B: BelieveI thought I would spend the month of April delving into the literature that has made me the person I am today.
1] In this list you will find some of my favorite books, but you will also find books that I appreciate and books that I would recommend although they may not be my favorite. These are books that changed my way of thinking or my way of looking the world. These are books that helped solidify the core of who I am.
2] These books are in order of the theme that I came away with not alphabetical by title or author.
About this book from BN:
Publication Date: USA 10/25/2011 (originally published in Japan 2009/10)
“Murakami is like a magician who explains what he’s doing as he performs the trick and still makes you believe he has supernatural powers . . . But while anyone can tell a story that resembles a dream, it's the rare artist, like this one, who can make us feel that we are dreaming it ourselves.” —The New York Times Book Review
The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo.
The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo.
A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver’s enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84 —“Q is for ‘question mark.’ A world that bears a question.” Meanwhile, an aspiring writer named Tengo takes on a suspect ghostwriting project. He becomes so wrapped up with the work and its unusual author that, soon, his previously placid life begins to come unraveled.
As Aomame’s and Tengo’s narratives converge over the course of this single year, we learn of the profound and tangled connections that bind them ever closer: a beautiful, dyslexic teenage girl with a unique vision; a mysterious religious cult that instigated a shoot-out with the metropolitan police; a reclusive, wealthy dowager who runs a shelter for abused women; a hideously ugly private investigator; a mild-mannered yet ruthlessly efficient bodyguard; and a peculiarly insistent television-fee collector.
A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell’s—1Q84 is Haruki Murakami’s most ambitious undertaking yet: an instant best seller in his native Japan, and a tremendous feat of imagination from one of our most revered contemporary writers.
Publication Date: USA 10/25/2011 (originally published in Japan 2009/10)
Why this book:
There are so many tender moments in this book that there isn't any way that I couldn't be moved.
1] I like how Aomame comes to terms with her religious upbringing.
2] I like how Tengo reconciles his bitter hatred for his father.
3] I like the idea that love can change your view of the world.
4] I like the idea that faith and belief can literally open doors.
5] We write our own stories. We create our own endings...heck, we create our own beginnings.
It's nice to be reminded of these ideals...people in their 30s need these reminders more than I would have thought.
More discussion of this book can be found:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
There are so many tender moments in this book that there isn't any way that I couldn't be moved.
1] I like how Aomame comes to terms with her religious upbringing.
2] I like how Tengo reconciles his bitter hatred for his father.
3] I like the idea that love can change your view of the world.
4] I like the idea that faith and belief can literally open doors.
5] We write our own stories. We create our own endings...heck, we create our own beginnings.
It's nice to be reminded of these ideals...people in their 30s need these reminders more than I would have thought.
More discussion of this book can be found:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
I will step out of my comfort zone and read this book in honor of A-Z and you :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I've been meaning to read this book for awhile now. I've heard such great thing about it. My birthday's coming up, so maybe I might put this on the list of books to buy!
ReplyDeleteI have heard about this book. Great review.
ReplyDelete