Matcha on Monday

Sometimes a fresh start begins with a familiar face ... From one of Japan's most beloved contemporary novelists, with more than 3 million copies sold worldwide. The heart-warming second novel in the Marble Café series by the multi-million-copy bestselling author of WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS IN THE LIBRARY. Perfect for readers of BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD, WE'LL PRESCRIBE YOU A CAT and DAYS AT THE MORISAKI BOOKSHOP. _______ Hidden among the cherry trees in a quiet corner of Tokyo, Café Marble is a place of warmth, kindness and second chances. Throughout the week, customers drift through its doors in search of comfort. But Mondays are special. Each week, the café's enigmatic owner hosts a tea tasting, inviting guests to slow down, savour a bowl of carefully prepared matcha, and discover that life's answers can sometimes be found in life's simplest rituals. Across twelve interconnected stories spanning the seasons, we meet people at turning points in their lives: a woman who must learn to change her outlook, a couple whose relationship is under strain, an artist searching for lost inspiration, and a young woman trying to free herself from the weight of family expectations. Drawn together by Café Marble's quiet magic, each finds unexpected connection, hope and the courage to begin again. Watching over them all is a mysterious white cat, whose gentle observations remind us that even the smallest encounters can transform a life. Tender, uplifting and full of quiet wisdom, MATCHA ON MONDAY is a celebration of friendship, community and the healing power of everyday moments, all beginning with a single cup of matcha. Readers around the world have fallen in love with MATCHA ON MONDAY: 'These words resonate in my heart.' * 'I felt the depth of each relationship and burst into tears several times.' * 'A miraculous story that shows the importance of seeing life from a different perspective.' * 'The perfect companion to HOT CHOCOLATE ON THURSDAY.' * 'It has the same comforting feeling as drinking a warm bowl of matcha.' *

Michiko Aoyama is the author of the multi-million-copy bestselling What You Are Looking For is in the Library, translated by Alison Watts, which was a Time Book of the Year, a Times bestseller and a New York Times Book of the Month. Matcha on Monday is a companion read to the author's debut, Hot Chocolate on Thursday. Both are set in and around the fictitious Marble Cafe, a tiny community café in Tokyo. Another book available in English by Aoyama and translated by Takami Nieda is the international bestseller The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park. Her latest novel to be published in English, Talking in a Moonlit Forest was also shortlisted for the Japan Booksellers' Award. Aoyama lives in Yokohama, Japan.