By Min Jin Lee Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: N/AEntertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: This multi-generation story about what it’s like to be a Korean living in Japan from the early 1900s until the new millennium is heartwarmingly painful, beautifully written, and quite an accurate window into what it’s likeContinue reading “Pachinko”
Tag Archives: Book Giveaway
The Pillow Book
The Diary of a Courtesan in Tenth Century Japan By Sei Shōnagon Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: N/ATranslation quality: N/AEntertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: This shockingly witty little volume is evidence that just because someone lived a thousand years ago doesn’t mean they weren’t a sharp commentator on human behavior that’s stillContinue reading “The Pillow Book”
Klara and the Sun
By Kazuo Ishiguro Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: N/ATranslation quality: N/AEntertainment value: ⭐⭐My recommendation: I did not love this book, but every respected professional reviewer did, so you decide… This story takes place in a near-future dystopia, in which children’s intelligence must be genetically enhanced in order to succeed in society.Continue reading “Klara and the Sun”
The Aosawa Murders
By Riku Onda Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Entertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: This book is one of those rare Japanese mysteries that don’t lose something essential in translation. It’s told in such a way that the reader collects each piece of the puzzle from characters who didn’t necessarily revealContinue reading “The Aosawa Murders”
Tokyo Vice
By Jake Adelstein Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: N/AEntertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: Investigative reporter Jake Adelstein covered the yakuza beat for a Japanese newspaper like a boss, and his first person account will make your hair stand on end. This first-person account of how an American investigative journalist cultivatedContinue reading “Tokyo Vice“
OUT
By Natsuo Kirino Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Entertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: A fabulous thriller that skillfully conveys just how cold and ingenious ordinary Japanese people can be, when pushed over the edge. A brutal murder is just the beginning of this dark novel, where we watch an ordinaryContinue reading “OUT”
December 6
By Martin Cruz Smith Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: N/AEntertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: This is a fascinating snapshot of life in Japan on the brink of war, told through the eyes of one of the rare foreign residents Martin Cruz Smith isn’t a Japan expert, but he’s cracking goodContinue reading “December 6”
Idoru
By William Gibson Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: N/AEntertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: This book imagines a Japan that’s mesmerizing in its projections of near-future pop culture and chillingly prescient in predicting the kind of world that current technology is forging right now I’ve always thought it’s a shame toContinue reading “Idoru”
The Last Tea Bowl Thief
By Jonelle Patrick It would obviously be a little weird for me to review my own book, so instead I’m going to point you over to Tokyo Authority, which beat the other reviews out of the gate because October 20th came a day earlier in Japan than in America! Click here to read what theyContinue reading “The Last Tea Bowl Thief”
The Tale of Murasaki
By Liza Dalby Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: N/AEntertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: If you love historical novels, this beautifully imagined tale really brings 11th century Japanese court intrigues to life You probably recognize Liza Dalby as the author of Geisha and Kimono, the highly acclaimed books that came outContinue reading “The Tale of Murasaki”
Japanagram 