Japanese Dreams and Stranger Things

I finished two books this past week, both of which were very good.  The first was 1Q84, by Haruki Murakami.  This was a very interesting read.  The theme I got out of reading it was the journey two people trying to find themselves.  The choices they each make turn into very interesting twists that eventually bring them together.

Tengo and Aomame are two people who grew up in worlds that were controlling and slightly oppressive.  The book starts with each of them in their mid-twenties.  Tengo is a aspiring writer and school teacher.  Aomame is a contract worker specializing in "wet work," and a fitness instructor.  The chapters switch back and forth between the two characters, adding in some supporting characters towards the end of the novel. 

The setting is Tokyo in 1984, though the timeline for both moves to "1Q84" at specific points in the story, due to actions taken by each person.  In this "new reality," there exists creatures called the little people, that have the ability to create air chrysalises which contain copies of specific individuals.  Mr. Murakami does not go into a lot of detail about where the little people come from, or what their motivations are.   I think that this is a little distracting from the storyline.  Whenever these plot points came up, I spent most of the time wondering what they were trying to accomplish, instead of focusing on how their actions were affecting the main characters.  A little more background on the little people would have enhanced the story greatly. 

The book was translated from its original Japanese, and sometimes the syntax showed this.  The translation seemed a bit plain at times, though I'm not sure if this was because of the translation, or if it was actually the way the author wrote.

This book is very hard to summarize in a small space.  It is very long, and moves around a lot.  It was very enjoyable to read, and the story proceeds well enough that you are rooting for Tengo and Aomame almost immediately. 

The second book I read was The Night Eternal, by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan.  This is the final installment in The Strain trilogy.  It has very well written action, dialogue, and character development.  It served as a good wrap-up to the trilogy.

The book begins approximately two years after the end of the second book, The Fall.  The world has been subjugated by the vampires, and life is a very bleak existence.  The story centers around one group of "freedom fighters" as they try to destroy the last ancient vampire.  The death of this certain vampire, the one who created all the remaining "living" vampires, will wipe out the entire vampire population on the world.  This goal is complicated by the fact that the ancient has one of the main character's children held as a hostage.  A hostage who also happens to be suffering from "Stockholm Syndrome." 

I particularily enjoyed this series of books.  It is nice to see that some authors still want to show vampires as horror creations, and not the beautiful, passive, moody creatures that many teens have been reading about the past few years (e.g. The Twilight series, quite possibly the worst writing I have ever been exposed to.)  The books were very easy to get pulled in to, and once I started reading one of them, it was very hard to put down. 

Overall, I enjoyed reading both books, and would recommend each to everyone.  If you decide you want to read 1Q84, be sure to set aside enough time to really read it.  It is not a book you can sit down for 15 minutes at a time and get anything out of it.  The plot is deep, the characters are rich, and the end, once you get to it, is very satisfying.

Quick Recommendations

I've been out of the loop for a while.  Time to read, time for family, no time for posting entries.  Very quickly, here are some books I have read that I think are very good.

11/22/63 by Stephen King
A story about a man who travels back in time through a wormhole to 1958.  He plans on waiting around until 1963 in the hopes of stopping Lee Harvey Oswald from killing John Kennedy.  Along the way he finds life and love.  A very well written and well researched book by one of my favorite authors.  I think this may be his best one yet. 

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
A misfit boy grows up hearing strange stories from his grandfather's youth.  After his grandfather passes away under mysterious circumstances, the boy travels to an island off the coast of Wales to find out if the stories were true or not.  Once he finds what he is looking for, he realizes that this is what his life has been missing all along.  This is considered a "Young Adult" novel, but it is a great story for anyone.  It is a quick read, but very engrossing.  The pictures featured in the book are real photographs that the author collected from various places and people.   Mr. Riggs plans on having a sequel out sometime in the spring of 2013. 

The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, & Mockingjay all by Suzanne Collins
A fantastic trilogy set in a dystopian future of the U.S.  The first two books are the strongest of the series.  The third is good, but lacks some of the action and dialogue that made the first ones so good.  Another YA series that is just as good for "old" adults to read.  The first movie of the series is scheduled to open this spring (2012).  The previews make it look pretty good also. 

Here is what I am currently reading and/or waiting to read:

A Feast Of Crows by George R.R. Martin (yes, I am still trying to get through this)
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (started reading the hardcover, book was too heavy to carry around, waiting for ebook from library)
Micro by Michael Crichton
The Night Eternal by Guillermo del Toro
77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz
Zoo Station by David Downing
Spin by Robert Charles Wilson

There are other books I am planning on reading, but these are the ones that will be read for sure in the coming weeks.  The order I read them depends entirely on when they come available from the library.