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

Mar1

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

Mar1

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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The Ostriches by Jennifer Ussi (illustrated by Lekshmi Bose)

Feb27

Educating & Entertaining

The Ostriches by Jennifer Ussi (illustrated by Lekshmi Bose) is the sixth book in The Incredible Adventures Of Casper The Cat Who Got Lost In Africa. It is a most delightful children’s novel that I absolutely loved. It is perfect for ages four to eight. In fact, whatever your age. This is a charming book if you like animals.

I adore cats. Casper, the hero of the tale, is a very cute little cat. He is a kind cat who likes to help, and a nosy cat who likes to ask questions.

In this book, Casper encounters several animals including a dung beetle, ostriches, a giant tortoise and a warthog – all of who are friendly. And he meets poisonous centipedes and a leopard who aren’t.

The animals all help each other to defeat danger and to find home.

There are lessons to be learnt – you are never too old for a hug, and we are stronger together.

The whole book is beautifully illustrated. The drawings are very appealing, especially Casper with his big, beautiful eyes.

Every story has a moral. We learn “brains come in all shapes, and bravery doesn’t always look like a battle cry. Sometimes choice is to stand your ground when every part of you wants to run.”

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The Child We Lost by Sheila Norton

Feb24

The Love That Binds

The Child We Lost by Sheila Norton is a beautiful contemporary novel about love and loss, and learning to live again.

The novel is seen through the eyes of a mother, and a grandmother. The chapters alternate between the two and are in the first person. This enables the reader to intimately know the characters.

Having lost her twin (before the novel opened), five-year-old Ruby believes he is alive again as she spots a boy looking just like Josh, walking past her school every Friday. She is convinced he is alive again. We witness the trauma this creates for her extended family as they try to help her deal with her loss.

Understanding of death comes following the death of a pet. Ruby is then surprisingly accepting of death once it is explained to her.

Ruby’s mother seeks the truth as to what Ruby saw. What she uncovers comes as a shock to all.

We see the importance of having a faith. “I sometimes wish I had her faith. It must make things so much more bearable to know that there’s a God looking after us.” Loss without faith, is very bleak indeed. Having spoken to a vicar about loss, Ruby’s mother is told: “I’ll pray for you.”…”Even though I don’t believe?”… “That doesn’t matter because I do.” Prayer is comforting for all, just knowing that someone cares.

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