Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Not so much formulaic as reassuringly familiar is exactly why Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold series remains a global phenomenon. It began as a play before the beloved book moved to film, and last year was picked up for TV development by Fox. The small screen adaptation should have seasons of delightful fodder as the series’ sixth volume arrives consistently translated by Trousselot. Preceding the usual quartet of time-travel episodes this installment has something new: a two-page “Relationship Map of Characters,” which is helpful for repeat readers needing a quick refresher of the previous volumes’ characters as well newbie audiences not yet familiar with various backstories (newbies will be compelled to binge the series). A daughter yearns to thank her stepmother for her unconditional love; a man waits years for his childhood love to remember him after memory loss; a woman recently diagnosed with cancer needs a glimpse into the future to decide on marriage; a teen chases his late father’s favorite carbonara. Kawaguchi certainly has crafted a perfect recipe; may his resonating reunions live on and on and on.