Read Any Good Books Lately?

User#8628 said:
I'd say, where "hentai" means someone who likes "strange" perverted sex, "sukebe" is a more innocent term for someone who's really enjoys sex.
It just means someone who's into sex and who enjoys it a lot and wants it many i think. So almost everyone! ;)
Not sure though.
I'd say in norwegian wood is displays because he describes a lot of sex scenes that sounds like an old man's fantasies, and there is a highly sexed female character called Midori who confesses to the main character that she loves blowjobs and sometimes goes to the sex cinema.
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Ms. Alice,

Thanks for the explanation. Hmm, I know a tiny bit about old man's fantasies, however I don't see it the same as you. My reading sees more of a young man's fantasy. The twenty year old Watanabe is rather naive when it comes to sex, while his buddy, Nagasawa is detached and jaded. The women are a bit subservient sexually, except Midori, at times. What I admire, in that respect, is the underlying message that sex is normal rather than something to be ashamed of. It's just part of life, for some more, others less.

Murakami's tale mirrors the rapid changes Japan was undergoing at the time, questioning both the status quo and those opposing the status quo.

I enjoy Murakami's prose and its window into the soul. I'm on page 177 of his Kafka on the Shore. At this point I'm a bit confused. Yet, the man has massive power in his descriptions. For example:

A dark, omnipresent pool of water. It was probably always there, hidden away somewhere. But when the time comes it silently rushes out, chilling every cell in your body. You drown in that cruel flood, gasping for breath. You cling to a vent near the ceiling, struggling, but the air you manage to breathe is dry and burns your throat. Water and thirst, cold and heat--these supposedly opposite elements combine to assault you.

The world is a huge space, but the space that will take you in--and it doesn't have to be very big--is nowhere to be found. You seek a voice, but what do you get? Silence. You look for silence, but guess what?

All you hear over and over and over is the voice of this omen. And sometimes this prophetic voice pushes a secret switch hidden deep inside your brain. Your heart is like a great river after a long spell of rain, spilling over its banks. All signposts that once stood on the ground are gone, inundated and carried away by that rush of water.

And still the rain beats down on the surface of the river. Every time you see a flood like that on the news you tell yourself: That's it. That's my heart.
 
roots reggae said:
Ms. Alice,

Thanks for the explanation. Hmm, I know a tiny bit about old man's fantasies, however I don't see it the same as you. My reading sees more of a young man's fantasy. The twenty year old Watanabe is rather naive when it comes to sex, while his buddy, Nagasawa is detached and jaded. The women are a bit subservient sexually, except Midori, at times. What I admire, in that respect, is the underlying message that sex is normal rather than something to be ashamed of. It's just part of life, for some more, others less.

Murakami's tale mirrors the rapid changes Japan was undergoing at the time, questioning both the status quo and those opposing the status quo.

I enjoy Murakami's prose and its window into the soul. I'm on page 177 of his Kafka on the Shore. At this point I'm a bit confused. Yet, the man has massive power in his descriptions. For example:

A dark, omnipresent pool of water. It was probably always there, hidden away somewhere. But when the time comes it silently rushes out, chilling every cell in your body. You drown in that cruel flood, gasping for breath. You cling to a vent near the ceiling, struggling, but the air you manage to breathe is dry and burns your throat. Water and thirst, cold and heat--these supposedly opposite elements combine to assault you.

The world is a huge space, but the space that will take you in--and it doesn't have to be very big--is nowhere to be found. You seek a voice, but what do you get? Silence. You look for silence, but guess what?

All you hear over and over and over is the voice of this omen. And sometimes this prophetic voice pushes a secret switch hidden deep inside your brain. Your heart is like a great river after a long spell of rain, spilling over its banks. All signposts that once stood on the ground are gone, inundated and carried away by that rush of water.

And still the rain beats down on the surface of the river. Every time you see a flood like that on the news you tell yourself: That's it. That's my heart.
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I meant that he sounds like an old man who fantasizes of a young boy who has encounters with young women, sometimes supported by his cooler friend with the bigger penis who is nice enough to switch girls sometimes ;)

I agree though that its mostly a describtion of the 60' flow.
 
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User#8628 said:
I meant that he sounds like an old man who fantasizes of a young boy who has encounters with young women, sometimes supported by his cooler friend with the bigger penis who is nice enough to switch girls sometimes ;)

I agree though that its mostly a describtion of the 60' flow.
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I see. If I understand correctly, at the start of the story,Watanabe is looking back around twenty years, so your insight is closer. Still, though it's possible you see a forty-something as an old man, my oh my, for me it's young, hehe. You're right on, 60's all the way.

Have you read Kafka on the Shore? If so, don't tell me what happens, just whether you like it or not and understand it.
Thank you:LOL:
 
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roots reggae said:
I see. If I understand correctly, at the start of the story,Watanabe is looking back around twenty years, so your insight is closer. Still, though it's possible you see a forty-something as an old man, my oh my, for me it's young, hehe. You're right on, 60's all the way.

Have you read Kafka on the Shore? If so, don't tell me what happens, just whether you like it or not and understand it.
Thank you:LOL:
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I started it but never finished. Its a shame but it was so thick and i got busy with other things. It was interesting but not like a page turner that i'll make time for no matter what.
 
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User#8628 said:
I started it but never finished. Its a shame but it was so thick and i got busy with other things. It was interesting but not like a page turner that i'll make time for no matter what.
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Know what you mean, but I'll trudge through it.

Next, I have The River Ki by Sawako Ariyoshi.
 
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Somebody mentioned never let me go...

I really liked the buried giant by the same author - hough it seems to have divided opinion.
 
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Just finished Kafka on the Shore over the past weekend and started The River Ki by Sawako Ariyoshi. While I believe Murakami is, indeed a talented author, I was not impressed with the plot development, resolution and character development of Kafka on the Shore.

Still I haven't given up on him.Today, I picked up his Wind -Up Bird Chronicle and the short stories in the volume Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman.

I'll start them after I finish The River Ki. I'm just on page 46 now. Not much has happened, but it's an interesting insight, at this point, into Japanese social customs around a hundred years ago-I'm guessing on the time period.
 
Finished The River Ki by Sawako Ariyoshi over the weekend. Not that impressed, however good for a historical look at life, culture and society in Wakayama from the end of the 19th Century to post-war Japan.

I started the short stories in the volume Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami. I've read eighteen of the twenty-four stories in the volume. Perhaps it's because of my familiarity the classic Western literary tradition that I don't appreciate his writing as much as I feel I should-don't know the source of that expectation.

I'm trying to read the translated writings of Japanese authors so that I can get a grasp of a kind of Eastern style and philosophy of prose.

At this point, especially from what I've read of Haruki Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto, to a lesser extent, I see more of the literary aim associated with Edgar Allan Poe as producing a feeling of melancholy to the reader. Rather than to drive a theme through plot or character, Poe sought a focus on setting to create a mood. That mood represents the message and must be internalized in the mind of the reader rather than an overt allusion. For Poe, melancholy produces the most intense distillation of emotion.

So, after this volume of short stories, I'll see if Murakami and impress me with his Wind -Up Bird Chronicle.
 
roots reggae said:
Finished The River Ki by Sawako Ariyoshi over the weekend. Not that impressed, however good for a historical look at life, culture and society in Wakayama from the end of the 19th Century to post-war Japan.

I started the short stories in the volume Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami. I've read eighteen of the twenty-four stories in the volume. Perhaps it's because of my familiarity the classic Western literary tradition that I don't appreciate his writing as much as I feel I should-don't know the source of that expectation.

I'm trying to read the translated writings of Japanese authors so that I can get a grasp of a kind of Eastern style and philosophy of prose.

At this point, especially from what I've read of Haruki Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto, to a lesser extent, I see more of the literary aim associated with Edgar Allan Poe as producing a feeling of melancholy to the reader. Rather than to drive a theme through plot or character, Poe sought a focus on setting to create a mood. That mood represents the message and must be internalized in the mind of the reader rather than an overt allusion. For Poe, melancholy produces the most intense distillation of emotion.

So, after this volume of short stories, I'll see if Murakami and impress me with his Wind -Up Bird Chronicle.
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I started my Murakami reading with Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - I thought it was brilliant....but then after I read more of Murakami's stuff it all seemed the "same", and I became pretty cynical about the media hype around Murakami by the time I trudged thru Kafka. Reading more of his books diminished my regard for Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.
 
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Reading "the help" now (the book from the popular movie). I absolutely love it. It reads easy.
 
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namae said:
I started my Murakami reading with Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - I thought it was brilliant....but then after I read more of Murakami's stuff it all seemed the "same", and I became pretty cynical about the media hype around Murakami by the time I trudged thru Kafka. Reading more of his books diminished my regard for Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.
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My experience with Murakami has been somewhat similar, though I like his books, each one I read seems less impressive than the previous ones.

-Ww
 
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While in the hospital I finished over 20 novels, most of them forgettable-or maybe it was the pain medication.

About half were translations of Japanese authors.

Did not see why "Rashōmon" (羅生門),a short story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, is so highly acclaimed. Read a few more of his works-just OK.

Today, saw a book review in Japan Times-Endo Shusaku’s 1974 novel When I Whistle. Surprised that it was currently being reviewed. It was one of the better ones. Here's an excerpt from the review:

Toward the end of the novel, Endo quotes from pro-war propaganda: “At last the time for a confrontation between the spiritual … and the material … has come.” “When I Whistle” is his artistic stand against the overwhelming power of the latter.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture...tle-tale-war-spiritual-material/#.V4w7Xbh94uo

when i whistle.jpg




I am currently on the last few pages of an enjoyable read, Autumn Bridge, by a more contemporary novelist, Matsuoka Takashi,set simultaneously in thirteenth, fourteenth and nineteenth century Japan.

Here's a quote from the preface of the fifth chapter:

Nothing in this life or the next will bring you more pain than love.
If anyone tells you otherwise, they are liars.
Or they are still inexperienced in such matters.
Or they have been exquisitely fortunate in their choice of lovers.
So far.

autumn bridge.jpg


 
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The last book I recall really enjoying was Cormac McCarthy's The Road. I am just a fan of dystopian fiction. It scares me to think that might be the future and I feel relieved that I'm not in that situation so in a perverse way, it's a feel good genre for me.
 
It seems you like sci-fi. Have you read the Dune prequels? I also second the Phillip K Dick suggestion. His short stories are great.

Try Red Rising, by Pierce Brown. I also recommend the Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card.
 
RichardR said:
It seems you like sci-fi. Have you read the Dune prequels? I also second the Phillip K Dick suggestion. His short stories are great.

Try Red Rising, by Pierce Brown. I also recommend the Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card.
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These are terrible books, especially Card's. Unless you're 13 and have just discovered Ayn Rand. :wacky:
 
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roots reggae said:
About half were translations of Japanese authors.

Did not see why "Rashōmon" (羅生門),a short story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, is so highly acclaimed. Read a few more of his works-just OK.
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Akutagawa was a literary mastermind. His suicide note reveals an unparalleled clarity of thought amidst his unique suffering.

"I am now living in an icy clear world of morbid nerves ... Still, nature is for me more beautiful than ever. No doubt you will laugh at the contradiction of loving nature and yet contemplating suicide. But nature is beautiful because it comes to my eyes in their last extremity ..."

To some, his works seem tedious and melodramatic, even meaningless, with feeble attempts at translation furthering this impression among Western audiences. Perhaps you are fortunate to feel that way.

I visit his grave now and then.
 
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roots reggae said:
Would you tell us a little about the novel and why you like it, please?
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Hey roots! Try perhaps reading Rashoumon again in maybe a few months (when all the happy drugs are out of your system :), it's one of those books I feel the need to constantly think of the various character's viewpoints and motivations that it's an entertaining read, but certainly not relaxing like some other books. I felt the same way on my first read (somewhat inebriated too, I must admit).

I've always wanted to read these books in Japanese, since as we all know, there are just certain things that don't translate well and nuances can be lost. But having to look up every 5th Kanji kinda kills the flow and ends up making everything an academic endeavour...

Currently, I am reading the New Testament for the first time in earnest. Even without much religious background, there are some pretty good stuff in there despite a few contradictions here and there. I suppose they are there to keep topics open to interpretation according to the individual. Sucks for women who are batsu-ichi, since men are not supposed to marry divorcees (kinda cruel if you ask me) but I guess non-Christian weddings don't technically count? I haven't encountered anything regarding mizu-shoubai, so I think we are in the clear for the time being. XD
 
deckard said:
Akutagawa was a literary mastermind. His suicide note reveals an unparalleled clarity of thought amidst his unique suffering.

"I am now living in an icy clear world of morbid nerves ... Still, nature is for me more beautiful than ever. No doubt you will laugh at the contradiction of loving nature and yet contemplating suicide. But nature is beautiful because it comes to my eyes in their last extremity ..."

To some, his works seem tedious and melodramatic, even meaningless, with feeble attempts at translation furthering this impression among Western audiences. Perhaps you are fortunate to feel that way.

I visit his grave now and then.
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I am impressed by your depth of literary appreciation. I will revisit Akutagawa on my next trip to the library.

I sincerely hope your empathy with his life does not extend to his solution.
 
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While in the hospital I read a few books by Abe Kobo.

The Ark Sakura, written in 1988, seems to precede the "prepper" movement by a couple decades. Abe-san uses circumstances and fears to delve deeply into the human psyche. Here's a portion of a Los Angeles Times review just after the novel's release in 1988:

A Nuclear Noah Builds His Ark : THE ARK SAKURA by Kobo Abe​
In Abe's latest book. "The Ark Sakura," an obese man who goes by the name of Pig or (preferably) Mole has constructed a kind of "ark" which is actually a nuclear shelter he has built out of an abandoned underground rock quarry. He is faced with the problem of whom to select as his crew, but circumstances eventually dictate the selection of crew members: a sakura , and an insect dealer, among others. ( Sakura means "shill," in this case, one who is hired by stores to buy merchandise in order to entice customers into buying.)

ark sakura.jpg


I recommend it!!!
 
While in the hospital in June, also read Kobo Abe’s The Woman in the Dunes.

The premise of the plot is a bit hard to believe. This eccentric, loner, school teacher collects insects and on school holidays goes and searches for one that's never been identified. He ends up in this small village on the sand dunes in the evening. There is no place to stay for the night. When he asks a group of elderly men for a local household willing to take in a lodger for the night, they lead him down a ladder among the sand dunes to the shack of a young widow. In the morning, when he tries to leave he finds the ladder gone. The widow explains that he never will be allowed to leave and must help her during the night shoveling sand that threatens to overwhelm and destroy her house. He is trapped!

The story reminds me of old television horror shows like Alfred Hitchcock's or Rod Serling's Twilight Zone. The prose is memorizing. Turns out the novel was made into a film, as well.

Here's a link to a book review from the Japan Times.

Certain books must be read, even with the knowledge that the reading will be painful. Kobo Abe’s masterpiece “The Woman in the Dunes” is one such book. Called an “existential fable,” it is no surprise that Abe’s favorite writers were Franz Kafka, Friedrich Nietzsche and Edgar Allan Poe.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2014/12/27/books/book-reviews/woman-dunes/#.V5m3uRV94uo

Woman_in_the_Dunes_poster.jpg


A link to the entire film-all two and a half hours-looks really good from the few minute I watched-English subtitles:



 
Another author I read quite novels during my three week hospital stay was Yukio Mishima. This guy is heavy, not a good choice if you prefer light summer reading. One of the first novels I read was unusual, Forbidden Colors, in that it depicts the gay scene in Tokyo during the 1950's.

From Wikipedia:

Forbidden Colors(禁色 Kinjiki?) is a 1951 novel (禁色 Part 2 秘楽(Higyō?) "Secret Pleasure"was published in 1953) by the Japanese writer Yukio Mishima,[1] translated into English in 1968. The name kinjiki is a euphemism for homosexuality. The kanji 禁 means "forbidden" and 色 in this case means "erotic love", although it can also mean "color". The word "kinjiki" also means colors that were forbidden to be worn by people of various ranks in the Japanese court. It describes a marriage of a gay man to a young woman. Like Mishima's earlier novel Confessions of a Mask, it is generally considered somewhat autobiographical.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_Colors


From a book review:

"Another glittering, miraculously intricate and strenuously philosophical novel by the prolific Japanese writer, who has before investigated the nature of purity, of cruelty, of beauty and youth. With overtones of a number of Western writers (James, Wilde, Swift) this novel examines the progress of a beautiful youth, Yuichi, passionately adored by men and women, who symbolically rises out of the sea to appear before the aging eyes of Shunsuke, the novelist. Completing his last work, Shunsuke is determined to form the beautiful natural youth of Yuichi into a work of art, to take the natural weaknesses of youth and ""make them something stronger, like death."

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/yukio-mishima-4/forbidden-colors/

Forbidden_Colors.jpg

 
Mercedes Lackey: The 300 kingdoms series is an old favorite. Fairy Godmother is a good one to start, a romantic twist on the tale of Cinderella.

The Alta series is also good for the first 3 books; Joust, Alta and Sanctuary. Soft fantasy with an Egyptian style culture, except with Dragons and a magic solar laser death-ray.

And anything by Sir Terry Prachett.
 
@roots reggae Do you know how much i love you right now? :love:
Ten years ago or something i read a japanese book that was fantastic, but even though i remembered the story i was totally unable to remember the title/author - and googling some of the plot keywords turned out to be an utter fail. While reading your post the name "Abe Kobo" for some reason rang a bell, so i wikipedia-ed him. Bingo, he is the author of "Secret Rendezvous", the book i was searching for all these years. THANK YOU!

roots reggae said:
Another author I read quite novels during my three week hospital stay was Yukio Mishima. This guy is heavy, not a good choice if you prefer light summer reading.
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First-timers could start with "The Music". It's one of Mishima's lightest book, there's some humour, and it's a very addicting book. It's about a psychoanalyst trying to cure his new patient, a beautiful woman who "can't hear the music" anymore, while navigating through her lies.
 
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