Popular book critic Yumi Toyozaki's hilarious debut essay collection! A childhood filled with hyperactivity and constant injuries. A youth obsessed with subculture and horse racing, and desperately poor. And then, smitten with an aibo in her sixties... She writes about her days of being a bit "off," interwoven with book recommendations. The popular book critic was also a great essayist! Centering on her seven-year-long series "Toyozaki President's Book Review Diary" in the publishing industry newspaper "Shin Bunka," this collection also includes several essays published in magazines and other publications. As an elementary school student, she would immediately stand up in class, challenge boys to chicken races on bicycles with no hands on a slope, and was also absorbed in snowball fights. In her twenties, she wrote extensively for erotic magazines to supplement her poverty, and the collection is filled with anecdotes that will make you burst out laughing. Heartwarming stories about her benefactor Saburo Kawamoto, her beloved aibo, and more. Also included are her thoughts on her work as a book critic and literary awards. Each episode also introduces the highlights of the books related to it, making this a deeply enjoyable book guide as well. Recommended by Kaori Ekuni, Yoko Hiramatsu, and Hideo Furukawa! "Toyozaki-san, like a naked child, has this strength of being defenseless." - Kaori Ekuni "What is this quagmire?" - Yoko Hiramatsu "She can read books, but she can't read life..." - Hideo Furukawa (In Japanese alphabetical order)