What can I say about this book that hasn’t already been said. For a long time I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read it, thinking it might be too depressing, too unhappy. And of course it was, I mean, how could it not be. But because it was told from the point of view of Jack, the five year old boy it was always full of hope. Despite him being scared, he was also brave, and curious, and making the best of it, despite everything. A very impressive story. Four out of four stars.

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Part two of the Ode to Kirihito. Osanai is still on the run and the professor is still trying to push his own theory for political reasons.
A good conclusion to the story, more of an conclusion than MW offered. What I noticed in both stories were allusions and characters from the Christian faith (a priest in MW and a nun in Ode) and less to the Shinto faith (although the main characters are not Christian). Makes me wonder about Tezuka’s reasoning and symbolism behind these stories.
It was a good read and the drawings added a lot to the story. Four out of four stars.

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My third Tezuka this week, a different series this time. Ode aan/to Kirihito follows the discovery of and research into a mysterious illness. The patients slowly turn into doglike creatures before they die. Dr. Osanai Kirihito goes in search of the cause and finds it, but it quickly becomes clear that not everyone cares if the truth comes out.
In some ways this book is the opposite of MW, in that in this story te authorities are trying to stop the good guys, whereas in MW the main character was evil and the authorities were good.
Another good read, four out of four stars.

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This book was given to Dutch library members for the Nederland Leest (Netherlands Reads) event of 2010. The book deals with the difficulty of an elderly lady who moves into a resting home, and also the emotions of the daughter. The book is from 1953, but aside from some reference to things that aren’t with us anymore (taking a horse and carriage ride to the seaside) it is still surprisingly relevant. A beautiful and touching story about letting go, accepting life and love. Four out of four stars.

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What can I say… I love Neil Gaiman’s writing and I think that American Gods and Anansi Boys are my favorites. I love how the story feels like a fairy tale more than just fantasy. I love the mythology, the magic, the way it all comes together. There is not much more I can say. I did expect this book to have stronger ties to American Gods, but except taking place in the same world full of gods, it doesn’t really. Which was good for me because I always forget plot details. Five out of five stars.

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This is the second part of the MW story by Osamu Tezuka. Part 2 was full of action and nasty actions by Michio Yuki but didn’t quite satisfy my need for explanations for his actions. But then again, maybe there aren’t any explanations, and that is the story. I did like this book by Tezuka, my first and I will be sure to read more in the future. Four out of four stars.

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My first books by Atwood were The Handmaid’s Tale, Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood. All books with a dystopian science fiction genre. I knew her other books were ‘normal’ but I decided to try them anyway, and I like them. This one is about three women, friends, who have all been affected by Zenia, the robber bride of the title. She is horrible, that much is clear from the start, and slowly the way she had influence over the three women’s lives is revealed, through stories about their youth and their involvement with Zenia. The stories were all interesting, and it was interesting to see how Zenia manipulated them to get what she wanted. The theme of war seemed to be very prevalent, but that could be my viewpoint because the character of Tony is most like me (in her ways, not her history, luckily!). Very gripping, I couldn’t put it down though I hated seeing what happened next, knowing it probably wasn’t good. Four out of four stars.

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This is the first book in the two part MW series (two parts in the Dutch publication). It is the first book I have read by Osamu Tezuka. It took me a bit to get into the story, but I am very intrigued. At first you think it is about revenge for the tragedy that befalls Michio Yuki, but it all turns out to be a bit more complicated. I cannot wait to read part two and see how this story finishes. Four out of five stars.

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Another book, the eight, in The Culture series by Iain M. Banks. When I started the book I thought this might be one of those science fiction books that takes place on a distant planet but is basically a medieval story (kings, servants, war). But luckily, pretty soon higher evolved species and The Culture were introduced in the book.
The book switches from character it is following between chapters, enabling you to see the story from different points of view. What I really liked about the book is how it seemed to have one main event at the heart of the story, and the climax turned to be about something else entirely. Four out of five stars.

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This is my third book by Murakami, but it is very different from the other two (“The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle” and “Kafka On The Shore”) I’ve read. This book is ‘just’ a love story, without any magical elements that the other two books had. But that doesn’t make me love the book any less.
Like the other books, Murakami drew me into this story written from the point of view of Watanabe, who is studies in Tokyo in the late sixties. He loves, he loses, he grows up, he discovers himself. It is at times a pretty tragic story, but still beautiful. I give this book five out of five stars.

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