Review: I miei giorni alla libreria Morisaki

I miei giorni alla libreria Morisaki by Satoshi Yagisawa
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very cute book. Reminiscent of Hiromi Kawakami or Toshikazu Kawaguchi, but more of a classical storyline in a way. This was actually a collection of 3 stories, which are chronological and all tie together. I preferred the initial story, but all of it held its own. 

And now I noted down two places I must visit next time I go to Tokyo: the bookshop area of Tokyo, as well as Mitake, in the mountains outside the city. 

Also, this is the third or fourth Japanese book I read that was translated by Gala Maria Follaco, and I must say I really like her style. Everything sounded very natural in Italian, with turns of phrase that seem to fit in perfectly. 

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Review: Colpo grosso ai Frigoriferi Milanesi

Colpo grosso ai Frigoriferi Milanesi by Francesco Recami
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a "meta-romanzo", Pirandello-style (and apparently like Camilleri too). However, I can't really say it worked for me. The points where the author started inserting his voice just broke up the tempo of the story, which wasn't the most exhilarating to begin with. Also, it's an interesting (if not original) idea, but after you bring it up several times it just gets old. 

Oddly enough, I thought it worked best in the final chapters, where the characters wonder about the 'Nonmondo', and the author makes you wonder about all the other characters in all other books/stories and their Nonmondo as well. 

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Review: A Man of Honor: The Autobiography of Joseph Bonanno

A Man of Honor: The Autobiography of Joseph Bonanno by Joseph Bonanno
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An entertaining read which, despite everything, has quite a lot of interesting information. Revealing to hear about Sicily when he was a child, and about the old names (Maranzano, Masseria, Terranova, etc.). Also revealing to hear that Luciano had a "street accent", while it seems like most of the other dons of the period, including the "young turks" like Anastasia and Gambino, had thick italian accents. 

Some obvious lies and possible self-deception going on. I very much doubt he would pick the moment Magliocco died, and the liberal faction took over the commission, to travel the world with his wife. Much more likely he'd try to escape to Canada, as the feds believed he was doing. 

Also, interesting to note how many of these original old-timers ended up telling all. Bonanno and Luciano both wrote autobiographies. Costello was about to. Luciano died on his way to have a movie made of his life. I guess the concept of omertà was pretty ambiguous even back then. Bonanno does try to justify this, but I doubt his definition would hold in the commission. 

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Review: Lungo la strada

Lungo la strada by Anna Gnesa
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Musings on a recently-vanished Valle Verzasca by a person who knew it well and loved it dearly. It was great to read this, despite not being overly familiar with the valley (we would go there often growing up, but just as tourists). 

The tidbits here and there in local dialect were enticing. They seem to differ so much from the Lugano/Sottoceneri dialect. I couldn't make head or tail of them. 

The latter part of the book (about flowers/animals/etc.) I found less entertaining. 

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Review: The Inugami Curse

The Inugami Curse by Seishi Yokomizo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fun and entertaining. However, there ended up being one too many coincidences toward the end. Even though the narrator admits to this, it still seemed like a tad much.

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Review: BATTAGLIE D'AMORE IN SOGNO

BATTAGLIE D'AMORE IN SOGNO by unknown author
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Great little mystery novel taking place in Lugano (and which makes me want to visit the library in Salita dei Frati) involving the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. What's not to love? 

This mystery deals more with the origin of the book than the content (like The Rule of Four), and in fact it credits a different author than the Rule of Four. A great short read. 

Also, for some reason Goodreads says "unknown author". The Author is Giovanna Lepori (not sure how to change it on Goodreads). 

4.5 Stars. 

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Review: The Monster of Florence

The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An excellent book. Not only because it is one of the more clear and concise books (in Italian or English) on the Monster of Florence, but also because of the drama that ensued. For those of us who read Michele Giuttari's fever dream "il Mostro", this is a good vindication of the more ridiculous plot points Giuttari tried to justify in his telling. 

Oddly enough, the author(s) get involved in the case, despite it being decades old. This would naturally give rise to biases, etc., but all of these are taken well into account in the book. 

Highly recommended, both for those who have been familiar with Il mostro di Firenze their whole lives, as well as for those who have never heard of him. 

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