Asian Saga: Chronological Order #1 Shōgun James Clavell Following his shipwreck, Englishman John Blackthorne awakens in Japan, a country that very few Europeans have visited or even heard of. Entering the confined society of seventeenth-century Japan, where the distinction between life and death is extremely thin, Blackthorne is forced to navigate not just a strange people … Read more
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi is a heart-tugging, time-travel tale that’s like a cozy blanket wrapped around a bittersweet memory. Set in a tiny, timeless Tokyo café rumored to let patrons travel through time, this Japanese novel (translated by Geoffrey Trousselot) follows four strangers … Read more
Ikigai Review: A Gentle Guide to Purpose and Joy Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles is a self-help happiness book that explores the Japanese concept of ikigai—your reason for being. Drawing from interviews with centenarians in Okinawa’s “Blue Zone,” the authors blend philosophy, science, and … Read more