📚📚 Read every day challenge - Winter 2023 ☃❄

Summary post

Day 23: January 23th
What did I read?: マグメル深海水族館 Vol 1
How much did I read?: 19 pages
How long did it take me?: 20 min

Trying to get at least slightly back into things :sweat_smile: I did read on the 18th, but without posting and it was just another tiny read anyway - I didn’t read over the weekend at all because I was busy with work and then traveling for a concert :eyes: I was kind of stressed about the whole thing initially, which is why I didn’t read before the concert, and then I was so exhausted the day after I was just like…nope. The concert was amazing though, I had second row seats to see my favorite people in the whole entire world soooo I love them so much :heart: this is the reading thread so I will shut it about them for now but the k-pop thread may get some pics later :eyes:

Anyway, I did not read for the past few days and I have no regrets about that :joy: But now it is time to get started again. Today’s chapter opened with a scene that seems to have little to nothing to do with the rest of the chapter (at last from what I’ve read so far), so I’ll be interested to see how it becomes connected :eyes:

Replies

I
see
tiny shark :smile:

The seal looks like a small fluffy potato
…What if tanuki potato
…TANUKI BURRITO

I am tired and not fully normal right now, my brain is in the corner making up combinations of tanuki and potato
Potatonuki
Potanuki
Potatanuki
So many choices

Oh no, that’s so cute :sob: Her little sweater shirt :pleading_face:

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Yes, it is.

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January 23 :snowflake: Home Post

Been battling a bit of a cold so not the most reading today, but I did still play some Genshin Impact so yay! It’s a good time, nice change of pace, but I am starting to miss my books and such :') perhaps tomorrow I’ll have more energy, here’s hoping!

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Read my second sub chapter on the way home. Seems to take about an hour to get through when I’m on my Kindle but it was so cold and snowy I didn’t want to take my gloves off. しょうがないじゃん。

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:spiral_calendar: Day 23: January 23rd :gloves:

spacer:girl: からかい上手の(元)高木さん Volume 10 (87% ➨ 100%)
spacer:bust_in_silhouette: シャドーハウス Volume 4 (80% ➨ 100%)

This week’s goal: finish up three more volumes.

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Of course :blush: Welcome and happy to have you here!

If you’re interested in reading with others, please make sure to check out the Absolute Beginners Book Club // Now reading: Horimiya // Reading Next: Miss Shikimori is not just cute! ! They’re starting a new manga on Feb 18th, maybe you’re interested?

In any case, Happy Reading!

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I definitely am! I’ll check it out, thank you!

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I’m looking at the reviews again, trying to understand what kind of feeling I’d get from this book. Since it’s supposed to explore the topic of diversity beyond the expected categories, I wonder whether it will feel heavy or depressing. I’m sure there must be some basic plot connecting various people’s perspectives, but is it readable on the surface with themes running deeper, or does it feel like heavy drama from the start? I’m still unsure on whether it’d be something I’d like. I know you are still fairly early in your reading, but what are your impressions so far?

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January 24th

:snowman: Home post :snowflake:

Card Captor Sakura volume 8 – progress report
Yesterday: Continued up to page 53, finished chapter 31.
Today: Read up to page 130, finished chapter 32.


After the Ghostbusters-like chapter involving the giant marshmallow man teddy bear, things are certainly getting worse for Yukito as he can barely stay awake and energised due to Sakura’s power not being enough to supply his existence. Poor guy.
Meanwhile Sakura has a fever next chapter but still goes out to investigate Clow’s presence in her delirious state. Before that, she leaves a mirror copy of herself in her room to keep Toya occupied (who is totally not going to notice anything off). Sakura, your plans have sometimes already been not so effective but this one has to take the cake in terms of anything but foolproof so far - you’re in no state to go investigating!


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Word or expression of the day:
伝染 - (でんせん) - contagion, infection

Honourable mention(s):
発信音 - (はっしんおん) - tone, beep
Apparently also used for the ‘leave a message after the beep tone’ recording on cellphones

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home post

24th jan

chapter 3 of 蟲師 vol 3 down! did i say three yesterday, i meant two and somehow really struggled with this one? idk if it’s cos there was a lot of philosophical subtext as well as the plot of the chapter to keep up with, or relative density of the text, but it was a struggle. also several kanji i didn’t know, which makes lookups take that little bit longer. interesting one though, i’ll be thinking about it for a while.

words that stuck out: 祭主 (さいしゅ, head priest), かねん (functions like かな or かもしれない), 横たわる (よこたわる, to lie down, to lie ahead (of danger etc.)

the teeth i was worried about were minimal, thank god, no horror today

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So far (9% in) there’s no obvious plot. We’ve been introduced to a news report with first person accounts of a (content, not spoiler) child abuse ring being broken up, a man who seems to be reconciling his traditional outlook (rather traditional masculine Japanese) with having a son who is hikikomori, and a woman who works in a mattress store. The mattress store woman’s dynamic with her loud, brash, coworker is put in the spotlight. There is a focus on dissatisfaction, and maybe women’s expectations of themselves? Getting married and having children, not working baitos forever. But I’d really need to reread it to feel confident that was the full message.

I’m being pulled along because even though it’s hard it’s kind of intriguing trying to find a common thread. It also somewhat gives me short story vibes (although it’s not) due to the constantly shifting perspectives and concerns. I think 群像劇 is the term in Japanese.

I don’t think it’d be a binge read or I-can’t-put-this-down read, but it’s interesting and I want to know more. That said it’s also a long book (it’s 398 on my ipad which means well over 400 for bunko) so you’ll probably want to weigh that into whatever decision you make.

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It being long or difficult doesn’t concern me a bit as long as I find it interesting… I watched Masaki’s review and if I understood correctly he found parts of it sad and even cried? Not sure I’m in the mood for something sad, but otherwise it does sound intriguing. Still on the fence. :thinking:

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It’s too early for me to be crying as we’re still setting up characters, but the book seems to be about emotions / internal lives I wouldn’t be shocked if it goes there.

I can’t guarantee I’ll read it fast (between work, N1 study prep, and book clubs I am thin on time :sweat: ) but I do plan to keep reading it so can give a better review when I’m further in.

Can always wait for the 50% coin back :stuck_out_tongue:

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:open_book: :desktop_computer: :snowman_with_snow: :snowflake: January 23

Slowly getting through ユージニア (70% → 73%). Hopefully I can pick up the pace a bit so I can finish it before the new ABC starts.

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Home post

1 月 24 日
コナの大冒険 第30話 :black_cat:

Read the episode but didn’t have time today to note down new vocabulary! May edit later to include it. But oh my goodness the story is finally getting more exciting!

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Jan 24, Tue of Week 5 of Winter Q1 2023 :snowman::snowflake:

  • はたらく細胞 Black Vol.4 Ch.20-22

Story of a few outsiders.

Words of the day
  • いきみ = straining down during shitting. From (いき)む.
  • いぼ() = hemorrhoids. Full Kanji form is 疣痔(いぼじ). Another word is 痔核(じかく).
  • 混雑(こんざつ) = congestion
  • 占拠(せんきょ) = occupying of a territory. Taking back is 奪還(だっかん).
  • 毛乳頭(もうにゅうとう) = dermal papilla. Probably, “nipples” of the hair / fur.
  • 頭頂部(とうちょうぶ) = area at the top of the head. I kept confusing with 頭上(ずじょう).
  • 陰窩(いんか) = a crypt; a lacuna
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:raccoon: :books: The Tanuki Kotatsu Reading Den :snowflake: :raccoon:

January 24th
新書太閣記 progress: 04.00% // Volume I: 46.39% :bamboo:

Every time I find new characters in this I always end up associating them with their characters in the Nioh games, then have to remind myself that people don’t have magical yokai/onmyo powers in this book.

But the more I learn about the actual people the more the powers associated with them in the games make sense.

Words found under the kotatsu

朋輩「ほうばい」ー Comrade; associate; colleague
盲千人目明き千人「めくらせんにんめあきせんにん」ー Some are wise and some are otherwise

Forms
攪乱 = 撹乱「かくらん」(Disturbance; confusion)

Character Name List

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: 1535 - 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
– – 乙若「おとわか」- Old friend
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」(Nickname - full name: 福太郎「ふくたろ」) // 楊景福「ようけいふく」(Chinese name/birth 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

Hachisuka Clan
蜂須賀小六「はちすか ころく」(also 正勝 「まさかつ」) - Head of the Hachisuka clan
– Married to 松波「まつなみ」
– – 亀一「かめいち」ー Son

Retainers:
– – 稲田大炊助「いなだ おおいのすけ]
– – 青山新七「あおやま しんしち」
– – 長井半之丞「ながい はんのじょう」
– – 松原内匠「まつばら たくみ」

– 国吉「くによし」ー Gunsmith/blacksmith
– 蔵人正利「
– 渡辺天蔵「わたなべ てんぞう」- Deserter - Nobushi (Nephew to Koroku)

Saito Clan
(Alliance with the Hachisuka clan)
斎藤 道三「さいとう どうさん」- Head of the Saito clan

Oda Clan
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

Shiba Clan
斯波義統「しば よしむね」- Head of the Shiba clan, at Kiyosu castle

Others
今川義元「いまがわ よしもと」- Daimyo

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

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

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

  • 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 / early 800s)

  • 源頼政「みなもと の よりまさ」ー Prominent poet and warrior (1100s)

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:snowflake: Day 24, 24th of January :snowflake:

:open_book: Back to my Home Post

Only one story today, because I’m completely knackered. So here we go. The travelers from last time are camping out.

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January 24th :snowflake:
Home Post

Been pretty much offline for a few days, but hey I graduated uni so now I have time for more reading :slight_smile: Only had time for a few pages of 僕だけがいない街 and daily 1 nhk webs easy article in the past few days. Even though I didn’t read that much I still tried to have 5-10 mins daily so I’ll just count those :smiley:

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Homepost

Long time no post. But I read on every day. I just finished chapter 10 of 17 of Harry Potter 1.
In the meantime I finished the mini version of the first half of the book. (Why do they split such a small book? It is less than a cm thick, it could also hold twice the pages…)
So I switched to the bigger, hard cover version. I had hoped for a bigger font, but…nope:


At least the wider column spacing helps with finding the right column.

Phrases of the days:
抜き足差し足: tiptoeing
終わりよければすべてよし: all is well that ends well / Ende gut, alles gut :slight_smile:

Happy reading!

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