The Full Moon Coffee Shop

Best-selling Japanese author Mochizuki stepped away from writing manga to pen this charming novel that is steeped in magical realism, talking cats, astrology, and second chances. Customers of the Full Moon Coffee Shop get more than just a coffee or a stack of pancakes in the moonlight—their star charts are interpreted by the loving cat baristas, and they leave with a renewed sense of purpose and a plan to tackle their future. In this tale told through multiple perspectives, the coffee shop is visited by a has-been screenwriter, a movie director, a stylist, and a web designer, who are all at different stages of life. These people and storylines all come together toward the end of the book, and readers will delight in the way their paths merge. Narrated by Sadao Ueda, Tomoko Komura, and Yuriri Naka, this translation is marvelously performed for English listeners. Two of the three narrators have pronounced Japanese accents, which lends to the work’s authenticity and helps build the scene. Having multiple narrators also helps differentiate among the three different storylines.