Welcome to this first edition of adult fiction titles for
2026. I actually have more adult fiction than usual plotted for this year, but some
are saved under different nicknames and not specifically as adult fiction
posts. Stay tuned, my fellow readers! I didn’t plot the post this way, but each
of the short novels is from a Japanese author.
Geoffrey Trousselot, translator.
<This is
the first novel in a series.>
Clang-Dong. Customers at Funiculi Funicula can go
back in time, but there are unbending rules to be followed, including the one
that states the trip will only last until the coffee gets cold. The cafe in
Tokyo is small and unassuming, but it’s significant for four people one
sweltering summer. She knows she can’t change the present, but Fumiko Kiyokawa
still wants to tell her boyfriend Goro Katada how she feels. Kohtake, a nurse,
wants to retrieve a letter from Fusagi, her husband battling dementia. Yaeko Hirai
runs a successful bar after leaving her family’s inn, but is desperate to
connect with Kumi, a sister six years her junior. Kei Tokita, the wife of
proprietor Nagare Tokita, wants to travel to the future, but not to know if she’s
alive. She knows her heart is weak, and she isn’t afraid of dying. They will be
guided by Kazu Tokita, cousin to Nagare, and the only one who can serve the
transporting coffee. There’s also a teenage girl looking for someone, but
no one knows who she is when she turns up in that seat, the
one normally occupied by the woman in the white dress (she’s a ghost). It
remains to be seen if the travelers will find the answers they’re looking for,
but one thing’s for sure -- they must all return before the coffee gets
cold. Clang-Dong.
The
first in a series of the same name is a short, adult fiction, Japanese
literature novel centering on magical realism and time travel. It’s as
immersive as one’s favorite cup of hot coffee/tea/chocolate and is wistful,
delightful and totally individual. It’s also heartwarming and heartrending, and
it made me teary, but I can’t deny its charm and simple beauty. The story is
engaging and highlights the power of human relationships and love. Based on one
of the cafe’s rules, it reminds readers that you can’t change what’s
already happened, but you can change yourself..jpg)
.jpg)
The Full Moon Coffee Shop (Aug. 20, 2024) by
Mai Mochizuki.
Jesse Kirkwood, translator.
<This is
the first novel in a series.>
Welcome to the Full Moon Coffee Shop. There are no set
hours, no fixed location, and it typically appears without notice. The
shop is currently appearing under a Kyoto moon to people feeling lost who are
also interconnected. The shop doesn’t have a menu, but guests will be served by
talking cats who will discuss astrology and natal charts and say things
like Mercury is in retrograde and With Venus in your
fifth house. There’s Mizuki Serikawa, a scriptwriter down on her luck,
Akari Nakayama, a director who isn’t as goody-goody as she presents herself
despite the perfectionism she places on herself and others, and
Satsuki Ayukawa, a lead actress crumbling under a public scandal. There’s
Jiro, a stylist whom someone hasn’t admitted she has romantic feelings for,
Takashi Mizumoto, co-owner of M Y Systems and its server security engineer who
feels like things go wrong more for him than his partner, and Megumi Hayakawa,
a hairdresser who’s made a rather impulsive career choice based on a dream.
They will be served delectable, otherworldly treats like Astral Milk from the
Milky Way, Aquarius Trifle, Mercury Cream Soda and Sunrise Syrup (none of which
can be replicated with regular, mortal ingredients). It may be served by
Master, a six-foot tall tortoiseshell cat; Caelus, a Singapura; Cronus
(Saturn), a tuxedo cat; Venus, a Persian; or Mercury, a Siamese. With varying
personalities and cryptic wisdom, these working lost will reclaim their paths.
Although
I don’t drink coffee, I do love cats, and with cats on the cover, I was drawn
to this short, adult fiction novel of contemporary fantasy and magical realism.
It’s a cozy Japanese literature story and a gentle one. Even though I’m not
into astrology, this tale is charming and well-crafted. Reading it goes down
smooth like a luscious milkshake and dazzles like diamond stars in the night
sky. Clever celestial confections, unruffled fantasy and enchantment create a
feel-good story, despite the woes of the human characters. The magical cats are
a delight, too. I will be continuing this series..jpg)
.jpg)
The Restaurant of Lost Recipes (Oct. 8,
2024/US edition) by Hisashi Kashiwai.
Jesse Kirkwood, translator.
<This is
the second novel in a series.>
In this second helping, Chef Nagare Kamogawa and his
adult daughter Koishi continue running the unassuming but incredible Kamogawa
Diner and the Kamogawa Detective Agency, respectively. Nagare’s turned his past
as a former detective and his passion for food into a culinary sleuthing
business. He serves a mouthwatering set menu to first-time customers. They
might be served miso-marinated pomfret, deep-fried Manganji peppers, hamo eel
and chilled tofu, but they seek lost recipes. An Olympic-level swimmer looks
for nori-ben (nori seaweed on a bed of rice) made by his
estranged father as a gray pantsuit-ed woman always in a hurry looks for a
Japanese-style hamburger steak recipe that she thinks her father made. A couple
who run a traditional bakery are hoping for a Western-style Christmas cake as
an offering for their young son’s shrine (he died in a car accident six years
ago) while a model friend longs for fried rice made by her deceased mother. A
managing director of a printing company seeks ramen from a yatai (food
cart) existing during his university days over 30 years prior and a singer
pursues ten-don (tempura served over a bowl of rice) she once
had after her one hit from a restaurant that’s no longer open. Each of these
characters longs for lost recipes. They need help finding them again.
When you’re
on Karasuma and reach Higashi Honganji temple, turn onto Shomen-dori to find
the tucked away Kamogawa Diner. The second novel in the Kamogawa Food
Detectives series is as comforting as rich hot cocoa and as healing as
any balm. The adult fiction, cozy mystery highlights the marvel of delectable
food. I love the details of the served food as well as the found food. This
short novel is easy to devour with a lot of flavor and nourishing to boot. The
only unfortunate part isn’t the story, but the lack of any Japanese restaurants
near me.
Book
One: The Kamogawa Food Detectives
No comments:
Post a Comment
You have a book or post-related comment on your mind? Wonderful! Your comments are welcome, but whether you are a regular or guest Rutabaga, I expect you to keep your comments clean and respectable. :-)