Welcome to Litsy!

Months ago I filled out a questionnaire in the New York Times that would pick out a perfect book for me and this is the one I got. It‘s a short story collection, interconnected in odd ways, telling a futuristic story about mankind, AI, cloning and survival. I really liked the way the stories tied together at the end, hopeful and thought-provoking.

Quote from “Heaven” by Mieko Kawakami 🖼️

rendezvous secrète,

tombons amoureux, juste toi

et moi -- tous les deux.

secret date,
let's fall in love, just you
and me -- the two of us.

#haikuhive #haikuaday #poetry #love #frenchhaiku

“Because desks and vases don‘t use words?” I asked. “Is that what you mean?” “I don‘t know, maybe. More like, desks and vases probably don‘t get hurt,” Kojima said. “Even when they‘re broken,” she added softly. “Yeah,” I nodded. “People are different, though,” she said softer still. “Sometimes you can‘t see the scars. But there‘s a lot of pain, I think.” After that, she was quiet.”

A generous So-So from me as this really isn't my thing & was never gonna satisfy my reading needs, but I can appreciate its quality. The ideas are amazing, I hate the presentation. The disjointed structure & unknown chronology/time scales just frustrate me. It's annoying to just get into a story/engage with characters only to have it end & never followed up. The narrative is just confusing, though,admittedly, gorgeously written.

Starting this one today. Not really sure I'm feeling emotionally secure enough for "sad, but beautiful" in my current perimenopausal state, but hey-ho...

Under the Eye of the Little Bird, by Hiromi Kawakami (2016, transl. 2024)
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Premise: A novel in linked short stories about the distant fate of humanity.

Review: This will no doubt work for a lot of readers, but despite the fact that I can recognize that it‘s very well done, it was not for me. Told in short stories, all at different moments in the future,, this is meant to keep the reader off guard. Cont.

I loved that 📕 by one of Japan‘s most famous female writers. The co-existence of four women (wife servants concubines etc) in a bourgeois family during the Meiji area. The interactions are observed and described with minutiae giving the main characters a deep humanity. Very beautiful and delicately written. The ending was a stark contrast (no spoilers).

Incredible.

An atmospheric imagining of the world, say, 10,000 years or so from now.

At first you will be completely baffled, but I dare you not to get drawn in.

This is a majestic parade of ideas told with such gorgeous simplicity and yet never failing to be entirely compelling.

Cast a spell on me.

Read it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(Plan to film a spoiler-free review shortly. Subscribe to the channel or check back if you want to watch!)

schoolgirl focuses on a single day in a young girl's life and captures her inner thoughts in which she struggles with conflicting feelings and expectations. I found this one was an easier read than the
other 3. I felt similarities between her not wanting to grow into a woman (adult). I certainly wish I could go back to being a young girl again. So many responsibilities as an adult is quite tiring.