Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
The word "strange" is right there in the title, so I should have been better prepared. The stories were all right, but when I got to the section where he went on and on about the moral superiority of ants I had a hard time pushing through. Also, every time I read this in the evening I fell asleep after a few pages. I lost several nights of my life.
No, I’m not reading the bits about ants and butterflies. I REFUSE.
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
The folklore is shared by a Greek man who did live in Japan.
The stories are definitely peculiar and will definitely stick in your mind. I enjoyed this collection.
The stories are definitely peculiar and will definitely stick in your mind. I enjoyed this collection.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This is a free Project Gutenberg book that I grabbed because it's free. The first two-thirds are stories from Japan collected by a Westerner. I was afraid they'd be kind of racist, but they aren't too bad. A lot of ghostly stuff and animism. Then some business about insects, which segues into a Herbert Spencer-inspired rumination on human society. You can skip that. If you have any interest in Japan, get the stories to have on your e-reader--the price is right.
The folklore is shared by a Greek man who did live in Japan.
The stories are definitely peculiar and will definitely stick in your mind. I enjoyed this collection.
The stories are definitely peculiar and will definitely stick in your mind. I enjoyed this collection.
Rating of stories in progress:
The story of Mimi-Nashi-Hoichi - GOOD - 4 stars. Made me push Heike Monogatari up the TBR mountain.
Oshidori - Too Dramatic - 3 stars
The Story of O-Tei - Nice- 3 stars
Ubazakura - 2.5 stars
Of a Mirror and a Bell - 3.5
JIKININKI - 4.2 stars best one yet
MUJINA - Freaked the hell out of me - 4 stars
ROKURO-KUBI - ...... what.... the hell...
"Then, from behind a trunk, he caught sight of the heads,—all five of them,—flitting about, and chatting as they flitted. They were eating worms and insects which they found on the ground or among the trees."
A DEAD SECRET - When your soul can't rest because of your secret Whatsapp chat group - 3 stars
YUKI-ONNA -"When the wish is there, the eyes can say as much as the mouth." - 4 stars
THE STORY OF AOYAGI - 4 stars - Now this I really liked!
JIU-ROKU-ZAKURA - 3 stars
RIKI-BAKA - 2 stars
HI-MAWARI - what is this story doing in here? 1 star
HORAI - 4 stars
The story of Mimi-Nashi-Hoichi - GOOD - 4 stars. Made me push Heike Monogatari up the TBR mountain.
Oshidori - Too Dramatic - 3 stars
The Story of O-Tei - Nice- 3 stars
Ubazakura - 2.5 stars
Of a Mirror and a Bell - 3.5
JIKININKI - 4.2 stars best one yet
MUJINA - Freaked the hell out of me - 4 stars
ROKURO-KUBI - ...... what.... the hell...
"Then, from behind a trunk, he caught sight of the heads,—all five of them,—flitting about, and chatting as they flitted. They were eating worms and insects which they found on the ground or among the trees."
A DEAD SECRET - When your soul can't rest because of your secret Whatsapp chat group - 3 stars
YUKI-ONNA -"When the wish is there, the eyes can say as much as the mouth." - 4 stars
THE STORY OF AOYAGI - 4 stars - Now this I really liked!
JIU-ROKU-ZAKURA - 3 stars
RIKI-BAKA - 2 stars
HI-MAWARI - what is this story doing in here? 1 star
HORAI - 4 stars
A bit lackluster in certain parts but definitely interesting and different.
If my review is purely based on the Japanese short stories than this is a 5 star book. The way the stories were written was so engaging. I never knew what to expect and I was always in awe when I finished reading one.
As far as the last portion of the book focused on insects. This was definitely interesting and still including some stories but it also was heavy on insect detail which just wasn’t what I was wanting or expecting. If I were to include this part in my rating I would drop down to a 4. Not because any part of it was bad but it did make the book end on such on unmagical note.
As far as the last portion of the book focused on insects. This was definitely interesting and still including some stories but it also was heavy on insect detail which just wasn’t what I was wanting or expecting. If I were to include this part in my rating I would drop down to a 4. Not because any part of it was bad but it did make the book end on such on unmagical note.