[Arukashira Shoten] Shinsuke Yoshitake (Poplar Publishing)

If there is one type of book I can't resist, it’s a book about books. I enjoy books filled with book reviews, of course,  and I also enjoy humorous books about books such as 90 Classic Books for People in a Hurry by Henrik Lange.

Then along comes this book, a comic essay about a particular bookstore which is located on the edge of town. The title translates to Do You Have This Bookstore. Customers of all ages come in and ask the manager if the store if he has a book on "_____" He answers "Of course" and disappears into the back of the shop to bring out a few titles that might interest the them.

The customers ask, "Do you have some interesting rare books?" and the owner/manager disappears and bring back titles such as How to Raise a Writer's Tree. The book explains that first you must put a seed in one of your favorite books and bury it in the ground. You must read to the planted book tree every day. At the end of the year, the tree will sprout books. If you raise the book tree properly, a great book is sure to ripen. However, if you praise one book more than the others, the tree will have a high chance of dying.

Any book lover will enjoy the books about working with books. One of my favorite chapters featured books with titles like A Day at the Charisma Bookseller's Training School or Investigator of the History of All the Books that Have Been Read. The titles and summaries are humorous and will make you think about what kind of book you would be looking for at this store. There are so many other fun and unusual books carried in this shop that I truly wish there were a store like this in the real world. However, there is one type of book that the store does not carry. But that's something I can't tell you. You will have to find out for yourself. ~by Ernie Hoyt

(Available in Japanese text only)

「あるかしら書店」ヨシタケシンスケ （ポプラ社）

長年本屋で勤めた私はどうしても本にまつわるはなしが気になる。それはブックレビューの特集や、本屋と図書館の写真集。この間職場の近くの書店に行ったら凄い気になる本が見つかりました。子供も大人も楽しめる一冊のコミックエッセイ。ポプラ社が出版した「あるかしら書店」。著者はヨシタケシンスケ。

町のはずれにある書店のはなし。この店は”本にまつわる本”の専門店。毎日の様にいろんなお客様が来店し、「○○についての本って、あるかしら？」と聞きます。店主がたいてい、「ありますよ！」と答え、店の奥からお客様希望の本を出してくれます。たとえば、”ちょっとめずらしい本”とか”本にまつわる道具”や、”本にまつわる仕事”等。

一冊のちょっとめずらしい本を紹介します。店主が出したのは『「作家の木」の育て方』。本によると①好きな本の間にたねをはさんで土に埋めます。②毎日いろんな本を読みきかせて大事に育ってます。③毎年「読書の秋」になると本が実ります。④とても手間がかかりますが、上手に世話するといい本ができます。⑤注意することは他の本をほめるとスネて実をつけなくなる。

自分も一番面白いと思ったのは「本の仕事にまつわる本」。特に気にったのは”読書履歴捜査官”と”カリスマ書店員養成所の１日”。本の説明とイラストがユーモラスで可愛いく描かれてる。こういう書店実際に存在してたら嬉しいな。でも一つだけ答えられない本がありますが、それはこの一冊を読んで、自分で調べるべきです！

Taiwan Tattoo by Brian M. Day (ThingsAsian Press)

Jack, a university-educated Canadian slacker with an overly protective and enabling older sister, finds himself fired by his brother-in-law from a job he hates. With no plans for his future, on a whim he takes a job in Taiwan teaching English.

His story is quite similar to a satirical comic strip written in Japan, Charisma Man. This comic pillories the young Western men who come to Japan to teach English and find that their new stature is elevated far above the one they enjoyed in their home countries. At home, they're nothing special but in a foreign country they find that local women want to date them, their pay is usually good so they have money to spend, their rooms or apartments are subsidized so they pay low rent or no rent. All of this gives them a false sense of being someone with clout.

Jack is like many of these Charisma Men, fleeing ordinary life, thinking that teaching English in a foreign country will be a breeze and that success will be had without any effort. But as the days turn into months, Jack begins to question himself about the meaning of success. He had rushed into this job only because he did not respect his brother-in-law who gave him a job at his company only because Jack's sister insisted upon it. Jack who has never left his home country of Canada, Jack who has no knowledge of Taiwan and cannot speak Chinese, Jack who is in dire need of growing up! Jack at first is not a very likable character.

But as the story develops, we see Jack begin to gradually change. We see him overcoming his failures. We see his desire to do things better. Suddenly he wants not only to be a better teacher but to be a better person. We see him overcoming many of his insecurities, and we may even begin to like Jack and root for him.

This story is written by a man who also left Canada and went to Taiwan to teach English for a year. He found himself living in that country for the next nine. I am sure the author has incorporated many of his own experiences into the life of Jack and his descriptions of Taiwan and of the classes make you feel as if you are there as well. As to the title of the book itself? A reference to scars achieved from having an accident on a scooter in the notoriously dangerous traffic. This novel is entertaining as well as educational for any of those readers who might considering teaching English in Asia. ~by Ernie Hoyt

Available at ThingsAsian Books