Japaneseliterature

I got so excited when I saw Butter was on Hoopla. I‘m so disappointed. I wish I understood the workings of Hoopla and my library. I don‘t know that we have enough…ANY German speakers in my area for there to be the German language audio.

Will I be forced to buy a copy so I can pretend to participate in #CampLitsy2024?

Prairiegirl_reading 😲 I would be sooo mad!!!! 2d

Sace @Prairiegirl_reading and it‘s the only option. The library doesn‘t even have it. How odd that this random German language audio book is the one offering. 2d

TheKidUpstairs I did the same today! It's so weird... 2d

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Sace @TheKidUpstairs Wait…so your hoopla only has the German version too? 🤔 2d

TheKidUpstairs @Sace yup, mine too! 2d

Sace So unfair! *pout* I‘m probably going to end up buying it. It sounds so interesting. 2d

TheKidUpstairs @Sace I'm thinking I'll end up buying the digital copy (hardcover is just too expensive!). One of the libraries o belong to has a physical copy, but I'm 7th on the list so I doubt it'll get to me in time. 2d

Sace @TheKidUpstairs I‘m torn between kindle and paperback. The kindle is less expensive but I do love reading physical books. 2d

CBee I just looked at my Hoopla and the one I found is in German too 😂😂 2d

BarbaraJean Same here--my Hoopla only has the German audio version. It must be something to do with what rights are available where at this point (and for how much)! My library does have audio and ebook versions available (through Libby/Overdrive)--but there's a 24-week wait on the audio and a 22-week wait on the ebook. 🙄 I'm 2nd in line for the print version, though! 🎉 (edited) 2d

Sace @CBee Really wishing I had taken more German classes in college! (edited) 2d

Sace @BarbaraJean it‘s funny how physical copies have shorter wait times. My daughter has had similar experiences with her library. 2d

Chelsea.Poole Hi all @CBee @Sace @TheKidUpstairs @BarbaraJean — librarian here 👋 the way hoopla works for most libraries: there‘s an Instant Borrow catalog which borrowers have access to: anything at all on the platform (unless your library suppresses certain titles/formats/$/etc) Certain publishers work with hoopla to allow their titles to be sold there. Libraries do *not* select certain titles for that platform like Libby/the physical library. More ⬇️ 1d

Chelsea.Poole So there ends up being random stuff there that wouldn‘t be of local interest to your library system, but since it‘s a part of the offerings from the publishers hoopla works with, it shows up in the catalog. Theres really great titles there but also some low quality content that comes along with it. Also, there is a new program hoopla offers called “flex titles” where libraries can purchase titles but users have to wait for them like Libby. 1d

Sace @Chelsea.Poole thanks for the explanation! 1d

CBee @Sace my hubby speaks German. I‘ll have him read it and translate 😂😂 1d

CBee @Chelsea.Poole thank you ♥️ 1d

Sace @CBee I am jealous! 🤣 1d

Chelsea.Poole @CBee record him—audio for us English speakers lol. 1d

CBee @Chelsea.Poole haha he would look at me like I was crazy if I asked him 😂😂 He isn‘t much of a reader these days. 1d

CBee @Sace he‘s pretty cool ♥️ 1d

julesG I should get hoopla. 😬 1d

Sace @julesG yes. And then record a translation for us 🤣 🤣 🤣. 1d

Suet624 Thanks for the explanation @Chelsea.Poole 1d

julesG It would be easier to just read the eBook out loud. 😉😉 1d

42 likes25 comments

peanutnine

The Goodbye Cat | Hiro Arikawa

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If the title doesn't warn you, bring out the tissues 🥹 Our bookclub loved the Travelling Cat Chronicles and decided to read this book of short stories by the same author. It was nice to visit with a few cats and their families, including some familiar faces. The POV switched between cats & humans and each story had a unique premise
🐱💖

38 likes1 stack add

pdxannie

Tokyo Ueno Station: A Novel | Yu Miri

so-so

This book is beautiful when you get accustomed to the cadence. I think it‘s going to stay with me a long time and at some point, I‘m sure I‘ll flip this to a pick.

3 likes

lauraisntwilder

Manazuru | Hiromi Kawakami

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Manazuru was the last of Hiromi Kawakami's books (that have been translated into English) that I hadn't read -- until Under the Eye of the Big Bird comes out in September. This one was quieter than some of her others. The fantastical parts weren't as colorful as in Dragon Palace or People from my Neighborhood. The pace was on the slow side, but once I got into it, I found it to be a gripping rumination on grief and memory.

28 likes2 stack adds

kilogolf

The Kamogawa Food Detectives: The Heartwarming Japanese Bestseller | Hisashi Kashiwai

so-so

Cute and cozy but wish there was a little more underlying story between the short stories

1 like

xicanti

The Kamogawa Food Detectives: The Heartwarming Japanese Bestseller | Hisashi Kashiwai

Dewey‘s 24-Hour Readathon is about to begin! It‘s my 32nd consecutive ‘thon (which: whoa) and I‘m all set to kick it off with another chapter from THE KAMOGAWA FOOD DETECTIVES. It‘s lovely so far; a little bit like MIDNIGHT DINER in how it uses particular dishes to unravel the mysteries behind people‘s lives, but without the show‘s underlying grit. #deweysapril2024

Mollyanna Have a great readathon! 32 consecutive??? That‘s awesome. This is only my 10th or so, I am in awe. 😊 2w

xicanti @Mollyanna good luck to us both today! 2w

38 likes1 stack add2 comments

monalyisha

What You Are Looking for Is in the Library (Original) | Michiko Aoyama

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Based on my reading experience to date, I don‘t think Japanese Literature is 100% my jam. I enjoyed guessing who the Librarian character, Sayuri Komachi, was meant to represent, however. I got the impression that she was an incarnation of some goddess or deity: my best guess is White Tara. I liked the message about how important it is to feel like you belong, though as one character observes “belonging is an ambiguous state.” 👇🏻

monalyisha 1/3: Another character who serendipitously finds the library notes, with *obvious* relief, “It‘s okay for me to be in this place.” Working in the field, as I do, this warmed my heart. The library is a sanctuary; a free and welcoming place for outcasts. We‘ve got you. 💓 2w

monalyisha 2/3: It‘s difficult to pinpoint exactly what didn‘t work for me. I think it‘s that the characters all feel so *painfully* awkward. It‘s almost as if they‘re ALL neurodivergent — to the last. And maybe there‘s something intentional to that, e.g. no one is normal. Not a single one of us. That might be a relief. But it‘s uncomfortable to *always* be in that place, no matter the story… 2w

monalyisha 3/3:..even if it‘s concurrently heartwarming to witness the characters‘ first tentative steps toward the finding of self & community — & the reassurance that the “self” isn‘t fixed & is always evolving. The more I reflect, the more positive I feel. I think I just don‘t enjoy that constant state of cringe. Often, I read to escape. I cringe internally at my own interactions too often to openly extend that discomfort into my reading life! 🙈 (edited) 2w

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BarbaraBB I love Japanese literature and although this one very much is, I agree with your review. Books like this one and The Coffee gets Cold series didn‘t really work for me. Most other Japanese books I read I loved! 2w

monalyisha @BarbaraBB I think I probably just haven‘t read enough of it. I‘d happily investigate some personal recommendations! 2w

BarbaraBB That‘s hard. I‘ll recommend two: a novel and a thriller (of which there are so many and who have that typical Japanese atmosphere):

Honeybees and Distant Thunder: The million copy award-winning Japanese bestseller

BarbaraBB The thriller:

The Devotion of Suspect X: A Detective Galileo Novel

BarbaraBB Oh and I loved this one:

Housekeeper and the Professor

monalyisha @BarbaraBB That‘s perfect! Thrillers are never my chosen genre but I‘ll definitely add the other two to my TBR. Thanks! 2w

monalyisha Oh, @BarbaraBB, I actually loved The Memory Police! I don‘t know how I forgot about that one! (As I know you know, it was also written by Yoko Ogawa.) 2w

BarbaraBB Yes! And this one is just as good as The Memory Police! 2w

vivastory Although I have yet to read “Housekeeper etc“ I def second @barbarabb rec of Ogawa. I think that you might like her collection of stories

Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales

vivastory I think you also might like “Breasts & Eggs“ by Kawakami. IMO it reads more as two linked novellas, rather than a cohesive novel but I thought it was interesting 2w

BarbaraBB @vivastory Yes! That one is so good too. And by Kawakami I also loved

Heaven

vivastory @BarbaraBB Heaven sounds terrific. It's on my TBR 2w

batsy Adding to the Kawakami love and in addition to Breasts and Eggs and Heaven, I also recommend

All the Lovers in the Night

monalyisha Thanks @vivastory @batsy @BarbaraBB - I‘ll try Kawakami. Sounds promising! 2w

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TracyReadsBooks

The Honjin Murders | Seishi Yokomizo

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Absolutely fantastic! The first book in the Kosuke Kindaichi series, written by one of Japan‘s most famous authors, is a fun one which has held up over time (it was first published in 1946 I believe). Death, a katana, & a “locked room” present Kindaichi with a formidable task & how he solves the crime, & subsequently presents the solution to everyone, leaves you eager to read how he will tackle his next case. I‘ll definitely read more.

Ruthiella This was a great mystery, agreed! I definitely want to read more from this author and also the books mentioned in the introduction that inspired him. 3w

TracyReadsBooks @Ruthiella So much more reading inspired by this book. Other books in the series and, as you note, the books that inspired him. I‘ll definitely be reading more! 3w

28 likes2 comments

TracyReadsBooks

The Honjin Murders | Seishi Yokomizo