books to read (when you are twenty years old)

Before anything; I just wanna declare that after a lot of fear of maintaining a blog, I finally bite the bullet and commit to a platform I think I'll be satisfied to share my life with. It's hard to keep a blog going you know, I even made a new tumblr again, after sticking with the one I had since I was 15. I feel like starting fresh now. So, without anymore lame forewords, let's jump to the actual post •ᴥ•

I think at some point in our life, we need to log off from the whole digital world for a while and go back to paper(hard)back traditional printed books. Books are one of my favorite things to spend my money on because it lasted for a long time, and it's a very good source of knowledge and excitement. My favorite novelist has always been Haruki Murakami because of his surrealistic style and a lot of awesome scenes like raining fish, or main character with names like Aomame. I have three books by Murakami that I managed to snuck into my suitcase when I was moving for college, but I still got more back in my parents' house.

So, here are the brief list of books you should consider reading whenever you had a chance:

• Norwegian Wood (ノルウェイの森) - Haruki Murakami

“When you start at zero, you’ve got a lot to learn.”  —Midori Kobayashi

It was actually the first Murakami book that I ever read. I got it when I was 16. At that time I had no idea the book was already made into a movie, and found out about the movie a year later. Anyway, this book actually has a very mediocre plot: a man, loving a woman, etc but of course, made into a very surrealist condition by the author. It took me only 4 days to finish the book (which is big deal to me because I'm such a slow reader orz), but if you have nothing to do for the whole day, you'll definitely keep on flipping the pages and finish it in a day because man, it is that good.

• Kafka on the Shore (海辺のカフカ) - Haruki Murakami

“The stars are like the trees in the forest, alive and breathing. And they’re watching me. What I’ve done up till now, what I’m going to do—they know it all. Nothing gets past their watchful eyes. As I sit there under the shining night sky, again a violent fear takes hold of me. My heart’s pounding a mile a minute, and I can barely breathe. All these millions of stars looking down on me, and I’ve never given them more than a passing thought before. Not just the stars—how many other things haven’t I noticed in the world, things I know nothing about? I suddenly feel helpless, completely powerless. And I know I’ll never outrun that awful feeling.” —Kafka Tamura

Now I think this book is my all time favorite. I can reread any random pages without losing the chain of plot that this book has. Murakami says that this book is complicated to understand and hard to follow, but to me it's an instant page-turner once you read the first two or three chapters. Kafka on the Shore is filled with a lot of riddles that has no significant conclusion, but to be honest, I don't mind because it all make sense; the whole events. I love all the characters, especially Mr. Nakata. If I had a friend like him, I'd cherish it with my life. Of course, all the scenes including the pimp 'Colonel Sanders' always cracked me up.

• 1984 - George Orwell

 "War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength."—George Orwell

This book got freaking 4/5 review on goodreads, so it must be something good, right? Apparently it is. I got this book last summer because I want to try reading something that I know I need a lot of thinking to finish. 1984 took a place in England in its dystopian backdrop. There was never enough food to eat, clothes to wear, basically, the whole setting is depressing. Humanity, corruption, rotten politics are the main issue throughout the whole book. I find this book very haunting, especially the parts where Winston, the main character is being tortured for having emotional feeling and being rebellious. The way Orwell described the tortures makes me flashes some images at the back of my head even when I'm not reading, and it creeps me out. Anyway, the bottom line is, brainwashing is a huge issue in politics and there's nothing you can do. If you're after an eye-opening book, this number will surely satisfy your appetite.

• Taipei - Tao Lin

“On average, since the urge to kill myself isn't so strong that I actually kill myself, the world is worth living in.” —Tao Lin

I got this book earlier this year due the recommendation from my friends through instagram saying that this book is worth reading, especially since I love Murakami and other Asian contemporary writers. And I like it. In fact, I enjoyed it more than I think I would. I read the first few chapters and never stop to turn the pages. The characters feel real, and there must be some aspects of them that you find in yourself. One of few modern litterateurs I actually highly recommend for young adults in relationships in this "modern" era. Oh, and just so you know, a lot of drugs are involved in this book.

• IQ84 - Haruki Murakami

"A person's last moments are an important thing. You can't choose how you're born, but you can choose how you die."—Aomame

Another work of art by Murakami; I feel like you can totally pick random title from him and still enjoy it. I know I would. After I got my kick start to his world through Norwegian Woods, I can't stop. Now IQ84 is a thick book. Like, really thick. I never thought I would ever finish it. It's a three volume in one book. To tell you the truth, I haven't even touch the last volume yet, but I'm on my way through the end of the second volume. I include this book here because I want to let you know that this book worth all the time you spend patiently to finish each chapters. This book has a lot of aspects that are absurd, yet beautiful at the same time. Parallel universe? Check. Jazz music? Check. Violent? Check. I can't say more about this book. Go read.