Welcome to Litsy!

Book haul from Next Chapter Books 🩷

This was an interesting read, since the protagonist is a Japanese woman with a fair amount of western attitudes. Her feelings about her family and the affair that threatens to undo it all are compelling. I‘d recommend this to readers who would appreciate an insider‘s view of modern day Japanese culture.

Catching up on #12Booksof2024 @Andrew65

January - Fault Lines was my surprise hit in January. This story of a woman straining against societal and familial expectations in modern day Japan resonated and has stuck with me every since. Thanks to @Sapphire for the #AuldLangSpine recommendation (and @monalyisha for her epic matchmaking skills)

A debut novel about Mizuki who lives in Japan & is in the midst of a mundane existence as a Japanese wife & mother. She‘s questioning her life. Her husband works all the time and she is stuck in her role. She meets Kiyoshi, someone who ‘sees‘ her, and she begins a romance with him . This book is a fast read & wonderfully written. I found myself googling Japanese food, culture, and festivals so I could be alongside her in her journey.

#bookreport
Aside from The Good Soldier, which I'm just glad I'm done, I had a fab reading week! Loved Jeeves on audio; Wild Seed was excellent; and Fault Lines was exactly the book I was in the mood for, and excellent. Loved it.
As for current reads, so far both are good, if not *quite* living up to the (very high) expectations I had.

#weeklyforecast I'll finish those two and then Nebula nominations should be announced this week!

Yay #BookSpin day! I went with my Libby wishlist filtered to available now, and got The Inimitable Jeeves and Fault Lines. Great timing for the audiobook cause I just finished my previous one yesterday. And I was really looking forward to Fault Lines. I'm already 25% and 10% into them respectively since taking the screenshot this morning, and really enjoying both!

Thanks @TheAromaofBooks 🙂

An engaging, deeply felt portrait of motherhood and womanhood in a society that places heavy constrictions on both those roles. Mizuki is such a wonderful character, and I loved spending time with her as she wrestles space for herself and reckons with choices made. She is witty, thoughtful, wild, loving, sometimes selfish, and created by Itami with such heart and without judgement.

A great start to #AuldLangSpine and 2024 reading!

@Sapphire

"Parenting is savage -- there is no other activity on earth that you could get to to do four times a night for two years straight, and at the end of it be merely in the running for mediocre."

Starting off the New Year with an #AuldLangSpine pick from @Sapphire ? I would have completely judged this book by its cover and not taken a second glance without #ALSpine, but it has completely engaged me right from the first page. Off to a great start!

Japanese legend says that earthquakes are caused by Namazu the giant catfish who lives under the earth and is only kept from thrashing and wriggling by the god Kashima who sits on his tail to keep him under control. Woe betide Kashima getting tired or distracted . . . A brilliant legend for a hard working nation, really - take your eye off the ball at your own potentially fatal risk. No wonder we never relax.

I have no idea why this slender volume is taking me so long to get through. But I have to finish this weekend. Neighborhood book group is next week. Lovely evening on the back porch though

But for sheer size and it‘s ability to put you in your place, even New York can‘t compare with Tokyo.

My TBR goal for #easteromc is to finish the tagged in print book. My grand babies arrive tonight so I better get focused!

I‘m always here for books that make the ordinary feel extraordinary, and FAULT LINES nails it. It‘s an intensely felt portrait of one woman‘s frustrations and joys as she interrogates her marriage, pursues an affair, delights in her children, and considers the singing career she left behind. I loved it awfully much. #AuldLangSpine

A relatively quiet book that still has an impact, protagonist Mizuki‘s unique perspective and aching desire for something more than the typical life of a Japanese housewife was enchanting and kept me cheering for her to find what she was looking for. The narration is introspective and descriptions of Japanese culture and the city of Tokyo fascinating.

And with this I hit my Goodreads goal for the year (35 - the most since starting work full time)

“It isn‘t as if I spend my days itching to go strut my stuff, or would ever exchange the gazes of deep love I occasionally catch Ali giving me for the pawing attentions of someone I‘ve never met. But I think I assumed that one day I‘d get around to cultivating it again. One day I‘d remember to be both competent mother and radiant beauty. Tatsu would once again be prostrate at my feet and I‘d be full of the serenity of Venus.”

“The whole Kiyoshi situation started a long time before he was ever in the picture.”
#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

Entyvio infusion time - perfect for starting a new book

Mizuki is a Japanese housewife. She has a hardworking husband, two adorable children, and a beautiful Tokyo apartment. It‘s everything a woman could want, yet sometimes she wonders whether she would rather throw herself off the high-rise balcony than spend another evening not talking to her husband and hanging up laundry.
One rainy night, she meets a successful restaurateur. In him, she rediscovers freedom, friendship, and the pulse of the city.

Saturday afternoon mini read #emilyitami #japanesefiction #booknerd

Frothing over my latest library haul. I think I‘ll start with Fault Lines once I finish Young Mungo #librarynerd

Can‘t wait for this read

The death of my singing dream kind of matters hugely to me, and also really doesn't matter at all. So, one person didn't get to keep mediocrely doing the thing they would have liked to do. Whoop-de-doo. There are 37 million of us in Tokyo alone - it has the effect of making it damn clear just how unimportant you are. Which is heartbreak ing or relaxing, depending on how you look at it.

The conversation that precipitated the nearly-end-of-my-life went like this: Tatsu, any chance you could give me a hand hanging up this washing?'

3.5 ⭐s. I liked the exploration of the meaning of motherhood & womanhood & sacrifice & love. Mitzuki's conflict between her culture & satisfying her desires, influenced by her exposure to American culture was eye-opening. It was emotional to hear the struggles of being a woman & mother transcend culture. The book is relatable & I found the presentation humorous.

A novel about motherhood, marriage and loss of identity set against a Tokyo background, with a sweet but forbidden love story slowly developing. I really enjoyed this; for its sharp (and very truthful) insights and melancholy sadness as well as being quite funny too. I‘m loving Japanese and Korean fiction right now.

Loved the setting of this story(Tokyo ) and I really appreciated it‘s brevity. A dissatisfied housewife comes to appreciate what she has when a sudden disaster approaches. Good narration and ultimately satisfying listen.

Expand Your Horizons Task: Author born outside of the USA (Japan)

Very short and yet I can't wrap my head around this book. I think I wanted some redemptive conversation in the prologue and the lack of it is leaving me without much more to say. I doubt the affair ever would have ended without a relocation otherwise. But since her husband wasn't faithful either, maybe it's just a "loose vows" sort of marriage. ?

I absolutely LOVED this book. It‘s honest and real, but also snarky and engrossing. I don‘t want to say much more since this is an #lmpbc read. But I will say it‘s going on my best of the year list.

@MaleficentBookDragon I will hopefully have this sent off to you tomorrow.

@Kayla.Adriena @phantomx

These are the ones I have at the top of my TBR right now. I think I‘m leaning towards the tagged since it comes highly recommended by one of my favorite authors. OR Before the Coffee Gets Cold but I believe @MaleficentBookDragon read that one already.

What do you all think? @Kayla.Adriena @phantomx

This book is just fun. My book club picked it for February because it's a love story of sorts and it's short. I now officially want to visit Tokyo.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

My #doublespin for January is set in Japan with a great sense of place and culture. Though the setting is vivid and singular, the representation of motherhood and modern relationships from the point of view of a stay at home mom through the MC Mizuki is universal. Though she tells herself she should be happy because she has it all, she feels unsatisfied. All the feels here: Humor, selfishness/selflessness, frustration, intense love, sense of self.

I can totally see how this was one of your #nywd favourites of last year @LeeRHarry !

I thought that the back story of Mizuki, the MC, was really well done and loved her as a character. I liked being able to see the ‘quirks‘ of Japanese culture through the eyes of someone who had spent time in the US.

Too early to say if it will make my favourites of 2022 but I gave it 9/10 so it‘s up there!

(Very difficult to take a good pic of a black pup!)

Well written novel about a Japanese mother, reflecting on her path to where she is now, coupled with her wondering if this is truly what she wants. Funny and reflective, Itsmi‘s debut novel is really, really good.

October Reads
4.5 🌟
Matrix: Lauren Groff 📖
Beautiful World Where Are You?: Sally Rooney 📖
Under The Whispering Door: T.J. Klune 📖
Fault Lines: Emily Itami 🎧
4 🌟
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay: Elena Ferrante 🎧
3 🌟
A Passage North: Anuk Arudpragasam 🎧
Great Circle: Maggie Shipstead 🎧
2 🌟
Madame Bovary: Gustave Flaubert 🎧 📖

Great reading and travel month.

5 🌟 I read this in one sitting. Stunning novel about moyherhood and marraige. Highly recommend. #Bookspinbingo.

Loved it

Started this little gem today and I can already tell it's going to be one of my favorites. I absolutely love the humor and emotion the author exudes. The writing style is 🔥

I loved this book from beginning to end. Totally gave myself up to it and let it absolutely break my heart. It‘s about a Japanese housewife who has an affair, but also not about that at all. It‘s about motherhood and difficult choices and every bit was so spot on that I wanted to cry over the smallest details. Out in September. Honestly, haven‘t loved a book like I loved this book in a very long time.