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店長がバカすぎて #1
店長がバカすぎて
谷原京子、二十八歳。吉祥寺の書店の契約社員。超多忙なのに薄給。お客様からのクレームは日常茶飯事。
店長は山本猛という名前ばかり勇ましい「非」敏腕。人を苛立たせる天才だ。ああ、店長がバカすぎる!
毎日「マジで辞めてやる! 」と思いながら、しかし仕事を、本を、小説を愛する京子は──。
全国の読者、書店員から、感動、共感、応援を沢山いただいた、二〇二〇年本屋大賞ノミネート作にして大ヒット作。
巻末にボーナストラック&早見和真×角川春樹のオリジナル対談を収録!
店長は山本猛という名前ばかり勇ましい「非」敏腕。人を苛立たせる天才だ。ああ、店長がバカすぎる!
毎日「マジで辞めてやる! 」と思いながら、しかし仕事を、本を、小説を愛する京子は──。
全国の読者、書店員から、感動、共感、応援を沢山いただいた、二〇二〇年本屋大賞ノミネート作にして大ヒット作。
巻末にボーナストラック&早見和真×角川春樹のオリジナル対談を収録!
Unknown Binding
First published July 13, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 198 reviews
September 6, 2026
The moment I read the synopsis; it only further confirmed my belief that I could never work at a bookstore even when I am absolutely head over heels for books. Sometimes, a hobby is best kept safely in the interest department because the last thing I need is for my job to make me hate the very thing I read to escape from it all.
Maybe that is why I was immediately curious about this book. It is essentially a story about our book lover, Kyoko Tanihara, a bookstore clerk who spends her working days dealing with books, customers, colleagues, and most importantly—a store manager who appears to possess a rather questionable amount of competence that his very existence seems designed to test her sanity.
At first, the dynamic is mostly entertaining. Their exchanges have the kind of workplace absurdity that is easy to recognize even if you have never worked in a bookstore. Yet, despite exhibiting a certain incapability of doing certain things properly, the manager is also genuinely kind, speaks politely to his subordinates, and does not seem malicious at all. That combination made him much more interesting to me than if he had simply been the stereotypical awful boss.
While Tanihara can appear irksome, I still find her the salt of the earth. She has just the right amount of cynicism and a sharp tongue, and she feels like a fairly believable single woman in her late twenties who is perpetually wondering whether she should quit her job. Which, unfortunately, I found a little too relatable.
Tanihara talks about quitting constantly and while this cheap talk continues, all the people around her have been changing jobs. All the same, she remains there and eventually gets promoted to full-time which I honestly could not decide whether this was stimulating, unconventional or simply the most realistic thing in the entire novel. Because really, how many people actually quit when they say they will? (Not me for sure).
There is also something educational about the book as it offers a window into the Japanese bookselling world. Whenever I visited Kinokuniya, I used to think that it must be rather nice to spend your working day surrounded by books; arranging them on shelves, seeing new releases arrive, recommending things to customers. But this book reminded me that there is a whole other side to that image: the physical work, the expectations placed on staff, the pressure to sell, and the emotional investment that comes with working in an industry where employees are often passionate about what they sell.
It also made me think about bookstore recommendations in a way I had not really considered before. I have seen handwritten or staff-picked recommendations at Kinokuniya plenty of times, but I never really stopped to think about how significant that role might be. The book made me wonder how much of this is particular to Japanese bookstore culture, and how much is simply part of the bookselling industry more generally.
After all, one of the powers of stories is that they allow us to experience someone else's life vicariously. And while I obviously cannot say that reading this book is equivalent to actually working in a Japanese bookstore, I did come away with a better appreciation for the people who make that experience possible. It also reminded me that, rather than simply ordering a book online with a click, there is something valuable about physically going into a bookstore and supporting the people, authors, publishers, and everyone else involved in getting those books into our hands.
Unfortunately, my enthusiasm started to wobble somewhere around the middle.
The book is very easy to read. There are no particularly difficult expressions, complicated narrative shifts, or dense passages to wrestle with. Everything moves along smoothly, and for the most part, it is exactly the sort of light read you can pick up without needing to prepare yourself mentally.
Verily, this story started to become tedious. The tone remains fairly consistent for a long time, and although the individual exchanges between Tanihara and her manager can be amusing, there were not always enough changes in cadence or tension to keep me completely engaged. While there is a twist in the end, since the synopsis hints that Yamamoto may not be as stupid as he seems, and the book does eventually circle back to that question but (without spoiling anything), the ending is still rather ambitious.
It reaches for something bigger than the story initially promised. Whether it sticks the landing depends entirely on the reader. For me, it felt slightly rushed, a chaotic final chapter that tried to tie together threads I was not entirely sure were there. I finished with more questions than answers, and not in the satisfying, thought-provoking way. As been said repeatedly, I really don't like finishing a book feeling perplexed.
A confusing ending can be fun when it makes you want to go back and rethink everything. Here, I mostly felt like I had missed the memo. Regardless of whether there was supposed to be a sequel or another story that would explain things later, this didn't feel like an intriguing cliffhanger to me so much as being left outside the classroom after everyone else had already understood the lesson.
So what is this book? A workplace comedy that occasionally stings. A slice of life that meanders more than it should. A love letter to bookstores that also acknowledges how much they can wear you down. Now, it is especially unfortunate for a book called How Can My Manager Be So Stupid?, because by the end I was beginning to wonder whether the title applied to me as the reader.
In that capacity, I am on the fence about the sequel. Maybe that is the “Tanihara effect.” I can’t rule out reading it and I also can’t rule out wondering why I did but the more likely I am to somehow end up reading the next one anyway. Because apparently, not quitting is a skill too and that makes me exactly the kind of person this book was written for.
footnote: Despite the universally relatable title, I, on the other hand, have been rather generously bestowed with a kind and understanding manager while remaining firmly trapped in the life of a corporate slave.
Maybe that is why I was immediately curious about this book. It is essentially a story about our book lover, Kyoko Tanihara, a bookstore clerk who spends her working days dealing with books, customers, colleagues, and most importantly—a store manager who appears to possess a rather questionable amount of competence that his very existence seems designed to test her sanity.
At first, the dynamic is mostly entertaining. Their exchanges have the kind of workplace absurdity that is easy to recognize even if you have never worked in a bookstore. Yet, despite exhibiting a certain incapability of doing certain things properly, the manager is also genuinely kind, speaks politely to his subordinates, and does not seem malicious at all. That combination made him much more interesting to me than if he had simply been the stereotypical awful boss.
While Tanihara can appear irksome, I still find her the salt of the earth. She has just the right amount of cynicism and a sharp tongue, and she feels like a fairly believable single woman in her late twenties who is perpetually wondering whether she should quit her job. Which, unfortunately, I found a little too relatable.
Tanihara talks about quitting constantly and while this cheap talk continues, all the people around her have been changing jobs. All the same, she remains there and eventually gets promoted to full-time which I honestly could not decide whether this was stimulating, unconventional or simply the most realistic thing in the entire novel. Because really, how many people actually quit when they say they will? (Not me for sure).
There is also something educational about the book as it offers a window into the Japanese bookselling world. Whenever I visited Kinokuniya, I used to think that it must be rather nice to spend your working day surrounded by books; arranging them on shelves, seeing new releases arrive, recommending things to customers. But this book reminded me that there is a whole other side to that image: the physical work, the expectations placed on staff, the pressure to sell, and the emotional investment that comes with working in an industry where employees are often passionate about what they sell.
It also made me think about bookstore recommendations in a way I had not really considered before. I have seen handwritten or staff-picked recommendations at Kinokuniya plenty of times, but I never really stopped to think about how significant that role might be. The book made me wonder how much of this is particular to Japanese bookstore culture, and how much is simply part of the bookselling industry more generally.
After all, one of the powers of stories is that they allow us to experience someone else's life vicariously. And while I obviously cannot say that reading this book is equivalent to actually working in a Japanese bookstore, I did come away with a better appreciation for the people who make that experience possible. It also reminded me that, rather than simply ordering a book online with a click, there is something valuable about physically going into a bookstore and supporting the people, authors, publishers, and everyone else involved in getting those books into our hands.
Unfortunately, my enthusiasm started to wobble somewhere around the middle.
The book is very easy to read. There are no particularly difficult expressions, complicated narrative shifts, or dense passages to wrestle with. Everything moves along smoothly, and for the most part, it is exactly the sort of light read you can pick up without needing to prepare yourself mentally.
Verily, this story started to become tedious. The tone remains fairly consistent for a long time, and although the individual exchanges between Tanihara and her manager can be amusing, there were not always enough changes in cadence or tension to keep me completely engaged. While there is a twist in the end, since the synopsis hints that Yamamoto may not be as stupid as he seems, and the book does eventually circle back to that question but (without spoiling anything), the ending is still rather ambitious.
It reaches for something bigger than the story initially promised. Whether it sticks the landing depends entirely on the reader. For me, it felt slightly rushed, a chaotic final chapter that tried to tie together threads I was not entirely sure were there. I finished with more questions than answers, and not in the satisfying, thought-provoking way. As been said repeatedly, I really don't like finishing a book feeling perplexed.
A confusing ending can be fun when it makes you want to go back and rethink everything. Here, I mostly felt like I had missed the memo. Regardless of whether there was supposed to be a sequel or another story that would explain things later, this didn't feel like an intriguing cliffhanger to me so much as being left outside the classroom after everyone else had already understood the lesson.
So what is this book? A workplace comedy that occasionally stings. A slice of life that meanders more than it should. A love letter to bookstores that also acknowledges how much they can wear you down. Now, it is especially unfortunate for a book called How Can My Manager Be So Stupid?, because by the end I was beginning to wonder whether the title applied to me as the reader.
In that capacity, I am on the fence about the sequel. Maybe that is the “Tanihara effect.” I can’t rule out reading it and I also can’t rule out wondering why I did but the more likely I am to somehow end up reading the next one anyway. Because apparently, not quitting is a skill too and that makes me exactly the kind of person this book was written for.
footnote: Despite the universally relatable title, I, on the other hand, have been rather generously bestowed with a kind and understanding manager while remaining firmly trapped in the life of a corporate slave.
September 16, 2026
A funny and easy read set in a struggling bookstore in Tokyo.
Follows a hardworking, underpaid clerk trying to keep the bookstore running while dealing with an overly optimistic boss who keeps making strange decisions. 😂
I like how it shows the daily problems at work, difficult management and career frustration, but also the author's love for books and bookstores.
The story is also full of suspicious things, and some events are not fully explained or answered.
There are also some surprises at the end of the story that I didn't see coming.
At first, I was wondering why so many things were left hanging.
Then I read the author's Goodreads page and found out that he actually wrote two more books in this series. Now I understand why some of my questions are still unanswered. 😅
I cannot wait for Part 2 and Part 3 to be translated and published. Hopefully, coming soon! 🥰
Follows a hardworking, underpaid clerk trying to keep the bookstore running while dealing with an overly optimistic boss who keeps making strange decisions. 😂
I like how it shows the daily problems at work, difficult management and career frustration, but also the author's love for books and bookstores.
The story is also full of suspicious things, and some events are not fully explained or answered.
There are also some surprises at the end of the story that I didn't see coming.
At first, I was wondering why so many things were left hanging.
Then I read the author's Goodreads page and found out that he actually wrote two more books in this series. Now I understand why some of my questions are still unanswered. 😅
I cannot wait for Part 2 and Part 3 to be translated and published. Hopefully, coming soon! 🥰
September 17, 2026
Another fictional workplace book, this one about being a bookseller. Admittedly I was pulled in by the cover artwork.
The main character, Kyoko Tanihara works at Musashino Bookshop. She is frustrated with her job, the manager especially. She works in the literature department and is frustrated that publishers don’t send the books that she knows would sell. She orders the books, but they don’t arrive, or if they do only one or two copies, when they could sell many more. There are customers who complain that they want the hottest new book, but the store can’t get it. Although it’s the manager who Tanihara mainly complains about and how he runs things. His morning meetings he usually is glowing about a management book that everyone should read.
Through most of the book Tanihara is on the verge of quitting. She does have a lot of anger, but she is a book lover and is very involved in the dynamics of the job and even with an author or two. I was lukewarm through most of the book, but I liked how it ended up.
Book rating: 3.25
Thanks to Putnam/G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book. However, I listened to a published audiobook copy of the book.
The main character, Kyoko Tanihara works at Musashino Bookshop. She is frustrated with her job, the manager especially. She works in the literature department and is frustrated that publishers don’t send the books that she knows would sell. She orders the books, but they don’t arrive, or if they do only one or two copies, when they could sell many more. There are customers who complain that they want the hottest new book, but the store can’t get it. Although it’s the manager who Tanihara mainly complains about and how he runs things. His morning meetings he usually is glowing about a management book that everyone should read.
Through most of the book Tanihara is on the verge of quitting. She does have a lot of anger, but she is a book lover and is very involved in the dynamics of the job and even with an author or two. I was lukewarm through most of the book, but I liked how it ended up.
Book rating: 3.25
Thanks to Putnam/G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book. However, I listened to a published audiobook copy of the book.
2026
March 4, 2026Japanuary TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons
May 30, 2023
這本還蠻出乎我意料的, 因為劇情算蠻好看的, 但主角的個性讓人厭煩.
可能是因為她實在太像我在三次元的一些同事了吧. 很標準的負能量, 下班和朋友聚餐也是在抱怨連篇&倒情緒垃圾, 身邊的同事相繼離職/轉職, 但整天吵著要辭職的主角依然沒辭, 還升了正職XD 真不知道該說勵志還是莫名其妙啊。
印象中好像有個網路書評說"看了很想去書店工作!", 那我簡直懷疑這真的有看嗎, 時薪已經不高了還要自掏腰包買無聊雜誌幫衝業績, 面試時還明白告知希望員工住老家(因為低薪還要付房租的話會很拮据)......這種利用員工對書的熱情自願被剝削的產業真的讓人看了很難受. 妙的是主角周圍的親友居然都勸她不要辭職, 真是無法理解, 只有其中一個人說了公道話:「無論甚麼工作都沒有不能取代的人，一定會有下一個人填進那個洞。」但她最後也是勸退主角XD
平心而論, 主角一直唉卻沒有辭職的理由也不難理解: 愛書人、做這個行業算是從小的志向, 也就是興趣的延伸. 再來就是金錢上雖說拮据嘛, 但其實是有避風港的(經營居酒屋的老爸), 回老家的話基本吃住不成問題, 所以也沒甚麼轉職的急迫性啦.
這本書我最後還是決定給五顆星是因為, 他筆下的主角和配角們的個性都很真實, 每個都像是活生生的人一樣思考、彆扭、徬徨, 惹人討厭的部分也很真實. 劇情安排很有趣, 小小的懸疑算是畫龍點睛. 比較令我好奇的是, 日本人真的會像這樣, 請店員推薦書, 或是講些很朦朧的形容詞(紅色書皮、內容關於XXX之類)就讓店員去拼命找嗎? 我自己買書這麼多年從來沒跟店員這樣互動過, 頂多問某本書有沒有現貨. 寫到這裡突然想起三O書局, 那些一臉厭世、但還是去倉庫翻了很久找到某本快絕版的書的店員; 或是大門維修時, 在門口面無表情的指引客人去側門的店員, 突然覺得他們也蠻可愛的XD
可能是因為她實在太像我在三次元的一些同事了吧. 很標準的負能量, 下班和朋友聚餐也是在抱怨連篇&倒情緒垃圾, 身邊的同事相繼離職/轉職, 但整天吵著要辭職的主角依然沒辭, 還升了正職XD 真不知道該說勵志還是莫名其妙啊。
印象中好像有個網路書評說"看了很想去書店工作!", 那我簡直懷疑這真的有看嗎, 時薪已經不高了還要自掏腰包買無聊雜誌幫衝業績, 面試時還明白告知希望員工住老家(因為低薪還要付房租的話會很拮据)......這種利用員工對書的熱情自願被剝削的產業真的讓人看了很難受. 妙的是主角周圍的親友居然都勸她不要辭職, 真是無法理解, 只有其中一個人說了公道話:「無論甚麼工作都沒有不能取代的人，一定會有下一個人填進那個洞。」但她最後也是勸退主角XD
平心而論, 主角一直唉卻沒有辭職的理由也不難理解: 愛書人、做這個行業算是從小的志向, 也就是興趣的延伸. 再來就是金錢上雖說拮据嘛, 但其實是有避風港的(經營居酒屋的老爸), 回老家的話基本吃住不成問題, 所以也沒甚麼轉職的急迫性啦.
這本書我最後還是決定給五顆星是因為, 他筆下的主角和配角們的個性都很真實, 每個都像是活生生的人一樣思考、彆扭、徬徨, 惹人討厭的部分也很真實. 劇情安排很有趣, 小小的懸疑算是畫龍點睛. 比較令我好奇的是, 日本人真的會像這樣, 請店員推薦書, 或是講些很朦朧的形容詞(紅色書皮、內容關於XXX之類)就讓店員去拼命找嗎? 我自己買書這麼多年從來沒跟店員這樣互動過, 頂多問某本書有沒有現貨. 寫到這裡突然想起三O書局, 那些一臉厭世、但還是去倉庫翻了很久找到某本快絕版的書的店員; 或是大門維修時, 在門口面無表情的指引客人去側門的店員, 突然覺得他們也蠻可愛的XD
August 19, 2026
This really took me by surprise. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did.
Usually, I find translated fiction can sometimes be a bit too sweet and often repetitive, but this wasn’t like that at all. It was very easy to read, the story was well paced and everything flowed easily.
I was fully absorbed and before I realised it, I had finished it in one sitting. I would fully recommend this to anyone looking for a lighthearted read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC provided in exchange for my honest review.
Usually, I find translated fiction can sometimes be a bit too sweet and often repetitive, but this wasn’t like that at all. It was very easy to read, the story was well paced and everything flowed easily.
I was fully absorbed and before I realised it, I had finished it in one sitting. I would fully recommend this to anyone looking for a lighthearted read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC provided in exchange for my honest review.
September 9, 2026
I laughed and I even teared up. More later, I loved this
September 4, 2026
How Can My Manager Be So Stupid?
Author : Kazumasa Hayami
Translator : Haydn Trowell
28-year-old protagonist Kyoko Tanihara is a contract employee who works at Musashino Books' Kichijoji branch run by her famously incompetent soon-to-be forty-year-old manager Takeru Yamamoto, who despite his title & position, barely reads anything (except for his useless obsession w/ self-help books) & is being a pain-in-the-ass the whole time. If not for her senior colleague Mari Koyanagi, she would have quit a long time ago already. It did not last long though since Koyanagi also decided to leave the company after having been found out engaging in a run-of-the-mill extramarital romance affair w/ the company's general manager for several years.
Kyoko struggled as well with her job as a bookseller; despite putting so much effort on promoting the books that she loved, they get barely noticed & sold, in comparison to the best sellers which flew off the shelves the moment they get restocked. To add, there are also instances where she was really thinking of seriously quitting : being underpaid for too much workload, the pressure of being a literature specialist, plus the stress the manager is always causing her, making her feel love & hate towards her dream job both at the same time.
Kyoko is such a likeable character. Her mundane life faced w/ trials & hardships as she tries to survive day to day working w/ her colleagues & customers, as well as dealing w/ her quarter-life crisis, depict such relatable situations, that as a reader, I can't tell you how many times I literally shook my head. I loved how she slowly grew her connections w/ the people around her, especially w/ writer Akatsuki Tomita. I was also happy that she felt understood after finally reading a novel who spoke to her (w/c you will know at the end of the book *anagram wink wink*). I especially loved the plot twists at the end, I mean I had my hunches but for it to really play out made me giggle hard.
What a definite fun read! Had my share of laugh-out-loud moments & tears. Not so sure but I kinda hope there will be a second book to this. 🤭
5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
P.S.
Follow me for more book reviews on:
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Author : Kazumasa Hayami
Translator : Haydn Trowell
28-year-old protagonist Kyoko Tanihara is a contract employee who works at Musashino Books' Kichijoji branch run by her famously incompetent soon-to-be forty-year-old manager Takeru Yamamoto, who despite his title & position, barely reads anything (except for his useless obsession w/ self-help books) & is being a pain-in-the-ass the whole time. If not for her senior colleague Mari Koyanagi, she would have quit a long time ago already. It did not last long though since Koyanagi also decided to leave the company after having been found out engaging in a run-of-the-mill extramarital romance affair w/ the company's general manager for several years.
Kyoko struggled as well with her job as a bookseller; despite putting so much effort on promoting the books that she loved, they get barely noticed & sold, in comparison to the best sellers which flew off the shelves the moment they get restocked. To add, there are also instances where she was really thinking of seriously quitting : being underpaid for too much workload, the pressure of being a literature specialist, plus the stress the manager is always causing her, making her feel love & hate towards her dream job both at the same time.
Kyoko is such a likeable character. Her mundane life faced w/ trials & hardships as she tries to survive day to day working w/ her colleagues & customers, as well as dealing w/ her quarter-life crisis, depict such relatable situations, that as a reader, I can't tell you how many times I literally shook my head. I loved how she slowly grew her connections w/ the people around her, especially w/ writer Akatsuki Tomita. I was also happy that she felt understood after finally reading a novel who spoke to her (w/c you will know at the end of the book *anagram wink wink*). I especially loved the plot twists at the end, I mean I had my hunches but for it to really play out made me giggle hard.
What a definite fun read! Had my share of laugh-out-loud moments & tears. Not so sure but I kinda hope there will be a second book to this. 🤭
5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
P.S.
Follow me for more book reviews on:
❥ Instagram @bookwormdenz
❥ Threads @denz.kaye
❥ Meta @bookworm.denz
❥ Goodreads @bookwormdenz
Read
September 14, 20263.5 stars
March 18, 2024
* My Manager Is An Idiot *
I am so happy I read this book. I honestly wasn't expecting to like it that much but I think it's one of my fabourite novels of the year so far.
I loved that main character's internal voice juxtaposed with her speaking voice as she tries to deal with idiots on all sides, quelling her internal rage as she put on a professional face. The audiobook along with the novel was exceedingly good and made these moments even better.
I love how she wasn't perfect either. She just felt human.
And I was honestly surprised with how good the story unfolded. It felt like a complete story instead of individual stories like so many Japanese character novels do. Even small things I didn't think were a big deal came back in unexpected ways.
I found myself laughing out loud a lot reading this, and even gasping a few times in rage and/or surprise. A really fun novel.
I am so happy I read this book. I honestly wasn't expecting to like it that much but I think it's one of my fabourite novels of the year so far.
I loved that main character's internal voice juxtaposed with her speaking voice as she tries to deal with idiots on all sides, quelling her internal rage as she put on a professional face. The audiobook along with the novel was exceedingly good and made these moments even better.
I love how she wasn't perfect either. She just felt human.
And I was honestly surprised with how good the story unfolded. It felt like a complete story instead of individual stories like so many Japanese character novels do. Even small things I didn't think were a big deal came back in unexpected ways.
I found myself laughing out loud a lot reading this, and even gasping a few times in rage and/or surprise. A really fun novel.
January 10, 2024
I knew I wouldn't like the book from the title, but I still decided to give it a try. The beginning was okay, but it became very dull as I continued, mainly because both the plot and characters felt flat and didn't catch my interest. On the other hand, the book covered some interesting topics related to Japan's work culture and book industry. Although I enjoyed these topics a lot, I still didn't like narration and the characters, so I'll give it 2/5.
September 20, 2026
I liked the book well enough, but it wasn’t something memorable. Mainly, I love the slice-of-life genre and Japanese and Korean writers know how to write it best (I cannot say I read any Western books of this genre I could remember though). So most of the enjoyment comes from liking these types of books in general rather than this one book in particular.
There was no particular depth, the main character was kind of interesting, but also kind of tiresome. One downside I often find in Japanese books in particular - characters have long internal monologues about what they actually think, but what they do is completely different. Complaining about everything and anything but doing absolutely nothing is often the core of Japanese books because of the culture based on politeness, respecting your elders, seniors and managers (it is very status-driven). This book had a lot of it, which is frustrating to me and which is why I quit reading Japanese novels all-together (Korean literature has some of the same, but not to this extreme which is actually why I prefer it).
Despite that, the book was an enjoyable and comfortable read - it was interesting to see how bookselling differed in Japan compared to what I know of it here. A lot of questions actually arose, like ‘do you need a university degree to work in a bookshop?’, ‘do permanent employees get paid more than temporary ones even though they were temporary for over six years and the responsibilities are the same?’, ‘why won’t publishers send books that bookstores ask for?’, etc. It’s always interesting to see how different work culture on industry is in another part of the world.
There was no particular depth, the main character was kind of interesting, but also kind of tiresome. One downside I often find in Japanese books in particular - characters have long internal monologues about what they actually think, but what they do is completely different. Complaining about everything and anything but doing absolutely nothing is often the core of Japanese books because of the culture based on politeness, respecting your elders, seniors and managers (it is very status-driven). This book had a lot of it, which is frustrating to me and which is why I quit reading Japanese novels all-together (Korean literature has some of the same, but not to this extreme which is actually why I prefer it).
Despite that, the book was an enjoyable and comfortable read - it was interesting to see how bookselling differed in Japan compared to what I know of it here. A lot of questions actually arose, like ‘do you need a university degree to work in a bookshop?’, ‘do permanent employees get paid more than temporary ones even though they were temporary for over six years and the responsibilities are the same?’, ‘why won’t publishers send books that bookstores ask for?’, etc. It’s always interesting to see how different work culture on industry is in another part of the world.
September 29, 2026
This book was a wonderful kind of ridiculous and I’m here for it ! As someone who feels stuck 19 years into her career this was a balm to my heart.
My favorite quote. “Sorry, but nobody in this world is truly irreplaceable. No matter the job, someone else will always fill your spot. Work only has meaning if you give it meaning. It has to be a choice you make for yourself."
My favorite quote. “Sorry, but nobody in this world is truly irreplaceable. No matter the job, someone else will always fill your spot. Work only has meaning if you give it meaning. It has to be a choice you make for yourself."
September 11, 2026
3.75 ⭐️
September 11, 2026
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway so thank you!
If you've ever worked in retail I'm pretty sure this thought has crossed your mind (with the exception of any of my former managers who might read this 😉). The novel focuses on Kyoko, struggling to get by working her dream job in a bookstore. The wages are crap, the customers are assholes (girl, I *know*), and the manager is just infuriating with his self-help books & recycled platitudes. But despite wanting to quit, she hangs in there for the love of it. In order to boost sales, the manager decides to do some in-store events, including one with a notoriously secretive author. The book gets very meta at the end in a very amusing way. It starts slow, but by the end you just *have* to know who this mysterious author is, and you're as shocked as Kyoko is.
There's so much that feels familiar, from the customer that saw a book with a red cover in some newspaper & why don't you have it, to the manager who tells you "if you have time to lean, you have time to clean!" (Sorry, ex-manager, but I say it with love). I think it's a great book for anyone in customer service, just to let you know you're not alone in your feelings, even from half a world away.
If you've ever worked in retail I'm pretty sure this thought has crossed your mind (with the exception of any of my former managers who might read this 😉). The novel focuses on Kyoko, struggling to get by working her dream job in a bookstore. The wages are crap, the customers are assholes (girl, I *know*), and the manager is just infuriating with his self-help books & recycled platitudes. But despite wanting to quit, she hangs in there for the love of it. In order to boost sales, the manager decides to do some in-store events, including one with a notoriously secretive author. The book gets very meta at the end in a very amusing way. It starts slow, but by the end you just *have* to know who this mysterious author is, and you're as shocked as Kyoko is.
There's so much that feels familiar, from the customer that saw a book with a red cover in some newspaper & why don't you have it, to the manager who tells you "if you have time to lean, you have time to clean!" (Sorry, ex-manager, but I say it with love). I think it's a great book for anyone in customer service, just to let you know you're not alone in your feelings, even from half a world away.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5
A relatable slice-of-life story about work place frustrations, feeling stuck in life, and personal growth. Kyoko is a bookseller who is passionate about her job and connecting books to readers, but grows increasingly burnt out with her job between dealing with an annoyingly dense manager and enraging customers.
I tend to enjoy slice of life books, but this one was just okay to me. I did like the humor, the setting of a bookstore/publishing world and the twists and turns in the story. I do wish we got more from the characters though, as they felt slightly flat.
Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for the eARC!
A relatable slice-of-life story about work place frustrations, feeling stuck in life, and personal growth. Kyoko is a bookseller who is passionate about her job and connecting books to readers, but grows increasingly burnt out with her job between dealing with an annoyingly dense manager and enraging customers.
I tend to enjoy slice of life books, but this one was just okay to me. I did like the humor, the setting of a bookstore/publishing world and the twists and turns in the story. I do wish we got more from the characters though, as they felt slightly flat.
Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for the eARC!
April 23, 2021
很有意思的一部「輕推理」小說！雖然是以書店為背景的故事，卻也是職場百態的縮影。各種書店工作日常os讓人會心一笑、點頭如搗蒜！結尾令人莞爾又充滿張力！
August 25, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I think I may have just found my newest obsession thanks to How Can My Manager Be So Stupid?: books set in bookstores. Japanese bookstores, to be exact.
Kyoko Tanihara is a bookseller at a small bookstore in Tokyo. Though she loves books—to the point of prioritizing buying books over having enough money left at the end of the month to buy groceries—she is quite disillusioned with everything else surrounding them. The state of the book industry and its absurd practices, rude customers, egotistical authors, and, most of all, having to deal with her stupid manager make her want to quit her job constantly. But her love of books and recommending them always wins out.
Told through a series of vignettes in which we see her dealing with all of that, I found this story to be absolutely charming and a love letter to bookstores and book lovers. Kyoko is so relatable that you can’t help wanting her to succeed. The rest of the characters are all in service of Kyoko’s story, and just a couple of strokes are enough to characterize them and give us an overview of the Japanese book industry and bookselling.
Though for most of the book there’s no defined plotline and it’s more of a slice-of-life novel, the last couple of chapters introduce a new and meta subplot that manages to wrap the story up in a beautiful, not overly saccharine way.
A nice surprise that has opened up a new subgenre for me. I can only hope we get a sequel because I don’t think Kyoko and her stupid manager’s story is over.
I think I may have just found my newest obsession thanks to How Can My Manager Be So Stupid?: books set in bookstores. Japanese bookstores, to be exact.
Kyoko Tanihara is a bookseller at a small bookstore in Tokyo. Though she loves books—to the point of prioritizing buying books over having enough money left at the end of the month to buy groceries—she is quite disillusioned with everything else surrounding them. The state of the book industry and its absurd practices, rude customers, egotistical authors, and, most of all, having to deal with her stupid manager make her want to quit her job constantly. But her love of books and recommending them always wins out.
Told through a series of vignettes in which we see her dealing with all of that, I found this story to be absolutely charming and a love letter to bookstores and book lovers. Kyoko is so relatable that you can’t help wanting her to succeed. The rest of the characters are all in service of Kyoko’s story, and just a couple of strokes are enough to characterize them and give us an overview of the Japanese book industry and bookselling.
Though for most of the book there’s no defined plotline and it’s more of a slice-of-life novel, the last couple of chapters introduce a new and meta subplot that manages to wrap the story up in a beautiful, not overly saccharine way.
A nice surprise that has opened up a new subgenre for me. I can only hope we get a sequel because I don’t think Kyoko and her stupid manager’s story is over.
September 16, 2026
I swear, guys, you’re really overreaching by calling this a "Japanese Office" in the synopsis.
On the plus side: this is the first time in years I’ve felt compelled to write a book review - though only because the book itself keeps harping on the idea. Unfortunately, that’s where the good stuff ends.
You get flat characters with baffling motivations; a hysterical female lead who goes from paralysis to hysterics at the slightest breeze for the most ridiculous reasons (yet another example of a man trying - and failing miserably - to write a woman); underdeveloped supporting characters; a multitude of details and plot hooks that lead nowhere; a tedious, uneven narrative; and forced "emotional" swings - all without a shred of actual momentum anywhere. The list could go on forever. I stumbled upon this book in a "fresh autumn relaxation reads" list or something similar; there was no relaxation here, only teeth-grinding frustration.
Oh, one more good thing: the book is short. It felt like the author was competing with himself, thinking he could successfully cram War and Peace into 270 pages - but no.
On the plus side: this is the first time in years I’ve felt compelled to write a book review - though only because the book itself keeps harping on the idea. Unfortunately, that’s where the good stuff ends.
You get flat characters with baffling motivations; a hysterical female lead who goes from paralysis to hysterics at the slightest breeze for the most ridiculous reasons (yet another example of a man trying - and failing miserably - to write a woman); underdeveloped supporting characters; a multitude of details and plot hooks that lead nowhere; a tedious, uneven narrative; and forced "emotional" swings - all without a shred of actual momentum anywhere. The list could go on forever. I stumbled upon this book in a "fresh autumn relaxation reads" list or something similar; there was no relaxation here, only teeth-grinding frustration.
Oh, one more good thing: the book is short. It felt like the author was competing with himself, thinking he could successfully cram War and Peace into 270 pages - but no.
October 7, 2026
It’s slice-of-life story. Nothing was too crazy. Just a story about a bookseller’s daily life with struggling/stresses when dealing with managers, customers, coworkers… She always said she wanted to quit but it never happens and somehow I feel related :)))
Looks like there’re more books in this series as the ending wasn’t totally revealed.
Looks like there’re more books in this series as the ending wasn’t totally revealed.
September 14, 2026
When I first requested this ARC, I had hoped that it would be good. I judged it by it's title and cover.
And was it? Definitely.
The novel is about a contract bookstore employee. She loves her job, is dismayed by the current literature scene, and well, thinks her manager is stupid. It's about her daily struggles and her worries for the future, which we can all relate to.
I loved her inner monologue. However, when it came to her manager, at times, her thoughts very aggressive. I understand she was frustrated and yeah, he was not brightest tool in the shed. She should've learned some anger management techniques.
The writing style was good and so was the pace.
Thanks to Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and NetGalley for the ARC. All these opinions are my own.
And was it? Definitely.
The novel is about a contract bookstore employee. She loves her job, is dismayed by the current literature scene, and well, thinks her manager is stupid. It's about her daily struggles and her worries for the future, which we can all relate to.
I loved her inner monologue. However, when it came to her manager, at times, her thoughts very aggressive. I understand she was frustrated and yeah, he was not brightest tool in the shed. She should've learned some anger management techniques.
The writing style was good and so was the pace.
Thanks to Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and NetGalley for the ARC. All these opinions are my own.
September 22, 2026
I am a huge fan of the US adaptation of The Office, and this cover coupled with it being about a bookstore sucked me in right away. Looking for a mundane, yet fun read about Kyoko's daily job? This is for you!
October 15, 2026
Reminded me a lot of Convenience store woman with its telling of a bookseller day to day and the dramas and crazy scenarios that come with that. Feels like I’m missing something though especially at the end? Idk it was an easy casual read
September 4, 2026
relatable, funny and a book all booksellers should read
September 28, 2026
reading about people who also love to read is so cute
July 26, 2026
Kyoko works at a small bookstore. She is overworked and underpaid; she loves books but she is beginning to burn out. Everyone is stupid: customers, publishing sales reps, authors, her manager.
This is a charming, lighthearted read that will appeal to anyone who loves books and bookstores. Kyoko faces the same work struggles that many young people do, but she keeps trying to hang on to her joy and remember what drew her to working in a bookstore in the first place. I enjoyed the depiction of work culture in Japan and found Kyoko very funny and relatable. Recommended!
Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for allowing me to read an ARC of this title.
This is a charming, lighthearted read that will appeal to anyone who loves books and bookstores. Kyoko faces the same work struggles that many young people do, but she keeps trying to hang on to her joy and remember what drew her to working in a bookstore in the first place. I enjoyed the depiction of work culture in Japan and found Kyoko very funny and relatable. Recommended!
Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for allowing me to read an ARC of this title.
September 30, 2026
Nice easy read. Ending felt a bit rushed. Hard to keep up with character names at times.
June 26, 2026
This was a little too spot on for me. It was really cute but became a little too simple.
September 27, 2026
I picked it up on a whim and it completely took me by surprise. I honestly didn’t expect to love it as much as I did!
The story was incredibly well-paced, the translation flowed naturally, and the writing style made it such an effortless, easy read.
While the final plot twists and the clever anagram wink at the end wrapped things up a bit too neatly for my usual taste, the journey itself was a total joy.
The story was incredibly well-paced, the translation flowed naturally, and the writing style made it such an effortless, easy read.
While the final plot twists and the clever anagram wink at the end wrapped things up a bit too neatly for my usual taste, the journey itself was a total joy.
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