 Hello, and welcome back to another reading vlog. Today, what am I even saying? I sound really strange. Okay, we're gonna start this again. Good God, get a grip, girl. This week's reading vlog, I decided I wanted to read Japanese translated fiction for a week because I kind of realised I had a lot on my TBR that I owned or was really interested in reading and I just thought, let's just do it because I generally can't remember the last time I read translated fiction but I feel like it was in the back of my head. I'm like, was that a 2021 reading goal? I don't want to go check because I don't want to know if it is, because I haven't done it. But I feel like I either said I want to read more translated fiction or I just thought it and I felt it. I was like, that's like a goal I'm not gonna share. So, I've got three books in a year which I'm super excited to read. I'm gonna show you them quickly. First, we've got The Honjin Mergers by Sushi Yokomizo. This is a murder mystery. Calm down. Calm down. I can't wait. I can't wait to read more murder mystery. This has got like 70, I feel like it's got like loads of books in this detective series but only two have been translated to English so far and this is about a locked room murder mystery which I can't actually remember the last time I've read a locked room murder mystery. I've read isolated ones but not a locked room one where, you know, a murder has happened in a locked room and there's no way for the murderer to get in or out and it's about a couple who get murdered the night of their wedding. That's basically what I know about it but I'm so excited. This is one of my kind of most anticipated books to read at the moment. Partly why I'm doing this video is because I really want to read this book right now. And I feel really positive about it. I feel really excited to read it. Then next, we have got a book which is probably one of the oldest books on my TBR. Probably one of the books I've owned the longest. And that is The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hero Arakawa. I've had so many good things so if you don't know me, if you're new here, I love cats. I love cats so much. I've grown up with cats my whole life. I've had five family cats in my life. I've currently got three. I don't really know much about this other than it's about a person and their cat travelling. Honey, you've got a big storm coming. My mum has read this and she really, really liked it and she was like, you've got to read it and then I never read it. Like until now. So super excited to read this. And then a book I have bought for this video that I've had my eye on for a long time is Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Karaguchi. I've had so many good things about this. I believe Emma from Drinking By My Shelf, I hope I'm not talking my ass here. Do you ever get that where you're like, I'm sure that booktuber loved this book? But I'm not going to check right now. That's just my instinct that she loved this book. And all I know about this is that it's about a coffee shop where you can travel back in time but I think you've got to come back to the coffee shop before the coffee gets cold is the idea. So it's one that I really like the kind of like fantastical magical element of this and it's one I've had my eye on for a long time. So these are the three books we're going to be reading in this video. They're all super short, like this hopefully won't take me that long. If you know, I've been trying to get out of a reading slump. I feel like I'm starting to get out of it. I feel like we're on our way out. But I feel like these will be a good way to start getting myself out of it. I am participating in the Asian Readathon hosted by Cindy but one of the rules is each book has to be by a different nationality and obviously these are all Japanese. So The Honjin Murders is kind of my book that is fulfilling, I guess, most of my prompts for the Asian Readathon. I'm also reading currently In Order to Live, which is about a girl's escape from North Korea. I'm reading the audiobook for that but I'm not vlogging it in this video. So this is kind of me participating in the Asian Readathon but only probably this book is me participating in the Asian Readathon in this vlog. So I think I'm going to start with The Honjin Murders because it is the one I'm most excited for and I just can't wait. I really want a good murder mystery and the locked room premise really intrigues me and excites me. So I'm going to go start this now. Waterstones for the first time in like months and it was amazing. It was so good. I feel like when I'm in there I'm just like, like I feel like like drawing energy into myself. It's getting weird. You know just like just being around the books and like just spending time with the books and looking at all the covers and just like chilling out. Like it's my happy place. Like I just love it so much. So I actually picked up two books which I'm allowed to do because I'm on a book buying ban other than new releases. So I'm allowed to buy new releases and I haven't even bought that many books this year. I would say it's like less than 10. So first I picked up Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. This is the author of The Martian which I love both the book and the film for but I've never read anything else by the author and this just came out. So I knew I wanted it. I walked in there like, oh my God are they going to have it? And then I saw it so I got it. And then I picked up Fire Keeper's Daughter by Angeline Booley. This was a new release. This came out I think in about March. And at first I wasn't interested in this really but then I've heard so many people speak about this highly. But both of these are big books. Here's the thing, I feel like when you're shopping for books at a bookshop there's something satisfying about picking up big books but when it actually comes to reading them, interesting. I am now halfway through the Honjin murders. I'm really enjoying it. So basically I was pretty much right in synopsis. There's been this murder of the bride and groom on their wedding night and it's like on the ground of the groom's family home. And so there's a lot of tension between the groom's family and the bride's uncle because that's the only member of family who came with her and he's very distrusting of the groom's family and I'm very distrusting of the groom's family. But the detective who I thought this was going to be focusing on has literally only just turned up because I believe this is the first in the series that eventually goes on to happen with this detective and it's gotten infinitely more interesting when the detective has turned up. And what's interesting before, we've had like a few clues and I'm already like, you know, trying to figure it out. Like Scooby and Shaggy, solving a mystery. Wait a minute, I'm figuring this out. I'm like Scooby and Shaggy, solving a mystery. I think the detective is a really interesting character because he's a young detective, kind of like fresh out of university. The way that he is like examining people already reminds me very much of like Sherlock, like it's particularly in the BBC adaptation. I know I'm basic but I did love that back in the day. Like the way that he'll notice small aspects about people and like piece up together is really interesting but we haven't had much of him yet. Like we've only had a chapter but I really like the kind of setting of this like traditional Japanese home and the way that it's been very well explained to us. I don't know if that's in the translation. Like they've explained kind of elements of a traditional Japanese home and kind of the architecture and the floor plan. Like the way a traditional home would be laid out. I feel like that's maybe something that's been added in and the translation, I could be completely wrong but it feels like it's to explain for people like me who don't have the clearest idea on that stuff but I'm really enjoying that aspect of it. And yeah, I think it's really, really good so far. I'm really enjoying the writing. Oh, another thing which is super interesting the way that this is told is that it's told from the like the author's perspective kind of the author is saying that they heard about this case and like took it as like when you're writing a murder mystery book it's always good to get inspiration for cases and all this stuff. Like the author says they got information about the case from the doctor who worked on the case and so it kind of adds this element of like you feel like this is all real to it which is what books are always trying to do right? Books are a lie, like books are just a straight up lie and it's the author's job to convince you that what you're reading is real and to immerse you in it I feel like that does it really well because it's like the author's like yo, I heard about this case I'm just going to write a book about it kind of thing it's like a four star at the moment it's like a solid book and I'm interested really intrigued to see where it's going to go because before the detective turned up I was like where is my dude, like where is what's going on here but then he turned up and it like got more interesting straight away and before we get any further into the video I actually want to take a moment to thank the sponsor for today's video which I'm so excited for which is Boxu so Boxu is a premium Japanese snack box oh my god I can't wait to open it and one thing that I love about it is that it partners with local family snack makers some of which the businesses are over a hundred years old so I think there's really a focus on tradition and supporting local businesses I know a lot of you in the US and although this is sent from Japan Boxu offer free shipping in the US first time subscribers will get the seasons of Japan box which is what I think I've got I'm like so excited to look inside it but then after that you get monthly themed boxes so they've recently had one for their birthday it was their five year anniversary I actually don't know what this is going to be I don't know what to expect, I'm so excited oh my god look, it's just like full of snacks, oh my god it's like full of snacks it comes with this thing called the culture guide so what this does is it includes all the snacks that is in the box and it details like their origin the kind of flavours you can expect so it kind of gives you a guide to all the different snacks in the box look at her, got Yuzu Sake Candy oh my god we've got donuts, Eden is so exciting oh there's chocolate, I'm going to have the chocolate I want the chocolate, I want the chocolate there's a chocolate fish chocolate fish red snapper do you like catching red snappers on on Animal Crossing that actually is bangin I don't know you like that oh my god, what is this that sounds cool, I just think it's like sweet or gummy sweets look at them have greeny not too sweet though you know what I mean that is strange like it's not sweet on the inside it's a sticky rice dumpling that is cool why is me eating literally the happiest I've ever been on this channel OMG you've got to show them the strawberry before you eat it this is a white strawberry strawberries are harvested freeze dried this is white chocolate and cooled for a chocolate with all the flavour of a fresh strawberry these guys are mad look at that that's a strawberry from Japan bro oh my god I think that's going to be like crazy to taste that is very strange really why it's like an actual strawberry and yet it tastes like strawberry ice cream because it's like chocolate infused that's one of the most strange things that's nice, it's really cool yeah it's like ice cream but not cold really smooth creamy I don't know how they've done that they're mad aren't they, they're just science aren't they I actually can't believe how cool this is I didn't think there would be this much there's so much stuff in the box I thought there'd be like 5 things but there's so many things to try it is, it's like going on holiday without going on holiday when we go on holiday all we do is eat stuff and try all the food cause we can't go on holiday so yeah, if you're like craving foreign food and like that feeling of going on holiday I would really recommend it, I actually can't believe how much came in the box and I have a code which is Meg with Books 10 if you want to get 10% off your box you order you can use this on any size order so you can get possibly $47 off your order and the link is down below as well if you use my link it will be in the description box and in the pinned comment if you want to use my link and it supports my channel and yeah, I would really recommend going and checking Box 2 out if you just go check the link out and go check out their website I'm very happy cause now I have lots of snacks to try, okay I'm gonna go finish this whoa, I just chucked some of the green tea on the floor it's fine, it's in the packet I'm gonna go finish this and I will update you when I've finished it I just finished the Hong Jin murders and I really enjoyed it, I'm gonna give it 4 stars the the ending to this genuinely one of the weirdest like murder reveals I've ever read in my whole life it was so theatrical I think I understand the logistics and I think I understand it and everything but I'm not sure that I did it was bonkers, it was absolutely bonkers I just think it was a really solid book, it did become so much more interesting the detective was there he was picking everyone apart and it's got a lot of foreshadowing the clues are obviously laid when you look back there's very key moments where something happens that is gonna be a clue and you know it is in other murder mysteries that I've read the clues and the pivotal moments that you look back on are kinda hidden amongst everything else whereas in this in plain sight it was signposted that that's an important moment I think sometimes it would even say like oh we didn't realise at that point how important that would prove to be so it was like telling you straight away and I actually kind of enjoyed that element of it yeah it just like it wasn't a 5 star like it wasn't my favourite thing I've ever read but it was really really clever I'm really excited to read more from this author in the future but yeah like on the whole very imaginative murder that I don't know how any human could come up with so that's why I'm so intrigued to read more from this author because I'm like how the fuck did you come up with that like genuinely how the fuck did you come up with that like I don't understand like my brain that's suspicious that's weird 4 stars, very successful I'm glad that I've read it I think now I'm gonna go into before the coffee gets cold this is one that I'm super excited oh my god I just love the colour for this I just love it so much and I will update you probably when I'm halfway through again because it's so short way through before the coffee gets cold and what I didn't realise about this was that it's actually a series of 4 short stories so it's like split up into quarters basically I am really enjoying it, it's like a 4 star right now it's not a 5 star which I wanted to be I uploaded my book haul last night so many people are commenting that this is one of their favourite books ever I don't think it's that level but it did just make me cry it did just make me sob I was not expecting the end of that story to hit me in the way that it did what's really good about this is that it's exploring human emotions and complexities of relationships in ways that I've never read before exploring topics that I've never read before so without spoiling anything there's been a lot of unsaid emotions explored that's kind of the common theme throughout the first 2 books is someone wanting to go back and say something that they haven't particularly the last story the husband and wife one the husband is dealing with something and the whole discussion around the way that he acts and the way that his and his wife's relationship has worked these years is really really interesting I hope that makes sense very easily not and it switches between this sadness and this humour it's written sometimes in a way I'm not used to and some of that is probably the translation so that's been really interesting to read it's not flowery language it's quite matter of fact and that's definitely a different experience for me to read I think I tend to be more descriptive writing hello so it's the next day and this morning I finished before the coffee gets cold I read it I read the last 20-30 pages of the book this morning and that last story was so emotionally impactful it actually kind of ruined me it was an idea and a notion I've never really read about in a book before and it just killed me I'm on the floor dead, sad like oh my god and I really scratched my head and I wonder where's God when you need him I didn't even cry that much and I read it really quickly I was just like oh my god no no no it's not what's happening rather than allowing myself to like wallow in the reality of what was actually happening and be really sad but yeah I'm gonna get this 4 stars as well so being very successful I really liked it was a slow book it didn't really have much pace to it there wasn't much plot it was just this really slow book about these life lessons and these life stories really unique kind of lessons and ideas the one thing I would say that does docket a point for me I never felt like the characters were anything but vessels through which to tell these lessons because it's so heavy on the dialogue there's not much description I sometimes just felt like the characters didn't have as much depth to them and as much characterization to them as I would prefer I would sometimes get a few of the characters mixed up because they were kind of similar they didn't have much characterization to them and I just feel like I try a little bit more in that department don't be shy put some more put some more because the lessons are great but sometimes I feel like the characters lacked in that regard but like a beautiful story is gonna make you cry I would really recommend it I really really enjoyed it it's super short super quick I actually really liked how it was these 4 short stories but we had kind of the same characters throughout in the regulars of the cafe so yeah oh my god I can't believe how successful this video is so far I'm hoping for at least a 4 star from this if not a 5 I feel like because it's a cat it has that potential I'm gonna go now and read The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hira Arakawa I'm hoping for really good things I've gotta read this whole thing today it's currently just turned 3 o'clock I've spent today finishing off the readings for a media law essay I have to do so I've finished that off today and now I've stopped and I'm gonna just read this and try and read the whole thing today again it's like very quick I don't think it will take me that long I spoke to my mum last night about this she has read it and she was like it's gonna make you cry it's gonna make you cry a lot and I'm like fine I don't know if I can emotionally take crying again right now but I'm nervous but it's a cat I think it's told from the cat's perspective so like I'm gonna love it not okay so basically we are following the perspective of a cat half of it is in this cat's perspective and let me tell you I want every book to be written from a cat's perspective now all of my favorite books I want to see them retold from a cat's perspective screw retellings screw fairy tale retellings instead read cat retellings but just retell from a cat's perspective because how sarcastic it is and just like that negative outlook of a cat it's so spot on I love how negative, sarcastic annoyed about everything this cat is I am completely obsessed so basically half of it is told from the cat's perspective and the other half we're basically following the backstory almost of the cat's owner for some reason that we don't know needs to re-home the cat they've been together for five years after he rescued him after an accident the owner needs to like part ways with him for some reason we don't know why I get that's gonna be like really sad I don't want to even think about why the owner needs to because I'm gonna be so sad but anyway he's trying to find like the perfect home with one of his friends for the cat to go to so we're kind of travelling around meeting some of his friends from his childhood and getting to know their stories and thus the owner's backstory as well and it's just been so interesting I just love learning about this story, this guy's story and like the people in his life are really interesting but also the cat the cat is what is making this story for me like you'll have like the backstory and then the cat will just cut in like saying this is some stupid shit or like not that she's an icon she's a legend and she is the moment now come on now I just love it I just love it I just love it but I know in the back of my head that everyone says this made them cry and I'm just not I'm not prepared for that eventuality I don't want to cry like I don't I don't want to I just know something bad is gonna happen or something sad I'm just not ready for that this may be five stars like I'm literally I wasn't maybe five stars like I just I've never known how much I've wanted to read from a cat's perspective before I can't ever slice you enough how spot on the personality is and the cat is called Nanna which the cat says this is a girl's name that's a girl's cat name and my cat, my female cat growing up was called Nanna and so I'm just like oh my god it's so perfect because I'm just thinking of her I love her so much because I showed you my cats now I showed you two of them oh you've seen them all before if you go back far enough but I think in my video last week I showed you Rora and Miko this was Nanna an icon, a true legend she lived like 22 that's just like the icing on top I was like oh my god this was made for me also halfway only took me like an hour to read which usually I'm like a page a minute girl someone not always but sometimes I can be a page a minute girl especially if it's dense or whatever but this read so fast this is by far out of the three I've read so far in this video the fastest read and this is the longest out of all of them but this is the one that's held my attention the best oh my god I'm not ready to cry I don't want to cry over this book I don't want to cry over this book I loved this book so much oh my god I need to stop crying okay wait I love this book so much I can't stop crying I can't remember the last time I read a book that was so sad like so heartbreaking but at the same time like so funny like within two pages of each other I was laughing out loud which I never do like I never laugh out loud at books the best you can get for me is like a you know not a laugh and then two pages later I was like sobbing I can't well I think everyone should read this book but like I think especially if you're like a cat person you should read this book because the way it portrayed like the cat and the owner's relationship was like it got me like oh my god I need to stop crying okay wait wait wait wait I'm just heartbroken like the last two pages like the last I mean I was crying like the last 40 pages but the last two pages are so like bitter sweet and like I just can't do with it I just can't I just can't do with it I start laughing at Kim when she's crying because I just can't help it she has this ugly crying face that she makes um this book was incredible 5 out of 5 5 stars all around I can't believe it took me this long to read this book this has been on my TBR for like probably the longest time like probably this is one of the oldest the books I've had on my TBR for longest and I only read it now like years later it honestly is so embarrassing like why it's taking me this long it's about a cat like I just should have known oh my god it's a film I'm not ready okay that's a I can't take that right now like oh my god just I can't I'm just sitting here saying nothing but honestly the way that it is sad yet hopeful at the end was unlike anything else so because it made you feel happy and sad at the same time if that makes sense so yeah 5 stars I loved it I loved how funny the cat was the cat was like everything I've ever wanted from a cat narrator I'll see you in the morning where we can chat about this vlog and wrap it all up okay so that is the end of this vlog and a week of reading translated books it was such a good like reading week for me like I loved pretty much all of these this one especially killed me like I'm still I'm still not recovered at all like I absolutely loved it 5 out of 5 stars probably one of my favourite books I've read this year just such a beautiful heartwarming but also heart breaking story and obviously I also gave before the coffee gets cold and the hongin murders 4 stars as well I hope you've enjoyed this video let me know down below if you have any other translated fiction that you would recommend to me that you think I would like based off of these also remember to check out the link for boxu down below I have been loving eating more but I've been trying to save it and not like eat all in one go I just had some of these like seaweed hang on let me show you kind of like tempura seaweed bits and it's so good so yeah I'd really recommend checking their link out and using my code if you want to get some money off of a subscription it's amazing it's like so much came in this box so much more than I could have anticipated and what should we say if you got into this video comment I have no idea what emoji oh my god comment a cat emoji comment a cat comment a cat I want to see loads of cat emojis comment a cat emoji if you got to the end of this video and thank you as always for watching I will see you very very soon bye