Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

I was always going to enjoy Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki; I am a Murakami fan. I find his writing instantly accessible and welcoming and the prose approachable, even when dealing with complex issues. I also love his blurring of reality with the edges of science fiction to make the reader question larger philosophical and cultural issues. Let me tell you why you should enjoy it too...

The story spans Tsukuru Tazaki,s life from when he is a teenager to his late thirties and offers fragments on who he was then, who he now is and what made his life take a certain road. The central mystery that the novel focuses on is why his close group of friends as a teenager turned their backs on him without reason. Although, a perhaps mundune premise to base a story Murakami uses this background for a 298 page character study of the eponymous Tsukuru Tazaki. Long sections of the narrative focus on the details of Tsukuru;s life and ponderings. Tsukuru is an introvert and enjoys evenings by himself, despite finding his greatest peace observing busy railway stations. But it is in the deep relationships Tsukuru has with others that the book captivates and puzzles readers. Often these relationships are temporary, providing insight to Tsukuru that can only be noted in reflection- as with most relationships we have.

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki is more open and fluid than the other Murakami books I have read and I can imagine that this may be frustrating for some readers. Often fragments of stories are raised, or ideas floated which never progress or come to a conclusion. However, for me, that is the point of this novel. It offers a fragment of a mans life and how he attempts to balance the past and future while struggling through the present. This is a beautiful book that entices and allows plenty of time to ponder and reflect. I think it is effective as both a disposable, quick read; but if you are wanting more, wanting to invest and reflect on your own life, it also allows you to do that.

Reading on an iPad Mini

Getting a Kindle wasn't something I had given that much thought to. I put this down to 2 reasons: ownership of something physical and eyestrain. I love physically having a book, being able to add it to a book shelf, use old tickets as bookmarks and feel a sense of ownership. I also thought that reading books electronically would cause eye strain and as I already look at a computer at least 8 hours a day for work I was wary about spending my free time looking at more screens. But this year something changed. I decided that reading a book electronically might not be all that bad. I have watched my mum slowly trying to cut down on her collection because it was taking over every wall and I've felt the arm ache of trying to move a collection to a new flat. So, after a lot of consideration, I thought that perhaps reading off pixels might not be so bad; it'd certainly save space and be easier than carrying a hardback on holiday. After considering a Kindle and a Nook and a few other e-readers I decided to do something different and merge my desire for a portable laptop with an e-reading device and picked the iPad mini.

I admit, for the first few months of having my iPad I couldn't bring myself to read a book off of it but having just finished one book on the iBooks app and two on the Kindle app I decided now would be a good time to share my thoughts on this different form of reading.

My first hurdle was that pixels is not paper! It just looks different and for me that took some time (around 2 chapters) to adjust to. I know Kindle screens are adapted to appear more matte which I can imagine is good for your eyes, especially over long reading sessions but after a play about with the settings on both the Kindle and iBooks apps I found you could change the brightness and background to a level that suits you. I went with a sepia background as I found it easier on my eyes. Another good point with these apps is that you can change font size and that the light from the device means its easier to have late night reading sessions.

Along with font and brightness there were a few other settings on these apps that I really found helpful. Firstly the simple bookmark in the corner. Yes, it's old school but it works. No panicking that my bookmark fell out in my bag with this! Secondly, both apps had a guide at the bottom of each page to show how far in to the book you were, both in page number and percentage. I found this really handy and I started to set targets for myself such as "read 5% before bed tonight". Again, a simple idea but I found it really motivated me and encouraged me to read more. I definitely think this contributed to me reading both books much faster than I normally would.

Another perk to the Kindle app is that you can also download it to your phone. I never thought I would enjoy reading off such a small screen but I quickly got engrossed and was surprised how many pages I actually managed to read during downtime at work and on bus journeys. When I got home my iPad instantly recognised that I had read the extra pages and synced to the right spot.

I think if reading is all you want to do on your device and brightness/ glare is something you are really concerned about I would look in to other devices that are more specifically developed for reading. But if you're looking for a device that you can read from but also use for other purposes then I would recommend the iPad Mini. It is light and very portable, easy to lie in bed with for hours and has a number of apps. I also found that buying ebooks is a lot cheaper than physical copies, with a lot of classics that you can get for free. However, I would recommend checking your book choice on a few apps before purchasing because I found a considerable price difference between the apps. Also, I haven't felt any eyestrain with the iPad and have just downloaded my 3rd read. I think I may be a convert!

Do you use your iPad for reading?

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

With the film adaptation of Gillian Flynn's novel Gone Girl being released in October I thought now would be a good time to share my thoughts on the 2012 book and whether to read before viewing.

The book takes the form of 3 parts with each chapter alternating between the viewpoint of spouses Nick and Amy. The novel starts with the sudden disappearance of Amy with most eyes fixed on Nick as prime suspect. Each chapter flits between the present unfolding mystery of Amy's disappearance and the couple's happy history together. As the novel progresses tension between both narrators builds leaving the reader in the middle of a complicated and twisted marriage. In using this form I found it easier to empathise with both sides of the relationship and become engrossed in the tale.

By alternating between the central characters the narrative also pushes you forward, leaving you always wanting to read more. It was actually my mum who let me borrow the book so every couple of nights I would be chatting with her with all my guesses and puzzles. She thankfully didn't spoil it for me! I can see why she wanted to share it with me, it is the type of book you want to talk about and ponder over like a serial HBO drama. So much so that there are discussion questions at the end of the book to be considered for reading groups. Even 6 months after reading I think about Amy every so often and go over some plot points... No spoilers here!

At its heart Gone Girl is a thriller, a who-done-it, a what will happen next. But I think a large part of its individuality and appeal is that it is a balanced book between a husband and wife. Flynn gives both characters equal space and time to tell their stories and in doing so creates a believable, three dimensional marriage, which I believe appeals to women who perhaps had previously overlooked the thriller genre. In my view this form of storytelling also encourages us to question our own stereotypical views of gender expectations by subverting the cliches of gender politics and abuse.

It is hard to tell how the future film will impact on people's perceptions of the novel (I personally hope the film will have a feel of A History of Violence to it) but I would recommend reading it before the film releases to enjoy the twists and joy of guessing uninterrupted. Perhaps you could also encourage your mum to read it...