
The Healing Season of Pottery
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Narrated by:
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Jennifer Kim
About this listen
This cozy, romantic novel about one woman's desire to heal herself through art is perfect for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and What You Are Looking for Is in the Library.
Burned out by her TV news writing job, Jungmin leaves in an attempt to salvage her life. When she stumbles upon a mysterious pottery studio, she feels immediately at home. The warmth, the smell of clay, and the incredible coffee awaken her senses and make her feel alive for the first time in months.
Over the coming year, season by season, pot by pot, Jungmin returns to herself and builds unexpected friendships with the other members of the studio, who are all working through their own trials at the pottery wheel. She connects with one student in particular, whose relationship with his girlfriend has begun to fray, and the two form a special bond.
Eventually, Jungmin realizes she might be open to love again—but should she take the risk?
In her English-language debut (translated by Clare Richards), rising Korean literary star Yeon Somin shares a testament to the joys and power of slowing down in a fast-paced world and an homage to the art of ceramics, as she immerses listeners in a world they won't want to leave after the final word.
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Critic reviews
"It's been a long time since I've read such a lovely book. I was awestruck by the prowess with which Yeon guides her characters' stories, step by step, towards hope, never dragging them down into the abyss. It felt like she was guiding me by the hand under the balmy rays of the sun. I found myself wanting to follow her lead and mold a beautiful heart to gift to those I hold most dear. Reading her novel, I felt a warmth and joy, as if I, too, had spent four seasons in Soyo Workshop."—Baek Sehee, author of the international bestseller, I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki
“A charming and poignant novel about the power of friendship, community and hobbies that teach us to slow down and reconnect.”—Libby Page, author of the international bestseller, Mornings with Rosemary
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- Narrated by: George Blagden
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Seven cats weave their way through their owners’ lives, climbing, comforting, nestling, and sometimes just tripping everyone up in this uplifting collection of tales by international bestselling author Hiro Arikawa. Bursting with love and warmth, The Goodbye Cat exquisitely explores the cycle of life, from birth to death—as each of the seven stories explores how, in different ways, the steadiness and devotion of a well-loved cat never lets us down.
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Not my favorite
- By gise on 08-17-24
By: Hiro Arikawa, and others
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The Lantern of Lost Memories
- By: Sanaka Hiiragi
- Narrated by: Hanako Footman
- Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the story of the peculiar and magical photo studio owned by Mr. Hirasaka, a collector of antique cameras. In the dimly lit interior, a paper background is pulled down in front of a wall, and in front of it stands a single, luxurious chair with an armrest on one side. On a stand is a large bellows camera. On the left is the main studio; photos can also be taken in the courtyard. Beyond its straightforward interior, however, is a secret. The studio is, in fact, the door to the afterlife, the place between life and death where those who have departed have a chance—one last time.
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Quiet, magical feels...a bit like Harry
- By SHES4AMWF on 03-18-25
By: Sanaka Hiiragi
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Yeonnam-Dong’s Smiley Laundromat
- A Novel
- By: Kim Jiyun, Shanna Tan - translator
- Narrated by: Winson Ting
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Situated at the heart of a rapidly gentrifying district of Seoul, the Yeonnam-dong Smiley Laundromat is a place where the extraordinary stories of ordinary residents unfold. It is already a haven of tranquility and reflection for locals, but when someone leaves a notebook behind, the laundromat becomes a place that brings people together. One by one, customers start jotting down candid diary entries, opening their hearts and inviting acts of kindness from neighbors who were once just faces in the crowd.
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Excellent read!
- By Amazon Customer on 05-16-25
By: Kim Jiyun, and others
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The Miracles of the Namiya General Store
- By: Keigo Higashino
- Narrated by: Brian Nishii, Sura Siu, Kyle Omori
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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“From exactly midnight until daybreak, the Namiya General Store advice box will be reopening for one night only.” When three delinquents hole up in an abandoned general store after their most recent robbery, to their great surprise, a letter drops through the mail slot in the store’s shutter. This seemingly simple request for advice sets the trio on a journey of discovery as, over the course of a single night, they step into the role of the kindhearted former shopkeeper who devoted his waning years to offering thoughtful counsel to his correspondents.
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One of my favorite books now
- By Anonymous User on 01-15-23
By: Keigo Higashino
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The Travelling Cat Chronicles
- By: Hiro Arikawa, Philip Gabriel
- Narrated by: George Blagden
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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With simple yet descriptive prose, this novel gives voice to Nana the cat and his owner, Satoru, as they take to the road on a journey with no other purpose than to visit three of Satoru's longtime friends. Or so Nana is led to believe. With his crooked tail - a sign of good fortune - and adventurous spirit, Nana is the perfect companion for the man who took him in as a stray. And as they travel in a silver van across Japan, with its ever-changing scenery and seasons, they will learn the true meaning of courage and gratitude, of loyalty and love.
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What a wonderful story
- By V. Brown on 11-22-18
By: Hiro Arikawa, and others
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Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop
- By: Hwang Bo-reum, Shanna Tan - translator
- Narrated by: Rosa Escoda
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
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Yeongju is burned out. With her high-flying career, demanding marriage, and busy life in Seoul, she knows she should feel successful, but all she feels is drained. Yet an abandoned dream nags at her, and in a leap of faith, she leaves her old life behind. Quitting her job and divorcing her husband, Yeongju moves to a small residential neighborhood outside the city, where she opens the Hyunam-dong Bookshop.
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Really resonated
- By Aebell on 04-18-24
By: Hwang Bo-reum, and others
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The Dallergut Dream Department Store
- A Novel
- By: Miye Lee
- Narrated by: Shannon Tyo
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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In a mysterious town hidden in our collective subconscious there's a department store that sells dreams. Day and night, visitors both human and animal shuffle in to purchase their latest adventure. Each floor specializes in a specific type of dream: childhood memories, food dreams, ice skating, dreams of stardom. Flying dreams are almost always sold out. Some seek dreams of loved ones who have died. For Penny, an enthusiastic new hire, working at Dallergut is the opportunity of a lifetime.
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Love The Concept of Living a Life In Your Dream
- By S. Garza on 07-23-24
By: Miye Lee
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What You Are Looking For Is in the Library
- A Novel
- By: Michiko Aoyama
- Narrated by: Hanako Footman, Susan Momoko Hingley, Kenichiro Thomson, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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What are you looking for? So asks Tokyo’s most enigmatic librarian. For Sayuri Komachi is able to sense exactly what each visitor to her library is searching for and provide just the book recommendation to help them find it. A restless retail assistant looks to gain new skills, a mother tries to overcome demotion at work after maternity leave, a conscientious accountant yearns to open an antique store, a recently retired salaryman searches for newfound purpose. In Komachi’s unique book recommendations they will find just what they need to achieve their dreams.
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The power of honesty and an open mind
- By ili pika on 09-10-23
By: Michiko Aoyama
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Water Moon
- A Novel
- By: Samantha Sotto Yambao
- Narrated by: Cindy Kay
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it. Most will see a cozy ramen restaurant. And only the chosen ones—those who are lost—will find a place to pawn their life choices and deepest regrets. Hana Ishikawa wakes on her first morning as the pawnshop’s new owner to find it ransacked, the shop’s most precious acquisition stolen, and her father missing. And then into the shop stumbles a charming stranger, quite unlike its other customers, for he offers help instead of seeking it.
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A Beautiful Dream
- By daunetullina on 01-23-25
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Sweet Bean Paste
- By: Durian Sukegawa, Alison Watts - translator
- Narrated by: Cindy Kay
- Length: 5 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Sentaro has failed. He has a criminal record, drinks too much, and his dream of becoming a writer is just a distant memory. With only the blossoming of the cherry trees to mark the passing of time, 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 makes the best sweet bean paste Sentaro has ever tasted. She begins to teach him her craft, but as their friendship flourishes, social pressures become impossible to escape.
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Heartfelt Story between the unlikely friendship between an old lady in her 70s and a middle aged chef
- By Anonymous User on 05-24-25
By: Durian Sukegawa, and others
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We'll Prescribe You a Cat
- By: Syou Ishida, E. Madison Shimoda - translator
- Narrated by: Naruto Komatsu, Natsumi Kuroda
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Tucked away in an old building at the end of a narrow alley in Kyoto, the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul can only be found by people who are struggling in their lives and genuinely need help. The mysterious clinic offers a unique treatment to those who find their way there: it prescribes cats as medication. Patients are often puzzled by this unconventional prescription, but when they “take” their cat for the recommended duration, they witness profound transformations in their lives, guided by the playful, empathetic, occasionally challenging yet endearing cats.
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perfection
- By Theasophia on 09-05-24
By: Syou Ishida, and others
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There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job
- By: Kikuko Tsumura, Polly Barton - translator
- Narrated by: Cindy Kay
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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A young woman walks into an employment agency and requests a job that has the following traits: It’s close to her home, and it requires no reading, no writing, and, ideally, very little thinking. Her first gig - watching the hidden-camera feed of an author suspected of storing contraband goods - turns out to be inconvenient. Her next gives way to the supernatural: announcing advertisements for shops that mysteriously disappear. As she moves from job to job, it becomes increasingly apparent that she's not searching for the easiest job at all but something altogether more meaningful.
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I LOVED it
- By Rose on 09-29-21
By: Kikuko Tsumura, and others
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The Blanket Cats
- By: Kiyoshi Shigematsu, Jesse Kirkwood - translator
- Narrated by: Yuriri Naka
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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A peculiar pet shop in Tokyo has been known to offer customers a unique opportunity: the chance to adopt one of seven special cats whose "magic" is never promised, but always received. But there are rules: these cats must be returned after three days. They must eat only the food supplied by the owner, and they must travel to their new homes with a distinctive blanket. In The Blanket Cats, we meet seven customers, each of whom is hoping a temporary feline companion will help them escape a certain reality.
By: Kiyoshi Shigematsu, and others
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The Guest Cat
- By: Takashi Hiraide
- Narrated by: David Shih
- Length: 3 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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A couple in their 30s live in a small rented cottage in a quiet part of Tokyo; they work at home, freelance copy-editing; they no longer have very much to say to one another. But one day a cat invites itself into their small kitchen. It leaves, but the next day comes again, and then again and again. Soon they are buying treats for the cat and enjoying talks about the animal and all its little ways. Life suddenly seems to have more promise for the husband and wife - the days have more light and color.
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A Novel As Poetry
- By Sara on 06-29-17
By: Takashi Hiraide
Sweet little story
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A lovely surprise
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