Haruki Murakami best books
Who is Haruki Murakami?
Haruki Murakami is a novelist from Japan. His books, essays, and short stories have all been international successes, with his work having been translated into 50 languages and selling millions of copies outside of Japan. For his writing, he has won the , the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, the Franz Kafka Prize, Gunzou Prize for New Writers, the World Fantasy Award and the Jerusalem Prize, among others.
Haruki Murakami best books
My personal favourites were picked based on enjoyability during reading. I appreciated these works because they awoke something in me as a reader, spoke to me about things that were already on my mind, however subconsciously. Some are quite entertaining, while others are simply impressive. All seem to be linked by an overarching theme of identity, its development, and maintenance. Following books are my personal favourite ones.
Check out my top 3 books by Haruki Murakami :
Haruki Murakami Kafka on the shore
I enjoyed reading this novel of Haruki Murakami the most. I enjoyed reading it because alternative chapters are built on stories of different characters, it keeps you hooked till the last chapter as the mystery continues. Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the shore includes three protagonists, each from a different generation, and is undoubtedly the most perplexing of all Murakami’s works. They’ve all been through some awful event that has compelled them to open the “Gateway Stone” and reach the “other realm,” a la Pandora. Two of them reappear as half-people, while Kafka, the youngest of the three, enters the mental woodland maze determined to become “the world’s strongest fifteen-year-old kid.” Its main lesson appears to be that, if we can’t change our fate, we may at least make the best of it. Kafka grows up and comes of age and ultimately faces his fears and returns to his home.
Haruki Murakami Norwegian Wood
I loved to go back to the first chapter after reading the last chapter. First chapter makes more sense after you have finished reading the whole book. I Watanbe in the end becomes what he desired the most: Naoko. Sometimes when you love someone you become that person whom you loved.
Toru, a quiet and unusually serious young college student in Tokyo, is devoted to Naoko, a lovely and thoughtful young woman, but their shared love is characterised by the tragic death of their closest friend years ago. Toru adjusts to university life and the loneliness and isolation he encounters there, but Naoko finds the pressures and obligations of life too much for her to handle. Toru finds himself reaching out to others as she retreats farther into her own world, and he is pulled to a fiercely independent and sexually liberated young lady.
Midori was also tragedy stricken. While reading this book, I felt like everyone you meet has a personal tragedy to share. If you’re ready to listen they’ll tell you their deepest secrets.
Also, I liked another line in the book which was “Any friend of Gatsby is a friend of mine.” If I were to see someone reading Great Gatsby, I would want to be friends with them as well.
Haruki Murakami’s After dark hooked me up in the very first chapter. In any book I see a character is reading a book, I get interested. In this beautiful tale from the maestro of the strange, reality bends even more painfully as a result of a lack of sleep.
The city’s shape is defined by its eyes. In an almost-empty diner, the midnight hour approaches. Mari enjoys her coffee while reading a novel, but her peace is quickly broken when she learns that a girl has been beaten up at the Alphaville hotel and requires Mari’s assistance.
Meanwhile, Mari’s gorgeous sister Eri has been sleeping for two months in a deep, heavy sleep that is ‘too flawless, too clean’ to be normal. Even though the television in her room has been unplugged, a glimmer of life flickers across the screen as the digital clock reads 00:00. Strange nocturnal occurrences, or a ruse?
Haruki Murakami Short Stories
In short story category I loved his hand picked stories in the anthology called Birthday stories. Murakami’s introduction kicked off the book on a positive and heartfelt note. His birthday letters made me focus on my own birthday, and perhaps that is why Murakami decided to write a collection of birthday themed short tales; he wanted the reader to think about their own birthdays. His introduction felt very personal to me; it was like gaining a new sight of Murakami, especially for someone like me who has never read any of his works other than his fictional works. In that regard, I am optimistic about his choices.
Also read my review on another book of Haruki Murakami’ s What I talk about when I talk about Running- 5 Takeaways.
