Oct 15
かがみの孤城 55 → 57% (page 204)
Read eight pages today! I think this is the most pages of かがみの孤城 I’ve read in a single sitting so far, and it only took me about 40 minutes.
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October 14 
Home Post
Started volume 4 of ブルーロック, good times as always! Some very interesting characters and dynamics 
I really do love the art in it, it gets so dramatic sometimes, very much up my alley 
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Home
October 14
おじさまと猫8
start - 34
I grow increasingly frustrated with this series. I can’t wait to be done. The first chapter ends on a cliff-hanger of MC being in an accident and his daughter getting hysterical about it only for the beginning of the next chapter to pretty much retcon it in about 2-3 pages. Don’t play off major events like that. It’s such poor writing. The only thing I can think of it being passed off as is characterization of the new character from the end of the last volume. However, we were introduced to her and her personality for the whole chapter. We got just about everything including why she hasn’t appeared sooner and what her relationship with the MC is like.
I know I’ve said I didn’t like that this series expanded from cats to cats and music but now it’s not feeling like either. It’s feeling like telenovela people drama. If I had any interest in telenova people drama, I would watch it.
just 130 pages of this to go… then I’ll be free…
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Day 13:
Priority: 
ミニスカ宇宙海賊 1. Finally off on the field trip in the (outer space) sky.
Free choice: 
硝子の塔の殺人. It didn’t take long for the plan to go south.
Extra: 
聖女の魔力は万能です. Another potential love interest? Also, I don’t really care, but the basic premise of this book doesn’t make much sense to me…
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softlyraining’s spooky book stack 
October 14th:
魔女の宅急便 (11% → 12%)
Just a few pages of Kiki today. Not much else to say.
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October 13
Some 狼と香辛料 (40% → 43%).
October 14
No time so although I read some 狼と香辛料 it wasn’t even 1%.
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Oct 15, Sat of Week 3 of Fall 2022
- Spice and Wolf 17% => 20% (Finished Ch.1)
- かがみの孤城 (上) 5% => 7%
かがみの孤城 is quite an easy read, although I also looked up vocabularies here-and-there; but the length might be a little concerning… but not really – there are only two volumes, with accompanying audiobook (bought separately from audiobook.jp). My listening isn’t on par (or perhaps mainly comprehension speed, and joining the sentences together), so my listening-understanding was too questionable. Though, I might have to read for a few days before feeling its real difficulty.
狼と香辛料 (Wolf and Spice) is quite different. I don’t understand some grammar / structures, and it can be quite tiring to read. I probably shouldn’t start from ABC. Also, there are like 24 volumes of Wolf and Spice. I want to read something also with an aim of completing the series.
Bookwalker highlight is limited to 50 highlight’s, so that’s the limit of number of vocabularies I can take without immediate proper lookup or switching apps. So, today, I cleared older highlights before reading today’s section.
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You can get off the bus after volume 17 if you like, though :-). That’s where the main series stopped originally; it only restarted after a five year gap with the newer books having the ‘Spring Log’ subtitle.
I’m never quite sure how I feel about the series – obviously I liked it enough to keep reading all of it, but on the other hand any particular book seems to have a bit in the middle that I have to push myself to keep reading, and I don’t usually feel like I want to read another immediately after finishing one volume. I’ve only read 2 of the Spring Log series, and none of the Wolf & Parchment spinoff series.
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15/10 read 6 pages Tugumi, orange to end of letter 11 (7 pages), skimmed 3 pages Spy Family, skimmed 5 pages 耳をすませば
Would have managed more but I did manage to go diving today with the help of a load of decongestants!
Whale sharks from the other day as promised
Not my picture, my files are a bit big, but a friends picture of me.
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Waaa 
That buddy is about to suck you right in, no? 
How did you escape?
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WHALE SHAAAARK 
I was waiting lol, that’s so cool 
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20221015 - 吾輩は狸である progress: 54.53% 
Seeing so many naked people clearly has an impact on Wagahai-cat because it causes him to question what it means to be human, are humans really humans if they aren’t wearing clothes?
Japanese found under the leaves
Meowords
猿股「さるまた」ー Undershorts
癇癪「かんしゃく」ー Temper; fit of anger
衆目「しゅうもく」ー Public attention; all eyes (on you)
天水桶「てんすいおけ」ー Rain bucket/barrel
雲母「うんも」ー Mica (mineral)
箆棒「べらぼう」ー Extreme; terrible; excessive
This is so awesome!
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Day 15: October 15th
What did I read?: 夜の名前を呼んで Vol 2
How much did I read?: 70 pages
How long did it take me?: 1 hour 7 min
Blah blah blah where have I been
Haven’t been having a good time the past day or two. Nothing, like, related to my actual life, just some drama that…really shouldn’t be affecting me this much, as a grown adult woman, but here it is, affecting me anyway. 
In any case, I really didn’t feel like reading yesterday because of said drama. I didn’t really feel like it today either, but I didn’t want to miss more days. I also missed Thursday, because I was out with my dad and his fiance most of the day - it was a good day, but also exhausting. I did listening the other days, so I don’t count those as missed, but I haven’t really been in the thread very much at all this week so I’m sorry for that 
Anyway, turning to Rei, my beautiful emotional support magician. He’s such a sweetheart, he’s never gonna do anything bad. I hope 
He’s fictional though so I believe in him
I read 2 chapters today because I wanted my Rei fix 
The first chapter was pretty adorable - Rei introduces Mira to this grumpy little goat boy (he’s actually a human mail boy but he…became a goat? I think as a result of Rei’s magic but it wasn’t like…the clearest or I might just be dumb, idk)
Anyway - the point of him becoming a tiny goat boy was so that Mira wouldn’t be so shy around him and they could actually get to know each other. I mean look at him, how can she be shy around him when he looks like that
They had a nice little moment together, and all in all it was a nice chapter :3
And then the next chapter bRoKe mE 
I guess this is kind of spoilery so I'll put it in here
Rei got sick and Mira was taking care of him, which was super cute at first (poor babe-o can’t control his magic very well when he’s sick - he tried to get himself a wet cloth for his forehead and ended up dumping the bowl of water all over himself 
)
But then he had like the worst fever nightmare ever, parts of which I can only assume came out of his own past and I’m sorry, I have such a soft spot in my heart for sweet misunderstood people with big powers, I can’t-
I’m already in an emotionally vulnerable place right now so please excuse my shouting but REI MY SOFT BABY ANGEL I’M SO GLAD YOU HAD SOMEONE TO TAKE YOU UNDER THEIR WING BECAUSE YOU DESERVE THE WORLD MIRA THANK YOU FOR TAKING CARE OF HIM AND REMINDING HIM THAT HE IS LOVED AND THAT HE’S A GOOD SWEET PERSON
Please enjoy some gratuitous Rei panels because I just thought they were cute and I wanted to end with a happy Rei 
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Home post 
Oct 15
・本好きの下剋上 11 (47% → 53%)
Read a bit more than usual, and then was sidetracked by some stuff 
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I was actually a lot closer a few times. But they were feeding rather than swimming forward (actually being fed). I did get a bit worried when I could feel the water in front of me getting sucked in!
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On October the 15th I’ve discovered that Prey supports Japanese too and played it for a while. It is quite hard for my level though – and the font is a bit weird, which makes things harder to read. I think 二ノ国 is a better choice for me.
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Day 14:
Priority: ミニスカ宇宙海賊 1. There’s a problem raising the masts of the spaceship so some of the students are going out in spacesuits to try to fix it.
Free choice: 聖女の魔力は万能です. First sentence of reading session: 時は少し遡る. But it did at least try to explain some of the things I was confused about. Title of next chapter: 化粧品. I’m sorry, I’ll take the cooking! I was wrong to complain!
Extra:
-
硝子の塔の殺人. It’s frustrating to inch along in such an exciting scene, but it’s that or stop reading, so I’ll keep inching.
-
君の名は. And finished it! 
I didn’t realize how close I was. -
鋼の錬金術師 5. And finished it!
Early stretch goal for next week: finish 
ダンジョン飯 4.
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October 15th (Home Post Link)
Today was a super super busy day, was out and about from about 8am to 7pm. While I was out, I found out there was a shop nearby(ish) that sells japanese import snacks, so I got some stuff that looked fun. I still haven’t found a place nearby that sells うめぼし, so my quest for that will have to continue.
Was extremely tired when I got back, but still found a little bit of energy for a よつばと！chapter (46). It is a little funny that I have been watching はじめてのおつかい on netflix and it is actually mentioned in this chapter. I guess that show has been running for quite a long time in Japan! And, in classic show fashion, things do not go exactly as planned for our young よつば on her errand to the コンビニ 
Did some more reading in bed, chapters 47 and 48, finishing volume 7! And chapter 49 from volume 8. I’m glad we finally got to make it to the 牧場, i was a little worried there for a bit.
Good Words
頼む「たのむ」ー to request
完璧「かんぺき」ー perfect, flawless
新種「しんしゅ」ー species
寝坊「ねぼう」ー sleeping in late
即答「そくとう」ー immediate reply
余計「よけい」ー unnecessary, uncalled for
殴る「なぐる」ー to hit, to strike
山羊「やぎ」ー goat
乳搾り「ちちしぼり」ー milking
褒める「ほめる」ー to praise
あべこべ ー opposite, reverse
枕「まくら」ー pillow
梨「なし」ー pear
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I read more of 天使の傷跡 but I got home late and didn’t have much time for it 
It’s at such an exciting point too, I only have 44 pages left! I might try to sneak in a bit more tonight and finish it off tomorrow.
I also picked up 3 free books today (long story but I volunteer with a nonprofit so sometimes have access to excess Japanese book donations). One is a 赤川次郎 book, one is by 内田康夫 who I haven’t read before but the summary suggests it will a trashy murder mystery (my fave), and a copy of レベル７, which is just perfect as it means I don’t need to buy a copy! I promised @Belerith I’d go for an informal book club on it in 2023 as it being paperback only and 600+ pages limits the number of people who wanna read it. But I mean, the summary looks just so fun!
JP and Eng summary
レベル7まで行ったら戻れない――謎の言葉を残して失踪した女子高生。記憶を全て失って目覚めた若い男女の腕に浮かび上がった「Level7」の文字。少女の行方を探すカウンセラーと自分たちが何者なのかを調べる二人。二つの追跡行はやがて交錯し、思いもかけない凶悪な殺人事件へと導いていく。ツイストに次ぐツイスト、緊迫の四日間。ミステリー・サスペンスの最高峰、著者初期の傑作。
If you go to Level 7, you can’t go back - a high school girl who disappeared, leaving behind mysterious words. The words “Level 7” appear on the arms of a young man and woman who wake up without all their memories. A counselor searches for the girl’s whereabouts and the two investigate who they are. The two pursuits eventually intersect, leading to an unexpected and heinous murder. Twist after twist, four days of tension. A masterpiece of mystery and suspense from the author’s early days.
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