La librera de Tokio: El año en que me encontré con setenta desconocidos y les recomendé los libros que cambiarían sus vidas

by Nanako Hanada, Vanesa Robles Gallardo (translator)

夫に別れを告げ家を飛び出し、宿無し生活。どん底人生まっしぐらの書店員・花田菜々子。仕事もうまく行かず、疲れた毎日を送る中、願うは「もっと知らない世界を知りたい。広い世界に出て、新しい自分になって、元気になりたい」。そんな彼女がふと思い立って登録したのが、出会い系サイト「X」。プロフィール欄に個性を出すため、悩みに悩んで書いた一言は、「今のあなたにぴったりな本を一冊選んでおすすめさせていただきます」———。

実際に出会った人達は魑魅魍魎。エロ目的の男、さわやかに虚言癖の男、笑顔がかわいい映像作家……時には自作ポエムを拝見し、かわいい女子に励まされ、優しい女性のコーチングに号泣しながら、今までの日常では絶対に会わなかったような人達に、毎日毎日「その人にぴったりの」本を紹介。え、もしかして、仕事よりもこっちが楽しい?!

サイトの中ではどんどん大人気になる菜々子。だがそこに訪れた転機とは……。
これは修行か? 冒険か? 「本」を通して笑って泣いた、衝撃の実録私小説!

Genres: Nonfiction, Japan, Memoir, Books About Books, Japanese Literature, Contemporary, Asian Literature

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 18, 2018

Reviews

[Alwynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nanako Hanada’s memoir was a huge hit in Japan, later adapted for TV, under its original title roughly translated as My Year of Using a Dating Site to Meet 70 Strangers in Real Life and Recommend Books I Thought Would Suit Them. It’s a highly readable account of reinvention, in January 2013, Nanako who was in her early thirties left her husband. A solitary bookworm whose job in a chain bookstore was increasingly frustrating as its ethos shifted from alternative to hyper-commercial, she felt adrift. So Nanako made, what was for her, a bold decision, she joined ‘PerfectStrangers’ a social networking site, advertising herself as someone who could match people with their ideal book.

At first Nanako’s profile seemed to attract pushy men intent on hookups or establishing a kind of friends with benefits situationship. But as time passed, Nanako began to make more positive connections, ones that put her in contact with a fascinating cross-section of Tokyo society. Her love of reading, her desire to share her enthusiasm, enabled her to communicate with strangers in ways she’d never imagined, particularly because she’d always seen herself as socially inept. Nanako’s memoir’s brief and fragmentary – it grew out of a series of magazine articles. But Nanako’s a surprisingly likeable narrator who constructs an interesting overview of life in Japan particularly for her generation of women: taking in subjects that range from café culture to the potential isolation of urban existence and the ways in which online interactions might offset that. It’s also an entertaining, convincing tribute to the power of traditional booksellers and to reading: from reviewing to reader communities. It comes with a comprehensive listing of the many books recommended by Nanako, a number of which I’m now desperate to track down. Translated by Cat Anderson.

Thanks to Netgalley and to publisher Brazen for an ARC

Rating: 3.5

[Sarah ~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bookshop Woman - Nanako Hanada


"إن أقوى وأبسط تزكية لكتاب هو أنك أنت نفسك قد قرأته واستمتعت بقراءته."
...



هذا كتاب وليس رواية-وكانت هذه مفاجأة لطيفة.
انفصلت الكاتبة ناناكو هانادا عن زوجها وتعيش فترة انتقالية في حياتها، بلا منزل، تعيش متنقلة بين عدة أماكن مؤقتة، وعملها الذي تحب لا يسير على مايرام، وهي بلا أصدقاء ولا هوايات سوى القراءة وترتيب الكتب.
لذا حين تكتشف موقعًا/ تطبيقًا يلتقي من خلاله الغرباء يدعى"غرباء بالكامل"، تبدأ بمحتواها الخاص والمرتكز على التوصية بكتاب لكل غريب تلتقيه عبر التطبيق.

أحببت كتابة ناناكو هانادا، عن حياة شابة تعيش فترة صعبة، عن عدم اليقين والضياع ثمَّ الخوف من الجديد ومواجهة العقبات عن معاناة الشابات خصوصًا في العالم، عن التحرش والاستغلال وعن الابتسامات المزيفة التي تواجه بها النساء دائمًا هذه المضايقات.
تكتب الكاتبة عن الكتب وحبها وسحرها، وكيف تكون وسيلة للتواصل وكيف تصنع أفاقًا جديدة وطرقًا مختلفة وعالمًا آخر من الصداقات والعلاقات وكيف تكتشف نفسها من جديد من خلالها وتقدم لمحة عن عالم الكتب في اليابان والحياة في طوكيو.

وقع الكتاب بين يدي بالصدفة-خلال بحثي عن كتاب آخر، أقرأ عشرات الروايات اليابانية كل عام، لكن هذا الكتاب جعلني أدرك أنه لا يصلنا إلا أقل القليل من الكتب اليابانية، من بين الكتب التي ذكرت في الكتاب لم أعرف إلا كتب قليلة زيمكن عدها على أصابع يد واحدة.
أرجو أن تترجم مزيد من الكتب اليابانية للإنجليزية والعربية.

[Maede · Rating 3 out of 5]

زن کتابفروش داستان واقعی یک سال از زندگی ناناکو هاندا، کتابفروش ژاپنیه. داستان از اینجا شروع میشه که ناناکو از همسرش جدا شده، جایی برای زندگی نداره و علاقه‌‌ش به کتابفروشی‌ای که ده ساله اونجا کار می‌کنه و حالا مدیرشه رو از دست داده چون بیشتر از فروش کتاب، هدف مغازه فروش وسیله‌های خاص شده. اینجاست که ناناکو حس می‌کنه که زندگی بسیار بسته‌ای داشته که فقط صرف خواندن و کار شده و هیچ دوستی و رابطه‌ی واقعی‌ای نداره. الان هم نمی‌دونه از زندگی چی می‌خواد. واقعاً می‌خواد از همسرش طلاق بگیره؟ باید به کارش ادامه بده چون اونجا زمانی مثل خونه‌ی دومش بوده؟

پس در یک حرکت انتحاری در یک سایت دوست‌یابی ثبت‌نام می‌کنه و توی پروفایلش می‌نویسه: «یک کتابدار جذاب که به شما بر اساس شخصیتتون کتاب معرفی می‌کنه» سایت اینجوری کار می‌کنه که افراد برای سی دقیقه همدیگر رو می‌بینند و دنبال عشق، دوستی، نتورک و حتی گپ و گفت ساده می‌گردند. مابقی داستان، ماجرای آدم‌هاییه که ناناکو ملاقات می‌کنه و بهشون کتاب معرفی می‌کنه. آدم‌های خوب، کثیف، جالب، عجیب و اثرگذاری که در مسیرش قرار می‌گیرند، کم‌کم جهان‌بینیش رو تغییر میدن. ناناکو دیگه از صحبت با غریبه‌ها نمی‌ترسه، دوست‌های زیادی پیدا می‌کنه، می‌فهمه هنوزم برای مردها جذابه و متوجه میشه که توی معرفی کتاب مهارت خاصی داره

من وقتی کتاب‌ رو شروع کردم و تا نصفش خوندم، نمی‌دونستم داستان واقعیه چون از انتخاب‌هایی بود که از روی جلدشون انجام میدم و باهاشون مثل تخم‌مرغ شانسی برخورد می‌کنم. وقتی دیدم کتاب براساس واقعیته خب برام جالب‌ترم شد. کتاب خیلی آروم و راحته و بالا و پایین عجیبی نداره، فقط داستان رشد اجتماعی یک فرد و پیدا کردن خودشه. اینجا کلی معرفی کتاب هم هست که براساس شخصیت و زندگی آدم‌ها داده شده و خوبیش اینه که خیلیشون از نویسندگان ژاپنی هستند

من کتاب صوتی رو گوش کردم و همینطور که کارهای خودم رو انجام می‌دادم، با ناناکو سر قرارهای مختلف رفتم. این کتاب یک سه‌ستاره‌ی واقعا خوبه

کتاب رو می‌تونید از اینجا دانلود کنید
Maede's Books

۱۴۰۳/۴/۱۲

[Niamh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very kindly given an e-arc of this book via Netgalley and Octopus Books.

'The Bookshop Woman' is nonfiction that reads like fiction and really, that's not a compliment. I don't know whether something got lost in translation or whether the people this woman met during her time on this website were just genuinely the worst people in the world - but I was so bored. This is such a dull book. It also dissolves into conversations about sex horrifically quickly. If you're looking - like me - to pick up this book because it promises a 'love story with books', you're going to be disappointed. The book conversation makes up less than 10% of this book and the rest is about the author having an existential and work crisis at the same time and the overly long, sprawling conversations she has with strangers, many of whom appear to just want to fuck her. It's a surface level book that never wants to go deeper than what's on page.

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this! Such a wholesome read! Nanko describes herself as the ‘sexy bookseller’. She joins a dating site called PerfectStrangers after separating from her husband where she meets strangers for a half an hour chat and afterwards recommends them a book.

It was such a fun quirky read. I found it really hard to put down and could have finished it in one sitting. I was dying to find out who she was going to meet next!

There’s lots of underlying messages in this and it touched on societal expectations, defining what success means to you, finding meaning in your career choices and findings friends in your 30s.

Also I love reading books about books!! A wholesome read, really recommend 👏

*I was lucky to be gifted a proof copy from the publisher

[spillingthematcha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bardzo pozytywnie zaskoczyła mnie autentyczność i wszechstronność tej książki, a przez to także odcięcie się od słodkiego i komfortowego obrazu niewielkiej, magicznej księgarni, bo z pozoru tak właśnie zapowiada się ta lektura. Fakt, jest ona subtelną i wyważoną lekturą, ale w tym wszystkim nie brakuje namacalnych historii. Jest to krótka i zwięzła opowieść, przez co niewątpliwie zajmie wam jeden wieczór i będzie ogromnie przyjemną, niewymagającą lekturą. Co ciekawe, książka ta zawiera w sobie elementy autobiograficzne, a więc jest to miły aspekt przy czytaniu.

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is more of a slice of life read. This is one book you can unwind with from a hectic week ☕️


Enjoyed this one. Totally engaging main narrative and the bookish theme is just perfect. The writing, the characters, the plot - I would say it’s well balanced.

I would say this book will be enjoyed better by someone who’s older and has had met with various kinds of people. They will understand better what the main character is talking about.

I would say I find it totally relatable recommending books to one person at a time. But yes, no with the finding people on a social media platform for me. But it’s quite enjoyable though!

This is one of the best translations I have ever read. The book cover is just perfect!

[Carlo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short memoir, that goes down like a novel, of an eventful year in the author's life. A year of personal crisis and self-discovery, at the end of which she turns her life around for the better. Interesting even though quite repetitive: I liked it, but I wouldn't say it's easy for everyone to enjoy.
-------
Un breve memoriale, che si legge come un romanzo, di un anno pieno di eventi della vita dell'autrice. Un anno di crisi personale e scoperta di sé, al termine del quale dà una svolta per il meglio alla sua vita. Interessante anche se un po' ripetitivo: mi è piaciuto, ma non direi sia di facile gradimento per tutti.

[juls ౨ৎ˖ ࣪⊹ · Rating 4 out of 5]

໑ ▸ 4 stars

౨ৎ my thoughts

I absolutely adored this! What a truly heartwarming and delightful read. Nanako, who refers to herself as the "sexy bookseller," embarks on a unique adventure after her separation. She joins a dating platform called PerfectStrangers, where she spends half an hour chatting with strangers before recommending a book tailored to them.

The story was so charming and quirky; I found it almost impossible to put down. Honestly, I could have devoured it in one sitting. I was completely hooked, eagerly anticipating who she would meet next.

Beneath its lighthearted exterior, the book explores several thoughtful themes. It delves into societal expectations, redefining personal success, finding purpose in one's career, and navigating the challenges of building friendships in your 30s.

Initially, Nanako's profile seemed to draw in overly assertive men looking for casual flings or friends-with-benefits arrangements. However, over time, she began forging more meaningful connections, ones that introduced her to a fascinating slice of Tokyo's diverse society. Her passion for reading and the urge to share that enthusiasm allowed her to engage with strangers in ways she had never imagined possible. This was particularly surprising to her, as she had always considered herself socially awkward.

Nanako's memoir, though brief and fragmented, evolved from a series of magazine articles. Yet, she emerges as a surprisingly relatable narrator, crafting an insightful snapshot of life in Japan, especially for women of her generation. She touches on a range of topics, from the charm of café culture to the potential loneliness of urban living, and explores how online interactions can help bridge that gap. The memoir also serves as an engaging and genuine homage to the enduring importance of independent bookstores and the vibrant cultures surrounding reading—from book reviews to reader communities.



pre - read
𓍢📚✧.ᐟ — 21/05/25 trying to get out the slump. i see this books like on a random tt and the second after i was in the bookstore buying it. very impulsive but at least i still have the will of read something. hope this will help me, seems very intresting and out of my comfortzone, not too much out but it is.
lots of love,
a slumpy juls

[kristiana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not quite sure what the mission and the purpose of this book is.
As a story it is rather boring. Not very intriguing, exciting or interesting at all.
And as a memoir it lacked depth.
I am sure others can find some enjoyment or life lesson in this book, but it rambled too much and ended up feeling quite empty.

[Gabbie Pop · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the heart of it, this is probably very profound if you sit and think about the reading experience, but on the surface it is such a seamlessly light read, that it balances the two with grace. I loved the experience of reading THE BOOKSHOP WOMAN, and the way it interwove a woman's story that is so much about human connection and opening yourself up to the world while trying to make sense of yourself and your life with a love of reading. As a former bookseller who loved little else than tailoring the perfect list of recommendations for people (and I will still, to this day, throw recommendations out sans the payslip aspect of it all), this spoke to me as a person.
Delightful, light and touching.

[Suad Shamma · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a really pleasant book to read, and I enjoyed meeting the array of different character and watching Nanako’s character development as well.

It was a bit redundant though, gets a bit slow in that sense when you’ve read at least 5 or 6 or 7 different meetings with strangers.

It’s a quick one to read, but sadly, not one I’d recommend to people.

[Abbie Toria · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I'm the manager of a very unusual bookshop. I have access to a huge database of over ten thousand books, and I'll recommend the one that's perfect for you."

Nanako lives in Tokyo, is recently separated from her husband, and has lost her passion for her current job. In an attempt to meet new people and make friends she joins "Perfect Strangers"; a website that matches you to meet up with a new person for 30 minutes. The hook on her profile; she will recommend the perfect book for you.

The Bookshop Woman was completely different than I thought it would be! It's a non-fiction autobiography featuring a slice of life from Japanese bookseller Nanako Hanada. It's all about human connection, community, and finding your people. The difficulty of meeting new people and making friends as an adult was really relatable and made me think of conversations I've had with friends about it.

Nanako is an interesting, offbeat character. I found it hilarious that one of the "weirdos" she meets early on tells her that her profile is weird and to change it since, to his surprise, she seems quite normal! Even funnier, when she then fills us in on what she's actually put on the website!

I obviously enjoyed the focus on books and I loved the sound of book slams and book prescriptions. The list of Nanako's recommendations at the end, as well as Brazen Books ' recommendations for books we might like in English, made for a nice touch. Overall, it was a quick and easy read.

[sfogliarsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I libri hanno sempre fatto parte della vita di Nanako, ma un giorno avviene una svolta esistenziale. Nanako è in piena crisi esistenziale: si è separata dal marito, ha un lavoro che non la soddisfa e sente il bisogno di cambiare aria. Decide così di iscriversi su un sito di incontri “veloci”, in cui le persone hanno 30min per vedersi, parlarsi ed entrare in sintonia.
Inizia una nuova vita, mentre prima aveva paura degli sconosciuti, pian piano si rende conto che è bello conoscere nuove persone. l suo scopo però non è trovare un partner ma cercare persone a lei simili. Per distinguersi tra i tanti profili, Nanako si presenta come libraia che consiglia i libri che cambiano la vita... inizia per gioco e poi si rende conto che consigliare libri, è il mestiere che vuole da sempre fare.
Da sempre ha sentito di avere questa missione "consigliare libri e rendere felici gli altri" così dopo diversi consigli, circa 70 persone sconosciute a cui ha consigliato almeno un libro, arriva una nuova proposta: consigliare libri in presenza come se fosse una seduta dallo psicologo. Perchè si sa, i libri non sono solo "oggetti fisici" ma sono soprattutto parti d'anima per un lettore vero.
Una storia vera che parla della stessa scrittrice, una storia di speranza e di salvezza... Storia di una libraia di Tokyo è un’ode al piacere della lettura e al potere dei libri nell’aiutarci a creare un legame con gli altri e a condurci a noi stessi.

[tesa stickybook · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Nice little book to pass some time. Unfortunately the writing style seemed a bit distant and I would have liked for the conversations to go a bit deeper. Sadly the author didn’t open up that much so the book seemed quite shallow and repetitive at times. It was still cute though

[Elj · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring and repetitive, I gained nothing from reading this…

[Dora Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

✒️ " Acho que é porque ler faz parte da minha vida. Os livros são uma forma de entretenimento, no entanto eu leios porque quero....Não consigo parar. Mas acho que não é a mesma coisa quando se trata de estudar alguma coisa."

💻Este livro conta-nos a história de Nanako, uma personagem baseada na própria autora.
☘️ É um livro de não ficção o que me fez ter logo imensa vontade de ler.

O início meio trapalhão da protagonista, transforma assuntos sérios em momentos hilariantes. É uma personagem que graças a estranhos se vai reinventando. Quer encontrar a leitura certa para todas as pessoas e o próprio livro dá imensas sugestões e referências a livros.
📚 É uma ode a todos os amantes de livros.

Nanako vai se inscrever numa aplicação para encontros,mas é uma aplicação diferente, isto porque as pessoas combinam encontros para conversar e se ajudarem entre si no dia a dia e nas suas rotinas, achei muito giro a forma como as pessoas se apresentam e aqui a nossa protagonista apresenta-se como uma Livreira que faz recomendação do livro certo, o que resulta porque ela demonstra entusiasmo em encontrar um livro certo para cada estranho.
No fundo o que acontece é que graças a estranhos ela ganha uma força e uma outra forma de viver as suas experiências e decisões.

Em parte é um livro emocional, a Nanako sofreu em silêncio e partilha os seus receio,medos, reflexões do quotidiano e como ela própria se anulava.
Ela acaba por conhecer 70 pessoas ao longo da leitura, a aplicação PerfectSTRANGERS faz a nossa Nanako perder a timidez ao tomar a decisão arrojada de se inscrever, isso permite acompanhar a sua vida e todas as mudanças.

Temos a cultura japonesa muito presente e este é um livro que se tornou um bestseller no Japão e deu origem a uma série. Recomendo muito !

[Maria João (A Biblioteca da João) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Confissões de uma Livreira" trás-nos uma história na primeira pessoa, que me pareceu ser autobiográfica.

Nanako separa-se do seu marido e vê-se, de repente, isolada do mundo, sem amigos próximos. Decide então inscrever-se numa aplicação de encontros (não necessariamente amorosos), com o intuito de conviver com outras pessoas. Mas para ser aliciante seleccioná-la para os encontros programados de 30 minutos, em locais públicos, Nanako decide oferecer ao seu interlocutor uma sugestão de livro para ler.

Depois de alguns percalços iniciais, rapidamente irá ficar conhecida nesta aplicação, encontrando-se com inúmeras pessoas, homens e mulheres. O que ela oferece é valorizado e torna-se bastante famosa naquele núcleo.

Ao mesmo tempo, começa a trabalhar numa livraria, o seu universo. Ainda que não seja a vida perfeita, Nanako consegue enfrentar a dura realidade em que se encontrava e tentar fazer melhor por si e pelos que a rodeiam.

Senti que ia gostando mais deste livro a cada página. Obviamente que, pelo facto de nos falar sobre livros, tinha logo um ponto garantido, mas o início foi um pouco mais parado, menos emocionante. Mas a autora teve a capacidade de me cativar e terminei o livro com vontade que continuasse. Sem vontade de me separar desta história.

Este foi uma daquelas leituras que me deu vontade de abraçar o livro, na impossibilidade de o fazer directamente à autora. E ainda que a maioria dos livros que ela sugere não estejam traduzidos no nosso país, encontrei um, na listagem final, onde Nanako sugere leituras a nós, seus leitores, que já li e gostei muito. Foi a cereja no topo do bolo!

Opinião mais detalhada em:
https://abibliotecadajoao.blogspot.co...

[Isa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting a bit more but it was an easy solid read. It just felt like more of a constant plateau of a book that didn’t necessarily have much conflict or change. It was sweet to read on about her experiences and meeting all sorts of people but it’s not as if I’ve reached some profound message after finishing it. If you want something super easy to get through with bittersweet undertones of romance, give this one a try!

[Cecilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una historia increíble sobre los lazos que se pueden formar a través de los libros, pero también de tomar decisiones para redirigir el rumbo de nuestras vidas hacia aquello que de verdad nos apasiona, que de alguna manera nunca es tarde para dar ese giro.

Mis frases favoritas:

“tienes que querer que esa persona lo lea porque has pensado en lo que podría llegar a significar para ella.”

“Creo que me moriría si no pudiera hacer algo que me gusta.”

“la lectura forma parte de mi vida. Los libros son más como una forma de entretenimiento: los leo porque quiero”

“¿Pero cómo se puede vivir sin un lugar donde refugiarnos de la realidad?”

“lo importante que es no dejar nunca de hacernos preguntas sinceras a medida que avanzamos en la vida”

“¿Qué era yo, una especie de embajadora de buena voluntad de la literatura?”

“Mi problema era que no sentía ningún interés por un trabajo que no tuviera nada que ver con los libros.”

“Me frustró descubrir los límites del lenguaje para describir lo que amamos.”

3,5 estrellas

[｡°✩ Rasha ｡°✩ {Free Palestine} · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no clue that this book was a memoir in the start because ive never read one before. I never thought that i could like it but oh my god, DID I LOVE THIS! I absolutely love japanese fiction and this book gave me everything i was expecting and more. I want to read every book that was mentioned in this, i want her to reccomend a book to me. I just loved this, and i love the cover and how it corresponds to the story.

[Queralt✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bookshop Woman is a lovely nonfiction book that’s also a love letter to reading. This book starts off with Nanako Hanada: homeless, recently separated, and she’s worked all her life as a clerk at a Village Vanguard (a Japanese bookstore chain). Nanako knows two things about herself, she likes reading and she loves recommending books. So she sets off to a rather bizarre venture: she joins a dating website to meet people only to give them book recommendations.

Through the book, she builds something like a passion but also a persona (and I dare say, she builds a little platform for herself), she finds herself and takes charge of her life. And, eventually, she decides she wants to work in something related to books.

This book was the ‘love letter to reading’ that I wanted Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop to be. It had direction, it had character growth, and I loved the care and thought Hanada put into the question of “how much should I know someone to recommend a book?” and how her recommendations changed as she gained experience with it.

I liked it! 3.5 stars rounded down because the book just did what it had to do. It’s cozy, cute, and healing.

*ARC received for free. This hasn’t impacted my rating.

[Sneha Saraswathi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not sure if this is because the essence of the book was lost in the translation, but this book taught me 2 lessons : 1. Don't blindly buy books about books 2. Not all Japanese stories are profound.

The narration felt shallow and repetitive for the most part. Maybe if I knew what books she was talking about? At times it felt like I was reading a classifieds ad - a big list of books. Most of the protagonist conflicts seem to get resolved fairly easily while the actual problems she faces are very complicated - divorce, homelessness, searching for a new job with no clear goals. This book could have been so much better with the protagonist standing at such a critical juncture in her life and her love for books.

That being said, about 2 books caught my eye among her recommendations and I am going to keep trying to get my hands on it. She seems to be really good at recommending books.

[Lucy Fuggle · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I’ll live by myself, and get my life back on track...”

How do you get out of a rut? What do you do when your job is okay, but not great? And how do you build a life around your passions?

The Bookshop Woman is one of the best new contributions to the burgeoning genre of healing books penned in Japanese, although it has a difference: it’s memoir, not fiction.

That said, The Bookshop Woman reads like fiction, and I think it’s one of its finest features. Nanako Hanada is quirky, introverted, and a self-described “sexy bookseller,” recently separated from her husband and trying to figure out how to put the pieces of her life back together.

On a whim, Nanako joins a matchmaking site that offers thirty-minute meetings with strangers, adding to her bio that she’ll recommend the perfect book to each person she meets. From salary men to young women rebuilding their lives after violence, she realises just how much she values connection – and realises that she’s long overdue some changes in her life.

"How can I leave a job that's been so much to me? How can I find something else I'll enjoy as much as I've enjoyed it in the past...?"

I thought the middle of the book dragged a bit, but the last quarter was *chef's kiss*. There's so much inspiring stuff here about finding your courage, making big changes, and following your joy. (The fact that Nanako Hanada's joy comes from books? Even better.)

This wonderfully bookish and healing read was a bestseller in Japan upon publication in 2018, and the new translation to English by Cat Anderson is excellent.

"You're wonderful and this book is wonderful, therefore I'm recommending this wonderful book to wonderful you."

(For more like this, I’d also recommend Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop, What You Are Looking For Is in the Library, and Four Seasons in Japan – all three are in my collection of books that feel like finding a new path in life.)

I also included The Bookshop Woman in this collection of healing books to inspire gentle transformation on Tolstoy Therapy.

3.75/5

[Andreia Machado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este livro trouxe-me leveza. Acho que isso até é algo comum à escrita japonesa: ela induz-me sempre a momentos de paz e serenidade. Mesmo assim, neste livro temos um início em que a autora/protagonista se mostra vulnerável, triste e em desespero por se ver tão só no final do seu casamento.

É a partir desse momento de transição na sua vida que ela começa a questionar-se sobre o que deseja para o futuro, o que lhe traz felicidade e qual será o melhor caminho para se tornar plena e realizada.

E a única resposta que lhe ocorre é: Livros!

O seu único hobby é ler e visitar livrarias. Ela teme que isso a torne ainda mais solitária, mas já sabe, no fundo, que os livros são mágicos, amigos e capazes de mudar vidas de formas que nem imaginamos, e é isso mesmo que vai acontecer na vida de Nanako.

É um livro que nos faz mergulhar no universo literário, sobretudo no japonês, claro, cheio de mangás, banda desenhada e recomendações literárias que, para nós em Portugal, são muitas vezes desconhecidas e despertam curiosidade. Há também algumas referências geek, afinal, a autora/protagonista assume-se como uma pessoa excêntrica que vive muito nesse mundo.

Considero que há uma certa vibe de autoajuda presente na narrativa, mas também acho que isso é inevitável, tendo em conta o caminho, original e pouco expectável, que Nanako percorre ao longo destas páginas.
Aliás, a forma como ela começa esta viagem de autoconhecimento é no mínimo peculiar!

A mensagem mais importante que retirei foi que a nossa felicidade pode não estar nos lugares comuns que os outros (ou a sociedade) esperam de nós, e que são as pequenas coisa que nos marcam, nos mudam e nos preenchem.

Estamos sempre a tempo de recomeçar!

Gostei muito e recomendo para quem gosta de literatura japonesa, livros de memórias, de histórias de autodescoberta e sobretudo para quem gosta de livros.

[alessia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-

la storia è carina, piacevole per passare un po’ di tempo tra leggerezza, libri e chiacchiere :)

[Amanda Fiorani · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was SO GOOD!

I love books about books, I am a huge fan of Japanese literature and I love a good memoir, so The Bookshop Woman felt like it was tailor-made for me! It's such a beautiful ode to the power of books and their ability to bring people together and help us when we're not sure where to go and/or what to do with our lives.

In The Bookshop Woman, we meet Nanako, who has worked as a bookseller for quite a few years but has been feeling really down with both her personal and professional life. To meet new people, she decides to join a meet-up site where people meet for 30 minutes for all sorts of reasons (e.g., romance, sharing ideas, building a network). She says on her profile that she's able to give anyone she meets a perfect recommendation for a book, and the result of that is that she ends up meeting a wide range of people and getting a new perspective on her own life and the variety of individuals out there.

I'd say this fits the healing "fiction" kind of genre, but it's even better because it's not fiction, it's based on Nanako Hanada's own experiences. It had been quite a while since I'd read a memoir and this felt like the perfect book to get me back to this genre. Some memoirs read "like fiction", if that makes sense, in the best possible way because the writing feels smooth and fluid, and this was the perfect example of a book like that. Of course, part of the credit here goes to the translator, Cat Anderson, for making that come across in English.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book, narrated by Yuriri Naka, after reading it for the first time on my Kindle and it was also such a good experience, especially being able to hear the pronunciation of some of the names that had been a bit tricky to pronounce when I first read it.

Thank you very much to Brazen and NetGalley for the e-ARC and ALC!

[Manaksh Bhanushali · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book should’ve been titled ‘Perfect Strangers’ instead of ‘The Bookshop Woman’
It spends more time exploring the app than it does in a bookshop or on books.
The author is a teenager stuck in a woman’s body.
A horrible and terribly misleading read.

[Ananya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is like a warm hug when you are feeling a little lost in your life. It's about human connection and it reminded me why I love reading.

[Izzy Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comforting and uplifting. Maybe talking to new people isn’t that scary? Wasn’t a massively gripping book though.