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Sweet Bean Paste
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
Sentaro has failed: he has a criminal record, drinks too much, and hasnt managed to fulfil his dream of becoming a writer. Instead, he works in a tiny confectionery shop selling dorayaki, a type of pancake filled with sweet bean paste. With only the blossoming of the cherry trees to mark the passing of time, he spends his days listlessly filling the pastries. Until one day an elderly, handicapped woman enters the shop. Tokue makes the best bean paste imaginable, and begins to teach Sentaro her art. But as their friendship flourishes, societal prejudices become impossible to escape, in this quietly devastating novel about the burden of the past and the redemptive power of friendship.
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review
Jari-chan
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Pickpick

Soft pick because it took me some time to get into the book. It's written in an easy language, which is why I think it might be a good pick for people that don't read that much or often. I started watching the movie but couldn't finish it because I felt so sorry for Tokue. Where the movie was too much emotion, the book didn't have enough for a long time. Only in the second half I felt invested. Still, the story made me think quite a lot.

Crazeedi I am like you, sometimes I can't finish a book or a show because my emotions are too raw! 2w
Jari-chan @Crazeedi ❤️❤️🫂 2w
37 likes1 stack add2 comments
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RedCurly
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Pickpick

Lovely story about tragic fates, sweets and hope

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thewallflower0707
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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I noticed the #JanuaryinJapan reading challenge on Instagram, and it motivated me to read more translations! This month, I‘ve read Sweet Bean Paste, All the Lovers in the Night, The Kamogawa Food Detectives & Before the Coffee gets Cold.

Any suggestions for my 1st #HarukiMurakami novel? I‘ve heard his work is VERY misogynistic.

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AvidReader25
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Pickpick

This novella set in contemporary Japan is about a man who is released from prison and runs a Doraharu, which serves dorayaki (pancakes with sweet bean paste). He meets an old women, Tokue, who grew up in a leper colony on the outskirts of town. His unlikely friendship with her & Wakana, a school girl who visits the shop, is quiet and lovely. Despite their differences, the three learn to look past their outward appearances to find something deeper.

Soubhiville Sounds like a really nice story. 3mo
AvidReader25 @Soubhiville I think some things are lost in translation, but the core message that we mean more to this world than just our work, and contributions is a good one. 3mo
34 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Deblovestoread
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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#Roll100 Might this be the month I read all three? Two work well for #Scarathalon so maybe.

PuddleJumper Get all of those points since this would count as a readathon 6mo
45 likes1 comment
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emmaturi
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Pickpick

A delightfully moving story about a man, an old woman, and a young girl, set in Japan.

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TalesandTexts
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Pickpick

This is a story about disease and the way it overshadows us all our lives.
It‘s a story about Japan‘s (and the world‘s) inhuman treatment of those not able bodied.
It‘s a story about finding reasons to hope and dream and find the little joys in life.
It‘s a story about taking chances on people and embracing them without judgement.
It‘s an ode to sweet red bean paste, pancakes and Dorayaki.

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vanessacs
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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“It‘s my belief that everything in this world has its own language. We have the ability to open up our ears and minds to anything and everything. That could be someone walking down the street, or it could be the sunshine or the wind”

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mackelie
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Pickpick

I thought it will be just a feel good story about unexpected friendship and making sweet pastry. However, the book speaks of a larger issue- meaning of life. It‘s also written simply and beautifully.

Tokue has suffered from an illness that has isolated her from the rest of the world. She meets Sentaro who has also experienced some type of isolation before and shares her experience of preparing sweet bean paste.

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mackelie
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa

“But what about a child whose life is over before he or she even turns two years old? People may wonder, in their sorrow, what point there is in a child like that even being born.

I have learned the answer to this. I am sure it is for that child to perceive wind, sky, and voices in his or her own unique way. The world that child senses exists because of it, and therefore that child‘s life, too, has purpose and meaning.”

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mackelie
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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I love red bean paste! Would love to try the dorayaki made at Doraharu 🌸

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vlwelser
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Pickpick

I really appreciate this book. Definitely recommend.

#DoubleSpin @TheAromaofBooks

47 likes1 stack add2 comments
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ju.ca.no
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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So far, I‘m doing pretty good for #20in4 and will most likely manage to get to 20 hours🥰 this Book (not tagged)- „the cats of Shinjuku“ is so far very good! I just love the atmosphere in japanese books, nothing much needs to happen, it‘s still mesmerizing ♥️ I‘m looking foward to how the story will develope though!

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ju.ca.no
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Not sure why his books don‘t get translated to english that much, but I‘ve read two others and absolutely loved them, so I have high expectations for this one as well! Starting it now for #20in4

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mrp27
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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#ominousoctober #leaves

A book I‘ve actually read and not from my tbr pile! I read it awhile ago and I still remember it. That‘s a good sign for liking a book.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks So pretty 💗🍂 1y
Eggs 👏🏻💗🌸 1y
tpixie It‘s great when you find a book that sticks with you! 1y
mrp27 @tpixie Agreed! 1y
tpixie @mrp27 💖 1y
21 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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Robotswithpersonality
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Pickpick

Simple but powerful. Less fluffy than I imagined. An eloquent argument for the value of human life, against the fundamental injustice that is incarceration in any setting, for the need for society to move past the fear and prejudice that has caused forced segregation and sterilization of communities in the past. It's the reality inspiring fiction that is the most tragic. The Author's Note is illuminating.
Warning for suicidal ideation.

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Robotswithpersonality
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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..."my life had meaning." ??

ManyWordsLater Have you seen the movie? 1y
Robotswithpersonality @ManyWordsLater Oh dear, I didn't know there was one. Not sure my heart could take it. 1y
3 likes2 comments
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Robotswithpersonality
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Feels like reading about early years of AIDS epidemic. 😔

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Robotswithpersonality
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Welcome, well-traveled beans ☺️

2 likes1 stack add
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Robotswithpersonality
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Upcoming reads: all about translated Japanese fiction and a splash of pink. 💕

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SanjanaGhosh
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Pickpick

I just realised this is the 2nd book I've read in a row which features a dessert xD

Lunakay What's the other one? :D 1y
SanjanaGhosh @Lunakay Love and Gelato xD 1y
14 likes2 comments
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Moll
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
Pickpick

Poignant and beautifully simple and inspiring....and it made me cry😂 I loooooved the characters with my whole heart, especially Tokue, and perhaps even moreso I loved the points the book made about the purpose/meaning to be found in every single life❤

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AbstractMonica
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Pickpick

This was a very slow-paced novel, but it was beautifully written. A troubled man is working at a dorayaki shop. He is apathetic with no real purpose, and suddenly finds himself working alongside an elderly woman that is able to find the beauty in everything.

They soon share a bond due to their dark pasts, and he starts to see the world through different lenses.

I loved the tone and imagery the author set. I enjoyed every minute of it.

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Moll
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa

#BFC2022 @wanderinglynn

April - very happy with the below😊 Super active, I hit my reading goal & Action For Happiness has been great:
- 4 yoga sessions
- 15 cardio pilates workouts
- An 11 mile walk
- 2 books read
- 21 Action for Happiness actions

May goals below😁

Moll I think I found my rhythm with workouts in April (took me an age to figure out a new rhythm in a post-lockdown world, but I got there)! Being specific about when I want to work out rather than saying 'just as much as possible' (although that's still ultimately the case) has been really helpful; I decide a week in advance and base it on what time I have left around the other things I have on that week🙌 A goal for May is to keep this up😁 2y
Moll The same is the case with yoga😊 2y
Moll I want to very much keep going with Action for Happiness - I'm keen to attend more of the webinars they run and I've joined a group to meet other people involved in it😁 2y
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Moll As for reading, I am sticking with my goal of at least 2 books😊 2y
wanderinglynn Way to go! 🙌🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 2y
Moll @wanderinglynn 😁😁 2y
14 likes6 comments
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Moll
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Next up!

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AbstractMonica
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Started this one last night. Within the first chapter I was salivating over the descriptions of the dorayaki 🤤(Japanese pancakes stuffed with sweet bean paste). Reading a bit more this morning before I start my work trainings for the day.

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lumbricuslibri
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Pickpick

Short and sweet.
Japanese literature really tugs at my heartstrings and makes me think about life.

mackelie I have just received this one and looking forward to reading it! 2y
lumbricuslibri @mackelie Hope you enjoy it! 2y
49 likes1 stack add2 comments
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lumbricuslibri
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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lumbricuslibri
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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'Bean paste is very difficult, you know. Listen, lady—err, Ma'am. Have you ever made it?'

'I certainly have. I've been making it for fifty years.'

Sentaro almost dropped the dorayaki he was about to put in a paper bag. 'Fifty years?'

'Yes, half a century. Bean paste is all about feeling, young man.'

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lumbricuslibri
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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"I'm just browsing."

I lied.

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sailu112
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
Pickpick

This book took me to a beautiful place and left me with a sense of contentment about life. This quote is going to live with me “I began to understand that we were born in order to see and listen to the world. And that's all this world wants of us. It doesn't matter that I was never a teacher or a member of the workforce, my life had meaning.”

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RaeLovesToRead
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Next up, for September's #12booksof2021 , I choose Sweet Bean Paste.

What on the surface seemed a simple and heartfelt story, had deeper, heartbreaking layers beneath.

Also, look at its gorgeous cover 💕

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booksandsympathy
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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These are my favorite books from the second half of the year. I don't read a ton of nonfiction, but two nonfiction books made it into my top books. I tagged Sweet Bean Paste because it was a wonderful surprise that I stumbled across, had never heard of, and absolutely love. It definitely deserves more attention.

Dragon Arsenic and Adobo was a fun read - the food sounded incredible 💚🐉 2y
booksandsympathy @Dragon I agree! I felt like I didn't read a lot of "fun" books this year and really want to get back to that again this year. 2y
Dragon @booksandsympathy I‘m with you - I want to read more light hearted books in 2022 👍 2y
booksandsympathy @Dragon I think after the past two years, we all need more light heartedness. 2y
Dragon 👍💚🐉 2y
20 likes1 stack add5 comments
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asterese
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Signing off of 2021 with this last post, my favorite book of this year. ?

"People's lives never stay the same colour forever. There are times when the colour of life changes completely."

2021, you were a real challenge, maybe even more so than 2020, and that was an epic struggle in itself. No pressure, 2022, but I'm placing my hopes in you. ???

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booksandsympathy
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Look at how perfectly they replicated the book cover for the movie poster. Now I want to find the movie so I can see if it's as absolutely gorgeous as the book.

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booksandsympathy
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
Pickpick

This book was absolutely beautiful!

20 likes1 stack add
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booksandsympathy
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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"It‘s my belief that everything in this world has its own language. We have the ability to open up our ears and minds to anything and everything. That could be someone walking down the street, or it could be the sunshine or the wind."

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llwheeler
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Do two books count as a #bookhaul? I think so.

It's been a while since I treated myself to some new ebooks (non-freebies, at least, though these were on sale) and I'm excited for both of these very different books!

Jari-chan Sweet Bean Paste is on my TBR list too 😊 2y
llwheeler @Jari-chan it looks really good 2y
35 likes2 comments
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booksandsympathy
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Next book up on Libby: Sentaro has failed. He has a criminal record, drinks too much, & his dream of becoming a writer is just a distant memory. He spends his days in a tiny confectionery shop selling dorayaki, a type of pancake filled with sweet bean paste. Into his life comes Tokue, an elderly woman with disfigured hands and a troubled past. Tokue begins to teach him her craft of making dorayaki, but soon her past catches up with her.

22 likes1 stack add
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asterese
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa

"He didn‘t have that notice in the window because business was so busy he needed help. He simply wanted somebody around for company. Dorayaki weren‘t much as conversation partners."

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asterese
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Pickpick

Give this book all the stars. It was a beautiful story from beginning to end. There's just something about Japanese literature that makes you think about the meaning of life, and it's not such a bad thing to think about that from time to time.

⭐: 5

(Photo in the background belongs to Jelleke Vanooteghem)

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Smrloomis
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
Pickpick

Forgot to post a review but I loved this. I returned it to the library and then promptly tried to get someone else to borrow it 😂. It didn‘t work but I‘m sure someone will pick it up. I hope more people read this book!

bookaholic1 Sounds good 3y
Smrloomis @bookaholic1 it was! 😍 3y
56 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Smrloomis
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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And now for something totally different from what I just finished…

AutumnRLS I just looked this up on Amazon and the other two they recommend to buy with it are Convenient Store Woman and When the Coffee Gets Cold. Both of which I loved. Sold! Can't wait to read it. 3y
Smrloomis @AutumnRLS Yesss! I‘m loving it so far! 3y
70 likes4 stack adds2 comments
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Angitron
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Pickpick

A slow, bittersweet read that felt like a warm hug. I loved this one‘s sweet, intimate story and its cast of characters.

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RaeLovesToRead
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Pickpick

This went much deeper than I was expecting.

I was expecting a saccharine, life-affirming cliché-fest, but once you find out what Sweet Bean Paste is really about, it's quietly devastating.

This little book was full of heart and made me consider certain tragedies that had barely - in this modern age - crossed my mind before.

Highly worth a read ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ast_Arslan It's a beautiful book 🤩 3y
tenar Perfect review of this lovely book! 3y
RaeLovesToRead @tenar Thank you! 😊 3y
36 likes1 stack add4 comments
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charl08
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Next up!

Emilymdxn I loved sweet bean paste! 3y
charl08 @Emilymdxn I am enjoying it. Although it is making me hungry. 3y
43 likes1 stack add2 comments
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RaeLovesToRead
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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August's Bingo card.

Still haven't finished (or properly got into) Sweet Bean Paste despite this being the second time I've had it as either book spin or double spin... and it being a buddy read with my friend Danni.

No Bingo this month... on to September!

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RaeLovesToRead
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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I've started this one and already I get the impression it's going to be heartwarming. Not sure I'm in the mood to have my heart warmed. Similarly not sure I'm in the mood for scary clowns today, so I guess I'm reading Oathbringer before bed 😅

Ast_Arslan This is a nice one! ❤😉 3y
40 likes1 comment
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Crinoline_Laphroaig
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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Pickpick

This was a Bookstagram Recommendation. Wonderful story of friendship and needing to have purpose in life. I also learned at lot about Hansen‘s disease.

40 likes1 stack add
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Ast_Arslan
Sweet Bean Paste | Durian Sukegawa
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@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
@Eggs
#JulyJourneys

Day 13 - #Japan

One day I will finally visit this fascinating Country ✈❤

Eggs I‘d like be to as well! Nicely done ✅🇯🇵❤️ 3y
30 likes1 comment