Nihon No Kinyoubi (15) Review: Kwaidan by Lafcadio Hearn

Nihon no Kinyoubi (Japanese Friday) is a weekly feature here at Brizmus Blogs Books inspired by French Friday, which is a weekly feature hosted by Charlotte at the Book on the Hill. Charlotte features French bookish things, and I plan on featuring Japanese bookish things, though I won't limit myself if I find something non-bookish that I think will interest you guys.

This week I thought I would treat you guys to a review of a book of Japanese stories that I absolutely loved! Since it's close to Halloween, I think it's especially appropriate!!

Title: Kwaidan

Author: Lafcadio Hearn

Rating: 1/2

Who Should Read It? This is a fabulous book for anyone interested in ghost stories or Japan!

What I Have to Say:
Kwaidan is a beautiful selection of Japanese ghost stories; some of them are horrifying, some of them are touching, and all of them provide an intricate look into the many subtleties that make up the Japanese culture. I am greatly enjoyed each and every story in this book, and each of them I enjoyed for different reasons. Some of the stories were translations of old Japanese texts wheras, for others, this book was the first place they were ever written. The author heard them while traveling through small-town Japan and enjoyed them so much that he transcribed them. Because of this, it is somewhat difficult to write a real review. The stories are not his; they aren't even retellings, but the author does an amazing job of transcribing/translating them and making them his own. Obviously, some things are lost in translation, but the author did a great job of minimalizing this loss, and I really feel like I got the full effect of what was originally being said.

At the end of this book, there was a brief study of insects in relation to Japanese culture which I found absolutely FASCINATING. I found the sections on ants and butterflies to be especially enjoyable (though I should perhaps note that I am slightly obsessed with ants). The chosen poems and texts along with the author's observations and commentary gave me great insight as to the roles that insects played (and insects are VERY prominent in Japan) in ancient Japan.

I GREATLY enjoyed this book (and learned a lot!), and, for the first time in a very long time, I found myself so enraptured that I couldn't stop myself from staying up into the wee hours of the morning reading. I highly recommend this selection of stories to anyone who is even remotely interested in Japanese culture.

Summary: KWAIDAN is a collection of weird, ghostly legends and beliefs of old Japan. Hearn spent 14 years in Japan, translating into English with superb effect the atmosphere of the tales which he avidly collected.

Based on Japanese literature and folklore, KWAIDAN contains 17 stories. The stories of Loichi, the blind biwa player who was called to perform for the dead; of Muso, the journeying priest who encountered a man-eating goblin; of the samurai who outwitted the ghost of a dead man. All these plus 14 other spooky tales are included in this collection.

Cover Story: It's so creepy and Japanesey and perfect! I absolutely LOVE it! With a capital heart! :-)

C'est La Folie by Michael Wright

Title: C'est La Folie

Author: Michael Wright

Rating:

Who Should Read It? If you have any interest in life in France, with a little bit of humour and a lot of heart, this is the perfect book for you!

What I Have to Say:
Well, I would say that Michael Wright is back in all his glory, because for me he is. But given that this is actually his first book about his life at La Folie, and the first book I read was the second, technically he's not back.
With all of the same places and characters I grew to love in Je T'aime A La Folie, it certainly felt like I was thrown back into a world that I had already grown to love.

C'est La Folie is the endearing story of a man who, on what seems like a whim, decides to move to the middle of nowhere France. He's looking for adventure, and he's on a quest to become a hero, even though it seems to me he's already somewhat of a hero. I guess it just depends on your definition of hero.

Oddly enough, the bulk of this book actually seems to be about the renovations of his home and the raising of his animals, which in and of itself doesn't sound all that appealing. And yet - he has laced each and every fabulous tale that he has to tell (don't go thinking from that statement that this book reads like a book of short stories - it so doesn't; it is a strong, full-fledged novel) with just enough humour and self-mockery so as to make nearly passage laugh out loud funny. Or, at the very least, lamentably painful, as the reader can so easily relate to some of his horror stories. It was great for me to get to know some of the characters from the first book as Michael saw them when he originally met them. And, though I didn't think it possible, I found myself even more attached to his wonderful sheep and chickens!

Michael's writing is fluid, endearing, enjoyable, and, did I mention, FUNNY! After living in France for three years, I really thought there was nothing that could make me want to move back, but this wonderful travel story has me craving to live somewhere in "deepest, darkest France." I'm now convinced that it really must have just been Paris.

The only real problem that I had with this book was the somewhat vivid descriptions of animal husbandry and animal killing (okay, so the killing descriptions weren't really THAT vivid, but they were still too vivid for me). I really would have rathered NOT know that he killed chickens, etc. . . The book would have been wonderful and the perfect length if he had just left those parts out.

Anyhow, wonderful and wonderfully endearing travel memoir, and it comes heartily recommended here at Brizmus Blogs Books. If you have any interest in France, read this book, and I promise, you won't be disappointed!

Summary: In 2004, Michael Wright turned his back on Blighty to begin a new life as the owner of a dilapidated 15th century farmhouse called "La Folie". This is a comic memoir about a clinically social bloke rejecting the world of parties and attempting to learn how to become an old-fashioned man.

Cover Story: Once again, and adorably whimsically wonderful cover to fit an adorably whimsically wonderful book!

Thanks so much to Elizabeth at Transworld books for sending me a review copy of this book! This in no way affected my review!

Things I Love As Much as Books (11)

So, I think it's a given that I love to read. Don't we all?
The thing is, though, there are a TON of other things in my life that I love just as much as reading. Sure, most of these things aren't as constant as reading, but they count just as much in my life when I'm loving them.
SO, I decided to start this weekly feature in which I write a short post about something in my life that I am loving just as much as reading!

So I have fallen in love.

With a jacket.

I am serious, this is THE most amazing jacket I have ever seen. I walked into the store and found myself DRAWN to it, and then I just had to stare at it. And stare some more. And then a little more.

And then come home and search and search until I found it on the internet.

Annnnnnd, unfortunately my computer is not presently letting me upload photos, so you'll just have to go to the website to see how wonderful it is I'll come back and post the picture when I can.

Have you looked? Isn't it FABULOUS!

There's three colors - white, pink, and black, and I ADORE them all, and I WILL have this jacket someday, but I absolutely CAN'T decide which color I need. What do you guys think? Which color do you like best?

Review: Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Title: Mini Shopaholic

Author: Sophie Kinsella

Rating:

Who Should Read It? This is a great book for fans of Sophie Kinsella and the Shopaholic series. While I ADORED this book (enough to give it 5 stars!), I think it's best to already have a reading relationship with Becky before reading it as, well, she is SLIGHTLY neurotic. :-)

What I Have to Say:
I hate this book. Why?, you may wonder. Because I LOVED it so much. And now nothing seems to live up to it. I mean, I am enjoying the book I'm reading now, but I can't help but keep thinking "I WANT MORE BECKY BLOOMWOOD!" I love her! I love Sophie Kinsella, and it's possible that, aside some brief frustration in the beginning, this is THE best yet in the Shopaholic series.

In Mini Shopaholic, Becky Brandon (nee Bloomwood) is BACK and more compulsively crazier and fabulous than ever. Her antics are everything readers of the Shopaholic series have come to expect - and more. Especially now that she has her two year old, Minnie, growing up under her influence. While Minnie and Minnie's relationship with her mother are sometimes slightly frustrating (you're just going to have to read the book if you want to know why), will immediately hook the reader in and entertain them nonstop right up until the end.

Whoever decided that Becky should/could have children (perhaps Sophie Kinsella of herself!) must have been crazy - and brilliant. It is hilariously entertaining, and the background of the financial crisis and the big CB (cut back) just make it all the more so. In Mini Shopaholic, Kinsella has masterfully constructed a hilarious, crazy story that will leave you wanting more and feeling like you maybe got a little bit too much at the same time.

And that's really the only problem with this book. With Becky's crazy antics and Becky's mother's crazy antics and Minnie's crazy antics and Janice's crazy antics, it can sometimes be a bit much, and for people that aren't already familiar and in love with the Shopaholic series, I can see how it could be a bit difficult. Unless, you're perhaps a little bit crazy. And then you'll relate. Like I do.

Seriously, though, this book is good. And if you love the Shopaholic series, the chances of you continuing to love it with this book are high. It's fabulous! And trust be, you'll be losing sleep waiting for Sophie Kinsella to write the next book in the series! I can't wait!

Summary:While motherhood has been everything Becky dreamed it would be—Baby Dior, Little Marc Jacobs, and Dolce & Gabbana for toddlers—adorable Minnie is wreaking havoc everywhere she goes, from Harrods to her own christening. Her favorite word is “MINE!” and her penchant for Balenciaga bags, Chanel sunglasses, and online purchases has no rival under age five.

Becky is at her wits end. On top of this, she and her husband Luke are still living with her parents. Thankfully it appears house buying attempt number four is a go! Until a huge financial crisis causes panic everywhere, and nobody wants to shop—not Becky’s personal shopping clientele, not her friends, nobody. And with Luke in the doldrums, it’s time for Becky to step in—with a party: A surprise birthday party for Luke (on a budget) is the perfect antidote to everyone’s woes. At first.

Will Becky manage to keep the party of the year a surprise? Can she hire jugglers, fire-eaters, and acrobats at a discount? Will enlisting the help of Luke’s unflappable assistant to convince him to have another baby realize her dream of matching pom-poms? Will Minnie find a new outlet for her energetic and spirited nature (perhaps one with sixty percent markdowns)? She is, after all, a chip off the old shopping block. And everyone knows a committed shopper always finds a way.

Cover Story: I think both the British and the American covers are adorable - exactly what a Shopaholic series book needs!

Disclosure: THanks so much to Elizabeth of Transworld Books for sending me a review copy of this book! It in no way affected my review of this book.

CSN Winner!

Okay, so I know I know, I'm super slow, as this closed over a week ago, but I've FINALLY found time to announce that the winner of a $50 gift certificate to be used at any of the amazing CSN Stores, picked by random.org, is

TARA!!!!

Congratulations, Tara! I've sent you an e-mail.

Nihon No Kinyoubi (14)

Nihon no Kinyoubi (Japanese Friday) is a weekly feature here at Brizmus Blogs Books inspired by French Friday, which is a weekly feature hosted by Charlotte at the Book on the Hill. Charlotte features French bookish things, and I plan on featuring Japanese bookish things, though I won't limit myself if I find something non-bookish that I think will interest you guys.

So, if you'll recall, last week I posted the number one book in literature for the week.

Well, I got some interesting comments on it. The first of which is that a better translation of the title would be "What if the female manager of the high school baseball team read 'Drucker's Management?'." And it totally is. I somehow had added a word to the end of the Japanese title that wasn't actually there, and now that it's gone, it makes so much more sense.

So there.

The other is that, apparently, someone has translated the first chapter, and the translation can be found HERE.

I would highly recommend going to check it out, as it is quite interesting, I find, so see what the Japanese are interested in right now, especially as it's so different from what the English speaking part of the world seems to be interested in.

And that's it for this week.

Enjoy!

Review: Soulless by Gail Carriger

Title: Soulless

Author: Gail Carriger

Rating:

Who Should Read It? Anyone into steampunk or quirk or hideous hats and parasols. This book is ace!

What I Have to Say: So while this wasn't my first foray into steampunk, it was my first foray into the genre known as steampunk romance, and let me just say: thank goodness I didn't let that little word "romance" scare me.
THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!
Seriously.

Everything about this book is quirky and exciting. It is the quirkiness, I think, that makes this book so unique, and the non-stop excitement that makes this book so fabulous.

I'm not usually one to go in for British humour (seriously - all those books like Georgia Nicholson that everyone think are HILARIOUS usually do little more than just annoy me), but somehow the humour in this book (and the occasional degrading of Americans and Italians) had me laughing out loud on a regular basis.
For someone without a soul, Alexia Tarabotti sure brings a lot of soul to this book - she is fun, quirky, strong-willed, opinionated, intelligent - put all of this together, and you've got the perfect narrator for a book including flamingly gay vampires, scruffy, uncontrollable werewolves, useful parasols, and hideous hats.

Of course, I think one of the reasons that I liked this book so much is that I really enjoy a lot of build-up before any real action happens. And while I do ENJOY action, if it's not done PERFECTLY, I sort of just glaze over it. This book is not lacking in build up. I have heard a lot of people say that it is slow to get started, and while I don't agree, I can understand where they're coming from. ESPECIALLY if you're not used to reading things with lots of language and words that you might not understand (and therefore having to read through all of the descriptions). Even if you're not like me, though, once this book finally does get moving, it's fabulousness does not stop. And there is plenty of action and quirk hiding at every twist and turn for those of you out there that are action addicted. Who can help but love a heroine who will, no matter what the cost, have her tea?

My biggest problem with this book was the occasional slightly racy love scene. I know people like me are few and far between, but reading about "sex" really rubs me the wrong way. I mean, my favorite love stories in books are those that end with one, sweet kiss. Nothing more. And while Soulless is not over the top by any means, there's still a little more of that in it than would suit my tastes. That said, there is mega chemistry between the two love interests, and Carriger did an amazing job of building that up throughout the book.

So, in other words, if you're one of the few like me to be late in the reading of Soulless game, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!? Get yourself a copy now. You will not regret it.

Summary:Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

Cover Story: Honestly, it's the cover, more than the title or the summary or the reviews that I read, that originally had me wanting to read this book. There's something about the dress and the parasol and the hideous gray background that just scream interesting and exciting to me!