such a lonely book. lonely characters driven by loneliness. i felt lonely reading it, and i feel lonely thinking about it. i just finished it a few minutes ago and absolutely loved it, however. the characters are so detached from the world around them, it’s amazing. i thought i could accurately predict the ending about halfway through, but i couldn’t have been more wrong. it’s not his best book, but it’s worth a read if you enjoy the intricacies in his writing.

I love Murakami. If you haven’t noticed, I love his writing style and quote him regularly. Norwegian Wood is the first Murakami book I have ever read, and currently stands as one of my favorite books of all time.

I have been meaning to say something about it for a good period of time, but for the last little while I have let all the quotes just stand for themselves. The characters, storyline, and overall feel of the book are amazing, and no matter how many times I read it I find myself picking it up again. I’ve read it in both English and Japanese, and I find that Jay Rubin did an exceptional job with the translation, and that a lot of the “feel” you so often lose was preserved quite nicely.

It’s a story of young love laced with tragedy, and a coming of age during a crucial time in one’s life.

Finished Murakami’s “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” this morning and thoroughly enjoyed it. It also happens to be the first book that I read in its entirety on my iPhone. The cover designs found in Japan are far more appealing than the ones found here in the states.