December 20, 2024: Recent Reading and Starbucks
About Reading
Books Finished
"The Place Where the Sun Sits" by Mizuki Tsujimura
At 28, ten years after high school graduation—this book uses the motif of the "sun" to cruelly depict the contrast between those clinging to the brilliance of their high school days and those whose life stages have already changed.
Perhaps the reason the sense of raw tension among the characters feels so strangely real is that Mizuki Tsujimura was around the same age as the protagonists when she wrote this work.
There is always a trick in Tsujimura's works, and as I read, I was deducing that there must be a misdirection involving this name.
That was certainly correct, but there was a twist that exceeded my expectations, and I thought, as expected of Tsujimura-san."If It's Love, Affection, or Kindness" by Michi Ichiho
It was incredibly interesting!
In her Naoki Prize-winning work "Tsumidemic," I felt that Michi Ichiho was genius at depicting the inner voices of men, but I thought this work was even better and significantly more interesting.
The theme was whether one could forgive a lover who committed a relatively minor crime like voyeurism, which is quite an exquisite question, isn't it?
If it were a more heinous and malicious sex crime, I would say, "I never want to see your face again," but when it comes to voyeurism...
It is definitely not white, but whether it is a gray-leaning black or a black-leaning gray, I felt that the perception varies from person to person."Equator: Starry Night" by Kazue Furuuchi
I feel that there are surprisingly few works that focus on the perpetration of acts such as massacres by the Japanese military during World War II.
Since the protagonist of this book is a young man driven to the edge by a black company, I thought it would be a story of a "self-discovery journey" where he re-examines himself by traveling through Indonesia with his grandfather's memories of the war (and it certainly was that kind of story), but it went one step deeper, becoming a story that makes the reader think about war perpetration and the fact that forgiving is not the same as forgetting. I felt this was the result of the author Furuuchi-san's meticulous research and thorough interviews."South of the Border, West of the Sun" by Haruki Murakami
How many times have I read this now... maybe the 3rd or 4th time?
Previously, I just pursued the literary sadness and beauty, reading it without seeking anything from the story itself, and reading it again this time, I feel that my way of reading was not wrong after all.
If I look back at just the story now, Hajime-kun ends up being quite a jerk.
The scene where he follows Shimamoto-san's back as she walks is an impressive and favorite scene of mine.
The red cashmere coat, the bar management in Aoyama, and the atmosphere of the Heisei era felt everywhere—I felt that these were wonderful in a different sense than back then."Novel" by Mado Nozaki
I was captivated by the strong words on the obi: "Is it not enough just to read?"
It was a story that pursued the question of "What is a novel?" from various angles through the half-life of a boy named "Shuji Utsumi" who was fascinated by readers.
I think it was a quite interesting work.
Towards the end, something fairy-like suddenly appeared, and there was a moment where I thought, "Huh?", but it managed to recover, and I was surprised that it ended so beautifully in the end.
The foreshadowing was so perfect that I felt a bit unsatisfied, but even if it had ended with unresolved plot points, I probably would have felt unsatisfied anyway.
Readers are selfish, aren't they?
Books I am Reading
"The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes" by Tomihiko Morimi (40%)
My hands have finally stopped, and my reading is stalled.
I thought I could read it within this year, but there are various other books I want to read in a hurry, so I gave up."The Tale of Genji 8" by Murasaki Shikibu, translated by Mitsuyo Kakuta (20%)
The final volume of Mitsuyo Kakuta's translation. I am in the middle of the Ukifune chapter."The Rainbow Troops" by Andrea Hirata (30%)
The third book related to Indonesia.
Although the era, country, and setting are completely different, it is a novel with an atmosphere like Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's "Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window," and it's somehow good!"I Am a Monster, You Are a Creature" by Tomoyuki Shirai (30%)
A short story collection by the author of "The Detective's Sacrifice."
I have just finished reading the second story. It is moderately interesting."THINK BIGGER: How to Generate 'The Best Ideas'" by Sheena Iyengar (10%)
I am still in the early stages, so I don't know the main point of the whole book, but for now, it feels like new ideas are not 0 to 1, but are born by changing the way existing ideas are combined."Entertainment World" by Tamehito Somei, reading via Audible
Since "Bad Summer" the other day was interesting, I started listening to this one too. It seems to be a collection of short stories.
Books Purchased
"Our Preservation" by Yu Nagashima
The obi said "The best road novel," and I bought it thinking it looked interesting."It Was Crazy When I Did Close-Coverage of a Ballet Company on the Verge of Collapse"
This is a book written by the director about the close-coverage of the Tani Momoko Ballet Company, which I always watch on YouTube.
I bought it hoping to read some behind-the-scenes stories.
About Starbucks
Starting next March, the rewards program is going to be downgraded, or rather...
It seems that the current rate of 54 yen (tax included) = 1 Star will change to 60 yen (tax included) = 1 Star.
As for the rewards themselves, it seems there will be improvements, such as the introduction of a 500-yen ticket, and the ability to exchange stars for any type of product, whereas previously you had to choose between specific food or drink tickets.
Customization tickets, which could previously be exchanged for 30 Stars, will now be available for 25 Stars, so that is also an improvement.
So far, my impression is that Starbucks' popularity hasn't waned even with price hikes, so perhaps a slight downgrade to the rewards program won't be much of an issue.
The Ribbon of STAR Gift (The Training)
A campaign (training) where you can get an animated digital Starbucks card if you purchase 50 items and collect stars during the period ending December 25th.
As of today, I have reached 48 items! Just 2 more to go!