Followers of my reading lists may have noted that every so often I fall down a rabbit hole of Japanese fiction, often featuring (in various combinations) cats, books and food. If a Japanese writer added nice shoes to the mix I’d probably be in literature heaven as these are pretty much all my favourite things.
This all started a couple of years ago with The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa, which made me cry and then – the algorithm being what it is – Amazon and Bookbub just kept recommending more along the same lines. Reading colleagues at work recommended others – notably The Makioka Sisters by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki, which did not have a memorable cat but was beautifully observed. A famous crime series popped up next featuring the detective Kosuke Kindaichi, by Seishi Yokomizo (who was an answer in the Times Daily Quiz this week, and didn’t I feel smug). Murder at the Black Cat Cafe did have a cat, albeit a dead one.
The majority of these books sit firmly in the ‘cosy’ category (even the one with the dead cat) and reviews tend to use words like ‘heartwarming’ and ‘uplifting’. Sometimes both. Often they feature a shop/restaurant/other public space where people’s problems get solved through the application of cats/books/food although not shoes*.
We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida is an excellent example of this, as is What You Are Looking For Is In The Library by Michiko Aoyama.
Normally books reviewed as heartwarming, uplifting and cosy make me dismiss them instantly (especially ‘cosy crime’ novels which have recipes or knitting patterns at the end. Unless the murderer has poisoned people with the cupcakes or stabbed the victim with their best 4mm bamboo needles, garrotted them with the 3mm circulars or done something dastardly with the DPNs halfway through the second sock, I don’t want to know). I can’t get enough of these though, but luckily there seems to be a near-endless supply for my Kindle.
Other ones I very much enjoyed have included Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao (and I recommended it to my mum, too) and The Cat and the City by Nick Bradley who isn’t Japanese but lives there. Honestly – if you’re in need of a bit of heartwarming and/or uplifting, let me prescribe you these books…
*not shoes yet. This is a gap in the market. Many problems can be solved by new shoes, I have found, although my family don’t agree.
Things making me happy this week
- Taking Things 2 & 3 to the Quentin Blake Centre for the Friends & Family event on Saturday – now they know where I work and why I’m soooo frazzled at the moment.
- Peaceful days housesitting until Wednesday when I had to go home.
- Prosecco and crisps (we’re classy birds!) with Miriam and Jill on Friday night
- Foot baths with Epsom salts and peppermint oil on a hot day. Trust me on this.
- Not the heat though, no.
- Portable air conditioning
- Early morning walks both solo and with Thing 2
- Bringing the Community Access Panel to the Centre at last!
This week we’re opening to the public at last (Friday 5th, tickets available online!). I’ve got a dinner date with Amanda on Monday too.
Same time next week – happy reading!
Kirsty x
What I’ve been reading:
The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop – Takuya Asakura
The Restaurant of Lost Recipes/The Menu of Happiness – Hisashi Kashiwai
Days at the Torunka Cafe – Satoshi Yagisawa
What Kirsty did next 