Hot Girls Read Podcast

Ayesha

I just finished “The Little Sparrow Murders” by Seishi Yokomizo and I can’t wait to read more mysteries by this author! I’m no stranger to Japanese translated reads but this may be the first murder mystery. I bought this over the summer in England and I was pulled in by the cover while pursuing the mystery/thriller table display in Waterstones. It was a little longer than expected but I enjoyed the detailed explanation of the different theories from our main character, Kosuke Kindaichi. You know I enjoy a good mystery because I can’t resist investigating myself, but this sleuth is certainly more open-minded than me. 

Synopsis: An old friend of Kosuke Kindaichi invites the scruffy detective to visit the remote mountain village of Onikobe in order to look into a twenty-year-old murder case. But soon after he arrives,  a new series of murders strikes the village – several bodies are discovered staged in bizarre poses, and it becomes apparent that the victims are being killed using methods that match the lyrics of an old local children’s song…

The legendary sleuth investigates, but soon realises must unravel the dark and tangled history of the village, as well as that of its rival families, to get to the truth.

Julia

I don’t know how else to say this: I am STILL reading ‘The Forgetting Elixir’ by Pierre Pavel. Sometimes reading books just takes a while. I wouldn’t even say I’m in a reading slump of any kind as I am still highly enjoying the book (as you’ll hear in our next episode dropping soon!!) and I’m proud of myself for reading this much in French to begin with, as at almost 400 pages it’s not a short book. Since it is a Fantasy novel with a decent amount of political intrigue, it has been fun keeping track of the evolving plot, mysteries, and characters so far but I do think I’ll be done soon. Having gotten this far, I’m inspired to challenge myself to always have a French book on the side (it could be a fun New Years resolution of sorts!). 

I have just started another book as well, namely because as mentioned in my previous post, it is a majorly overdue library book. The book is ‘Bite by Bite’ by poet and essayist Aimee Nezhukumatathil. ‘Bite by Bite’ aims to explore the way food and memory are intertwined which is a concept I often think about and wish to write on, so I was/am very excited to read this from a writer’s perspective. That said, I have so far read the first two ‘chapters’ – every chapter is essentially a short essay revolving around a particular food– and I do feel myself longing for more. More food, more sensation, more chewing, more salivating. Perhaps I have a different idea of what I wanted this to be, as although the short snippets around girlhood are interesting and beautiful, because the chapters are so short I want them to burn brighter and leave me hungry. I don’t feel hungry after reading this, not yet anyway.