Daniel Learmouth > Recent Status Updates

Pg. 113 -> 142
1h6m11s (4h48m59s)

Final reading time: 4h48m59s

Pg. 75 -> 113
1h15m42s (3h42m48s)

Oh, right, that explains what gives with the mark all over the place. But...we're still no closer to knowing what's in the will. Are we going to find that out at all? Somehow, I have my doubts, but we do have one more session to find that out, as we close out the book - and the year - tomorrow.

Pg. 36 -> 75
1h17m59s (2h27m6s)

So, whilst we still haven't seen the contents of the will, we have become somewhat aware of a particular symbol and its prominence. There also seems to be some connection to a play which itself has connection to the history of postal services...? Err, OK then.

Pg. 1 -> 36
1h9m7s (1h9m7s)

Alright then, we're starting off strong here. We're yet to read anything about the actual contents of the will that Maas is supposed to be the executor of, but I suppose we'll find out soon enough. That said, I can already tell this is going to be a silly book. Whether I'll enjoy it for that, we'll have to wait and find out.

Pg. 414 -> 449
1h1m21s (14h50m24s)

Final reading time: 14h50m24s

Pg. 390 -> 414
44m47s (13h49m3s)

We're in the endgame already. Things are happening to our main character that I'm having a bit of trouble keeping up with, but I suppose this is to be expected; magical realism as a genre has a habit of expecting you to just take what comes and roll with it. Maybe I should read Gabriel Garcia Marquez's work some day...

Pg. 357 -> 390
1h1m1s (13h4m16s)

I must say, I do like how the coffee shop owner is presented and written in this book; she feels quite different from what I've read in prior Murakami books. As for the events that happened in this session...really, not a great deal took place, but we likely now have a possible avenue for how this book goes nuts soon.

Pg. 324 -> 357
1h1m35s (12h3m15s)

Wow. A lot just happened there. A friendly meetup, an unspoken farewell, a bizarre disappearance, an awkward conversation...everything has rather suddenly ramped up. I thought this town was supposed to be a fairly quiet place, but here we are with...all of this. I dread to think what'll come out of some of what transpired just now.

Pg. 294 -> 324
56m46s (11h1m40s)

Ah, here we go - the boy has plans in mind, and they inherently involve our protagonist here. At least he seems to be warming to our head librarian now, especially after the muffin. Not gonna lie, I could go for a coffee and a blueberry muffin right about now...

Pg. 271 -> 294
54m45s (10h4m54s)

Some additional stuff about the kid in the parka, and...a strange realisation that Mr. Koyasu is nowhere to be seen. That's odd. I wonder what the reason for this is? Also, is this kid me, reading about Shostakovich? Granted, what he's probably reading is the spurious 'Testament', so...

Pg. 238 -> 271
1h5m23s (9h10m9s)

Welp, it took 250 pages for jazz to finally turn up in here. We also got something about a kid that comes to the library every day. As an aside to the story, I do appreciate that this book also has kanji in it; it's rare for a book like this to have both types of writing, occasional as it is.

Pg. 207 -> 238
59m12s (8h4m46s)

That explains quite a lot about what happened in Mr. Koyasu's life. Though, it's obvious there's more to come as far as his story is concerned. We're also seeing Mrs. Soeda opening up a little, although how much more she opens up, we'll have to wait and see there. At least they're not all going crazy...probably.

Pg. 178 -> 207
1h8m31s (7h5m34s)

I just knew there had to be something funky going on with Mr. Koyasu. His mannerisms and manoeuvres always seemed a bit strange, and to find that out about him makes a few things click into place. I just wonder where everything goes from here, though, since we're quite early into the chapter...

Pg. 157 -> 178
50m5s (5h57m3s)

I wonder who this Mr. Koyasu is, exactly. He clearly has a number of eccentricities about him, but at least he seems harmless. Probably. And it's good that our protagonist is settling into his new surroundings rather quickly.

Pg. 129 -> 157
57m35s (5h6m58s)

Now, I'm not completely sure which version of the main character we have here. All that said, this is starting to give me some 'The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle' vibes, although in this case, the protagonist does actually land a new job. I wonder how that's going to go? Will it involve any more shadow weirdness?

Pg. 89 -> 129
1h9m48s (4h9m23s)

That's Part One done. The next part is...comparatively gargantuan, spanning roughly 300 pages. I feel a bit more confident in understanding what's going on, although some bits are a little hazy and weird. Goodness knows what's going to come in the next part, but I suppose we'll find out soon.

Pg. 64 -> 89
53m41s (2h59m35s)

I think I'm starting to get a bit of a grasp on what exactly is going on here. I wonder what these beasts actually look like; a part of me thinks they look a bit like deer but with a single horn, although the book refers to them as 'unicorns' in places, so...whether they're like horses or not, I can only guess.

Pg. 35 -> 64
1h1m18s (2h5m54s)

OK, reading this whilst feeling somewhat tired is probably not going to be a smart move, and I may need something stronger than Woodford Reserve for this. There is a lot that I am going to have to figure out as it comes, because currently, I feel like I've been dropped into a hole and I have to figure out how to get out.

Pg. 1 -> 35
1h4m36s (1h4m36s)

Ah yeah, here we go; we've only just started with the "what is even going on here?" and "why are we talking about breasts already?" stuff. It's like he's never gone. I wonder if there'll be any mentions of Herbie Hancock or Thelonious Monk...

Pg. 334 -> 374
1h7m32s (10h6m21s)

Final reading time: 10h6m21s

Pg. 299 -> 334
55m56s (8h58m49s)

Well, that's one way to care for a princess, I suppose; just abandon her and hope things go well. Also, I will say, I noticed a weird typesetting thing going on, but by the looks of it, it's deliberate, and I think I know why...although, I do wonder what's to come at the end of this book tomorrow...

Pg. 247 -> 299
1h21m39s (8h2m53s)

Alright, so, there's a fair bit to unpack with this one. Investigating a forest, finding corpses and the wounded, encountering a haughty child who's supposed to be a princess, and eventually finding a community who probably did all that killing. And now there's an argument over what's to come after all of this...

Pg. 205 -> 247
1h10m39s (6h41m14s)

Wow, OK then. The chapter was looking like it was going nice, sweet, lovely and all those kinds of words, but then it pulls the rug at the very end. I guess there are tragic endings in these books after all...after a fashion. Oh well; what have we got next?

Pg. 171 -> 205
55m37s (5h30m35s)

One story ended, in a way that was rather bizarre given the situation, but also surprisingly positive, presumably saving the guy from an impossible amount of debt. Now there's a party going on and Geralt has managed to make things a bit awkward for himself a couple times already...where's this going next?

Pg. 131 -> 171
1h7m36s (4h34m58s)

Well this is a bizarre situation. A whole boatload of tax, but also a boatload of profits...something tells me there isn't going to be a simple ending to this particular tale. Such is the wonders of taxation, I suppose.

Pg. 83 -> 131
1h11m20s (3h27m22s)

I can somewhat sympathise with the idea of hating being in a particular place. I have a friend to hates the town he once called home for basically two decades. Although, a particular mention of something caught my attention, given its significance in the games. I wonder if it's just a passing reference here?

Pg. 38 -> 83
1h15m7s (2h16m2s)

If there is one thing I love about 'The Witcher' as a series, the outcomes are never immediately predictable. Sure, you could probably pick up on a few things, but the outcome delivers a fun little left-hook. I also love the interactions in this series; it feels like genuine conversations you might encounter between friends or associates.

Pg. 1 -> 38
1h0m55s (1h0m55s)

Oh, we're already getting a whole bunch of the gang back together from the off. And I guess here be dragons in a somewhat literal way. That said...just how big were the kegs of beer anyway? Because a whole lot of beer got consumed in just these few dozen pages. I know witchers are into their booze, but...

Pg. 215 -> 242
1h4m32s (9h12m16s)

Final reading time: 9h12m16s

Pg. 175 -> 215
1h28m8s (8h7m44s)

I'm somewhat interested in the ideas proposed at the end of this book here; I feel like I'd need to see it in action to really have faith in it working as a proper system, but I do like it conceptually. Maybe I'm a bit biased, because of my political leanings, but it's certainly something I favour.