Rin Kiki's Guide | Reading x Writing x Raising, a Small Library of Words

Introduction *Last updated June 25, 2026*

To those meeting me for the first time,
and to those who always come to read.

Thank you for visiting this place.

I am Rin Kiki.
It is pronounced 'Kiki Rin'.

I am a librarian working in a library,
a mother raising a 4-year-old daughter,
and a writer living alongside books and words.

I call myself a book share coordinator,

Connecting books and people.
Connecting words and daily life.

I write while cherishing these things.

The motto of this note is,

Reading x Writing x Raising.

Reading books.
Writing words.
Raising my daughter, projects, and myself.

Things that seem separate at first glance are gradually connecting within me.

This is a place like a small 'library of words,' where I line up the books I have read, the days I have spent with my daughter, things I have discovered in the library, and feelings I could not put into words well.

As if walking between bookshelves when you are lost.
As if gently picking up a title that catches your interest.

I would be happy if you could find words somewhere that suit your present moment.

💖 A piece I poured my heart into, which I want you to read first

I am writing the continuation of the books I could no longer read.

Since I was a child, I have loved books.

I think the phrase 'I love books' was closer to a way of describing myself than a hobby.

However, when I was a university student, I fell ill and became unable to read text.

I can see with my eyes.
The letters are lined up there, too.

And yet, they don't enter my mind as meaning.

By becoming unable to read books, I felt as though I hadn't just lost a hobby, but had lost a place to return to.

Even so, I couldn't completely let go of words.

Unable to read, I gradually reconnected with myself by writing.

Now, I work at a library while writing essays.

To those who love books but cannot read them right now.
To those who have lost the capacity to receive words.
To those who are struggling to live, yet are still trying to make it through today.

I want to place words where someone can sit down for just a little while.

This is a work in which I have written, with all the words I can muster right now, about the roots of my reading, writing, and working as a librarian.

I am entering this in the essay category of the 2026 Creative Awards.

This is an article I want to hand to those visiting for the first time, as well as those who have been reading my work for a while.

📚 3 articles with high view counts that I want you to keep reading

In addition to the article I cited as my 'best work,' there are other articles that many people have read and that have led to who I am today.

Here, I would like to introduce three articles that not only have high view counts but that I also want those visiting for the first time to read.

Coincidentally,

Me as a librarian.
Me as a mother.
Me as an essayist.

These three articles show each of these sides of me.

What is it like to be a librarian? #MyJob

When I tell people, 'I work at a library,' they say,

'You must be happy working surrounded by books.'
'It's great that you can make a living doing what you love.'

I am sometimes told that.

Of course, I started this job because I love books.

However, the working environment surrounding librarians also has difficulties that are hard to see from the outside.

I wrote about everything from my childhood dream of becoming a librarian to the realities of the job I learned after actually working in it, and why I am still proud of this work.

Even now, some time after its publication, it is an article that many people continue to read.

This is the first piece I would like to hand to anyone interested in libraries or the work of a librarian.

The unreadable letter was the greatest 'love'

When my daughter was still unable to write letters, she gave me a letter.

Lined up on it were nothing but swirling lines and dots.

I could not read it as text.

However, that paper was packed with more 'love' than any readable words could contain.

This is a parenting essay I wrote about my confusion as a mother and my unspoken feelings while watching my child grow.

My daughter turned four in June 2026 and wrote the word 'mama' for the first time.

An unreadable letter I received before it became real text.

Reading it back now, that single sheet feels even more precious.

What makes a good essay?

Is a good essay one that you can empathize with?

Is a good essay one where you encounter a new perspective and find it convincing?

I wrote down what I thought about while reading many articles on note and continuing to write myself.

What I want to write is not just a piece that is read in the moment, but one that people will suddenly remember days or months later.

Whether it's empathy, agreement, or even opposition, that is fine.

If I can leave something in the heart of the reader, I believe that is surely a 'good essay'.

This is a piece that lets you know what kind of feelings I have when I write.

What each article has taught me

Looking back at the most read articles, I can see what lies at the center of my message.

About libraries and books.
Days growing up with my daughter.
Questions about writing.

None of these alone defines who I am.

Connecting books and people as a librarian, watching small growth as a mother, and searching for words as a writer.

All of that overlaps to become the writing of Rin Kiki.

Numbers are not everything.

However, the fact that so many people have read them serves as an important guide to knowing which words reached someone's heart.

📝 What I write about in this note

About books and reading

When I am tired, there are times I cannot open a book.

Even when I have the desire to read, there are days when the words just don't sink in.

That is why I want to think about not just ways to read many books, but also,

'ways to stay close to books even when you cannot read'

I want to explore this.

I will write reading essays, memories of books, and books I encountered in my busy daily life.

In my membership, I deliver articles that connect books and daily life as 'Reading Walks' and 'Book Prescriptions'.

About Libraries and Librarians

A library is not just a place for people to borrow books.

People doing research.
People choosing picture books with their children.
People walking between the shelves without a destination in mind.
People who just want to be alone for a little while.

It is a place that quietly embraces the "want to know," "want to read," and "want to be here" of many different people.

I write about things I discover in my daily work and thoughts on libraries as "Librarian Memos."

About Parenting and Daily Life

In June 2026, my daughter turned four.

The first word she ever wrote was "mama."

Things she couldn't do yesterday, she can do today.
Mispronunciations I thought would last forever disappear before I know it.

The days of raising a child are busy and precious; if I don't write them down, they feel like they might slip through my fingers.

I record not only the joys I feel as a mother, but also the fatigue, the confusion, and the days when things didn't go well, as honestly as I can.

Writing to Organize Myself

In "Love Your Life," I use words to examine my feelings and my life.

Like writing in a planner.
Like creating an instruction manual for myself.

"What do I really want to do?"
"What am I tired of?"
"What do I want to cherish as I live?"

This is a series where I don't rush for answers, but gradually give shape to what is inside me.

Reading Someone's Work and Handing Over Words

For the 2026 Creative Awards, I am working on a project where I create obi (book jacket) copy for submitted works,

#IfIWereToCreateAnObiForThisWork

.

Read a single work, condense its charm into a few short words, and pass it on.

Drawing on my experience connecting books and people as a bookstore clerk and librarian, I want to create a small gateway where writers and readers can meet.

I also host

#Everyone'sWordNotebook

which collects works born from the same theme.

I want to nurture a place where both writers and readers can bring their own words.

⏳ A Chronology of Books and Words

Here, I have put together a simple timeline of how I, Rin Kiki, have encountered books, written words, and walked to where I am now.
It is not a perfectly straight line.
But looking back, books and words have always been by my side.

Childhood | Having another world inside stories

Since I was a child, books have been things that would take me somewhere else.

Beyond the door of The Chronicles of Narnia.
The little star of The Little Prince.
The forest of Winnie-the-Pooh.
The adventures of Bill Bergson, Master Detective.

I could go anywhere, to places a little different from my everyday reality.
For me, books were my first refuge, my playground, and the things that taught me how to expand my world.

Student Days | Unable to read books

When I was studying psychology in college, I fell ill and became unable to do what had been natural to me: reading.

During the time I couldn't read books, I gradually began to write the words inside me.

As a Bookstore Clerk | Learning where books are handed over

Working at a bookstore, I learned that books are not just lined up on shelves, but are chosen and handed over to someone.

The cover, the title, the words on the obi strip.

I became interested in the moment a single book meets a single reader.

As a Librarian | Moving to a job connecting books and people

I have been working in libraries since 2014.

While helping people find the books and materials they are looking for, I have been thinking about the role of the library as a place.

2021 | Starting note

On August 20, 2021, I started note.

About reading, about libraries, and about daily life.

As I continued to write, I met many writers and readers.

2022 | Becoming a mother

My daughter was born, and "nurturing" was added to my writing.

My days with my daughter taught me that "there are things that can only be written now."

2025 | "Reading x Writing x Nurturing" becomes the core

Me, reading books.
Me, writing words.
Me, nurturing my daughter, projects, and myself.

I realized that these are not separate, but all connected.

2026 | Writing the continuation of books I could no longer read

Why do I read books, and why do I write?

I have shaped what I have written in fragments until now into a single piece of writing.

I, who was a reader, have also become a writer.

My story, and this note, are still in progress.

🍃 There is also a small bookshelf outside of note

Currently, I mainly post on note, but there are other places where I keep books and words.

I am not able to update everything with the same frequency.

Even so, each one is a precious bookshelf to me.

Reading, listening, and one day, seeing.

I hope to deliver words in each of these forms.

note | The current center for placing my words

Reading, libraries, parenting, daily life, and writing.

This is the place where I write most about the things I find in my daily life.

Long essays, short daily records, and announcements of my current activities are all placed here first.

I also run a membership program called 'Rin's Word Library'.

Blog | Rin's Word Library

This is a personal archive where I introduce the books I've read, as I love books so much.

You can search for books by genre, such as novels, practical books, children's books, and picture books.

I also have articles about movies, parenting, and daily life.

I would be happy if you could take a look when you want to find a new book to encounter.

Although I currently update mainly on note, this is a precious place where the book articles I have written so far are sleeping.

Newsletter | Rin's Word Correspondence

These are email letters written with the desire to cherish words.

I deliver stories about my favorite books and 'Reading Walks' that connect the seasons with reading.

On social media timelines, posts can sometimes get washed away.

Rin's Word Correspondence is like a small letter that you can keep in your inbox until you are ready to read it.

You can register for free.

Audio Streaming | Rin's Kotonoha Channel

I deliver words not only through writing, but also through my voice.

I have been streaming talks about books and readings based on literary works.

The way you perceive the same text changes slightly when you follow it with your eyes versus when you listen to someone's voice.

While doing chores.
While walking.
For just a few minutes before sleep.

I would be happy if you could come and listen at your leisure.

Updates are slow, but this is a place I want to continue delivering through my voice.

YouTube | A Video Bookshelf I Want to Start Someday

I have also quietly set up a YouTube channel.

I haven't started full-scale broadcasting yet.

However, someday,

I would like to recreate dishes that appear in books.

I hope to deliver such things through voice and video.

This is a place I created so that I wouldn't keep my "someday" dreams only in my heart forever.

It is still a nearly empty bookshelf, but I hope to nurture it little by little.

X | Small Seeds Before They Become Words

I post notifications for my note articles and things I feel in my daily life.

It is a place where I leave small seeds of words, such as realizations before they become long articles or thoughts I have after reading someone else's work.

🍀 I am waiting for you in each of these places.

Thank you for reading this far.

note, blogs, newsletters, podcasts, YouTube, and X.

Even though the platforms are different, what I want to deliver remains the same.

To bring a little bit of breathing room to your busy daily life through books and words.

You don't have to follow every single place I am.

I would be happy if you could connect with me casually in the place that suits you best at that moment.

I don't want to write only for people who can read a lot of books.

For those who want to read but can't. For those who put their own feelings on the back burner amidst their busyness. For those who are just doing their best to get through the day.

I want to write sentences that even someone like that can gently open.

It's okay to have days when you can't read. It's okay to have nights when you can't write.

It would be nice to have a place you can return to, even if you've been away for a while.

I would be happy if this note could become a small "library of words" for you, too, where you can return from time to time.

First, please pick up one piece from a shelf that catches your interest.

Likes, comments, and follows are also a great source of encouragement.

I hope you will keep one book's worth of Rin Kiki's words in the corner of your bookshelf.

I will continue to write words that connect books and you.

Sincerely, Rin