I’m really loving Shogun (expecting it to hit my best of 2024!). Feudal Japan is super interesting, I can see why you got sucked down a rabbit hole. A couple of the books of your list are on my TBR so that bodes well 😊
I still haven't gotten round to rewatching the 1980s TV adaptation, looking forward to it and the reboot. I hope they don't release one episode at a time - I want to binge it 😆
Hi Katja, Fantastic video! I wrote down a few books including the two translated bookshop books. I lived in Japan for three years and went to many bookshops there. You always show me books I never heard of. Aloha friend.
Some nice Japanese titles! I have "Idol, Burning" on my shelves and hope to get to it this year. I wanted to read "Birnam Wood" last year, had some difficulties getting into it and then after 14 days, I had to return it to the library. Hopefully, it will be a bit calmer around this novel later this year so that we can keep it 28 days.
I read Idol burning last year and I liked it, and it was a very quick read as well! This means I should go on to reading convenience store woman from the sound of it. I have heard such good things about george gissing lately and now I am curious. I've been curious about birminam wood, and I also recently hauled in days at the morisaki bookshop to read this year! I need to get around to babel!
Convenience Store Woman is that bit better than idol burning. They both have a subtle but impactful style I enjoy. The Morisaki Bookshop is nice and cosy, and I liked the character growth.
I'm adding a few of these onto my neverending tbr (Idol Burning, Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop, the Bloodsworn Saga). I enjoyed hearing about your 2023 favorites! 😃
If you can get hold of the audiobooks for Scalzi, they're narrated by Will Wheaton, and he does an excellent job. That is, if you like the audio format.
Of the lot, I have only read Silence and Shogun. Silence was, as you say, very intense and I really enjoyed it. Have you seen the movie? I also read Shogun, but that was decades ago after watching the TV series back in the day, so I do not remember much about it. Of the lot, I think Babel grabs my interest the most - I have been watching my wife read it and she is really enjoying it, and I am tempted to grab it when she is not looking! Thank you for the video.
I've not seen the movie. I can only imagine how that would feel. It's a visceral story. Shogun was so good. I finally have a second-hand dvd to rewatch the 80s TV series. The new series will be out in a couple of weeks 😊 Babel does a brilliant job of using language/linguistics in its magic system. Very clever, and of course, the social commentary on colonialism was on point. R F Kuang should have been nominated forva Hugo award for it, but she's among a group of author's had their work disqualified. Unsurprisingly, most believe these writers were targeted as undesirable by the Chinese government. She's in good company with the likes of Neil Gaiman and more authors who've been vocal about human rights abuses in China.
