"Mort" by Terry Pratchett

"Mort" has been a long time coming -- at least 6 months since I started reading TP I would think. I was frustrated because the office's Library Delivery Service (LDS) has refused to deliver the book to me since last year; each time I selected the book, somehow there was some administrative rule blocking me.

Sometime in end Feb this year, to my unalloyed delight, LDS finally came around to the idea that I was determined to have the book and granted my wish. (Whoever were the administrative powers that be that facilitated this, and if you are reading this, thanks!!)

I had a good time reacquainting myself with the fantasy world of Discworld in this book, and had a grand time laughing at the antics of Mort the bumbling hero, and also Death, who is not quite the stuffy eternal old man I always imagined him to be when reading other Discworld books.

TP's humour is spot on as always, and I find in finishing his book how I always like how he takes manages to give familiar themes his unique stamp of humour and insight.

Nothing earthshaking, but always good for a read, is TP. Geek rating: 3 out of 5

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

Norwegian Wood is a novel by Haruki Murakami first released in 1987, which is named after a Beatles song. Here's the wiki synopsis.

Interestingly enough, Murakami disliked the overwhelming popularity of the novel (It sold 2 million copies in Japan) so much that he left Japan for Europe for 5 years.

The thing about Murakami's writing, and this must also go to the credit of the English translator Jay Rubin, is that it is light and simple. There are no heavy descriptions that some writers try to toss your way, which my brain tries to catch like an oily bowling ball.

With Murakami, despite how different his characters are from me and the people I know, and how surreal or dreamlike the story may be - he still manages to conjure this sense of empathy and awe within me.

If someone were to ask me what his writing is like, I'd say it's like reading a transcript of a beautiful dream. It doesn't always make sense but when you wake up, you feel a lingering sense of melancholy that makes you wish you could have that dream once again.

9 out of 10 stars.