📚📚 Read every day challenge - Winter 2023 ☃❄

Now everyone's going to want to read this book lol

It’s a mix of all the above really? I haven’t read books in English for a while but isn’t that a genre? Trashy chick lit? That was the kind of connection I was going for. There is a sort of perception people have of you based on the book cover you read.

Even in the states, if I were to be anywhere - on campus, in a coffee shop, at the park - and was reading a book that indicated trashy chick lit on the cover (high heels, lady in sexy clothes, etc) I can guarantee someone would perceive me in a certain way. Maybe a superficial girl, not too bright, not well read (even though I’m ironically reading a book).

But hey, I remember when kids were put down for reading Twilight or people who admitted to reading Fifty Shades of Grey were given the look, like really? You’re reading that?

It’s not too different in Japan except the judgment feels a lot stronger? Like it’s common for people to buy book covers (and even get simple ones for free) to keep their books private while they’re riding on trains. It might help to keep from people to talk to them about their book too if they’re that antisocial…

But let’s look at this book’s cover. I think there was a poll before and a lot of people thought it looked like a YA book? Some kind of teeange dramatic/angsty romance maybe? (Particularly looking at the second book)

I think a lot of us judged the author being an idol, particularly a Johnny’s idol which is known for producing a lot of popular idol groups like Arashi, Snow Man, etc. If you knew nothing of the author’s works or the content of the book, it’s likely you would imagine the above genre.

And if you did read the synopsis but don’t read further recommendations, then all you know is it’s about a guy who can’t find a job ends up working at a host club. I think there’s already been discussion about what a host’s job entails, but let’s put it like this.

It’s basically like soaplands except it’s men who are working and so there’s not as an explicit sexual image compared to soaplands, but it still has that atmosphere. Maybe at its most innocent, it’s more like maid cafés, but both are fetishized. The maids at the café can have a lot of unwanted experiences, to put in a nice way.

So what I’m saying is that world is seen as “lower” to the public service job working people like company employees, city officials, teachers, etc. There’s the image of selling your body in that kind of world and depending on your personal morals, you might see that as disgusting or disrespectful.

If you’re willing to work in that kind of environment, should you be around normal people, perhaps influencing them with your “impurist” ways? Likewise if you’re a teacher reading about that world, especially on the job, are you morally sound enough to work with children?

Did that answer your questions? :wink:

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チュベローズで待ってる reply 2

Thanks for the long and detailed answer.

Yes, people do tend to judge strangers based on what they’re reading, sometimes even based on cover only, without knowing anything about the book itself. The book cover thread was mine, actually, and I made it because I really have trouble judging Japanese books by their cover. A lot of serious, quality literature seems to have the kind of covers I’d expect on Western YA or chick lit books. Since I think you are in Japan, are such covers taken to indicate “trashy” or simpler books by the Japanese, or is it a western notion?

I get what you’re saying about host clubs, but writing (and by extension reading) about the nightlife industry isn’t the same as working in it. Many very worthy books have been written about the underworld. The book doesn’t glorify working as a host, in fact it shows how people with socially acceptable aspirations may end up there, and how this will interfere with their trying to find a “proper” job afterwards. Reading books exploring such subjects is the closest many of us will get to a world that definitely exists but we know nothing about.

On the quality of this particular book I’ll reserve my own judgement until I’ve read both volumes, as everyone keeps saying they are to be taken as a whole. But so far it’s very readable, and definitely not questionable in content. Having read half of it, I certainly wouldn’t judge anyone for reading it. In fact, it’s possible I’d recommend it (but I’ll wait till the second volume). :slight_smile:

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Home Post

Day 12 Progress:
お隣の天使様 五冊 - 96.85% → 98.95% 五冊完成!!!

お隣の天使様 5.5 SS冊子 - 0.51% → 2.47%

So, I opened volume 5.5, expecting it to be a tiny collection of short stories I might be able to breeze through in a week or two.

It was 40% longer than an average main volume. I wanted to die a little inside.

Needless to say, I will be cutting back on my 天使様 reading for a bit, probably going for one short story a day at most while focusing on Slow Loop or Bocchi for a bit. Needed a bit of a breather from the series anyway.

Word of the Day: む - to eat (fodder or grass), to receive. Just a very cute and onomatopoetic eating word that I see very rarely.

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Not finished with the 2nd subchapter for the day but my comment was VERY wrong. SHOE DROP SHOE DROP!

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Finished my second subchapter for the day. WHAT A CHUNK OF PAGES THAT WAS T-T

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January 10th-12th :snowflake:

Home Post :house_with_garden:

Pretty good the past few days, didn’t miss any, and if anything, I think that’s more reading done that I would have thought!

  • 10/1:
    :ring: 私の幸せな結婚, 1:40h, i got really into this!the story has been so good, finished vol1. The reason it took so long was because there were a lot of unknown fancy words… I’m putting up a word list for this…
  • 11/1
    :ring: 私の幸せな結婚, ~2hours. Read most of vol2, I guess I’ve been obsessing at this point lol; I’m really loving the development of the characters and their interactions in vol2 :pleading_face: the couple is growing closer and the main heroine really deserves happiness…
    also read 花野井くんと恋の病 ch.2-4, in intervals throughout the day. It’s alright so far, thought I’m kinda :thinking: about this story…
  • 12/1:
    :cn: Du Chinese, ~10min, a short story about expressions with… :egg:
    :teacher: 教養366、16min. Religions week, sounds interesting!
    :dragon: 暁のヨナ, 37min. For Saturday’s bookclub. Extensive reading and vocab lookup after that.
    :ring: 私の幸せな結婚,~35min. finished vol.2, which goes up to ch14. At the end there’s a short passage from the novel so I read that, and I was surprised that I was actually quite comfortable with reading it? I left 3 pages bc I was sleepy, but it makes me think whether I should maybe give the novels a try in the future… novels intimidate me :sweat_smile:

————- :shark:

Oh my goodness…. :pleading_face::pleading_face::pleading_face: I can’t. Your little shark pal is so so precious, I’ve been meaning to say this for days!! :pleading_face::pleading_face: I believe I need to check this series out

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And I’m behind again with the IBC.

13/1 2 pages おばちゃんたちのいるところ

I may end up reading a bit more on tomorrows Shinkansen than yesterdays. It looks like it’ll be raining quite hard!

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:open_book: :desktop_computer: :snowman_with_snow: :snowflake: January 12

Keeping the ユージニア streak (39% → 43%) and I also played BU$TAFELLOWS ~45 min.

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home post

13th jan

i said i would read kiki and i lied i took one look at volume two of 蟲師 and couldn’t say no so here we are, one chapter in :joy: i actually found this chapter quite difficult (what is it with first chapters??), i think it was a combination of certain conversations being quite vague, and ginko getting getting stressed at one point and breaking out the slang (see picture, sort of spoilers for vol 2 chap 1 of 蟲師). on the whole tho, not bad!

some words that stuck out: 唯一 (ゆいいつ, unique), 冒す (おかす, to brave, to afflict (of a disease etc.), and our 蟲 for the week クチナワ (which is an alternate reading of ).

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:snowflake: :red_gift_envelope: 1月13日 :red_gift_envelope: :snowflake: (Home Post Link)

Read:

  • ホリミヤ ch 70, 71, おまけ volume 10 done! really starting to feel like i’m closing in on the end of the series. next volume is all short chs so i’ll probably try to read a few more/day
  • マジーク・ツリーハウス pg 92 → 98
Good Words

ホリミヤ
ホコリ ー dust
夢中「むちゅう」ー absorbed in
告る「こくる」ー to confess one’s love
睨む「にらむ」ー to glare at
奇跡「きせき」ー miracle
年玉「としだま」ー new year’s gift

マジーク・ツリーハウス
ひづめ ー hoof
中庭「なかにわ」ー courtyard
目を丸くする「めをまるくする」ー to stare in wonder, to be amazed
派手「はで」ー showy, gaudy
振り返る「ふりかえる」ー to turn one’s head, to look over one’s shoulder

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Jan 13, Fri of Week 3 of Winter Q1 2023 :snowman::snowflake:

  • Death Note Vol.6 Ch.47

  • SPY x FAMILY Vol.5 Ch.27

  • うたわれるもの

Interesting words
  • なぞる = to trace (drawing)
  • 出払(ではら)う = to be all out (no friends left here); to have none left in stock
  • ()ビレ = embellishment; tails and fins. Latter half (fin) has Kanji too = 尾鰭(おびれ)
  • 無下(むげ)に = bluntly (refusing)
  • 目星(めぼし) = aim; goal. Yet to be 図星(ずぼし).
  • 清々(すがすが)しい = refreshing
  • 触手(しょくしゅ) = tentacles
  • 生物(なまもの) = perishables; raw food. Compare with ()(もの) = living things. Also, 生物学(せいぶつがく) is biology.
  • 気兼(きが)ね = feeling constrained. 気兼(きが)ねなく like 遠慮(えんりょ)なく?
  • 道楽者(どうらくもの) = playboy, doing 道楽(どうらく)
  • 鉄火場(てっかば) = gambling house
  • 阿鼻叫喚(あびきょうかん) = agonizing cries. The latter half is screaming, but the former?
    • Both are 2 levels of hell, 阿鼻地獄(あびじごく) and 叫喚地獄(きょうかんじごく).
  • 情状酌量(じょうじょうしゃくりょう) = taking circumstances into consideration
  • 意気投合(いきとうごう) = kindred spirits
  • (くだ)()く = to grumble over wine cups
  • 一癖(ひとくせ)二癖(ふたくせ)もある = to be hard to deal with. A person having one or two weird idiosyncrasies.

SFX

  • すれすれ = grazing. Like ギリギリ. From ()れる.
  • さらり = smooth; sleek
  • ぶかぶか = floating
  • ふらり = slowly swaying
  • ぴろぴろ = like a party horn
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:raccoon: :books: The Tanuki Kotatsu Reading Den :snowflake: :raccoon:

January 13th
新書太閣記 progress: 01.68% // Volume I: 19.52% :pouch:
Managed to finished the chapter, and get started on the next one:
群盗
ぐんとう

Words found under the kotatsu

繁華「はんか」ー Bustle; prosperity
「つと」ー Straw-wrapped item; bundle of straw containing something; local produce
母屋「おもや」ー Main building (of a manor); central room (of a house)
雇人「やといにん」ー Employee (also: 雇い人)
孟宗竹「もうそうちく」ー Moso Bamboo
口吻「こうぶん」ー Way of speaking
長談義「ながだんぎ」ー Long winded speech

Forms
嚢 = 袋「ふくろ」(Bag; sack; pouch)

Character Name List

for easy referencing later, because these will take some remembering
Also probably some spoilers, but this is a historic novel, so can spoilers really exist for things that have (for the most part) actually happened :thinking:

Main
Hideyoshi: 豊臣秀吉「とよとみ ひでよし」
– – – Childhood name: 日吉「ひよし」
– – – Childhood nickname: 猿「さる」

Volume I: 1534 - 15??
日吉「ひよし」- Hideyoshi (as child)
Nickname: 猿「さる」

Family
木下弥右衛門「きのした やえもん」- Father
筑阿弥「ちくあみ」ー Step-father
大政所「おおまんどころ」// also お奈加「おなか」ー Mother
おつみ - Older sister
小竹「こちく」- Baby brother
加藤清正「かとう きよまさ」// also 弾正「だんじょう」- Ojisan (only distantly related (before marriage))
– Married to: おえつ (sister of お奈加)

Friends & Acquaintances
仁王「におう」- Big kid friend
於福「おふく」// 楊景福「ようけいふく」(Chinese Name) - Timid kid friend (older than Hideyoshi)
– 五郎大夫 「ごろ だゆう」// 祥瑞「しょうずい」(Chinese name) - Father
– 梨琴「りきん」- Mother
捨次郎「すてじろう」- Previous servant to 五郎, later the adoptive father of 於福, and owner of a tea ware shop - and employer of, and master to, Hideyoshi

Others
織田信秀「おだ のぶひで」- Daimyo
– 織田与三郎「おだ よさぶろう」- Younger brother
今川義元「いまがわ よしもと」- Daimyo
斯波義統「しば よしむね」- Daimyo (head of the Shiba clan) at Kiyosu castle

Historical People
  • 阿倍仲麻呂「あべ の なかまろ」ー Japanese scholar & poet (around 700AD)

  • 白楽天「はく きょい」ー Late 700s Chinese poet (Bai Juyi / Bo Juyi) also known as: 白楽天「はく らくてん」in Japan.

  • 道元「どうげん」(or 道元禅師「どうげん ぜんじ」ー Japanese Buddhist Priest, writer & poet (Early to mid 1200s) (also known as 栄西禅師「えいさい ぜんじ」)

  • 空海「くうかい」ー The one and only Kukai or Kobo Daishi - a Buddhist monk. Posthumously given the title of: 弘法大師「こうぼう だいし」born as: 佐伯 眞魚「さえき の まお」(late 700s to early 800s)


Shark Reply

I love how happy they all are to go out on their little journey!! :shark:

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January 13th

:snowman: Home post :snowflake:

Aria: the masterpiece volume 3 – progress report
Yesterday: Continued up to page 94.
Today: Continued up to page 110, finished chapter 23.

I was not quite right because the treasure didn’t turn out to be a thing or the journey per se: the reward was the pretty scenery. Still, it is funny to me that the carpenter sets up a whole treasure hunt for any of his clients apparently. :smile:


Replies

Quality content indeed! :joy:
Yes, there were some images and a video showing the cute bunny. Here’s a screenshot:

However, I felt rather bad for the bunny because it was put in a out-door situation with many people and even next to a microphone. Trained bunnies as therapy animals in indoor context with a manageable amount of people, fine by me. Bunnies in public next to lots of people and noises – not so fine by me. :pensive:

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Word or expression of the day:
冴える - (さえる) - to be clear-headed, to be alert, to be on the ball, to be wide awake​

Honourable mention(s)
景色 - (けしき) - scenery, scene, landscape​

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January 13th :snowflake:
Home Post

Reading よつばと! Vol. 1

page 142 → page 170

Finished the 5th chapter without barely having to look up anything. This marks my 7th day of the challenge. I’m really glad I joined, pretty sure I’d have not realized how fun reading manga is if I don’t stumble across this challenge. One more chapter to go until I finish the first volume. Learned and revised a lot in these 7 days. Going to finish yotsuba this weekend then I have to find something else to read.

Is there anyone who read the 僕だけがいない街 mangas? If so, is it a hard read? I have all the volumes, that’s why I’m asking. I’m up for the challenge though if It’s not unrealistically hard :smiley:

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:snowflake: :snowman: Home Post :snowman: :snowflake:

January 13th.

What: チーズスイートホーム(1)
Pages: 24
Time: 12 minutes.

I finished the volume. This was a filler book for me but I am 100 % invested in Chi’s life now… It was definitely a good decision to read something really easy for me. I feel more inspired to go for a more difficult game/manga next. It’s also Friday!! I’m trying to ignore the fact that my throat is feeling a little itchy. If you pretend illness isn’t a thing, you won’t catch anything, right?

Have a haaaappy Friday, everyone! :tada:

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I’ve only read it in English, but looking at the first volume in Japanese, I’d say that once you feel comfortable reading Yotsuba (understand most of the grammar, few vocabulary lookups), then 僕だけ should be a moderate increase in difficulty, due to more complex topics.

Have you read the series in your native language already? If so, that tends to make it a bit easier to read because you can gloss over unknown parts due to knowing the story/events already, allowing you to focus a bit more on improving reading speed and further building up pattern recognition.

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You have nothing to lose by trying it out! Don’t even have to make it through a full chapter, I usually try to break stuff roughly into: “easy”, “moderate”, “challenging but doable”, “not quite yet but soon”, and “too far beyond me to judge difficulty” categories. It doesn’t take thaaaat long of me trying out something new to pretty accurately put it into one of those (couple pages of manga, one or two pages of a book). Just make sure you go back to check if it’s still in the right category every once in a while, you’ll be surprised at how things that seemed impossible magically become manageable after a few months of reading other stuff :grin:

Bookwalker previews are great for that purpose if you don’t already own the volumes, but if you have the manga right in front of you, you might as well just take the like 10-15 minutes and give it a shot!

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I have seen the anime a while ago so I’m familiar with the story already, that should probably help a bit. So far yotsuba has been a nice experience, there were a few things I did not understand but it was just words and could guess the general idea of the conversation even without those words.

That is a really good idea! I’ll apply it too

Thanks to both of you for the kind words and info :smiling_face: I will definitely give it a shot after yotsuba, worst thing that could happen is that I won’t be able to read it and just look for something else instead then come back later.

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:snowflake: Day 13, 13th of January :snowflake:

:open_book: Back to my Home Post

In today’s story we again follow the pirates from last time. They’re following the treasure map they got previously. On the way they lose one of their party members… Unfortunately my eyes are too tired to read now, so I’ll find out what happened next time.

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:snowman_with_snow: :snowflake: January 13 :snowflake: :snowman_with_snow:
Home Post

NHK news article :newspaper_roll:
Novel in English :books:

Just a quick read. I found an article about an unusual car crash on NHK and read that. (Car crashed into restaurant.) And also started reading a new romance novel in English that is pretty enjoyable although it has the modern trope that the woman can get away with being a douche, while if the guy even skates on the edge of it or it could be a douche move but clearly isn’t from him, well he has to apologize and scrap.

I’ve read a lot of romance from 70s, 80s, 90s where the men were douches and the women had to put up with a lot. And it doesn’t get quite that bad, but I’m really not a fan of the trope that only men seems able to be douches and the women are just protecting themselves or something. Basically the women are allowed to get away with a lot of douche behavior (or borderline douche-y), while the men can not.

So that is annoying (could you tell by my need to rant?). Despite that kinda nagging at me, I am enjoying it and I hope the woman also gets to eat craw, otherwise my opinion will probably change.

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