by Mi-Ye Lee
Hanover Square Press, 2024. 287 pages. Sci-Fi & Fantasy.
Penny gets a sought-after job at Dallergut Dream Department Store and begins work at the front desk, helping slumbering customers find the dreams they need. This whimsical and cozy Korean bestseller offers a well-drawn world with a cast of colorful characters.
This book takes place in the world we go to when we dream. Penny gets a job at one of the top dream department stores, and gets to try out working at each floor. In addition to following Penny’s story, each section describes a character who gets a dream, and the reader gets a little glimpse into their life and how their dream affected them.
This is such a lovely and cozy story, perfect for reading before bed. The world of dreams is whimsical and it’s fun to imagine that this is what happens when we fall asleep. The sequel to this book, The Dallergut Dream-Making District, is equally as enjoyable. This book is recommended for people who enjoy cozy fantasies, and those who would like a relaxing and whimsical break from life.
If you like The Dallergut Dream Department Store, you might also like:
by Bo-Reum Hwang
Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024. 301 pages. General Fiction.
Yeongju is burned out. She did everything she was supposed to: go to university, marry a decent man, get a respectable job. Then it all fell apart. In a leap of faith, Yeongju abandons her old life, quits her high-flying career, and follows her dream. She opens a bookshop. In a quaint neighbourhood in Seoul, surrounded by books, Yeongju and her customers take refuge. From the lonely barista to the unhappily married coffee roaster, and the writer who sees something special in Yeongju - they all have disappointments in their past. The Hyunam-dong Bookshop becomes the place where they all learn how to truly live. A heart-warming story about finding comfort and acceptance in your life - and the healing power of books, Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop is a gentle reminder that it's never too late to scrap the plot and start again.
by Mai Mochizuki
Ballantine Books, 2024. 228 pages. General Fiction.
In Japan, cats are a symbol of good luck. As the myth goes, if you are kind to them, they'll one day return the favor. And if you are kind to the right cat, you might just find yourself invited to a mysterious coffee shop under a glittering Kyoto moon. This particular coffee shop is like no other. It has no fixed location, no fixed hours, and seemingly appears at random to adrift young people at crucial junctions in their lives. It's also run by talking cats. While customers at the Full Moon Coffee Shop partake in cakes and coffees and teas, the cats also consult them on their star charts, offer cryptic wisdom, and let them know where their lives veered off course. Because every person who visits the shop has been feeling more than a little lost. And for a down-on-her-luck screenwriter, a romantically stuck movie director, a hopeful hairstylist, and a technologically challenged website designer, the coffee shop's feline guides will set them back on their fated paths.
by Auston Habershaw
Tachyon Publications, 2025. 226 pages. Sci-Fi & Fantasy.
In this hilarious debut fantasy cozy, a rebellious--but enterprising--young woman and an ancient--but clueless--genie set up shop at the local mall. Alex Delmore needs a miracle. She wants out of her dead-end suburban town, but her parents are broke and NYU seems like a distant dream. Good thing there's a genie in town--and he's hiring at the Wellspring Mall. It'd help if the Jinn-formerly-of-the-Ring-of-Khorad knew even one thing about 21st-century America. It'd help if he weren't at least as stubborn as Alex. It'd really help if her brother didn't sell her out to her conspiracy theory-loving, gnome-hating dad. When Alex and the genie set up their wishing kiosk, they face seemingly-endless setbacks. The mall is failing and management will not stop interfering on behalf of their big-box tenants. But when the wishing biz might start working, the biggest problem of all remains: People are really terrible at wishing.
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