Welcome to Litsy!

First finished book of 2025! There seemed to be some missed potential in not connecting the individual vignettes but otherwise it‘s a nice cozy book! Apparently GoodReads has a list of cozy translated novels….and I‘ve read several. This genre is my jam! Thanks, Rachel, for sharing this book with me! I really enjoyed it! #LitsyLove

3.5/4⭐️ (between very good and excellent)

I love the premise of this book and I flew through it, however I suspect I would have enjoyed it even more if I knew more about Japanese cuisine. The food descriptions meant nothing to me. The human stories resonated though.

Plot and Engagement: 4 (excellent) Character and Atmosphere: 3 (very good)

#litsyatoz #letterK @Texreader

A Japanese translated fabulist tale of a hole in the wall diner that doubles as a detective agency: seeking out that formative meal from your past that you long to recreate.

An absolutely charming tale, with a loving father and daughter relationship, and food in every chapter that made my mouth water!

#12BooksOf2024 @Andrew65

Rich country‘s food culture, a lot of descriptions of local ingredients and blends of flavours. The “mystery“ aspect wasn't developed, but was heartwarming and cosy.

#shortyseptember2024 This was a nostalgia and hunger inducing tale of yearning, sadness, and food with warm, cozy vibes.

This very much gives Before The Coffee Gets Cold vibes and I'm here for it. The food descriptions will make you hungry but the stories of the people looking for them will fill your heart.

Father & daughter work together to investigate and recreate favourite dishes from the past - in addition to a delightful meal, and walk down memory lane - those who seek out the Food Detectives find the closure they often didn‘t realise they were also seeking. I really enjoyed Nagare (dad) & Koishi (adult daughter) - they have a lovely relationship that has grown stronger over time. Each case was delightful & the food descriptions mouth watering!

Next up!

Continuing with my “read books off my shelf” project…

This one was from a Christmas swap from @Rissreads

Book 125 of the year.

Similar to books like Before the coffee gets cold and What you are looking for is in the library. The Kamogawa diner is a restaurant with a difference. There is no sign and no reviews, but they can find your food. People coming to the agency are looking to recreate a dish from their past, and the agency can make it happen!

I enjoyed it overall but I would have preferred there to be more details about the actual investigating.

#BookSpin

This book gave me Before the Coffee Gets Cold vibes, without the sci-fi touch to it. People come to the Kamogawa Detective Agency, which is also a cafe, looking to have a favorite dish recreated. These dishes have memories attached to them for the cafe‘s clients, who usually end up learning something from their visits. It‘s a quiet book and a quick read.

This was fine. It just wasn‘t really the cute mystery I was hoping for. I was a bit bored. It is short and the cover is adorable. 3⭐️

One of my new favorite books! I found this book touching and beautiful, but I can see where maybe some of the translation didn‘t catch the nuance for people who aren‘t Japanese/very familiar with Japanese culture.
A retired detective runs a restaurant with his daughter. They also run a special agency that will recreate a meal based on people‘s memories.
5/5 read this for lovely descriptions of food and the power it has to change people.

Found this in search of #Camplitsy nominees. It‘s also this month‘s #bookspin.

Despite the title, this is not a crime story. People go to this restaurant to find that one special meal from their life. It felt very japanese. I liked the pace and found the detuction fascinating. I would have enjoyed it even more if I knew more about japanese food.

Cute and cozy but wish there was a little more underlying story between the short stories

Dewey‘s 24-Hour Readathon is about to begin! It‘s my 32nd consecutive ‘thon (which: whoa) and I‘m all set to kick it off with another chapter from THE KAMOGAWA FOOD DETECTIVES. It‘s lovely so far; a little bit like MIDNIGHT DINER in how it uses particular dishes to unravel the mysteries behind people‘s lives, but without the show‘s underlying grit. #deweysapril2024

This is a sweet little book… not quite a novel, maybe more connected vignettes? Surrounding a father-daughter team who run a restaurant that specializes in recreating a meal the customer is trying to remember from their past. Very cozy.

Food and memory are uniquely entwined. This is a sweet story of a father-daughter owned restaurant / food detective agency.

February #wrapup

Favorite book of the month is tagged but Stories on Rye is a favorite too. Still struggling a bit with a slump, it‘s been hard for me to focus on anything other than a graphic novel or a very short book. Hope this feeling ends soon, my books are pulling up.

Trying to recreate that perfect nostalgic meal from your childhood? Contact the Kamogawa Detective Agency where a father & daughter pair will research & recreate that perfect dish.

This was an absolute pleasure to read. The relationship between Koishi & her father Nagare was such fun to read.

I loved that these stories show how entwined food & memory & family are all together for all these clients looking to recapture joy or comfort. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗