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[Satria]

Parrish wrote: "If you enjoyed Grotesque, try Out, you'll love it."

Thanks for your recommendation, i'll try to find Out in bookstore. I read Indonesian translation for Grotesque, i hope it'd be as good as the Japanese version.

[P.]

Just finished 'Wind up Bird Chronicles'... Next is 'Snow Country'!!

[Gnoe]

Zee wrote: "Next is 'Snow Country'!!" Oh my, maybe I'll pick it up too once I've finished my current read! Which is not Asian but Blacklands by Belinda Bauer.

My first (complete) book of the year was Murakami's first novel: Hear the Wind Sing. I plan to buddy read the Pinball, 1973 sequel with @inspringthedawn and @chinoiseries during the low-key mini readathon on twitter early Feb. Just thought I'd mention it ;)

[P.]

Gnoe wrote: "Zee wrote: "Next is 'Snow Country'!!" Oh my, maybe I'll pick it up too once I've finished my current read! Which is not Asian but Blacklands by Belinda Bauer.

My first (complete) bo..."

Good luck on that one! Readalongs are so fun.

[4cats]

Am half way through Goodbye Tsugumi i just love her writing, precise with beautiful details, just wonderful

[M]

I'm currently reading:
To The Spring Equinox And Beyond by Natsume Soseki which is excellent if you've enjoyed any of Soseki's other works.
Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam Also a wonderful book on the recent history of Vietnam as well as for travel lit. Amazing prose.

And I noticed a lot of people are reading Murakami's books and I really have to pick up one of his novels. So far I've only read pretty much all his short story collections.

[Nick]

I'm trying to branch out in to non-Murakami areas of Japanese writing. I read the The Oxford Book of Japanese Short Stories, which was generally excellent. I got through The Woman in the Dunes very quickly, which was claustrophobic and reminded me of Kafka. I'm reading Yoko Ogawa's The Housekeeper and the Professor, which is warming and reminds me of Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day.

Waiting for Yoshimoto's Kitchen to arrive, which I'm excited to finally read.

Lots to read!

[Leonard]

Nick wrote: "I'm trying to branch out in to non-Murakami areas of Japanese writing. I read the The Oxford Book of Japanese Short Stories, which was generally excellent. I got through [book:The Wom..."

The Woman in the Dune is an excellent book, reminiscent of Camus' The Plague, instead of the plague, unceasing sand.

[Margarete]

I loved Kitchen and The Housekeeper and the Professor! They were both such refreshing books. I have recently read Out by Natsuo Kirino, a troubling book to read. She is a wonderful writer, bringing important social problems to the front, but with a stomach wrenching approach. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford was a very bittersweet story regarding Japanese interment during WW2. But one of the funniest 'American-Asian' books is Happy Birthday or Whatever by Annie Choi. Growing up as in an immigrant home....I was laughing so hard. It dosn't matter what ethnicity you are in order to relate. A great palate cleanser!

[Mariel]

I am reading Silence by Shusaku Endo.

[Carola]

I started on Banana Yoshimoto's Kitchen today. I'm about halfway and I love it.

[Tocotin]

I liked "Kitchen" a lot!
I'm reading The Teahouse Fire (not Japanese literature, but about Japan), "Drifting Clouds" by Futabatei Shimei (it's a slow read...) and "Longshore Drift Songs" (I know, lots of drifts!) by Kiuchi Nobori, a relatively recent historical novel, which got the Waseda University Tsubouchi Shoyo award 2 years ago.

[Nick]

I just finished Kitchen. I enjoyed it and I'll seek out more by Yoshimoto. Although I did think it was a little too brief.

Don't know where to go next with Japanese authors.

[Leonard]

Mariel wrote: "I am reading Silence by Shusaku Endo."

I like Silence. The dilemma that the missionaries face is very tough.

[Michael]

Nick wrote: "I just finished Kitchen. I enjoyed it and I'll seek out more by Yoshimoto. Although I did think it was a little too brief.

Don't know where to go next with Japanese authors."

You can try out Tanizaki by joining the next book club reading of "The Makioka Sisters". Or, if you can't wait, I recommend "Naomi".

[Savannah]

I just finished with Otsuichi's "Zoo". Don't read his books before bedtime. It tends to send one very strange dreams. o.O;

Now I'm working on another Miyuki Miyabe book, "The Devil's Whisper".

[Pauline]

I'm currently reading the new translation of The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu (as an ebook, which incidentally is beatifully produced). I have read the earlier translations into English and also a translation into modern Japanese and this strikes me as excellent. A very good introduction and helpful notes.

[Mariel]

I'm reading my first Ryu Murakami- Coin Locker Babies.

[Jennifer]

I also had a hard time getting into "In the Miso Soup". Luckily, I enjoyed the descriptions of the city enough to plow through it. I kept digging for something more substantial and never quite found it. I think the book is more about atmosphere than plot, though both are subtle. This was my first Ryu Murakami book and I'm excited to see if "Almost Transparent Blue" is more impressive. (Fingers crossed.)

I read David Mitchell's "Number9Dream" (Not technically a Japanese author, but written while the Author was living in Japan.) right after "In the Miso Soup" and found that after a slow start, it was far creepier.

[Betty]

I read and liked the first story in Mistress Oriku: Stories from a Tokyo Teahouse by Matsutaro Kawaguchi; Mistress Oriku runs the Shigure Teahouse on the outskirts of Tokyo and is the thread through the stories.

[Adrienne]

has anyone read Geisha: A Life

[okyrhoe]

Adrienne wrote: "has anyone read Geisha: A Life"

My (old) edition is titled Geisha of Gion. (You can see my review in the link.)

[Ellen]

Nick wrote: "I just finished Kitchen. I enjoyed it and I'll seek out more by Yoshimoto. Although I did think it was a little too brief.

Don't know where to go next with Japanese authors."

I love Yoshimoto Banana. Right now I'm reading her most recent work (kindle edition) The Lake.

Although Kitchen remains my favorite of her works, I am enjoying The Lake. I also especially enjoyed N.P and Lizard.

[Andrea]

Ellie wrote: "Nick wrote: "I just finished Kitchen. I enjoyed it and I'll seek out more by Yoshimoto. Although I did think it was a little too brief.

Don't know where to go next with Japanese authors."

I love ..."

I was just recently recommended Banana Yoshimoto and picked up Kitchen, which I loved! I'm not reading Goodbye Tsugunami. It's not quite as captivating as Kitchen, but I'm only halfway through. So far, I very much have enjoyed the works of Banana Yoshimoto and will definitely checkout her other works!

[Scott]

I like Banana, though her books tend to be a bit ephemeral for me. That is, (with the exception of NP), I don't remember much about them after I'm done.

I just finished After Dark, and now I am reading The Amber Spyglass.

[Scott]

thegift wrote: "has anyone read japanese sf that is not manga? i have read of but not read some, only title i remember is japan sinks. i know much japanese work follows the fantastic without usual genre differenc..."

All You Need Is Kill is very good. There is a really fascinating scientific concept at the heart of it. I also enjoyed Koji Suzuki's Ring trilogy.

[Carola]

I'm still reading 1Q84 (finished with book 1). I must say it is quite a slow read, but I do still like it. Quite curious where the story is heading though.

I usually read multiple books at the same time (am I the only one?), so I'm also reading The Name of the Wind and Vampire Rites Trilogy(back to my childhood!). And I still need to finish Stories, but I don't see that happening anytime soon...

[Aloha]

Hi ya, Scott! Good to see you here. I joined but this is my first time contributing since I see a friend here. I think, first time contributing, that is. Maybe friend part, too. ;o) It's hard for me to keep track with the numerous forums.

[Aloha]

1Q84 made me get deep into postmodernism. I discovered I love postmodernism's complex structure and requirement of the reader to do a bit more work in the reading process. I'm addicted and I'm not sure I can go back to the usual reading. 1Q84 has so many layers and references that you can have a discussion about it for a while.

Carola wrote: "I'm still reading 1Q84 (finished with book 1). I must say it is quite a slow read, but I do still like it. Quite curious where the story is heading though.

I usually read multiple books at the sam..."

[Aloha]

Forgot to mention that I am currently reading The Recognitions and Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories.

[Scott]

Hi Aloha. I just joined...needed some new discussions!

[Ahmed]

dance dance dance by haruki murakami. I'm about to finish it ^_^

[Shari]

I finished reading Kokoro last month. (What a sad story.... The author's simple narrative style was quite deceptive.) Now, I'm reading a historical novel about Emperor Frederick II, The Falcon of Palermo, also a sci-fi novel, Footfall. I'm interested in reading next a Rowland novel, one of her Sano books.

[Elsa]

I'm about halfway through The Book of Heroes by Miyuki Miyabe. It's a quest fantasy with an astonishingly mature child as the protagonist. I'm struck by the brutality of the bullying that occurs in this story and the way it's ignored by some, condoned and encouraged by others and suffered by nearly all.

[Scott]

Looking forward to reading that myself, Elsa.

[Elsa]

How funny, I just finished it last night! My favorite quote from The Boook of Heroes. "So you see, it does not matter what form the books take here. All that matters is what they hold."

I picked this book up expecting one thing and got something else completely. Be sure to give it a chance, it's not a fast read. I thought it was just quietly brilliant.

Now I'm moving on to Banana Yoshimoto, Goodbye Tsugumi.

[Alta]

Just finished The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto and The Moon over the Mountain by Atsushi Nakajima, and wrote two short reviews. Anyone interested, please see:

http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...

[Scott]

I've started Out by Natsuo Kirino.

[Ron]

Scott wrote: "I've started Out by Natsuo Kirino."

I loved " Out" ... I had the good luck to review the book for LJ ... and was blown away by the intensity and intrigue. Savior it.

[Scott]

I'm about halfway through now and it's great.

[Ron]

Did I mention it was dark?

[Roxy Iconoclast]

Ron wrote: "Did I mention it was dark?"

The book gave me nightmares. Well written, but the torture scene was a bit more than I could take.

[Scott]

Dragon Sword and Wind Child

[Pierfranco]

I'm reading "Runaway Horses", by Yukio Mishima, published for the first time in the '60s. It's the second novel of the 4-novel series "The Sea of Fertility". I've already read the first novel of the series, "Spring Snow" and I liked it. I decided to read it after reading Marguerite Yourcenar's essay devoted to Mishima: "Mishima, A vision of the void". Several years ago I read another novel by Mishima: "Confessions of a mask". What I appreciate more in the novels of the series "The Sea of Fertility" is the style, particulalry descriptions of natural settings. Besides, what is interesting is that Mishima seems to dedicate each novel of this series to an era of Japanese history: "Spring Snow", while set around 1914, is dedicated to the Heian period for its interest in the old aristocractic way of life compared to the modern one. Instead the second novel is set in 1932, but it is dedicated to the samurai rebellion against modernization in the early '70s of the XIXth century. So, to fully understand these novels you need an annotated edition with information about history, religion etc. For example, in the second novel the concept of kami in Shinto religion is particularly difficult to unserstand for a Western reader. But anyway, it is fascinating.

[Paul]

Pierfranco wrote: "I'm reading "Runaway Horses", by Yukio Mishima, published for the first time in the '60s. It's the second novel of the 4-novel series "The Sea of Fertility". I've already read the first novel of th..."

I read the series a few years back. I really liked Spring Snow but struggled with Runaway Horses and it remains my least favorite Mishima book.

[Pierfranco]

Paul wrote: I read the series a few years back. I really liked Spring Snow but struggled with Runaway Horses and it remains my least favorite Mishima book.

Paul, me too I really loved "Spring Snow". I know that many readers dislike "Runaway Horses". But so far I'm not dissatisfied. And it is interesting to see how the series develops and changes in any novel.

[Miguel]

Junichiro Tanizaki - Seven Japanese Tales

[Scott]

The Crimson Labyrinth

[Smiley]

I'm reading "Rouse Up O Young Men of the New Age" by Kenzaburo Oe. Any comment?

[Aylin]

I have just finished Runaway Horses after Spring Snow, even though I liked the reincarnation plot I did struggle with going through pages especially when there was a lot of detail about scenery etc. I am glad I finished it however, it was rewarding book to read in the end.
Pierfranco wrote: "Paul wrote: I read the series a few years back. I really liked Spring Snow but struggled with Runaway Horses and it remains my least favorite Mishima book.

Paul, me too I really loved "Spring Sno..."