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: Zoo by Otsuichi

Zoo / Otsuichi

Holy shit.

I don’t often start off reviews with words like that but… holy shit.

I think it’s about time I write out my thoughts on this book. I was so affected by it, especially the final story in this collection. The other’s other book, Goth, was super high on my wish and TBR lists. Why I decided to read this first, I have no idea. I guess it looked shorter? I thought short stories would be an easier read? Nope.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah… holy shit. Eleven short stories are in this collection. Some of them are less than three pages long. It is translated from the original Japanes by Terry Gallagher and I would like to applaud his efforts. Nothing was lost in translation. It was as gut-wrenching and terrifying as if I were watching a Japanese movie (dubbed, of course). In fact, a few stories were made into a movie in 2005. I will definitely watch that!

As with a lot of Japanese thrillers, there’s always a twist in the end. Some better than others. Some predictable, some will terrify. And some, I found confusing. The title story, Zoo, is about a man who receives a picture of his dead girlfriend’s decomposing body in his mailbox everyday. This is what sold this book to me; I didn’t even bother reading the rest of the blurb. I kind of knew where the story was going but I still like how creepy it was. It was literally just one character. Imagine an episode of Criminal Minds in the point of view of the unsub. The second story was a bit confusing to me. In A Falling Airplane reads like a short play. Two passengers of a hijacked plane were making final deals with each other. It becomes this crazy conversation that includes the hijacker and honestly, I can’t tell you its message or purpose. I was left confused by this story. It was neither scary nor thrilling.

The White House in a Cold Forest is about a man who grew up abused. He then builds this house made of corpses. One day, a little girl comes by and she then replaces one of the corpses in the house. For whatever reason, this kid is not fazed by a house made of dead bodies but hey, that’s magical realism (I think) for you. I thought it was just some creepy and disgusting short story but the ending made me incredibly sad. Find the Blood! is, I guess you can say, the comic relief of this collection. I wish it was located somewhere near the end for I really needed some cheering up. This is about an old rich man who was slowly bleeding out in front of his good-for-nothing gold-digging relatives. It is a funny murder mystery that I found clever. The shortest story in the bunch is In A Park at Twilight, A Long Time Ago and believe me, this review has more words than that story.

The stories in the second half the book are rather dark and more violent than the previous ones. Wardrobe is a straight up murder mystery with the most unreliable narrator ever. I actually read it twice and I was still confused by the ending. Song of the Sunny Spot reminded me of those mobile visual novels where there’s only you and another character in the story. Here we have the last human on earth and a robot companion that he created to help bury him when he dies. It’s very Haruki Murakami-esque. One of my favorites is Kazari and Yoko. They’re twins where one is treasured and the other is abused. The neglect and cruelty is so over-the-top, it makes the ending the most satisfying. SO-Far is another one that screams Haruki Murakami to me. It’s about a young boy whose parents are stuck in parallel universes. He then has to choose which parent to accompany. Words of God talks about the power of voice and how we should be careful with what we wish for.

(Geez, it’s hard to talk about these short stories without giving anything away.)

Seven Rooms needs its own paragraph. This is my personal favorite and it spoke to my own personal terror. It is about a brother and sister who are abducted and imprisoned in a room with water running through it. The water must come from and go somewhere so upon investigation, they figure out that there are six other rooms with people in them. Day by day, the water runs murky and disembodied  waste run through. Room by room, an unknown person is killing off the prisoners. The brother and sister count the days until it’s their turn. This one played to one of my worst fears. I have a younger brother and for some reason, I felt so fragile the day I was reading this. Sure, it sounds like some Saw-like torture porn but it affected me so much that it deserves its own star.

This book is full of twisted minds, twisted people. It is definitely not for the feint of heart. I’m usually a tough cookie when it comes to horror thrillers but I was deeply affected, especially by that last story, that I couldn’t focus for days after. I needed some serious cheering up. Would I continue reading my Japanese fiction in between reads? Of course. But I might go through my manga first. This one really messed me up.

Rating: 5/5. Some stories, I’d be open to reread… and some, I wish I could forget.

Psst… read In A Park at Twilight, A Long Time Ago here.

 

Review: Ten Rules for A Call Girl by Allison Leotta

Ten Rules for a Call Girl / Allison Leotta

I cannot let my blog’s first anniversary pass without posting a review.  (I’m running on PST.) Actually, I am behind five books already.  Reading’s been fast moving but the reviewing part takes a bit more time.

But I was browsing the Kindle store and I happened upon this free Kindle short story.  Ten Rules for A Call Girl.  The title and the cover definitely drew me in.  And it’s free!  Click on the cover art to get your own copy.

Synopsis from GoodReads:

Beautiful Georgetown undergrad Caroline McBride almost has it all—a loving fiancée, a promising academic career, and a college life of fabulous parties—but she can’t afford it. When her father becomes ill, plunging her family into debt, she reluctantly agrees to meet Madeleine, the madam of a high-end escort service. Catering to the most powerful men in D.C., Caroline can make more money in one night than in a month at her part-time college job. And no one has to know. All she has to do is follow the madam’s ten simple rules.

It is a prequel to the author’s second full length novel called Discretion.  It follows Caroline McBride on her escapades as an escort girl, or a professional “girlfriend”.  There are many cliches going on in this story – poor college girl living a double life; she gets into the business at her roommate’s recommendation; they get a rather high profile client; and of course, she has a boyfriend on the side.  But you know, it all works.  The sex scenes were pretty graphic but not trashy.

As I understand, the author was a federal prosecutor specializing in sex crimes.  So she knows what she’s talking about.  The writing came across very solid and real.  I connected with Caroline and the dilemma that she was running through her head.  It was fast paced and you really feel a sense of urgency and danger; Caroline living a secret double life and trying not to get caught.

Based on this, I will definitely check out the author’s other works.

Rating: 4/5.

Recommendation: It is a quick coffee break read and it gets your blood going.

Review: Stories from “The Girlfriend Tales” series by Katrina Parker Williams

The Girlfriend Tales is a collection of four short stories dealing with women going through different things in their lives.  These two that I will be talking about in this review are centered around relationships; one about a young mother in a dysfunctional family situation and the other one dealing with an affair.

Excess Baggage / Katrina Parker Williams

The story entitled “Excess Baggage” is about Sabrina and her difficult relationship with the father of her three children, Antonio.  They meet in high school where Antonio had dreams of playing pro basketball before hanging out with the wrong crowd.

There is nothing much to say about it, really.  I found it a bit tedious with all the unnecessary descriptions and details that did not help the story along.  It was confusing in some parts, details missing when it should be elaborated.  Also, I found some grammatical errors which annoyed me a bit.  The characters were rather bland.  Sabrina, I don’t know what’s going on with her.  Why stay with a deadbeat guy long enough to have three children with him?  I’m not one to judge; this is the opinion I am forming based on the story I just read.

And that ending?  Oh my… really?  2/5.

In The ‘Other’ Other Woman, we are welcomed to a party; a gathering of invited guests.  And what society does best, gossip.  In a big group, there are bound to be smaller cliques.  This story follows one such clique and their encounters with other people in the party.

The Other Other Woman / Katrina Parker Williams

I admit, I didn’t get it.  What was I supposed to get out of it?  I had no context.  What were they talking about?  Who are these people?  It was kind of all over the place.  It left me confused.  It didn’t really say anything.  Writing-wise, it was okay.  That doesn’t say much… there’s nothing much to say. 2/3.

Both stories had potential to be good ones.  Both were, at a degree, entertaining.  It could have been done better.  Yes, it is a short story but it does not have to end just because you used up all the word count.  There are many short stories out there that have complete plots, well-written, and very entertaining and at the same time, keeping its length to a minimum.  There was just… there wasn’t much in any of these stories.

I appreciate the effort by the author.  The ideas are there and they are very workable.

Review: Progenitor by Christopher John Chater

Progenitor / Christopher John Chater

Synopsis from GoodReads:

After sarcastic lower level crewman Tim Carr sees a light outside the ship, he tries to convince Comm Officer Hanna Merrick that there’s something out there besides a dying star. Tim is asked to keep quiet about his discovery, however, because Hanna has a plan of her own, which she’ll set in motion after the government causes the star to prematurely supernova. Tim’s feelings for Hanna, and his life, are put on the line when he realizes her plan could cause the elimination of an alien species.

I honestly didn’t get it.  It’s true that futuristic sci-fi stuff is not my cup of tea yet I can still follow a story.  I tried but I just wasn’t relating to this.  I didn’t even see the sarcasm that the main character, Tim Carr, was supposed to have.

The author had an interesting premise of a future world — space/time travel, other worldly beings, and the existence of classes even in that future world.  Tim Carr was one of the Lower Level Citizens, LLC, serving as a janitor in a space ship.  And then, he sees orbs or balls of light and gas, trying to communicate with him.  Okay, I got that much.  That’s when the story goes all over the place.  It goes on and on about other things that by the time it got back to the orbs, I’ve forgotten what they were about.  The conclusion fell short and I felt that there was so much filler, for a short story, and not enough development.

It could have been a great serious sci-fi novel.  If Tim’s “sarcasm” is a device to put a bit of humor into this, it didn’t work that well.

Rating: 2/5.

Recommendation: Again, it’s one of those e-books that you can finish in one sitting.

Get your copy here.

* In compliance with FTC guidelines, it should be noted that I received the book for free through LibraryThing Member Giveaways.

 

Review: Transfection by David Gaughran

Transfection / David Gaughran

I love a good medical thriller.  I challenge myself in understanding all the technical jargon and keeping up with the pace and different plots of the story.  Short story thrillers are a little tricky.  Usually, thrillers take their time establishing the mystery and building up to the big reveal.  This book only had 5,000+ words to set it up and execute.

Synopsis from GoodReads:

Molecular biologist Dr. Carl Peters is under pressure on two fronts: his research grants are disappearing and his marriage is falling apart. But when medical researchers discover that genetically modified animal feed has tainted the food chain, he finally gets the funding he always dreamed of.

Dr. Peters discovers the reason behind the cancer link with GM food, but it’s so crazy, he barely believes it himself.

The blurb seemed very promising.  It doesn’t really give away much, if anything.  But it read like a teaser or a pitch rather than a stand-alone story.  The premise had so much to work on and a short story format was not enough for that.  A lot was left unexplained, including the “reason behind the cancer link with GM food”.  So yeah, I ended the book scratching my head and trying to figure out what the hell just happened.

The writing was excellent and polished.  I was impressed by that and frankly, that’s the reason why I kept reading.  For its length, the character development was done well even with the time jumps.  But because plot development was severely lacking, I didn’t care much for the story itself.  It could’ve worked as a full book or anything longer than a short story.

Rating: 3/5.

Recommendation: It’s 5,500 words, it shouldn’t take you too long to read.  I read it during my down time at work and still got stuff done.

Get your copy here.

* In compliance with FTC guidelines, it should be noted that I received the book for free through LibraryThing Member Giveaways.

Review: Ziggy Two Step – Courier Extraordinaire by Mark Goodwin

Ziggy Two Step - Courier Extraordinaire / Mark Goodwin

Call it what ever you want — Murphy’s Law, coincidence, bad luck, being at the wrong place at the wrong time… trouble follows Ziggy Two Step wherever her goes.

Thomas Edward Haliburton aka Ziggy Two Step is a bike messenger in the small town on Riverton, Montana.  Not two days into his new job, his town experiences accidents, crimes, even bombings.  He had no idea what was causing these events.  Nothing will stand in his delivery route and time.  He was proud of himself because he was fast on wheels and on foot.  “Ziggy Two Step is oblivious to most of what is happening around him even though he is often the cause of it.”

The cover is really nice.  Very simple but nice.  It was a fast read, 24 pages PDF.  It wasn’t boring at all.  The writing was okay; it started out good but somewhere in the middle, there were too many exclamation points and some formatting errors.  There were a couple of cliches here and there as well.  Nothing too distracting but still.  The whole story was like Ziggy, fast, breathless, and at times, all over the place.

Rating: 3/5.

Recommendation: A very quick and fun read.  If you have time to kill and you want an amusing pick-me-up, give this one a try.

Get your copy here.

* In compliance with FTC guidelines, it should be noted that I received the book for free.

Review: Effie at the Wedding by Tracy Marchini

Effie at the Wedding / Tracy Marchini

When the cover says ‘short story’, it means short story.  Ten pages.  I read it in under fifteen minutes!

Effie is the maid of honor on her sister’s wedding.  Her older, prettier, and skinnier sister.  And she doesn’t want to be there.  She wants to get away from it all when she accidentally locks herself in the bathroom.  While sitting there, she reflects why it’s better to stay in there than rejoin the reception.

Because the book has a lot of amusing lists, this review will come in a list form.

5 Reasons Why I Liked Effie at the Wedding

5. It’s funny!  Effie sounded bitter and insecure and she whines a little but that’s okay.  She’s keeping it real.

4. Her lists are witty!  And she had very good points, as superficial as some of them were.  Her sarcasm is her defense mechanism but as the lists go on, you get to see that she’s just a scared little girl, scared to lose her sister.

3. Great characters!  Apart from Effie and her sister, her aunt, mom, and grandmother were funny as well.  Even with just a line or two between them.

2. The references to Hamlet, crazy cat ladies, questionable colors, and “It’s Complicated” relationships.  I’m not a huge fan of chick lit or YA in general but if done right, it’s fun.  This was done just right.

1. It’s not just a cutesy girly story.  It’s doesn’t dwell on “Oh I’ll never get a boyfriend” or “Oh I’m too fat, I’m not good enough”.  Sure it does talk about that but in the end, it’s just Effie reflecting on her relationship with her best friend, her sister.

Rating: 5/5.

Recommendation: Waiting for your nails to dry?  Need a quick pick me up?  Then pick this up!

Get your copy here.

* In compliance with FTC guidelines, it should be noted that I received the book for free through LibraryThing Member Giveaways.

Review: Strangers on a Plane: Erotic Shorts by Emma Shane

Strangers on a Plane: Erotic Shorts / Emma Shane

Published July 17th 2011 by Quirky Gurl Media.

* In compliance with FTC guidelines, it should be noted that I received the book for free through LibraryThing Member Giveaways.

I swear, I don’t mean to review this many erotic fiction books in one week!  I got a couple of them on LibraryThing and the happen to be short reads so I could read them on my computer instead of loading them up on my Nook.

Review: Still Life Paintings by Karen Fowler

Still Life Paintings / Karen Fowler

Published July 9th 2011 by Quirky Gurl Media.

* In compliance with FTC guidelines, it should be noted that I received the book for free through LibraryThing Member Giveaways.

I would’ve given it five stars if not for the errors I spotted.  But I’ll get to that later.

This book contains three short stories ranging from romance to tragedy.  Except for the first one, this has a very “feel good” tone to it.  Abstract Remembrances is about a mother confined in a mental institution.  Everyday, she paints a portrait of her young son.  Something tragic happened in her life and could art therapy help her recover?  This story was heavy.  It was just so sad.  It had quite a few typos and grammar errors but those aside, it’s a very good piece.

Different Strokes is a cute one.  A mother introduces Art History to her two young children to calm them down and teach them lessons in life.  I am pretty familiar with the different schools and movements in art so I really got into this.  And the image of the kids working on their projects… so cute!

The third story shares the name of this whole collection.  Still-Life Paintings is about a scorned woman forced to attend her ex-boyfriend’s gallery show.  And in his paintings, she realizes that there was more that meets the eye.  It has all the makings of a romantic comedy, methinks.  The ending literally made me go “awww….”

Okay, before I wrap this up, I just have to address the errors.  They can be easily corrected with another read-through by the author/editor so it wouldn’t be so hard.  I find it ironic that this is an art-centric collection and the author gets Salvador Dali’s name wrong.  Dali, not Dahli.  Also, loose/lose and everybody’s favorite your/you’re.  Again, no biggie so I hope this can be cleaned up.

Rating: 4/5.

Recommendation:  It’s 27 pages on the nook so it won’t take too much of your time.  These are really good short stories.  You’ll enjoy them more if you like art.

Get you copy here.