The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

This novel been in my digital Calibre TBR since 2011. I forgot about it and have not heard many people discuss it recently. A few months ago, a friend of ours heard I liked books and gifted to this to me not knowing that I knew about it. She also had not read it yet. This was very lovely Vintage Classics edition and I’m grateful to have it. This was probably one of the best Japanese novels that I’ve read this year and I have read more Japanese translated fiction this year than any others.

It is the story of a single mother who becomes a housekeepr to a math professor. The professor has a memory of only 80 mins due to a car accident. The housekeeper and her son soon become friends with the professor. It’s a found family story which is simple, pure and utterly lovely. I was moved and I did cry a little. There is a lot of math which went over my head, but other than that, wonderfully written. Great translation.

October 26, 2024.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Diskin Clay (Introduction), Martin Hammond (Translator), Richard Armitage (Narrator)

Recently, I have become interested in Stoicism. I have wanted to read Meditations for awhile and I found this audiobook narrated by Richard Armitage. I enjoyed most aspects of this work and I need to reread it in print to absorb some of the meditations. I liked it on the whole and will move onto other stoics.

1.3x. October 21-27, 2024.

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

Narrated by the author. This was funny and reflective. The author and I are different people except we are of similar age and were living in London in the late aughts. I did not party as much and have less life experiences in some way. I found this well written and engaging. The time flew by with the audiobook over a few days. She was relatable as she tried to navigate her mental health journey and therapy.

1.25x. October 28-30, 2024.