Welcome to Litsy!

Psychological drama from the beginning of last century. It reflects on the issues of friendship, trust, loneliness and responsibility, and provides an insight into Japanese culture of these times. For me, it felt old-fashioned and I could not really connect to the characters, especially with all the sexism. The book started with an intriguing promise of dark mystery surrounding the "Sensei" character, but I found the resolution disappointing.

#12BooksOf2022

I read way too few classics in 2022 but I am so glad that I did read this one. It is fantastic. And it‘s Japanese of course, which I always seem to enjoy just a bit more!

#BookReport 36/22 and 37/22

I am back home. These are the books I read during my trip. I chose many pageturners which I spent a good time with, yet the two that stood out are the ones the least easy to read, the Japanese ones: the tagged one and Tokyo Express. Japanese fiction might well be my favorite genre.

To read this book while arriving in Japan and spending the night in a ryokan (Japanese inn) with all its traditions, certainly has added to the experience. But I loved this book about a special friendship between a student and an elder man in the early 20th century. The quietness, the simplicity of the writing style and all that it stands for, the Japanese culture and history. A real gem. #1001books

Pic: Ryokan in Kanazawa, Japan

#sundaysoapbox @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @puzzledbooks

Shocking endings are always those sad, tragic endings, but also it seems Haruki Murakami always has some fun situational serendipities up his sleeve. For me the endings looming and clouding foremost in my mind are the tagged and Knut Hamsun's 'Grimm,' imaginative, neurotic internal trip with his Mysteries. I really need to find and read more with these dark, depressing, clouded-minded themes.

#goodmorning
Beautiful cover

This book takes place during the Meiji timeline into modern society and not that many decades after Japan had opened its boarders to Westerners. It looks at these generational differences though the college student and the man he calls Sensei. The story is divided into three sections. First from the point of view of the young narrator and his country parents and the 3rd from the Sensei. Themes of change, isolation, and inaction. Enjoyed this one.

Friday night plans hopefully include finishing this book with some tea. How about you?

This was my first time reading Soseki. I really enjoyed the story and felt that it painted an honest portrayal of the end od the Meiji era in Japan. I look forward to reading more works by one of the founders of modern Japanese literature. This left me with a strong feeling of melancholy at the same time a longing for continued attempts at compassion and understanding.

Starting this today while setting up for a farm party and doing laundry.

Kokoro means “the heart of things”.
This was a character study of Sensei mostly but also of his friend of the present and the friend of the past. I appreciate the story as being 'modern' for its time period; men talking about their feelings and internal struggles. I enjoyed the quietness of the story for parts one and two but part three was a bit long in Sensei recounting his past but I know it was necessary to bring the story full circle.

I'm still processing this one. It's difficult to explain. At the center are two characters: a student and the man he calls Sensei. But it is also about family and friendship. I would also argue that it is about transition and depression (even though that word is not used). This is definitely a character driven story and it affected me deeply.

A deep dive into despair, a naked look into grief, Soseki‘s Kokoro is a transcedental epic that paints a powerful picture of intimacy. If there is someone who understands the human psyche all too well, that is Natsume Soseki. Sensei and all of Kokoro‘s elaborately realized characters are swimming in an ocean of metaphysical animus where love, jealously, regret, and betrayal coalesce with one another to produce a classic that has outlived its time.

My friend Caitlin recomended me this book saying it was a Japanese classic. It's a heartbreaking novel but so worth it! I learnt so much about human relations. Basically it's a story of how our lifes are changed by those we meet on the way and the decisions we make. Can't wait to reread it!

@shawnmooney Posted a review of this book on goodreads, and it made me remember reading it in high school. So I dug it up and found this. #highschoolmarginalia #marginalia

I felt there were about 20 pages of story here and the remaining 230-odd pages were nothing but ponderously dull rhetorical atmospherics. Sensei must have gone on for 50 pages in his looong letter to the narrator, warning him that he was about to reveal his secret, again, about to, and again, soon about to, and again, wait for it, the big reveal is coming... Oh my god! I was too bored to shoot myself; otherwise, I just might have.

#seasonsreadings2016 day 4: #notinenglish
This is totally an old insta, but I love it so much. I have the English copy and I got the Japanese copy in a train station bookstore in Tokyo when we were about to head to Kamakura on the coast. I started trying to read it on the train and it is set in Kamakura! Spooky. Still haven't finished, because I only know 700-something kanji, but I'm working on it.
#japanese @RealLifeReading

I am finally reading this Japanese classic - well, listening to it on audio.