I really enjoyed Sayaka Murata’s earlier book Convenience Store Woman. The collection of short stories in Life Ceremony continues down the quirky path set by Convenience Store Woman, but I feel like it jumped almost too far into an uncomfortable and awkward place, although I was left with the impression that this is an issue with me and that the author was being true to herself and her writing throughout. I’m really struggling to say … Read More “Life Ceremony: Stories by Sayaka Murata” »
Publisher: Grove Press
This my first experience reading anything by Claire Keegan, but I was very impressed. Sometimes the quietist book can send the biggest message, and this is a clear (deserved) condemnation of the Catholic church in Ireland. Set in a small village in Ireland just before Christmas in the mid-1980s, when many people are out of work and suffering, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and father to four daughters, is still making ends meet. When making … Read More “Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan” »
This has been on my TBR list for a while… I must have heard about it on one of the Facebook reading groups I frequent, and I’m glad I did. I just wish I had gotten to this one sooner. Translated from Japanese to English, this is the story of 36-year-old Keiko Furukura, who lives alone in Tokyo in a small studio apartment. From the time she was a young girl, much to the consternation … Read More “Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata” »
There is something about getting back out to nature — especially when we are at home right now — that is so appealing and calming. While it might be harder to escape physically right now, this collection of short essays will at least allow you to imagine you’re breathing in fresh air, listening to bird call, and getting away from the rest of the world for a little while. Vesper Flights has essays about nature … Read More “Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald” »