What You Are Looking for is in the Library

Author Michiko Aoyama
Narrator Hanako Footman, Kenichiro Thomson, Winson Ting, Shiro Kawai, Susan Momoko-Hingley, various
Publisher Transworld
Publish Date 10 August 2023
Run Time 7 hours and 19 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Contemporary lifestyle fiction, Fantasy, Fiction in translation, Magical realism, Modern and contemporary fiction, Narrative theme: Interior life, Short stories.

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

The heartwarming Japanese bestseller for fans of Matt Haig, Fredrik Backman and THE CAT WHO SAVED BOOKS

'Library. What a nice-sounding word. So comforting. I feel like I'm a student again. Library ... Am I allowed to borrow books?'

'What are you looking for?' asks Tokyo's most enigmatic librarian, Sayuri Komachi. She is no ordinary librarian. Naturally, she has read every book on her shelf, but she also has the unique ability to read the souls of anyone who walks through her door. Sensing exactly what they're looking for in life, she provides just the book recommendation they never knew they needed to help them find it.

Every borrower in her library is at a different crossroads, from the restless retail assistant - can she ever get out of a dead-end job? - to the juggling new mother who dreams of becoming a magazine editor, and the meticulous accountant who yearns to own an antique store. The surprise book Komachi lends to each will have transformative consequences.

Magical and uplifting, What You Are Looking for is in the Library is about the wondrousness of libraries and the power of books for change. Highlighting all the tiny comforts of being alive, it is a story that no reader will ever forget.

©2023 Michiko Aoyama (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critics Review

I ADORED this uplifting, hopeful novel ... A joy from start to finish, this book makes you feel anything is possible

Daily Mail

There's a wistful, warm-hearted appeal to Aoyama's paean to the power of books ... [it's] a quirky slice of feel-good fiction that you could recommend to anyone

Mail on Sunday

An endearing novel and a tribute to the transformative power of books and libraries

Irish Times

Captivating!

Sunday Post

The novel is an undeniable page-turner, its mechanism energized by a simple question, posed again and again by the uncanny librarian, Mrs. Komachi. The question brings Michiko Aoyamau2019s characters often to the brink of tears; and not only her characters, but this reader, too. It is the great question of the library, and of the bookstore, and maybe of life: What are you looking for?

New York Times

If what you are searching for is a believable take on contemporary life in Tokyo, seasoned with a dash of whimsy, youu2019ll find your perfect match in this heartwarming novel

Japan Times

It's been a rotten year, so spark joy with this!

DAILY MAIL

Thereu2019s a special kind of magic in recommending books to other people and Michiko Aoyama captures that perfectly here. Full of charm; a genuine comfort read

CULTURE FLY

User Reviews

Book 5.0

Narration 4.7

5.0

Optimistic, cozy and human. A lovely book

Blaustrumpf 28/02/2025

5.0

silvie 21/05/2024

5.0

4.0

If youu2019re looking for an intriguing well crafted book narrated by a number of different people but with the same sort of theme, which is basically about different characters discovering their self worth in life thanks to the librarian that in my opinion is a philosopher and a therapist (other listeners may interpret this audiobook differently). I found it worth a second listen. I found the narrator of the last character, the retiree difficult to understand, the problem may be with my hearing.

Citizen 30/09/2023

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