Books Like...
If you liked Dance Dance Dance, here are the top 100 books to read next:
(We also have 100 recommendations for the series: The Rat)
A dazzling, genre-mashing trip through the edges of reality - wonderfully strange, occasionally perplexing, and deeply thought-provoking. If you like your fiction weird and your questions unanswered, this is Murakami at his most hypnotic.
THE elevator continued its impossibly slow ascent. Or at least I imagined it was ascent. There was no telling for sure: it was so slow that all sense of direction simply vanished. It could have been g...- #2
Save:Haunting and beautifully written, Sputnik Sweetheart is one for readers who enjoy reflective, melancholic stories and don’t mind some unanswered questions along the way.
IN THE SPRING of her twenty-second year, Sumire fell in love for the first time in her life. An intense love, a veritable tornado sweeping across the plains – flattening everything in its path, tossin... - #3
Save:A modern masterpiece of surreal storytelling. It’s a haunting, thought-provoking trip through the uncanny cracks in everyday life - best suited to readers willing to wander, wonder, and make peace with unanswered questions.
When the phone rang I was in the kitchen, boiling a potful of spaghetti and whistling along with an FM broadcast of the overture to Rossini’s The Thieving Magpie, which has to be the perfect music for... - #4
Save:Quintessential Murakami - dreamlike, weird, gorgeously written, but uneven and polarizing. A must for fans, but its quirks and indulgences mean it's not for everyone.
From May until early the following year, I lived on top of a mountain near the entrance to a narrow valley. Deep in the valley it rained constantly in the summer, but outside the valley it was usually... A beautifully written, quietly haunting exploration of love, regret, and the mysteries of the heart - best for readers who appreciate a subtle, reflective story rather than page-turning drama.
My birthday’s the fourth of January, 1951. The first week of the first month of the first year of the second half of the twentieth century. Something to commemorate, I guess, which is why my parents n...- #6
Save:A delightfully bizarre, thematically rich book that’s best experienced rather than decoded. Read it for the atmosphere, the journey, and the feeling of being swept along a literary fever dream. Perfect for open-minded readers up for an adventure in magical realism - just don’t expect all the answers.
Cash isn't the only thing I take from my father's study when I leave home. I take a small, old gold lighter—I like the design and feel of it—and a folding knife with a really sharp blade. Made to skin... - #7
Save:A moody, beautifully-written collection perfect for fans of introspective, bittersweet fiction - Murakami at his quietly weird best, though not for everyone.
BASED ON THE MANY TIMES he had ridden in cars driven by women, Kafuku had reached the conclusion that most female drivers fell into one of two categories: either they were a little too aggressive or a... - #8
Save:A surreal, immersive epic best suited for adventurous readers with a taste for slow-burn puzzles, magical realism, and literary atmosphere - but bring your patience (and maybe a snack).
The taxi’s radio was tuned to a classical FM broadcast. Janáček’s Sinfonietta—probably not the ideal music to hear in a taxi caught in traffic. The middle-aged driver didn’t seem to be listening very... - #9
Save:A whimsical, often haunting, but occasionally uneven set of short stories. Dive in if you want a strong dose of Murakami’s signature mix of the ordinary and the extraordinary, but don’t expect every story to resonate the same way. Great for fans of surreal literary fiction or anyone looking for modern fairy tales with a melancholic twist.
I’M IN THE KITCHEN cooking spaghetti when the woman calls. Another moment until the spaghetti is done; there I am, whistling the prelude to Rossini’s La Gazza Ladra along with the FM radio. Perfect sp... - #10
Save:A moody, atmospheric deep-dive into nostalgia, love, and loss - with gorgeous writing, flawed characters, and plenty to reflect on, but it’s not for everyone. If you’re in the mood for a melancholic, character-driven coming-of-age tale, it’s worth a try.
I WAS THIRTY-SEVEN THEN, STRAPPED IN MY SEAT AS THE HUGE 747 plunged through dense cloud cover on approach to the Hamburg airport. Cold November rains drenched the earth and lent everything the gloomy...
