Join the monthly book club for a discussion of Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Advance registration is highly encouraged. An optional $20 Mini Sound Bath follows the discussion.
Click here to register.
Some conversations don’t need to be different. They just need to be had once more. This isn’t a book about fixing the past. It’s about what grief actually asks of us - not a rewrite, but a chance to sit with what was real and is now gone.
Set in a Tokyo café where guests can travel back in time if they sit in the right seat and follow a particular set of rules, the story comes with one important catch: nothing they do can change the present. That single rule transforms what sounds like a fantasy premise into something profoundly real and moving. Each visitor who takes the seat isn’t seeking a different outcome. They’re seeking one more moment with someone they’ve lost, misunderstood or simply wish they could have had more time with.
Come gather for a thoughtful conversation about memory, regret, love that outlasts loss and why sometimes the most powerful thing a story can offer is permission to feel.
If you feel comfortable, you’re also invited to bring your own “one more conversation” moment to reflect upon or share with the group. Sharing is always optional.
Optional 30-Minute Sound Bath - $20
Following the discussion, join Rooted In Sound for an immersive sound bath inspired by Before the Coffee Gets Cold. Through the resonant tones of singing bowls, gongs, chimes and other instruments, you’ll be invited to slow down, settle inward and reflect on the moments, relationships and choices that shape your life.
Like the book, this sound journey explores themes of time, memory, connection, regret and the things we might say if given one more moment with someone important to us.
No experience with meditation or sound therapy is needed. Relax on your chair, yoga mat, or bolster, listen and allow yourself a brief space to step outside the rush of everyday life.
Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Book Club Begins: 5:00 PM
Location: Studio 2, Second Floor, Green Heiress, 209 Commercial Avenue, Aspinwall
Parking: Street parking and a public lot directly across from the building. Parking is free after 5:00 PM.
Book club admission is free. Please reserve one free Book Club ticket per person.