Books for Studio Ghibli Fans

On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it. Most will see a cozy ramen restaurant. And only the chosen ones — those who are lost — will find a place to pawn their life choices and deepest regrets. Hana Ishikawa wakes on her first morning as the pawnshop’s new owner to find it ransacked, the shop’s most precious acquisition stolen, and her father missing. Then into the shop stumbles a charming stranger who offers help instead of seeking it. Together, they must journey through a mystical world to find Hana’s father — by way of rain puddles, rides on paper cranes, the bridge between midnight and morning, and a night market in the clouds.

The epic, Eisner Award-winning graphic novel about a jealous witch, a withering curse, and one girl’s journey to save her family — no matter the cost.

A book that “speak[s] volumes about our need for connection — human, feline, or otherwise” (The San Francisco Chronicle), The Travelling Cat Chronicles is a life-affirming anthem to kindness and self-sacrifice that shows how the smallest things can provide the greatest joy — the perfect gift for cat lovers and travellers!

Decadent and darkly enchanting, this lavish YA fantasy debut follows seventeen-year-old Jani as she uncovers the deeply disturbing secrets of the legendary Hotel Magnifique.

Here we meet fifteen-year-old Kafka Tamura and the elderly Nakata, who is drawn to Kafka for reasons that he cannot fathom. As their paths converge, acclaimed author Haruki Murakami enfolds readers in a world where cats talk, fish fall from the sky, and spirits slip out of their bodies to make love or commit murder, in what is a truly remarkable journey.

A beautiful, full-color dive into the history and future of Studio Ghibli. In-depth looks at every one of their 26 feature films means there’s something for everyone, while exclusive interviews and rare director’s commentary plus behind-the-scenes tidbits will excite even the most devoted Ghibli aficionados. A gorgeous, stirring must-have for Studio Ghibli fans and newcomers alike!

Down a quiet backstreet in Kyoto exists a very special restaurant. Run by Koishi Kamogawa and her father, the Kamogawa Diner serves up deliciously extravagant meals. But that’s not the main reason customers stop by. The father-daughter duo are “food detectives.” Through ingenious investigations, they are able to recreate dishes from a person’s treasured memories — dishes that may well hold the keys to their forgotten past and future happiness. The restaurant of lost recipes provides a link to vanished moments, creating a present full of possibility.

Tiến loves his family and his friends … but Tiến has a secret he’s been keeping from them, and it might change everything. An amazing YA graphic novel that deals with the complexity of family and how stories can bring us together.

Winter lasts most of the year at the edge of the Russian wilderness, and in the long nights, Vasya and her siblings love to gather by the fire to listen to their nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, Vasya loves the story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon. Wise Russians fear him, for he claims unwary souls, and they honor the spirits that protect their homes from evil. But when misfortune begins to stalk the village, Vasya must call upon dangerous gifts she has long concealed — to protect her family from a threat sprung to life from her nurse’s most frightening tales.

MJ Rodriguez has spent her life hiding in the human world, keeping a heavy secret: She’s half-encanto. As the only child of King Vivencio of the Sirena Court, she’s also next in line for the throne. And now, upon her estranged father’s sudden death, MJ must claim her place as rightful heir. Inspired by Filipino mythology, this YA romantic fantasy is the first in an enchanting new duet by #1 New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz.

Nothing in the whole of literature compares with The Master and Margarita. One spring afternoon, the Devil, trailing fire and chaos in his wake, weaves himself out of the shadows and into Moscow. Mikhail Bulgakov’s fantastical, funny, and devastating satire of Soviet life combines two distinct yet interwoven parts, one set in contemporary Moscow, the other in ancient Jerusalem, each brimming with historical, imaginary, frightful, and wonderful characters.

Once a prisoner to Fedu, the vengeful god of death, Koffi has regained her freedom, but she is far from safe. Fedu will stop at nothing to hunt her down and use her power to decimate the mortal world. To survive, Koffi will have to find powerful new allies quickly, and convince them to help her in the terrible battle to come. In this epic conclusion to her New York Times bestselling series, Ayana Gray delivers a heart-pounding fantasy adventure filled with mythos, monsters, and mortal heroes who are astoundingly human.

40 recipes inspired by the masterpieces of Studio Ghibli: My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle … Dive into the dreamlike worlds of these animated films and enjoy the recipes created by Thibaud Vilanova, a specialist in the cuisine of the imagination.

A mythic love story set in Trinidad, Ayanna Lloyd Banwo’s radiant debut is a masterwork of lush imagination and exuberant storytelling — a spellbinding and hopeful novel about inheritance, loss, and love’s seismic power to heal.

A boy who hears the voices of objects all around him; a mother drowning in her possessions; and a Book that might hold the secret to saving them both — the brilliantly inventive novel from the Booker Prize-finalist Ruth Ozeki.

A witty, moving story of adolescent love and loss from the acclaimed, prize-winning author of Breasts and Eggs. “Haruki Murakami listed Kawakami as his favorite young writer, so you’re going to want to snatch up this lovely coming-of-age story about a boy who becomes obsessed with a woman who sells sandwiches” (Bustle).

Two siblings. Two brilliant talents. But only one Mozart. From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu comes a historical YA fantasy about a musical prodigy and the dangerous lengths she’ll go to make history remember her.

Seraphina is a half-dragon, descended from a dragon mother who took human form and a father who has no particular fondness for Seraphina’s kind. Lyrical, imaginative, and wholly original, this New York Times bestseller with eight starred reviews is not to be missed. Rachel Hartman’s award-winning debut will have you looking at dragons as you’ve never imagined them before.

Two star-crossed magicians engage in a deadly game of cunning in the spellbinding novel that captured the world’s imagination. “Part love story, part fable … [The Night Circus] defies both genres and expectations” (The Boston Globe).

The Mayan god of death sends a young woman on a harrowing, life-changing journey in this dark, one-of-a-kind fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore.