Before the Coffee Gets Cold Books in Order
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A story which started life as a play in 2010, Before the Coffee Gets Cold is translated from the Japanese novel by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. There are now five books in the series which follows a mysterious Tokyo cafe that allows guests to time travel - under the right circumstances.
Here is each of the books in publication order.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold - Book One
Synopsis:
“Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s moving Before the Coffee Gets Cold, translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot, explores the age-old question: what would you do if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time?
In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a cafe which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time.
In Before the Coffee Gets Cold, we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the cafe’s time-travelling offer in order to: confront the man who left them, receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by Alzheimer's, see their sister one last time, and meet the daughter they never got the chance to know.
But the journey into the past does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the cafe, and finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold…”
Tales from the Cafe - Book Two
Synopsis:
“In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a cafe which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time . . .
From the author of Before the Coffee Gets Cold comes a story of four new customers each of whom is hoping to take advantage of Cafe Funiculi Funicula's time-travelling offer. Among some faces that will be familiar to readers, we will be introduced to:
The man who goes back to see his best friend who died 22 years ago
The son who was unable to attend his own mother’s funeral
The man who travelled to see the girl who he could not marry
The old detective who never gave his wife that gift . . .
This beautiful tale tells the story of people who must face up to their past, in order to move on with their lives.”
Before Your Memory Fades - Book Three
Synopsis:
“On the hillside of Mount Hakodate in northern Japan, Cafe Donna Donna is fabled for its dazzling views of Hakodate port. But that’s not all. Cafe Donna Donna offers its customers the extraordinary experience of travelling through time.
From the author of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and Tales from the Cafe comes another heartfelt story of lost souls hoping to take advantage of the cafe's time-travelling offer. Among some familiar faces, readers will also be introduced to:
The daughter who begrudges her deceased parents for leaving her orphaned
The comedian who aches for his beloved and their shared dreams
The younger sister whose grief has become all-consuming
The young man who realizes his love for his childhood friend too late . . .
Featuring Kawaguchi's signature wistful storytelling, Before Your Memory Fades is full of heart and emotion.”
Before We Say Goodbye - Book Four
Synopsis:
“The regulars at the magical Cafe Funiculi Funicula are well acquainted with its famous legend and extraordinary, secret menu time travel offering. Many patrons have reunited with old flames, made amends with estranged family, and visited loved ones. But the journey is not without risks and there are rules to follow. Travellers must have visited the cafe previously and most importantly, must return to the present in the time it takes for their coffee to go cold.
In the tradition of Kawaguchi’s sensational Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, readers are be introduced to a new set of visitors:
- The husband with something important left to say
- The woman who couldn’t bid her dog farewell
- The woman who couldn’t answer a proposal
- The daughter who drove her father away . . .
In the hauntingly beautiful Before We Say Goodbye, Kawaguchi invites us to join his characters as they embark on a journey to revisit one crucial moment in time.”
Before We Forget Kindness - Book Five
Synopsis:
“In the fifth book in the sensational Before the Coffee Gets Cold series translated from Japanese, the mysterious Tokyo café where customers arrive hoping to travel back in time welcomes four new guests:
- The father who could not allow his daughter to get married
- A woman who couldn't give Valentine's Day chocolates to her loved one
- A boy who wants to show his smile to his divorced parents
- A wife holding a child with no name . . .
They must follow the café's strict rules, however, and come back to the present before their coffee goes cold. Another moving and heartwarming tale from Toshikazu Kawaguchi, in Before We Forget Kindness our new visitors wish to go back into their past to move on their present, finding closure and comfort so they can embark on a beautiful future.”
Do leave a comment and let me know which book from the series is your favourite!