READERS GUIDE

1. Each chapter centers around a specific book—how does each book help the people who read them with their own life?
2. As mentioned in The Friday Bookshop, “The book you want to read” can mean different things—what does it mean for you?
3. Kou Sugawa, the bartender of the coffee shop attached to the bookstore, has a knack for preparing a food or meal around someone’s current read. What’s your current read? And what food would you pair it with?
4. Fumiya had never been much of a reader before visiting the Friday Bookshop. Were you always a reader or did you start enjoying books at a later age? What book sparked your joy for reading?
5. Do you have a favorite local bookstore? If so, what do you love about it?
6. In the book, the shop owners and Fumiya discuss Marlowe’s choice to not forgive his friend at the end of Raymond Chandler’s The Long Goodbye. Fumiya decides Marlowe’s decision is harsh and he’d want to forgive a friend even if they hurt him. While the circumstances in The Long Goodbye are quite extreme, what are your thoughts on this debate? Do you think Fumiya’s outlook is idealistic or do you agree with it?
7. The Friday Bookshop has a secret underground vault full of books. If you had a space like that, how would you use it?
8. What is a book you’d recommend someone read when they’re going through a tough time?
9. The bookshop crew started a book club back when they were in high school. Are you a part of a book club? What are some recent books you’ve discussed? If you’re not part of a book club, would you want to join one?
10. The adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” is used throughout the book as a motif—where is it used and when have you misjudged a book by its cover?
11. Translated works are read throughout The Friday Bookshop, with debate on which translation is used/preferred—have you read many works in translation? What would make one translated work preferred over another?
12. Books play a special part in the lives of the characters of The Friday Bookshop—is there a book that played a seminal part in your life? A book that changed your outlook or a book that you distinctly associate with a certain season in your life?