SVong-Along

"Most human activities are predicated on the assumption that life goes on. If you take that premise away, what is there left?" Haruki Murakami explores this theme in the very strange but fascinating  Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.  Murakami draws readers into a "narrative particle accelerator in which a split-brained data processor, a deranged scientist, his undemure granddaughter, Bob Dylan, and various thugs, librarians, and subterranean monsters collide to dazzling effect." The book is definitely a trip - taking you from the mind of a seemingly normal, nameless man who talks about mundane (but relatable things) such as couch shopping, to dealing with the Yakuza (mafia) and avoiding demons in the sewer. What I enjoyed most was the immersive narrating with random details, and unraveling the mystery/how the storyline eventually made sense. Murakami adds such relatable notes of nostalgia- i.e. bringing up memories of how library books had t...

Men Without Women is a set of 7 short stories following Men Without Women. In each story, Haruki  Murakami explores the thoughts and lives of a man who is alone because they somehow lost a loved one- through death or due to her leaving him. The book basically pays homage to Ernest Hemingway's same titled short story collection (which I have not read)- but with stories taking place mostly in Japan and I'm assuming a more modern perspective since the collection is from 2014 but it was not translated and published in English until 2018. As a Murakami fan, the writing style was what I expected- whimsical, almost stream-of-consciousness in a way that really makes you empathize with the narrator of each story. Murakami explores various roles such as doctors, students, actors, lovers, and is able to relate everyday themes we think about- work, relationships, and sex, and delve into how these themes play into our lives. I finished reading the stories in less than a week while I wa...

I've been seeing a few "Memories" re: the 2013 LA Marathon, and I thought about you because you were one of the main reasons and inspiration for me to run it that year. I originally wanted to just do half marathons because of Lindsey Ngo running the Disney half, and never thought I would push my physical limits to (mostly) run 26.2 miles. Maybe that's also why I decided to read the Haruki Murakami book " What I Talk About When I Talk About Running ," which I think you would appreciate as a runner (and maybe you can copy some of his routes along the Meiji Jingu Gaien, though I have no idea how far away you are from there.) Or it might even inspire you to write about your own running journey [all in one story rather than scattered blog posts, or it could even be a blog post!] I can't believe it has been almost 6 years since the OC half (my first half ever), and although my cardio is unlikely to return to that level, it's great to see your physic...

(Updated 8.30.18) Reading is something I'm trying to do more of to increase my intelligence, de-stress/entertain myself, and general self-help/improvement. I'm trying to read more books [as one of my #30goalsbefore30 is to read a book a month for the next 30 months], but open to articles and blogs as well. Sometimes it's hard to make time to read for leisure when most of my work is reading (in the past year I've read over 300,000 pages in case files), and there's no real pressure [aka reading in law school to not look dumb when on-call.] Publishing a goal and reviewing each book I read helps make me more accountable, and I hope to have a record of what I've added to my literary repertoire. Here's what I've read since starting my goals December 2017: Modern Romance - Aziz Ansari The Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg Option B - Sheryl Sandberg  What I Talk About When I talk About Running - Haruki Murakami  Currently, I'm reading Never...

I love Haruki Murakami's writing. I first read Kafka on the Shore in college, and since then, I've read at least one of his novels every year or every other year. His stories are a mind trip and his writing style is compelling, simple, yet sophisticated and whimsical. He is a master of description and his use of similes is incomparable. While known for his fiction, I borrowed an e-book version of What I Talk About When I Talk About Running because of my fondness of Murakami's writing and because it's not super long and something I could finish in less than a month. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is a memoir that literally talks about Murakami's long-distance running. While running and training for the New York marathon is the main theme, there are several complementary side-stories: how he wrote his acclaimed novels, life in Japan compared to Hawaii and Cambridge, and lecturing to college students. He discusses details of his personal life from su...