How to Lose a War at Sea edited by Bill Fawcett is a fascinating collection of more than 30 short essays about naval warfare and oceanic disasters. The book spans decades, there are essays ranging from the days of the Spanish armada to naval blunders from the 1960s.
A Sense of Direction: Pilgrimage for the Restless and the Hopeful by Gideon Lewis-Kraus is less about the scenic road and more about the internal journey towards self discovery.
Article first published as Book Review: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (Jay Rubin, trans.) on Blogcritics. About: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami is a fictional1987 novel set in 1960s Tokyo, Japan. The novel became popular with Japanese youth and propelled Murakami to new heights of fame. 298 pages Publisher: Vintage ISBN: 0375704027 My rating for Norwegian Wood – 4 Great price on this book in paper or electronic format through the Man of la Book Affiliate Account Thoughts: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami is a memorable story, yet simple and unassuming. Patience seemed to be the main theme as it seems the narrator, Toru Watanabe, waits for a woman to return his love. Unlike Murakami other books, this one lacks the supernatural over a more practical themes such as choosing a realistic partner over a lost fantasy. Watanabe copes with loss throughout the book and the tale, told in flashbacks, is mostly how he copes with them. The characters are well defined and realistic while they battle tragedy tossed at them at every turn by Murakami. They have romantic inspirations and rejections, struggle with depression and flawed. There are many references to dead or dying characters for a short book such as this. While…
About: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami is a fictional novel which takes place between two worlds. The book was originally written in Japanese and became a best seller almost immediately. 944 pages Publisher: Knopf ISBN-10: 0307593312 My rating for 1Q84 – 5 Buy & Save on 1Q84 through the ManOfLaBook affiliate account on: Amazon | Kindle | Book Depository US | Book Depository UK More books by Haruki Murakami Thoughts: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami is not a complex novel, but it is long. The book asks an important question “what is reality”? I’ve worked with many marketing people over the years, the one important lesson they have taught me is the “perception is everything, reality is nothing”. At first, my structured mind that sees the world in 0s and 1s couldn’t comprehend what they were saying. However, with a little bit of contemplation I came to realize that they were right. After all, we live in a fake world. The news we watch are fake, the food we eat is fake (that’s why many immigrants have their own food stores), the promises made to us by our leaders and captains of industry are hollow and broken almost without delay. Mr. Murakami starts off…
A day in the life of a teenage girl, on the verge of becoming a woman. She is dealing with a depressed mom, the recent death of her dad, school & more
The book follows the battle of Okinawa through the eyes of the grunts on the ground and the commanders of both the American and Japanese forces
The book touches on a part of American history which is rarely talked about, the internment camps built for Japanese Americans
The mystery is the way the investigation unfolds, layer by layer while the reader is privy to how the murder was done is a unique way to tell a story
The amazing story of Louis Zamperini an American athlete, World War II Air Corp bombardier who survived a crash and interment in a Japanese POW camp.
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet is an epic which is meant to be read slowly and deliberately, the tale is smart and the story is fun. Even though the book incorporates shoguns and samurais, most of the account is carried by clerks and translators. The epic rescue attempt in a sanctuary surrounded by snow capped mountains is no less exciting than the description of diplomatic rituals and the “arse-licking pilgrimage” one must make before meeting the shogun.