Welcome to Litsy!

#SummersEndReadathon

Finished my second book for the readathon. Thematically similar to The Remains of the Day, this is narrated by an older man in postwar Japan grappling with his own complicity with the past and Imperial Japan and with the new generation who view his choices through a different lens under the American occupation. Only two more novels left and I will be an Ishiguro completist.

#FridayHappyReadingHour

After a much needed afternoon nap, I‘m imbibing a Diet Pepsi with lemon. Ahhhh…to someday not having to work for a living! 🤞

This book could have been three sentences. Not my type of narrative style. So halting and recursive

I enjoyed this Ishiguro book more than some of the others of his I‘ve read. It‘s from the perspective of a Japanese father who worked during WWII as an artist promoting the Japanese cause and lost his son in the fighting. In the years following the war, he watches and reflects on the many changes in his city as well as his daughters and the other people around him.

#AuthorAMonth #audiobook #1001books #ReadTheWorld #ReadingTheWorld #Japan

This was beautiful. When we look back on our lives, what will we see? It‘s easy to look at previous generations and say how they did it all wrong, but soon it will be our turn to be the generation on the way out. Ono was such a relatable, sympathetic character. I regretted our time together ending so soon. 207/1,001 #1001Books

In between jobs now, this dreamy meditation on one's career and how much it really matters was lovely. Finished last night and different parts of it keep coming back to me today - much like the narrator turns over important events long after they've happened. 🎨🖌📚

"...it may not always be an easy thing, but there is certainly a satisfaction and dignity to be gained in coming to terms with the mistakes one has made in the course of one's life. In any case, there is surely no great shame in mistakes made in the best of faith."

Day 25 - #Floating #JamminJune
#AnArtistOfTheFloatingWorld #KazuoIshiguro

I own this book but have not read it yet. It is on the 1001 Books You Should Read Before You Die list.

Next ebook.

"It's hard to appreciate the beauty of a world when one doubts its very validity"

I assumed–with the Nobel Prize and everything–that this would be a Very Smart(TM) book, dense to the point of unreadable. Not so! It was very accessible, even without having an intimate knowledge of the time period and setting. If you liked Memoirs Of A Geisha, you need to put this one on your TBR (in fact, put it right at the top–trust me!). Full review: http://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/an-artist-of-the-floating-world-kazuo-ishigu...

Oh, joy! Oh, delight! @Texreader your Norwegian Hardanger ornament is exquisite! Thank you!! And I think you handmade the lovely greeting card as well! I love pecan pralines, and I‘ve been wanting those Staedtler pens 😊 - can‘t wait to do some lettering and meditate with the mandala journal over break. Finally: the book!! Remains of the Day was one of my best books of 2018, so I‘m eager to read this one. Thank you! So thoughtful 😇

Up next. I can never go wrong with Ishiguro. #TBR #amreading

I know I‘m late in the game, but I finally got my first #penguindropcaps This collection is so pretty! 😍

Intriguing book set in Japan just after WWII. The unreliable narrator leads to many possible interpretations of the book - lots to think about. Beautiful writing. #1001books #unreliablenarrator

Starting this book today. #1001books

An interesting book overall, but the repetition of certain elements; the way he returns to the present narrative after a flashback, the interactions with his grandson to be derisive of the women in his life, and the general hyper formality of almost every part of dialogue can become frustrating to read, even when viewed as caricature.
I'm eager to read more Ishiguro, but this one probably wasn't the greatest to start off with.

Trying to beat a book slump whilst finishing off some potential #libraryfails from #borrowbox

Fanfic has been calling tho.

Yesterday I shared a post about Kazuo Ishiguro being awarded a Knighthood.

Today I want to share his reaction:

“I am deeply touched to receive this honour from the nation that welcomed me as a small foreign boy, that educated me and nurtured me.

At this uncertain moment around our globe I remain proud of Britain, its open, democratic traditions - and its wonderful literary culture in which I‘ve been allowed to participate.”

Beautiful❤️🇬🇧❤️

Is there anything more delightful than a morning spent at the dealership while they work on your car? I think not! However, this dealership has free 🍿!!
Anyhow, it‘s giving me time to read another #penguindropcaps. I have never read Ishiguro before and I am enjoying this quiet novel about a quiet man who may or may not have something interesting in his past...🤔

“Forgive me, I simply meant to suggest that Father may wish to speak to certain acquaintances from his past. That is to say, before the Saitos‘ detective does. After all, we do not wish any unnecessary misunderstandings to arise.”

For me this book was confusing. The idea was interesting, there were some beautiful phrases, characters you wanted to know more about. But a lot ends up not being clarified enough or wrapped up in the end. So, a so-so for me. Although I do wonder if I missed things because of cultural differences?? Would love to try “The remains of the day” sometime though.

“If on a sunny day you climb the steep path leading up from the little wooden bridge still referred to around here as “the Bridge of Hesitation”, you will not have to walk far before the roof of my house becomes visible between the tops of two gingko trees.” #firstlines

An understated & quiet novel set in postwar Japan. The narrator, Ono, is an artist & during the war served as a propagandist. Ono struggles with personal guilt in his role during the war, yet he is also reluctant to embrace postwar Western culture & values. Generational conflicts are prominent, however there are few dramatic moments. An interesting examination of complicity & responsibility.

Just finished my book for #litsymarkuppostalbookclub and it will be on its way to @hlgreenfield soon. The book affected me more on a personal level than I expected. Can't wait for the other readers' comments 😊

It's hard to appreciate the beauty of a world when one doubts it's very validity.

When book cover matches what I wear

An impeccable book, thoughtful and profound. ‘A meditation on ...‘ puts me off, but meditative is the word here. Ishiguro makes astute observations on art, the nature of conformity (especially in Japan) & the risks of being an outsider, drawing a picture of the national psyche. Ono appears not to do much (takes his grandson to the park, visits an old colleague) but is strong-willed & the story, though quiet, has a firm direction. A perfect novel.

“The finest, most fragile beauty an artist can hope to capture drifts within those pleasure houses after dark.”

Just one of the beautiful insights in this book. 🏮

Being inside Ono's head was exhausting. Off to drink some sake 🍶

A have a new book haul every week 😳 I have to start a book buying ban, because I can‘t even afford a new bookshelf 😂 so, I‘ll spent my bonus at the local bookstore, and then I‘ll stop!

A serendipitous find in a second-hand bookshop today on our way to the coast: this month‘s #LondonBookClub book! #recentacquisitions #riotgrams day 29 #bookbanfail 📚

Winner for the Nobel Prize in Literature
Kazuo Ishiguro!! 🎉
Have you read anything by this author?...
#nobelprizeinliterature #prizewinner #bookish #bookworm #bookporn #booklover #readers #kazuoishiguro

Can you see the rainbow? Not very well? Is it ephemeral, unclear?

This book captures a time and place that has now passed away. Japan after the Second World War was shifting, sloughing off old cultures and donning new ones.

The artist of the title recalls his life before, during, and after the war. How clear is his view?

An excellent book and an obvious practice novel for his masterpiece, The Remains of the Day.

So good so far.

So subtle.

(From Bookstr's Facebook page last year.)

I told my husband that if can try to find some short trousers I'll try to find a waist line.

#floating #junebookbugs going with the obvious ⛅️

#JuneBookBugs Day 9 - Floating

"It is genuinely a collection. And then the floating is because they float." - Anne Carson

Two kinds of #floating. ⛅️🌏
#junebookbugs @RealLifeReading

Back from my weekend in London and what do you know, I made a few new friends...
😍📚😍🙌🏻😍📚😍