|
| Source: personal collection |
Hello fellow readers! I'm catching up on wrap-up & favorite post. My homework
from last month is to find things to enjoy outside of my work life. Have I
succeeded? I think I have. My Italian class started again this month. I also
enroll myself in an illustration class. I've never been more excited to learn
something new in October.
Books read in October
|
Weasels In The Attic - Hiroko Oyamada (★★★) |
|
A novella which collects three short stories. These stories revolve
around an unnamed male narrator and his friends. The main theme of
this novella is masculinity, patriarchy, family, and marriage. Eerie
and surreal, Weasels in the Attic is a good introduction to Hiroko
Oyamada's work. I'm interested in reading more of her work in the
future.
|
|
|
She and Her Cat - Makoto Shinkai, Naruki Nagakawa (★★★★) |
|
This book is a collection of vignettes which follows the lives of
several cats and their owners. It's based on Makoto Shinkai's first
animated work with the same title. If you don't know, Makoto Shinkai
is the director of the famous anime movies such as 5 Centimeters per
Second, Your Name, and Weathering with You. She and Her Cat is a
gentle and heartwarming read which show how the connection between
humans and their pet companions can give such a positive impact on
their lives.
|
|
|
The Cake in the Ruins - Akiyuki Nosaka (★★★) |
|
The Cake in the Ruins is a collection of 12 short stories revolved
around World War II and its impact on Japan. The author of this book
is the same one who wrote Grave of the Fireflies, a short story which
has been adapted into an anime film by Studio Ghibli. The film is
infamous for being the most heart wrenching story. That's also what
you could expect from this book. Stories about war are often that way.
If that's something you're looking for, you might want to try picking
up this book.
|
|
|
Days At The Morisaki Bookshop - Satoshi Yagisawa (★★★★) |
|
This book follows Takako, a young woman who got heartbroken and
depressed. Her life started to turn around when she moved and lived on
a secondhand bookshop runs by her uncle Satoru. There, she discovered
the joy of reading. She got to know herself more and also her uncle.
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is an enjoyable and comforting read. I
think it's a great choice for a pick-me up read; or if you're a book
lover, you would enjoy reading this book.
|
|
|
Piercing - Ryu Murakami (★★★) |
|
Piercing is a mystery book which falls into the sub genre disgusting
mystery or iyamisu. It follows a man who just becomes a father. The
birth of his daughter triggered a disturbing impulse which he couldn't
take anymore. So he planned on mitigating that impulse by staying at
the red light district to act on his impulse. This book is quite
explicit and since it's an iyamisu book, it will surely make you feel
uncomfortable and disgusted. I've read another Ryu Murakami's book and
I get the same vibe too. I'm okay with it so I don't mind reading this
book. If you're looking for a book which can make you feel unsettled
and put you on the edge of the seat, you could try reading this book.
|
|
|
Goodnight Punpun Omnibus Vol 1 - Inio Asano (★★★★) |
|
Goodnight Punpun is definitely not the first Inio Asano's manga that I
read. What drives me to keep coming back to his works is that he
doesn't shy away from dark and realistic themes; which is the case
with Goodnight Punpun. This manga follows a character named Punpun
which is drawn as a caricature of a cartoon bird. In this manga, he is
still an elementary student. We follow his life growing up in a
dysfunctional family while trying to fit in with his peers. It is said
that although he's actually a human being, he's intentionally drawn as
a symbolic bird so the readers would be able to relate to him better.
As an elementary student, Punpun has to be around 11 or 12 years old.
That's young but he's been through a lot. I'm looking forward to read
the next volume and find out Punpun's development.
|
|
|
Goodnight Punpun Omnibus Vol 2 - Inio Asano(★★★) |
|
In the second volume, Punpun is in his middle school year. Not much
happened in his life except that he still had a crush on Aiko. He had
a rival named Yaguchi, who's good at badminton. This volume mostly
focus on Punpun's uncle Yuichi. His past is unraveled in an
absurdly-dark-Asano fashion. By the end of this volume, it is implied
that Punpun had been studying hard for the past two years in middle
school. So I assume the next volume we'll see Punpun in his high
school year. By the way, the edition which I read is the omnibus
version which collects several tankobon volumes.
|
|
October Favorites
Series
Silent
Silent is a Japanese drama series about a man who lose his hearing when he's
in college. Because of this, he broke up with his girlfriend without even
telling why. This series is told from the perspective of the girlfriend, whom
he first met back in high school. This drama is set in the past when they're
in high school and fast-forward years later after they're working adults.
First of all, it's a sad drama but somehow it's full of positive vibes. I know
it sounds weird, but what I mean is, the main characters don't really have
alarming behavior. Despite the complication they have; or I'm just going to
say it, it's a love triangle; the three still have good relationship with each
other. I don't even know if it's possible in real life. Anyway, if you're
looking for a tearjerker, I highly recommend this drama series.
Anime
Spy X Family
The second season of this anime starts in October. I finally get to watch Anya
and her antics again. I think the creator did a great job in rendering Anya as
a little girl in this show. Her behavior, her gesture, and her voice (minus
her psychic ability) represent children her age. It's always a treat to watch
another episode of the show. I'd really hate to see it ends someday.
There you have it! I had quite of fun in October. What I have to do is to
spare some time to do the things that I really want to do outside of work. I
also find out that I like studying (especially about topics which interest me)
and I don't like socializing if I don't really have to. I read many
books and learned many things in October and I'm happy with that. Anyway, I
hope November will be even better than October and I hope you all have a great
month ahead.
No comments :
Post a Comment