| 1. |  | The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
from Knopf
Customer Review:
I'd been wanting to read this book for a while, having already sampled most of Murakami Haruki's work, and since I'd heard that this was his best work I was naturally compelled. Yet the reports were mixed - some non-Japanese had devoured it, while some Japanese had found it dull as hell. Certainly,... more info | 4.5 / 5.0
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| 2. |  | Norwegian Wood
from Vintage
Price: $11.16
Customer Review:
Murakami is internationally known for a body of work that encompasses a surreal, dreamy, time-sequence-challenged form of fiction (as well as a number of non-fiction pieces). This novel -- said to be somewhat autobiographical -- is a mesmerizing piece of fiction. Narrated by an adult looking back on... more info | 4.5 / 5.0
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| 3. |  | After Dark (Spanish Edition)
from Tusquets
Price: $15.61
Customer Review:
"After Dark" was first published in Japan in 2004, and was translated into English by Jay Rubin in 2008.
The book opens up in an `amusement district'- an area dedicated to gaming centres, karaoke clubs and bars. It's approaching midnight and - while plenty of others are enjoying themselves... more info | 3.5 / 5.0
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| 4. |  | The Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
from Kodansha International (JPN)
Customer Review:
I have read this book both in English and Japanese. Although there's some intentional change, the translation is superb. The essence is never lost in translation.
This particular book is a bit different from his other books and I personally believe this is the best. It's more philosophical... more info | 4.5 / 5.0
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| 5. |  | Wild Sheep Chase: A Novel
from Kodansha America
Customer Review:
This gem of a novel was required reading for a world literature class I took. I waited until the last minute to read it, but it ended up being a breeze to get through because it was so fantastically odd. I would not be the least bit surprised to find out that Murakami was a Stanley Kubrick fan. I... more info | 4.0 / 5.0
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| 6. |  | Elephant Vanishes, The: Stories
from Knopf
Customer Review:
A collection of stories, that ends with the surreal "the Elephant Vanishes" about a totally ordinary guy who works for a P.R. department of an electrical company (the same guy appears in many stories throughout the book) who thinks he may have watched an elephant in the early stages of shrinking... more info | 4.5 / 5.0
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| 7. |  | Battle Royale
from VIZ Media LLC
Price: $10.85
Customer Review:
I've been eager to read this book for a while since I own both Battle Royale movies and I read the manga years ago. This book is as troubling as it is insightful-- troubling because it shows you the truth depth of human desperation and troubling because it makes the reader enjoy it. This book isn't... more info | 4.5 / 5.0
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| 8. |  | Sputnik Sweetheart
from Knopf
Customer Review:
I love Murakami's novels and short stories, but this one just didn't do it for me. This story should have been a novella or part of Murakami's short collections. It's not a bad or uninteresting read, there's just a ton of padding. By the time I got through the filler and to the crucial points, I had... more info | 4.0 / 5.0
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| 9. |  | Musashi
from Kodansha International
Price: $23.10
Customer Review:
Books this long need to be way more interesting or it turns into a slog, I don't care how fast you read. This one really bogged me down. I am not saying it was not a good story, it just needed to be way shorter and keep moving a lot faster. | 5.0 / 5.0
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| 10. |  | Dance Dance Dance: A Novel
from Kodansha International (JPN)
Customer Review:
I've said it before, I truly do like Murakami alot because he likes writing these normal situations like eating donuts and reading a newspaper and watching TV in his stories but for some odd reason it just never gets boring. This book is the sequel to "The Wild Sheep Chase" which became one of my... more info | 4.5 / 5.0
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