Indonesians Who Love English Books discussion

The place to discuss the works of renowned author Haruki Murakami.

How did you discover Murakami? Which book was your first Murakami?

What will be your next one? Your most favorite? Your least favorite?

Share you favorite quotes (spoiler free).

Hello everyone!

How did I discover Murakami? Well, I tumblr a lot and there were many rebloggable quotes from his books there, thus my interest was piqued. I didn't get around to reading any of his work though till recently, when my friend lent me After Dark. And I guess the rest is history. I fell in love with his work right then and there and now I'm on a personal mission to read all of his work.

My next one will be ... *drumrolls* Norwegian Wood because Reza, Oon and Lynossa loves it, hahaha. I will then read Sputnik Sweetheart and maybe follow that with 1Q84. I have all the paperbacks all sitting nicely in my room.

As you can tell, I've only read After Dark, but I really, really like this quote:

... but what seems like a reasonable distance to one person might feel too far to somebody else.

Because, yes, yes, of course!

How did I discover him? My Japanese friend. I asked her about popular titles and she recommended him.

My first Murakami book was Norwegian Wood.

What will be my next one? Hm, I've read all of his works during a Murakami marathon back in the uni. If I ever plan to read his book again, it would be his latest, 1Q84.

My most favorite : After Dark. To me, compared to the others, this one is the most engaging.

My least favorite : A Wild Sheep Chase. I am not sure if it's because by the time I read this one, I felt his stories getting tedious or simply because this was just not a very good one.

Er, I don't have any favorite quote from his books.

I begin to read Murakami in...around 2009 or 2010. Murakami's style surely fit me. Makes me fond of him. His dark, solitary and philosophically words always hipnotize me, though his writing style is simple.

My first Murakamis's book is Kafka on the Shore. I like this book. So magical. Kafka try to find his missing mother and sister. And in the end, he becomes an employee in a private library. The talking cat, the murder, and the Colonel Sander is become my fave part.

After that i begin to collect Murakami's book. Right now i have After the Quake, After Dark, Blind Woman, Sleeping Willow, A Wind Up Bird Chronicle, Sputnik Sweetheart, Wild Sheep Chase, Norwegian Wood, South of The Border, West of The Sun, 1Q84, Elephant Vanishes, and Hard-Boiled Wonderland, and The End of The World. And an ebook, Pinball..got it from a kind hearted goodreads friend.

My fave: i can decide which one is the best, because i love them all! But if i have to pick, i pick South of The Border, West of The Sun and 1Q84. The first book is a tragical love story. It include a betraying husband,,so if you hate betrayal you are gonna hate this book.. And the second book is so magical and surealis. A love story too, but a weird one. Perhaps Murakami lost his true love, so in every book he always find one :p

My next Murakami: perhaps it is time for me read What i talk about running...his bio.

My fave quotes: "Don't feel sorry for yourself, only assholes do that" from Norwegian Wood. :D

I found out about Murakami from my younger sister, who studied Japanese in college. I first tried reading his short story collection, The Elephant Vanishes, but couldn't finish it because some of the stories were too surreal for me. Or it's probably just because I prefer novels to short stories. Story collections make it easier for me to stop in the middle and never continue.

Then I read After Dark, which I enjoyed, and Norwegian Wood, which I didn't really like. I think I'm in the minority here about Norwegian Wood, but some of the things the characters did just didn't resonate with me.

My favorite so far is his memoir, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. I found his insights about running and how it relates to writing to be fascinating. I don't even like running but I really enjoyed what he had to say about it. He also sounds like a really nice, humble guy. Check out some quotes from the book here: http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/...

Thanks to the awesome memoir I'm willing to give Murakami another chance. My sister says I should read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, or A Wild Sheep Chase next. I'm also interested in Kafka on the Shore.

Murakami-related but not answering any of the questions above: which book would you recommend for a Murakami noob? There are so many titles to choose from and plenty are available in stores here, so I've got no idea of where to begin.

Just start with Norwegian Wood, if you like lovestory.., Praesenti :)

Or After Dark!

I'm really ashamed to admit I've only read Norwegian Wood from all Murakami's works. I really love the book and have planned to read others but alas, there always seems another book to read.
But you guys made your case and I'll read After Dark (or maybe Sputnik?)

I've seen Norwegian Wood and 1Q84 most often in bookstores, so I guess Norwegian Wood is a good choice to start with. Much thanks for the suggestions! It'll be on my 'to buy' list for next month :)

My first Murakami was 'Dance Dance Dance'. It was very readable for noob.

I didn't read any other book from him until last years's 1Q84. I actually like this one better, it read more like a manga in a way that it's very visual.

I have 'Kafka on the Shore' sitting on my shelf unread for some years now, but haven't been in the right mood to start a book about a talking cat (was the cat really talking?)

But seriously, what it is with Murakami and his obsession with ears?

Just found this thread! Thank you Reza for this thread hehe.

I discover Murakami's books when I was at a bookstore, saw the translated version of Norwegian Wood. Not long after that, I went to Kinokuniya, there was a special discount for 3 days and I bought Norwegian Wood, the black-white cover version from Vintage Books.

I just couldn't put it down, I don't know why hahaha. I read it when I was on my way home with the public transportation, even the road's kinda bumpy, I just don't care, I just care about Watanabe, Naoko and Midori. It makes me so sad but I just couldn't cry because it's too sad. Like the kind of sad that makes you think about them for days and days, and after that you have to remind yourself that they are fictional characters. :"(

My most favorite: The Elephant Vanishes and Sputnik Sweetheart. I love The Elephant Vanishes because the stories are dreamy. Magical. My favorite is "A Window", "The Elephant Vanishes" and "Dancing Dwarf". Sputnik Sweetheart has made me sobbed quietly at night when I read it in silence. Like... Oh this is just so sad. I really feel like K from the book. What a good book.

My least favorite: After Dark. Not because of the story but because I expect more pages. Too short :(

Can't wait to read The Colorless bla bla --the new book from Murakami that has been translated into Korean. Not English. Until 2014. Oh man.

His pop culture references and attraction to cats just make me want to read all of his books. Next read might be: South of The Border, West of The Sun :")

My favorite quote from him:

"I met her near the end of September. It had been raining that day from morning to night--the kind of soft, monotonous, misty rain that often falls at that time of year, washing away bit by bit the memories of summer burned into the earth. Coursing down the gutters, all those memories flowed into the sewers and rivers, to be carried to the deep, dark ocean."

This is like the best description of rain that I've ever read. And a lot more from Sputnik Sweetheart.

Sheva wrote: "His pop culture references and attraction to cats just make me want to read all of his books. Next read might be: South of The Border, West of The Sun :")"

I feel the loneliness and pain when i read South of The Border, West of The Sun. Murakami writes it beautifully.. :) What i love bout Murakami is his fondness of music..Jazz is all over this book :)

Elements often recur in Murakami novels:
- Single guy with no ambitions
- Unattainable/lonely/quirky (usually older) woman
- Jazz
- Classical music
- Pasta
- Single guy cooking pasta while listening to jazz/classical music thinking about the unattainable/lonely/quirky (usually older) woman
- anybody might want to add?

Oon wrote: "Elements often recur in Murakami novels:
- Single guy with no ambitions
- Unattainable/lonely/quirky (usually older) woman
- Jazz
- Classical music
- Pasta
- Single guy cooking pasta while listenin..."


- Cats
- Description of people's ears
- Boobs

since i post this from an app i cant quote you guys, but seriously the elements often reccur in Murakami novels are highly repetitives (but still attractives though) sometimes I wonder if he's been writing aout himself....

plus, add quotes about the sky and the universe. it's also everywhere, lol. but that's why i can relate to his book, with me being stuck in a boring routine, cooking pasta and listenng to classical music.

I discover Murakami from a friend and then read reviews over his books and then I chose to buy 1Q84. still haven't finished reading it.

Namida wrote: "Sheva wrote: "His pop culture references and attraction to cats just make me want to read all of his books. Next read might be: South of The Border, West of The Sun :")"

I feel the loneliness and ..."

Totally! I discover some playlist that people made based on his books, and I play them most of the time while I'm working on something... I will certainly read South of The Border, West of The Sun. I loveeee the premise :3

Oon wrote: "Elements often recur in Murakami novels:
- Single guy with no ambitions
- Unattainable/lonely/quirky (usually older) woman
- Jazz
- Classical music
- Pasta
- Single guy cooking pasta while listenin..."

Tokyo at night, recordings, train, station :3

- wrote: "No offense but Murakami sucks. It sickens me, and people need to be able to tell what real literature is.

And yeah he is obsessed with train stations, and has a tendency to try to cover the shallo..."

And you're the master of literature, I suppose?
Keep in mind that attacking author is not something we condone in this group. Go ahead diss the book if you like.

Don't worry, I'm just being sarcastic, a thing I do once a while in regular basis.
I don't mind with your opinion on Murakami's works; everyone has different POV and that shapes his/her opinion about everything.
It just irks me when you write people need to be able to tell what real literature is; but yeah, let's not go down that way.
happy reading for you.

Komang wrote: "the wind-up bird chronicle is next on my list, although i'm having trouble trying to interpretate the word 'wind-up'."

I imagine that it's a wind-up toy in the shape of a bird.

I finally have read my first Murakami! :D

I have known his books since...junior high perhaps? I have seen his books since then, but only got to read it just now. I was at first confused on choosing which one will I read, but finally I chose Kafka On The Shore. Now I finally understood what's the craze on Murakami all about. I greatly enjoyed the moment I read it :D

Perhaps after Kafka my next one will be After Dark. I read the first pages from my friend, and thought (after reading Kafka On The Shore), this would be the next.

I forgot what was my first Murakami. Probably hear the wind sings in Indonesian version? (which the publisher republished again with the new cover now) A good friend of mine introduced Murakami to me and it was such a new thing and I felt enchanted. LOL.
After that, I kept borrowing Murakami's from Japan Foundation library and read some more. Graduating from unversity, I got some pay and convinced myself to collect all Murakami's. I haven't read those all and still try my best to buy more (but it was quite hard because I got tempted to buy others and Murakami's now are pretty much expensive in bookstore though sometimes you can get cheaper ones online).

I just finished rereading The elephant vanishes (which I forgot I have had read it). I recommended it for the newbie (can I say that?) because it's just as simple as that.
And my favorite of all time, not only Murakami's but of all books is Sputnik Sweetheart :)

My first Murakami's Novel (and my only one) is Norwegian Wood, Indonesian version. At first, I don't know what he's talking about or what is his purpose with it. But after several chapter (like 10 or more) and listening to Norwegian Wood by The Beatles, I understand it clearly. The bitterness, the confusing stage, the sweet sensation, and the depression. It hit me bad. It's so depressing and make me think about my life. What is the purpose of life.

It's so elegant, yet bitter.

At some point, I became depression. It's bad, it's good, it makes us want to be a better person. To understand about what we are, what we want for our future. It's one of the best book I've ever read. :')

I see it as a poetic novel. If you see it as ordinary novel, you will have bad experience. You should read it with mellow surrounding, I guess. It's just my opinion though :D

PS: sorry for bad grammar :|

I'm currently reading my very first book by Haruki Murakami. I enjoy dystopian and sci-fi a lot so I picked up 1Q84. Lots of people are crazy about his books so naturally I'm very excited now. Wish me luck! :)

Murakami's latest work (Colorless Tsukuru and His Pilgrimage) in english translation will be out on August. Can hardly wait >.<

I already read all of his works. Well except the nonfiction ones, I only read What We Talk About When We Talk About Running. My first Murakami was Kafka on the Shore and my favorite is After Dark (because it's less-gloomy and rather sweet) and the second one is Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. But the truth is I really like all of his books :-D

...two people can sleep in the same bed and still be alone when they close their eyes - Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

My sister introduced me to Murakami. And Norwegian Wood was his first novel I read. I postponed reading it when I read the character I adore died. I continued reading it a year after and the ending was not like I expect either.
I prefer The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. I basically love that fat book. It really touched my heart.

I currently want to read Kafka On The Shore. If there's anyone who has read it, please be kind enough to tell me whether it's worth to read or not! Thanks a lot :)

@Dimi if you like a surrealist novel like the works of Andre Breton or Franz Kafka, then Kafka on the Shore is really worth your time. Murakami is known as the king of symbolism (according New York Times) and I think he really nailed it in Kafka on the Shore.

Sasthi wrote: "@Dimi if you like a surrealist novel like the works of Andre Breton or Franz Kafka, then Kafka on the Shore is really worth your time. Murakami is known as the king of symbolism (according New York..."

I think I agree with the term "king of symbolism" by NYT. The semiotic phone booths are mostly found in his novels. I was discussing about this with a friend, and he doesn't really agree if the phone booths are symbolic phone booths. He truly believe that it's real.

But I prefer to take the phone booths as semiotic phone booths. It suits Murakami better, I guess. hehehe :))

I think all of Murakami's works took places in the same universe, except the Hard-boiled Wonderland.. and Wild Sheep Chase. I wonder how come he put up with such weird (but somehow genius) ideas..

Hi all.. I am rather new to Murakami, but I can't help to immediately fall in love with his writing as soon as I read first few passages in 'Norwegian Wood', I think the way he describes the sceneries were really poetic and beautiful. Automatically, it was my first Murakami. Found it purely by chance when I stroll in Kinokuniya last year. Heard the buzz about the movie, but didn't care enough to actually looking for it in the first place..

Up until now, I've read 'Norwegian Wood', 'Kafka On the Shore', and 'Hear the Wind Sing'. My favourite so far is 'Kafka On the Shore'. Very imaginative and magical, twisted and depressing, but nonetheless, I like it!

Currently I am reading 1Q84 which was given to me as birthday present earlier this year and only managed to read it until recently. Got the 3 books box set and already finished with book 1. Things are getting interesting and I really glad the division made it easier for me to carry the book around. The cover rather cute too actually :D

How did I discover Murakami... hmm, it was a recommendation from a friend, I think? My first Murakami was 1Q84 and although it was slow and a bit confusing at first, once I got the hang of it I couldn't put it down hahahha. It's a weird and fascinating world, Murakami's world. A world that make you shiver in a good way (and sometimes in a little mysteriously scary way, for me personally).

My second Murakami was Norwegian Wood and it was relatively easier to digest than 1Q84 (also much shorter :p). It left me with a weird mixture of sadness, relief, and serenity that felt oddly good. Hahaha what am I saying.

Next I want to read Kafka on The Shore since it's a friend's personal favorite, and I'm curious! :D

Hi, everyone!
My first Murakami book was Norwegian Wood. I find his metaphors and perspective kind of relatable. At first I thought it was going to be a tough book, but it turned out as a weird but enjoyably easy-to-read book.
I got 1Q84 as a birthday gift from a friend, but I'm planning to read Sputnik Sweetheart first since 1Q84 seemed to be a test for Murakami fans (or so I've heard).
Any suggestion? :D

Hi, I never read Murakami's book before. I'm planning to buy one because I got curious of her famousness, so is there any title that you could bump for the first-timer-Murakami like me?
Thanks a lot (:

Hi Vania, am myself is debating whether to read 1Q84 first or Sputnik Sweetheart (both are gathering dust on my bookshelf). Personally, maybe, I'll go for Sputnik Sweetheart first instead of 1Q84 for obvious reasons, haha. Sputnik is so much thinner.

Hi Chelsea. I'm no Murakami expert, I've only ever read two, but After Dark really left an impression. It's what made me want to continue reading his work :)

Hi Rachel, thanks for suggesting. I'll go after your book, then (:

Hi, Chelsea and Vania. Norwegian Wood is a good choice for first time reader of Murakami's works in my opinion. More down to earth and none too bizarre. Perhaps less Murakami-esque, though because it's heavily focused on romance.

Kafka On the Shore might also be a nice choice if you prefer a touch with Murakami's strange and bizarre world. This book is my favourite of his, though. :)

Hi Natasha, hmm, that's interesting. i tend to read books based on reviews (or if it not possible, by the short description), and I think I'll look forward to your suggestion too, hehe. Yes I heard about Norwegian Wood couple times and remember I did weigh that book on my hand, but put it back to buying other book, which is not worth the reading ):
Thanks anyway for responding (:

Can somebody please talk to me about Sputnik Sweetheart! I just finished it last night, and I have so many feels.

That ending! Mind absolutely blown!

I also can't really describe about the ending of sputnik sweetheart. Well, It's Murakami's work, we should ready for the surreal things like that. Specially about Sumire's disappearing, and how she came back.

I read three books from Murakami: Dance Dance Dance, 1Q84 and Kafka on the Shore. I love 1Q84, hate Kafka on the Shore, and thought Dance Dance Dance good, but not as good as 1Q84.

Randy wrote: "I also can't really describe about the ending of sputnik sweetheart. Well, It's Murakami's work, we should ready for the surreal things like that. Specially about Sumire's disappearing, and how she..."

But the question is, (view spoiler)[ did she really come back? If she did, where did she come from? (hide spoiler)] These questions are seriously plaguing my mind and I can't get over it.

Coqueline wrote: "I read three books from Murakami: Dance Dance Dance, 1Q84 and Kafka on the Shore. I love 1Q84, hate Kafka on the Shore, and thought Dance Dance Dance good, but not as good as 1Q84."

Do you think 1Q84 would be a good plane read? I'll be on a long fight to the States this coming December, do you think I should bring it along?

1Q84 is indeed very good. Actually, Norwegian Wood is my favourite. But Norwegian Wood doesn't really resemble Murakami's works. Despite of how thick the book is, 1Q84 is easy to read. It really resembles Murakami's works, it's surreal, so you should ready for abstract things.

1Q84 is a brick of a book, if you want to read it on a plane, read the e-book, or get the 3-volume edition and read it separately.

Randy wrote: "1Q84 is indeed very good. Actually, Norwegian Wood is my favourite. But Norwegian Wood doesn't really resemble Murakami's works. Despite of how thick the book is, 1Q84 is easy to read. It really r..."

Talking about Norwegian Wood, I don't actually get the love for it. Everyone seems to love it; it seems to be everyone's favourite, but I just don't understand it, haha. Care to enlighten me? I found it to be so boring. It does seem as if I prefer Murakami's more surreal abstract work so I hope I will enjoy 1Q84.

Coqueline wrote: "1Q84 is a brick of a book, if you want to read it on a plane, read the e-book, or get the 3-volume edition and read it separately."

My copy is that 'brick-of-a-book' >.<

Murakami's new novel Colorless Life Tsukuru Tazaki is recommended also. Well the story is less surreal than others Murakami's works but i find it interesting. Reminds me of my high school life. I think the grand theme is about knowing your self better. The book is only 300ish pages..not to heavy hehehe..

Coqueline, what do you think of Dance Dance Dance? I'm thinking of buying a copy.