Book review:『ノッキンオン・ロックドドア』by Yugo AOSAKI
Two detectives working together to solve crimes. One is specialised in 「不可能」cases, the other in「不可解」cases. While they both excel in their area, they could hardly solve a murder without the other…
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Book review: 『図書館の殺人』by Yugo AOSAKI
This is the fourth book of the series Tenma Urazome. Tenma is a young prodigy who helps the police when a body is discover in the local library…
Book review: 『アウトプット大全』by Shion KABASAWA
About the book Title: 学びを結果に変える アウトプット大全. English title: The Power of Output: How to Change Learning to Outcome.Author: Shion KABASAWA 樺沢紫苑Published by Sanctuary Books Shion KABASAWA is a psychiatrist, author, youtuber and critic. He is very active on Twitter, YouTube and his blog. Following the publication of 『アウトプット大全』 in 2018, he wrote “The Power of Input: How to Maximize Learning” this year. Review 『アウトプット大全』 is about the importance of output and how it can make your learning process more efficient and help you to grow and get better results. The book is divided into five chapters: Chapter 1: アウトプットの基本法則 (Rules) Chapter 2: 科学に裏付けられた、伝わる話し方 (Talk) Chapter 3: 能力を最大限に引き出す書き方 (Write) Chapter 4: 圧倒的に結果を出す人の行動力 (Do) Chapter 5: アウトプット力を高める7つのトレーニング法 (Training) There were parts of the book that I found very interesting and useful, and parts that I found completely irrelevant to me. First of all, I really liked the main point of the book and thought that it was exactly what I needed. My learning process is almost exclusively based on input, so I was curious to know how I could add …
Book review: 『追憶の夜想曲』by Shichiri NAKAYAMA
About the book Title: 『追憶の夜想曲』(ついおくのノクターン)Author: Shichiri NAKAYAMA (中山七里)Published by 講談社文庫 This book is the second volume of the series MIKOSHIBA (御子柴シリーズ). The series follows lawyer Reiji MIKOSHIBA (御子柴 礼司), and I think that there are 4 volumes available now. When I bought 『追憶の夜想曲』, I didn’t know that it was the second book of a series, and I really wish I had started with the first one, 『贖罪の奏鳴曲』. Setting When lawyer Reiji MIKOSHIBA decides to take on the case of Akiko TSUDA, everyone is baffled, especially procuror Kiyohei MISAKI… There is no money to be gained and no way he can win this case because the evidence against Akiko is clear: she murdered her husband… Review I absolutely loved this novel! It is the first legal thriller that I read in Japanese, and it is a genre that I love (I remember that I wanted to become a lawyer after I read John Grisham for the first time, haha). But 『追憶の夜想曲』 was very challenging at times, especially at the beginning. There is a whole discussion during the first chapter that …
Book Review: 『検事の本懐』by Yuko YUZUKI
About the book Title: 『検事の本懐』(けんじ の ほんかい) The Public Prosecutor’s DesireAuthor: 柚月裕子 (ゆづき・ゆうこ) Yuko YUZUKIPublished by 角川文庫 (かどかわぶんこ) This book is a collection of short stories from the series Sadato SAKATA (佐方貞人シリーズ). This is the second book of the series, but from what I understand, the events described in 『検事の本懐』happened before those described in the first book of the series. As a consequence, I think that starting with 『検事の本懐』is not a problem. Setting Sadato SAKATA is a public prosecutor. Even though most people misjudge him at first, he is one of the best, and those who work with him soon realise it. The five short stories are told from the point of view of colleagues, police officers or journalists who get to work with SAKATA. Review I found this book to be very interesting. It was first of all refreshing to follow the work of a public prosecutor instead of the usual police officers and detectives we find in most mystery and crime novels. While I am used to reading how the police works and conduct …
Book review: 『ケモノの城』by Tetsuya HONDA
About the book Title: 『ケモノの城』(けもののしろ)Author: Tetsuya HONDA (誉田哲也)Published by 双葉文庫 It is the first time I read Tetsuya HONDA, but I know that he is a very famous author of thrillers and mystery novels. I also think that some of his work is translated into English. Setting The police is investigating a shocking case involving abuse, torture and maybe murder. Through questioning and field work, the police tries to understand what really happened in a case where the boundary between victim and persecutor is thin. Review I think that 『ケモノの城』is a good novel with a good story and an interesting investigation. However, I was not expecting so much violence and it was at times difficult to read. A lot of scenes describe physical and psychological torture, and I have several times considered giving up the novel because reading it gave me stomach ache. While you would expect horrible things to happen in a thriller, you also know that everything is fictional. In 『ケモノの城』, the way things were described make them feel extremely realistic, to the point …
Book Review: 『新参者』by Keigo HIGASHINO
About the book Title: 『新参者』(しんざんもの)Author: Keigo HIGASHINO 東野圭吾Published by 講談社文庫 『新参者』is the 8th (out of 10) book of the detective Kaga series (加賀シリーズ). The series feature detective Kyoichiro KAGA (加賀恭一郎). The series spans 30 years, the first novel was published in 1986 (it was Higashino’s second novel) and the last one was published in 2016. Setting Detective Kyoichiro KAGA has just been dispatched to the police station of Nihonbashi. He is a “newcomer” (新参者) in the neighborhood. When a woman is found dead in her apartment, Kaga starts an unconventional investigation through which we get to know the life of several shopkeepers and inhabitants of the neighborhood. Review Keigo HIGASHINO is my favourite author of genre fiction (regardless of the country) and among all the novels and short stories I have read by Keigo Higashino, the books of the Kaga series are my favourites. And among the books of the series that I have read so far, 『悪意』, 『私が彼を殺した』and 『新参者』are my favourites (in this order). Needless to say that I have loved this novel. What I particularly enjoy in …
Book review: 『下町やぶさか診療所』by Yo IKENAGA
About the book Title: 『下町やぶさか診療所』(したまち やぶさか しんりょうじょ)Author: Yo IKENAGA (池永陽)Published by 集英社文庫 I bought this book in Japan, partly because I loved the cover, partly because I wanted to read something else than mystery novels. Setting Rintaro MANO, alias “大先生”, is working as a doctor in Asakusa, Tokyo. His prices are cheap, and it is no secret that people come to him to talk about their problems in life rather than to get a medical consultation. We meet Rintaro’s patients and friends, and share their lives and fate through 7 short chapters of around 50 pages each. Review First of all, I loved this book, and I would easily recommend 『下町やぶさか診療所』. However, even though the doctor’s office is a central place in the novel, I don’t think you can call this novel a medical fiction. Rintaro does little more than applying his stethoscope to his patients’s chest. It is true that most of the stories show how people deal with diseases, but it is more about their daily life and moral choices than about the …
