The Free-Range Bookclub
Bookclubbers without boundaries in Nelson, New Zealand
Category: Translated
Cocoon – Zhang Yueran
READ FOR BOOKCLUBChosen by Jo Li Jiaqi and Cheng Gong recall their childhood friendship under Chinese communist rule, living with extended family and in wonderment about what really happened that rainy night in 1967 in the abandoned water tower where Gong’s grandfather was attacked.… Continue Reading “Cocoon – Zhang Yueran”
Tender Is The Flesh – Agustina Bazterrica
READ FOR BOOKCLUBChosen by Rachel Dystopian fiction about a world where humans are farmed for meat after animals become diseased and unfit for consumption. Told through the eyes of Marcos, a slaughterhouse official, who is disgusted at what society has become but remains stuck… Continue Reading “Tender Is The Flesh – Agustina Bazterrica”
Convenience Store Woman – Sayaka Murata
READ FOR BOOKCLUBChosen by Suzy Keiko is a young Japanese convenience store woman who enjoys the repetitive nature of her job, often referring to the store manual to act and respond to requests appropriately. Her simplistic life is ridiculed by friends and family for… Continue Reading “Convenience Store Woman – Sayaka Murata”
At Night All Blood is Black – David Diop
READ FOR BOOKCLUBChosen by Rachel ❝ Alfa and his ‘more than brother’ Mademba are Senglese, fighting for the French in World War I. Seen as ‘chocolate soldiers’ they are considered able to scare the life out of the enemy. After Mademba is fatally wounded… Continue Reading “At Night All Blood is Black – David Diop”
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki & His Years of Pilgrimage – Haruki Murakami
READ FOR BOOKCLUBChosen by Jo The protagonist of this book is Tsukuru Tazaki, a Japanese man in his 30s who designs railroad stations. He recalls his younger years, where at high school he had four best friends whose names all include a colour: red,… Continue Reading “Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki & His Years of Pilgrimage – Haruki Murakami”
The Memory Police – Yoko Ogawa
READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Jo On an unnamed island, people’s memories are slowly deleted by the controlling authority, the Memory Police. ✚ “Censorship and authoritarian surveillance are at the thematic heart of this novel. Items that represent art, cultural identity and independent thought… Continue Reading “The Memory Police – Yoko Ogawa”
Norwegian Wood – Haruki Murakami
READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Jo A romantic, 1960s coming-of-age story recaptures a young man’s first, hopeless, and heroic love. ✚ “Norwegian Wood is the book that made Haruki Murakami famous. Which some would say is surprising considering it is a move away from… Continue Reading “Norwegian Wood – Haruki Murakami”
Kafka On The Shore – Haruki Murakami
READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Rachel A teenage boy, Kafka Tamura, runs away from home to escape a gruesome oedipal prophecy and search for his long-missing mother and sister. ◉ “One day in 2006 I bought this book new off the shelves in an… Continue Reading “Kafka On The Shore – Haruki Murakami”
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