"The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" - Haruki Murakami

Published in 1997 by Haruki Murakami, 1998 by First Vintage Int. Translation by Jay Rubin.

Murakami starts his novel with a pot of noodles, I was immediately hooked.  The pot boils, he receives a call from a woman who knows him but will not identify herself, he returns to his noodles (slightly overcooked) and he feels confused.

This novel is everything my brain connects with Japanese culture.  It is calm, it is creepily calm, even the fights are calm.  But you can't stop reading.  It centers on Toru Okada, a man who is unemployed and supported by his wife Kumiko who works in publishing.  We follow him as his cat goes missing, then his wife, he meets a psychic prostitute, gains a facial blemish, meets an old veteran who has seen awful things, takes a lot of naps and makes friends with a lot of women.

I am still a little dizzy from everything that happens and at times it gets a bit confusing.  But push on, because the last third is thrillingly well written, and mind-bendingly good.  I don't think I understand what happened yet, but it was big.  Big in a calm way, and that says something.

Quotes:
"Let's go to Crete together.  This is not the place for us anymore: not for you and not for me.  We have to go to Crete.  If you stay here, something bad is going to happen to you.  I know it.  I am sure of it."

"Money had no name, of course.  And if it did have a name, i would no longer be money.  What gave money its true meaning was its dark-night namelessness, its breathtaking interchangeability"

Rating: ****

"The Princess Bride: S Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure" - William Goldman

Published in 1973, 1998 by Ballantine Books

What happens when a milkmaid/princess, farm boy, Prince, Count, Spaniard, Giant, Pirate, and Miracle Man collide? The Princess Bride.

This used to be my sick movie go to.  It didn't matter how old I was or what I was sick from, I figured that if the little boy in the movie could handle it while feeling down and out, so could I.  I now own a dvd copy, but I am fairly sure that was one of the most played VHS Tapes in our collection.

I realized recently that no matter how many times I have tried, I haven't read the book.  So it took me by complete surprise this time when I picked it up and made it past the first (somewhat infuriating chapter).  You know William Goldman will get on with the story at some point but first you have to sit through 30 pages of him being a bit of a douche.  He effectively is as bad as "Morgenstern" and I wanted to edit him out.

BUT NOT FOR LONG! Haha! fooled you! The story takes off and from this point onwards his little additions are entertaining and pretty awesome.

It is filled with fighting, fencing, true love, baddies, some goodies, a few of the most beautiful women in the world, some intriguing marriages, royalty, hills and mountains, pirates, escapes, and it is amazing.  I wouldn't risk giving it away, but it is well worth the read.

I especially loved that there was so much more detail about Fezzick and Inigo Montoya, it really made all the times I have watched the movie even better.

Quotes:
Actually I think this is just my favorite passage.

"Then let's look on the bright side: we're having an adventure, Fezzik, and most people live and die without being as lucky as we are."
The moved down one step.  Then another. Then two, then three, as they got the hang of it.
"Why do you think they locked the door behind us?" Fezzik asked as they moved.
"To add spice to our trip, I suspect," replied Inigo.  It was certainly one of his weaker answers, but the best he could come up with.

Rating: ****

"Smoke and Mirrors" - Neil Gaiman

Published in 1998 by Avon Books Inc.

A series of short stories (unrelated to one another) all by author Neil Gaiman.  Some of them are entertaining others are confusing and strangely written.  After having read "Stardust" I was prepared for his style of writing but was hoping that in short story form it would be more appealing.  Sadly, I was mistaken as there is no single point in this collection that stood out as particularly amazing.

His writing lacks details, and I personally find it less than exciting.

Rating: **

"Tender at the Bone" - Ruth Reichl

Published in 1998 by Random House

"Storytelling, in my family, was highly prized," and by the second chapter you can tell that Ruth Reichl is well versed in stories.  From her highly entertaining short anecdotes, it is apparent that her life has been a fantastic (and highly enviable) adventure of food, stories, people, and incredible destinations.

From New York to Montreal, Tunis to Berkeley, Reichl has been the world over in search of great culinary finds and even better tales.  A wonderful and compelling read that was over too quickly.

Quotes:
"Food could be the way of making sense of the world.  If you watched people as they ate, you could find out who they were."

Rating: *****