Litfic_and_romance wrote a review...
“Sensei would just always be so… sensei”
💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗
How stunning was this? Been reading Japanese lit for years and only now I discovered Hiromi, I feel she’s gonna be my new favorite Japanese author.
Tsukiko & Sensei best couple ever written in the history of literature, forget classics.
Litfic_and_romance finished a book

Parade
Hiromi Kawakami
Litfic_and_romance started reading...

Two for Tea: Welcome to Azathé (Cambric Creek #4)
C.M. Nascosta
Litfic_and_romance DNF'd a book

The Davenports (The Davenports, #1)
Krystal Marquis
Litfic_and_romance started reading...

The Davenports (The Davenports, #1)
Krystal Marquis
Litfic_and_romance wrote a review...
Good concept and I also liked the mystery per se, but the writing was so flat and the characters so underdeveloped.
Does it get better in book 2? I was expecting something like Dial A for aunties and it wasn’t. Still I’m glad I read it and I’m gonna give book 2 a chance most likely.
Litfic_and_romance finished a book

Arsenic and Adobo (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery, #1)
Mia P. Manansala
Litfic_and_romance wrote a review...
Ops I loved the ending!
There’s nothing I despise more than the trope of boy sees girl for 1 second and proceeds to obsess over her for the rest of his life, therefore we have to read 300 pages of yearning and pining. I haaaaaate yearning and pining. BOOOOORING, cheesy, cliche, trite.
However predictable this was, the writing was addictive and charismatic, I liked our protagonist and the ending was actually great!
Litfic_and_romance finished a book

First Love
Ivan Turgenev
Litfic_and_romance started reading...

First Love
Ivan Turgenev
Litfic_and_romance wrote a review...
… DEVASTATION.
JAIL for this ending.
I’m never getting over this story and this is my new favorite book, but it’s too painful, so be prepared. I wasn’t.
Litfic_and_romance finished a book

Strange Weather in Tokyo
Hiromi Kawakami
Litfic_and_romance commented on a post from the Founder Announcements forum
Our next Special Event will celebrate Japanese literature, culture and its influence on the world. Like the sakura (cherry blossom) trees Japan gifts other nations to promote cross-cultural exchange, we hope reading these books together will connect the global Pagebound community. We've intentionally selected a broad range of genres and authors to spotlight, so everyone can find a book they're interested in. This event will run from March 15 to April 15.
Check out the Special Events page (in the More tab on the app, or click the pink banner on the Discuss page on web).
The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop by Takuya Asakura: a translated Japanese magical realism novel about a mysterious bookshop that appears during cherry blossom season (vibes: cozy, poignant)
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki: a metafictional novel about belonging & home, identity & immigration. Ozeki is the first practicing Zen Buddhist priest to be shortlisted for the Booker Prize (vibes: literary, meditative) - check triggers
The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji: a 1987 translated Japanese murder mystery novel (vibes: a classic "whodunit")
Geisha, A Life by Mineko Iwasaki: a memoir from Japan's most celebrated geisha in Kyoto's Gion district during the 1960s & 70s (the UK title is Geisha of Gion). Iwasaki was one of the geisha's interviewed by Arthur Golden for his book Memoirs of a Geisha that fictionalized her story. It included many inaccuracies, and here, Iwasaki sets the record straight.
What's a Special Event? Each quarter, we run a short 1 month readalong showcasing diverse voices in literature. Read one of the selections and comment or post in the forum during the Readalong to earn a special badge. Unlike Seasonal Readalongs, you do not earn a special badge for reading all the selections.
Excited to see the discussions for this event!
Happy Reading, Jennifer & Lucy
Litfic_and_romance is re-reading...

Strange Weather in Tokyo
Hiromi Kawakami
Litfic_and_romance commented on Litfic_and_romance's update
Litfic_and_romance commented on a post
“…I still like to think back to that line at the bus station, its air heavy with floor cleaner and exhaust, when the bored clerk looked at her nails and asked me “where to?” and both of us waited to see how I would answer.”
Fantastic mild start. It’s melancholic and exciting In the way a walk through a new town in New York is bound to be. So much and so little has happened in such a short time and I’m just ready to hop along for the ride.
Litfic_and_romance commented on mordi's review of There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job
I thoroughly enjoyed this strange little book, especially in audio format. it slides between genres with ease— workplace gothic, magical realism/surrealism, purely realistic (yet totally absurd), and all the while quite funny in an understated way. as someone always on the edge of burnout (k-6 education, nuff said), I found this book heartening without being cloying. it somehow managed to paint an accurate picture of the workplace & how hard it can be for a sensitive person, yet make it feel survivable. it also made me extremely hungry! I need mrs. fujiko’s soy sauce rice crackers (“for exhausted people,” lol) and a cup of hōjicha, stat.