Please read the guidelines on the first page before adding any words.
Discussion questions
What sentence/passage gave you the most difficulty? Feel free to request some help, or if you figured it out on your own break it down for the rest of us!
What was your favorite new vocab word from this week’s reading?
Was there any passage that you found particularly intriguing? Did it resonate with you (either positively or negatively)? Was it surprising? Offer any insight or new perspective? Was it just beautifully written?
Well, I read this one and also Week 14 before it was voted that it will be shifted. (And I’ll be honest, I finished the story because there was such a little amount left…)
The premise hit home, but then it evolved in a different direction than I was anticipating. It was fun to read about 基礎体温 (I also measure it, but mostly because of fun / data, I don’t use it as a pregnancy prevention method or as a family planner).
What’s the reading of the 2、3日 part? My guess is ふつ、みっか, but I’m not sure.
Regarding the story, after the last two stories I have no idea what to expect from the クリーン・ブリード, except that it’s probably going to be really strange. Let’s see
Made it! Enjoyed the opening, felt stronger than previous story. Might also be just that as a women in her early 30s, premise hits closer to home. I don’t mind reading stories about teenagers, but easier to relate with people who are closer to my own age!
I liked some of the details like how she described her husband as an owl. Also intrigued about what the “clean breading” is all about - I liked the swarmy sales person vibe I was getting from the doctor who just kept dancing around actually describing the procedure.
Glad I just finished the two chapters in Genki II on Keigo: definitely useful for the conversation with the doctor.
Pfffff, finally read it. I’ve been having a rough few weeks and getting back in the saddle when you’re behind on all your book clubs is hard
I was glad to see that adding 人工授精 to my Anki deck paid off
I agree with @AmomentOfMusic, this story has me more excited to continue reading than the previous story did. I enjoyed reading about the way they have divided their financial and domestic responsibilities so equitably. The social commentary that I read into this is that it is easier for a ‘non-traditional’ couple to resist gender norms than for a ‘traditional’ couple. Reality bears that out as well: Dutch homosexual couples tend to have a more equitable division of labour than Dutch heterosexual couples, for example.
I’m not going to lie: when the narrator described her husband as an owl, for a moment I was on the fence about she was being literal or figurative. Perhaps that’s not the right kind of strange for a Murata story, but one never knows!
I also feel like this story started off stronger than トリプル. I wonder why that is. Maybe because the relationship at the center is fully laid out right from the start? The last one was more about, “what is being a トリプル like?” That got answered in the middle, and there wasn’t much of a ramp up from there in terms of emotional investment. With this, it’s not just, “what is this procedure?” but also, “what will this couple think about the procedure?” There’s room for tension to occur between the two.
By the way, this sentence left me scratching my head a little:
排卵日に予約を入れる形が基本ですがそうでない日でも十分ご懐妊の可能性が
What is 形 doing in this sentence? I’m not sure I understand the nuance.
Finished this week’s part today. Interesting but not an uncommon occurrence. Like everyone else here there is the set up and the mystery phrase that we don’t have a grasp of. I liked the triple story and thought it was thought provoking but to each their own there.
I’ll probably finish this story tomorrow but will do “next week’s reading” on the way to work.
Maybe because the relationship at the center is fully laid out right from the start? The last one was more about, “what is being a トリプル like?” That got answered in the middle, and there wasn’t much of a ramp up from there in terms of emotional investment. With this, it’s not just, “what is this procedure?” but also, “what will this couple think about the procedure?” There’s room for tension to occur between the two.