Tales from the Cafe: A Novel (Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series Book 2)

Author Toshikazu Kawaguchi has once again delivered a wonderful story! The second book is equally as remarkable as the first one!! This writer is truly talented in crafting unique narratives that appear to imbue meaning into the lives of all, even the audience. Both me and you!Continuing from the first book, book two maintains the same characters. The stories from the cafe in the second book introduce new characters while the readers discover their stories. Visiting the cafe once more, characters either revisit the past or look into the future, all before the coffee grows cold. Despite the certainty that nothing can be altered from past events, going back or taking a glimpse into the future provides the opportunity to express unsaid words or shed light on what was previously unclear and unfamiliar.Reading the series "Before the coffee gets Cold" is truly a beautiful experience, allowing one to uncover the wisdom that Kawaguchi introduces.I strongly suggest these books. Anticipating book three, "Before Your Memory Fades", is now my next step.

I adored the first book so buying this one was a no brainer.Three more people go back to the past and one heads to the future. Most of the time the results are heartwarming. The rules require the person heading to the future (not done often) or the past to come back before the coffee gets cold. This can be anxiety producing for the reader because the person who stays too long dies and may become a ghost.My one pet peeve with this book is that many of the names start with K. This was very confusing for me and I would have to look back through the pages to see the history of the person with that K name. I would write a few notes about people who's names start with K If there is a third book I will do that.Overall, this book is very different and very enjoyable.

I love this series! Kawaguchi masterfully intertwines the lives of everyone who sets foot in the cafe. The underlying story of ghost in the cafe was chef’s kiss for me. Had me crying because it wrapped up so beautifully while still being connected to all the other stories in this book and Before the Coffee Gets Cold. Bravo!

I enjoyed the first book in this series by Toshikazu Kawaguchi so much that I immediately grabbed the second, "Tales from the Cafe." The setting is an out-of-the-way cafe in Tokyo where people brave enough to sit in a particular chair and to drink a cup of coffee that must be poured by a woman member of the Tokita family only when the mysterious "woman in white" gets up once a day to go the bathroom,can visit the past, or even the future. The rules from Book 1, "Before Your Coffee Gets Cold," still apply. I recommend that readers tackle the books in order, because some action in Book 2 turns out to relate to events or people in Book 1. For example, readers will find out how the "woman in white" from Book 1 became a ghost. Will she ever have a chance to leave her "permanent" seat in the cafe? One prime rule about the time travel is that the short trip will not change anything from the past. If a person is dead today, for example, nothing a traveler can do in the past will change that. I love the characters for their sensitivity, their good heartedness and that they are willing to risk becoming a ghost if they do not finish their coffee before it gets cold. In this installment, four people take the plunge and emerge with a new outlook on life. This fantasy-filled book is a refreshing look at finding hope and leaving despair behind.

The concept of sitting in a cafe chair and going back briefly in time--as much time as it takes for the coffee to go cold--is intriguing. I did not read the first book, but this one stands on its own well enough. If you drink coffee, you will know how very short that important visit will be. We all have regrets, so it's emotional to think about who we might go back to visit and what we might say. Would we gain forgiveness and closure as do these characters?Because one of the rules is you cannot change the future, the characters are going back to express regrets to the deceased loved ones and in turn learn valuable lessons to live happier lives in the present. These are poignant stories strung together like pearls with a cast of steady characters, including a charming little girl, who run the cafe. I feel both grateful for their lessons learned and yet sad from reading this book. I'm not sure anyone's life could be lived without incurring some regrets, but I am sure not all regrets can be solved over one cup of coffee.I haven't read other novels translated from Japanese, so I'm not sure if it is the author's intention to use simplistic language, or something lost in translation. It felt like Haiku of vignettes in novel form. The cafe never changes so the words are used in the telling of the personal stories. About 95 percent of the characters had Japanese names beginning with the letter K and came from Japanese towns beginning with the letter K which made it very difficult to keep all the characters and the stories together in my head.

Me apaixonei pela escrita de Toshikazu Kawaguchi desde o primeiro livro da série. Maravilhoso.

Immediately after reading the first book, I saw this one and just had to get it.It was just as intriguing as its partner.Excellent author: relatable characters; exciting, simple, impactful stories.

Lovely sequel to ‘before the coffee gets cold’ arrived in perfect condition.

The second book in the before the coffee gets cold series doesn’t disappoint. It picks up from where it left off in part 1 with 4 more beautiful tales that illustrate the depth of human emotions.Where would you go if you could go back in time? Who would you see?A worthy read.

Made me cry, even though it's based on a playwright in Japanese, the translation is well done.