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[Carol]

Jeshika wrote: "Oh, I have a book of Oriental Ghost Stories by Lafcadio Hearn that I’ve owned for years now and never picked up. Might prioritise these for October if people are liking his works."

I would. I think they are more enjoyable read as a collection, too. I read a group of 10 - 12 Japanese short stories early this summer and they included 2 Hearns with the remainder of mix of other authors. His style is so distinct and of his time that the experience was akin to including 2 Katherine Mansfield shorts in with a handful of mid-century works. Very uneven. When the entire book is Hearn stories, you get in a reading rhythm that overcomes any perceived dated-ness.

One caveat - he tells his stories like a story teller around a campfire. You're very aware of his voice as the narrator at all times, as opposed to a story told in the first person or where you might perhaps feel like you've entered the story. When readers dislike his stories, the most common complaint I read is that they dislike the distance they perceive in having a narrator's voice. I prefer Hearn's approach, but YMMV.

[Bill]

Once again I wish GR would change its rating system. There's no way to denote a book which is less than okay and more than awful.

The humor in the slapstick manga Nichijou falls flat more often than not, but it isn't a total waste of paper.

[Carol]

Bill wrote: "Once again I wish GR would change its rating system. There's no way to denote a book which is less than okay and more than awful.

The humor in the slapstick manga Nichijou falls flat more often th..."

2 stars doesn’t cut it for you?

[J]

Reading Edogawa Rampo's Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination. The first story was suitably freaky, the second just okay - but did feature Akechi Kogoro, heh.

[Jeshika]

Carol wrote: "Jeshika wrote: "Oh, I have a book of Oriental Ghost Stories by Lafcadio Hearn that I’ve owned for years now and never picked up. Might prioritise these for October if people are liking his works."
..."
Eep, I'm a bit rubbish with dated writing and classics but I do look forward to at least giving them a go. I don't mind the being told a story aspect, I find that quite charming sometimes especially for shorter stories. :)

[Bill]

I just finished Go. But who writes the 500th review of a book? Not me, that's for sure.

Makes me think of old 19th century European racism. Not white on black racism, but white on white racism. When the English, the Irish, the Germans, etc. were all considered separate races despite how intermixed they'd become throughout history.

Go is about racism from Japanese citizens to permanent resident Koreans in Japan, even to those who were born and raised there and don't speak Korean. Not that the Japanese can tell at a glance. They only know if you don't adopt a Japanese name.

The narrator in Go goes into a bit of this, and gets some of it wrong, so I'll fill in some racial background. Prior to 500 BC, Japan was populated by people now known as Jomon. The Jomon had been living there for tens of thousands of years, but their population had been declining in recent millennia. From 500 BC to 0 there was a large influx of people from Korea to Japan (caveat: neither the concept of Korea or Japan existed at this point). By 0, the new Yayoi people outnumbered the old Jomon people. Immigrants continued to arrive across the narrow straights for hundreds of years: a horseriding group arrived between 350 and 400 AD and set itself up as the new court nobility, literate Koreans showed up within the next century, and in the next Koreans introduced Buddhism to Japan. The emperor of Japan had a cousinly relationship with the emperor of Paekche (one of the three early Korean kingdoms). Paekche was defeated and eliminated in the 660s, and after a final burst of refugees Korean immigration to Japan finally dropped off. Today, fewer than 25% of Japanese people have Jomon mitochondrial DNA. Hardly what you'd call a separate 'race' from Koreans, eh?

Our narrator is a Korean born in Japan to Korean parents, goes to Korean grade and middle school, and then goes to a regular Japanese high school where he finds almost no friends and is regularly attacked for being Korean. Partway through the novel he gets a Japanese girlfriend who doesn't know he's Korean, but I won't spoil how that goes.

It's a wonderful book that grows in intensity as it goes along. It starts out sounding like the over-narration in the intro to a Hollywood comedy, then gets brutal, then intelligent, then ugly and miserable. I'm not sure if I care for the ending, which while wrapping up one plot point only heightens others that don't get addressed.

Definitely not as grim as The River with No Bridge, but that might be due to the time period. Things were probably much worse for Koreans in Japan before WW2 than they are now.

[Carol]

Bill wrote: "I just finished Go. But who writes the 500th review of a book? Not me, that's for sure.

Makes me think of old 19th century European racism. Not white on black racism, but white on ..."

I’ve had this on Kindle for probably two years and keep forgetting it’s there. Thanks for the reminder and the very helpful history lesson.

[Bill]

I've failed to tempt Carol to spend money :)

[Agnetta]

Talking about spending....

Last month I had to spend significant amounts of money on my now deceased cat and on the adoption of my new cat. Now my surviving cat also vomited this morning and in general looks a bit down (probably depressed due to the disappearance of dead cat and the not appreciated arrival of cheerful new cat).... long story short, I am in a book-buy-freeze and obliging myself to read the books I bought without reading.

I am having a blast reading Maya Angelou, and oh joy, I bougth 6 of the 7 biographical novels in advance, so I should be good for 3 weeks without spending ! then again... the body is strong but the will is weak.

[Jeshika]

Bill wrote: "I just finished Go. But who writes the 500th review of a book? Not me, that's for sure.

Makes me think of old 19th century European racism. Not white on black racism, but white on ..."
That sounds really interesting. You may've at least persuaded me to spend some more money. I just finished reading a novel based in Korea just before World War II (I wasn't aware they were under Japanese occupation for a full 35 years!) but I had no clue about any of their history from before then. Thanks for the lesson!

[Jeshika]

Agnetta wrote: "Talking about spending....

Last month I had to spend significant amounts of money on my now deceased cat and on the adoption of my new cat. Now my surviving cat also vomited this morning and in ge..."

Awww, I'm sorry to hear about your cat. It's always awful losing a pet, they become such a big part of our lives. :(

[Bill]

I'm sorry to hear about your cat. I had to put down an 18 year old dog two years ago. The vet gave me a complimentary cremation & wooden box. That box is sitting on an old pillow in the sunny corner by the window.

Regarding Korea, after Japan won their war with China in 1895 China was forced to hand over Korea to Japan. So a full 50 years. The '35 years' dates from 1910 when Japan changed the legal status of Korea in ways I don't fully understand.

[Agnetta]

Thanks for the kind words ! It sure hurts to lose a little fluffy family member.

Now I am totally paranoid that my other cat might also get sick as he looks so down ... I do hope he is only a bit depressed and will soon be his old rum-rumming self again...

But just in case i thought to save up money for the vet... no compulsive buying of books !! let's see... If i cant be strong, there is always the credit card ;)

very interesting about Korea, I had no idea of this. I need to add novels on this to the TBR for sure.

[Carol]

Bill wrote: "I've failed to tempt Carol to spend money :)"

‘Tis a momentary oddity. You’ll be back to introducing siren-like titles to me in less than 48 hours I suspect:)

[Carol]

Agnetta wrote: "Talking about spending....

Last month I had to spend significant amounts of money on my now deceased cat and on the adoption of my new cat. Now my surviving cat also vomited this morning and in ge..."

I’m sorry about your (now sadly gone) cat and hope your (hopefully only momentarily bumming) cat feels better. I worry about my dogs’ health daily, which must really creep them out.

[Tim]

Agnetta wrote: "Talking about spending....

Last month I had to spend significant amounts of money on my now deceased cat and on the adoption of my new cat. Now my surviving cat also vomited this morning and in ge..."

So sorry to hear about your cat. I had a similar experience at the end of last year. Losing a pet is always hard. :(

On the currently reading side of things, I'm somewhat between books. I've started Drachenfels by Kim Newman, but it is a temporary read and will be put aside tomorrow when Japanese Ghost Stories arrives. My excitement for this book can not be overstated.

[Carol]

Tim wrote: "Agnetta wrote: "Talking about spending....

Last month I had to spend significant amounts of money on my now deceased cat and on the adoption of my new cat. Now my surviving cat also vomited this m..."

I’m a little worried I’ve oversold it, but then you are the perfect reader for it. lol

[Tim]

Carol wrote: "I’m a little worried I’ve oversold it, but then you are the perfect reader for it. lol "

I'm enjoying it thus far. If I had a complaint, it would actually be the lack of "ghosts." While most that I've read so far are supernatural tales to a degree (or at least reliant upon them), very few have ghosts in them. While I'm enjoying reading Japanese folklore, I would say the title of the book is a touch misleading. :)

That said, looking at the index, it looks like that will soon change, and I'll be getting to the a "spooky" stuff.

Honestly though, my favorite story thus far is arguably the one with zero supernatural aspect (the first story about the young woman and her test for her suitors) because it feels like the entire story was a set-up for a rather humorous punchline.

[Bill]

Beyond the Blossoming Fields will make you angry about how our female lead is treated in late 19th century rural Japan. Yet I'm still hopeful that things will improve for her over the course of the novel.

There is a decently developed cast of secondary characters from her home town, but I suspect they're all about to be jettisoned from the plot as she moves to Tokyo.

[Carol]

*off-topic*

I realized as I was reading tweets about the typhoon in Tokyo that I haven’t a clue who, if any of y’all, live there but suspect at least a couple do. I hope you’re safe. Keep us posted.

[Tim]

Carol wrote: "I’m a little worried I’ve oversold it, but then you are the perfect reader for it. lol "

Just finished it. You did not oversell it. After my initial complaint that it felt more like folklore and less ghost stories, the ghosts kicked in literally the next chapter and it was delightful. Two genuinely scary (by my standards) stories and overall a wonderful October read. I’ll be posting a review at some point this evening after work.

[Carol]

Tim wrote: "Carol wrote: "I’m a little worried I’ve oversold it, but then you are the perfect reader for it. lol "

Just finished it. You did not oversell it. After my initial complaint that it felt more like ..."

I'm so glad. I was trying to recall when various stories came up in the book, and failed. There were several stories that involved persons coming back from the dead, but where the perception of the target was that he was engaging with live humans and not ghosts. They were perhaps the scariest - any time you can't trust your own perceptions to separate the living from the dead - you're in deep trouble. lol

My favorite is one I read in another collection earlier this year. They guy at the temple who encounters the army/people wiped out in a storied and horrible battle. (ears) I feel for the now-dead victims as much as for the live victim. Quite a feat of story-telling.

And I still haven't drafted my review. Bad me.

[Tim]

Have you seen the film Kwaidan? It's actually based off of Hearn's versions of the tales (he at least has the writer's credit, which is fascinating given that it's a Japanese production and they chose his takes). It uses four of the stories in this book. The snow woman, the one about the samurai who leaves his wife and regrets it later, the unfinished tale with the cup of tea and the ear story. It is also one of the most beautifully made films in the history of cinema (and I say this as someone who studied film history) . It uses old theater techniques, down to often using hand drawn backdrops to reflect the mood rather than realism.








It's an amazing experience... not exactly "scary," but haunting.

[Carol]

Tim wrote: "Have you seen the film Kwaidan? It's actually based off of Hearn's versions of the tales (he at least has the writer's credit, which is fascinating given that it's a Japanese production and they ch..."

I haven’t. I hope I can find a copy to stream. Thanks for sharing those gorgeous stills.

[Jeshika]

I've just started my book of Lafcadio Hearn stories. I don't know which of the stories are in your books and which aren't but my first one was the ear story. It was a good starter, I look forward to reading more. I'm already enjoying the fable-esque writing style.

Does anyone have a list of the stories in the Penguin book? I can't find one anywhere.

[Bill]

I did a bit of counting this evening, and now I feel so behind on my reading... I have 209 Japanese fiction authors on my shelves, and have only read books by 109 of them.

[Carol]

Jeshika wrote: "I've just started my book of Lafcadio Hearn stories. I don't know which of the stories are in your books and which aren't but my first one was the ear story. It was a good starter, I look forward t..."

sure - give me ten minutes.

[Carol]

Penguin's Japanese Ghost Stories

Of Ghosts and Goblins
The Dream of a Summer Day
In Cholera-Time
Ningyono-Haka
The Eternal Haunter
Fragment
A Passional Karma
Ingwa-Banashi
Story of a Tengu
The Reconciliation
A Legend of Fugen-Bosatsu
The Corpse-Rider
The Sympathy of Benten
The Gratitude of the Samebito
Of a Promise Kept
Of a Promise Broken
Before the Supreme Court
The Story of Kwashin Koji
The Story of Umetsu Chubei
The Legend of Yurei-Daki
In a Cup of Tea
Ikiryo
The Story of O-Kame
The Story of Chugoro
The Story of Mimi-Nashi-Hoichi
Jikininki
Mujina
Rokuro-Kubi
Yuki-Onna
The Story of Aoyagi
The Dream of Akinosuke
Riki-Baka
The Mirror Maiden
The Story of Ito Norisuke
Nightmare-Touch


Bonus: here's a link to a review I found in the New Yorker. It combines a review of the Penguin collection with a review of The Sweetest Fruits, but there's also just a great amount of context and details re Hearn, and in a well-written package. I suspect there's also significant crossover with your collection, Jeshika, and it refers to several specific stories.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...

[Carol]

Bill wrote: "I did a bit of counting this evening, and now I feel so behind on my reading... I have 209 Japanese fiction authors on my shelves, and have only read books by 109 of them."

@Bill - don't do this to yourself. lol. Pretty impressive, though, that 209 different authors on your shelves. I suspect I have maybe 60 different authors, at most. What a lovely sight you have.

[Jeshika]

Thanks Carol! That's really helpful, I've had a look and only 10 of the stories look like they're crossovers. I'll add a list of stories my collection includes if anyone is interested. I dunno about in the US but I only paid £2.99 (brand new copy, in Waterstones) for Oriental Ghost Stories in the UK so I think it's well worth it if you can get it.

The Story of Mimi-Nashi-Hoichi
Oshidori
The Story of O-Tei
Ubazakura
Diplomacy
Of a Mirror and a Bell
Jikininki
Mujina
Rokuro-Kubi
A Dead Secret
Yuki-Onna
The Story of Aoyagi
Jiu-Roku-Zakura
The Dream of Akinosuke
Riki-Baka
Hi-Mawari
Horai
Fragment
Furisode
Incense
A Story of Divination
Silkworms
A Passionate Karma
The Soul of the Great Bell
The Story of Ming-Y
The Legend of Tchi-Niu
The Return of Yen-Tchin-King
The Tradition of the Tea-Plant
The Tale of the Porcelain-God

The last 6 are based on Chinese stories, rather than Japanese.

[Carol]

Jeshika wrote: "Thanks Carol! That's really helpful, I've had a look and only 10 of the stories look like they're crossovers. I'll add a list of stories my collection includes if anyone is interested. I dunno abou..."

I’m interested! This looks worth seeking out, definitely.

[Bill]

After the first two pages of Villain, I had to go to the computer and look it up on a map. I knew where Fukuoka was, but wanted to see if that was a real road, and yes it is.

[J]

Two thirds into Last Winter, We Parted. Very interesting read so far. Was somehow able to get into it a little easier than Nakamura's previous works that I'd tried, so that's good.

[Carol]

I started Points and Lines by Seichō Matsumoto, no doubt in rebellion against my over-long list of reading commitments. It’s early days, but just what I needed.

[Bill]

Perhaps The Togakushi Legend Murders isn't a great mystery. The reviewers of the book seems to have thought so. But what do I know; I'm no mystery reader.

I just know I enjoyed the book, far more so than I enjoy clue-ridden books like Murder in the Crooked House. Because I read it as more than a murder mystery.

[Carol]

Bill wrote: "Perhaps The Togakushi Legend Murders isn't a great mystery. The reviewers of the book seems to have thought so. But what do I know; I'm no mystery reader.

I just know I enjoyed the ..."

So there. You’ve sold another book.

I’m finishing Inventing Japan tonight.

[Bill]

Reading The Isle of South Kamui and other stories by Nishimura Kyotaro (author of The Mystery Train Disappears, unfortunately his only other book available in translation).

It's hard to believe these are by the same author. The Mystery Train is a nuts-and-bolts police procedural. The Isle of South Kamui is a deeply emotional collection of stories about alienation and loss.

[Carol]

Bill wrote: "Reading The Isle of South Kamui and other stories by Nishimura Kyotaro (author of The Mystery Train Disappears, unfortunately his only other book available in translation).

It's ha..."

Interesting that Isle is his debut. Maybe Mystery Train was published a dozen books later? Still, that’s unusual.

[Bill]

Hm. It also says 'first published February 1st 2012'. Clearly something is wrong here.

[Carol]

Bill wrote: "Hm. It also says 'first published February 1st 2012'. Clearly something is wrong here."

yes, and there's scant better information via search, although.... bonus (for everyone else, not you, lol), I found the BooksOnAsia site that offers a quite good and lengthy excerpt:

http://booksonasia.net/book/the-isle-...

[Agnetta]

While reading Villain, I remembered vividly how much fun Newcomer was , so I started listening on SCRIBD (I pay for a bookplatform, especially to enjoy audiobooks during cleaning) and listened to and now I am on a roll, listening to , and I bough a beautiful paperback of Malice : . The woman and bridge on the cover are actually wiht a bit of relief. (I mean it has a bit of volume).

So much fun!! I do not usually read police mysteries but I really enjoy Higashino's. They are so smart and delicately constructed.

[Carol]

Agnetta wrote: "While reading Villain, I remembered vividly how much fun Newcomer was , so I started listening on SCRIBD (I pay for a bookplatform, especially to enjoy audiobooks durin..."

Oh, man. These are so much fun. Have you read Salvation of a Saint? That's the only other that, to me, is in the same ballpark as these 4.

[Bill]

The best word I can think of to describe The Devotion of Suspect X is 'contrived'.

The victim doesn't matter. The murderers(s) don't matter. Even the dim-witted police don't matter. It's all a setup so that the genius physicist and the genius mathematician can engage in a battle of wits.

I'm only a third of the way in and considering quitting. I know some of you here have liked this. Change my mind.

[Carol]

Bill wrote: "The best word I can think of to describe The Devotion of Suspect X is 'contrived'.

The victim doesn't matter. The murderers(s) don't matter. Even the dim-witted police don't matter...."

Well, I am not sure, Bill. If it’s not for you, I’m not one that feels every reader should finish every book. I found Devotion compelling, but it is typical Higashino in that the puzzle is the how of the crime. The victim doesn’t matter, you’re right, and he spots you the killer upfront. I found the characters fascinating and the solution genius. I will say that if you don’t care for Devotion, don’t waste your time on any other Higashino novels. This is hands-down his masterpiece.

[Agnetta]

I myself am not a huge fan of this kind of crime litterature... but I think it is really a good one, in this genre.

You also need to keep going till the end to fully appreciate the setup.

And some information is being... well, retained. Not hidden, but also just ... put on hold. In the end, writign this kind of novels is a "trick" played on us by the author, and I read it only for fun, to see smartness (from the author in setting it up) in action (thru his genius characters). When Galileo is there,the other police officers are always a bit Losers... i feel bad for them.

I did like Newcomer more in the sense that Kaga really kicks ass and I don't have to feel sorry for any side-show losers :).

I had the same issue with Salvation of a saint - poor non-genius policemen, really sucks to be you !

[Carol]

Agnetta wrote: "I myself am not a huge fan of this kind of crime litterature... but I think it is really a good one, in this genre.

You also need to keep going till the end to fully appreciate the setup.

And s..."

I loved Salvation, but this made me laugh. So true.

[Bill]

Now I know what happened to that copy of Naoko that I bought and couldn't find when we went to read it. It decided I wouldn't like it, and fled the house.

[Jeshika]

Apparently I rated Naoko low. I don't even remember reading it. Guess that says a lot.

[Agnetta]

For Naoko, I only liked the last 20 pages, which were pretty good and the last page was kind of brilliant. So that is just his style I guess... baffle the reader in the last part. Strange thing is , you know he will try to baffle you , so you prepare and then he still baffles you, in the way you could not anticipate. Íf you still care , after you were bored to death during many a dozen of pages, of courese.

Regarding Naoko, overall I thought it was not a good spending of my time.

Therefore, Newcomer came as a real surprise since I truly enjoyed it.

Let us know what will be your outcome Bill :D

[Carol]

Bill wrote: "Now I know what happened to that copy of Naoko that I bought and couldn't find when we went to read it. It decided I wouldn't like it, and fled the house."

Naoko is a different beast, though, just FYI.