Overbooked Reader

I was really surprised to see on my Facebook feed one day, an announcement that The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami had just been released in Fully Booked. I had no idea that Murakami was releasing a new book, much less a short story. And there I was thinking I was in the know about what was happening regarding one of my favorite authors. Being a loyal Murakamist, I drove to the Fully Booked branch in Power Plant Mall after work and bought myself a copy of the book.  The Strange Library is also a library book. "For internal use only," reads the book's spine. The book also sports a different design, with flaps at the bottom and top featuring colored illustrations, as can be seen in the photograph below. These flaps can be folded inwards, so they don't detract from the reading process. Several other illustrations can be found throughout the book. The text in the book is in a larger, 'typewriter' font, which lends it an old-school feel. The boo...

Soulless is the first novel in the Parasol Protectorate series written by Gail Carriger. It's a Victorian era, somewhat steampunk take on the vampire-werewolf-fantasy romance genre. It features a steamship, automatons, carriages, tea, parasols, and treacle tart. Really charming stuff. The novel introduces readers to the preternatural , a human with no soul, but with the ability to suck the power out of supernatural beings like vampires and werewolves. All that's required is the preternatural's touch. Once the preternatural lets go or loses bodily contact, the supernatural regains its powers. Alexia Tarabotti, the story's main protagonist, is a preternatural. She is also a spinster, somewhat ostracized from Victorian society because of her being unmarried and a bit uncouth.The story begins with her being rudely attacked by a vampire, whom she accidentally kills. This gets Alexia into all kinds of trouble: with the (annoying yet adorable) werewolf alpha Lord M...