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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
Perfect combination of magical realism, whimsy, and ghosts
This collection of short stories is like a delicious, comforting cup of coffee on a winter weekend. The stories give us glimpses of life at different times and in different places in Japan's history. I loved reading about the stories set before, during, and after WW2. The final story was the perfect ending of sisters struggling to remember and keep cultural customs like honoring ancestors for Obon in the modern world.
This collection of short stories is like a delicious, comforting cup of coffee on a winter weekend. The stories give us glimpses of life at different times and in different places in Japan's history. I loved reading about the stories set before, during, and after WW2. The final story was the perfect ending of sisters struggling to remember and keep cultural customs like honoring ancestors for Obon in the modern world.
It was fine. But I am just not into short stories and was absorbing absolutely nothing from it.
Things Remembered and Things Forgotten ⭐️⭐️ nostalgic and melancholic but i wasn’t fully invested in this.
When My Wife Was a Shiitake ⭐️⭐️⭐️ omg, this made me so hungry and is giving the Vegetarian by Han Kang vibes.
The Life Story of a Sewing Machine ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ wow, imean, i could almost give this short story 5stars. stolen, burned, buried alive, repaired, re used and dismantled- i felt every event this machine has to go through and will never quite look at a sewing machine plainly ever again.
Global Positioning System ⭐️⭐️ go home to dad. Dementia runs in our family and losing my memories is one of the scariest things for me, i fear it more than death.
Kirara's Paper Plane. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ again! i can almost give this another 5stars but I just really want to see more. It’s funny how when you start reading a lot of Japanese literature you would see commonalities in some of them, this one reminded me of Tokyo Ueno station and Graveyard of the fireflies. I love Kenta and Kitara. I can imagine all these short stories as interesting plots for anime movies.
A Special Day ⭐️⭐️ to find a place that was there but wasn’t is something i have dreamed about quite a few times already, at first it was an oasis in a dessert and the other a lone haunted house at the end of our village. That is why story felt weird but strangely familiar.
The Pet Civet ⭐️⭐️⭐️ i can just imagine this pet civet who looks like Mr. Yoshinobu and Me. Yoshinobu turning back into a civet with eyes wide and with a cat like/dark, mongoose appearance. It’s creepy and it reminded me of that time I stayed over at my aunt’s house over the summer and I swear i can hear a big lizard crawling in the ceiling, i couldn’t sleep and was paranoid for days, I tried telling them it was a “bayawak” (monitor lizard) and they wouldn’t believe me, not until I showed them a picture and a video of it after a 2day stake out across the house where i threw pieces of chicken on the roof and just after 2days, there it was! peeping out of the roof!
Childhood Friends.. ⭐️⭐️ everybody now- The Tide is hiigh so i’m moving on, i’m gonna be your number1, number1…im not that kind of girl who gives us juhust like thaat, oh nooo!” reminiscent of our friends who have our memories of the simple days.
The Harajuku House ⭐️⭐️ reminded me of the Dizon House with the same reputation in our neighborhood. So much history of people lived and long gone.
The Last Obon ⭐️⭐️⭐️ missed our old, ancestral house in Sta. Ines where we used to gather as a whole family every weekend. I practically grew up there -playing alone or sometimes with my cousins, climbing trees, treasure hunting, playing make believe and hide and seek. It has since become less joyful since our grandparents passed away and is now owned by our auntie who seems less inclined for visits.
When My Wife Was a Shiitake ⭐️⭐️⭐️ omg, this made me so hungry and is giving the Vegetarian by Han Kang vibes.
The Life Story of a Sewing Machine ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ wow, imean, i could almost give this short story 5stars. stolen, burned, buried alive, repaired, re used and dismantled- i felt every event this machine has to go through and will never quite look at a sewing machine plainly ever again.
Global Positioning System ⭐️⭐️ go home to dad. Dementia runs in our family and losing my memories is one of the scariest things for me, i fear it more than death.
Kirara's Paper Plane. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ again! i can almost give this another 5stars but I just really want to see more. It’s funny how when you start reading a lot of Japanese literature you would see commonalities in some of them, this one reminded me of Tokyo Ueno station and Graveyard of the fireflies. I love Kenta and Kitara. I can imagine all these short stories as interesting plots for anime movies.
A Special Day ⭐️⭐️ to find a place that was there but wasn’t is something i have dreamed about quite a few times already, at first it was an oasis in a dessert and the other a lone haunted house at the end of our village. That is why story felt weird but strangely familiar.
The Pet Civet ⭐️⭐️⭐️ i can just imagine this pet civet who looks like Mr. Yoshinobu and Me. Yoshinobu turning back into a civet with eyes wide and with a cat like/dark, mongoose appearance. It’s creepy and it reminded me of that time I stayed over at my aunt’s house over the summer and I swear i can hear a big lizard crawling in the ceiling, i couldn’t sleep and was paranoid for days, I tried telling them it was a “bayawak” (monitor lizard) and they wouldn’t believe me, not until I showed them a picture and a video of it after a 2day stake out across the house where i threw pieces of chicken on the roof and just after 2days, there it was! peeping out of the roof!
Childhood Friends.. ⭐️⭐️ everybody now- The Tide is hiigh so i’m moving on, i’m gonna be your number1, number1…im not that kind of girl who gives us juhust like thaat, oh nooo!” reminiscent of our friends who have our memories of the simple days.
The Harajuku House ⭐️⭐️ reminded me of the Dizon House with the same reputation in our neighborhood. So much history of people lived and long gone.
The Last Obon ⭐️⭐️⭐️ missed our old, ancestral house in Sta. Ines where we used to gather as a whole family every weekend. I practically grew up there -playing alone or sometimes with my cousins, climbing trees, treasure hunting, playing make believe and hide and seek. It has since become less joyful since our grandparents passed away and is now owned by our auntie who seems less inclined for visits.
Most of these stories are very reflective. Quite a few have unsettling elements, which I was never expecting when those turns occurred.
Some stories were weaker and some of the word choices by the translator were weird. Most of the stories were good though and overall I enjoyed this book.
Some stories were weaker and some of the word choices by the translator were weird. Most of the stories were good though and overall I enjoyed this book.
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Memori (KBBI) adalah kesadaran akan pengalaman masa lampau yang hidup kembali.
Buku Things Remembered and Things Forgotten merupakan kumpulan cerita pendek tentang ingatan-ingatan masa lalu yang kembali untuk menghantui kita. Dengan sentuhan yang magis, Kyoko Nakajima meninggalkan ruang untuk refleksi di tiap ujung cerita.
Jika dianimasikan, beberapa cerita mungkin memiliki suasana yang serupa dengan film-film hangat Studio Ghibli 🕊️🎋
Buku Things Remembered and Things Forgotten merupakan kumpulan cerita pendek tentang ingatan-ingatan masa lalu yang kembali untuk menghantui kita. Dengan sentuhan yang magis, Kyoko Nakajima meninggalkan ruang untuk refleksi di tiap ujung cerita.
Jika dianimasikan, beberapa cerita mungkin memiliki suasana yang serupa dengan film-film hangat Studio Ghibli 🕊️🎋
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
The book contains a collection of short stories all set in Japan, with some connected to the past and the war times. I found some of the stories to be engaging and easy to follow while some were lacking some oomph. Entertaining overall, i didn’t find a single story that I would like to read again.
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced