Spring Into a Japanese Book Club

If you enjoy reading, you know that your understanding of a work can be enhanced when you discuss it with others. Fellow readers might bring symbols to your attention that you had overlooked or offer an interpretation that you wouldn't have considered otherwise. The problem with reading groups is that it can be difficult to get together with people at a scheduled time, let alone have the book read by then. Enter the on-line reading club. You can read when you want, choose to post or not to post, and no one will mind if you miss a discussion or two.

My favourite on-line book group is In Spring it is the Dawn, hosted by Tanabata. The name of the website is an allusion to Sei Shonagon's The Pillow Book, so already you know that it has literary ambitions of the Japanese kind. I like to think of Tanabata as the Oprah of the Internet for a number of reasons. Her website looks classy, she is a gracious host, an encouraging moderator, and she offers cool little prizes each month for visitors who accept her mini-challenges. Her only mistake so far seems to have been using one of my suggestions for a mini-challenge, because that's the only one that didn't seem to get much response!

Anyway, if you are a fan of Haruki Murakami, now is the time to jump in and join the discussion. I've listed three links below if you are eager to participate.

Murakami Month March Mini-Challenge

A Wild Sheep Chase Discussion Group

The Wind-up Bird Chronicle Discussion Group

Hope to see you there!

P.S. Here are two Murakami links from this blog:

Inside the Minds of Literary Titans

Titanic Coincidences