To Be Read 2024
In 2022-2023 I was into Korean Literature, thanks to Kim Ji Yeong which introduced me to Korean literature. Kim Ji Yeong was the first translation book I brought home from Cikini Library, and the one that accompany me while I got locked up in the bedroom for a solid ten days due to covid.
But lately, I noticed on Instagram explores that more and more Japanese literature got the spotlight—not to mention, their beautiful covers. As the one once fond of Japanese literature myself, I got the urge to read more of them in 2024. I remembered back then when I was in college, reading Murakami's was kind of mandatory for the Japanese lit students, just like To Kill a Mockingbird to English lit students. I don't know why but I didn't get Norwegian Wood that time. I wonder if it was because of the poor Indonesian translation that failed to deliver the true meaning of the original writing; I simply couldn't comprehend. Nonetheless, I decided to give Murakami's another try. I brought home Men Without Women, English translation, and by far this was the first and the best book I have read in 2024 😌
Contrary to the title written on the cover, the 7 stories told the reader on how men barely lived without women :)))) The first three stories were my favorite: Drive My Car, Yesterday, An Independent Organ. Not to mention Scheherazade and Samsa In Love was quite intriguing yet captivating in a way. From this book, I truly got the sense of Murakami's power as a story teller. I wish I would not sound too exaggerating but this piece is phenomenal for me—at first decided to slowly savor it, ended up devouring every bit of it and left no crumbs. This experience made me crave Murakami's work even more. Therefore, on my next visit to library, I brought home The First Person Singular.
The book consists of 8 stories, which depict a smooth blend of the fantasy and reality; dreamy, melancholy, and strange at the same time. My favorite was Carnaval and The Confessions of Shinagawa Monkey—even though I can't ignore the way he describes a woman is iffy, both in Men Without Women and The First Person Singular.
In order to overcome the decreasing of my attention span due to excessive consumption of social media, I decided to read books more. Took me a long time to figure out my preferences in books. If books like Talking To My Daughter About The Economy Or How Capitalism Works, and How It Falls, or The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck considered as non-fiction book then I'd like to read it every once in a while. But I tend to enjoy more of translated fiction book. Inspired by Lia's post, I have the urge to write To Be Read 2024 😂 hope it's not too late ✌
Despite Murakami's, I have a little to no book title to read in 2024, yet I manage to come up with some, thanks to Instagram explores:
To be honest, this one post was originally supposed to be a photo-dump. I just love how matching the bed sheets complementing the Kim Ji Yeong cover HAHA 😂
4 comments
nggak telat, Kak Zi!! nggak telat 😆 baru bulan 4 kok, aman aman 🤣. aku pembaca Murakami juga waktu awal terjun kembali ke dunia perbukuan hahaha awalnya baca Norwegian Wood sama Kafka on The Shore terus terakhir baca Wind-up Bird Chronicle abis itu udah nggak pernah baca lagi 🤣 Wind-Up Bird bacanya capek banget selain karena tebel, isinya menguras batin 😂. Norwegian Wood aku ingetnya bagusss, mungkin karena aku baca versi Eng?
ReplyDeletebtw, looking forward for your review untuk bukunya Coco Mellors! aku sering lihat youtuber luar baca buku ini dan aku cukup penasaran dengan bukunya 😆. Lonely Castle dan Before the Coffee ini favoritku!! Aku paling suka Lonely Castle! I hope Kak Zi will like it, too 😆. Sayaka Murata juga bagus! buku ini bikin pengin jadi kasir 🤣
Bisa jadii kan ya feeling aku benar, pemilihan kata di terjemahan Indonesianya mungkin kurang greget. buku2 Murakami tuh mix reviews bgt klo aku baca di the goodreads Liii. Iya nih aku mau coba baca norwegian wood yg eng aja nextnya. Penasaran juga sama Kafka on The Shore dan IQ84.
Deletebtw aku tuh suka banget sama covernya Coco Mellors Li 🤣 trus pas baca sinopsisnya sepertinya menariquee. Kalau before the coffee udah ada terjemahannya yg funiculi funicula itu kan yah, ringan bgt dibacanya dan malah aku udah pernah baca yg Dona-dona, padahal yg ke 1 dan 2 belum baca. meski tetep bisa dinikmati sih,, kalau Sayaka Murata yg Earthlings Lia udah baca?
bisa jadi, Kak!! aku setuju sih, buku-buku Murakami itu mix review banget. banyak yang suka banget, banyak juga yang kurang cocok haha. Kafka bagus, Kak! kalau IQ84 ini aku belum baca karena...dah lemes duluan lihat jumlah bukunya serta ketebalan halamannya 🤣.
Deleteaku juga suka banget sama cover Coco Mellors! please let me know after Kakak baca ya! apakah isinya sebagus covernya kah 🤣.
betul!! kalau before the coffee udah ada terjemahannya yang Funiculi itu. Kakak bacanya malah skip langsung buku ke3 ya 🤣. dia tuh nggak terlalu bersambung gitu kan ya, jadi kayaknya loncat buku pun masih aman(?) cuma Dona-dona itu katanya cafe yang berbeda cuma bisa time travel juga di sana. iya kah(?) aku cuma baca buku 1-2nya aja Kak wkwk
Earthlings udah baca, Kak. kalau yang ini lumayan banyak trigger warningnya. isi ceritanya beda banget sama Gadis Minimarket 😂. Earthlings lebih disturbing gitu sama kayak buku 1nya lagi yang judulnya Life Ceremony, jadi kalau Kak Zi punya concern dalam beberapa hal, baiknya cek trigger warning dulu sebelum baca 2 buku Sayaka Murata ini. kalau Gadis Minimarket masih amannn, tapi jujur aku lebih suka Earthlings karena lebih berkesan 🤣 mungkin karena terlalu bikin shock bukunya jadinya berkesan wkwk
iya IQ84 tebal banget ya 🤣
Deleteiyah ke skip banget karena di perpus Dona-dona dipajang di display dekat loket pinjam buku dan covernya gemess, tanpa pikir panjang langsung dibawa pulang 🤣 Betull, pengunjung cafe bisa time travel ke masa lalu dengan syarat dan ketentuan berlaku.
Hooh padahal cover Earthlings lucu, aku kira ceritanya ringan. Lalu aku barusan browse dan dapet review yang bilang "You almost think, hey, this is about 11 year old kids. I'm not that interested. But don't be fooled... it's about to get about as dark and twisted as your worst nightmare." Kayanya baca ini kudu pas lagi waras2nya. Noted Li 😌