Book Review Diary of a Mad Old Man by Junichiro Tanizaki

Book Review – Diary of a Mad Old Man by Junichiro Tanizaki

Author: Junichiro Tanizaki


Translator: Howard Hibbert


Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1988.


ISBN: 019-282137-7 Pages: 177






Insights into the challenges of aging in Japan






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A light funny and insightful novel that reveals the daily diary of a seventy seven year old gentleman and the challenges of old age as he battles pains and aches in his arms and legs and the effects of a mild stroke.






His obsession with his son’s wife adds a spice to the story as he tries to find situations where he can be with here, touch her and instruct her to do things he desires.






While his wife and family look on and don’t blink at his sexual desires and continue on unabated.






We learn of the complexities of family life and the strained relationships between siblings, husband and wife and the staff who assist the family such as a live in nurse.

Book Review – Diary of a Mad Old Man by Junichiro Tanizaki

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Book Review The Buddha Tree by Fumio Niwa

Book Review – The Buddha Tree by Fumio Niwa

Author: Fumio Niwa


Translator: Kenneth Strong


Publisher: Charles Tuttle, Tokyo, Japan.1968


ISBN: 0-8048-0995-X Pages: 380




Life inside a Buddhist Temple



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Set in a rural town in Japan, a priest of a historic temple finds himself in a spot of trouble that has built itself up over a number of years and he now is faced to deal with it. A strong set of characters build the scene and plot.

We learn the inner workings of a Buddhist temple, how people live, their daily life and the jobs involved with the temple and the interaction with parishioners. We gain a snapshot of Japanese culture, customs and rituals and the norms of the period.

A light novel that will keep your interest as you learn about people, institutions, customs and culture in a warm, charming way. Fumio Niwa is a great storyteller.

       

Book Review – The Buddha Tree by Fumio Niwa

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Book Review Beyond The Curve by Kobo Abe

Book Review

Beyond The Curve by Kobo Abe

Book Review – Beyond the Curve by Kobo Abe

Author: Kobo Abe

Translator: Juliet Winters Carpenter

Publisher: Kodansha Amer Inc (February 1993)

ISBN: 978-4770016904 Pages: 248



A powerful selection of short stories



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A superb collection of twelve short stories by the master writer Kobo Abe. The book starts with “An irrelevant death” when a man finds a dead body in his room in a boarding house and we have a front row view of his thought processes as he decides what to do in Japan. In the West we would just call the police. In “The crime of S. Karma” we learn about the life of a insurance salesman who loses his identity to his business card. The story “Dendrocacalia” shares what it is like for a man who once a year transforms into a plant and the anguish he faces.



Standout stories include: “Record of a transformation” about the horror of war but not as you may think and “Intruders” which is simple but shockingly powerful in its reality, “The Bet” where an architect learns first hand the intricate requirements of a client by visiting his office which is just hilarious.



If you enjoy the work of Kobo Abe you will definitely enjoy this new collection of English language translated short stories.

Book Review – Beyond the Curve by Kobo Abe

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Editorial Review Evil and The Mask by Fuminori Nakamura

Editorial Review 

Evil and The Mask by Fuminori Nakamura

"The second book by prize-winning Japanese novelist Fuminori Nakamura to be available in English translation, a follow-up to 2012's critically acclaimed The Thief─another fantastically creepy, electric literary thriller that explores the limits of human depravity─and the powerful human instinct to resist evil.

When Fumihiro Kuki is eleven years old, his elderly, enigmatic father calls him into his study for a meeting. "I created you to be a cancer on the world," his father tells him. It is a tradition in their wealthy family: a patriarch, when reaching the end of his life, will beget one last child to cause misery in a world that cannot be controlled or saved. From this point on, Fumihiro will be specially educated to learn to create as much destruction and unhappiness in the world around him as a single person can. 

Between his education in hedonism and his family's resources, Fumihiro's life is one without repercussions. Every door is open to him, for he need obey no laws and may live out any fantasy he might have, no matter how many people are hurt in the process. But as his education progresses, Fumihiro begins to question his father's mandate, and starts to resist."

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Book Review: From the Fatherland with Love by Ryu Murakami

Book Review

From the Fatherland with Love by Ryu Murakami

Author: Ryu Murakami

Translated by: Ralph McCarthy, Charles De Wolf and Ginny Tapley Takemori

Publisher: Pushkin Press, London, UK .2013

ISBN: 978-1-908968-49-4

Pages: 668

Action, intrigue and powerful characters in a futuristic story

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Ryu Murakami’s novel is one that I would love to see be made into a big screen movie, if It was I would imagine it would be like a Japanese version of a Die Hard movie with the characters of the Expendables fighting a rogue team to save their own country.

With an enormous cast of seventy five characters Murakami takes us on a fictional adventure set in Fukuoka, a large city on the southern island of Kyushu in Japan.

Researched to get the background, characters and set the scene he has created a detailed, action novel that will engage, inform and entertain the reader.

A rag - tag team of specialists live in an abandoned are of Fukuoka without the knowledge of the authorities as they have no certificate of residence. Left to their own devices over a number of years they have honed their skills and have been quietly and waiting for an opportunity to be of use to society. A change of circumstance occurs in their very city and they rise to the challenge

A slick, fast moving futuristic story with likeable characters, a story line interweaved with places, people and history. It has all the hallmarks you expect from a Ryu Murakami novel. Can’t wait for the movie version!

Book Review 

From the Fatherland with Love by Ryu Murakami

Book Review - The Memory Book By Jerry Lucas

Book  Review – The Memory Book

Author: Jerry Lucas & Harold Lorayne

Publisher: Ballantine, Random House, New York, USA, 1974.

ISBN: 0-345-33758-1

Pages: 206.

An essential tool for improving your memory

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The book opens with a foreword from Jerry Lucas who recalls his childhood, how Harold Lorayne was one of his idols and how he used his memory methods at school and did very well in his grades. The book is a series of 27 chapters that recall the first meeting between the two and cover a wide range of topics, insights, practical exercises & techniques

Anyone who reads the book will benefit as the skills will enhance your everyday life skills. For language learners chapter 7 has some great techniques.

“where memory is concerned, an entity consists of two things.. a definition or meaning to a word” p 39

“…foreign word is changed to a definite tangible picture in the mind”

Positives

* It is a paperback so it is small, light & easy to carry meaning that you can read it anywhere.

* The book gets started early with simple, easy to understand, practical memory skills

* Good range of topics & techniques – tips for putting names to faces, remembering speeches and important information.

Negatives

* Not enough time to read, practice & fully explore all that is in this book

Summary

* A very useful, practical & simple way to improve your memory. Techniques are easy to apply and use in your daily life

Book  Review – The Memory Book

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