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Books are life savers


Recently my computer's monitor broke down. I had no access to my pc whatsoever for about 2 weeks. It was really a bad time because Dee, Lexie and all my other friends left town. It was torture~! 

I was bored out of my mind. But fortunately for me, books exist to ease my suffering. A little problem with reading is that to me reading is addicting; once i started reading, i can't stop. I have important activities to take care of [like school], so i refrain from reading sometimes and in order to quench my thirst for literature i haunt the libraries once in a while to see what's new and interesting to add on my list.

In this relatively short time span, i finished reading Haruki Murakami's "Norvegian Woods". The novel is a nostalgic story of loss and sexuality. The story's protagonist and narrator is Toru Watanabe, who looks back on his days as a freshman university student living in Tokyo. Through Toru's reminiscences we see him develop relationships with two very different women — the beautiful yet emotionally troubled Naoko, and the outgoing, lively Midori.
I admit it isn't the type of story i would normally read. When i first started reading, i thought it will be boring, and for a moment i asked myself why did i buy it, but as i continued reading i was drawn by the story. I was curious to see what's going to happen next. I found out they made a movie after the book. I want to see it and compare it with the book.

The second book i read a day after finishing "Norvegian Woods" was Hitomi Kanehara's "Snakes and Earrings". The story follows several months in the life of Lui, a young woman who, while exploring body modification, decides to split her tongue. It follows her feelings at this time, and her slow spiral downwards into alcoholism. The story ends with Lui's own tragic discovery about her lover and the mysterious tattoo artist she has grown entranced by.

This book shocked me really bad, but I would lie if i would say i didn't like it. It is an odd mix of the sedate and simple and the brutal. It is very brutal. I read it in one night [a few hours to be precise]. The story, as brutal as it is, it's addicting.You don't have time to get bored because events unfold one after another. My favorite character was Ama. Why? Maybe because in spite of his scary appearance, he was completely opposite. This one was turned into a movie as well, but i'm not sure if i will have the guts to watch it. :))

After two sad books i decided i need to laugh a bit so i started reading Sophie Kinsella - Shopaholic and baby. The girls told me a long time ago when Dee bought this book that it is very funny. They were right. I laughed so hard at the silly situations Kinsella's characters were put in. 

This book is the fifth of the "Shopaholic" series, but even if you didn't read the others, you can understand what it is about. It follows the story of Becky Brandon (born Bloomwood) and her husband Luke as they navigate Becky's first pregnancy. I don't think there is a movie made after it yet. I saw the movie made after the first novel in the series - "Confessions of a shopaholic" and it was funny. They should make movies after the whole series. I think it will be successful.

I stopped reading for now because i had events to attend to. I will speak about them in another post.

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12 comments:

cryptowang said...

1st seems a bit boring, the 2nd kinda scary and the 3rd seems funny enough for me to like it xD
did you read nobody's boy by hector malot? <3 the best but saddest novel i ever read!!

Anonymous said...

great books! i have to read the norwegian wood also :D

Andra said...

@jean: no, i haven't read it. i heard from grandma it is awfully sad. she cried a lot while reading it. i will try to read it one day when i will be in the mood for angst xD

@lexie: i will borrow it to you ^^

Anonymous said...

good! :D

cre-cre said...

Oh Oh where did you buy Norwegian Wood from? I looked it up and I couldn't find here.
You should watch and the movie I heard it's really good.I have it on DVD but I'm waiting for the right moment to see it.

Where do you get your Japanese books? What's your secret? Please share :D

Dee said...

Among us I think I'm the one who bought most of the books. Especially Japanese literature, I like it a lot. I have a list of around 50 books? Something like that and most of them are from internet. Also when I go to the supermarket, mall or anywhere else where I can find books, I carry my agenda with me, this way I can note down their titles ^^

Andra said...

Dee is right. Where there is a library or book fair or something and she finds a book on her list she buys it :)) Usually japanese literature books are easy to find on the shelves of the libraries, but if you don't find any, you can just ask the salesperson there to look it up for you. ^^
I have a list of my own, but for now i think i will stick on borrowing from her. xD if you want some recommendations, we can help you.

i bought "Norvegian Woods" [Polirom publishing] from Carturesti along with Ryuu Murakami's "Piercing". I will make some time to watch it.

cre-cre said...

I've been to Carturesti recently but I couldn't stay long so I couldn't browse the shelves properly *sigh*
I'm going to start making a list with books as well and hopefully I will find them around here.

I kinda hate to make online purchases because I always spend more than I should so I try to stay away XD

Thanks a lot ^_~

Andra said...

yeah, online purchases tend to be more expensive because of the shipment fees. the list is a good idea :) maybe next time you go there, you have time to browse properly.

Anonymous said...

I agree that online shopping results on spending more that originally wanted :D *guilty*
Also, I have to point that you girls have so different taste/interest than me... I read more psychology..O.o

Andra said...

@Lina: uhm...most asian literature has psychology as a base of the story. if the plot is boring there are small chances of me reading it xD you should try to diversificate your reading :D who knows what new and pleasant stuff you would find :D

Dee said...

@Lina: Andra is right, personally I avoid reading Asian books written by foreigners. Why? Because their mentality is very different from the Asian culture and although they add many authentic details, each one of them looses their psychology, which is the vision upon the story through the eyes of a native. It's really interesting if you're planning to learn a few things about a specific Asian country, like Japan or Korea.

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