I also wonder if it’ll cover all four books or just part of the series. 
There’s actually five books now, but that’s a good point. Maybe it will only cover part of the series.
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I can’t seem to find any information on whether it covers the whole series or only part. Most things I read seem to be focusing on the production team. On her website, Uehashi said that she thought it would be impossible to make a movie out of it because it was such a complex story. She does specify 一本の映画, so that kind of sounds like the whole series in one movie. I could be wrong though.
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Are you referring to 鹿の王 水底の橋? Do you know how it fits into the series? (I assume it comes after the four numbered books?)
Yes, that’s the book I was referring to. I’m honestly not sure how it fits with the rest of the series because I’ve been trying to avoid spoilers. From the non-ネタバレ posts on bookmeter, it sounds like it may follow another character who was not the main character in the original series. I’m not sure if that’s after the original storyline or concurrent with it.
I had looked at the description on BookWalker but could not detect anything relevant (without looking up words at least 
) but I went back and realized there is actually a title to that description (hehe) which reads 2015年本屋大賞受賞作『鹿の王』の、その先を描いた命の物語。Now I‘m never sure what 先 refers to but it seems that this story takes place before the others?
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Haha, that title is also in the Amazon description, which I clearly only skimmed.
I think that means it’s a story of life following the main 鹿の王 story.
Fair enough - Thanks for the clarification!
Hey, does anyone know some contemporary Japanese fiction/books that are available online? (Im not in the US nor Japan)
There are plenty of books you can buy and read online if you want. Many people buy digital books on http://amazon.jp or http://bookwalker.jp. If you mean for free, then it’s unlikely many recently published books would be available online for free legally.
There are two ways I know:
- some ebook providers have free volumes available. Usually those are only free to access for a limited amount of time, but some are free to keep as well.
- many light novels started as online novels, in particular from https://syosetu.com/
Those can be a little rough around the edges compared to the edited version, but those that made the cut are definitely readable. The rest is a bit of a mixed bag, but it’s usually safe to go with the “popular ranking” from the site.
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I might just have lost the bulk of my collection (basically everything except the 10 volumes of Sailormoon and a couple of manga I picked up at Bookoff that next to last day in Japan) because the packages I tried to send to Sweden have just been returned to sender, and I’m not there. I’ve reached out to my Japanese school and a school mate (who also graduated at the same time and moved to Osaka), hoping that maybe my Japanese school (in Kyoto, a stone’s throw from where I lived since I lived in school dorm apartments) can get the packages for me and then get them to my school mate (who is Swedish). Then my school mate can send them to me later when shipping starts happening again.
Man, I wish I had paid another 10’000¥ per packages and sent them by air before I left. They probably would have arrived by now, but I choose SAL and I’ve been hoping to learn about them arriving in Sweden the last couple of days, but no… apparently, they hadn’t even left Osaka yesterday when they were returned to sender…
This… sucks so much. (Actually the word “suck” is too weak, basically I’m grieving as if I’ve lost them already, because I wouldn’t be surprised if they are lost to me forever.)
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I am very sad for you. But, I will hope that the books find their way back to you by some twist of fate…
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After a spell of reading less, the last few days have been better. I read the last three weeks’ worth of 氷菓, catching up on that, plus the latest chapter of セーラームーン, and today I read two out of the three chapters I was behind on for 獣の奏者. Hopefully I can do the third before bed. I’m down to three book clubs, as at least for now I’m letting ふらいんぐうぃっち go on without me. I’ve also been reading All You Need Is Kill, getting to 73% today. And manga, of course, though with book clubs, and All You Need Is Kill having a particularly interesting section (Rita’s perspective!!!), I haven’t done much. Mostly Claymore, which feels like it’s rounding into the final stage except there are too many volumes left so I am fretting hard over potential woe coming to me, and then a little bit of Madam Joker, which I love.
Also, 屠る {ほふる}. Three-quarters into All You Need Is Kill, I would say this is the most important word to know for the book.
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Augh, that is awful. I hope that somehow, somehow, they make it back to you! <3
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With the release of Animal Crossing, too much deskwarming, and schools starting back up, I didn’t read as much as I wanted (or expected) to the past couple weeks. Meaning I had to return volume 5 of 銭天堂 without finishing it 
I’m planning on heading to the library after work today to re-rent that along with 君の名は so I can finish those up and take them off the table. Then move on to another book entirely and take my time a bit more while reading.
The lesson here: don’t rent out 2 books at once because I’m unlikely to finish them both within the rental period, even if neither would take me the entire rental period individually 
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Well, the packages are not lost. Yay!
My (former) Japanese school have been incredible helpful. I’m so grateful. There is a plan in place for the packages to get to me. Not sure what the time frame will be since the packages will go from Osaka, back to Kyoto and then be sent on to me with express airplane (when they can find a plane I guess), called EMS at Japan post. So please cross your fingers for me that this solution will work and everything will be with me…soon.
But as long as the packages aren’t lost, I feel better. (My fear was that they’d been delivered to my former apartment and the current occupant happily took them. Or you know, just lost in the ether.)
EDIT a day later: Not worth another post. Just mentioning that even EMS have been stopped now, but my Swedish friend who lives in Osaka will get the packages and hold them until they can be shipped. Thanks for everyone’s support. 
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Ok, so I got a bit burned out from reading in February and had to take a short break but after that finished both parts of A Wild Sheep Chase and started and finished the first part of Dance, Dance, Dance. I liked Sheep Chase and Dance follows the story of the same protagonist and has also been good so far. (I also accidentally wrote Sheep Dance right now. 
)
So far I have read five novels in Japanese and they are all Murakami. His style and setting feels so comfortable right now I’m worried how it feels to move to other authors.
My reading goal before 2030 right now: 5/100.
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