My new (long time) reading project is to explore pre-war Japanese detective fiction!
Book review: 『日本探偵小説全集 1』
One of my reading projects is to read the entire collection of detective novels called 日本探偵小説全集 and published by Sogensha. There are 12 volumes in total. This first volume contains novels and short stories by three authors: Ruiko Kuroiwa (黒岩涙香): 無惨 (むざん) 血の文字 (ちのもじ) Fuboku Kosakai (小酒井不木): 痴人の復讐 (ちじんのふくしゅう) 恋愛曲線 (れんあいきょくせん) 愚人の毒 (ぐじんのどく) 闘争 (とうそう)..
Book review: 『真赤な子犬』by Jokichi Hikage
This humorous mystery is certainly my least favourite book by Jokichi Hikage but still an entertaining read.
Back to reading with short stories
I made a list of short stories (some of them very short!) as reading goal for June. It helps me to get out of my current reading slump.
May reads: a slow month
I haven’t read much in May, I mostly finished novels that I had started in April and read some short stories.
Genshin Impact: Chinese only!
Genshin is the reason why I started learning Chinese, and recently, I have switched my game to Chinese only. I also created a Mastodon account to record the progress I make.
Book review: 『ゼロの焦点』by Seicho Matsumoto
An engrossing mystery with a fast pace and an interesting social background. It is mainly based on dialogues and reads quickly but can feel repetitive at times.
Reading update: April reading slump
An overview of the (few!) books I read in April.
Book review:『孤独の罠』
I find that some of Jokichi Hikage’s books feel like a blend of literary fiction and mystery, but 孤独の罠 leans more on the side of literary fiction. The story is mainly focused on our protagonist, Shinobu Oogi, and while it starts with an unsettling mystery, it is not central to the book, and the complex..
Currently reading: Chinese, Korean and Japanese novels
April reading update! I am currently reading in my three target languages at the same time.
Book review: 『点と線』by Seicho Matsumoto
点と線 is a short, easy to read novel that centres the plot around train, timetables and alibis.
Book review:『内部の真実』by Jokichi Hikage
Easily one of the best mystery novels I have read in Japanese.