Sayaka Murata

  • Five mind-bending books for spooky season

    We are now entering spooky season, as we get close to Halloween and immerse ourselves in the fall spirit. In honour of spooky season, I’ll be sharing a variety of books that could be considered “spooky” either by having supernatural elements or being in the realm of thriller or horror genres. Enjoy! Once again, we’re…

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  • Infecting each other

    This is a quote from the book Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, translated from the Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori. Have you read this book? I’d love to hear your thoughts in a comment below! If you’re interested, you can read an excerpt from the book here. Convenience Store Woman – Summary Here is…

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  • My present self

    Excerpt from Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata This is an excerpt from the book Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, translated from the Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori. “My present self is formed almost completely of the people around me. I am currently made up of 30 percent Mrs. Izumi, 30 percent Sugawara, 20…

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  • Five books that may make you question reality

    We are not entering spooky season, as we get close to Halloween and immerse ourselves in the fall spirit. In honour of spooky season, I’ll be sharing a variety of books that could be considered “spooky” either by having supernatural elements or having thriller/horror elements. Enjoy! For this week, I wanted to share some fiction…

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  • Beloved Uncle

    This is a quote from the book Earthlings by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori. Have you read this book? I’d love to hear your thoughts in a comment below! If you’re interested, you can read an excerpt from the book here. Earthlings – Summary Here is the book summary from Goodreads: Natsuki isn’t…

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  • Welcome to Akishina!

    Excerpt from Earthlings by Sayaka Murata This is an excerpt from the book Earthlings by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori. Uncle Teruyoshi was waiting at the ticket gate when we arrived at Nagano Station. “Thank you for going to the trouble of coming out to meet us,” I said. His hair was now…

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  • Women in Translation: 5 books to read from North/East Asia

    This month, August, is a chance to celebrate women in translation, specifically women authors who’s works have been translated. There’s so much good translated literature out there. For this month, I’ll be sharing some inspiration for women authors from around the world who have had their work translated into English. I know a lot of…

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  • The long-forgotten silence

    This is a quote from the book Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, translated from the Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori. Have you read this book? I’d love to hear your thoughts in a comment below! If you’re interested, you can read an excerpt from the book here. Convenience Store Woman – Summary Here is…

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  • A convenience store is a world of sound

    Excerpt from Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata This is an excerpt from the book Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, translated from the Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori. A convenience store is a world of sound. From the tinkle of the door chime to the voices of TV celebrities advertising new products over the…

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  • On the way to Granny’s house

    Excerpt from Earthlings by Sayaka Murata This is an excerpt from the book Earthlings by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori. Deep in the mountains of Akishina where Granny and Grandpa live, fragments of night linger even at midday. As we wound our way up steep hairpin bends, I gazed out the window at…

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