I know, this book is so 5 years ago…ok, more like 8 years ago, but I’m only getting around to reading it now.
Kafka on the Shore is only my second Murakami book, 1Q84 being the first. I’m thinking I probably should have read this before 1Q84. Then again, if I read this first and didn’t really like it, I might never have read 1Q84 or his other works.
On my fifteenth birthday I’ll run away from home, journey to a far-off town, and live in a corner of a small library.
…I like it already!
The Book In My Bag:
The book that is in my bag for when I have to wait around somewhere is still The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks. A very thin collection of true and strange cases in the field of psychology / neurology. It’s a fascinating read about people with phantom limbs, people who see things that aren’t there, or people who don’t see things that are there, and a lot more.
I haven’t read Murakami yet but he’s on my list. He scares me a little.
lol….I know how you feel, but don’t be scared….take the plunge…you won’t regret it!
I only learned about Murakami two years ago, so I’m behind, too.
I really liked this one.
I’m about a hundred pages in and liking it so far
I’m fairly new to Murakami as well — I first read him in 2011 — but Kafka on the Shore is my second favorite of the four books I’ve read, after Norwegian Wood.
Oh…that’s good to know. I was thinking which of his books to read after Kafka on the Shore. So I guess I should think about reading Norwegian Wood next?
Norwegian Wood is very different from Kafka on the Shore (and 1Q84, I think, although I haven’t read it) in that it’s realistic, but it is really lovely
I was thinking I’d like to try reading a book of his that doesn’t use magical realism or isn’t in the realm of the metaphysical. I was thinking that maybe all his books were like that. Glad to know that it isn’t!
Yes, in terms of style and strangeness, I think 1Q84 is similar to Kafka….
Norwegian Wood would be a good choice then!
Thanks! I will make it my next Murakami book to read
There’s a movie of it too….I think I saw the trailer somewhere. But I’ll watch it only after I read the book.
I love Kafka on the Shore! And Norwegian Wood is so wonderful too, completely without any magical realism but beautiful.
Thanks! I will definitely give Norwegian Wood a try. I want to read a Murakami book that doesn’t have any magic and/or weird elements in it lol.
I haven’t read Murakami yet, but from what I understand, his books can get melancholy and thought provoking. Maybe I’d check them out sometime…
You should definitely try it out. Melancholy and thought-provoking, yes, but also strange and downright bizarre!! He’s very entertaining!
Kafka is my first Murakami book and I liked it straight away and it made me want to read more by him
Cool! So have you read a lot of his other works now?
I think I have read 4 or 5 so far