I love to read short stories. I have time to finish them during my busy work week and each story can have a perfect beginning, middle and end, which is very satisfying to complete in less than 200 pages.

Haruki Murakami is a famous Japanese author who has won many prizes and whose books are translated into many languages. He has also written a wonderful book of short stories I can recommend, Men Without Women. Perhaps you know one of the stories in that book from the movies? It is called 'Drive My Car' and it won many international awards.

Men Without Women has many wonderful stories in it. Most are set in Japan, so their characters and settings should be familiar, but each story of a man has a twist: something is wrong in their lives or they are experiencing some drama. Each story makes you think and the emotions you feel after reading them lingers (= takes a long time to leave).

I have read other Murakami books, which I liked, but this is my favorite. I think Japanese book lovers should first read it in Japanese and then read the same book in English. This way they will be learning how English speakers understand Japanese stories. It is not important that the translation is studied, but the way things are expressed in each language generally.

I hope you enjoy the book! And if you would like to discuss books or any other topics, please book a lesson with me.