A review by artisticauthor
Birthday Stories: Selected and Introduced by Haruki Murakami by Haruki Murakami

5.0

I've never liked short stories. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I hated them for the longest time. I've enjoyed Murakami's collection of stories but this is the first time I've read a short story collection in which the stories are written by different authors. I can truthfully say I enjoyed every single story. Some I loved and can remember every detail of, others I can still recall with fondness, all of them moved me. It's a brilliant collection for two reasons. First, it's incredibly interesting to see what an author you admire likes to read. Second, I have always hated my birthday and the expectations associated with it, so the way all of these stories were sad at least in some part, made me feel incredibly free. Toxic positivity and high expectations do more harm than good. This is a brilliant collection that I know I will find myself reading again and again.