Komugi and Tohru are young newlyweds (or about to get married? I’m not entirely sure) who move in with his family while they find their own place. Tohru’s family – mom, grandpa, brother Dai and sister Yukari – are warm and welcoming (except Yukari) and eager to make Komugi feel like part of the family. For her part, Komugi is sweet and helpful and just generally delighted to be part of the family. Just as everyone is starting to get comfortable with the new living […]
The girl with kaleidoscope eyes
Samanta Schweblin. This is a name I have been hearing for years but for some reason I had never read any of her books before this past December. After three books, she is definitely one of my favorite writers. Well, after one book, really. As soon as I finished her story collection “Siete casas vacías” I knew I was in literary love. For me, Schweblin is Lucy in the Sky with a touch of Kafka. Her stories are surreal and whimsical but with a dangerous […]
People who love to eat are always the best people
Known in English as Midnight Diner (although I don’t believe the manga has been published in English, or maybe it has but it’s out of print, I wasn’t able to find any precise info), this is the manga that inspired the Netflix show Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories. The titular diner is open from midnight to 7 am, and even though it has a very modest menu, the chef will prepare anything you want as long as he has the ingredients. The diner is located […]
Pop, six, squish, uh-uh, Cicero, Lipschitz
I had been looking forward to this novel since I read the first reviews several months ago and it did not disappoint. What a fantastic debut! The novel opens with Korede getting a phone call from her sister. Her boyfriend is dead, and she needs help cleaning up. And it’s not the first time Korede has gotten this kind of call from her younger sister Ayoola. This novel is fun, dark and a very quick and enjoyable read. It’s the story of an older sister […]