Hanover Square Press | Book Chatter

Before the Coffee Gets Cold
By Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Hanover Square Press, 9781335430991, November 2020, 272 pp.

The Short of It:

Grab a coffee and enjoy.

The Rest of It:

Everyone has heard of this book and the books that follow it. I was SO late to the party with this one even though I’ve owned a copy for a very long time. I finally got to it late one night.

In a small, basement cafe, there is one seat that can transport you to the past or future, but only once and only if the strictest rules are followed.

This story consists of a very small cast of characters all in one setting, the cafe itself. The owners of the cafe do what they can to guide each person as they seek time travel, but they can’t really explain how it came about, only that it works from one specific seat and has to happen before their coffee gets cold.

That’s right. The entire process has to happen before their coffee gets cold. It’s just a brief moment to visit a specific time period and no matter what they do, it can never change the present. So why bother?

Each person who chooses to sit in that seat has their own reasons for doing so. Mostly for closure but even with the rules, they still hope to correct something in the present. Like saving someone from certain death.

It’s a bittersweet story. These characters long for their loved ones and feel the full weight of their decision to go back or forward.

I really enjoyed this simply told tale. I’ve already added the next book to my shelf. We could all use some feel good books right about now.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

The Boy at the Keyhole
By Stephen Giles
Hanover Square Press, 9781335652928, September 4, 2018, 304pp

The Short of It:

This story is a little bit twisty, which I like.

The Rest of It:

What’s a young boy to do when his mother leaves in the middle of the night for America, and the only person he has to look after him is his housekeeper Ruth? Ruth doesn’t seem all that fond of him and when things begin to go missing, Samuel begins to question the true whereabouts of his mother. All he has to go by, are the postcards she sends from America.

But are they really from her?

Ruth and Samuel live in this big, old Victorian house. It’s full of secrets and strange happenings, locked doors and mysterious appearances. Is it haunted, or is Samuel just a very imaginative boy? When his mother doesn’t return after months of being away, his imagination gets the best of him. What has Ruth done with his mother?

The Boy at the Keyhole was a fun read. I really wasn’t sure what to think as I turned the pages and the ending was pretty surprising to me but it had all the elements I enjoy (a creaky house, a mean-spirited caretaker, a young boy with an active imagination). It kept me guessing right up to the end.

I’m not sure if this is being marketed as YA but it did feel like YA at times but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable. If you’ve read it, send me a private message so we can discuss the ending.

I’m counting this book towards the R.I.P Challenge.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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