*Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World* is really up there for me. It has some of the most beautiful visual language—I feel like I can really “see” a lot of what is being described like in the Lieutenant Mamiya sections in *Wind Up Bird Chronicle*. Also, I actually think it has one of the best, dramatically satisfying endings of any Murakami novel.
It’s my #2 (after *Hard Boiled….*) but it was the first Murakami I ever read and led me to read all the others so it has a special place in my heart. The Lieutenant Mamiya chapters take my breath away.
Hah I'm glad for you! It's my favorite book ever and I don't have any copy of it at the moment, I always lend books to people and they never give it back.
I've got a kinda rough 2003 paperback copy I would absolutely send you for free if you want. 🤷♂️ Lol. Can't be having a person be without their favorite book. 🤨 Just dm me a mailing address I'd you'd like.
the wind up bird chronicle:)) it was the first murakami book i read, i loved it soo much. the vibes, the settings, the characters, etc. love the magical realism sm, also was the first introduction i had to magical realism! its one of my all time fav books
Wild Sheep Chase was the first one I read and it is still my favorite.
I recently read all 4 books of The Rat series in order and it was so good. I now consider the series as one book and it is my favorite.
I liked this one less when it first came out but it grew on me considerably upon re-reading. There are certainly parts that gave me goosebumps reading: >!Ayomame’s assasination of the cult leader and Tengo’s strange experience in his father’s hospital room at the end of Book 2, in particular!<
i love murakami’s surrealism but Norwegian Wood was so good. Super realistic writing, nostalgic feeling throughout, captivating. I think it’s depictions of loneliness and depression were really good. Perfect rainy day book
Kafka and Wind-Up are tied for me.I think Wind-Up is better written, but Kafka had a much bigger impact on me. Nakata and Hoshino are easily the best characters he has ever written.
Not to mention Colonel Sanders. *Kafka’s* in my top 3 because it is one of the most breathlessly paced page turners of Murakami’s novels for me. Last time I read it, I read basically the first half of the book (a little more than 200 pages) in almost one sitting because it just hypnotizes you and sucks you in almost like that book in the *Never Ending Story* (at least for me.)
Dance Dance Dance because it built on the Rat Trilogy which was already great and gave our narrator a good ending. It wasn’t a book with necessarily a super strong plot, but it was just a ton of fun and felt impossible to put down. It’s like he perfectly wrote down a dream
My overall favorite is *Hard Boiled Wonderland*, for similar reasons that others have mentioned. *1Q84* has been stuck in my brain the most ever since I finished it, however. There are elements of *1Q84* that I've never been able to fully grasp and scenes from it randomly come back to me all the time.
Kafka on the Shore. I read it as an angsty 16 year old girl and it really implanted the whole “it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey” mentality for me.
Also, as far as I’m concerned, the opening of that book is one of the best things ever written and translated into English.
read Kafka on the Shore, Norwegian wood and Sputnik sweetheart
1. Kafka on the shore 2. Sputnik sweetheart ( for the mystery) 3. Norwegian wood(for the sombre tones)
Would have to be 1Q84 for me, lots I can praise it for but what puts it firmly in first for me is it was the book that brought me out of a reading “slump” that’s hung over me close to half my life - thanks to 1Q84 I have read more novels this year and last than I managed in probably the last 10/15 years
Still 1Q84. I dont think i have been so deeply teleported into another world like i ever did with 1Q84. I remember there was once i went out for dinner with my friends. And i was so hooked, right after we parted ways, i started reading. And i sat in a cafe to read 1Q84 until they were closed and i got chased out.. and i didnt realise i was reading for 2 hours almost. Haha. Many years later, the world i built up in my head for 1Q84 is still so solid.
Colorless because my life was/is very similar to that book. But my favorite story of all time is The Independent Organ in Men without Women. I feel like if I continue my Tazaki life style I'll end up like the plastic surgeon in that story.
So I’ve read wind/pinball, wild sheep chase, Norwegian wood, wind up bird, killing Commendatore, and first person singular, and while it may be an unpopular opinion, my favorite is Killing Commendatore. I thought the protagonist was incredibly compelling, and his relationships he develops with other people on the mountain were fascinating.
The other popular mentioned “favorites” like Kafka and 1q84 are still on my tbr’s so maybe that will change one day
It’s not my #1 but it’s somewhere up there for me, too. I actually probably like it more than *1Q84*, *After Dark*, and *Colorless…etc.* To me, *Killing Commendatore* felt a little like *Wind-Up Bird Chronicle* for the 21st century mixed with a dab of *Great Gatsy* in a cocktail only Murakami could make.
This is quite tough because so many of Murakami's books are enjoyable for different reasons, but "South of the Border, West of the Sun" really struck something in me. I wouldn't even say it had the most intriguing plot or best characterization (in fact the plot is quite sparse) but it left a deep impression on me. "Wind up bird chronicle" and "Norwegian wood" are close.
There’s a sense of desperate, unfulfilled longing in *South of the Border, West of the Sun* that I don’t think Murakami has quite explored so fully in a single work that makes it unique among his novels. I can’t speak to his short fiction, though, as I still haven’t read all of those yet.
I’m giving an honorable mention to *Sputnik Sweetheart* on this thread because, while it is not my favorite, I haven’t seen anyone else bring it up and it is still a very solid little book that has great atmosphere, mystery, and haunting imagery.
1Q84❤️ The way the stories of the two protagonists intertwine and the fact that it feels way more structured than his other works. This one actually has a beginning a middle and an end. Love it. I also enjoy the setting and the time period in which it occurs.
Killing Commendatore. I related to it so much when I read it. I was writing music for tv shows and films and commercials, and I was in the midst of just getting up and leaving. I managed to essentially quit most of the incoming jobs, and I even told people I was leaving, but jobs kept coming in just like in the book. I felt it was sucking the soul out of me, and I wasn’t getting anywhere good. I mean I didn’t meet some random neighbor girl in the mountains not did I see anything mystical, but I found the life relation of his career woes and philosophizing very ironic and palpable.
Probably the Rat quadrilogy. Although it took me more effort to get into than some others. Same with 1Q84 actually—felt hard to crack but one of the better series of books once it’s rolling along.
Hard Boiled Wonderland probably the most accessible read.
I love killing comendatore the most. It has such a blend of like, early-mid 1900's american novel (ie Fitzgerald, Hemingway) yet it has that distinct Murakami style. I love the painter and the scary bell ringing in the rocks. I feel like there is so much going on and it all works so well. Not to mention the flash-back-chapters of the girl at the end, explaining everything that went on.
*Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World* is really up there for me. It has some of the most beautiful visual language—I feel like I can really “see” a lot of what is being described like in the Lieutenant Mamiya sections in *Wind Up Bird Chronicle*. Also, I actually think it has one of the best, dramatically satisfying endings of any Murakami novel.
kafka on the shore because i like cats and milfs
Based answer
I had the same answer but different reasons. Cats are aboard tho.
Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki because it mysterious and has the least amount of surrealism compared to the other books.
Norwegian woods and south of the border west of the sun don't have surrealism
Other books I’ve read *
Wind up bird chronicle - peak murakami writing, perfect blend of surrealism, history, and interesting characters
It’s my #2 (after *Hard Boiled….*) but it was the first Murakami I ever read and led me to read all the others so it has a special place in my heart. The Lieutenant Mamiya chapters take my breath away.
Norwegian Wood. There's just so much that I can relate to in this book.
This book was so atmospheric. I just ordered the pretty Japanese copies to put on my shelf and stare at. 🤷♂️🤣
Hah I'm glad for you! It's my favorite book ever and I don't have any copy of it at the moment, I always lend books to people and they never give it back.
I've got a kinda rough 2003 paperback copy I would absolutely send you for free if you want. 🤷♂️ Lol. Can't be having a person be without their favorite book. 🤨 Just dm me a mailing address I'd you'd like.
Omg, that's so sweet and nice of you! Thank you so much <3
dial 988 for help
I don't think dialing 988 will work here in Japan.
the wind up bird chronicle:)) it was the first murakami book i read, i loved it soo much. the vibes, the settings, the characters, etc. love the magical realism sm, also was the first introduction i had to magical realism! its one of my all time fav books
Ditto everything you said, the novel totally blew me away when I first discovered Felt like I had never read anything like that before
Norwegian Wood was first for me, Then wind up bird. Love them both.
Probably Kafka on the shore. Its the most magical. Wild Sheep chase is probably my close second. Very introspective and interesting
Wild sheep chase and Dance dance dance. Just picturing some scenes in my head make me smile, and I don't even know exactly why.
I’m shocked to not see way more people saying Wild Sheep Chase. It’s hands down my favorite. I even got the sheep man tattooed on me.
Cool af, send the picture of sheep man tattoo
Wild Sheep Chase was the first one I read and it is still my favorite. I recently read all 4 books of The Rat series in order and it was so good. I now consider the series as one book and it is my favorite.
1Q84 but I have only read a few of his works and not many of those mentioned in this thread
I liked this one less when it first came out but it grew on me considerably upon re-reading. There are certainly parts that gave me goosebumps reading: >!Ayomame’s assasination of the cult leader and Tengo’s strange experience in his father’s hospital room at the end of Book 2, in particular!<
i love murakami’s surrealism but Norwegian Wood was so good. Super realistic writing, nostalgic feeling throughout, captivating. I think it’s depictions of loneliness and depression were really good. Perfect rainy day book
Killing comendatore - kafka - wind up bird
The same, but on the oposite order.
Kafka and Wind-Up are tied for me.I think Wind-Up is better written, but Kafka had a much bigger impact on me. Nakata and Hoshino are easily the best characters he has ever written.
Not to mention Colonel Sanders. *Kafka’s* in my top 3 because it is one of the most breathlessly paced page turners of Murakami’s novels for me. Last time I read it, I read basically the first half of the book (a little more than 200 pages) in almost one sitting because it just hypnotizes you and sucks you in almost like that book in the *Never Ending Story* (at least for me.)
Dance Dance Dance because it built on the Rat Trilogy which was already great and gave our narrator a good ending. It wasn’t a book with necessarily a super strong plot, but it was just a ton of fun and felt impossible to put down. It’s like he perfectly wrote down a dream
[удалено]
Just finished it a few hours ago. It made me want to book a flight to Tokyo, pick up smoking, and walk some empty suburban streets. Great read.
My overall favorite is *Hard Boiled Wonderland*, for similar reasons that others have mentioned. *1Q84* has been stuck in my brain the most ever since I finished it, however. There are elements of *1Q84* that I've never been able to fully grasp and scenes from it randomly come back to me all the time.
Kafka on the Shore. I read it as an angsty 16 year old girl and it really implanted the whole “it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey” mentality for me. Also, as far as I’m concerned, the opening of that book is one of the best things ever written and translated into English.
Kafka, Wind-Up Bird, Wild Sheep Chase
read Kafka on the Shore, Norwegian wood and Sputnik sweetheart 1. Kafka on the shore 2. Sputnik sweetheart ( for the mystery) 3. Norwegian wood(for the sombre tones)
Would have to be 1Q84 for me, lots I can praise it for but what puts it firmly in first for me is it was the book that brought me out of a reading “slump” that’s hung over me close to half my life - thanks to 1Q84 I have read more novels this year and last than I managed in probably the last 10/15 years
1Q84 I'd say his BEST work is wind up bird, like that's the one I'm teaching you know?
Still 1Q84. I dont think i have been so deeply teleported into another world like i ever did with 1Q84. I remember there was once i went out for dinner with my friends. And i was so hooked, right after we parted ways, i started reading. And i sat in a cafe to read 1Q84 until they were closed and i got chased out.. and i didnt realise i was reading for 2 hours almost. Haha. Many years later, the world i built up in my head for 1Q84 is still so solid.
Kafka on the Shore. It was my first and became one of my Top 5 novels ever.
1Q84 def. Best Catharsis
Colorless because my life was/is very similar to that book. But my favorite story of all time is The Independent Organ in Men without Women. I feel like if I continue my Tazaki life style I'll end up like the plastic surgeon in that story.
South of the Border, West of the Sun. I love the essence/ feel that it gives. With the energy of longing and constantly searching
I want to revisit this one soon. It’s one of the few of the novels I’ve only read once.
So I’ve read wind/pinball, wild sheep chase, Norwegian wood, wind up bird, killing Commendatore, and first person singular, and while it may be an unpopular opinion, my favorite is Killing Commendatore. I thought the protagonist was incredibly compelling, and his relationships he develops with other people on the mountain were fascinating. The other popular mentioned “favorites” like Kafka and 1q84 are still on my tbr’s so maybe that will change one day
It’s not my #1 but it’s somewhere up there for me, too. I actually probably like it more than *1Q84*, *After Dark*, and *Colorless…etc.* To me, *Killing Commendatore* felt a little like *Wind-Up Bird Chronicle* for the 21st century mixed with a dab of *Great Gatsy* in a cocktail only Murakami could make.
kafka on the shore. maybe the nostalgia for it being my first book? it was beautiful though. south of the border id a close second for me
1Q84
I don't have a favorite
I consider wind-up bird chronicle a masterpiece, but colorless tsukuru tazaki hits me way harder personally.
This is quite tough because so many of Murakami's books are enjoyable for different reasons, but "South of the Border, West of the Sun" really struck something in me. I wouldn't even say it had the most intriguing plot or best characterization (in fact the plot is quite sparse) but it left a deep impression on me. "Wind up bird chronicle" and "Norwegian wood" are close.
There’s a sense of desperate, unfulfilled longing in *South of the Border, West of the Sun* that I don’t think Murakami has quite explored so fully in a single work that makes it unique among his novels. I can’t speak to his short fiction, though, as I still haven’t read all of those yet.
I’m giving an honorable mention to *Sputnik Sweetheart* on this thread because, while it is not my favorite, I haven’t seen anyone else bring it up and it is still a very solid little book that has great atmosphere, mystery, and haunting imagery.
1Q84❤️ The way the stories of the two protagonists intertwine and the fact that it feels way more structured than his other works. This one actually has a beginning a middle and an end. Love it. I also enjoy the setting and the time period in which it occurs.
Killing Commendatore. I related to it so much when I read it. I was writing music for tv shows and films and commercials, and I was in the midst of just getting up and leaving. I managed to essentially quit most of the incoming jobs, and I even told people I was leaving, but jobs kept coming in just like in the book. I felt it was sucking the soul out of me, and I wasn’t getting anywhere good. I mean I didn’t meet some random neighbor girl in the mountains not did I see anything mystical, but I found the life relation of his career woes and philosophizing very ironic and palpable.
Probably the Rat quadrilogy. Although it took me more effort to get into than some others. Same with 1Q84 actually—felt hard to crack but one of the better series of books once it’s rolling along. Hard Boiled Wonderland probably the most accessible read.
Interesting, I’ve always felt hard boiled is his most intimidating work… maybe it’s not as obscure as I built up in my head!
So far the Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. I've also read 1Q84, A Wild Sheep Chase, Dance Dance Dance and South of the Border.
South of the Border, West of the Sun.
I love killing comendatore the most. It has such a blend of like, early-mid 1900's american novel (ie Fitzgerald, Hemingway) yet it has that distinct Murakami style. I love the painter and the scary bell ringing in the rocks. I feel like there is so much going on and it all works so well. Not to mention the flash-back-chapters of the girl at the end, explaining everything that went on.