Gentosha is calling for reviews of Hitori Gekidan's "Asakusa Runtatta", Michiko Shimizu's "Kanikama Jinseiron", and Toshika Masaki's "Red Clover"! #AutumnReading2022
Gentosha is participating in #AutumnReading2022 again this year. After much deliberation, we have selected three timely books as our recommendations. We hope you will take this opportunity to pick them up. We look forward to reading everyone's reviews!
■ Implementation Period
Submission period: October 12, 2022 (Wed) to November 30, 2022 (Wed)
Results announcement: Scheduled for around late December
■ Recommended Books
"Asakusa Runtatta" by Hitori Gekidan
An even greater masterpiece that surpasses the 1.3 million-copy bestseller "Blooming in the Shade"!
A story filled with overwhelming celebration, written for the first time in 12 years.
A baby was abandoned in front of "Tsubameya," a geisha house in Asakusa where women with nowhere else to go gather. Chiyo, a geisha who once lost her own child, decides to raise the baby despite opposition from those around her. The girl, named Oyuki, grows up surrounded by the people of Tsubameya, amidst the bustle of Asakusa from the Meiji to the Taisho era. Her joy was going to the theater. Singing, dancing, imitating Asakusa Opera—every day was so lively and happy, until that man ruined everything.
(From the editor in charge)
"Asakusa Runtatta" is a novel where you can hear voices and music from the text, and images of the characters appear before your eyes. Hitori Gekidan has used words to create a celebratory space while depicting the harsh lives of orphans and geisha. I am amazed by the expression he has taken on after the film "Asakusa Kid." Even though you are reading it, it feels like you are watching a stage performance. Whether you like human-interest stories, want to read a fast-paced narrative, are curious about Asakusa Opera, or just want to read a book that is guaranteed to be interesting... this is a book that many people will enjoy.
"Kanikama Jinseiron" by Michiko Shimizu
The world is gently filled with sadness.
That is why people try to live brightly.
A timid girl born in Hida-Takayama accumulates various encounters and experiences, big and small, eventually becoming "the nation's aunt," Michiko Shimizu, and performing at the Budokan—the first autobiographical essay by this housewife and rare entertainer.
Nostalgic, funny, and poignant episodes with family and friends from her days in Hida-Takayama, where she was a timid child who would immediately "lose her nerve" and cry. Her various experiences after moving to Tokyo, where she encountered her own weaknesses and pettiness, met many people including Roku-chan Ei, Tamori, and Shinbo Minami, began performing as Michiko Shimizu, and eventually held a live concert at the Budokan.
"It is better to know that the world is actually designed not to go well."
The birth of a masterpiece of autobiographical essays, written with a crisp, humorous, and deeply touching touch, chronicling a life lived by taking to heart the words of an older woman she respects!
(From the editor in charge)
The rare entertainer Michiko Shimizu is actually "timid and prone to worrying." In this book, she looks back on her life autobiographically, and through many encounters and experiences, she writes lightly yet poignantly about the days that led her to feel that she "doesn't worry as much as she did when she was young." Along with nostalgic Showa culture, it is also a "how-to-live book" where you can encounter many proverbs. I would definitely like people who worry easily and those who lack self-confidence to read it.
"Red Clover" by Toshika Masaki
The greatest mystery masterpiece from the author of the series with over 400,000 copies sold, including "What Did You Do That Day" and "What She Saw Last."
Toshika Masaki is... finally coming!
A girl was relaxing and slurping ramen in the living room where her family had been poisoned to death.
Could she—have killed her family?
A mass murder using arsenic occurred at a barbecue site in Tokyo. Reporter Katsuki remembers Miha Akai, the sole survivor of a family poisoning incident that occurred in Hokkaido over a decade ago. What really happened that day in that filthy, trash-filled house?
"I think it serves them right."
Hokkaido, Haito Town. The small flames of people's anger will eventually burn the gray town to the ground—.
(From the editor in charge)
Incidents such as child abuse, random stabbings, and family murder-suicides never cease. Even though you want to dismiss them by saying "I can't believe it!", isn't there a time when you can't take your eyes off them? Thinking, "Couldn't I have ended up like him or her?" Is the anger strong enough to kill someone really a fire on the other side of the river? Isn't the wall separating incidents from daily life surprisingly thin? "I just snapped"—this is a mystery that pursues the essence of that anger. "Who does anger kill?" Please witness it now.
■ How to Participate
Please post your article during the period with the hashtags "#AutumnReading2022" and "#(Title of Recommended Book)" (e.g., #AutumnReading2022 #AsakusaRuntatta).
<Hashtag of Recommended Book>
#AsakusaRuntatta
#KanikamaJinseiron
#RedClover
■ Results Announcement
After the judging is complete, we will contact the winners around late December (tentative) via the "Contact Creator" feature on note. It will be sent to the email address registered on note.
■ Prizes
The grand prize winner for each book will receive:
・A signed copy of the book by the author
・5,000 yen worth of Tosho Card NEXT
.
This call for entries is part of the note "#AutumnReading2022" contest. You can see other recommended books and announcements for the entire contest from the note below.