Fasciné par la Lune, cet astre qui guide nos vies mais cultive tant de secrets, Taketori Okina a transformé sa passion en un podcast à succès. Chaque jour, aux quatre coins du pays, des auditeurs s'évadent de leur quotidien pour l'écouter. Une ancienne infirmière en quête de sens, un humoriste qui n'arrive pas à percer, une lycéenne qui rêve d'indépendance... Tous, à un tournant de leur vie, cherchent un signe. Et c'est sous la nouvelle lune, symbole de commencement invisible, qu'ils entameront le chemin de la renaissance. Guidés par la voix de Taketori, ils devront apprendre à démêler les noeuds de leur existence pour imaginer de nouveaux départs.
Ce lundi-là, l'énigmatique propriétaire du Café Marble à Tokyo organise une dégustation de thé. Caché sous les cerisiers qui changent de couleur au fil des saisons, ce havre de paix se transforme alors en un lieu magique où l'amertume du matcha vient apaiser celle de l'existence. Une brillante commerciale poursuivie par la malchance depuis le Nouvel An ; la propriétaire d'une boutique florissante qui a oublié l'humilité de ses débuts ; une grand-mère en froid avec sa petite-fille... Alors qu'un chat blanc comme neige observe paisiblement les étonnants humains qui l'entourent, le Café Marble devient le lieu de rencontres insolites qui vont bouleverser la vie de ceux qui en ouvrent la porte.
Imposante et énigmatique, coincée entre le paravent et le bureau d'angle d'une petite bibliothèque au coeur de Tokyo, Sayuri Komachi attend patiemment ceux qui décident de venir la voir. Hommes ou femmes, jeunes ou vieux, salariés ou retraités..., ils sont tous au carrefour de leur vie. À chacun, la mystérieuse bibliothécaire propose un ouvrage totalement inattendu, bien loin de celui qu'il était venu chercher. Et derrière cette lecture imprévue se dessinent toujours les premiers jalons d'un nouveau départ. Un roman choral poétique qui célèbre le pouvoir des livres et l'importance qu'une personne attentive et attentionnée peut avoir sur le destin d'autrui.
Dissimulé à l'ombre des cerisiers qui bordent la rivière du quartier, le Café Marble à Tokyo ne compte que trois petites tables en bois brut. Et pourtant, les clients se succèdent dans ce havre de paix où les habitués peuvent contempler le passage des saisons à travers la baie vitrée. Une mystérieuse femme qui vient chaque jeudi y rédiger une longue lettre en anglais devant une tasse de chocolat chaud ; une brillante publicitaire complètement dépassée par son rôle de mère ; une jeune institutrice qui cherche un sens à son travail... Chacun arrive au Café Marble avec son histoire, perdu dans les noeuds de son existence, et trouvera dans ce lieu apaisant l'élan pour avancer sur le chemin tortueux de la vie.
Dans la banlieue de Tokyo, alors que l'hiver laisse place au printemps, les résidents de l'immeuble Advance Hill découvrent leur nouveau logement. Sous le bon augure du passage de saison, tous croient en la promesse d'une nouvelle vie dans ces appartements flambant neufs. Mais les semaines s'écoulent, sans apporter la seconde chance dont ils rêvaient... jusqu'à ce que le hasard et un soupçon de magie mettent sur leur route le parc Hinode.
Selon une légende du quartier, le vieil hippopotame en béton qui s'y cache aurait des pouvoirs thérapeutiques : il suffirait de le toucher pour guérir des maux les plus douloureux. Les différents voisins viennent dès lors chercher du réconfort auprès de cette étrange statue. Et si poser des mots sur les peines qui les hantent leur permettait enfin de s'ouvrir au bonheur qui n'attend plus qu'eux ?
Sous la plume de Michiko Aoyama, cinq destins émouvants qui célèbrent l'importance des petites attentions dans notre quotidien.
Michiko Aoyama est une journaliste et autrice japonaise qui a su conquérir les lecteurs du monde entier. En tête des ventes au Japon et traduite en 22 langues, elle a vendu plus de 2 millions de livres, dont près de 200 000 en France. Régulièrement sélectionnés pour le prestigieux Prix des libraires au Japon, ses romans nous invitent à réfléchir à la beauté des relations humaines.
Traduit du japonais par Alice Hureau
THE GLOBAL BESTSELLER
The Japanese bestselling modern classic by the original healing fiction author of WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS IN THE LIBRARY for fans of BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD
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Readers love HOT CHOCOLATE ON THURSDAY:
'Slipped into my heart and warmed me, just like a cup of cocoa' *****
'I definitely recommend this book!' *****
'Thursday is the beginning of the second half of the week. I felt restored reading this' *****
'Reminds you that everyone is living their own daily joy and pain. Heartwarming' *****
'This made me realise how we magically influence each other's lives without realising it' *****
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Across a bridge, by some cherry blossom lies the Marble Cafe where a woman writes in a notebook and a young waiter prepares her favourite hot drink. Both wonder about each other and about the lives of 12 customers and staff who frequent this charming little cafe behind the trees ....
Taking a walk along the river, cooking the best tamagoyaki, ordering hot chocolate, forgetting to remove our nail polish... The small, everyday acts that we do can offer unexpected encounters and ultimately change a life.
HOT CHOCOLATE ON THURSDAY connects twelve slice-of-life moments that open and close with a woman ordering her regular hot chocolate at the mysterious Marble Cafe.
What happens in between will touch and swell your heart, as readers connect with a community of untold unfolding lives.
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Have you tried the uplifting THE HEALING HIPPO OF HINODE PARK also by Michiko Aoyama?
THE GLOBAL BESTSELLER
The Top Ten Times bestseller
A Time Magazine Book of the Year
'An undeniable page-turner' New York Times
Shortlisted for the Japan Booksellers' Award
'I ADORED this uplifting, hopeful novel ' Daily Mail
'It made me laugh and cry and feel comforted' 5***** Reader review
'A tribute to the transformative power of books and libraries' Irish Times
An inspirational tale of the love, comfort and growth you can find in the pages of a good book.
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What are you looking for?
So asks Tokyo's most enigmatic librarian, Sayuri Komachi. But she is no ordinary librarian.
Sensing exactly what someone is searching for in life, she provides just the book recommendation to help them find it.
We meet five visitors to the library, each at a different crossroads:
- The restless retail assistant eager to pick up new skills
- The mother faced with a demotion at work after maternity leave
- The conscientious accountant who yearns to open an antique store
- The gifted young manga artist in search of motivation
- The recently retired salaryman on a quest for newfound purpose
Can she help them find what they are looking for?
Which book will you recommend?
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For fans of The Midnight Library and Before the Coffee Gets Cold, this feel-good Japanese book shows how the perfect book recommendation can change a life.
'I definitely want to visit this library. I feel kinder after this book' 5***** Reader review
'A quirky slice of feel-good fiction that you could recommend to anyone' Mail on Sunday
'Wonderful. It made me look for connection in my life' 5***** Reader review
Times bestseller, August 2023
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NOW GET YOUR COPY OF AOYAMA'S LATEST NOVEL TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH: HOT CHOCOLATE ON THURSDAY
This ELT Graded Reader is made for people learning English as an additional language. The short, simple text is also perfect for anyone looking for an easier read.
In this story, Sayuri Komachi is a librarian who recommends books and gives gifts to people. She helps them find what they are really looking for in life. The books and gifts are special for each person. They show them that life might not always be easy, but it can still be wonderful.
Our Penguin Readers books include:
Simple text (CEFR-levelled)
Pictures to help you understand the story
Fun exercises to help you learn and practise English
With the print book, you can get even more help online:
Read the book online
Listen to the book being read out loud
Get lesson plans for teachers
Find answers to check your understanding
Note: online resources not available with the eBook.
THE GLOBAL BESTSELLER
By the multi-million-copy author of WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS IN THE LIBRARY for fans of BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD
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Readers adore Healing Hippo:
'I wanted to discover the magical hippo in myself as I read this book' *****
'How does Aoyama depict human emotion so vividly? I imagined myself in this book' *****
'I almost wept on my train home from work' *****
'It gripped my heart. I wish there was a magical hippo near my home' *****
'Whenever I feel hurt, I want to re-read this wonderful book' *****
Nestling at the bottom of a five-storey apartment block is the children's playground, Hinode Park. If you look to the side, standing on stubby legs, is a hippo. Its upturned eyes give it a teary look, yet for decades, its quiet power has sustained the hearts of one community.
Meet the neighbours who will reach out to kabahiko hippo:
-Kanato presses his head to the hippo's cheek, hoping to recover the stellar marks he once scored;
- Sawa, a lonely new mother, strokes its mouth, hopes to connect as she once did when she was an award-winning retail assistant;
- Chiharu, a wedding-planner, hopes to be able to listen for the happiness of others;
- Yuya avoids sports day with a fake injury, only to find he really is in pain.
- despite Kazuhiko's fading eyes from too much editorial work, he will learn to see life's everyday wonders.
A quietly powerful story of hope, friendship and connection, Michiko Aoyama's beloved bestseller is a celebration of everyday encounters. Its subtle portrayal of the magic of community will lodge itself in every reader's heart.
THE GLOBAL BESTSELLER
By the multi-million-copy author of WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS IN THE LIBRARY for fans of BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD
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Tucked behind the trees in a quiet neighborhood in Tokyo, the beloved Marble café offers a cup of warm, healing matcha to all who pass through its doors.
Customers flock all week to Café Marble, tucked away behind the cherry trees. But Monday is a special day: the enigmatic owner hosts a tea tasting. The ritual invites its clientele to pause, reconnect with their inner peace, and rediscover the value of simplicity, allowing the bitterness of matcha to soothe their troubles.
Following the twelve calendar months, Matcha on Monday follows people from all walks of life: a woman who needs to change, a couple facing a crisis, an artist who has lost her purpose, and a young woman struggling to break free from family expectations. As each customer frequents Café Marble's cosy haven, they start their week with a warm sip of matcha and the joys of everyday human connection.
Warm and luminous, this heart-warming story brings together a community of untold unfolding lives. As a snow-white cat peacefully puzzles over the surrounding humans, Café Marble becomes the setting for unexpected encounters that will change everything for those who walk through its doors-all starting with a cup of matcha.
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Loving praise from international readers for MATCHA ON MONDAY:
'These words resonate in my heart' *****
'I felt the depth of each relationship and burst into tears a few times' *****
'A miraculous story that shows the importance of giving things perspective' *****
'It would be a great idea to read this together with HOT CHOCOLATE ON THURSDAY'*****
'The same taste and feeling as drinking a cup of matcha' *****
