It’s been ages again since my last update! I’ve actually read quite a lot in the time since, but lots which don’t fit into my bingos. But I have a few now!
Set outside of Japan - 旅をする木 (文春文庫 ほ 8-1) | L31
Essays from a famous wildlife photographer - mainly set in Alaska where he lived and worked. Very nice, felt like he has a joy for life than makes the essays shine.
Set where I’ve lived - 逃亡くそたわけ | L34
Kyushu roadtrip story, full of snippets of Kyushu and Kyushu-ben.
New natively level for me - I finished the rest of しまなみ誰そ彼 | L24
Which after checking is oddly enough my only level 24
And finally, I had the 1st Shimanami under Unusual Genre to me.
But I have ×××HOLiC(13) | L26 which I also just read which I’ll put into that slot.
Filled out two more squares: A Sign of Affection for language related, and 世にも奇妙な商品カタログ, which was recommended to me by Jintor last year. I’m working on FMA right now for the disability square. And then I might have time for Hellsing, for year you were born, and さようならローズガーデン, for someone else’s card.
There are two prompts left but my intent is to use the volume with Genya as “character with disability” prompt and the infinity castle arc volumes for “unknown premise” prompt which is late half of volumes 16 to the first few chapters of volume 21.
Decided I’m reading ダンジョン飯 manga once I’m finished with the Demon slayer stuff. Considering doing a manga only bingo next year (since I have a fair amount of them by now that I want to try getting through).
Also, the rate of books bought this year vs. books from my pile is a bit worrying My excuse is that I bought them for book clubs, so I really had no choice
Pretty sure I’ve never read a book set in Mongolia before! The art was gorgeous. The story … I don’t feel like I quite figured it out yet. It’s kind of slice-of-life, but not without plotty dramatic parts. Nor can I quite figure out what’s going on within the main relationship, no one ever talks about why they married, even though it seems like there must have been Circumstances involved.
I kind of do want to keep reading this series, but that will have to wait until I’ve gotten through a lot more of my tsundoku pile I think.
Did you check out rodan’s updates in the Harta thread or ask there? You might have to dig a bit to find their link to Notion comments on the early volumes on that one since it started pre-digital Harta. Just wanted to let you know I bet they can help if you haven’t asked already (I’m not following that one so sorry if I missed it and you already asked)!
This one is 光と影 | L29 which was written in the year I was born.
It was a bit hard to find a suitable book because it’s been a while since I was born, and it was not easy in the first place to come up with a method of discovering a book from that year that is well-written, so I relied on my usual target group, namely prize winners. I had a look at the Edogawa Ranpo prize because I figured that whodunnit’s might be easy to read and would pull me along, but the one I tried first (殺意の演奏 | L30??) was not exactly easy to read for me, and I paused it after 20 pages or so. But at some point I thought I should give the bingo square another try, and looked at the Naoki prize, which is usually given to easily readable books. And this time it worked! 光と影 is a set of 4 short stories that rank around (shock!!) medical cases, and ohmygod there were so many details I never wanted to know But I survived, and here I am
Needless to say, no bingo yet (I swear, I’m not doing this on purpose)
But I think I should get going with getting bingo’s Real Soon Now™ because otherwise I’ll reach the end of the year without any, and that must be avoided at all cost!
Therefore I’m planning to get 4 bingos with the next 4 books I’ve lined up. Stay tuned…
I actually considered doing that But it’s too dangerous, I might get unexpectedly busy or something, and then I can’t get any bingo. So I’ll play it safe from now on. (Famous last words hehe)
#19 Finish a book you gave up on before / Read a book in a different format from usual / Read a book you got for free: 花野井くんと恋の病 2 | L19
Wow! I just looked up when I read the first volume of this series and it was after reading only 2 first grade readers, 2 second grade readers, and three Yotsubatos! I tried to read the second volume back then (I got them both for free from bookwalker), but ended up getting overwhelmed and never made it past the first ten pages I don’t think.
Also, out of the 134 books I’ve recorded on Bookmeter, I think I only read 4 of them in e-book format. This triple prompt book completes my second bingo!
Bingo update: no new bingo, but a shiny new square! https://learnnatively.com/book/314d5037ca/ is going in “Related to languages”. It isn’t a book about languages, but since the two main (Korean) characters each go to a different country (Germany and Thailand), there are some language-related things going on.
It is 糞尿譚 | L40 which, at level 40, is a new level to me (and the hardest one so far, in case you wondered). I started reading it in June 2022, dropped it after a bit, started again in October 2024, got a bit further but dropped it again, and now I finally made it. The hardest thing for me was that speech is not being quoted, so you always have to figure out what part is actual speech, and by whom, and what part is thoughts or description. Also, sentences are loooong So I’m sure it deserves its level, and I’m happy I conquered it! (And it gained me a tick in the The Akutagawa Prize Reading Challenge which is why I started it in the first place )
Finished 鬼滅の刃 volume 13 for “Character with disability” prompt since Genya is unable to use Breathing techniques,. It was the closest I have for this prompt that is still within my ability to read without burning out. Hopefully will finish the rest of the series by the end of the year since volumes 17onwards will be used for the final prompt “Unknown premise” since these cover the infinity castle arc and final chapters past what the anime currently covers.
Finished my Bingo Card! What a ride. I didn’t know it would take me that long, when I started back in January. I discovered a lot of great books along the way
But now I’m also a bit relieved that it’s done now, and that I can work on my tsundoku pile!
25 - Ask what you read next in the Seeking Recommendations Thread
→ 博士の愛した数式: Recommended by @nikoru, and by my sister before I started learning Japanese, so I was happy to read it outside of the main story, there are two themes that are discussed a lot: math and baseball. The first one, I’ve always loved so it was fun to revisit in Japanese, the second one, I really have no interest in it so it was a bit hard but still, I appreciate that it’s a big part of the Japanese culture, so happy to get some exposure to it anyway. I liked the book itself even though the premise didn’t convince me (is 博士’s disease really something that can happen? if yes, I think to me it would be terrifying to have stranger treat me as we’re familiar and friends). But 小川 洋子’s writing was really beautiful. Maybe I need to up my level in Japanese a bit more before I read the next one, to appreciate it even more before I read the next book by her.
So… We’re all waiting for next year’s edition, right?
Since this thread was set up last year in October, should we start a new one to start collecting prompt ideas and vote?
I haven’t seen bungakushoujo around a lot lately, does anyone know what the protocol is? I don’t want to break a bingo protocol rule and end up in bingo protocol jail.
My excuse is that I bought them for book clubs, so I really had no choice 
But at some point I thought I should give the bingo square another try, and looked at the Naoki prize, which is usually given to easily readable books. And this time it worked! 光と影 is a set of 4 short stories that rank around (shock!!) medical cases, and ohmygod there were so many details I never wanted to know 
But I survived, and here I am 
But it’s too dangerous, I might get unexpectedly busy or something, and then I can’t get any bingo. So I’ll play it safe from now on. (Famous last words hehe)
So I’m sure it deserves its level, and I’m happy I conquered it! (And it gained me a tick in the 
)
but still, I appreciate that it’s a big part of the Japanese culture, so happy to get some exposure to it anyway. I liked the book itself even though the premise didn’t convince me (
I don’t want to break a bingo protocol rule and end up in bingo protocol jail.
It is called 
