Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

IDK, people. Somehow, I missed the first boat on this one, which launched 21 years ago. But I guess some days you just wake up and think, today’s the day I finally want to read Memoirs of a Geisha.

And then you read it and love it and wonder what in the world was wrong with you on all those other days. Or, at least, that was me, anyway, and if you haven’t read it yet, then I suspect it is also you.

This is an engaging historical fiction novel full of culture and rich setting, with a main character who captured my full attention right from the start. I know some people didn’t enjoy this novel for various reasons that seem to be mostly related to a Western viewpoint on an Eastern culture, blah, blah, blah, etc.

Whatever. It’s fiction. The language is lovely, and the narrative is arresting. I’m happy I read it. It’s an absolute delight.

Book 125 read in 2018

Pages: 503

I am a Cat by Natsume Sōseki

I am a Cat by Natsume Sōseki

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

A classic of Japanese literature, I Am a Cat is one of the author's best-known novels. This novel was written over the course of 1904 to 1906. The main character is a cat who is never given a name but lives with a middle-class family. Cat tells the reader his observations of human behavior and Japanese society during the Meiji era in all of his cat snarkiness.

Page Numbers: 470