カテゴリー: Book Recs

🔽 Book reviews and notes 🔽
Here are 3 books picked by me, akapan, to pile up in your bookshelf to create an amazing tsundoku, or actually read them, of course.

Women and Madness
Women against the social expectations

 

1. The Woman Dies
Aoko Matsuda, 2021
Japan
女が死ぬ
松田青子
[my comment]
In Japan it's still normal to say "typically female" or "it talks to the female sensitivity" in ads or magazines. These women won't give in. Anger, fabulous.
[full review page]
[check on amazon.com]


2. Little Fires Everywhere
Celeste Ng, 2017
US
400 pages
[my comment]
It starts slowly in everyone. 2 families, opposite ideals, and different mothers different daughters with different fates.
[full review page]
[check on amazon.com]


3. Mrs. Dalloway
Virginia Woolf, 1925
UK
240 pages
[my comment]
Clarissa is on the verge of falling apart, she's physically unwell but holds it together, on the outside. Nothing seems to happen, yet there's a storm in her head.
[full review page]
[check on amazon.com]

[related pages]

🔽 Book review and notes 🔽
Here are 3 books picked by me, akapan, to pile up in your bookshelf to create an amazing tsundoku, or actually read them, of course.

"Strong Female Characters"
Yes, yes, it's rather common, I know, but I wanted to pick some quirky ones because strength comes in different shapes!

 

1. Breasts and Eggs
Mieko Kawakami, 2008
Japan
乳と卵
川上未映子
[my comment]
3 women, 3 days. What does it mean to be a woman? Women looking at each other, women being looked at by each other. Sharp and warm.
[related pages]
“Breasts and Eggs” Mieko Kawakami (2008) Review | Women’s normality, society’s taboo
[check on amazon.com]


2. Convenience Store Woman 
Sayaka Murata, 2016
コンビニ人間
村田沙耶香
[my comment]
She's not married, not doing a "grown up's job", no kids, no boyfriend, also she doesn't give a sh*t, she is clever and quick. she didn't just end up being a convenience store woman, this is her true self.
[check on amazon.com]


3. Jane Eyre
Charlotte Bronte, 1847
624 pages
[my comment]
I have to add this classic in the list. A woman who doesn't obey? A woman who says no? All with her plain childish looks? How dare.
[check on amazon.com]


[related pages]
“Breasts and Eggs” Mieko Kawakami (2008) Review | Women’s normality, society’s taboo

“Convenience Store Woman” Sayaka Murata (2016) Review | Ordinary yet mad

“Jane Eyre” Charlotte Bronte (1847) Review | A woman who says no