenges traditional gender attitudes and exploitation in the literary world\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNowatari Rui has long been the subject of her husband’s novels, depicted as a pure woman who takes great pleasure in sex. With her privacy and identity continually stripped away, she has come to be seen by society first and foremost as the inspiration for her husband’s art. When a decade’s worth of frustrations reaches its boiling point, Rui consumes a bowl of seeds, and buds and roots begin to sprout all over her body. Instead of taking her to a hospital, her husband keeps her in an aquaterrarium, set to compose a new novel based on this unsettling experience. But Rui breaks away from her husband by growing into a forest—and in time, she takes over the entire city.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs fantasy and reality bleed together, \u003ci\u003eThe Forest Brims Over\u003c\/i\u003e challenges unconscious gender biases and explores the boundaries between art and exploitation—muse abuse—in the literary world.","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46168192057521,"sku":"9781640095373","price":23.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46168192090289,"sku":"47b156b3-7218-31ca-9916-1025d5556dff","price":18.39,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_e0739b03-22b5-4fa6-936c-331d4cf65f4b.jpg?v=1763716247"},{"product_id":"before-we-forget-kindness","title":"Before We Forget Kindness: A Novel","description":"\u003cstrong\u003e*NATIONAL BESTSELLER*\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the fifth book in the sensational, cozy \u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e series translated from Japanese, the mysterious café where customers arrive hoping to travel back in time welcomes four new guests:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eThe father who could not allow his daughter to get married\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eA woman who couldn't give Valentine's Day chocolates to her loved one\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eA boy who wants to show his smile to his divorced parents\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eA wife holding a child with no name . . .\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThey must follow the café's strict rules, however, and come back to the present before their coffee goes cold. Another moving and heartwarming tale from Toshikazu Kawaguchi, in \u003cem\u003eBefore We Forget Kindness\u003c\/em\u003e our new visitors wish to go back into their past to move on their present, finding closure and comfort so they can embark on a beautiful future.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMeet more wonderful characters in the rest of the captivating \u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eseries: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e (Book 1)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eTales from the Cafe \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 2)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore Your Memory Fades \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 3)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore We Say Goodbye \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 4)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore We Forget Kindness \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 5)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBefore I Knew I Loved You \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e(Book 6)\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e - Boxed Set (Books 1-3)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold - \u003c\/em\u003eBoxed Set (Books 1-6)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46167538335921,"sku":"9781335915283","price":26.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46167538368689,"sku":"87dc65ee-a4de-31fa-862b-9c844eb8b80b","price":17.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_6ea6aca5-c9fe-46e2-b86e-de71f10018d0.jpg?v=1763713705"},{"product_id":"the-thorn-puller","title":"The Thorn Puller","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWinner of the Sakutaro Hagiwara Prize and the Murasaki\r\nShikibu Prize\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCaught between two cultures, award-winning author Hiromi Ito tackles subjects like aging, death, and suffering with dark humor, illuminating the bittersweet joys of being alive.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe first novel to appear in English by award-winning author Hiromi Ito explores the absurdities, complexities, and challenges experienced by a woman\r\ncaring for her two families: her husband and daughters in California and her aging\r\nparents in Japan. As the narrator shuttles back and forth between these two\r\nstarkly different cultures, she creates a powerful and entertaining narrative\r\nabout what it means to live and die in a globalized society.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIto has been described as a “shaman of poetry” because of her skill in allowing the voices of others to flow through her. Here she enriches her semi-autobiographical novel by channeling myriad voices drawn from Japanese folklore, poetry, literature, and pop culture. The result is a generic chimera—part poetry, part prose, part epic—a unique, transnational, polyvocal mode of storytelling. One throughline is a series of memories associated with the Buddhist bodhisattva Jizo, who helps to remove the “thorns” of human suffering.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46168542511281,"sku":"9781737625308","price":29.5,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46168542544049,"sku":"d9b7990b-832e-34e9-b25e-85a157911354","price":10.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_7b973662-23a0-4328-9f4b-9865e78db391.jpg?v=1763715247"},{"product_id":"goodnight-tokyo-1","title":"Goodnight Tokyo","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA symphony of interconnected lives that offers a compelling reflection on life in modern-day metropolises at the intersection of isolation and intimacy in Yoshida’s English-language debut\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSet over several nights, between the hours of 1:00 a.m. and 4:30 a.m., in and around Tokyo, this mind-blowingly constructed book is an elaborate, energetic fresco of human nocturnal existence in all its mystery, an enigmatic literary mix of Agatha Christie, Teju Cole, and Heironymous Bosch.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eOn this journey through the labyrinthine streets and hidden corners of one of the world’s most fascinating cities, everybody is searching for something, and maybe searching in the wrong places. Elements of the fantastical and the surreal abound, as they tend to do in the early pre-dawn hours of the morning, yet the settings, the human stories, and each character’s search are all as real as can be.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGoodnight Tokyo \u003c\/em\u003eoffers readers a unique and intimate take on Tokyo as seen through the eyes of a large cast of colorful characters. Their lives, as disparate and as far apart as they may seem, are in fact intricately interconnected, and their fates converge against the backdrop of the city’s neon-lit streets and quiet alleyways. In his English-language debut, Yoshida masterfully portrays in captivating and lyrical prose the complexities of human relationships, the mystery of human connection, and the universal quest for meaning.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46171434582193,"sku":"9798889660279","price":27.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46818949431506,"sku":"f687939b-5855-38c5-8f20-afa046bc5420","price":2.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_8a6e5134-8b29-4848-9b64-c9297a89927a.jpg?v=1763713671"},{"product_id":"strange-weather-in-tokyo","title":"Strange Weather in Tokyo: A Novel","description":"\u003cb\u003eAN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER\u003cbr\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN ASIAN LITERARY PRIZE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Simply and earnestly told, this is a profound exploration of human connection and the ways love can be found in surprising new places.” —BuzzFeed\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTsukiko, thirty–eight, works in an office and lives alone. One night, she happens to meet one of her former high school teachers, \"Sensei,\" in a local bar. Tsukiko had only ever called him \"Sensei\" (\"Teacher\"). He is thirty years her senior, retired, and presumably a widower. Their relationship develops from a perfunctory acknowledgment of each other as they eat and drink alone at the bar, to a hesitant intimacy which tilts awkwardly and poignantly into love.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs Tsukiko and Sensei grow to know and love one another, time's passing is marked by author Hiromi Kawakami's gentle hints at the changing seasons: from warm sake to chilled beer, from the buds on the trees to the blooming of the cherry blossoms. A moving, funny, and immersive tale of modern Japan and old–fashioned romance, \u003ci\u003eStrange Weather in Tokyo\u003c\/i\u003e is a masterwork by one of Japan's most beloved writers working today.","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46175114330289,"sku":"9781640090163","price":23.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46175114363057,"sku":"dcd62084-049b-3221-8311-4be51f6d289d","price":17.59,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_136ab2f6-6df7-45a5-b67b-3a4505bc45b6.jpg?v=1763716252"},{"product_id":"slow-boat","title":"Slow Boat","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA startling novella from the heir to Haruki Murakami and Gabriel García Márquez\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTrapped in Tokyo, left behind by a series of girlfriends, the narrator of \u003ci\u003eSlow Boat\u003c\/i\u003e sizes up his situation. His missteps, his violent rebellions, his tiny victories. But he is not a passive loser, content to accept all that fate hands him. He attempts one last escape to the edges of the city, holding the only safety net he has known - his dreams.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFilled with lyrical longing and humour, \u003ci\u003eSlow Boat\u003c\/i\u003e captures perfectly the urge to get away and the necessity of finding yourself in a world which might never even be looking for you.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (2024)","offer_id":46208647069906,"sku":"9781805331414","price":21.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback (2017)","offer_id":46208647102674,"sku":"9781782273288","price":18.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46208647135442,"sku":"c5e4b985-147a-3915-9c6c-7c7b3ecfb8ce","price":15.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_5e4d8c64-a2e4-4a53-a87d-8d4b47484fe0.jpg?v=1764387478"},{"product_id":"the-strange-library","title":"The Strange Library","description":"\u003cb\u003eFully illustrated and beautifully designed, this is a unique and wonderfully creepy tale that is sure to delight Murakami fans.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"All I did was go to the library to borrow some books.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn his way home from school, the young narrator of \u003ci\u003eThe Strange Library\u003c\/i\u003e finds himself wondering how taxes were collected in the Ottoman Empire. He pops into the local library to see if it has a book on the subject. This is his first mistake.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLed to a special 'reading room' in a maze under the library by a strange old man, he finds himself imprisoned with only a sheep man, who makes excellent donuts, and a girl, who can talk with her hands, for company. His mother will be worrying why he hasn't returned in time for dinner and the old man seems to have an appetite for eating small boys' brains. How will he escape?","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46232007868626,"sku":"9780385683142","price":30.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46232007901394,"sku":"a7f8ae80-fa02-3715-a221-34d886bf6128","price":9.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_299767c9-fe7f-4f3b-b32f-d123507e1603.jpg?v=1763637784"},{"product_id":"how-do-you-live-1","title":"How Do You Live?","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe inspiration behind the Academy Award-winning Studio Ghibli film, \u003ci\u003eThe Boy and the Heron\u003c\/i\u003e — Anime master Hayao Miyazaki's favorite childhood book and a beloved Japanese classic, this uplifting coming-of-age story brings philosophy, history and wonder together, available in English for the first time.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe streets of Tokyo swarm below fifteen-year-old Copper as he gazes out into the city of his childhood. Struck by the thought of the infinite people whose lives play out alongside his own, he begins to wonder, \u003ci\u003ehow do you live?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eConsidering life's biggest questions for the first time after the death of his father, Copper turns to his dear uncle for heart-warming wisdom. As the old man guides the boy on a journey of philosophical discovery, a timeless tale unfolds, offering a poignant reflection on what it means to be human. But when Copper betrays one of his new friends, how will he ask for forgiveness — and how can he forgive himself?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eHow Do You Live?\u003c\/i\u003e is the transformative story of a young man who, like his namesake Copernicus, looks to the stars and uses his discoveries to answer the question of what kind of person he will grow up to be—and the inspiration behind Hayao Miyazaki's Academy Award-winning film \u003ci\u003eThe Boy and the Heron\u003c\/i\u003e.","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46235484520658,"sku":"9780735271883","price":23.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46235484553426,"sku":"1dad7bcd-5adc-3af1-a301-49a18aea701b","price":11.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_ef3f2b52-2f28-4367-b3b1-53b6430d6852.jpg?v=1762424718"},{"product_id":"this-is-amiko-do-you-copy","title":"This is Amiko, Do You Copy?","description":"\u003cb\u003eA surprising and moving novella about a misunderstood neurodivergent girl from one of Japan's most acclaimed young writers, the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Woman in the Purple Skirt\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA sensitive and tender depiction of belonging and neurodivergence, perfect for fans of \u003ci\u003eConvenience Store Woman\u003c\/i\u003e and the off-kilter novels of Ottessa Moshfegh\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOther people don’t seem to understand Amiko. Whether eating curry rice with her hands at school or peeking through the sliding doors at her mother’s calligraphy class, her curious, exuberant nature mostly meets with confusion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen her mother falls into a depression and her brother begins spending all his time with a motorcycle gang, Amiko is left increasingly alone to navigate a world where she doesn’t quite fit.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSubtle, tender and moving, \u003ci\u003eThis is Amiko\u003c\/i\u003e shows us life through the eyes of a unique, irrepressible, neurodivergent young character.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eThe Woman in the Purple Skirt:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e“[It] will keep you firmly in its grip.” — Oyinkan Braithwaite, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eMy Sister, the Serial Killer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e“The love child of Eugene Ionesco and Patricia Highsmith.” — Kelly Link, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eGet in Trouble\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e“A taut and compelling depiction of loneliness.” — Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Girl on the Train\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46258354225362,"sku":"9781782279792","price":19.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46258354258130,"sku":"112abd35-b676-3059-9841-47cbf30bebbf","price":12.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_9868bb09-827f-4050-acca-73be74d5cb7b.jpg?v=1764407763"},{"product_id":"she-and-her-cat-1","title":"She and Her Cat: Stories","description":"\u003cb\u003eFor fans of Mieko Kawakami’s \u003ci\u003eBreasts and Eggs\u003c\/i\u003e and Murata Sayaka’s \u003ci\u003eEarthlings\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e, this Japanese bestseller from renowned anime director Makoto Shinkai features four inspirational and heartwarming vignettes following women and their cats in their quests for love and connection.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLying alone on the edge of the sidewalk in an abandoned cardboard box, a nameless narrator contemplates the indifferent world around him. With his mother long gone, his only company is the sound of the nearby train. Just as he fears that the end is near, a young woman peers down at him, this fateful encounter changing their lives forever.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eSo begins the first story in \u003ci\u003eShe and Her Cat\u003c\/i\u003e, a collection of four interrelated, stream-of-conscious short stories in which four women and their feline companions explore the frailty of life, the pain of isolation, and the limits of communication.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWith clever narration alternating between the cats and their owners, \u003ci\u003eShe and Her Cat\u003c\/i\u003e offers a unique and sly commentary on human foibles and our desire for connection. A whimsical short story anthology unlike any other, it effortlessly demonstrates that even in our darkest, most lonesome moments, we are still united to this wonderous world—often in ways we could never have expected.","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46278220513490,"sku":"9781982165758","price":24.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46278220546258,"sku":"6a8a4ab8-6edc-3b1a-99a2-e93d088faf38","price":18.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_45691590-f45a-4a70-a6f7-79160b38a172.jpg?v=1763544917"},{"product_id":"before-we-forget-kindness-indigo-exclusive-edition","title":"Before We Forget Kindness Indigo Exclusive Edition: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis Indigo Exclusive Edition features sprayed edges, special effects on the cover and beautifully designed endpapers.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the fifth book in the sensational Before the Coffee Gets Cold series translated from Japanese, the mysterious café where customers arrive hoping to travel back in time welcomes four new guests:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e- The father who could not allow his daughter to get married\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e - A woman who couldn't give Valentine's Day chocolates to her loved one\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e - A boy who wants to show his smile to his divorced parents\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e - A wife holding a child with no name . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThey must follow the café's strict rules, however, and come back to the present before their coffee goes cold. Another moving and heartwarming tale from Toshikazu Kawaguchi, in \u003cem\u003eBefore we forget kindness\u003c\/em\u003e our new visitors wish to go back into their past to move on their present, finding closure and comfort so they can embark on a beautiful future.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCatch up on the rest of the series with \u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold, Tales from the Cafe, Before Your Memory Fades\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eBefore We Say Goodbye.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Indigo Exclusive)","offer_id":46295340122322,"sku":"9781335009852","price":26.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_17b5b246-4f29-47e4-be5f-1aa3176b851e.jpg?v=1763678684"},{"product_id":"before-the-coffee-gets-cold-indigo-exclusive-edition","title":"Before the Coffee Gets Cold Indigo Exclusive Edition: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis Indigo Exclusive Edition will have an original essay from the author, special effects on the cover and beautiful designed endpapers.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e*NOW AN LA TIMES BESTSELLER*\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e*OVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD*\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e*AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER*\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eIf you could go back in time, who would you want to meet? \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn a small back alley of Tokyo, there is a café that has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. Local legend says that this shop offers something else besides coffee—the chance to travel back in time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOver the course of one summer, four customers visit the café in the hopes of making that journey. But time travel isn’t so simple, and there are rules that must be followed. Most important, the trip can last only as long as it takes for the coffee to get cold.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHeartwarming, wistful, mysterious and delightfully quirky, Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s internationally bestselling novel explores the age-old question: What would you change if you could travel back in time?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMeet more wonderful characters in the next captivating novel in the \u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e series, \u003cem\u003eBefore We Say Goodbye\u003c\/em\u003e! \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRead the rest of the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003eTales from the Cafe \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore Your Memory Fades\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Indigo Exclusive)","offer_id":46305031028946,"sku":"9781335910837","price":24.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_935f91f9-a101-42f0-a1dc-7b7e192130e7.jpg?v=1762745798"},{"product_id":"tales-from-the-cafe-indigo-exclusive-edition","title":"Tales from the Cafe Indigo Exclusive Edition: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis Indigo Exclusive Edition features special effects on the cover and beautifully designed endpapers.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the author of the international bestseller \u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e, this book follows four new customers who hope to travel back in time in a little Japanese café.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn a back alley in Tokyo, there is a café that has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. Local legend says that this shop offers something else besides coffee—the chance to travel back in time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith faces both familiar and new, \u003cem\u003eTales from the Cafe\u003c\/em\u003e follows the story of four patrons who visit to take advantage of café Funiculi Funicula's time-traveling offer and revisit moments with family, friends and lovers. Each one must face up to the past to move on with their lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKawaguchi's wistful and heartwarming new novel once again invites the reader to ask themselves, \"What would you do if you could travel back in time?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMeet more wonderful characters in the next captivating novel in the \u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e series, \u003cem\u003eBefore We Say Goodbye\u003c\/em\u003e!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRead the rest of the\u003cem\u003e Before the Coffee Gets Cold \u003c\/em\u003eseries:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore Your Memory Fades\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Indigo Exclusive)","offer_id":46324866875602,"sku":"9781335009883","price":26.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_ea126bec-56ef-41d0-b0b9-ff79468b5b5d.jpg?v=1763190841"},{"product_id":"before-the-coffee-gets-cold-3-book-box-set","title":"Before the Coffee Gets Cold 3-Book Box Set: A Toshikazu Kawaguchi Book Set","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eThe first three books in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series packaged together in a gorgeous box set.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat would you do if you could travel back in time? Discover the internationally bestselling novels of Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, now a worldwide phenomenon and BookTok sensation, in this special new box set. Step inside Tokyo’s whimsical Café Funiculi Funicula and travel back in time with a cast of unforgettable characters, including:\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/em\u003e estranged sisters, a newly pregnant customer, and the wife of a man with early onset Alzheimer’s\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eTales from the Café:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e a detective with a gift, a son with regrets, and a man chasing “the one who got away”\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore Your Memory Fades\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e: a comedian with big dreams, a grieving sister, and childhood lovers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor new and longtime fans alike, this boxed set is the perfect collection of heartwarming, uplifting tales that remind us we “don’t have to live burdened by regret” (\u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e). Translated from Japanese in the signature prose of Geoffrey Trousselot, each installment of this series brings new adventure that has captivated millions of readers around the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMeet more wonderful characters in the rest of the captivating \u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eseries: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e (Book 1)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eTales from the Cafe \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 2)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore Your Memory Fades \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 3)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore We Say Goodbye \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 4)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore We Forget Kindness \u003c\/em\u003e(Book 5)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e - Boxed Set (Books 1-3)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46335725142226,"sku":"9781335080080","price":78.97,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_72802e16-a5c0-4dda-b8ca-b00dbcaa79ef.jpg?v=1764387295"},{"product_id":"convenience-store-woman-1","title":"Convenience Store Woman: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eShortlisted for the Best Translated Book Award\u003cbr\u003e\r\nLonglisted for the \u003ci\u003eBeliever\u003c\/i\u003e Book Award\u003cbr\u003e\r\nLonglisted for the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation\u003cbr\u003e\r\nA \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e Bestseller\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe English-language debut of an exciting young voice in international fiction, selling 660,000 copies in Japan alone, \u003ci\u003eConvenience Store Woman\u003c\/i\u003e is a bewitching portrayal of contemporary Japan through the eyes of a single woman who fits into the rigidity of its work culture only too well.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe English-language debut of one of Japan’s most talented contemporary writers, selling over 650,000 copies there, \u003ci\u003eConvenience Store Woman \u003c\/i\u003eis the heartwarming and surprising story of thirty-six-year-old Tokyo resident Keiko Furukura. Keiko has never fit in, neither in her family, nor in school, but when at the age of eighteen she begins working at the Hiiromachi branch of “Smile Mart,” she finds peace and purpose in her life. In the store, unlike anywhere else, she understands the rules of social interaction—many are laid out line by line in the store’s manual—and she does her best to copy the dress, mannerisms, and speech of her colleagues, playing the part of a “normal” person excellently, more or less. Managers come and go, but Keiko stays at the store for eighteen years. It’s almost hard to tell where the store ends and she begins. Keiko is very happy, but the people close to her, from her family to her coworkers, increasingly pressure her to find a husband, and to start a proper career, prompting her to take desperate action… \u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e A brilliant depiction of an unusual psyche and a world hidden from view, \u003ci\u003eConvenience Store Woman\u003c\/i\u003e is an ironic and sharp-eyed look at contemporary work culture and the pressures to conform, as well as a charming and completely fresh portrait of an unforgettable heroine.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46354171494610,"sku":"9780802129628","price":26.5,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_591db67e-1efe-48f2-a8ac-9877d7766c2a.jpg?v=1763718232"},{"product_id":"before-your-memory-fades-indigo-exclusive-edition","title":"Before Your Memory Fades Indigo Exclusive Edition: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis Indigo Exclusive Edition features special effects on the cover and beautifully designed endpapers.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe third novel in the international bestselling Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, following four new customers in a cafe where customers can travel back in time.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn the hillside of Mount Hakodate in northern Japan, Cafe Donna Donna is fabled for its dazzling views of Hakodate port. But that’s not all. Like the charming Tokyo cafe Funiculi Funicula, Cafe Donna Donna offers its customers the extraordinary experience of travelling through time. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom the author of \u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eTales from the Cafe\u003c\/em\u003e comes another story of four new customers, each of whom is hoping to take advantage of the cafe's time-travelling offer. Among some familiar faces from Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s previous novels, readers will also be introduced to: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA daughter who begrudges her deceased parents for leaving her orphaned\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA comedian who aches for his beloved and their shared dreams\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA younger sister whose grief has become all-consuming\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA young man who realizes his love for his childhood friend too late \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTranslated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot and featuring signature heart-warming characters and wistful storytelling, in \u003cem\u003eBefore Your Memory Fades\u003c\/em\u003e, Kawaguchi once again invites the reader to ask themselves: what would you change if you could travel back in time? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMeet more wonderful characters in the next captivating novel in the \u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e series, \u003cem\u003eBefore We Say Goodbye\u003c\/em\u003e! \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRead the rest of the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore the Coffee Gets Cold\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003eTales from the Cafe\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Indigo Exclusive)","offer_id":46354216157394,"sku":"9781335009890","price":26.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_19d924f2-ef75-4809-8f9d-8973205d8480.jpg?v=1763191293"},{"product_id":"record-of-a-night-too-brief-1","title":"Record of a Night Too Brief","description":"\u003cb\u003e“Evocative... Astonishing, strange, and wonderful” – \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews \u003c\/i\u003e(starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA trio of surreal, dazzlingly imaginative short stories set in contemporary Japan that explore desire and loss, talking animals, and odd disappearances \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSensual, yearning, and filled with the tricks of memory and grief, from the celebrated author of \u003ci\u003eStrange Weather in Tokyo\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn these 3 haunting and lyrical stories, young women experience loss, loneliness, and extraordinary romance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe nightingale sang again. The plates on the table gleamed, and the food, in all its ceaseless variety, breathed, glossy and bright. The night had only just begun.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA woman travels through an unending night with a porcelain girlfriend, monsters of the mist and a monkey who shows no mercy. A sister mourns her brother, who is visible only to her, while her family welcome his would-be wife into their home. One morning, a woman treads on a snake in the park. She comes home that evening and realises the snake has moved into her house and is saying she is her mother…\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWinner of the Akutagawa Prize, Japan’s most prestigious literary award, the 3 stories in this collection:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e    Record of a Night Too Brief\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e    Missing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e    A Snake Stepped On\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003ereveal a highly surreal, meticulously crafted exploration of the many facets of desire, loss and fantasy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePart of Pushkin’s Japanese Novella series: stylishly designed editions of the best of contemporary Japanese fiction, featuring celebrated, prize-winning authors including Mieko Kawakami, Hideo Furukawa, Kaori Fujino and Natsuko Imamura.","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46373115101394,"sku":"9781805331407","price":21.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_1e2fd741-9d83-49b4-916a-49d3707b840d.jpg?v=1763632585"},{"product_id":"before-we-say-goodbye-indigo-exclusive-edition","title":"Before We Say Goodbye Indigo Exclusive Edition: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis Indigo Exclusive Edition features special effects on the cover and beautifully designed endpapers.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe fourth novel in the internationally bestselling Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe regulars at the magical Café Funiculi Funicula are well acquainted with its famous legend and extraordinary time-travel offer. Many patrons have reunited with old flames, made amends with estranged family and visited loved ones. But the journey is not without risks, and there are rules to follow.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the tradition of Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s sensational Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series, readers will once again be introduced to a new set of visitors: the husband with something important left to say; the woman who couldn't bid her dog farewell; the woman who couldn't answer a proposal; and the daughter who drove her father away. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFeaturing signature heartwarming characters and wistful storytelling, in the beautifully haunting \u003cem\u003eBefore We Say Goodbye\u003c\/em\u003e, Kawaguchi asks: Who would you visit if you could travel through time?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Indigo Exclusive)","offer_id":46383046459602,"sku":"9781335009876","price":26.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_c897e948-ec80-4db6-9036-ffdeb00af53e.jpg?v=1763190843"},{"product_id":"life-ceremony-1","title":"Life Ceremony: Stories","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe long-awaited first short story-collection by the author of the cult sensation \u003ci\u003eConvenience Store Woman\u003c\/i\u003e, tales of weird love, heartfelt friendships, and the unsettling nature of human existence\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith \u003ci\u003eLife Ceremony\u003c\/i\u003e, the incomparable Sayaka Murata is back with her first collection of short stories ever to be translated into English. In Japan, Murata is particularly admired for her short stories, which are sometimes sweet, sometimes shocking, and always imbued with an otherworldly imagination and uncanniness.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn these twelve stories, Murata mixes an unusual cocktail of humor and horror to portray both the loners and outcasts as well as turning the norms and traditions of society on their head to better question them. Whether the stories take place in modern-day Japan, the future, or an alternate reality is left to the reader’s interpretation, as the characters often seem strange in their normality in a frighteningly abnormal world. In “A First-Rate Material,” Nana and Naoki are happily engaged, but Naoki can’t stand the conventional use of deceased people’s bodies for clothing, accessories, and furniture, and a disagreement around this threatens to derail their perfect wedding day. “Lovers on the Breeze” is told from the perspective of a curtain in a child’s bedroom that jealously watches the young girl Naoko as she has her first kiss with a boy from her class and does its best to stop her. “Eating the City” explores the strange norms around food and foraging, while “Hatchling” closes the collection with an extraordinary depiction of the fractured personality of someone who tries too hard to fit in.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn these strange and wonderful stories of family and friendship, sex and intimacy, belonging and individuality, Murata asks above all what it means to be a human in our world and offers answers that surprise and linger.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46479169585362,"sku":"9780802161345","price":26.5,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_6087a058-25f9-47a1-b562-210a7035c7ee.jpg?v=1763635925"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.indigo.ca\/collections\/japanese-fiction-books.oembed","provider":"Indigo","version":"1.0","type":"link"}