REVIEW: Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

(I haven’t posted a review on this blog in literal years. On Goodreads, it’s spotty at best but I’m trying, okay?)

For my first read of the year, I went with a little novella about… well, a convenience store woman by the Japanese author, Sayaka Murata. I saw this available on Hoopla Digital and for a little over three hours of that day, I had something to do.

I felt that this was a perfect read for to ease myself into the year and into one of my “resolutions” of reading more books by Asian authors. And I’ve always wanted to read this since I first saw it at Kinokuniya. The narrator, Nancy Wu, did a good job of pronouncing the character names so it was a win-win for me.

What is a “convenience store”? Here in the US, we have 7-Eleven and gas station mini shops, and specifically in the Los Angeles Union Station, a Trimana. In Japan, they also have 7-Eleven and other stores called Family Mart, Lawson, Daily Yamazaki, and so many more.  So what is a “convenience store woman”? It is what it says… a woman working in a convenience store. And she is our main character in this story.

(The Japanese title 「コンビニ人間」 literally translate to “convenience store person”.)

Keiko Furukura is 36 years old but still works parttime in a convenience store (when I was reading this, I was picturing a Family Mart). She shows up early the same time everyday, restocks shelves as needed, greets patrons with fervor, promotes timed sales, and is just an all-around yet unassuming part of the team. This book is a hilarious slice of life of everyday Japanese people. There’s a convenience store in every corner, especially in the big cities. A lot of them are open 24/7 and there’s always a person there greeting you “いらっしゃいませ！(Irasshaimase!)” But probably not as lively as Keiko would. 😉

I loved this so much. I was so engaged! If you don’t know, I spent a good part of 2019 traveling to Japan, where this book is set, and there is pretty much a convenience store (or three) at almost every block. It honestly kept me fed for the most part of my trips whenever I was too tired to go to a proper restaurant… or if my brain to too fried to manage in what little Japanese I know. I’ve become very familiar with convenience stores in Japan – as a customer, of course. If it carries onigiri, I might’ve gone through their doors. The hotel I frequent has a Family Mart at their ground floor and that’s where I tasted the best napolitan thus far.

I found myself nodding and laughing at so many parts of this book. From the greetings to how they arrange their wares to “make sure you get out of the way when you see a customer looking at something on the shelf”. It was such a slice-of-life, not just for the konbini workers, but also to the patrons of such establishments. If you’ve been to one, you would probably agree with me lol.

The author even expanded to Keiko’s life when she’s not working. It gave a peek at how Japanese society view age, jobs, family, and social status. While Keiko’s former classmates and “same-age friends” have married and had children and careers, she was content with her baito – part time job – at the convenience store and being single. This fact is disappointing to her parents and even to some of her friends. She finds support from her younger sister but that doesn’t stop her from hoping more things for Keiko.

Overall, it was a short and very enjoyable read. Now, I miss Tokyo. XD But it looks like I’ll be coming back for a visit some time soon!

(Also, I listened to this in English and found myself translating some scenes back to Japanese. It was THAT relatable to me!)

コンビニ人間 (Konbini ningen) by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori

Rating: 5 stars.

Review: A Study on Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

I enjoyed it. At the end of the day, that’s all you really need to know.

This book, at its core, is just like every modernized Sherlock Holmes story. Every situation fits conveniently perfectly to a story in the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes collection. Too conveniently. I’ve watched my share of those to recognize that trope. You don’t have to have read the original story to figure out which story the case was based on but I could imagine it would’ve been a better reading experience. I’ve only read A Study in Scarlet, ironically, and The Hound of the Baskervilles – and of course, watched the BBC adaptation. It would’ve been awesome to have those lightbulb moments as more and more clues come to light. Like, “Aha! They’re talking about so-and-so story!” I certainly had that while watching Sherlock. I love how this follows family relations of the three main characters – Holmes, Watson, and Moriarty. It’s a bit cheap to have their names sound like their ancestors but hey, you got me. (“James” Watson though. Hm.)

Trust me. I enjoyed this book. And I would gladly read the next one as soon as it comes out on paperback (so it’ll match my signed copy). However.

I was ready to rate this more than I did but while this is a rather fast read, some parts left me confused. It IS extremely readable though. However, there were parts that didn’t flow very well, as if the previous paragraph didn’t connect well with the next. There were times when I thought I actually skipped a page. It was THAT disjointed. And the characters were rather one dimensional. While there were character description and some backstory, I didn’t really know these characters. Jamie Watson, the narrator, was aloof and it was as if he was just… there. Charlotte Holmes tried to be as cold and unattached as Sherlock.

Also, I had to constantly remind myself that this is categorized under Young Adult. As you know, as long as the protagonist is 16-19, the book is considered YA. But I honestly think that this book would’ve benefited more from an older setting. College-age, maybe. This boarding school thing got so confusing. Everybody seemed so much older than high school age. I don’t think the story would be any different if it were set in an Ivy League. In fact, I would’ve been more convinced if it were. That would take care of so many things. And so many triggers, be warned.

(I also have to throw this out there: is it just me or was there insta-love? I mean, it could be just that the writing was so unconnected that I missed the part where Charlotte became Jamie’s “best friend”. I mean, I got zero from Charlotte so it could all be in Jamie’s head. But then right before the ending… ah, whatever.)

I admit that this is the first “descendants of Sherlock Holmes” novel that I’ve read and it follows that sort of formula. If your parents are doctors, people will assume you’ll take the same route. I get that. But it was like Charlotte was a reincarnation of Sherlock – from the violin to the drug use to the way she would unknowingly push people away. Jamie said it somewhere in the book, “I’m not John Watson,” or something to that effect. You don’t have to be. I just hate the idea of being defined by a famous relative. (This paragraph didn’t make much sense. Sorry, it’s 11PM.)

Overall, it was a quick and easy read. I definitely needed that after Battle Royale. While I did have a lot of not so good things to say, I liked this book. Confusing but enjoyable.

 Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Review: Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour / Morgan Matson

Guys. It finally happened. I didn’t know it was possible but here we are at a solid 4 stars.

There is a YA Contemporary book that I liked. Yep, this one was heartwarmingly good. Very good. I was so invested that I took notes; I used sticky notes; heck, I even saved quotes! I don’t do these often. This book was warm, fuzzy, and it hit me at all the right places. I first heard about this book through the booktube community. The person said this had playlists and scrapbook stuff on top of the road trip adventure and I was sold. Having experienced a cross-country bus ride, I kind of wish I collected stuff from every stop.

The title pretty much sums up what this book is about. It’s about a road trip, that much is obvious. But it’s not simply a road trip across the United States. It became a personal journey, individually for Amy and Roger; and also together. Here, Goodreads said it perfectly:

Amy Curry is not looking forward to her summer. Her mother decided to move across the country and now it’s Amy’s responsibility to get their car from California to Connecticut. The only problem is, since her father died in a car accident, she isn’t ready to get behind the wheel. Enter Roger. An old family friend, he also has to make the cross-country trip – and has plenty of baggage of his own. The road home may be unfamiliar – especially with their friendship venturing into uncharted territory – but together, Amy and Roger will figure out how to map their way.

I saw parallels between myself and Amy. I’ve done the cross-country road trip twice about 5 years ago. I wasn’t driving though. Greyhound was my Liberty and the first generation B&N nook was my iPod. I did lose my father some years before. I have a brother who was living far away from me at the time of my trip. I love musical theatre. Sweet tea is the shiznit. I was also transplanted into a new place. I started the road trip in California and did spend a few days in Connecticut. I didn’t have a Roger though. That’s a huge difference.

And like Amy, I also didn’t like other people looking at my playlists. It mostly consists of a bunch of Les Miserables and non-English songs – mostly Korean and Japanese. I don’t know enough people in real life who can tolerate that mix for long stretches of time so I keep them mostly to myself (and at the same time, thinking my mix is better than yours LOL). I tried listening to Roger’s many playlists, my favorite being the 5th one with Starlight by Muse and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John. And I appreciate so much the two versions of Heartbeats by The Knife and Jose Gonzalez.

Roger and Amy weren’t exactly friends when their mothers agreed for them to embark on this road trip. It was more of necessity than favors. Amy could not drive and Roger had to go to the East Coast anyway so why not just go together. The road trip idea was Amy’s mom’s way of saving money. The two were somewhat acquainted and Roger seemed like a nice guy. And cute too. Amy’s mom provided the itinerary and funds for the trip. But then, both Amy and Roger have other baggage to deal with and an unplanned adventure sounded like the perfect way to get it out of their system.

“Tomorrow will be better. [If it’s not] Then you say it again tomorrow. Because it might be. You never know, right? At some point, tomorrow will be better.”

The road trip not only took them to different places but it also led them to new people. They did things that they weren’t able to do with the people they loved before they were taken away. The decision to veer away from the plan was reckless but it was the right choice to make. They did things that they won’t be able to do otherwise. In the process, they were able to find themselves and each other.

Some might have issues with the romance aspect but I personally loved it. It was predictable, as expected in a YA contemporary, but I liked the pace. I was actually kind of surprised it took that long but it wasn’t frustrating or sickly sweet. I knew it was coming but it was still so satisfying.

My issues lie with Amy’s mom. I get that she was furious because Amy and Roger took the longer way to their destination but she didn’t notice it sooner? If the card that Amy uses for their spending is connected to mom’s account… eh, I don’t know. There will always be loopholes. And also, if you think about it, a plane ticket plus freight charges might seem cheaper and more practical than gas money, food, and lodging that is required of a road trip. But hey, clouds vs scenery, can’t argue with that. It’s the experience! Trust me.

There’s a quote from Roger that goes, “The best discoveries always happened to the people who weren’t looking for them.” This definitely rings true for me with this book. The one time I willingly decide to read a YA Contemporary, it ends up being added to my Favorites list. Maybe I should look more into this genre? 😉

Rating: 4/5. True fact: they mention a 21 Choices yogurt place in Pasadena. I live five minutes away from that place.

Review: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

This is the word “cute” in book form. I am so glad that I happened to be drawn into this bright red cover at a random trip to Goodwill.

(And I’m so excited to know that this is the Australian edition cover. Now, I have to track down the sequel in the same edition. Hello, Book Depository!)

Book surprises are the best things ever. You’ll never really know if you’re going to like a book until you get into it. To be perfectly honest, I picked up this book out of desperation. I was going to Little Tokyo after work and I knew I had a two-hour wait until I met up with my brother so I headed off to Goodwill for cheap reading material. I didn’t find anything to my liking until I saw this book. I saw another copy in the blue cover, the US one I think, but I opted for this one instead. I’ve heard of this book before. I didn’t know much about it. I didn’t have any expectations. Contemporary isn’t even my genre. But something about it made me want to read it.

Don Tillman is single. He is very smart, an established academic specializing in genetics with a reputable job, a good home, and interesting hobbies. He has a few friends and loves a good drink. And he is out looking for a wife. But he’s not doing it in the conventional way. You know, going out and meeting people – or going online and striking up a conversation with someone who sparks his fancy. No, he’s doing it in the most precise and academic way possible.

He called it “The Wife Project”. It is a questionnaire for the woman to answer so Don can weed out those that doesn’t fit the criteria. She has to satisfy every single item to his liking. She can’t smoke, drink, must have a certain GPA, should not have any hereditary defect, etc. It’s ridiculous. Understandably, no one made the cut. Hey, no one is perfect.

Until Rosie comes along. Rosie Jarman smokes, drinks, works at a bar, curses… everything that Don frowns upon. But there was something about her that Don couldn’t explain. And he couldn’t get rid of her.

Spoiler(s) ahead.