#Natsuko ​Imamura

[witchlingcirce]

Okay so I’m real bored and I just want to give out some book recommendations by MWAH !!!!!!!

Howls moving castle

Synopsis: Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there's far more to Howl-and herself-than first meets the eye.

Okay so now obviously everyone knows Howl’s moving castle from the movie (10/10 movie please watch). But honestly the book is so different!! I really feel like the book shines in a different way that the movies does. If you’ve seen the movie than the book is like if the movie versions of these characters do crack. This book was so light and easy, and if your able to get your hands on the audiobook I legit can’t recommend it enough. Howl is such a fun a character, and Sophie is just so silly. This book just remains so consistent and honestly I feel like the writing style almost makes these characters feel alive!!

The ocean at the end of the lane

Synopsis: A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.

This book genuinely is not what I was expecting it to be but nonetheless was so exceptional. If you’re not familiar with Gaimens work, just know that’s a line. He wrote the novels for Good Omens and Coraline, which are both very famous movie/TV shows! The best way I can describe Gaimens work is literally that it’s so British. This book for me was consistently unexpected, in my mind I was like “this is going to happen!” And it didn’t! Not in like a plot-twisty way, in a “I was nottt expecting that”. This book takes an interesting approach on the concept of lost childhood memories. I think it’s a concept you don’t usually see but I feel like the way Gaimen handled it just made it so interesting. I truly felt for the narrator throughout this novel, this poor boy!

This is Amiko, do you copy?

Synopsis: Other people don't seem to understand Amiko. Whether eating curry rice with her hands at school or peeking through the sliding doors at her mother's calligraphy class, her curious, exuberant nature mostly meets with confusion. When her mother falls into a depression and her brother begins spending all his time with a motorcycle gang, Amiko is left increasingly alone to navigate a world where she doesn't quite fit.

AH!! This book was honestly so interesting to read and I highly recommend to anyone who is fond of Fujimoto's 'Goodbye Eri' and 'Look back'. The writing in this book was honestly top TIER. I think writing this book's perspective from a neurodivergent girl's POV in a society that doesn't really accept that is so interesting. Throw it into the context of her dysfunctional family who after a major event kind of fall part and no one is there to help her in some many different aspects of life is really interesting. I think this and the ocean at the end of the lane are the shortest here on this list but I really do recommend. Out of all the books I’ve recommended I will say this is the most depressing, but something about this book is soooo I don’t know how to put it. It’s definitely one of those books that will leave you thinking awhile after you’ve read it. I can stress enough how much of this book is worth to read!! It’s so tragic.

The space between here and now

Synopsis: Perfect for fans of They Both Die at the End and You've Reached Sam, this gripping, atmospheric YA novel follows a teen with a mysterious condition that transports her to the past when she smells certain scents linked to specific memories. Seventeen-year-old Aimee Roh has Sensory Time Warp Syndrome, a rare condition that causes her to time travel to a moment in her life when she smells something linked to that memory. Her dad is convinced she'll simply grow out of it if she tries hard enough, but Aimee's fear of vanishing at random has kept her from living a normal life. When Aimee disappears for nine hours into a memory of her estranged mom--a moment Aimee has never remembered before--she becomes distraught. Not only was this her longest disappearance yet, but the memory doesn't match up with the story of how her mom left--at least, not the version she's always heard from her dad. Desperate for answers, Aimee travels to Korea, where she unravels the mystery of her memories, the truth about her mother, and the reason she keeps returning to certain moments in her life. Along the way, she realizes she'll need to reconcile her past in order to save her present.

The concept of this book is really interesting and is executed in a really fun and new way. I feel like in a lot of 'time travel' books it gets too complicated or it just ends up lacking any sense and at some point stops making sense. This book didn't have that problem; having her 'time travel' be her going back to her memories was such a cool concept, and she executed it so well. I really enjoyed her descriptions of what it feels like to travel, and I'm glad she went into depth with it instead of leaving it up to the imagination. This book also did really well in showing that our main character was a teenager. Something about the way she wrote really made us feel like we were in a teenage girl's head-not in a choppy or bad way where it made you roll your eyes, but in a way that made you able to relate to the character. I also really liked how likable our main character was; it added to the reading experience! Also, I really liked how the main mystery of the plot was resolved; it was really interesting, and honestly, it wasn't expected! And to add onto what I said before, the time travel powers almost feel like they could be the powers of a life is strange protagonist if that makes any sense to anyone.

Immortal longings

Synopsis: Every year, thousands in the kingdom of Talin will flock to its capital twin cities, San-Er, where the palace hosts a set of games. For those confident enough in their ability to jump between bodies, competitors across San-Er fight to the death to win unimaginable riches. Princess Calla Tuoleimi lurks in hiding. Five years ago, a massacre killed her parents and left the palace of Er empty...and she was the one who did it. Before King Kasa's forces in San can catch her, she plans to finish the job and bring down the monarchy. Her reclusive uncle always greets the victor of the games, so if she wins, she gets her opportunity at last to kill him. Enter Anton Makusa, an exiled aristocrat. His childhood love has lain in a coma since they were both ousted from the palace, and he's deep in debt trying to keep her alive. Thankfully, he's one of the best jumpers in the kingdom, flitting from body to body at will. His last chance at saving her is entering the games and winning. Calla finds both an unexpected alliance with Anton and help from King Kasa's adopted son, August, who wants to mend Talin's ills. But the three of them have very different goals, even as Calla and Anton's partnership spirals into something all-consuming. Before the games close, Calla must decide what she's playing for-her lover or her kingdom.

I remember I read this for the book club I was in last year and I am forever grateful. I was a little hesitant going into this book because I genuinely did not really like either these violent delight books. However this book is actually so good. If you’re in a reading slump I highly recommend this novel to get you out. This plot follows genuinely a really interesting concept, and I liked the way body hopping was kind of represented. I also do feel like it’s an interesting play on this kind of hunger games concept. However I will warn you the body hopping powers are confusing but just go along with it. The actual world of this is inspired by an old city in China (which name I have forgotten) but if you compare to what that city looked like and to what’s described in the book Chloe gets it down to a T. The plot twists of these books are genuinely just so much fun. There’s so many little hints scattered around it makes you want you get a bulletin board and put the little lines up. Not to mention the ENDINGG, I was gagged. The sequel is this novel is also coming out later this year as well!

Uhm anyways guys I love reading so much my Spotify told me to stop listening to audiobooks and get a life 😭😭😭 who wants to be my goodreads friend

[mik1ta]

今村夏子さんはほんとうに天才だと思っています。

[samireads]

May wrap up 😗 the fact that they’re all Japanese books is totally coincidental haha

[lierrelearns]

今村夏子（いまむら・なつこ）ーむらさきのスカートの女 Natsuko Imamura - The Woman in the Purple Skirt (2019) Translated by Lucy North (2022)

A very quick read, I finished this in a day while commuting to and from work. The narrator pulls you into this darkly fascinating observation of a woman in her neighborhood. She eventually becomes the narrator’s coworker. The prose is sharp and witty; it’s palatably unsettling. While the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan is alarmingly unaware of how creepy she is, I’m glad she provides a brief glimpse into the life of the Woman in the Purple Skirt. Honestly, I felt as though I would have wanted to befriend her too.

Also, this story does not skimp on the drama! We’ve got obsession, financial trouble, workplace cattiness, and an affair... and more! All in 216 pages.

I highly recommend this short novel. If you read it, please let me know what you think!

[dawn-falls]

Dame Agatha Christie is one of the characters we know too little about in BSD aside from her personality (partially), ruthlessness and role as a future antagonist. So, I decided to give her some spotlight together with some of my OCs.

And Then There Were Two is a story about Dame Agatha Christie finding herself amused over two Japanese gals: Natsuko Imamura and Misa Yamamura, both very different, yet so alike. Their relationship can be somewhat considered parallel to Ranpo and Poe. So if you're interested for something like that, the link is down below. If you read the story, I hope you like it!

[ashuuuuuuu]

I really enjoyed The woman in the purple skirt by Natsuko Imamura. On the surface of it, it's really about a woman stalking another woman and just a slice-of-life kind of story about her daily life but it's so much. It's about loneliness, gossiping and it explores human nature in a a very subtle way. Natsuko Imamura's writing is brilliant that you could just finish this short novel in just one sitting.

I was hooked from page one because of how immersive the world she made was.I also really liked how we knew literally nothing about the narrator until the very end.

Like she's telling us about everyone but not herself and the fact that she's a stalker but she means no harm to the woman being stalked and she's also not a sexual predator. She just wants to be friends which is really weird and just yeah. I really enjoyed the book and how it's kind of a strange character study.

[kunoichi96]

Reading Recap: February

The “month of love” is finally over, or at least it will be in a few days. What this means is winter is finally starting to melt away, giving way to spring. Here in Scotland, it sure feels like Persephone is taking her sweet time returning to her mother as it has been chilly and all-around depressing. Hopefully, this will change soon enough.  I managed to get a fair amount of reading done this…

[charlott2n]

while im on this track heres a list of fucked up women books :)

unclean jobs for women and girls - alissa nutting

big swiss - jen beagin

the guest - emma kline

severance - ling ma

everyone in this room will someday be dead - emily r austin

earthlings - sayaka murata

alls well - mona awad

the woman in the purple skirt- natsuko imamura

pizza girl - jean kyoung frazier

our wives under the sea - julia armfield

death in her hands - moshfegh

tampa - alissa nutting (warning this book is about a pedophile!)

we who have never known men may fit better here..... hmm

and some classic ones!!

play as it lays - joan didion

and of course the yellow wallpaper

ps. i start working at the library soon... this is my practice for readers advisory LOL xoxoxo

SO SO COOL have funnnnnn:)

[jemimaland]

dream girl book recommendations ✨

girly, smart book recommendations that will make people think you're cool.

anything by eve babitz or joan didion (but i recommend eve's hollywood and play it as it lays)

a biography of a woman from history (like marie antoinette, madame du pompadour, the romanov sisters)

the virgin suicides by jeffery eugenides

the new me by halle butler

breasts and eggs by mieko kawakami

last summer in the city by gianfranco calligarich

summer crossing by truman capote

bonjour tristesse by francois sagan

gigi and the cat by colette

the woman in the purple skirt by natsuko imamura

any persephone book (but especially to bed with grand music by marghanita laski)

I'm glad my mom died by jennette mccurdy

girl, interrupted by susanna kaysen

fleabag: the special edition by phoebe waller-bridge

winter in sokcho by elisa shua dusapin

the vegetarian by han kang

[starsanova]

HELLO 👋🏼

It is high time I bother my writer friends so pls tell me, what are your top 3 favourite books that you've read?

★ ─ hello, my dear! and ohh, this is a good question that got me to think a lot, I have read a lot of books most of them have been written by Western writers. but I am absolutely in love with Japanese literature, and def shows in this list so here are my top 3 (that took me ages to figure out by the way)

no longer human ─ osamu dazai

the woman in the purple skirt ─ natsuko imamura

snow country ─ yasunari kawabata

[thelittlestspider]

What counts as weird book in your library? Got any cool recommendations?

last night i was more talking about characters who are just weird themselves.

(some of these i've finished. some i started to read and haven't gotten through yet.)

weird characters

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (finished) - It's about a woman who works at a convenience store who doesn't really fit in and she tries to 'cure' herself to please her friends and family, and ultimately decides she's happy with her life.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (finished) tw: murder, medical abuse, sex, infidelity. It's about a therapist obsessed with a woman who went completely silent after murdering her husband 5 years before. I can't really say any more because it'll give away the ending.

The World Cannot Give by Tara Isabella Burton (finished) - tw: murder, suicide, revenge porn, nudity, child pornography, sex.) This book is a Lot. But it's weirdly compelling. It's about this girl who goes to a school because of her favorite author and winds up falling for the leader of a choir cult.

The Woman In the Purple Skirt by Natsuko Imamura (in progress) - tw: stalking.

Social Creatures by Tara Isabella Burton (in progress)

Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier (in progress)

The New Me by Halle Butler (in progress)

The Vegetarian by Han Kang (in progress)

[rockislandadultreads]

Book Recommendations: More Wayward Women in Literature

Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder

At home full-time with her two-year-old son, an artist finds she is struggling. She is lonely and exhausted. She had imagined - what was it she had imagined? Her husband, always travelling for his work, calls her from faraway hotel rooms. One more toddler bedtime, and she fears she might lose her mind.

Instead, quite suddenly, she starts gaining things, surprising things that happen one night when her child will not sleep. Sharper canines. Strange new patches of hair. New appetites, new instincts. And from deep within herself, a new voice...

The Woman in the Purple Skirt by Natsuko Imamura

Almost every day, the Woman in the Purple Skirt buys a single cream bun and goes to the park, where she sits on a bench to eat it as the local children taunt her. She is observed at all times by the undetected narrator, the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. From a distance the Woman in the Purple Skirt looks like a schoolgirl, but there are age spots on her face, and her hair is dry and stiff. Like the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan, she is single, she lives in a small, run-down apartment, and she is short on money. The Woman in the Yellow Cardigan lures her to a job where she herself works, as a hotel housekeeper; soon the Woman in the Purple Skirt is having an affair with the boss. Unfortunately, no one knows or cares about the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. That's the difference between her and the Woman in the Purple Skirt.

Chemistry by Weike Wang

At first glance, the quirky, overworked narrator of this novel seems to be on the cusp of a perfect life: she is studying for a prestigious PhD in chemistry that will make her Chinese parents proud (or at least satisfied), and her successful, supportive boyfriend has just proposed to her. But instead of feeling hopeful, she is wracked with ambivalence. The long demanding hours at the lab have created an exquisite pressure cooker, and she doesn't know how to answer the marriage question. When it all becomes too much and her life plan veers off course, she finds herself on a new path of discoveries about everything she thought she knew.

The Pisces by Melissa Broder 

Lucy has been writing her dissertation about Sappho for thirteen years when she and Jamie break up. After she hits rock bottom in Phoenix, her Los Angeles-based sister insists Lucy housesit for the summer—her only tasks caring for a beloved diabetic dog and trying to learn to care for herself. Annika’s home is a gorgeous glass cube atop Venice Beach, but Lucy can find no peace from her misery and anxiety—not in her love addiction group therapy meetings, not in frequent Tinder meetups, not in Dominic the foxhound’s easy affection, not in ruminating on the ancient Greeks. Yet everything changes when Lucy becomes entranced by an eerily attractive swimmer one night while sitting alone on the beach rocks.

[yourghastlycloseness]

Sex for Sayaka is off the menu now, she tells me. “I am not looking for heterosexual relationships. I feel like I haven’t had time to think about my sexuality. As a young woman, I felt we were so commoditised that we were in a fog and there was no time to think about what we wanted. Now, I can’t imagine having a sexual relationship with a physical human male.” We discuss how sex crime is rife in Japan, a country that until June 2023 hadn’t changed its rape laws in more than a century. Now, finally, new legislation has raised the age of sexual consent from 13 to 16 and tightened the definition of rape. “I don’t think any of my friends have grown up without being groped at some point,” says Sayaka, who switches from making eye contact while I’m asking questions to glancing at the sky when answering, as if seeking higher guidance.

In a practical sense, Sayaka lives alone in a two-room apartment near Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden in Tokyo. But in her heart she lives somewhere less tangible, with people who she can see but others can’t, only stepping out of her fantasy world to write – though, to be fair, she does hang out with writer friends such as Kanako Nishi. “It’s not like we always talk about writing, but I like talking about how we think and how we see things. When I’m alone, I like walking.” She reads widely, mainly women, and cites Rieko Matsuura, Hiromi Kawakami, Natsuko Imamura, and Mariko Asabuki as particular favourites.

[hamsterdiaries]

potentials for september reading:

the woman in the purple skirt - natsuko imamura

mondays not coming - tiffany d jackson

a certain hunger - chelsea g summers

nightshift - kiare ladner

confessions - kanae minato

masters of death - olivie blake

i haven't been reading too much lately. haven't been doing much of anything that feels good or worthwhile lately. it's already the fourth but here's to hoping i can get myself to try.

[kunoichi96]

Page Turner: The Woman in the Purple Skirt

I tried something new with my header, what do you guys think?  Have you ever seen a stranger and wanted to befriend them? Perhaps you saw someone picking up a copy of your favourite book at your local library. Maybe someone wearing a t-shirt featuring a band you adore. Or even a pin on their jacket indicate mutual interests. Whatever the case, you might not have had the courage to go over and…

[cyclone-rachel]

books read in June 2023:

The Woman in the Purple Skirt by Natsuko Imamura

Taproot by Keezy Young

You’re Invited by Amanda Jayatissa

Greek Lessons by Han Kang

The Faint of Heart by Kerilynn Wilson

An Unauthorized Fan Treatise by Lauren James

Superman: Doomed by Greg Pak

Voices from Krypton by Edward Gross

People from my Neighborhood by Hiromi Kawakami

The Girl From the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag

Cosmic Odyssey: The Deluxe Edition by Jim Starlin

Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi