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Reading Persona: A Biography of Yukio Mishima. Highly recommend this otherwise complete biography of Yukio Mishima to everyone, especially those who would like to learn or understand the author just a little more. I don't know why but I feel like Mishima is heavily misunderstood. Which is why I recommend this biography.

[Bill]

Mishima is definitely a hard person to understand. I have The Life and Death of Yukio Mishima , which was written shortly after his death. Probably significant amounts of additional material have surfaced in the decades since.


Currently reading Southern Exposure , poetry and short stories (mostly short stories) from the 20th century. It has a nice introduction to Okinawan history and Okinawan literary history, and gives a one-page bio before each selection.

I am quite impressed with the selections I've read so far, even though most of them are tragic. I've barely reached the point in the book where the USA gives Okinawa back to Japan, so it's hard to say if it will get more upbeat from here, or tragic in other ways.

[Jack]

I just finished the Manga A Side Character's Love Story Vol. 12 (of 14) by Akane Tamura. I had originally started the series but put it down down due to the two main characters excessive shyness. However, upon reflection,I decided that I really liked the series and wanted to witness the author’s development of their characters and their relationship. It has been rewarding reading through the 12 volumes to date. Maybe not for everyone but it fit my interests in reading about young adult character development and the respectful way the main characters interact with each other.

Having just finished the series so far, I started on The Confessions of Lady Nijō, translated by Karen Brazell. I hope to also read the translation by Wilfred Whitehouse and Eizo Yanagisawa. This is for the Japan Society of Boston book club discussion starting October.

[Bill]

Reading Hotarubi no Mori e (To Firefly-light Forest) by Midorikawa Yuki.

It's a collection of three nearly-romance stories, with a soft art style suited to the stories told. The title story is supernatural, and the other two are more mundane school stories.

[Colin]

Just finished The Sea and Poison by Shusaku Endo (trans. Michael Gallagher), an early work by the author depicting a medical college outside of Fukuoka in the closing days of WWII where select members of the staff have been tasked with experimenting on American prisoners of wars. As with many of his works, Endo focuses on the moral crises facing his characters as a spiritual lassitude enables monstrous behaviour never considered until the moment arrives.

Currently, I'm reading Lady Joker, Volume One by Kaoru Takamura (trans. Marie Iida & Allison Markin Powell), a dense Ellroy-esque crime saga revolving around a true-crime kidnapping plot in mid-90s Tokyo. I'm only halfway through the first volume, but I'm absolutely loving its slow-burn narrative.

[Sparrow Knight]

I’m currently reading Murakami’s short story collection Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman and enjoying it. The theme of being lost amidst the chaos, left speechless and bewildered is something I can definitely relate to.

I’m also reading some middle grade fantasy, Crier's War, and absolutely shredding it. Which is a lot of fun, actually. I don’t think I’d let my child read such bad writing. LOL I need to be more discerning in the books I pick up on recommendation. 😏

And then I’ve started Insurgent Truth: Chelsea Manning and the Politics of Outsider Truth-Telling and the questions of what is Truth? What are Facts? And who decides is fascinating.

And don’t forget…October is Banned Book month! I’m wanting to read Giovanni's Room…was it ever banned? Off to find out!

[Alison]

I’m absolutely sure Giovanni’s Room was banned.

[Sparrow Knight]

Alison wrote: "I’m absolutely sure Giovanni’s Room was banned."

Ha! Not only that, but his publisher told him to burn it! LOL

[Alwynne]

I finished an ARC of The Kamogawa Food Detectives a light, easy read along the lines of novels like Before the Coffee Gets Cold it's not technically the sort of story I particularly enjoy but good of its kind.

Link to my review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Bill]

Currently reading Ravine and other stories .

The title story is about three men who went mountain climbing together when they were younger, and now that one of them has died the other two, despite family and work obligations and being out of shape, take a memorial climb for the third. Through the sounds in the night deep in the ravine they find themselves outside the mundane world.

The prose is heavy with metaphor, which makes it a slow but satisfying read. It must have been very difficult to translate.

[Bill]

That was a bit disappointing. I can understand the sentiments of the reviewer who gave this book one star.

The first two stories have novel uses of metaphors, but have the same serious flaw. The author sets up a plot line, get distracted by something else, and never goes back to finish what he at first offered us.

The last two are less innovative than the first time, and the stories told are rather bland and meaningless.

[Carol]

Bill wrote: "That was a bit disappointing. I can understand the sentiments of the reviewer who gave this book one star.

The first two stories have novel uses of metaphors, but have the same serious flaw. The a..."

Yikes. These seem like the sorts of problems that writing workshops help authors overcome. They shouldn't make it to print in this shape.

[Alwynne]

I finished Hideo Yokoyama's psychological mystery The North Light. On closer inspection I could probably compile a list of its flaws but, I enjoyed reading it so much, I don't want to. It's less conventional crime novel than an exploration of wider questions of identity, masculinity, place and culture. I also loved the way that Yokoyama incorporated aspects of the life and work of real-life German architect Bruno Taut into his plot. Taut lived and worked in Japan in the early 1930s, he was a renowned Weimar-era architect whose politics led him to abandon Nazi Germany.

Link to my review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Bill]

I'm more than halfway through Lonely Hearts Killer and am still unsure how I feel about it. There's an awful lot of the author telling us about the massive changes in The Island Country (i.e. the Japan in the novel) rather than showing us through the actions of his characters. This is in keeping with the structure he decided on where each third of the novel has a separate narrator and we see the world and its changes through their eyes. I think it would have worked better with some asides/vignettes inside of the sections from the viewpoints of minor characters.

Perhaps my opinion of it will solidify in part three. As yet, I don't even know who will narrate it.

[Bill]

The ending of part two and pretty much all of part three (what there was of it. Part three turns out to only be 20 pages long) didn't work for me. While trying to avoid spoilers, I would say the climax of the novel is the end of part two where one of the main characters in the novel does something completely out of character. Our narrator in part three starts out hypocritically angry at our narrator from part two, but then forgets about that during their reunion. It's a very wishy-washy ending.

I hate to discourage people from reading Lonely Hearts Killer. It's unique. It's dissonant. It's full of murder and chaos. It's flawed. But if you can get past that, read it because it's unique.

[Sparrow Knight]

After a long hiatus, I’ve returned to Two Buddhas Seated Side by Side: A Guide to the Lotus Sūtra, an exploration of the Lotus Sutra through the writing of Nicheren. I’ve read Selected Writings of Nichiren and I found it quite difficult to grasp what it would be like to literally believe the Lotus in the same way that Nichiren and contemporaries did. To me the Lotus often reads like an acid trip. LOL Anyway, Two Buddhas does an excellent job of contextualizing Nichiren’s writings and understanding of the sutra.

[Alwynne]

I finished a translation of a novella/extended story from 1923 by renowned Sapphic author Yoshiya Nobuko Yellow Rose

Link to my review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Jack]

Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono. With our book for December 2023 decided, I pulled Kiki’s from my too large, to read shelf and plan to read as the holidays unroll. The movie is a long term favorite which I give or lend to the little people in the extended family.
.....
I enjoyed the book which was the inspiration for the film by Studio Ghibli. I especially recommend the audiobook version as narrated by Kim Mai Guest.

[Bill]

Currently reading Tenju no Kuni (manga). This short series clearly rides on the coattails of Bride's Story . Recommended for those who like Bride's Story.

It's more peaceful than Bride's Story, with no battles (so far). The art is very good in places, but skimps a fair amount. The story focuses on a doctor-in-training, learning from his father, and there are significant amounts of space dedicated to describing traditional medicine. I have to admit I skimmed or skipped much of that. There are appendices at the end of each volume further describing elements of Tibetan culture mentioned in the story.

[Jack]

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori. (Completed)
I started this from my 2024 reading list early since the library loan also came early.
Here is an article from the Japan Foundation and an interview from the Japan Society of NY:

https://ny.jpf.go.jp/event/prize-winn...

Maybe since I just completed the 10 translated manga volumes of アスペル・カノジョ 1 Asper Kanojo 1 (My Atypical Girl) by Sohachi Hagimoto I had a strong impression that Keiko was on the milder side of Asperger syndrome/autism spectrum disorder.
I don’t know if this has been a previous monthly Japanese Literature Group read and, if so, I will add my thoughts there after completion.

[Justin •••]

Wrapping up a bunch of half-finished books before next year (I like to start with a clean slate each January). Two that I'm on now are Crackling Mountain and Other Stories by Osamu Dazai, and the collection of manga stories/tributes Neo Parasyte m

[Bill]

About halfway done with the manga series natsu no zenjitsu , and I'm very pleased with it so far. A young woman who runs an art gallery seduces a even younger art student in his last year of college. The title ("The Day Before Summer") doesn't refer to the time of year it takes place, but rather to the impending summer of the young man's life when he has to leave school and take his place in the working world. The art is sketched rather than outlined (as is the usual case in manga), which must have taken considerably work, work that really pays off here. The best known example I can think of for 'sketched' instead of 'outlined' would be Nausicaa.

I have to caution that this is an adult story with detailed sex scenes. Not that I would call it porn. I prefer to define porn otherwise as "the thinnest possible veneer of plot surrounding sex scenes that are implausible, coercive, or violent."

The strength of this story are in the emotional sparring between the protagonists and the conflicting ways they express their maturities and immaturities. Much of it has a laid back feeling to it as well.

[Alwynne]

I finished The Rainbow Kawabata's portrait of post-WW2 Japan, equal parts frustrating and fascinating.

Link to my review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Jack]

Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami, translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd. It was supposed to be my first book for the January 2024 read but it came early from the library. It is good and devastating. I have had to take pauses to catch my breath and get a little distance.

[Jack]

I have continued with Mieko Kawakami and her book Heaven with same translators as Breast and Eggs.
Here are some reviews:
https://www.harvardreview.org/book-re...
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/25/bo...

From reading Breast and Eggs, I know that her books are a challenge and almost an assault on the reader but, if one can remain steadfast, the story is probably worth the struggle. It leaves me unbalanced and I have to time out periodically. Some scenes are tough to get through. (completed 3 Jan 2024.)

I think there are two others that have been translated and I hope to read them later in 2024.
All the Lovers in the Night
Ms Ice Sandwich

[Alison]

Don't forget that, for the month of January, any "current reading" of Japanese books is welcome in the #januaryinjapan thread!

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Alwynne]

I finished the latest issue of the Monkey, gorgeously produced as ever, MONKEY New Writing from Japan: Volume 4: MUSIC

Link to review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Jeroen]

"Why does the night have to be so beautiful?" #firstsentence.

Just got introduced to Fuyuko Irie, main character in All The Lovers In The Night by Mieko Kawakami, translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd.

It's my first Kawakami novel, and looking forward to reading it!

[J]

Just finished A Death in Tokyo, by Higashino Keigo. I generally enjoy his stuff, and this was no exception.

[Meike]

Just finished the new Murakami, The City and Its Uncertain Walls, and it's a banger - I hope the English translation will be out soon! (For German readers: Die Stadt und ihre ungewisse Mauer)

[Jack]

Dead-End Memories: Stories by Banana Yoshimoto, translated by Asa Yoneda.
I am really enjoying this collection of Yoshimoto stories.

[Alison]

Meike wrote: "Just finished the new Murakami, The City and Its Uncertain Walls, and it's a banger - I hope the English translation will be out soon! (For German readers: [book:Die Stadt und ihre ungewisse Mauer|..."

The English translation is due out in September.

[Alwynne]

I'm working my way through Yukhi Kamatani's manga series Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare, Vol. 1 a carefully-rendered depiction of queer identity and community in a small town close to Hiroshima.

Link to my review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Alwynne]

I really enjoyed Ito Junji's Cat Diary especially loved the element of self-parody.

Link to my review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Alwynne]

I finished Maki Kashimada's award-winning Love at Six Thousand Degrees I was fascinated by the reworking of aspects of Duras's Hiroshima mon amour but put off by the incorporation of aspects of Dostoevsky's work - I'm not a fan. I also found the semi-philosophical elements less appealing, particularly the religious ones. But it's an accomplished piece all the same with some intriguing episodes that kept me reading.

Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Justin •••]

I've been reading Rina by Kang Young-Sook for far too long (my fault), and I need to get that finished up

[Jeroen]

Haruki Murakami: “I’m not quite like the poor guy in Stephen King’s Misery, but it’s true: if someone asks, I can pretty much whip off a story right on the spot”

In a short interview in Monkey Business: New Writing From Japan vol. 7 which I’m currently reading.

[Alwynne]

For January in Japan I took part in a group read of Kabi Nagata's My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness the first in a series of autobiographical manga. I had mixed reactions to the work overall but as a portrait of grappling with mental health issues and also for its take on lesbian identity I thought it was fairly powerful.

Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Jack]

I have read this also. It was a tough read for me but, as you said, powerful.

[Alwynne]

Jack wrote: "I have read this also. It was a tough read for me but, as you said, powerful."

Definitely it's interesting too as a study of alienation, some intriguing thematic overlaps with Mishima and with Dazai although very different in style.

[Jack]

This winter anime season has a show called "Gekai Elise" (Surgeon Elise). It was developed from a Korean Webtoon. The show is interesting so I am reading the source material. I think I need a light fare after reading Earthlings...

[Jack]

Just started Hit Parade of Tears (by Izumi Suzuki, translated by Sam Bett (2023).

I got stuck before on “Hey, It’s a Love Psychedelic!” But made progress since I put it down. The story seems more like an Acid Trip Rock Movie from the 70s. I got some of the music references but many are way out of my swim lane.

Finally finished it. Yes, I think 70s acid trip describes the overall book. The book is, understandably, frozen in that time loop.

I liked “Trial Witch” the best. I think Bill had the same comments about Terminal Boredom: Stories (translated and published 2021), I would like to know when the short stories were first written/published in Japanese in the late 70s and early 80s when she wrote them.

I will probably read Terminal Boredom: Stories sometime. Most of the stories didn’t resonate with me since I have been out of read sci-fi for a very long time.

[Nocturnalux]

Territory of Light by Yūko Tsushima.

I considered reading this one in Japanese but it was hard to find and when I did, rather expensive. So I got the translation instead.

[Jack]

To my parallel reading list, I added Ivan Morris’ translation of the Sarashina Nikki, As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams, and also the work by Sonja Arntzen and Itō Moriyuki, The Sarashina Diary: A Woman's Life in Eleventh-Century Japan.

This is for a JSB, Japan Society of Boston, bookclub discussion at the beginning of April.

[Alwynne]

I finished Kiyoko Murata's A Woman of Pleasure the first of her novels to be made available in English. A fascinating story set in the early 1900s and focused on the experiences of women working in the brothels of the era.

Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Jack]

Good review. Thank you -Jack

[Emma]

Just finished 2 fabulous books (hoping to review them next week, see here: https://wordsandpeace.com/2024/02/18/...
Currently reading , my second book by Osamu Dazai. Loving it

[avidreader97]

Can someone recommend me something similar to ‘the housekeeper and the professor’?

[Jack]

Tokyo Ueno Station by Yū Miri, translated by Morgan Giles.
I hope to read more post-Fukushima function and non-fiction this year.
I am continuing with Judgement at Tokyo: World War II on Trial and the Making of Modern Asia as part of a buddy read thread, but it is a slow read.

[Michael]

I’m currently reading In The Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami. About halfway through it and so far it’s a pretty good read. Not for everyone, but I’m enjoying it.