Tag: Haruki Murakami

Best Reads 2019!!

 

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2019 read I mostly read classics, which were on my reading list until this year. There have just been a couple new books that I read this year. Educated & Ikigai has been the two of them and the rest I am sure you must have heard about them or must have read them. Sharing my best of 2019 below!!

1.Norweigan Wood by Haruki Murakami 
A Story titled from the Beatles song Norwegian wood is a weekend read over coffee and sunset.
And Written by Murakami is a story of college students living in Japan, there is no doubt about you not enjoying the book. 
 
2.Fountainhead by Ayn Rand 
For the last two years this book was on my reading list, But, This year I stopped giving any excuses and read the book. Took me the longest time to ever to read a book four weeks,700 pages.
It’s was one of the best books to get an insight on Architecture & Philosophy in one of the finest storytelling way.
 
3. Bastard Of Istanbul by Elif Shafak 
Elif Shafak’s Forty Rules of love I had read a couple of months ago and enjoyed the book a lot.
But, This one was like a souvenir as this came from Turkey, Istanbul itself and having visited Istanbul nearly a decade ago,
this was a very nostalgic read but through the eye of a local. 
 
4.Ikigai by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia
Ikigai was one of the best and only self-help book read this year.
Japanese teaching.A diet. And the reason behind our existence.
This book will want you to visit Japan again or want you to get to Japan at the earliest. 
 
5.Cuba and the night by Pico Iyer 
A Book that made me travel to Cuba virtually and enjoy the travelogue writing style and make me meet characters who have to sacrifice or who want to move ahead in life, Take steps that improve their way of living and live a life.  
 
6.Midsummer Equation by Keigo Higashino
Keigo Higashino the author of the midsummer equation is the author for the Devotion of suspect X that was largely spoken about when the book released.
The midsummer equation is a chilling, thrilling story about how detective Galileo solves the murder mystery in a small town of Hari cove.
It’s the best Murder mystery book that I have read this year. It’s a page-turner until the very end. 

7. Educated by Tara Westover

A memoir about how one fought from its family and how until then the family records weren’t part of the government’s database. No Education in school in childhood, No birth certificate no medical records!! Truly an educational read! This is Tara Westover telling about her life!

A must-read!!!

In the miso soup !

The author Ryu Murakami is another author from Japan and is no way related to Haruki Murakami who has had many well known books written to his name, and have also been adapted to movies.

Ryu Murakami has written quite a few books “Audition” and “Piercing” are two of his other popular books apart from “in the miso soup” written by Ryu Murakami. 

The other two books too like the”In the miso soup” are centred around the dark backdrop of Japan, disillusion, drug use and Murder 

The book  titled “In the Miso soup “ is a apt title  for  two reasons – One because the character compares his life with the miso soup and phara phrase  the quote “I’m in the miso soup myself- Just like those bits of vegetable. I’m floating around in this giant bowl of it, and that’s good enough for me. 

And the other  the book is titled “In the miso soup” because the character’s  purpose to visit Japan was to find out what the people who eat the miso soup on daily basis might be like.Again to Quote from the book. As he once ordered it in an  America  restaurant and was intrigued  about it. He decided  travel to Japan. 

The moment I read the title of the book and turned over to read the blurb mentioned below,I was interested in reading this book. . 

It’s just before New Year, Frank an overweight American tourist, has hired kenji to take him on a guided tour of Tokyo’s nightlife.

But, Franks behaviour is so odd that Kenji begins to entertain a horrible suspicion : His client may in fact have murderous desires. 

Although, Kenji is far from innocent himself, he unwillingly descends with frank into an inferno of evil, from which only his sixteen year old girlfriend, Jun, can possibly save him.

Yeah, It’s a coincidence that this is my second book in a row from a Japanese author. But,The Japanese authors have such interesting storylines ,written in a captivating way that you become so engrossed in the storytelling, you only want more and more of it.

The book is written in three chapters. 

Chapter 1 – Describes and establishes what the story is about – The beginning of how the characters meet. 

Chapter 2 – The relationship between the two and why Kenji becomes suspicious  about his client. 

Chapter 3 – Is the reason behind why  one  should read the book. 

The Book highlights the American and Japanese culture,What makes each different and similarities amongst the two. The ideology between the two nations amongst the locals and the identities each of the nation has created for itself. 

Since the book was written long back ago, You might agree/disagree about some of the points discussed. 

“In the miso soup” Is a crisp, well written physiological thriller set in the dark backdrop of Japan,that you will only put  the book down once you read it.