Archive | March 2026

Days At The Torunka Cafe by Satoshi Yagisawa (translated by Eric Ozawa)

A Gentle Tale

Days At The Torunka Café by Satoshi Yagisawa (translated by Eric Ozawa) is a beautiful contemporary tale that will warm your heart.

The heart of the novel is a small backstreet coffee shop in Tokyo. It is tucked away, found only by those who go looking.

Within the story, there are three sub-stories – all taking place in the coffee shop with a revolving door of characters who meet just when the time is right.

The tone of the tale is gentle and kind- just like the characters that we meet.

Everyone is on a journey of discovery, taking time to be themselves as they interact with each other.

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Barking Orders by Roxy The Cattle Dog

A Dog’s Eye View

Barking Orders by Roxy The Cattle Dog is a delightfully fun look at life through the eyes of Roxy the cattle dog.

The reader really ‘believes’ that Roxy is the author of the book. It really does sound like a dog’s eye view on life! She believes “Humans are 85% coffee and 15% confusion.” Sounds about right to me! Roxy sets about training her human when she arrives. “Receive treat… Repeat until pantry is empty.” Roxy is ruled by her stomach!

Any unattended food is fair game. “Yogurt on my nose… You left it there. This is on you.” Whether it is breakfast yogurt, thanksgiving turkey, a BBQ or something else – leave food unguarded at your peril!

Wildlife is to be chased and eliminated from the garden. “At precisely 8.06am, the enemy breached the perimeter… a gray blur with shifty eyes and a twitchy tail.” Squirrels prove not so easy to catch. “Nutcracker escaped this time. But mark my barks, I’ll get that acorn-hoarder one day.” Skunks are to be avoided at all costs!

The ultimate betrayal is… a trip to the vets when conned into thinking it was a good trip out.

Roxy is scared of thunder, needing the reassurance of her owner. “He said, ‘You’re brave.’ Correct. Even warriors need a break sometimes.”

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