Kyoto Book Club

Details
Hi everyone!
For our May book club, we will be reading and discussing
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Synopsis
In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery.

Brimming with humor, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the count’s endeavor to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.

About the Author
Amor Towles is an American novelist known for his elegant prose, sharp wit, and deep interest in how individuals maintain dignity and meaning amid historical change. Born in 1964 in Massachusetts, he studied at Yale University and earned a master’s degree in English literature from Stanford.

Before becoming a full-time writer, Towles spent nearly two decades working in finance—an unconventional background that lends his fiction a keen eye for social dynamics and class. He gained international recognition with A Gentleman in Moscow, a global bestseller translated into more than thirty languages, admired for its warmth, intelligence, and timeless humanity.

Book Details
Length: approximately 465pages
Price: Kindle ¥1991 (about USD $12.70)

Join Us!
Our online book club will take place on
Sunday, May 24th, 2026
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (Japan time)
You can join even if you don’t have a Jitsi account by clicking the URL provided on the right.
Please do not click “Join in app”—simply select “Join in browser.”

What We’ll Do
You don’t need to finish the book to participate—though reading it will certainly enrich the discussion! Bring a cup of coffee or tea and share your favorite passages, thoughts, and questions. We’ll use a discussion guide based on the novel to help structure our conversation.

Important to Know
✓ For smooth communication and security, please keep your camera on during the session. If your camera is off or your face is not visible, you may be removed from the call. Thank you for your understanding.
✓ There is no entrance fee or membership fee.
✓ Participants come from diverse backgrounds—please be respectful of different perspectives.
We would love for you to join us!
We look forward to discussing this beautiful novel together and spending a wonderful time with everyone.

Details

Hi everyone!
For our June book club, we will be reading and discussing
"The Piano Shop on the Left Bank by Thaddeus Carhart ".

Synopsis
Walking his two young children to school every morning, Thad Carhart passes an unassuming little storefront in his Paris neighborhood. Intrigued by its simple sign—Desforges Pianos—he enters, only to have his way barred by the shop's imperious owner.

Unable to stifle his curiosity, he finally lands the proper introduction, and a world previously hidden is brought into view. Luc, the atelier's master, proves an indispensable guide to the history and art of the piano.

Intertwined with the story of a musical friendship are reflections on how pianos work, their glorious history, and stories of the people who care for them, from amateur pianists to the craftsmen who make the mechanism sing. The Piano Shop on the Left Bank is at once a beguiling portrait of a Paris not found on any map and a tender account of the awakening of a lost childhood passion.

About the Author
Thad Carhart, author of Across the Endless River, is a dual citizen of the United States and Ireland. He lives in Paris with his wife, the photographer Simo Neri, and their two children.

Availability
"The Piano Shop on the Left Bank" has been translated into many languages worldwide! French, Italian, Korean, Japanese, and more.
; it's among 15+ global versions alongside Japanese and others.

Book Details
Length: approximately 304pages
Price: Kindle ¥2024 (about USD $12.83)

Join Us!
Our online book club will take place on
Sunday, June 21st, 2026
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (Japan time)
You can join even if you don’t have a Jitsi account by clicking the URL provided on the right.
Please do not click “Join in app”—simply select “Join in browser.”

What We’ll Do
You don’t need to finish the book to participate—though reading it will certainly enrich the discussion! Bring a cup of coffee or tea and share your favorite passages, thoughts, and questions. We’ll use a discussion guide based on the novel to help structure our conversation.

Important to Know
✓ For smooth communication and security, please keep your camera on during the session. If your camera is off or your face is not visible, you may be removed from the call. Thank you for your understanding.
✓ There is no entrance fee or membership fee.
✓ Participants come from diverse backgrounds—please be respectful of different perspectives.

We would love for you to join us!
We look forward to discussing this beautiful novel together and spending a wonderful time with everyone.

Details
Hi everyone!
For our July book club, we will be reading and discussing
"Beloved by Toni Morrison".

Synopsis
In 1873 Cincinnati, Sethe, a formerly enslaved woman, lives with her daughter Denver in a haunted house at 124 Bluestone Road, tormented by the ghost of her infant daughter. Paul D, another Sweet Home plantation survivor, arrives and drives out the spirit, sparking a fragile family dynamic—until a mysterious young woman named Beloved appears, claiming no past and stirring buried traumas. As Sethe grapples with guilt over killing her child to spare it from slavery, Beloved's presence consumes the household, forcing confrontations with memory, motherhood, and the enduring scars of bondage. The community ultimately intervenes in a cathartic exorcism, leaving Sethe to redefine her identity.

About the Author
Toni Morrison (1931–2019) was an acclaimed American novelist, editor, and professor whose works center Black experiences, identity, and history. Born Chloe Ardelia Wofford in Ohio, she drew from folklore, jazz rhythms, and African American oral traditions to craft lyrical narratives on slavery's legacy. A Random House editor early on, she later taught at Princeton, mentoring generations of writers.
​
Key Prizes
Beloved (1987) won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988, cementing its status as a modern classic. Morrison received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993 for her "visionary force" and poetic prose. Additional honors include the National Book Critics Circle Award and Presidential Medal of Freedom (2012).

Book Details
Length: approximately 352pages
Price: Kindle ¥2200 (about USD $13.94 )

Join Us!
Our online book club will take place on
Sunday, July12th, 2026
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (Japan time)
You can join even if you don’t have a Jitsi account by clicking the URL provided on the right.
Please do not click “Join in app”—simply select “Join in browser.”

What We’ll Do
You don’t need to finish the book to participate—though reading it will certainly enrich the discussion! Bring a cup of coffee or tea and share your favorite passages, thoughts, and questions. We’ll use a discussion guide based on the novel to help structure our conversation.

Important to Know
✓ For smooth communication and security, please keep your camera on during the session. If your camera is off or your face is not visible, you may be removed from the call. Thank you for your understanding.
✓ There is no entrance fee or membership fee.
✓ Participants come from diverse backgrounds—please be respectful of different perspectives.

We would love for you to join us!
We look forward to discussing this novel together and spending a wonderful time with everyone.

Hi everyone!
For our July book club, we will be reading and discussing
"The Long Walk by Stephen King ".

Synopsis
The Long Walk by Stephen King (written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman) is a psychological dystopian novel set in a future America where 100 teenage boys are forced to participate in a grueling walking contest. The rules are simple but deadly: if a walker slows down below four miles per hour three times, he is “ticketed” — permanently removed from the walk. The last person remaining earns a mysterious grand prize. Through this relentless march, the story explores themes of endurance, individuality, and the psychological cost of survival.

About the Author
Stephen King (born 1947) is an American author known for his prolific career in horror, suspense, and dark fantasy. His storytelling often blends the supernatural with deep psychological insight. Publishing The Long Walk in 1979 under the name Richard Bachman, King showed his skill in creating tension without relying on traditional horror — focusing instead on the human condition under extreme pressure.

Key Prizes
While The Long Walk itself did not receive major literary awards, Stephen King has earned numerous honors over his career, including the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters (2003) and the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award (2011). The novel remains a cult classic, praised for its psychological depth and suspenseful minimalism.

Book Details
Length: approximately 401pages
Price: Kindle ¥1155 (about USD $7.32 )

Join Us!
Our online book club will take place on
Sunday, August 16th, 2026
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (Japan time)
You can join even if you don’t have a Jitsi account by clicking the URL provided on the right.
Please do not click “Join in app”—simply select “Join in browser.”

What We’ll Do
You don’t need to finish the book to participate—though reading it will certainly enrich the discussion! Bring a cup of coffee or tea and share your favorite passages, thoughts, and questions. We’ll use a discussion guide based on the novel to help structure our conversation.

Important to Know
✓ For smooth communication and security, please keep your camera on during the session. If your camera is off or your face is not visible, you may be removed from the call. Thank you for your understanding.
✓ There is no entrance fee or membership fee.
✓ Participants come from diverse backgrounds—please be respectful of different perspectives.

We would love for you to join us!
We look forward to discussing this novel together and spending a wonderful time with everyone.