Haruki Murakami

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Who has read any Murakami?

I read Kafka on the Shore about six months ago. I liked it.
1Q84 is on its way to me. I'm kind of intimidated.

Kafka on the Shore has sat on my nightstand for six months and I've liked looking at the cover and thinking about opening it. I read short stories of his and really liked them. Hopefully I'll get around to reading it soon.

I read the Wind up Bird Chronicles. It's excellent.

I've read:
A Wild Sheep Chase
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
South of the Border, West of the Sun
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Kafka on the Shore

I've read pretty much all of his English-translated novels but I've not found copies of Pinball and Hear The Wind Sing. 1Q84 isn't my favourite, but it's still a very strange and eerily fascinating piece of work, and he's still one of my favourite writers.

It's really hard for me to explain exactly what it is that makes him such a unique and talented writer though...it seems to be all about the feelings you get when you read his work for yourself. I think the quirkiness to the characters and the way his stories seem profound without even trying are what makes them so enjoyable for me. His books are very 'atmospheric' in their settings and the style of his writing allows you to feel the characters' emotions.

I really loved A Wild Sheep Chase and Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World; out of his recent books Kafka on the Shore was my favourite but to be honest I don't dislike any of them. The short stories are a bit of a mixed bag for me - some are amazing while others just strike me as simply odd!

I'm reading Kafka on the Shore right now; my dad picked it up on his most recent trip to Japan last moth. He finished it and liked it, and thought I might like it as well. So far, I am.