Hi hi book luvers of r/bangtan! We’re almost half-way through the month and already Bora-land has given us new surprises to ramp up our excitement for Echo and round out j-hope’s tour! At least for me, I know this news was a welcome shift from Tablo x RM’s incredibly moving yet heavy “Stop the Rain”.

While we look forward to when all the tannies return (this time next month 6/7 will be out!), here’s a gentle reminder that our discussion on Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi is next week. If you’d like to join and want to be tagged when the post drops, let us know!

📖 📣Discussion on ‘Before the Coffee Gets Cold’ starts on May 20th

To unwrap your mind here isn’t wicked

Below is a discussion guide. Some book-specific questions and some sharing suggestions!

• Which of the four stories was your favourite: The Lovers, Husband and Wife, The Sisters, or Mother and Daughter?
• Which of the rules do you think are fair? Which rule did you find the most maddening?
• If given the chance to time travel, is there a year in your life you’d most like to visit or anyone you’d most like to see—either past or future?
• Kawaguchi said in an interview: “In my story, I didn’t intend to write about regret, but wanted to write about how we accept it and go forward.” How does that come through in the book?
• One of the central ideas of the book is the concept of “duty to others.” What are your personal views on duty to others? How do you see this concept in BTS’s lyrics, message, and actions?
• This book and “The Midnight Library”, which we read last year, both tackle the subject of regrets and fixing the past via magical realism. What do these books have in common, how are they unique, and how do you feel about each one’s approach?
• This book was originally a play and has since been adapted to the screen. If you were making a TV series about it, what songs (BTS & otherwise) would you add to its OST?

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

In a small back alley of Tokyo, there is a café that has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. Local legend says that this shop offers something else besides coffee—the chance to travel back in time. Over the course of one summer, four customers visit the café in the hopes of making that journey. But time travel isn’t so simple, and there are rules that must be followed. Most importantly, the trip can last only as long as it takes for the coffee to get cold.

If I want something, if I want something now

See below for options on how to get the book

You know we’re nothing without your love

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the book or the thread, feel free to tag me or any of the mods or BWL Volunteers.

• u/EveryCliche
• u/munisme
• u/mucho_thankyou5802
• u/Next_Grapefruit_3206

…and the r/bangtan Mod Team