Hi from Croatia, glad you liked it here! Here's a recommendation for an amazing contemporary Croatian novel - Sons, Daughters by Ivana Bodrozic. It's recently been published in English and it's absolutely worth reading. Thanks for the good content!
@@agwriting no problem! Let me know what you think if you get to it. And thanks for getting me eager to read Saunders! Where would you recommend starting with his work?
just discovered your channel and really enjoy hearing your thoughts on everything! i love murakami-- both his magical realism and his grounded stuff like Norwegian Wood. my favorite version of him is when there's just a touch of magical realism. there are times in life when you feel like things are so absurd, or strange, or foreign to you, that it might be some magical force being enacted on your life. i think his best fiction captures that feeling and literalizes it. I saw in another comment that you said Kafka on the Shore was next for you-- that was my favorite book for a long time (and is still way up there). i think you'd like The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles, as it has a touch of magical realism but it's not heavy (at least not that i remember). Also, i agree with another commenter that A Wild Sheep Chase (and its sequel Dance Dance Dance) are awesome. quick and to me the perfect level of strange. also, the film adaptation of Barn Burning (just called Burning) is really amazing if you havent seen it already. omg and Drive My Car. dont get me started. so good. okay thats it :-)
I've heard from a few people that Kafka on the Shore is great. I think it's definitely possible I'm being too judgmental when it comes to the magical realism, I agree that a touch of it can definitely be great. As for Barn Burning, I loved that story so I'll have to check out the film. Thank you for all the insight!
I love short stories, so it's great to see someone talking about them consistently. I haven't read Carver or Keegan (though Carver's been on the list for ages), but they sound interesting! Regarding Murakami, I'm the opposite in that I prefer the more surreal and fantastical stuff in his novels (and books in general). Norwegian Wood was my first Murakami and I really didn't like it -- I hated the characters and their dynamics, and it didn't have the magic that I later found in his other stuff. I wonder if I would still feel the same way on a reread.
@@agwriting I loved 1Q84, A Wild Sheep Chase, and Hear the Wind Sing. Out of those I'd probably recommend Sheep Chase for your first surrealist Murakami. Hear the Wind Sing is very obviously a first novel, although I appreciated the sincerity and simplicity of it compared to later books, and 1Q84 is very long and very divisive even among people who like Murakami lol.
It's been about four years since I've read "Norwegian Wood", but it feels like someone finally put my thoughts/feelings into words, so thank you! Overall, I did really enjoy it, and I think that's a lot to do with writing style and Murakami's gorgeous descriptions, but there were definitely some relationship dynamics I found a bit strange and a little uncomfortable. I also remember liking the fact that Toru was an average person without anything too special about him. At the time, I hadn't come across many characters like that, and it felt refreshing after most characters being written with some special talent or whatever. I'm not much into the magical realism/sci-fi stuff, so the only other book of his I've read is a compilation of short stories called "The Elephant Vanishes", which I think has the Barn Burning story you mentioned previously. I've also just bulk-ordered Claire Keegan books because I need to read all that she has written haha. I only discovered her last year, but I love her writing! Thanks again for these discussions. It's lovely hearing someone else's thoughts. :)
I completely agree with your take on the book. Some good and some bad aspects for sure. I actually have The Elephant Vanishes though I haven't read it in its entirety yet, I'm sure I will by the end of the year. Can't go wrong with Claire Keegan, I'm going to do the same! And thank you so much for watching!
Happy birthday 🎉! I tried to read Norwegian woods in 2022 but I couldn’t get into it for some reason, may be I’ll try again next year. Also I have been trying to read more short stories (very busy with school 😬) so these recs are really appreciated. I love your channel it’s so calming and slow-paced 🤍
Thank you! I can definitely see Norwegian Wood not being for everyone, so don't feel bad about that. I'm the exact same way when school gets busy so there will be a lot more short story content soon. Thanks so much for watching!
loved the b-roll of your time in europe! i'm actually going to start my reread of Norwegian Wood soon! i haven't read it since high school, but i have a good feeling that. my feelings of the book will align with yours haha
@@agwriting Oh yes the walls were lovely! I was there during Christmas/Wintery season and it was lovely just seeing the little shop lights on in the early morning. People sat outside in the cafes. The image while simple still sticks to my mind.
Norwegian Wood was my first Murakami read for that same reason. I’m not into sci-fi although he is technically magical realism. I just bought Kafka on the Shore but probably won’t get to it for awhile.
sold me big time on the raymond carver, tomorrow at work i’m going to see the hat we have of his (i work at a bookshop)! thanks for the recs brother i love your videos! also nice travel montage, what song is that?
I discovered your channel through this video. I have also read “Norwegian Wood” and overall, I enjoyed it. Re: SciFi, have you read any Octavia E. Butler? If not, check out “Kindred.” Happy Reading! 😎📚👍
