The Strange Library

Cuando lo terminé de leer no me había quedado muy claro algunas cosas, tuve que detenerme a pensar y analizar todo lo que había pasado porque todo pasó muy rápido.

Sin duda no es lo mejor de Murakami, pero está bastante interesante y mantiene la esencia onírica de Haruki.

My first foray into Murakami. In the end I kinda liked it? I’m familiar with Japanese fiction ending in weird and abrupt ways so I would say I don’t exactly hate the ending.

I haven’t read a book in forever so a light read like this was perfect for me. Interested to go into Murakami’s bigger hits like Kafka On The Shore next.

This is someone’s fever dream recorded and published as a book

Second Murakami book and as per the first, I'm not sure what I feel about it. This piece is a surrealist work and not just fantasy for sure.

Finished this in one sitting right before bed. A little underwhelming, but the writing easily crafts mental images as you turn each creatively designed page. It is certainly one of the cooler aesthetic books I have read through.

Son 3.5 estrellas (7)
Primer libro que leo en la Biblioteca de Guadalajara. Estoy muy feliz de que lo haya terminado ahí.

Kinda cute, I guess, though I didn't get any deeper meaning from it. Seemed like it was just being weird for weird's sake.
It was fun with the illustrations and differently coloured pages, but overall I can't really recommend it.

sad quick read

WTF was this?! It was so weird, I don't even have words for a review. Not recommended. At all. Listened to on audio instead of the picturesque book. I don't care about elements of Kafka or Gaiman. Appeal to new readers damn it!

I am always amazed how some authors can create an entire little cosmos with so little. This VERY short novella may not have a lot of meat to it, but it still manages to pack a punch. It is indeed strange, as the title suggests, as well as thoughtful. I may have liked it more than some due to the fact that I have a soft spot for books about books and/or libraries, but I also think it is a worthwhile read. In under an hour you'll be transported to somewhere you're not sure really exists, but like the boy in story you'll be drawn into the labyrinth and want to follow it to the end. Maybe not short and sweet, but definitely short and impactful.

my brain loves the different colored dialogues and wishes that it could become a thing.

Scary little book.

Weeeeeird ... but pretty to look at.

This book is so damn short. Hahaha. All it took was one ride to the office and I wasn't even close. And I didn't have my kindle with me so how frustrating was that?! Anyway I did enjoy this weird little book. :) Strange

The single star is not for the story, which is okay but far from classic Murakami, but for a publishing industry that thinks packaging a slight short story with a few illustrations and library stamps and then charging thirteen quid for it is a decent and reasonable way to treat its customers, not to mention shrink wrapping the cover so you can't see what's really going on when browsing in a bookshop. There is fifteen minutes of reading here, if you're lucky. One to get out from - badoom, tish - the library.

I realize I have rated almost everything I've read this year four stars (mostly because I don't finish books I'm not enjoying), but I'm giving this one a perfect score for three reasons. First, it is like holding a work of art in your hands. The design is amazing. I had received a galley of this to review and never got around to it-and thank goodness because the ebook version of this book CAN NOT COMPARE to holding it in your hands. Second, it's short. I read it in an hour. Third, it managed to blow my mind while being short. Murakami is a master. Good read (but I highly recommend the physical copy!)

Funny and thought provoking...loved this artsy little book.

I loved this dark, chilling, thought provoking and ultimately moving tale. I beautiful little book. The illustrations and format of the hardback version of this book added tremendously to my enjoyment as I read this short tale.

Short and sweet.

What a fun little read! It's the usual unusual but it's in a classy package and with a gentle kid-friendly story. And, hey, it's centered on a library. Not that it's a library I'd ever want to visit, but it's a library. And the packaging is fabulous. Yes, take a look at this one.