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Friday, September 15, 2023

Sunday Post #522


This week is all about the music. I discovered a cool song- below- and that artwork. It even inspires my writing. The art could easily fit in the story I'm writing. Anyway- I'm also posting my review Days at the Morisaki Bookshop below. .  

I discovered a new salsa I love- Salsa God. This stuff is the bomb. I've only tried the Smoky Garlic Chipotle. Near as I can tell there's no mild- it all seems to be medium and hotter!  

This week's discussion post is Monarchy in Fantasy    


Here is this week's lyric.  
You take the midnight subway train
You're calling all the shots  

Here is the lyric f/ last week and the answer      

Deep in the night 
Alone in the dark 
I get a need for you


   Song of the week


PULP COVER OF THE WEEK: 

Image result for charlie chan carries on cover





 
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop was a phenomenal read. Takako is a character that I think a lot of people will relate to. She's quiet, reserved, and in a relationship with a cad named Hideaki. Things are going alright until one day he tells her he's getting married. To someone else. Turns out he's been two timing. So she quits her job (they work together) and moves in with her uncle who runs a bookshop in the famous booksellers district. She doesn't want to move in with him, but she needs a place to live. And after getting to know him she realizes how much she appreciates not only him, but the bookstore as well. And she gains a love of books she never had. 

The book is filled with wonderful little vignettes, like when she plays matchmaker between Tomo and Takano, who work at the local coffee shop. I'm so glad I've gained a sense of different areas of Tokyo, too, since it really helped me to navigate the book. You certainly don't need to know the geography of Tokyo to appreciate this, though. 

This book almost felt like two different stories. The first half involves Takako's journey of self discovery, and how she comes to terms with Hideaki and what he did. Gaining an appreciation and better understanding of her uncle. I wanted to live in their bookstore. The creaking floor, the smell of the books. A bracing look at how we find out what we want in life. The latter half of the story looks at the personal lives of her uncle and herself, as they undergo some changes. 

I enjoyed the first half more. It felt more immediate, more relatable. I wanted more time in Jimbocho, more Tomo and the uncle and the crew from the coffee joint- more of the city. But there's a journey that she has to make, and when it's time to move on then she has to. This kept me turning pages- it's not long- and I was sorry when it was time to say goodbye to this story. A great little book, translated from Japanese, that explores what it means to love and find yourself. 

58 comments:

  1. Lady Red Light reminds me of those 80's hair band songs. I like it.

    I like a mild salsa. I usually make my own so I know it won't be hot. lol

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  2. I saw Great White in concert once, too. Such a great band! And Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is one of the bookish books on my list to read this year. I'm so glad to hear you liked it. I can't wait to read it. :D Have a good weekend, Greg!

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  3. love Salsa, but never tasted Salsa God...... sound great salsa.
    Thank you for sharing music videos......

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  4. Thank you for the book review. I will find a copy to read in future.

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  5. I do love Salsa God! Sweet packaging and a great gift idea for those October co-worker birthdays! Awesome to see your review too. I do love the interesting little stories ..looking in to these characters lives. Thanks for the music too! I went to the zoo today and am so tired. Then the Verizon guy dropped by and that was an ordeal, but we haven't switched yet, although, our modem is getting old. Lets hope I sleep like a log tonight so I will be ready for tomorrow's booksale. What was I thinking..going to the zoo. It was nice, although, the elephants didn't come out. But I had a very good walk, Butterfly garden, and the Aquarium! All the best to Joon and Maia ..and Howie too. Happy Weekend!

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    1. Most definitely gonna have this one playing to night for some night music! Yes, definitely will help the creativity! I'm up to episode 7 of Mad Dog.

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    2. ugh..just got in from the library..and somebody left 3 boxes of heavy old books as we were leaving..guess what we did.. I guess we did pretty good with the sale. Not too bad. (✿◕‿◕✿)Ζͺ(˘⌣˘)Κƒ^_~
      Thanks for your comments! The Lake story..lots of interpretation you can take from that..I was thinking along the lines of cloning..perhaps wishing...Although, the crux of the story of the hand coming through the window is true! Lets say that's the last time we ever did anything in the car at the lake. πŸ’™πŸ’™πŸ’™πŸ’™πŸ’™πŸ’™πŸ’™Oh, it seemed like an opportune moment for Lily & Boone (u‿ฺu✿ฺ). Hopefully, we'll find out later what's up with Magz!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️We got some unexpected rain here this morning..which was nice. It has been a lovely afternoon. Thanks again for reading & commenting!

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    3. I hope you had a good weekend. Oh, it was a tiring one at the library, but it could have been worse. We had a small line form when we opened and 3 ladies in their wallkers lead the way to the book sale room. Needless to say, the rest were anxious but let them go first. It was a very slow walk. And then the rain came and someone who had left their window down in the handicap space never did come out to roll up their window. And when we left for the day on Saturday, there were piles of books at the backdoor.

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    4. Hope the writing is going good! thanks for your comments! A little rain here, but we need more..I'm afraid. It feels like a long week. Had some blood work yesterday..of course, I got questioned if I had really been fasting. Always something. Hope you are staying well! Can't wait to read more of Joon's tales!

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    5. Oh, I am hooked on the Purple Disco Machine! Mix them with Nothing But Thieves and well..they should really be a soundtrack for a gritty southern California movie with an 80's vibe! Hope your week is going good. I hope it cools off more. Oh, I actually tried a pumpkin donut from Dunkin, and I liked it. I am even shocked. I'm tempted to try Windy's Pumpkin Spice shake..but I dunno..it might really ruin for me. I'm not really a pumpkin spice fan.

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  6. That is a new brand of salsa for me. Is it regional? I miss the A1A salsa I used to get in Florida. It was fresh and wonderful

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  7. Okay I need the salsa. I looove hot stuff so this sounds like it would be amazing. I love the sound of the flavors too! The Bookshop book sounds really good too, I will have to check that out!

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  8. Linda mΓΊsica y tengo pendiente ese libro. Te mando un beso.

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  9. I'm wondering if "Days At the Morisaki Bookshop" was translated in Turkish or not...

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  10. The Morisaki Bookshop was a great read. Loved it.

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  11. I LOVE salsa. Not sure if that brand is available in Canada but I will definitely look for it! Or ask my American relatives for it.

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  12. Sounds like an interesting book. Thanks for sharing.

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  13. I'm not much for a lot of spice, but that salsa looks like something my husband and son would enjoy. Have a great week!

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  14. Yeah, I remember that song, Lady Red Light, but I didn't know the name of the band.

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  15. Wow, that Great White Video brings back memories! Thanks for sharing the bookshop book, I love those kinds of books! I just ordered myself a copy. I tried to see if I could find the movie but I couldn't. Have a great week! Suzanne@ Chick with Books

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  16. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop sounds very sweet! I love a good salsa, too, although I mostly stick to mild.

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  17. I love Salsa but I am kind of wimpy and prefer mild...lol. Glad you found a good salsa.

    Have a great week and happy reading!
    Stormi
    Week in Review

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  18. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop sounds like a book I'd like. Thanks for sharing it.

    Salsa? The hotter the better. This sounds like something I should seek out.

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  19. I've been on a salsa kick lately but have never heard of Salsa God!

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  20. Glad you are finding music such an inspiration, Greg:). And thank you for a lovely review of an interesting book - I LOVE the cover. Talking of covers, your pulp cover this week is fabulous. I hope the coming week is a good one.

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  21. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop sounds like such a lovely story! Plus, you get to "visit" Toyoko. I don't see many books with that setting.

    I love salsa but have never seen that brand. I'll have to try it! Maybe Amazon carries it.

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  22. Great book review! It does sound like a good read. And anything called "Salsa God" has to be the bomb. :-)

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  23. I love a chucky salsa and sometimes have made my own. My daughter doesn't really eat it since tomatoes are too acidic for her. I usually do mild but could eat medium in smaller quantities.

    Anne - Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post

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  24. The book sounds good! I'll have to look for that salsa! Music-wise, I've really liked the K-Pop I've listened to and so I found the K-Pop channel on my Samsung TV and I'll watch/listen to it a lot to try to find new songs and groups to check out. I like to find the ones that have a lot of the lyrics in English so I can sing along to part of it, lol. Hope you have a good week!
    Lisa Loves Literature

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  25. I love salsa. I never heard of that brand but it sounds good. Hope you have a great week!

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  26. I love when music and artwork inspires writing, it's always so fun. I had a painting inspire an entire story once.
    -Quinley

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  27. Ooh I've never considered the idea of specially flavored salsas, that sounds so cool! Though I'm very much a mild salsa person lol. Cool song!

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  28. Thanks for the Salsa God rec. I'm glad you mentioned that they do hotter, that's the first thing I thought of when I saw the "Medium" jars. I like my salsa hot! :D

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  29. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop sounds like a great story. I'm glad to hear you liked it. Have a great week!

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  30. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop sounds really good. I'll leave the Salsa though all to you.

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  31. This book sounds like an amazing one! Thanks for sharing. Wonderful and Lovely Post dear!
    Rampdiary | Fineartandyou | Theartdiary 

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  32. Sounds like an interesting book. Interesting salsas too. I'm not a fan of spicy. I'm mostly Polish. Pepper is as spicy as it gets for me. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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  33. I can't have salsa in the house, I will eat it all up in a go. Dang salsa and chips for being so awesome.

    That book sounds really good!

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  34. You got me interested to the choice of music you posted today and honestly, i love salsa so much for my nachos.

    JULIE ANN LOZADA BLOG

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  35. I can't handle spicy foods, but I will pass along your recommendations to Mr Wonderful. He loves all kinds of salsa and hot sauces.
    sherry @ fundinmental

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  36. Smoky Garlic Chipotle Salsa sounds absolutely amazing! As does the Morisaki Bookshop book! I hope you are having a great week!

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  37. I have been eating a lot of spicy stuff lately and my daughter loves everything spicy. I am going to have to look that up.

    Have a great week Greg! It's been a while! :)

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  38. I loved Great White back in the day and remember that song. I don't listen to a lot of music anymore now that I have become an audiobook addict.

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  39. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop sounds so good!
    I'm with Carole...I hardly listen to music since I got hooked on audiobooks 20 or more years ago.

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  40. Not sure I could handle the hotter salsa, but the medium would work. Love the label. Your bookshop book sounds amazing. Thanks for sharing, Greg.

    https://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2023/09/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-and_0318831224.html

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  41. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop sounds really good. I could see myself enjoying it. And those salsa might be too hot for me (I'm a whimp!) but they look delicious😁

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  42. That salsa looks great!

    Jill
    http://www.allthebooksihaventread.com/

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  43. That book sounds great. I can't have spicy salsa anymore but I'll show that one to Kevin.

    Have a great weekend!

    Karen @For What It's Worth

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  44. I'll leave all the salsa to you. I am such a picky eater and onion and peppers are usually hard passes for me. If I ever have chips and salsa, I'll dip my chip in the liquidy part for flavor, but I allow no chunky bits on my chip. lol

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  45. I love salsa and dump it on everything. I'll have to look for that brand. I hope you're having a great week!

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  46. Good music, good reads, and good food! I love salsa but have to do mild.

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  47. Have you read The Tokyo Bicycle Bakery, yet? If not, I really think you would like it. I've put Days at the Morisaki Bookshop on my Goodreads TBR. πŸ“˜

    I don't care for hot chillies, but I found a new instant ramen from Thailand that is spicy, but not too spicy for me that I love. It's called Mama Ramen. 🍜

    I'm going to find where I left off with Sands of Time and start reading again. I've been feeling a bit better the last couple of days. πŸ™‚

    I hope you had a good week. ☀

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  48. Hello!
    Great songs, nice to listen to the music, I love it :) I've eaten salsa several times, but it's not a popular dish for me :) It's more of an interesting thing :)
    Greetings from Poland!

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