BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD

BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

GREEN LIGHT

AGE: ADULT

I enjoy it when a friend finishes a book and sends it my way to read. Such is the case with Before the Coffee Gets Cold.

There are rules about going back in time in the small, out-of-the-way coffee shop. There is only one chair where it works, and you must remain seated in it the whole time; you can't change the future; you can only meet people that have been to the coffee shop; and you must return to the present before your cup of coffee becomes cold. So, with those rules in mind, is there really any point in going back in time at all? Most definitely.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a moving set of stories about a handful of people that step inside a small, Japanese coffee shop looking for resolution to their relationships and lives. Divided into 4 vignettes, it becomes the perfect book for short-sitting, reading accomplishments or as a quick story to close the day out with before you fall asleep. Originally written in Japanese and later translated into English because of its popularity, these stories tend to be emotional, so if you are prone to tears, have a tissue nearby.

HEADS UP - A light spattering of language. No f-bombs. There is a ghost in the book who occupies the needed chair in the coffee shop. She isn't spooky, she more provides a bit of an atmosphere signifying that the people who choose to time travel back are stepping into a mysterious experience.