Japanese Literature Challenge 3

Wish I had more time to read contemporary Japanese writers. Now is my chance. Join me in the third challenge to read books of Japanese origin. You will have from July 30, 2009 to Jan. 30, 2010. The rules are from Dolce Bellezza, who sponsors the challenge.

"All you have to do is read one work of Japanese origin. It can be literature of course, but don’t feel confined to that. You may choose to read poetry, biographies, short stories or even manga. If you are willing to read one such piece, you’ve met the challenge. If you read more, all the better."

Please check her website, Japanese Literature Challenge 3 for the details, and the list of very nice prizes!

Here is a review of The Housekeeper and the Professor by Ogawa and a review of After Dark, a favorite of mine by Haruki Murakami.

I plan to read:
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: A Novel by Haruki Murakami, literary fiction
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, literary fiction
The Devil's Whisper by Miyuki Miyabe, a mystery
Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, literary fiction

(Challenge photo is by Tanabata from In Spring It is the Dawn)

Women Read More Than Men: Research Report for Book Industry

Bowker Publishes First Consumer-Focused Research Report for Book Industry

The article in Earth Times gives us a brief summary of the report: women read more than men, though men were catching up in 2008. Mystery books are most popular with book clubs.

An excerpt from the Earth Times article:

"According to Gallagher, some of the detailed insights contained in the new report include the following:


-- 57% of book buyers are women yet women purchase 65% of the books sold
in the U.S.
-- Mystery books are the most popular genre for book club sales, with 17%
of all purchases of mystery books coming directly from book clubs
-- Generation X consumers buy more books online than any other
demographic group, with 30% of them buying their books through the Internet
-- 21% of book buyers said they became aware of a book through some sort
of online promotion or ad
-- Women made the majority of the purchases in the paperback, hardcover
and audio-book segments, but men accounted for 55% of e-book purchases"

Evidently the report, "2008 U.S. Book Consumer Demographics and Buying Behaviors Annual Report," for those of us who might think of buying it, costs $999.00, with a 10% discount for orders made by July 31.

Interesting comments on this report by blogger: Straight From Hel

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Not even a "Woof"? Or would that be a Bleet?

Tuesday Teaser: Hell Hath No Curry by Tamar Myers

TEASER TUESDAYS is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Choose two sentences from your current read, and add the author and title for readers. Anyone can join in.

"Again I looked at my image in the mirror, this time with open eyes - well, one open eye. 'Oh, my heavens, oh, my stars,' I said, feeling faint."

from Hell Hath No Curry by Tamar Myers.

Who and where am I?
Magdalena Yoder owns a Mennonite inn in Pennsylvania. She solves crimes (and writes recipes) in all the books she is in. Hell Hath No Curry is the 15th in the comedy-mystery series by Tamar Myers.

Lost in Translation 2009 Reading Challenge: Update

Lost in Translation Book Challenge was hosted by Nonesuch Book.

Click on the titles below to see my reviews:

1. Tokyo Fiancee by Amelie Nothomb, translated from the French.

2. Real World by Natsuo Kirino, translated from the Japanese.

3. Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, translated from the Spanish.

4. Andean Express, translated from the Spanish.

5. The Housekeeper and the Professor, translated from the Japanese.


6. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, translated from the French.

7.Tao Te Ching translated from the Chinese.

I hope to finish up with The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Murakami, translated from the Japanese.

Book Review: Mortal Friends: A Novel

Mortal Friends: A Novel by Jane Stanton Hitchcock is a Washington D.C. mystery-thriller with a good plot, well developed characters, and very smooth prose.

A serial killer is on the loose and DC high society is on edge because of talk that the Beltway Basher, as he is called, could be a well known, even a high profile individual.

This doesn't bother the friendship of interior decorator Reven Lynch or her best friend, the well connected Violet Bolton, who have known each other since high school. When Reven decides to help Detective Gunner snoop for clues among high society of the Washington Beltway, however, things begin to get dicey for Reven. Her new love interest Bob Poll, for instance, is on Detective Gunner's list as a suspect.

And events begin to strain her friendship with Violet. She feels badly for hiding Violet's husband's affair with a wealthy philanthropist. What does this have to do with solving the murders?

The plot is not predictable. There are some surprises at the end! I never would have guessed the reason for the most recent murder or the culprit.

An entertaining read for all mystery/thriller fans.

Jane Stanton Hitchcock, a New York Times bestselling author, has also written The Witches' Hammer, Trick of the Eye, Social Crimes, and One Dangerous Lady. She lives in New York City and Washington D.C.

Advance readers copy provided by the publisher for my objective review.


View all my reviews >>

Dollar Finds

Am I lucky or what? Here's what I got for $1 each:



How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author by Janet Evanovich, writer of the Stephanie Plum mystery series.

Hell Hath No Curry by Tamar Myers, A Pennsylania Dutch Mystery with recipes, featuring innkeeper Magdalena Yoder, the 15th in the mystery series.

The Pegasus Secret by Gregg Loomis, a thriller set in Paris, with a plot reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code.

Unburnable: A Novel by Marie-Elena John. A woman returns to her island home of Dominica after twenty years, determined to face the secrets of her past.

Dollar Finds seemed a good name for a Meme when I found the brand new books for $1 each at a local discount store! I'll bet others have found books also, for $1 or so! What did you get?

Let us know in your Dollar Finds whenever you get bargains like these!