13 July 2009

summer reading

so, i finally have the opportunity to do some reading for pleasure - for the first time in forever - what seems like years. it was actually really difficult for me. i was such an avid reader. but anyway, when i was younger, i used to read a lot of old brit litt, but i finally have a new found appreciation for modern literature. what started it all was haruki murakami's novels.

my first full read for the summer, which i just finished, is banana yoshimoto's "asleep." what i love about japanese literature like murakami's and yoshimoto's work is the feeling that they good you when you read them. although their language is crisp and at times sparse, the images that they paint are so strong, and so beautiful (even when a little sad or frightening). they really take you into a different world - but in a way that you feel part of it, or it feels realistic. both of their work seems to draw from magical realism in some respects, but yoshimoto seems particularly interested in the world presented by traditional japanese folktales and ghost stories. she also plays around a lot with the idea of wordliness - how present (or not) we are in our own worlds. unfortunately, i feel like their work is not the type of work that one can really explain in a way that makes sense, or a way that really does any justice to it. all i can do is suggest that you pick up one of their books. i found them a little bit by accident, and can't really imagine what i read before. they're incredible. i adore her work, and sincerely feel like i've learned a lot from it.

i just found one of yoshimoto's few full-length novels, which i've never seen in a store before. i bought "amrita" yesterday at kinokuniya (don't be fooled by the website!) in new york city. murakami's books are certainly everywhere these days it seems, and you can find yoshimoto's most popular books ("kitchen," for example) in most interesting book stores. i bought "asleep" at the strand.

if you like those authors, or those sort of books, or ideas about how we use, understand, and create language, you might also want to check out author yoko tawada. i've only read a handful of her short stories, but they were incredibly interesting. i also was really lucky to have the chance to meet her during a class visit. she writes mostly in german i think, but also in japanese and occasionally in english. her major works all seem to be translated though.

and if you're looking for somewhere to read, i think my favorite place in the city to read right now is bryant park. i'm not quite sure why - something about all the trees i think. plus, there's a slightly weird carrousell, which also includes a rabbit and a cat.

when i'm done with "amarita," i think i'm going to finally start 100 years of solitude (well, i did technically read five pages). it's one of those books that i've been saying that i'll read forever, but i'm finally going to take the plunge. i wasn't even quite sure what it was about hehe.

...but what are you guys reading? any suggestions?


post song: a random song by nagisa ni te

--bunn

4 comments:

  1. ooo i love murakami. i haven't read banana yoshimoto yet, but i need to. i'm reading don quixote right now, and i love it. not very similar, but i bet it'll make you smile :)

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  2. hey bunn, i got a question:
    i was reading this really old recipe book and found a bun recipe. yah, i though, really-old-school buns! (The oed sez they've been making things called "buns" since the 14th century). but then, oh no, they're not vegan. (The oed sez they've only been calling folks like us "vegans" since 1944). so can you veganify my recipe? thanx.
    here 'tis (i kept the english like it was in the book):
    To make Buns
    Take a pound of Butter, & a pound of flower, 2 spoonfulls of yeast work it together with your hand make them into little cakes back them in a quick oven but not to scorch them sift suger over them when they come out of the oven.

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  3. thanks so much for your comments! you're the first person(s) to leave some! i'm so glad you like murakami - definitely read yoshimoto too. and, you really sound so much like someone i know - someone very very near and dear to my heart! he's reading don quixote too... and studying very old recipe books. you guys should chat. :)

    i didn't know that the term vegan was even that old - i'm quite intrigued. and thank you so much for the recipe - i love it! all you should really need to do to veganify it is substitute something good for the butter.

    these days it seems that there are pretty good options (vegan earth balance has worked well for me). i hear though that there are some new vegan products out there like butters & shortenings - so you may find something even better. be careful with the type of margarine you use - i'd imagine it would effect this sort of recipe quite a bit. i'm surprised there aren't eggs - perhaps they weren't used quite as often? or were used for other types of things?

    i love that it says to make them into little cakes, and to sift sugar over them. it sounds like something i might try... it will actually also fit into the idea for my next post - could i share this lovely recipe?

    thanks! ^^

    --bunn

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  4. hey bun thanx. i was back at the library, and i found an even easier one to veganify. check it:
    Common Bun Loaf
    1/4 stone fine flour
    2/4 lb currants
    1/2 lb raisins
    1/2 lb moist sugar
    Candied Lemon
    1/2 lb of butter
    1 Nutmeg & a little mace
    a glass of British brandy
    The Butter to be rubbed into the Flour, and the Sugar to be added; before setting it to work with yeast a night.

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