"And where does he now exist? Is this gentle and lovely being lost forever? Has this mind, so replete with ideas, imaginations fanciful and magnificent, which formed a world, whose existence depended on the life of its creator; -- has the mind perished? Does it now only exist in my memory? No, it is not thus; your form so divinely wrought, and beaming with beauty, has decayed, but your spirit still visits and consoles your unhappy friend."

I've had this book on my shelf forever and I'm so glad I finally read it. The prose is absolutely beautiful. It's certainly a spooky story, but it's also a commentary on the human condition. What does it mean to be alive? In the absence of companionship, how human can we actually be?

My only caveat to this book is that it's written in the style of many novels during this time--extremely narrative, recounting events in a passive style which can make it move a little slowly. It didn't make the book less enjoyable, just something to be aware of if you haven't read books from this time period before!

Read it in a day. Probably shouldn’t have read it in a day.

"The oppression of women knows no ethnic nor racial boundaries, true, but that does not mean it is identical within those differences. Nor do the reservoirs of ancient power know these boundaries. To deal with one without even alluding to the other is to distort our commonality as well as our difference."

Just an incredible book of essays. Deeply moving, this book forces you to be introspective and critically examine the world around you. Also, Audre Lorde's writing is so beautiful.

I usually start my reviews with one of my favorite quotes from the book I've just read, but I have to kick this review off by complaining. This is my first Murakami book and maybe I picked the wrong one to read as the first, but I don't believe the hype. Also, for those that have read Outline by Rachel Cusk (hi, Circle of Incoherent Ramblers!) this book is very much written in the same style.

Just 20 pages into the book, I was already deeply annoyed. To me, Takahashi reads like a Plato wannabe. Philosophizing for no reason, to a woman who does not seem eager to listen to him. And, no surprise, his takes are not that deep. Then on page 19, he had me cackling from the absurdity of his words:

"I wonder how it turns out that we all lead such different lives. Take you and your sister, for example. You're born to the same parents, you grow up in the same household, you're both girls. How do you end up with such wildly different personalities? At what point do you, like, go your separate ways? One puts on a bikini like little semaphore flags and lies by the pool looking sexy, and the other puts on her school bathing suit and swims her heart out like a dolphin..."

Excuse me, what????? Is this supposed to be deep? Maybe that's how Murakami intended this character to read, but I find it insufferable.

So at this point, I'm 20 pages in and I'm thinking "okay, it's still early. It can only go up from here, right?" Past Anna, you were mistaken. On page 23, Takahashi wants to know what book Mari is reading. He comments on how heavy the book is then says, "It's not the size book most girls carry around in their bags." Ah yes, if the sexy bikini/school bathing suit comparison wasn't enough, this line solidifies the "you're not like other girls" trope present throughout this book.

Maybe I'm misreading, but I'm pretty sure Mari is supposed to be the main character. But due to the level of narcissism present in Takahashi, he works hard to make himself the main character. And I don't like that. If this story had more of Mari and her sister, it would have been immensely better.

Similar to Cusk's Outline, there were moments that hit me full force. Shirakawa is obviously disgusting and when he speaks to his wife at 2:43am, the conversation they have is so sinister that I'm still thinking about it. She asks him what his "midnight snack" was--

"What'd you eat?"
"Oh. Chinese. Same as always. Keeps me full."
"Was it good?"
"Not especially."

My mouth fell open when I read this. I'm still rattled by it.

Overall, I'm highly displeased with this. I love Mari, with her Red Sox hat and books that are too big for women, but I think she should have a story with just her, her sister, and the Alphaville ladies.

2.5 stars.

"does my twisting body spell out Grace?"

The first half of this book was so boring that I was actually excited to get back to working on my essay. As with all poetry, it could just be a case of me missing the point. However, most of the writing in the first half of the book feels very contrived.

The reason for the two stars is solely due to Section 4 of the book. Here, Atwood's writing is entirely different and infinitely more genuine. It was a beautiful 15 pages or so, but ultimately this book was a letdown.

my favorite of the harry potter series.

I really enjoyed this! Super short and extremely informative. I don't know too much about medieval history, so this served as a very mini introduction to that period of history. I'll definitely be picking up more from the Very Short Introductions series.

"McQueen said, I'm not big on women looking naive. There is a hidden agenda in the fragility of romance."

"Now the mouth is back as bloody gash, a visible wound. This mouth bleeds over everything, cups, ice cream, table napkins, towels....We will leave our blood spoor behind us, to show we have been there....They all dripped blood over everything as they stalked sophisticatedly to their dooms. In their wake, lipstick traces on a cigarette stub; the perfect imprint, like half a heart, of a scarlet lower lip on a drained Martini glass; the telltale scarlet letter, A for adultery. On a shirt collar on the kitsch poetry of it all! ... The revival of red lipstick indicates, above all, I suppose that women's sense of security was transient."

This anthology blew me away. Aside from my passionate love for Alexander McQueen, I know next to nothing about fashion. This book was extremely approachable for someone who has never interacted with the subject of fashion. It's well-curated--every essay stood strong on its own but fit well with others in its grouping. I learned a lot and also found some recommendations for future reading on the subject!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Academic for an ARC of this book!

Mary Beard is an amazing scholar and this little manifesto was extremely thought-provoking. I may reread it this month, we'll see.

My claim to fame is that I once saw Mary Beard as I walked through Newnham College with a friend.

"Now I take a deeper breath. Readying myself, ready, faltering. My longing is pithed. It lies at hand, in words.

Turn up the halogen lamp. there's not enough light in this room.

Love, please go on writing. Your letters will always reach me. you can write me in your real, your littlest script. I will hold it to the light. I will magnify it with my love."

This is my first time reading Sontag and I'm absolutely blown away. I don't think I've ever read a better essay collection. Sontag writes about things without saying them outright, if that makes sense. She is able to speak to universal experience by writing through immensely personal stories. Her stories are at the same time visceral and logical; everyday and intimate; detached and feverish. This is borderline incoherent but I feel like I'm in a trance from her writing.

What I'm confused about is how little mention is made of Sontag in the "best American writers" discussions. Maybe I'm late to the game, but I first heard of Sontag through the Met Gala's "Camp" theme a few years back. And after briefly combing through articles on the Beat Generation, best American authors, authors that best highlight the American experience, I didn't see her name on any list. Which is quite striking to me because she traverses the American experience much better, in my opinion, than the "On the Road" observations of Kerouac.

Anyway, if you're reading this review, you need to read this book immediately.