• Asia,  Reading

    12 Haruki Murakami books to read

    Earlier this year, I published the post ‘23 Japanese books to read in 2023’. This was later followed by the post ‘9+1 Japanese literature classics’. Neither of these posts included any books by Haruki Murakami. The reason was that I was planning to publish another post specifically discussing some of his works (those I’ve read so far that is). Here it is. Novels by Haruki Murakami My fascination with Japan, which I am yet to visit, began in childhood. However, I was in my 30s when I first read a Japanese novel, Murakami’s Norwegian Wood. Since then, I have read many more Japanese novels. Through those, I have learned a lot…

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  • France

    Bordeaux neighbourhoods: saints, churches, wine

    Bonjour! Today is Bastille Day, also known as la Fête nationale française, or le 14 juillet. The French National Day is the anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille, which took place on 14 July 1789. I would like to take the opportunity to share some tips about Bordeaux, France’s sixth-largest city, which I visited (for the first, but certainly not the last, time) a couple of weeks ago. A port city on the Garonne River in southwestern France, Bordeaux is also known as Port of the Moon (Port de la Lune). It is the capital and the largest city of both the wine-growing Gironde department and the much larger…

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  • Reading

    7 (+4) American literature classics

    07/04/2023. Today is the US Independence Day, also known as the Fourth of July, a day of celebrations in America. The day commemorates the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States of America. To mark the occasion, I discuss 7 American literature classics (this list is, of course, far from exhaustive), as well as 4 more recent books. 7 American literature classics The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925) Set in the 1920s on Long Island, near New York City, The Great Gatsby is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third novel. It is widely considered a literary masterpiece, as…

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