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I don't know whether I like or hate Ushikawa. A bit of both, really. I suspect that he's going to get smoked by the Little People in the end, but that's just a blind hunch with no real evidence behind it.

"The Supply Teacher" is a clever little story with a clever little twist. But the beautiful prose and perfectly-timed dialogue are what make it a four star story. I could just as easily see this as a novel excerpt as a short story, though it is impactful even in it's current form.

Lots of explanations of regimental organization.

As far as straightforward strange stories, "Chactonbury Ring" is, well, just that. A good story, well-told. Perhaps if there were a little more folkloric background or context, I might have enjoyed it more. But, as I said, it's a good story worth three stars.

I know Tengo's vigil. I did the same thing while my father was dying. Mom died a year ago today. Dad died two months later. I was with him for the final two weeks. I'm just glad I'm not reading this part of the novel on the anniversary of that time. That would just be too much emotion for me. This is enough, as it is. Hard reading.

Being in isolation with all your needs met reading Proust for three months can't be all that bad, can it? I'm a touch jealous of Aomame.

So, Ushikawa plays the role of trickster god in all of this? He obviously has an important role to play here.

I was not terribly surprised by what I found "In the Garden," but was I supposed to be shocked? I don't think so, honestly. I wasn't even creeped out . . . much. A little. Still, three rowan-berry stars to this domestic(ated) tale.

This is hard to read. Less than a year ago, I was having such a conversation with my dying mother. Little did I know that two months later, I would be having such a conversation with my dying father. Yeah. Still some open wounds there. I was not expecting such a confluence from this book. It's a complete surprise to me. Pushing on . . .

Nearly as enigmatic, but not nearly as convincing, "Spirit Solutions" evokes the feelings of siblinghood that anyone with a brother or sister will recognize, all in the context of a night spent by two brothers and two sisters in the haunted house of their recently-deceased father. Four stars.

Wait . . . Zagava is doing paperbacks now? Well, crud, there goes all my money. ALL of it . . .

Though I will still buy the occasional limited edition work. Some of those are so exquisite you don't want to pass them by!

If you can't understand it without an explanation, you can't understand it with an explanation seems to apply to readers of 1Q84, as well as the characters. Some people will hate that. I'm totally fine with it. In fact, I like not knowing everything!

At first, I thought "The Rain" might be a well-written rehash of _Robin Redbreast_. I was so wrong! This is far more horrifying, yet the frisson is brought on by careful omission and ominous indicators. Oh, it's five stars worth of eloquent dread!

You can't convince me that Murakami wasn't thinking of this song when he wrote this novel. It. Has. To. Be.

Okay, maybe just wishful thinking, but the last two chapters - wow, do they evoke that same feeling! Powerful.

Never have the words "Ho ho" felt so terrifying . . .

Aha! My metafictional suspicions were correct! Now what?

Ah, finally, the mythology of this whole thing. I was hoping for this earlier, but it's probably well-placed in the novel where it is. I'm guessing Murakami had a heck of a time figuring out when to lay all the cards on the table, so to speak.

Ah, here is where the moon(s) come into play. I figured they were key to the story, but wasn't sure how. I'm still not completely sure, but am intrigued to find out. Another Murakami hook. He's good at that. Very good.

I get the feeling that the pistol is going to be used, according to Chekhov's rule, but on whom?

Outside of the indirect reflection of "the progressivity of the Patron class," the Marxist theories, as herein applied to visual art, are tenuous and, frankly strained to the breaking point.

And Marxism is boring. So incredibly tedious!

Folk horror, Phaeton, and fire-worship are all on brilliant display in "The Descent of the Fire". This is an excellent conclusion to the collection, gathering all of The Connoisseur's cohorts in an effort to stop the burgeoning of luciferean cabals. Five bright stars!

What does Fuka-Eri know? I keep asking myself this question, every few pages: What does she know?

My wife and I bought plane tickets to Europe for later this summer. While in the UK, I am planning on spending a day in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, as I understand the booksellers are fantastic. So, any recommendations/warnings about specific booksellers in Hay-on-Wye? I'm particularly looking for places with old second-hand books. Any advisement is appreciated!

I used to like marxist textual analysis. As an undergrad I did a marxist analysis of a feminist text (can't remember the title) at a very conservative university. The professor loved it. Now? Not a big fan of marxist interpretations. They feel forced.

Even a less-clever Connoisseur story like "The Temple of Time" deserves four stars. The plot is unsurprising, the main protagonist (not The Connoisseur, this time) is forgettable, the language is, as always, excellent. But what gives this story strength is it's poignancy of speculation: a "what if" that sinks deep into the heart and mind.

Curious to see what spurs the plot forward here. Seems to have come to a standstill, in some ways.

Personally, I find very little of real value in Freudian analysis. It's interesting as an academic exercise, but it always fails to get outside of itself.

My brain wants to say that Tamaru is to Aomame as Tengo is to Fuka Eri, but that's just my brain trying to make things easy. There are obvious differences in the two relationships, but some synchronicity as well.

Well, my, that was . . . awkward. And wrong. I'm guessing it all shows some kind of purpose, but . . . strange. And not necessarily in good ways. I don't quite know what to think about this.

This is some powerful, moving storytelling. Wow.