Review: Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

4 stars for Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata.

This book has been on my reading list since the middle of last year. If not for my book club's upcoming discussion in February, I doubt I will read it any time soon. For that, I am glad. This is a good story.

The book is a darkly comic look at society expectations, social pressure and conformity. The story revolves around a 36-year-old woman, Keiko Furukura, who works in a convenience store. Through Keiko, readers are told what is acceptable and what is not in the so-called normal world where there is no room for exceptions and where exceptions get eliminated quietly. From page one to the last, we see how Keiko absorbs the world around her and morphs from the person she is to one that the society expects her of. It is both amusing and sad to see the world through Keiko - amusing because she lives in her own world where black means black and white means white, and sad because she tries so hard to try to blend in with society that she loses sight of who she is.

As the author is a Japanese, the book very much reflects the Japanese culture and way of thinking. A good example is how Keiko views herself as not just an individual responsible for herself but to society as well, for the reason that she works in the convenience store. To quote "Sixteen years ago I learned from manager #2 that my pay covers the basic requirement to manage my life so that I’m fit for work. I must get enough sleep before going to work.”

There are also truths of life to learn from this book even if some of them are what I already know all along. The thing is, seeing them put in words, elevate it to a different level. One good example is on the theme of change. A customer commented that the convenience store never changes. Yes, the store is the same but yet to Keiko, it is not. To quote "The same items had always been in their places, but they were continually being replaced. Maybe it made sense to say the store never changes." Another example is people are continually changing according to the world around them. The changes may be subtle but they are there. To quote "I absorb the world around me, and that’s changing all the time. Just as all the water that was in my body last time we met has now been replaced with new water, the things that make up me have changed too. When we last met a few years ago, most of the store workers were laid-back university students, so of course my way of speaking was different then."

This book is well written and easy to read. There is pretty much nothing to dislike. My only gripe is, reading a novel that is originally written in Japanese and subsequently translated to English, something or many somethings - be it culture, mannerism or way of expression - are bound to be lost through the translation. Interestingly as well as ironically, the translator chooses not to translate the Japanese way of saying I-understand-what-you-are-saying from "Hai" in Japanese to "Yes" in English. For people who are not familiar with the language difference, it will have been a disaster in understanding, as "Hai" in English is used to express grief, horror or regret.

Truth be told, I have never paid much attention to convenience stores or the people who work in them. Having read the book, I now see these stores in a different light. This book offers not only a bird's eye view on convenience stores, but also the finer details of how a worker of one such store can gain vital information - about customers in the store and expected business volume - simply through listening to sounds, observing behaviors and checking the weather. The detailed descriptions and observations offered in the book are so realistic and practical that I wonder if the author is writing from own experience, having worked long term in one such convenience store before.

Though it is never explicitly mentioned in the book, the protagonist, Keiko, clearly displays the symptoms of autism - finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling, getting very anxious about social situations, and finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on her own. As such, it makes me really curious as to how the story will pan out, especially when Keiko increasingly is in dire need of assistance. In the end, I feel that the author does a brilliant job in concluding the story. Its ending is one which I am sure sits well with Keiko, the Convenience Store Woman.

Review: Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

5 stars for Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome.

My first book of the year is a random book that I chose to read on a whim. It is one of five books that I purchased from POPULAR bookstore chain during my December vacation to Melaka. Prior to this, I have no idea who Jerome K. Jerome is as I have never come across any of his books before. I bought this book for two reasons. One, priced at MYR15.00, the book is a steal. Two, the book jacket broadcast that this is a book that has never gone out of print since it was first printed in 1889!

The book is about three men (to say nothing of the dog), Jerome, George and Harris, taking a two-week boat holiday on River Thames from Kingston to Oxford. The story starts off as any other book can be expected to - uneventful. But as I read on, I begin to understand why this book is so widely touted despite its seemingly simple plot. The more I read, the more I enjoy the story. It is simple. It is funny. It is entertaining. It is hilarious. It is a joy to read.

At the beginning of each chapter, there is always a short paragraph that summarizes the happenings for that chapter. Interestingly, it is a summary that tells the reader everything yet nothing. As such, it makes a great chapter synopsis especially for readers like me who is ever wary of spoiler.

The thing to be enjoyed while reading this book is not in the narration of the main story about the three men in a boat, but rather the many side stories that branch out in the course of the protagonist telling his main story, as his thoughts wander and drift in and out. It is these side stories that make this book so wonderfully entertaining. This is as the saying goes "It is not the destination but the journey that matters."

I share the same sentiments with regard to the little everyday topics that are mentioned in the book. One such is the weather forecast that is never accurate. To quote "It forecasts precisely what happened yesterday or the day before, and precisely the opposite of what is going to happpen today." As a result, no one likes to be foretold the weather. To quote "It is bad enough when it comes, without our having the misery of knowing about it beforehand."

Another example is empty cabs do not appear when you are waiting to hail one. To quote "it is a street where, as a rule, and when they are not wanted, empty cabs pass at the rate of three a minute, and hang about, and get in your way."

Then there is an amusing case about the protagonist's view on the value of art treasures of his time versus the past and future. To quote "Why, all our art treasures of today are only the dug up commonplaces of three or four hundred years ago.... Will it be the same in future? Will the prized treasures of today always be the cheap trifles of the day before?" What follows next is the protagonist's take on the value of a china dog ornament in two hundred years' time; it is so comically worded that it sends me into fits of laughter.

Another excellent example is the maze incident at Hampton Court. I will not quote anything here for it is too long a many pages to quote. But I will say, it is definitely a hilarious maze experience by Harris, one of the three men in the boat. It is a must-read near the end of chapter six. I shall stop with this last example as there are simply too many to bring out here. Well, the few examples I listed down may not seem funny to some of you here because they aren't read in context. So, what I am trying to say is, you have got to read the book.

Besides the entertaining narratives of the river adventure, there are also history to be learned as well as additional knowledge on some quaint, old-world inns up the River Thames. This book is, after all, written with the original purpose of advertising travel by describing the journey and scenery on the River Thames. In the end, the author's lighthearted narratives took over the descriptions to become a slice of life.

I cannot be more glad to have bought Three Men in a Boat and even more so, kickstart the New Year with this delightful book that says a lot without really saying a lot. I hope this first book of the year is an indication of what the Year 2023 has in store for me - all things lighthearted, smooth sailing and easy-going.

2022 Year in Review and 2023 New Year's Resolution

Another year has come and gone.

I read and reviewed a total of 31 books this year. Not very impressive, but that's pretty much my average these days.

Year 2022 @ 31 (-14 YOY)
Year 2021 @ 45 (-5 YOY)
Year 2020 @ 50 (+4 YOY)
Year 2019 @ 46 (-16 YOY)
Year 2018 @ 62 (+10 YOY)
Year 2017 @ 52 (■ YOY)
Year 2016 @ 52 (-22 YOY)
Year 2015 @ 74 (-23 YOY)
Year 2014 @ 97

Review: Before Your Memory Fades (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #3) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

4 stars for Before Your Memory Fades (Before the Coffee Gets Cold book 3) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi.

This post is an added bonus. I definitely did not expect it. And I surely did not foresee it. Even as I started out reading this book after Christmas Day, I expect to finish reading after New Year's Day. So, I am really happy to end the year with the exact same series that kicked off my reading this year - Before the Coffee Gets Cold. It's a great wrap-up!

Even though I read book 1 Before the Coffee Gets Cold and book 2 Tales from the Cafe in the beginning of this year - twelve months ago - it is not difficult to get into the story again as the author helps to refresh on the story and characters by his storytelling.

Before your Memory Fades is very much similar to the earlier two books, in that it is also about a time-travelling cafe and a heartwarming story on four customers. The only difference is the setting. Instead of Cafe Funiculi Funicular in Tokyo, it is now Cafe Donna Donna in Hakodate, Hokkaido. Initially, I am confused when I read about this second cafe, but soon, I realise the author has it all brilliantly worked out to connect it back to book 1.

This Coffee Gets Cold series is about a strange urban legend attached to a particular seat in the cafe - it allows the person sitting in this seat to time travel, to the past or to the future. There are some strange rules to follow regarding who can pour the time-travelling coffee for the customer who decides to sit in this time-travelling chair.

One important rule while being back to the past is that, you cannot change the present, no matter how hard you try. So, one may ask "What use is the time-travelling if you cannot change the present?" But the thing is, some things change, even if the present reality does not. This book is a good reminder to us on how important the ordinary life that we take for granted is, and how much happiness can be experienced from having someone you care about by your side. Sometimes, things that are put off saying until tomorrow are never said.

Reading this book makes me miss Hokkaido. Not only that, it makes me regret giving Hakodate a miss when I visited Hokkaido back in 2018. If I had visited Hakodate then, being a tourist, I would most likely have paid a visit to this very steep street where Cafe Donna Donna was located and so would have an inkling of how the scenes in this book play out.

If you could go back in time, who would you want to meet?

Review: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

4 stars for A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

It didn't seems possible at first that I will be able to squeeze in one last reading and a book review before the year is out. I started reading A Christmas Carol on Christmas Eve and somehow managed to finish the book at the stroke of midnight; Christmas Day! For that, I feel blessed to have made it.

I am pretty sure most, if not all, of you have read or heard or even watched A Christmas Carol. It is after all, a well-known classic novel by Charles Dickens. I am embarrassed to say that this is my first time reading this timeless story though I have watched the show once. But well, as the saying goes "better late than never".

This book is a celebration of human kindness. It is so well-liked that the book has become an important part of a traditional English Christmas. I hope I can start my own tradition of reading this book during the Christmas season every year henceforth.

The story is about an old mean man, Ebenezer Scrooge, who has no place in his heart for others. One freezing cold Christmas Eve, the ghost of an old friend paid him a visit and told him he will be haunted by three spirits. The first is the Ghost of Christmas Past who showed Scrooge shadows of the things that have been. The second is the Ghost of Christmas Present. The third is the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come who showed Scrooge shadows of the things that have not happened, but will happen in the time before him. By visiting his past, present and future, something amazing happens within Scrooge.

This is a most apt book to read on a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. It teaches us to be happy, grateful and to be contented with time.

..And because the book I bought - from The Green Grocer bookstore while on a vacation in Melbourne, Australia - is a Puffin Classics, the adventure isn't over when I reach the final page. I love it that there are still more interesting things to discover about the author and the characters and their worlds as I continue to flip the pages - author file, who's who in A Christmas Carol, some things to think about, a Victorian Christmas and a Dickensian glossary.

Review: The Christmas Invitation by Trisha Ashley

5 stars for The Christmas Invitation by Trisha Ashley.

This is a lovely family Christmas story. It tells of Christmas being a magical time that starts with the Winter Solstice ceremony in late December, followed by community gatherings and family get-togethers.

The story centers around two main characters, Clara and Meg. It starts off with the reminiscing of the writing of a brief autobiographical note by professor-author Clara Mayhem Doome which then evolves into a first-person narrative by Meg, a 36-year-old portrait painter. Meg is down with pneumonia and been away from home for the last two months at the Farm convalescing. She receives a job offer from Clara to paint a portrait commission the moment she reaches home.

The story made an indelible impression on me. Not only is it written with a good dose of humor, but the descriptions are also cleverly put across to help readers in visualizing the scene such that the characters leap out of the pages, wholesome and vibrant. I love reading about the ancient tradition and roots, and the ceremony that takes place on the night of the Winter Solstice that involves participation of old local families and bonfire. It is not just a festive story about traditions, family Christmas and Christmas shopping - choosing a good Christmas tree, putting it up at home and decorating it with antique and vintage glass baubles - it is also a story about art and craft, of portrait painting, pots making, clay mixing, and firing kiln.

At the base of it all, The Christmas Invitation is a story about love lost and found. What I like most about this storytelling is that the author does not harp on the romance portion but spread good cheer on family relationships and traditions, and even throws in a family secret of epic proportion which feels like an added bonus.

It is not easy to find a Christmas-themed story and to enjoy reading it. I am glad to have this heartwarming and delightful story to keep me cozy during this Christmas season.

Crochet: Shawl: Sigrid Shawl (Yellow)

Action speaks louder than words. It goes to show how much I adore this Sigrid Shawl pattern that I crochet a shawl with this pattern again. My first Sigrid Shawl of pink gradient was completed in June 2021. Less than two years later, here I am, with a yellow gradient yarn cake doing pretty much everything all over again. The only exception is the tension; I ease up on the tension, and to my delight, I find it makes a whole lot of difference to how much better the shawl turns out to be.

Actually, I never expect myself to crochet with this pattern again because there are so many variations of shawl patterns available out there for me to try my hands on. But this is a really lovely pattern that is not just pleasing to the eyes but one that goes easy on the fingers and memory too as it employs mainly half double crochet and some double crochet. It took me close to eight weeks to complete this project, having started it on 1st November and completed it just today.

This Sigrid Shawl is a work of art. It is brilliantly created by My Crochetory to provide both familiarity and variety to keep the person working on it relaxed and entertained at the same time. If you are looking to crochet a shawl with a meditative stitch pattern but one that is not so repetitive as to be boring, this is the one for you.

Review: Dead Silence by S. A. Barnes

3 stars for Dead Silence by S. A. Barnes.

I have always been on the lookout for a good science fiction story. I cannot remember where and how I came across this book but it must have been raved about by someone or many someones, such that it captured my attention enough for me to add it to my reading list.

This book is all about space travel, space disaster and space mysteries. A team of five, led by 33-year old Claire Kovalik, detects a ghost signal on an old emergency channel while on an assignment to fix the last of the commweb beacons in sector K127. Well, what happens next is rather predictable as there will be no story to tell if this small commweb maintenance team does not check it out. As it is, bulk of the story is the grisly account of their findings of the Aurora, the famous luxury space cruiser that went missing twenty years ago with five hundred passengers and a hundred and fifty crew on its maiden voyage for a tour of the solar system.

I enjoy reading this first person story even though it is revealed right from the start that there is only one survivor - the narrator. The writing is good, the world building is fascinating and the plot flows fluidly. Above all, there is much mystery surrounding the protagonist and the adventure and unchartered space territory that she is leading her team into. The protagonist, Claire, is not just a survivor in this ill-fated expedition, she is also the only survivor in a previous incident that happened at the Ferris Outpost years ago. This alone shroud the protagonist in darkness and puzzlement as she suffers constantly from terrifying hallucinations with memories and visions all jumbled up.

This novel reminds me of the 1997 science fiction horror film, Event Horizon. Though it's been more than twenty years, I still remember watching this movie in the theatre and loving the storyline much. Event Horizon is about space adventure and exploration. The crew members all take turns to hallucinate in the abandoned aircraft they found. As I read on, I am progressively affected by the uncanny similarites between the movie Event Horzion and this book Dead Silence. There was also a Claire in the movie though I cannot recall if she was a main or side character. Seriously, what's the odds of a movie character having the same name as the protagonist in this book? Perhaps this book is somewhat a tribute to that motion picture? The more I read, the less impressed I am with the story and plot developments. Of course, this could all be a coincidence but somehow, it cast the story in the shadow of the old movie and the book comes across as less original after that.

I have other gripes. One, a character that is terrible and horrible to the extreme. In reality, no one person is completely good or totally bad. Though I understand the need for such a character, one so rotten to the core does not do justice to the entire story. Two, unnecessary repetition. Three, long-winded at times. These are minor gripes, however.

On the whole, Dead Silence is a worthwhile piece of work. It is not exactly what I expected but it is good fun reading this spooky science fiction novel.