Today I was supposed to talk about the latest Slaves of Golconda read, Novel on Yellow Paper by Stevie Smith but I couldn’t get past page 20 or so of this novel. I think it’s a book I might enjoy if I was in the mood for it. I hate to admit that because sometimes that just seems like such an excuse but lately I’ve been leaning towards comfort reads and this was not one.

So it goes back on my shelf, I’ll see what the others thought of it and hopefully I will get to it another time.

The weekend was a good one though because I finished up one book which I liked a lot and will tell you about soon, and because after a delicious lunch at Central Market and some time wandering around Whole Earth we went to Half Price Books. It had been a while since I indulged in a bit of book shopping and I found some great bargains.

I bought Still Alice by Lisa Genova. I know many of you have loved this book so I was happy to find it. I also got a copy of Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. It does have the movie tie-in cover, I hate those usually, but the copy is in great condition and it was only $1 so I couldn’t leave it behind. I also picked up Wolves Eat Dogs by Martin Cruz Smith for an upcoming mystery book club read. The last find was Digging to America by Anne Tyler. It’s been ages since I’ve read any of her books and I’d love to get reacquainted with this author.

That’s about it for now. I’ve got a couple of books that I’m reading currently but I’m in the mood for a good mystery tonight so I think I’m going to see what I can find on my shelves.

Even though I only had to read one book for the Japanese Reading Challenge hosted by Dolce Bellezza, I almost thought I wasn’t going to make it. But, I read my one book and now I get to tell you a bit about it.

After The Quake by Haruki Murakami is a collection of stories which feature in one way or another the Kobe Earthquake that struck Japan in 1995. I guess feature is not really the right word as in some of the stories it seems like it is just talked about in passing but I think it speaks about the lingering effects that major events have in the lives of ordinary people.

Sometimes these events leave us sad, confused, angry or just reaching and grasping at something. We can’t put our fingers on it but I think it’s just a way to try to make sense of what has happened. I think this is particularly evident in the first story in the collection, which is one of my favorites, UFO In Kushiro. The main character, an electronics salesman, is surprised when his wife leaves him suddenly. They hadn’t had any problems that he knew of but one day after she had been watching non-stop coverage of the Kobe Earthquake, she packed her bags and left.

“Five straight days she spent in front of the television, staring at crumbled banks and hospitals, whole blocks of stores in flames, severed rail lines and expressways. She never said a word.”

How many times have you been rooted in front of the news not believing what you are seeing and hearing and yet you can’t turn away? It happens to all of us and we can relate. Can’t you just see the woman on the couch staring at the television? I understand how sometimes after such shocking events you have to look at your life and make a change.

The other story I quite liked was the one of Super-Frog Saves Tokyo. Yes, there is a superhero frog and it sounds totally unbelievable but again I think it shows how we like to believe in good over evil and saving the day.

I’ve really enjoyed a couple of other Murakami novels and I had high hopes for this one but in the end it is not a favorite. Some of the stories felt incomplete to me but more than anything I think in this case it was certainly a timing issue as the Haiti Earthquake is still very much in the news and it’s just heartbreaking to read the stories.

I’ll definitely try another Haruki Murakami book but I may stick with his novels. For now, I just want to say a big thank you to Dolce Bellezza for hosting this wonderful challenge for the third year. Can’t wait until the next round.

I skipped out on yoga class this evening — I know, bad bookgirl. I wanted to go but the weather is a bit yucky and I didn’t want to go out. I’m not fond of storms but I have to say there is something so wonderful and cozy about staying in with a cup of tea and reading. Which is what I did.

Plus I had to add some new books to the bookshelves. I’ve been very lucky and have received a few ARCs which I want to tell you about.

• Little Bee by Chris Cleave. I’ve read so many wonderful reviews of this book so you can only imagine how excited I was to get a copy.
• e Squared by Matt Beaumont. I don’t know that I would have ever picked this up based on the cover and title but it sounds like it could be a funny novel.
• The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow. I just love the cover of this book.
• Conspirata by Robert Harris. Politics in Ancient Rome. I’ve not read any of his books but oddly enough I was thinking about them as I’m reading The Complete Polysyllabic Spree which makes a mention of them. I love it when one book leads you to another.

And, I found another bookish item I had to share with you. I know I want one of these for my MacBook. Isn’t it cool?