Sunday Salon January 31, 2010

* I had an awful reading weekend. I read one book and I might finish another one tonight. I could not focus and we were busy Saturday. Today was major cleaning day. My house is so nice and clean. It feels great to start the week off with.

* Today was the last day for two reading challenges. The Japanese Reading Challenge 3 and the L. M. Montgomery. I read one book for each. I read Jane of Lantern Hill by L. M. Montgomery. I read After Dark by Haruki Murakami for the Japanese Literature Reading Challenge 3. Here are the links to my reviews:
http://abookloverforever.blogspot.com/2010/01/short-sleek-novel-of-encounters-set-in.html

http://abookloverforever.blogspot.com/2010/01/jane-of-lantern-hill-by-l-m-montgomery.html

* I hope everyone has a great week and find lots of time for reading. :)

After Dark by Haruki Murakami (Review)

Summary:

A short, sleek novel of encounters set in Tokyo during the witching hours between midnight and dawn, and every bit as gripping as Haruki Murakami’s masterworks The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Kafka on the Shore.

At its center are two sisters—Eri, a fashion model slumbering her way into oblivion, and Mari, a young student soon led from solitary reading at an anonymous Denny’s toward people whose lives are radically alien to her own: a jazz trombonist who claims they’ve met before, a burly female “love hotel” manager and her maid staff, and a Chinese prostitute savagely brutalized by a businessman. These “night people” are haunted by secrets and needs that draw them together more powerfully than the differing circumstances that might keep them apart, and it soon becomes clear that Eri’s slumber—mysteriously tied to the businessman plagued by the mark of his crime—will either restore or annihilate her.

After Dark moves from mesmerizing drama to metaphysical speculation, interweaving time and space as well as memory and perspective into a seamless exploration of human agency—the interplay between self-expression and empathy, between the power of observation and the scope of compassion and love. Murakami’s trademark humor, psychological insight, and grasp of spirit and morality are here distilled with an extraordinary, harmonious mastery.
from the Random House site

My Review:

I read this for the Japanese Literature Reading Challenge or I never would have thought about it. This author definitely has a way with words. The plot itself is kinda depressing so you have to look past it. The characters are interesting and come off the page. It is out of my comfort zone but I don't regret reading it. The setting is unique, Tokyo, Japan, between the hours of 11:56 P. M. to 6:52 A. M. The center of the story is Mari and in the background her sister Eri. I really like the book summary above from the publishing site so I am not going to redo it here. My impression is a weird but oddly riveting book. Recommended.

Japanese Literature Challenge 3

I am joining the Japanese Literature Challenge 3 hosted by Dolce Bellezza. http://dolcebellezza.wordpress.com/

The Rules:
This year, all you have to do is read one work of Japanese origin. It can be literature of course, but don’t feel confined to that. You may choose to read poetry, biographies, short stories or even manga. If you are willing to read one such piece, you’ve met the challenge. If you read more, all the better.
I have set the time frame between July 30, 2009 and January 30, 2010. Here is the website where you can link your reviews. http://www.japlit3challenge.blogspot.com/
By the way there are some prizes and to see a list visit Dolce Bellezza's site.



Brittanie:
I read The Housekeeper and The Professor by Yoko Ogawa and loved it. So I decided next time Dolce Bellezza hosted the Japanese Reading challenge I would join and hopefully find more great books. :)
I have no idea what I am going to read. I am taking suggestions if any one has any. If you would like to participate go to http://dolcebellezza.wordpress.com/