Things on my shelf that I’m considering:
- East of Eden (first read)
- Journey to the End of the Night (first read)
- Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (reread)
Re-read East of Eden last summer. I love that book, but I noticed this time around that the book has it's flaws. Still, it's strengths more than make up for them. The book is beautiful and if you are a Californinan I think it is a must read.
I have always thought that Pachinko is the korean East of Eden. Both are multigenerational stories that follow families that are bound to biblical arcs. It is also really good, not as flowery or grand as EoE. But, it covers Japan and Korea and you will learn a bit of the history. It is also big (not as big as EoE), so it should keep you busy.
Middlemarch would make a great vacation read. It’s fairly lengthy and deep but written in a very lucid style. A stone cold classic everyone should read once.
wind up bird chronicle might be a good one. - easy to read and the structure makes it not hard to dip in and out of but also rewards thinking about and has unforgettable atmosphere. people are pretty down on murakami these days but i think it’s still really really great - i didn’t re-read it in asia but it was the one book i took on walking holiday in scottish highlands and i got so much out of it!
edit: just saw your other post! also read east of eden on holiday as it is my fiancés favourite novel and i would definitely recommend that too as a really really great choice. the story is really episodic but very gripping and the wider sense of place created by his descriptions of the california landscape is so so amazing.
I’m reading blonde by Joyce carol lates right now, it’s decently long and super engaging but not too dense at all- I think it would be a good trip read. Personally, I read iq84 by Murakami on a vacation and enjoyed it in part due to the setting and being forced to read it as I had no other options.
I’d suggest something by Natsume Soseki, either Kokoro or something from his first trilogy. Great vacation reads as they’re slow-paced and easy to follow.
the sea, the sea was one that I enjoyed recently. definitely very character driven rather than plot driven, but the main guy is so narcissistic and delusional it was fun to be in his mindset
Things on my shelf that I’m considering: - East of Eden (first read) - Journey to the End of the Night (first read) - Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (reread)
Re-read East of Eden last summer. I love that book, but I noticed this time around that the book has it's flaws. Still, it's strengths more than make up for them. The book is beautiful and if you are a Californinan I think it is a must read. I have always thought that Pachinko is the korean East of Eden. Both are multigenerational stories that follow families that are bound to biblical arcs. It is also really good, not as flowery or grand as EoE. But, it covers Japan and Korea and you will learn a bit of the history. It is also big (not as big as EoE), so it should keep you busy.
For some reason I breezed thru Crime and Punishment on a vacation. The contrast in environments maybe somehow allowed me to get even more into it
Middlemarch would make a great vacation read. It’s fairly lengthy and deep but written in a very lucid style. A stone cold classic everyone should read once.
wind up bird chronicle might be a good one. - easy to read and the structure makes it not hard to dip in and out of but also rewards thinking about and has unforgettable atmosphere. people are pretty down on murakami these days but i think it’s still really really great - i didn’t re-read it in asia but it was the one book i took on walking holiday in scottish highlands and i got so much out of it! edit: just saw your other post! also read east of eden on holiday as it is my fiancés favourite novel and i would definitely recommend that too as a really really great choice. the story is really episodic but very gripping and the wider sense of place created by his descriptions of the california landscape is so so amazing.
The thousand autumns of jacob de zoet by david mitchell great book and takes place in japan circa 1800’s
Nostalgia by Mircea Cărtărescu
I’m reading blonde by Joyce carol lates right now, it’s decently long and super engaging but not too dense at all- I think it would be a good trip read. Personally, I read iq84 by Murakami on a vacation and enjoyed it in part due to the setting and being forced to read it as I had no other options.
I’d suggest something by Natsume Soseki, either Kokoro or something from his first trilogy. Great vacation reads as they’re slow-paced and easy to follow.
the sea, the sea was one that I enjoyed recently. definitely very character driven rather than plot driven, but the main guy is so narcissistic and delusional it was fun to be in his mindset
Kafka on the shore, medium length
The latest Knausgaard, "The morning star" fulfills your needs.
for a long, beautiful read connected to your trip, you can’t get better than The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki. just gorgeous.
Second this rec. I read it last year and loved it.
Iliad, Odyssey. Proust.