Overbooked Reader

I've finally accomplished a major reading milestone in my reading life, finishing  1Q84 by Haruki Murakami in its entirety. I bought a hardback copy of the book when the day it first came out in Fully Booked years ago, but I never got past part two of the three-part novel. With over 1,000 pages, it's really long Murakami book! 1Q84  is set in a fictional year where the letter "Q" represents a question mark. The people living in this parallel 1984 world bare witness to the phenomenon of their being two moons in the night sky. The story's two protagonists: the aspiring novelist Tengo and the gym instructor/assassin-for-hire Aomame both live in the year 1Q84 .  Tengo's story begins when he ghostwrites Air Chrysalis , a novella about mythical creatures called "The Little People." The brainchild of a young girl named Fuka Eri, the novel becomes a huge bestseller. Meanwhile, Aomame is given her toughest assignment yet, to murder the leader of ...

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...

In Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage , protagonist  Tsukuru Tazaki is a young man, traumatized by a great loss. When he was 20, Tsukuru was abruptly—and without reason given him—ejected from his group of five friends, composed of three boys and two girls.  Four members of the group had names that mean colors: ‘red,’ ‘blue,’ ‘white,’ and ‘black.’ But Tsukuru’s name means ‘colorless.’ He is aware of this distinction, and sees himself as someone who contributes no value to the group, and to the world. No wonder his friends abandoned him. Preoccupied with thoughts about dying and death, Tsukuru is depressed for months after his abandonment. But he is made of stern stuff, and manages to pull himself together. He now manages railroad stations, which has been his dream job ever since he was a child. Still, he is unable to find true meaning and happiness in life, as his troubled past continues haunting him. When Tsukuru’s girlfriend gives him an ultimatum—to ta...

Me holding my hardcover copy of 1Q84, which I bought on the day it was released in Fully Booked, Greenhills Promenade.  It's really dirty. I spilled some coffee on it. I will finish reading it soon.  I haven't read the whole 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami , but I've probably read part one of this novel more times than any other novel I've read before. It's not that I didn't enjoy reading part one. In fact, I loved it. It's just one of those stories so heavy and detailed that I have to pause for a while. It just so happens that when I get back to reading it, I feel like starting all over again. 1Q84 is set in a Tokyo during a fictionalized 1984. I assume the parallel between this book and George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four will become more apparent in parts two and three. Part one alternates between the narratives of female assassin/gym instructor Aomame and budding novelist/male cram school mathematics teacher Tengo . Aomame kills with a needl...

Happy New Year, everyone! I just read a bunch of 2014 reading lists by other Filipino book bloggers, so I've decided to make my own. Here just 10 of the books I want to read by the end of the year: Me and my moldy hardbound copy of 1Q84 :) 1. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami I'm almost finished reading the first of three parts. I will finish reading the whole novel this year (Maybe this month, even), I promise! 2. It by Stephen King Another book I've had since forever, and really want to read, but have not read entirely yet. 3. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell I bought a copy of this from Fully Booked last December. Everyone seems to love it. I hope I will too. 4. The Lord of the Rings  trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien The first several times I tried reading The Fellowship of the Ring , I found it really boring [I'm sorry!]. I plan to have another go at it this year. 5. A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin I've read half of this book. Then, I s...