Aicha Amano

The feeling of losing sleep, choosing to read despite it all, engrossed and brain all disheveled with so much thoughts about different things that all circle around one topic. This book by Yamaaki Doton, though in Manga (Japanese comics) form, is not your average light novel. This is a very dark book. As dark as its own book cover. I'd like to offer the warning that this post contains a lot of spoilers as well as personal ideas about the central message of the book and what it forced me to think about. The main topic is death, the treatment of death, trauma, coping and loss. Note:   If you do read the images that I uploaded for you, make sure that you remember it is read from RIGHT TO LEFT , like traditional Japanese books. Breathe Deeply by Yamaaki Doton A battle ensues over life and death, belief and science, ethics and progress. Two boys, Sei and Oishi, fall madly in love with Yuko. Her loss wreaks havoc in their young lives, bitter memories cease to fade, and...

Before January ends, I want to share with you guys some books that I'm reading lately. It's ironic to note that I'm reading three books, almost juggling them, to use the term lightly. I used to think that  a person should only read a book one at a time, to give the story justice and to give the characters their time to grow on you and to feel the threading of the storyline and one's daily life. But time has been such a commodity lately. It's a currency with a very high trade off so since it's very precious I only trade it off with the most pressing of tasks. Well, anyway, so much for that tired old excuse right? My January reads are pretty diverse, if I do say so myself. I love that all these books were either lent or given to me. It makes it all the more special to end the first month of the new year! It's Like This Cat by Emily Neville Fresh and full of insightful adventures, this story by Emily Neville is an engaging read. It is a YA novel ...

Arriving all the way from USA, I had a tiny traveler plop down right in front of my desk. The moment I held the book, I immediately focused long and hard on the book cover. I've had my small share of contemporary Japanese novels and each had very interesting designs, but not one is as gently arresting as this Schoolgirl by Osamu Dazai published by One Peace Books . Soft yet stark. I'm not one to judge a book by its cover, but it certainly is a good way to hold the interest of the readers. A closer look at the cover would remind one of things that are "beautiful in its simplicity". Everybody knows the Japanese aesthetics, a "set of ancient ideals that include wabi (transient and stark beauty), sabi (the beauty of natural patina and aging), and yûgen (profound grace and subtlety). * " Reflecting at these values, it's wonderful to observe how the cover follows the flow of wabi and yugen, isn't it? But a book should offer more than...

I've been slacking off in the blogging department but let it not be said that I remain the same when it comes to reading books! I am currently reading Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino , who may have just earned a spot in my very exclusive Favorite Author's list. :) Read my earlier review about her novel, Out by Natsuo Kirino . I haven't finished reading the entire thing yet, but my interest is very piqued! The book starts in a bizzare narrative tone: a woman looking at men and herself in terms of how their baby would look like. She dissects a man's wide nose, another's strong chin, a male neighbor's beady eyes, or her co-worker's pudgy stature and matches it with her own appearance, to create the image of how their son or daughter would look like if they would ever have one, however unlikely it might be. But she continues to narrate and introduce us to the life of a "halfsie" in contemporary Japan. Most of us have the idea that a mixed race offs...