Reading Japanese literature in Japan is a wonderful experience. If you’re a massive nerd like me, you can take literary pilgrimages to the places you visit in the novels. I have traveled to some incredibly beautiful places because Mishima sent his melancoly protagonist there to describe the beauty of the landscape while pondering…
What years were you on JET? Where did you live and teach? It was a long time ago, from 1996-1999. I lived near Gakuentoshi. Koryodai, Hazetani Oshibedani and Sakuragaoka were the schools I worked at. The shenanigans of the ninensei at Oshibendani still make me shudder. When did your interest in Japan, its…
 You might be skimming through this month’s issue while sitting at your desk, slightly sweating (are they ever going to turn on the air conditioning?) and bored out off your mind, wondering why in the world you have to be at school during the students’ summer vacation. It is a good question, especially for…
Ahab’s Wife or, The Star-Gazer Sena Jeter Naslund Sena Jeter Naslund took a brief reference in Moby Dick mentioning Captain Ahab’s young wife (and son) and from that seed, she planted and grew herself a transcendent novel. What kind of woman could hold up against the magnificent (and stubborn) Captain Ahab? If Naslund had asked…
I don’t know what took me so long to read Tuesdays with Morrie. It’s famous and recommended constantly, but I somehow let it go by the wayside for years. Finally, I got my hands on a copy, and it was horse-blinders until I was finished with it. I read the whole book in a day: I started it after the morning meeting – I read it between classes – and then I sped home so I could finish it in my apartment. ..
Yes. That is the first thought that comes to mind when I think of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. The second thought? F**K yes.
Translated from French to English, The Elegance of the Hedgehog is a powerful novel that brings two very extraordinary characters to life. Renee Michel is a concierge at an upper-class Parisian apartment complex. She constantly has to conceal her intelligence from the other tenants in her building for fear they may not appreciate her insights and philosophies – especially if they are coming from one of their apartment employees.
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., by my own personal standards, is quite possibly the God of creativity and existential thought.….at least as far as putting it to literature goes. Lately, I’ve decided to ‘go back’ and read some of his classics. For those who haven’t yet already read Cat’s Cradle please do, as it will make your head spin in all the right ways. I am definitely one who has added “busy, busy, busy†to my list of appropriate responses of the question, “how are you?â€
It’s a bit of an unsung hero for those who have read it. It was recommended to me as a good plane book and while I read it on both my connecting flights, I had someone comment on how much they loved it each time. I also find myself doing the same if I hear anyone mention it. I can’t help it; I just start to ask questions: “Don’t you love it?â€; “Isn’t that exactly what it would be like if someone could time travel?â€; “How far are you in the book?†I just convulse with happiness that someone else is reading this book and I want to bond with them over our mutual reading.