The Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni

October 25, 2024

I missed Danielle Trussoni’s first book to feature puzzle master Mike Brink, The Puzzle Master, but that’s okay. She provides enough background so a reader can easily meet Brink in The Puzzle Box, an ingenious fast-paced adventure that goes from New York...

The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki

September 21, 2024

I think I”m about a year or two behind others who are reading some of these small Japanese books with entwined stories, but it was due to my own prejudice. I had read translated books in the past, and had not been impressed. I never knew if it was the writer or...

Rental Person Who Does Nothing by Shoji Morimoto

January 08, 2024

Shoji Morimoto is so determined to do nothing that someone else actually wrote his memoir, Rental Person Who Does Nothing. Morimoto contributed to the book by answering questions. While the whole concept is fascinating, there are concepts that are very Japanese, and...

The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn by Amber A. Logan

November 16, 2022

I’m going to admit right up front that I read Amber Logan’s The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn because she was on a panel I moderated. And, I probably would have gotten more out of the novel if I had read The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I know I...

Susan Spann, Guest Author

February 21, 2022

Today, I’d like to welcome guest author Susan Spann. I think you’ll enjoy her guest post since we’ve been talking about Japanese books including The Cat Who Saved Books. Spann’s post is a perfect follow-up. Susan Spann is the award-winning,...