Currently, I am reading 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. I recently read The Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. I am enjoying 1Q84 more than the other two, but I have skipped several erotic parts of the book. So far, I highly recommend it. It’s a good book with moral dilemmas that circle around sexual abuse of women (and girls) and religious cults while also incorporating an intriguing romance. I have not yet once felt bored with the novel, despite many mundane details.
I also started re-reading Lord of the Rings last night. It’s just as enjoyable if not more so than the last time I read it. (This re-reading is partially inspired by The Rings of Power.) Obviously, this is recommended. The only person I know who wouldn’t recommend this series is Hayao Miyazaki. But he’s Hayao Miyazaki, so he gets a pass.
On the back burner, several of the books that I am reading are The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro, Death by Water by Kenzaburo Oe, The Guest Book by Sarah Blake, and Turning Point by Hayao Miyazaki. I am not too terribly far into these books, but they are interesting and thought provoking. (In fact, The Guest Book pops into my mind periodically when I contemplate parenting my children.) Needless to say, I can’t wait to finish them.