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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
More about living life and moving forward than anything else. Murakami speaks about writing, training, and living as an artist without glamour or drama, just everyday mundanity and commitment to work.
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
I never did learn what he talks about when he talks about running
hopeful
informative
reflective
I enjoyed this memoir of sorts by Murakami. It was really awesome getting to know the author in this very intimate way through the lens of his passion for running (and for writing). This one will stay with me for a while. I read it to inspire my current running journey which I’m starting up!
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
informative
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
“What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” by Haruki Murakami
Celebrated Japanese writer Haruki Murakami is prolific not just in his literary work. He is also a prolific runner. In this short memoir, Murakami takes stock of his experiences running, his attitude toward this meaningful habit, and how he has made it part of the fabric of who he is.
This was a relatively enjoyable memoir and a very quick read. Murakami writes about himself in a way which is relatively direct, clear, sparing detail except where it is necessary to illustrate a key point. I really appreciated too that this was implicitly a book about habits. Murakami rarely strays from his own story, advising that this is not a book about how to run. But if you read between the lines, if you listen to his process, you’ll find a model not just for making running a habit but how to form and maintain habits of any kind. His practices reminded me of other books I have read about habits; Murakami is a perfect model of many habit formation practices espoused by traditional self-help books. The fact that he does not preach his habit formation, merely shares his experiences that illustrate good advice in action, makes it all the more appealing as both personal narrative and a guide.
It is not a perfect book, primarily in the repetition of some themes and wording. Murakami put this memoir together from a collection of journal entries and so it is natural that he would tread some of the same ground over and over again. But this is certainly a good memoir, one I would recommend generally but especially for runners or others who are working on forming habits of physical exertion.
Celebrated Japanese writer Haruki Murakami is prolific not just in his literary work. He is also a prolific runner. In this short memoir, Murakami takes stock of his experiences running, his attitude toward this meaningful habit, and how he has made it part of the fabric of who he is.
This was a relatively enjoyable memoir and a very quick read. Murakami writes about himself in a way which is relatively direct, clear, sparing detail except where it is necessary to illustrate a key point. I really appreciated too that this was implicitly a book about habits. Murakami rarely strays from his own story, advising that this is not a book about how to run. But if you read between the lines, if you listen to his process, you’ll find a model not just for making running a habit but how to form and maintain habits of any kind. His practices reminded me of other books I have read about habits; Murakami is a perfect model of many habit formation practices espoused by traditional self-help books. The fact that he does not preach his habit formation, merely shares his experiences that illustrate good advice in action, makes it all the more appealing as both personal narrative and a guide.
It is not a perfect book, primarily in the repetition of some themes and wording. Murakami put this memoir together from a collection of journal entries and so it is natural that he would tread some of the same ground over and over again. But this is certainly a good memoir, one I would recommend generally but especially for runners or others who are working on forming habits of physical exertion.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
I have run on and off in my life. I run pretty consisten for 2 years now and decided to pick this book up while I prepare for my first marathon. I could see my self in many of his stories and I look forward how my relationship of running will develop in the next few years.
A cool Bonus was that Murakami also participated in Triathlons just like me.
I think I will pick up some of his other stuff and I am glad that I now have a better understanding of him as a Person.
A cool Bonus was that Murakami also participated in Triathlons just like me.
I think I will pick up some of his other stuff and I am glad that I now have a better understanding of him as a Person.