It’s that time again, where I blitz through a whole bunch of books I’ve read or listened to in the past few months. Think of it like that viral guy on Instagram who rates outfits at awards events in one or two words (too niche a ref?)
The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo
I listened to this short Japanese detective novel for my book group, and it was fun – about a quarter of the total was the ‘reveal’, which did feel a bit imbalanced, but there was a likeable, unusual ‘detective’ character and a culturally specific spin on the locked room mystery. I particularly enjoyed the references to other classic crime novels, including A.A. Milne’s The Red House Mystery, which seems to be perpetually getting reprinted and never quite making it to mainstream awareness.
On Reading Well by Karen Swallow Prior
A non-fic that somebody here recommended to me, I think? It goes through different virtues and relates them to classic literature – from Persuasion to Huckleberry Finn – as well as a couple of more modern books that I didn’t know about. It’s quite an unfashionable idea, that we can learn to be better people from the books we read – and KSP is writing from a specifically Christian perspective – and I found it fascinating and edifying (which is another unfashionable compliment). She writes very well about literature, and equally well about moral behaviour.
Heap House by Edward Carey
This young adult trilogy is free on Audible at the moment, and my love of Carey made it a no-brainer. It’s a world where everyone connected to an exclusive family have ‘birth objects’ that range from a safety-pin to a huge piece of furniture – and there is one boy who can hear objects endlessly repeating mysterious names. There’s a whole lot more lore that I don’t have time to write, and the chapters alternate between this nervous boy and a charismatic girl – it’s very Carey in its oddness, and perhaps a bit more enveloping in its world creation than some of my favourite books of his.
Weird But Normal by Mia Mercado
I love a book of personal essays, particularly when they link individual experiences to wider cultural phenomena, and do it well. I’ll be honest, this collection was very good and immersive, but I now don’t remember any of the specifics (unlike, say, Emilie Pine’s Notes To Self or Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror, which are still with me many months/years later).
The Purgatory Poisoning by Rebecca Rogers
Since there are endless murder mysteries written (all branded to look like Richard Osman’s series), I suppose it was inevitable that one of them would be set in purgatory eventually? In Rogers’ novel, the protagonist has been murdered and has to work out from purgatory who did it. There’s a very likeable angel character, and it’s well written for this sort of thing, but the characters are quite annoying and the solution very obvious (and somehow, simultaneously, nonsensical). It won a prize for humour, but it wasn’t to my taste, humourwise.
Into the Dark by Jacqueline Yallop
I got this from the Big Green Bookshop’s clever idea of giving two strangers the same book, based on some criteria you send in. I loved the idea of Yallop’s book, looking at a cultural and scientific history of darkness, prompted by her father’s dementia. And it is fascinating. Into the Dark is so wide-ranging that often I wish she’d spent a bit more time on certain areas, and I would have liked more memoir/more about her father in it – but it is still a very good, interesting, unusual book and I’m glad the Bookshop chose it.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
I loved this long novel about the longstanding friendship between a man and woman who are obsessed with video games – turning that obsession into a successful professional life. I’ve never played a video game, but was fascinated by Zevin’s exploration of their creation and development. Above all, this is a novel about friendship, which is an overlooked relationship in the history of literature – which, of course, has always privileged romantic relationships first. The only reason I haven’t written more about Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow on here is because it’s so well-known already that I don’t have anything to add to the wider discussion. But it’s brilliant (and a gift from my dear friend Mel, who proves how important friendship is).
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
A young girl suddenly discovers that she can taste the feelings of a baker/cooker in the food they have produced. It’s a brilliant conceit that sort of spirals too far from its origin, and I enjoyed the book but not as much as I would have done if Bender had kept more tautly to the initial idea.
I have read the first three in this classic Japanese series, and The Honjin Murders is my favorite so far
Oh I didn’t realise there were more available, thanks!
The Karen Swallow Prior sounds interesting. I have read her articles before but I don’t think I was aware of the book before. I share those unfashionable values!
I was thinking of you while I read the Prior – it seemed like something you’d definitely enjoy! I think it was free on Audible when I listened to it.
I really struggled with reviewing Tomorrow3 as I also came to it a bit late. Goodness I loved it, though. Wept over it in a hotel snack bar and immediately pressed it upon Matthew. As I got most of my morality from Iris Murdoch, I’m increasingly realising as I get older, I think I shoujld read the Prior!
Oh bless you! Yes, definitely a devastating moment in it, and a lot of moving scenes besides that.
I’ve been tempted a few times by Japanese crime fiction novels but have never actually taken the plunge. Listening on audio would be a challenge for me though – I hardly ever remember character names so have to flick back to make sure I’ve got the right person, which you can’t easily do on audio
Yes, I did find that tricky – especially when I’m not very familiar with Japanese pronunciations. The cast is relatively small, so I managed ok.
Re: Honjin, I’ve run into that imbalance before with other Japanese mysteries. You’ve made me reconsider Tomorrow and Tomorrow, which I was ignoring because of the video game focus.
Oh yes, Kay, do try TTT – it’s so good.
I enjoyed Honjin too, Simon – all those references to GA authors were great fun!
So fun!
I am impressed by how much you read! I’ve had the cold from hell this week and have read, and written, practically nothing (snot: the last great untapped resource of the planet and such a nuisance). I’ve often wondered about Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, but have been afraid there would be too much video game content in it. Though of course it always depends on how it’s written. Funnily enough the only Japanese detective novel I’ve ever read had this massive final reveal chapter in which more happened than in the whole of the rest of the book. Which was a little odd. But maybe it’s a cultural thing?
Just butting in to this discussion—re. the video game content in Tx3, it’s not too much. It’s about narrative rather than about video games per se, or rather, it’s only about video games per se in that it’s interested in how specific media are suited to telling specific kinds of stories. Anyone who’s into literature and storytelling as a concept would get something out of it. I cannot play video games (hand/eye coordination too poor, so everyone who tries to teach me how to use the controller gets bored and impatient before long) and I found it utterly absorbing, with every game described making me wish a) that it really existed so I could experience it and b) that I could play anything at all. Plus the novel is absolutely, as Simon says, about friendship above all. Do give it a go, it’s stunning!
Getting into audiobooks definitely helped up the title! And yes, interesting about your experience with a Japanese murder mystery – maybe it IS part of the genre there.