This summer, right before going on vacation, I was looking into what to read while travelling. I came across an article in a newspaper about the growing popularity of cosy-fiction. Books from Korea and Japan with a slow pace and not a lot of action.

The way it was described made me think of lo-fi music. I like to listen to the the lo-fi girl & chillhop playlists. Music that slowly progresses, great as a background while working. Enjoyable, but not requiring too much attention. That was kind of what I had in mind for vacation reading. I ended up reading four books from that category, and it was definitely very relaxing. Even though there might not be happening a lot in these books, the conversations and personages are pulling you into reading. It's rare I read so many books in a short timespan. These are the books I have been reading:

Welcome to Hyunam-Dong bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum. This seems to be the classic in the genre. A book about someone starting a bookshop in Seoul after a burn-out in a corporate job. All people visiting the bookshop (or ending up working in the bookshop) seem to come from a difficult position and are gradually finding their spot. In the end all characters have developed, and have grown to be in a better place. And that's why reading this felt really good. Like listening to lo-fi music.

Before the coffee gets cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. This is the story of a small coffee shop and the people visiting it or working there. The main theme is around the possibility to travel back to the past. In order to do so, you need to sit on a specific chair (which is occupied by a ghost most of the time) and drink a special coffee. And you must return before that coffee gets cold. Sounds bizarre? The strength of the book is that these things are treated as completely normal. Which makes it fun to read.

Days at Morisaka bookshop by Satoshi Yagasawa. This story about a girl who's life completely changed when her boyfriend decided to marry another girl. She quits her job, and found a room in the second hand bookshop of her uncle. After a while she finds fascination for literature, and picks up her life again. I have seen people describe the book as 'feels like a hug' and I can completely understand. Definitely a great feel-good vacation read.

What you are looking for is in the library by Michiko Aoyama. This book has five stories about people struggling with their lives. One way or another they all end up visiting a library in a community house in their neighbourhood. In addition to the books they are looking for, the librarian adds an advice for a book that doesn't seem to relate to what they were looking for, but end up being life-changing for them.

Books and coffee seem to be the repeating theme in these books. So my suggestion would be to grab one of these titles, get your favourite coffee and start reading. And maybe listen to a nice lo-fi playlist in the background.