Publisher: Hanover Square Press

Told in a simplistic and understated tone, What You Are Looking For Is in the Library is a collection of short stories that focus on self-reflection, perceived happiness, and purpose. Consisting of five largely self-contained stories that average around 60-70 pages each, each story focuses on characters of a variety of ages and backgrounds whose only commonality are feeling unfulfilled with their current life. There’s a young retail worker fresh out of university, an office worker with a dream to open an antique shop, a young mother torn between her editorial work and her child, a NEET unable to find where he belongs, and a recent retiree left without a purpose. Each story follows the focal character through their usually monotonous days, finding the local library, and receiving an unusual book recommendation from the librarian Ms. Komachi. Through this seemingly random book recommendation and a few open-ended questions from Ms. Komachi, each character goes on a quiet journey of self-discovery as they seek what they’re subconsciously looking for; happiness and fulfillment. “For fans of The Midnight Library and Before the Coffee gets cold”, I curiously picked this up as I loved The Midnight Library and largely disliked Before the Coffee…

Book #2 in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, I picked this up with the hope that it would be a more refined and improved version of the stellar premise introduced in book #1 of the anthology series that I felt was hindered by lackluster execution. While I did find that it introduced more creative and ambitious stories, ultimately it largely feels like the same misguided experience which I’m unfortunately not a fan of. Much like Before the Coffee Gets Cold, Tales From the Cafe feels like a slow and thoughtful reflection on one’s regrets and “what if’s”. Similar to book #1, the cafe Funiculi Funicula’s timeless setting is still quite an aesthetic location that lends itself perfectly to the premise of time travel. Based on context clues and the presence (or lack of) of certain characters, Tales From the Cafe takes place roughly seven years after the events of Before the Coffee Gets Cold. I found that the four short stories were at their best when it connected the four focal time-travelers to characters featured in previous stories, particularly when it involved guests seeking to speak with characters who are no longer alive. On the flipside, stories that…

Note: My original review for this book is old and does not meet current review standards. A fully rewritten review is planned.