The Next Best Book Club discussion

Not sure if this is what you have in mind but I loved The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.

I have The Sound of the Mountain by Yasunari Kawabata sitting on my shelf still tbr.

Otherwise I recommend Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - though I never thought of that book as especially Japanese.

I liked Grotesque by Natsuo Kirion, it was fab so I would try reading that I actually want to try her other stuff now! And everyone seems to rate Murakami so maybe some more stuff by him if you liked the stuff he's wrote so far! You'll have to let me know which/whats worth reading by him, Im interested in trying his work!

Ive heard the first three you mentioned are supposed to be good reading and that he has a distinctive/different style of writing. I think I'll check him out. Thanks :). Ill let you get back to recieving the recommendations lol!

What about Banana Yoshimoto? She write weird books which I always seem to like.

Three Views of Crystal Water I liked a lot

I am now going to start reading Murakami and decided on Kafka on the Shore. Is this a good one to start with or should I pick a different novel?

^^I haven't read that one, Stephanie, but I've heard it's pretty "out there". After Dark is still a little out there but not, you know, too weird.

Fiona, may I suggest Out by Natsuo Kirino? It doesn't ramble as amuch as Grotesque. Also....dang it, I can't remember the author's name, let me check my list. BRB!

Got it! The Favorites A Novel by Mary Yukari Waters.

Mary wrote: "^^I haven't read that one, Stephanie, but I've heard it's pretty "out there". After Dark is still a little out there but not, you know, too weird.

Yes, now that I've started reading it - it does seem pretty "out there." But compared to Ulysses, which I'm still struggling to finish, it's at least coherent. I love the philosophical bits, actually. Just no more stream of consciousness, please!

This is the type of inventive-break the rules kind of book I appreciate.

I spent some time in Japan and read all the Japanese authors I could while I was there. I loved Yukio Mishima, pretty much any of his novels are great. But he is older, has a more traditional style....

I also enjoyed The Makioka Sisters by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki a women's novel. I am not too much of a fan of Murakami, although I did read one of his, can't remember if it was norwegian wood or another.

I guess Mishima and Tanizaki are more like classics and Murakami is contemporary, so it depends on your taste.

Enjoy.

Fiona, I don't remember if some months ago I think you did read a Yoshimoto book or just thought about it.

Fiona,

I read the first installment in the (epic!) The Tale of Genji in a college course on Japanese culture. As the blurb says, "Written in the eleventh century, this exquisite portrait of courtly life in medieval Japan is widely celebrated as the world's first novel" It was written by a Japanese woman so a good "insider's view" of what was happening. It was an interesting book and I really enjoyed it, so if you're looking for something more historic than contemporary, I'd try it!

I just started The Tale of Genji, too. I love it. My usual authors have all been recommended. If you want to try something in the easy read, horror genre there are the Vampire Hunter D novels. Not the best writing, but definitely a must in a survey of Japanese writing.

So, I was pondering Japanese authors after I posted yesterday and discovered that here on goodreads are a number of Japan-centric groups (example: japanese literature group) and at least two lists (Japanese books and Japanese authors) that may hold a wealth of recommendations if you decide to read on after finishing Kafka on the shore.

Ooh! Links to the groups, please? Actually I am in http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/7... It isn't terribly active, but I enjoy it.

Here is a link to Japanese Literature group: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/7...

For the many others, I suggest going to the "groups" tab at the top of the page and searching for Japan or similar language...

Sankyu!

Mary wrote: "Not sure if this is what you have in mind but I loved The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro."

Ishiguro is one of my favorite Asian authors who doesn't write "Asian" stories. This is one of my favorite "English" books.

A Japanese woman author I've more recently stumbled upon by accident is Sawako Ariyoshi. I especially liked The River Ki, but The Doctor's Wife was also very good. It seems most of her novels take place in Japan, but I still wouldn't discount her if you're interested in reading Japanese authors.