Category: Japan - Alyce Caswell - Author

Alyce Caswell - Author

More Than Merely Convenient

7/5/2026

Meet Me at the Convenience Story by the Sea (Convenience Store by the Sea #2)
by Sonoko Machida
Translated by Bruno Navasky

Sometimes you just need a bit of Tenderness...and by that I mean the convenience store by the sea, where the manager and his siblings could pass for movie stars. It also happens to be an unassuming place of healing and reflection. A grandmother and granddaughter grow closer, a store employee discovers himself, and a school girl finds herself receiving the same treatment she once gave others.

I was hanging out for this sequel for months. Happily, I can report that it did not disappoint in the slightest. Machida delves so deeply into her characters and their psyches that you feel like you have formed an intimate acquaintance with each and every one of them. I was particularly moved by Mizuki's tale. What incredible character growth...and her new friendship actually made me teary. Now can November please hurry up and arrive? I want the next book's English translation...NOW.

Best Read of 2026 So Far!!

22/4/2026

Bookstore Girls by Kei Aono
Translated by Haydn Trowell

Riko takes her work as a full-time employee at a bookstore very seriously. But there is one aspect in which she cannot be professional - Aki, another full-time employee, who continually grates on her. Aki is young, married and employed solely because of her connections. They clash constantly. Gossip keeps them at odds with each other. But they will need to find common ground to save their store.

Absolutely brilliant. Wow. I'm blown away by this book - I was expecting something more cosy and plodding, but it was a searing indictment of the way women are treated in the professional world. Yes, this is set in Japan and the obstacles are more overt, but it applies to women in the Western world too. Aono understands that when we are divided, it better suits the purposes of men and the society that is built around them. When we are united, we are a force to be reckoned with - Riko and Aki are a superb portrayal of this.

Gosh. I really love Bookstore Girls. Sometimes a book will emblazon itself on your soul and this one definitely has, for me.

Nijiko's Delivery Service

15/4/2026

Messenger Cat Cafe by Nagi Shimeno
Translated by M. Jean

Fuuta is a cat who has departed the land of the living, but he wants to see the owner he left behind. He could wait the customary time - or he could become a messenger cat and earn the right to see her again after completing five tasks. Fuuta's new job can be difficult. He must convey a soul's message through someone - or something - conveniently nearby. Sometimes, he has to leave it to chance.

This is a sweet enough book and one chapter actually left me sobbing, but there's not much here to make it stand out amidst the rest of the titles in the crowded healing fiction genre. I also think this would have worked better had every story involved a soul who had actually passed on. A couple of the stories failed to leave an impression on me due to this. But at least Fuuta is a charming narrator.

Content warning: discussions of child loss/stillbirth, cheating

The School Teacher or the Actor?

2/4/2026

My Grandfather, the Master Detective by Masateru Konishi
Translated by Louise Heal Kawai

Kaede's grandfather has Lewy body dementia, but he hasn't lost his love for solving mysteries. From how obituaries came to be a secondhand book to missing persons to murder, Kaede comes to him for help in teasing out the most likely scenario. What seems like a harmless game becomes a very serious matter of life and death. Kaede's own personal mystery might be her ultimate undoing.

I'm not really a mystery fun, but I couldn't pass up the premise of this book. It's obviously a deeply personal piece of writing for the author. Konishi draws on his experience with his own grandfather and there's so much love in every word. Kaede is such a relatable character, as is her struggle to balance her anxiety about her grandfather's situation with trying not to worry him. His condition is given so much care and respect, and it's woven beautifully into each mystery. I will admit that some of it's farfetched... but this book really is something special.

The Philosophical Ride

1/4/2026

The Lucky Ride by Yasushi Kitagawa
Translated by Takami Nieda

Shuichi is an insurance salesman who has just lost twenty contracts in one hit. The financial repercussions will be huge if he doesn't fix his situation - and fast. As luck would have it, he finds himself in a taxi driven by a strange man who tells him that his bad mood is stopping him from making better use of the opportunities around him. This taxi ride might very well change his life.

This book is so easy to read. I flew right through it, because the writing style (either due to the author or the translator or both) flowed so well. Unfortunately, I just couldn't agree with book's message. I am not a fan of toxic positivity, especially given how ableist it can be, though I suppose some people might feel inspired by Kitagawa's worldview. An interesting story, nonetheless.

Meow-food for the Soul

1/4/2026

Diary of a Cat by Mayumi Nagano
Translated by Yui Kajita

Chimaki and his little brother Norimaki are two cats that became lost at an airport and then became strays. They are found by "Grandpa", quickly becoming beloved members of the Horai family. Chimaki observes the behaviour of the family, their relationships with each other and the food that connects them throughout the year.

I'm not entirely sure if I truly liked this one, since it's not really my thing. It's the kind of book that an anthropologist would love in a few decades' time, because it focuses on the minutiae of life. If it wasn't told from the POV of a cat, I'd write it off as an aimless description of a slightly unusual Japanese family. But it IS narrated by a cat. And that part is well done. Chimaki is such a great character. Less great is Mum Komaki, who is less a character and more of a mouthpiece for the author and her interest in nutritional food. I did like the touch of magical realism surrounding another character, the particulars of which I won't spoil here.

Anyway, this book is about people doing mundane things. It's a slice of life for foodies and cat lovers.

Out With the Old

8/2/2026

Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata

Amane's origin as a child born of copulation marks her as abnormal in a world increasingly devoid of sex and love. Her mother's beliefs hark back to an older way of doing things. Amane knows it would be disgusting to have sex with her husband, since they are family, but she seems unable to let go of her sexual needs as others have. Will she become a reminder of a time long past?

One cannot read this book without immediately comparing it to Brave New World. There are similar themes, though Vanishing World is a more modern - and more disturbingly relevant - take on them. Murata's short story "A Clean Marriage" definitely laid the foundation here, though I think the book is more successful because the length allows her cover more ground. I will have to agree with others that the ending is... ick. And yet it works. But frankly, I would be more impressed by this book if Murata hadn't written the same type of story over and over again.

Nanami in Bookland

3/2/2026

The Cat Who Saved the Library (The Cat Who... #2)
by Sōsuke Natsukawa
Translated by Louise Heal Kawai

Nanami Kosaki lives a very limited life due to her asthma and the library has become her sanctuary. When books begin to go missing, she notices while others don't. Something terrible is going on in the world, with her beloved books at risk, and with the help of a grumpy cat she might just be able to put a stop to it. But she must keep hold of hope and courage lest all be lost.

I feel that the term "Ghibli-esque" is overused, but it definitely applies in this case. A girl and her love of books can save the day - which is a nice thought. I also related more to Nanami than I did Rintaro (though it was nice to see him again!). Unfortunately, just like in the previous book in this series, Natsukawa became bogged down in pontification, much to the detriment of plot and pacing.

They Mostly Come at Night

2/2/2026

Dinner at the Night Library by Hika Harada
Translated by Philip Gabriel

The Night Library is only open at night and has a very specific purpose: displaying and protecting the book collections once owned by deceased authors. The staff all have their own stories about how they came to be at the Night Library and all of them have secrets - but the greatest secret is the identity of the library's mysterious owner.

I think I was about fifty pages in when I realised that I absolutely adored this book. Dinner at the Night Library may not feature any magic or dream-like sequences, but it is still utterly magical and dreamy. Character development may seem non-existent at first, but then it creeps up on you at unexpected moments. The mystery surrounding the owner was handled in a similar way...teased for a while and then suddenly resolved in the most perfect way. I'm so fascinated by the Night Library and dearly wish I could visit it in real life!

Comfort Food

17/1/2026

The Menu of Happiness (The Kamogawa Food Detectives #3)
by Hisashi Kashiwai
Translated by Jesse Kirkwood

Don't expect anything different in this book than in the two that precede it. I'm not saying this is entirely a bad thing, since Kashiwai's writing is a lot like comfort food (especially on a rainy day like today)... but it never quite reaches the same heights as other books in the healing fiction genre. I think his stories need a more tangible connection between them and Koishi especially needs more development beyond "could possibly have a thing with that guy but for some reason won't".