Michiko Aoyama

Sometimes a fresh start begins with a familiar face Volume two in the Marble Cafe series. By the multi-million-copy author of WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS IN THE LIBRARY for fans of BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD Tucked behind the trees in a quiet neighbourhood in Tokyo, the beloved Marble café offers a cup of warm, healing matcha to all who pass through its doors. Customers flock all week to Café Marble, tucked away behind the cherry trees. But Monday is a special day: the enigmatic owner hosts a tea tasting. The ritual invites its clientele to pause, reconnect with their inner peace, and rediscover the value of simplicity, allowing the bitterness of matcha to soothe their troubles. Following the twelve calendar months, Matcha on Monday follows people from all walks of life: a woman who needs to change her attitude, a couple facing a crisis, an artist who has lost her purpose, and a young woman struggling to break free from family expectations. As each customer frequents Café Marble's cosy haven, they start their week with a warm sip of matcha and the joys of everyday human connection. Warm and luminous, this heart-warming story brings together a community of untold unfolding lives. As a snow-white cat peacefully puzzles over the surrounding humans, Café Marble becomes the setting for unexpected encounters that will change everything for those who walk through its doors-all starting with a cup of matcha.

Nestling at the bottom of a five-storey apartment block is the children's playground, Hinode Park. If you look to the side, standing on stubby legs, is a hippo. Its upturned eyes give it a teary look, yet for decades, its quiet power has sustained the hearts of one community. Meet the neighbours who will reach out to kabahiko hippo: -Kanato presses his head to the hippo's cheek, hoping to recover the stellar marks he once scored; - Sawa, a lonely new mother, strokes its mouth, hopes to connect as she once did when she was an award-winning retail assistant; - Chiharu, a wedding-planner, hopes to be able to listen for the happiness of others; - Yuya avoids sports day with a fake injury, only to find he really is in pain. - despite Kazuhiko's fading eyes from too much editorial work, he will learn to see life's everyday wonders. A quietly powerful story of hope, friendship and connection, Michiko Aoyama's beloved bestseller is a celebration of everyday encounters. Its subtle portrayal of the magic of community will lodge itself in every reader's heart.

Much-loved modern classic by the author of What You Are Looking for is in the Library. For fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold. Across a bridge, in view of cherry blossom lies the Marble Cafe where a woman writes in a notebook and a young waiter prepares her favourite hot drink. Both wonder about each other and about the other lives of the clientele who frequent this charming little cafe behind the trees .... Taking a walk along the river, cooking the best tamagoyaki, ordering hot chocolate, forgetting to remove our nail polish... The small, everyday acts that we do can offer unexpected encounters and ultimately change a life. Hot Chocolate on Thursday connects twelve slice-of-life moments that open and close with a woman ordering her regular hot chocolate at the mysterious Marble Cafe. What happens in between will touch and swell your heart, as readers connect with a community of untold unfolding lives.

Nestling at the bottom of a five-storey apartment block is the children's playground, Hinode Park. If you look to the side, standing on stubby legs, is a hippo. Its upturned eyes give it a teary look, yet for decades, its quiet power has sustained the hearts of one community. Meet the neighbours who will reach out to kabahiko hippo: -Kanato presses his head to the hippo's cheek, hoping to recover the stellar marks he once scored; - Sawa, a lonely new mother, strokes its mouth, hopes to connect as she once did when she was an award-winning retail assistant; - Chiharu, a wedding-planner, hopes to be able to listen for the happiness of others; - Yuya avoids sports day with a fake injury, only to find he really is in pain. - despite Kazuhiko's fading eyes from too much editorial work, he will learn to see life's everyday wonders. A quietly powerful story of hope, friendship and connection, Michiko Aoyama's beloved bestseller is a celebration of everyday encounters. Its subtle portrayal of the magic of community will lodge itself in every reader's heart.

„Čo hľadáte?“ Túto navonok obyčajnú otázku kladie Sajuri Komači pomerne často. Ako správna knihovníčka má dokonalý prehľad o každej knihe, ktorá sa v jej knižnici v Tokiu nachádza. Okrem toho dokáže aj vynikajúco odhadovať ľudí, akoby im svojím prenikavým pohľadom nazerala priamo do duše. Vždy pozná, čo človek v živote potrebuje a ako by to mohol dosiahnuť – stačí mu len odporučiť tú správnu knihu. Takú, o ktorej ani len netušil, že ju hľadá. Návštevníci knižnice sa od seba líšia, každý má iné postavenie, iné sny a túžby. Od roztržitej predavačky z obchodu s dámskou módou, ktorá netuší, ako sa v živote posunúť ďalej, až po ťažko pracujúcu mamičku snívajúcu o kariére v redakcii časopisu. Rozhovor so Sajuri a tá správna kniha môže všetko zmeniť. Takže... „Čo hľadáte?“

THE BESTSELLING JAPANESE NOVEL For fans of The Midnight Library and Before the Coffee Gets Cold, this soul-stirring Japanese novel shows how the perfect book recommendation can help us fulfil our dreams. Sayuri Komachi is no ordinary librarian. Sensing exactly what someone is searching for in life, she provides just the book recommendation to help them find it. In this uplifting book, we meet five of Sayuri's customers, each at a different crossroads: - the restless retail assistant eager to pick up new skills - the mother faced with a demotion at work after maternity leave - the conscientious accountant who yearns to open an antique store - the gifted young manga artist in search of motivation - the recently retired salaryman on a quest for newfound purpose Can she help them find what they are looking for? What You Are Looking For is in the Library is about the magic of community libraries and the discovery of connection. Already loved by thousands of readers all over the world, this inspirational tale shows how, by listening to our hearts, seizing opportunity and reaching out, we too can fulfil our long-held dreams. Which book will you recommend?