I love to read something short, like a novella or book of poetry, on Sunday mornings. I also love reading contemporary Japanese fiction about the everyday lives of people who are a couple steps away from mainstream. For example: Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata.

This novella is about a boy in fourth grade who has a crush on the sandwich lady at the grocery store. He is fascinated by her huge eyes with their ice blue eye shadow. His relationships at school are awkward, his mom is emotionally absent. The story really starts to pick up pace when a classmate reveals her secret obsession and gives him a gentle carpe diem nudge.

I love love love this fiction wave coming out of Japan at the moment. I have never been there, I don't have any Japanese friends, but it seems like Japanese culture makers are really embracing their oddities and trying to open up the idea that being off-beat is actually very normal. It's heartwarming to read stories about people coming to terms with their reality.