Fistful of Fun: Five books to read this month
American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History by Chris Kyle with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice
Choosing between 50 Shades of Grey and American Sniper as the book to read before its movie adaptation is released in Japan wasn’t too hard of a decision this month. Although I’m sure there are some beneficial lifestyle tips from the former(like live a double life, find a dark and secretive hobby, and only share that lifestyle with those who drop subtle hints revealing their own similar interest), the benefits of reading the latter intuitively seemed better and have all the same lifestyle tips. American Sniper is the autobiography of Chris Kyle (1974-2013) a former Navy Seal who holds the title of most lethal sniper in American history. The movie adaptation directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Bradley Cooper as Kyle will be released in Japan on Feb 21. Read it before you watch it.
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
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Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, the next book chosen for Hyogo AJET’s ninth　book club scheduled for April 5, is one to get started sooner, rather than later. Actually six stories that span across different times and places, Mitchell boldly demonstrates the interconnectedness of the world and how our actions and the actions of others are products of the past. Praised for its unique narrative style and a variety of elements from different genres, Cloud Atlas was also a finalist for the Man Booker Prize. It was also adapted into a film in 2012, making it a piece of fiction with plenty of supplemental material to further discussion. Interested? Join us in Kobe on April 5 at 2pm for our next meeting!
Colorless TsukuruTazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
The most recent book for Osaka AJET’s second book club and the newest novel by the popular Japanese author, Haruki Murakami, Colorless TsukuruTazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage follows the story of Tsukuru Tazaki as he tries to understand why he was forced out of a harmonious group of high school friends. The five friends, whose dynamic was as colorful as everyone’s name – other than Tsukuru’s–balanced one another perfectly with each friend filling a specific role. In fact, the group was perfect, that is until Tsukuru is unexpectedly kicked out. Although many years pass, Tsukuru realizes he must better understand why he was removed from the group if he has any hope of moving on. With Murakami’s reality slightly skewed as usual, he gives us another novel that delves into the power, sometimes destructive, of love and friendship.
Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata (80th anniversary)
The 80th anniversary of Snow Country, written by Yasunari Kawabata, should not be taken lightly by fans of Japanese authors. First appearing as a serial piece in 1935 before being turned into and finished as a full-length book in 1948, Snow Country is a story about a wealthy married man’s affair with a geisha in a remote onsen town. Similar to most plots defined by an affair, this one does not have a happy resolution, especially with the introduction of a third woman, Yoko. Considered by many to be Kawabata’s masterpiece, he continued to produce great works of literature winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968, the first Japanese to do so.
Red Rising (Red Rising Trilogy Book #1) by Pierce Brown
Need something to hold you over until the movie release of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2? No problem, author Pierce Brown is there for you. Releasing his first novel in Jan 2014, he transports his readers to Mars in The Red Rising where we meet Darrow, a laborer known as a Red. After finding the truth about Mars’ habitability and the social hierarchy he is trapped in, Darrow along with a group of rebels decide to infiltrate the upper echelons of Martian society and bring the system down from within. Last month Brown released the second book of the series, Golden Son, and it has received critical acclaim similar to his first release. If you’ve been looking for the next series to fall prey to, this one is for you.
Sean Mulvihill
