Impressions of books bought at Literature Flea Market Kyoto 9 & Hiroshima 7

Good evening, this is Zuisho Ashihara, a cat-loving member of Inamachikuai.
I am slowly reading through the books I bought at Literature Flea Market Kyoto 9 on 1/19 and Literature Flea Market Hiroshima 7 on 2/9. Oh, creative works that convey the author's passion and "likes" are wonderful! Here are some brief impressions.

"Shikai no Hotori" (By the Four Seas) by Akira Tomine

This is a collection of short stories focusing on the four Fujiwara brothers during the Nara period. I saw it in the Kyoto web catalog and was determined to buy it!
As I read through the short stories that each focus on one of the four brothers—Muchimaro, Fusasaki, Umakai, and Maro—their personalities, which are often lumped together as the "four brothers," and how they feel about each other became clear. I felt a lot of things about that delicate balance, or perhaps precariousness, and the way these four, who were not a monolithic group, were connected by the "Fujiwara blood."
There are many creative works that depict the four brothers as having framed Prince Nagaya, but in this work, they actually liked him, and the fact that they had to follow an imperial order... that conflict made me feel frantic while reading. The short story about Umakai was especially good. The conversation between Umakai and Muchimaro surrounding Prince Nagaya's residence is heartbreaking. The words, "The blood of the Fujiwara history—the father's blood—is the blood of Asura," weigh heavily.
The fact that the book ends with a story about them as children after the short stories about the four brothers who lived the path of Asura is just! This is a book I want everyone who likes ancient history to read, or rather, a book I want to discuss with others who have read it.

"Zoku Kibyoshi Nozoki" (Continued Peeking at Kibyoshi) by Yamatodo

Following the first volume, this is a great book where you can read Kibyoshi (yellow-cover books) in a layout that allows you to enjoy them just like manga, with modern Japanese translations overlaid on the Edo-period illustrations. Even the cover is funny. "Evil"!
A serious merchant has his body taken over by an evil spirit and goes on a spree, the spirit and limbs stage a coup against the heart and do whatever they want, or someone tries to become poor because they have too much money but ends up with even more—these funny little stories are paired with equally humorous illustrations. I thought that the puns and meta-jokes are the same things we do today.
Since Kibyoshi just appeared in the Taiga drama, you can enjoy this twice as much! "Kinkin Sensei Eiga no Yume" is included in the first volume. It really says "hyu-hyu" (whoosh) (laughs).

"Motto Earl Grey ga Nomitai ~ Earl Grey Nomikurabe Hon 2" (I Want to Drink More Earl Grey ~ Earl Grey Tasting Book 2) by Strawberry Field

The Earl Grey tasting book has powered up; it's an amazing book that actually compares 80 brands from 67 companies. They rank the aroma, taste, cost-performance, etc., and include impressions from actually drinking all of them. When you think about it, that's quite a skill. If it were me, my vocabulary would only be "aromatic" or "I kind of like it" (laughs). Reviews that make you want to drink them are, after all, because they love Earl Grey. Encountering books full of this "I love it!" power is the best part of the Literature Flea Market.

"Gendai Horror Anthology: Watashitachi no Hontou ni Kowai Mono" (Modern Horror Anthology: The Things We Are Truly Afraid Of) by Kanau Hayataka

As the name "Modern Horror Anthology" suggests, it has a scary cover that feels like Japanese humid horror! You can enjoy various horror short stories by seven authors.
The organizer Kanau Hayataka's "Yomi no Shima" (Island of Night Viewing) has a damp, lingering fear involving deep emotions, and the sadness that remains after reading is good. A land where the Fudaraku legend remains, a burial grave called Houri Island, and a certain tradition. This is true Japanese-style horror.
Jun Kurozumi's "Cabbage wa Utau" (The Cabbage Sings) is so scary! Doesn't it make you afraid of whole cabbages? The ending is also madness, and I like the straightforward feel.
In Yaeka Mikami's "Shikimi no Riyuu" (The Reason for the Shikimi), I feel darkness and karma in the structure where one is treated unreasonably while also doing the same to others... The depiction of working women is very realistic, which adds to the persuasiveness.
Sora Hatsu Ueno's "Kiite Kudasai" (Please Listen), oh, the ending! I thought it was a mockumentary, but could it be a true story?
Kazu Aoki's "Azoe no Haha" (The Stepmother), I thought it was a tragedy caused by a misunderstanding, but... In the end, it hit me from an unexpected direction. This is chilling!
Manabu Naito's "Konbini Kaeri" (Returning from the Convenience Store), as I read while sympathizing with the protagonist... I thought it was a psychological horror, but I wasn't told it was this kind of horror! It scared me.
Urara Minazuki's "Pano Pano," the lead says it's a "unique gourmet horror," and when I wondered what that meant... It was a kind of fear I had tasted for the first time. I would be absolutely disgusted if something like this really existed! (Compliment)

"Keyboard Nante Nandemo Ii to Omotteta" (I Thought Any Keyboard Would Do) by Yukiko Shuno

A book by Shuno-sensei of "Watashi, Teiji de Kaerimasu." (I Will Leave on Time.) that summarizes her journey to finding a high-end keyboard and interviews with people who are particular about their keyboards.
If you are a writer, isn't this a topic of interest? I also started using a Topre REALFORCE after being recommended by a fellow writer, so I thought, "So that's where you end up after all." I read about other tools with great interest as well. I'll try to copy them. The environment is important for writing!
The book I bought with it, "Kyuuna 'Ure' ni Sonaeru Sakka no Tame no Survival Dokuhon" (A Survival Reader for Writers Preparing for a Sudden 'Hit'), might get the retort "You're never going to have a hit," but I was simply interested... I thought this is similar to things other than "hits," such as "I aimed for a debut and submitted to many public contests, but once I won, a completely different kind of hardship arrived!"

I still have a pile of books I bought at the Literature Flea Market, so I will write the rest of my impressions next time!

(Ashihara)