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The Aosawa Murders
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
In the 1960s 17 people die of cyanide poisoning at a large party at the Aosawas, owners of a prominent clinic in an ancient castle city on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The only survivor is their teenage daughter Hisako, blind, beautiful, admired by all, but soon suspected of masterminding the crime.
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Sapphire
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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Pickpick

I am still riddling out the end. Since the book is about people being poisoned, not sure what dish I will make. #foodandit #foodandlit2022 #Japan.

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Sapphire
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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Arrived at National Airport to start my trek home. Settling in for a bite and hoping I am not too tired to make progress on this title. Sat next to a lovely talker on the flight out. This has been a good book trip but not great for actual reading.

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Sapphire
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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This weekends slated plane reading. Heading to NYC to see Tina Turner the Musical and celebrate my best friends half century birthday.

Liz_M Enjoy NYC! I hope you have time to visit a bookstore (or several) 📚 2y
kspenmoll Have a wonderful time!! 2y
Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick Have a great weekend! 2y
Sapphire Thanks! 2y
22 likes4 comments
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MommyWantsToReadHerBook
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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Pickpick

A really interesting read. Sometimes I got a bit confused about who was narrating a specific chapter. It was enigmatic and didn't end with any clear answers. I enjoyed the different perspectives and possibilities! ⭐⭐⭐

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BarbaraBB
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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#BookReport 10/22

I read these three books and enjoyed them all. March is already turning into a much better reading month than January and February!

TrishB Good to hear 👍🏻 2y
youneverarrived Glad you‘ve found some great books to read 💕 2y
squirrelbrain The tagged book sounds interesting…. 2y
See All 7 Comments
BarbaraBB @youneverarrived Thank you 🤍 2y
BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain I really liked that one. 2y
Cinfhen Woohoo 🎉 yay!!! 2y
thebluestocking I‘m glad you liked All‘s Well. I did too. 💙 2y
75 likes1 stack add7 comments
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BarbaraBB
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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Pickpick

A slowly unraveling story about a murder that took place years ago and was never resolved. Different people remember the tragedy and share their point of view. The plot and the twist aren‘t that mindblowing but I can read such Japanese books anytime, just for their setting.

#19822022 #2005 #pop22 #FeaturingAParty #Booked2022 #MurderMystery

(Pic: Dubai Marina)

Cinfhen Another stunning photo 😍looks like you DID choose good books for your trip !!! 2y
TrishB Gorgeous pic ♥️ 2y
RaeLovesToRead I want to read this one!! 2y
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LeahBergen Sigh! Your holiday pics! 💗💗 2y
Megabooks Agree re: Japanese book! Fantastic picture 🤩 2y
Librarybelle I really need to read this one! 2y
BarbaraBB @Cinfhen I did indeed, or maybe it‘s my state of mind during holidays! 2y
BarbaraBB @TrishB @LeahBergen @Megabooks Thanks! I am always in awe of skyscrapers, living in a country without them 😊 2y
BarbaraBB @RaeLovesToRead @Librarybelle It‘s a good one, real Japanese 🇯🇵 2y
erzascarletbookgasm Great photo, Barbara! 2y
BarbaraBB @erzascarletbookgasm Thanks! Dubai is photogenic for sure! 2y
104 likes4 stack adds11 comments
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suvata
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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Pickpick

Selected by NYT as one of MOST NOTABLE BOOKS of 2020.

On a stormy summer day the Aosawas, owners of a prominent local hospital, host a large birthday party. The occasion turns into tragedy when 17 people die from cyanide in their drinks. The only surviving links to what might have happened are a cryptic verse that could be the killer's, and the physician's bewitching blind daughter, Hisako, the only person spared injury.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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veritysalter
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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Pickpick

A slow burn. Thirty years ago, seventeen people were murdered at a party, the drinks spiked with cyanide, of the party goers only two survived; the housekeeper and the blind daughter of the family. Told through interviews and excerpts, the reader questions memory, familial ties and morality. Very enjoyable @BarbaraBB

BarbaraBB Thanks for tagging me, it does sound good! I‘ll look out for a copy! 3y
LeahBergen Ooo! Sounds good. 👍🏻 3y
BookwormM Sounds great stacked 3y
53 likes4 stack adds3 comments
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veritysalter
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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veritysalter
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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BarbaraBB Is it good? I am interested in this one! 3y
veritysalter Just started it today @BarbaraBB good so far. I‘ll let you know how i get on. 3y
BarbaraBB Thank you, I‘d like that! 3y
36 likes3 comments
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pigeonsandcrows
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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Pickpick

All the members of a wealthy family are killed in a mass poisoning except their young daughter, Hisako, who is blind. The story is told from the perspective of multiple characters, and the book is more about the storytelling than about giving the reader an easy solution to the "mystery". It's a book to savor and be patient with, masterfully crafted. I especially recommend it for those with an interest in Japanese culture. 4*.

Buechersuechtling After I was so sucked in by your review but then let down by my library, because they don‘t offer it, I decided to nudge @ju.ca.no – I‘m pretty sure there‘s a good chance she might be interested. 3y
ju.ca.no @Buechersuechtling ooh yes, thank you😍😍 3y
38 likes4 stack adds2 comments
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BookishTrish
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed the style of this book; the shifting perspective was really well done. The big reveal was more of a whimper, but I still recommend it as does my sous chef #EarlGrey

BookishMarginalia Earl Grey looks annoyed! #CatsofLitsy 3y
BookishTrish @BookishMarginalia His request to eat my tuna melt was rudely denied. 3y
BookishMarginalia 😂😂😂 3y
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LeahBergen Hello, disgruntled Earl Grey. 😆 3y
BookishTrish @LeahBergen Earl would like to know if you have a tuna melt he can share 3y
LeahBergen He‘s so handsome, I‘ll make him his own. 😆 3y
BookishTrish @LeahBergen He‘ll be over shortly 🤣🤣🤣 3y
cozypunk Awww, this looks like our farm cat Dust-Bunny. His name is perfect.
3y
68 likes8 comments
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BookishTrish
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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j.rye 😻 3y
BookishMarginalia Kitty! #CatsofLitsy 💜💜💜 3y
See All 6 Comments
Robothugs What a beautiful kitty 😻 3y
Catsandbooks Pretty fluffy meow meow! 💕 3y
BookishTrish @j.rye @BookishMarginalia @Robothugs @Catsandbooks Earl commends your taste in cats 3y
62 likes6 comments
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BookishTrish
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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Cozy blanket ✅ coffee ✅ fire ✅ Let Sunday morning..... BEGIN

rockpools I do like your fireplace 🔥- looks so cosy there! 3y
BookishMarginalia Oooo — that looks great! 3y
BethM 😍😍😍 3y
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Alora Love it! Gooood morning! ☕️🥰 3y
FantasyChick That looks soooo cozy. I'm moving in! 🤣 3y
BookishTrish @FantasyChick ill convert the man cave into a guest bedroom! 3y
65 likes6 comments
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shadowspeak17
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
I enjoyed the gradual introduction of information and the slow building tension. It was successful at getting me to want to read more. But overall I did feel like the story was a little too slow paced for me, so while I did often want to keep reading, I also found it boring at times.

#catsoflitsy #Ember

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LMJenkins
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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SamAnne I was a little surprised by the number of books on this list that I had not heard of. 3y
BarbaraBB I had to stack a lot of them! 3y
26 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Lostworlds
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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Lindy
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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Pickpick

I thought this would be perfect for me:
1. Award winner in Japan
2. Shifting viewpoints
3. Variety of formats (police transcript, fragment of novelization of a true crime, interviews across 3 decades)
4. Focus is on women
And yes, I did enjoy this mystery & the way characters are seen in a different light depending on POV, but I was left feeling “Is that all there is?” Still, worth reading. Translation is by Alison Watts.

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Lindy
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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It is a lovely expression. I have only heard it once before, from a French couple I was staying with in Nice. “Un ange passe.”

Cathythoughts ❤️ 4y
Josee.lit.a.lu.et.lira I guess it‘s “latin” related. I use that also in my French reality. 4y
Lindy @Josee.a.lu.lit.et.lira 👼 4y
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Lindy
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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There are two kinds of people in this world, I believe. Those who frequent bookshops and those who do not.

Darklunarose Every chance I get. In fact my daughters outing tomorrow is meant to be a giant bookshop so we both can get a book or two....even though we both have many we have not read yet. 4y
Lindy @Darklunarose Raising readers 👍 4y
Darklunarose @Lindy and independent thinkers 🙂 4y
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Lindy @Darklunarose 🥳🥳🥳 4y
mcctrish I posted a pic of what I‘m reading in my IG stories asking people what are they reading and someone responded “I don‘t “ and my heart broke 4y
Lindy @mcctrish To each their own. (And their loss.) 4y
56 likes6 comments
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Lindy
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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Fiction versus non-fiction… 🧐
Is the notion of non-fiction an illusion? Littens, what do you think?

Hooked_on_books I do think NF is an illusion to a degree, as it is shaped by human hands and we are fallible. Even if the writer adheres to the source material, that material may not be accurate even though it appears to be. 4y
Lindy @Hooked_on_books I see your point (and the point of speaker in the quote). It still feels a bit jarring, however, when I read something that‘s intentionally a blend of fiction and nonfiction. 4y
Butterfinger I agree with @Hooked__on__books - an author's perspective or bias is sewn together with the facts. You truly can't be unbiased unless it is an outline of facts. 4y
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Hooked_on_books I agree that a blend would be jarring. But I wonder if that‘s the author‘s goal. 4y
Lindy @Hooked_on_books Yes, it could be the author‘s goal. I once interviewed an author about his nonfiction book in which he said he stole a library book from a specific university and then threw it off the Golden Gate Bridge. Asked about that aspect, he said not everything in the book is true. 4y
Lindy @Butterfinger And who wants to read a simple outline of facts? (Not counting accident reports and such.) 4y
Butterfinger @lindy not me 😊 4y
twohectobooks I definitely think the “non” in nonfiction doesn‘t signify 100% unfiltered true facts. When my book club read a nonfiction book some of the other members disagreed with me calling the people in the book characters, but in my opinion they are. The author decides which parts they emphasize and which they skim over. It‘s a narrative with a particular perspective. And then again fiction can also have true stuff in it (and almost always does!). (edited) 4y
KathyR If there is no non-fiction than there are no facts either. Any internet conspiracy theory is as valid as public health information, both are just a person's view. Would you agree with that? 4y
Lindy @KathyR I don‘t agree that conspiracy theories are just as valid as public health info. We must always be critical readers, looking at sources. There‘s a spectrum in nonfiction. For example, authors can be giving their opinions about facts. They can also make mistakes. Naomi Wolf & Jared Diamond are just two of many who have been in controversies about facts they presented in their books. 4y
Lindy @twohectobooks @KathyR @Hooked_on_books There‘s a interesting compilation on the Guardian website: authors talking about narrative nonfiction, which is its own category of nonfiction: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/sep/21/literary-nonfiction-the-facts (edited) 4y
Hooked_on_books I love narrative nonfiction. Much more accessible to more readers. Good article! 4y
33 likes2 stack adds13 comments
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BookishTrish
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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BookishTrish
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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review
Floresj
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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Pickpick

I‘m not sure if all Japanese mysteries are told in this manner: variety of perspectives shedding light on the event, clues sprinkled throughout the testimonies, quiet buildup that allows the reader to analyze seemingly known information; if so, then I need to read more Japanese mysteries. Splendid, but not perfect.

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Matilda
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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Another Pooh death :(

kezzlou85 Oh no poor Pooh bear. 4y
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Lel2403
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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Pickpick

Beautifully written and so descriptive of mood, inner thoughts and especially the weather. You can feel the humidity of summer and the rain. It‘s an intense, intriguing ramble to solve a dark puzzle. Brilliantly different and I loved it.

https://orlando-books.blog/2020/02/22/the-aosawa-murders-by-riku-onda-book-revie...

rockpools Sounds great! 4y
ju.ca.no Oh that sounds great!! 4y
Lel2403 @ju.ca.no 💕 4y
89 likes9 stack adds3 comments
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whatrebeccasread
The Aosawa Murders | Riku Onda
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Pickpick

‘The Aosawa Murders‘ is a complex whodunnit story, trying to uncover the truth behind a poisoning that wiped out a whole family. This story has a unique format that I really enjoyed. I‘m giving this one a big thumbs up with 4 stars.

My full review is up on my blog now 📚

erzascarletbookgasm I‘ve got this stacked! 4y
QuintusMarcus Great review in the New York Times today, but sounded really weird! 4y
whatrebeccasread @QuintusMarcus the story is definitely unique! 4y
69 likes6 stack adds4 comments