With travel, my reading decreased a lot in the second half of December.
The Makioka Sisters by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki with Edward G. Seidensticker (Translator)
I requested my husband buy this book for me for the holidays. I do not usually buy new books unless I love the book or the author. However, I really like these Vintage Japanese classics from Penguin and a book club friend loved this book. This novel was written and set before the start of the World War II in Japan. It’s about an upper middle class Japanese family of sisters whose overall fortunes have declined. It’s a book about change and adaptation. Each of the sisters is different and has their own distinct personality and worldview. I was impressed how well the author wrote them and found out afterwards they were all based on how his wife and her sisters. The husband of the lead narrator is based on the author. This novel was serialized in Japan during the war and ultimately censored for having too much “feminine” content during war time. Nothing much happens in this book and it has very little plot except as it is character focussed. It’s a slow novel which times would border on boring, but I still appreciated the slowness. It was nice to read slow books especially on vacation. I felt I got to know the characters and their changing world. The ending was slice of life and not unsatisfactory.
December 16-21, 2024.
The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford
I followed one book about one wealthy family in the interwar years with another. I found it difficult to select which books to read during my vacation. This was my first time trying Nancy Mitford and I have the second novel in this series. I did not expect it to be so light and breezy. At first, I found Linda and the Radletts annoying and privileged, but the writing was so jaunty and easygoing that I grew to like them. The narrator Fanny was fond of the characters and it showed. Mitford’s character work got better as the novel progressed and the tone was not too pithy. I grew to appreciate silly and earnest Linda. It was easy for me to pick up during Christmas week.
December 22-29, 2024 on Kobo Clara BW.
Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 1 Volume 3, by Miya Kazuki, Quof (translator), You Shiina (Illustrator)
This was my bed time read as I read the other two books above. This was the best book of Part 1 as Myne starts to learn more about her world and develops her relationships with her family and friends. Such a comfort.
December 16-31, 2024 on Kobo Clara BW.