--- description: Find out why "What You Are Looking For Is in the Library" by Michiko Aoyama is on TIME's list of the must-read books of the year. title: 'What You Are Looking For Is in the Library' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2023 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt78423534ec03f92f/698a41fbb3fce3e2db0cafa7/WhatyouarelookingForisintheLibrary.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Nov 14, 2023 # What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Michiko Aoyama’s set of interconnected stories, translated from the original Japanese by Alison Watts, centers around a local library in Tokyo. There, librarian Sayuri Komachi makes recommendations to a variety of readers, from a college student looking to find purpose in her life to an accountant who is longing to open an antique store. These characters are all guided by different desires—and Aoyama captures them with empathy and an intense attention to detail, introducing fully realized people who want to change their lives for the better. The result is a refreshing and hopeful look at [the power of books](https://time.com/6251239/how-to-read-more/ "undefined") and the durability of dreams. —_Annabel Gutterman_ **Buy Now**: _What You Are Looking For Is in the Library_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9781335005625 "undefined") | [Amazon ](https://amzn.to/40qVY7w "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332441/what-you-are-looking-for-is-in-the-library/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332441/what-you-are-looking-for-is-in-the-library/"},"headline":"What You Are Looking For Is in the Library","datePublished":"2023-11-14T12:30:40.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:25:20.728Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332441/what-you-are-looking-for-is-in-the-library/","keywords":["Books","list","best books"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt78423534ec03f92f/698a41fbb3fce3e2db0cafa7/WhatyouarelookingForisintheLibrary.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt78423534ec03f92f/698a41fbb3fce3e2db0cafa7/WhatyouarelookingForisintheLibrary.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332441/what-you-are-looking-for-is-in-the-library/","name":"What You Are Looking For Is in the Library"}}]}] ```