More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Throughout the novel, multiple characters reference books that have an emotional impact on them. What books have you read that have had a similar influence on your life?

2. Takako and Satoru approach their grief over the death of Momoko in different ways. In what ways do people approach healing from grief, both personally and in their community?

3. Why does Momoko approach her diagnosis and death in a different way than Satoru and Takako? How does this reflect how people face an illness in their family?

4. Every character in More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop reads for their own personal reasons. What ignites your passion for reading?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. How do the relationship dynamics between the various couples reflect modern beliefs about independence in romantic relationships?

2. How does the novel’s setting of the Jimbocho neighborhood reflect current societal feelings about print books?

3. How does More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop depict friendships and the positive impact they can have in a person’s life, particularly in a time when isolation among peers is rising?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. How does Yagisawa use imagery and figurative language to bring both the neighborhood of Jimbocho and the emotions of the characters to life?

2. How does the relationship between Takako and Satoru change over time between Days at the Morisaki Bookshop and More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop?

3. In what ways does Yagisawa use different books to help develop different characters in the novel?

4. How do the different themes of the novel intermingle and overlap, creating conversations across themes? Where does grief interact with reading or friendship intermingle with loss?