In this charming, fable-like book from Japan, a fox spirit sells magical confections to troubled humans, only for them to get a little more than they bargained for…

Welcome. We don’t get many humans here.

In a cozy night-alley lies a very special store. It’s only open between the full moon and the new moon, and it’s full of wagashi, Japanese sweets. Each candy claims to cure some ailment of the heart or the head. But who is the mysterious proprietor, and why does he study his customers so closely?

From the girl who craves more time with her boyfriend to the friends with some buried resentments, each customer learns a valuable lesson from these sugary treats. The candies can give you what you most desire, but not always in the way you expect…

Back to the shop owner—did that shadow just make it look like he has a pair of ears? Surely, not a tail? If he is a half-fox spirit, so be it. But why is he so keen to study human emotions, and why does he say each candy has a “dosage”? Patience. Like the center of a gooey caramel, the best things take time to reveal themselves.

Connected stories about a unique candy store run by a fox spirit found on a seemingly abandoned road that most people can’t see? Sign me up. I absolutely adored this book, the different characters featured in the vignette were varied, all with their own individual struggles in life. The constant in each story of course is the candy store and its proprietor, Kogetsu. Not only are the individual stories heartwarming and touching, seeing them move through the difficulties they are facing with the help of the candies they buy at the store, but seeing Kogetsu through each story as he tries to better understand humans is charming. I especially loved that the last story was about Kogetsu himself in a way. By the end I was in love with the author’s writing and tone, but found I was greedy and wanted more of Kogetsu himself and his evolution and growth. The writing and settings that the author described were at times very whimsical, but then also very practical depending on where the characters were – be it on the road to the candy store, or in the ‘real world’. Overall I really loved the stories and characters, Kogetsu especially.

Happy reading!

Translated from the Japanese bestseller, this charming and magical novel, inspired by the myth of cats returning favors to those who care for them, reminds us that it’s never too late to follow our stars.

In Japan cats are a symbol of good luck. As the myth goes, if you are kind to them, they’ll one day return the favor. And if you are kind to the right cat, you might just find yourself invited to a mysterious coffee shop under a glittering Kyoto moon. This particular coffee shop is like no other. It has no fixed location, no fixed hours, and seemingly appears at random to adrift young people at crucial junctions in their lives.

It’s also run by talking cats.

While customers at the Full Moon Coffee Shop partake in cakes, coffees, and teas, the cats also consult them on their star charts, offer cryptic wisdom, and let them know where their lives have veered off course—because every person who visits the shop has been feeling more than a little lost. And for a down-on-her-luck screenwriter, a romantically stuck movie director, a hopeful hairstylist, and a technologically challenged website designer, the feline guides will set them back on their fated paths. After all, there is a reason the shop appeared to each of them…

I am loving all of the ‘healing fiction’ books that are getting translated and this was another one near the top of my list. I absolutely adored this one. It definitely was more on the mystical and whimsical side, featuring a coffee shop that would spontaneously appear to people who were in need of some guidance or assistance, who may be at a fork in the road and need to know what way might work best for them. I loved the different cats and the way their identities kind of became apparent throughout the book. As with a lot of these books all of the stories were connected and as you go through the different characters it starts to become apparent just how they are connected. I absolutely loved the way everything was finally revealed as to just how deeply these people were connected and what had kicked off their experiences with the coffee shop/the reasons behind it. I can’t wait to pick the second one up off my stack and read it as well.

Happy reading!