Books Like...
If you liked Men Without Women: Stories, here are the top 100 books to read next:
- #1
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... - #2
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... - #3
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... - #4
Save:Beautifully bizarre and deeply atmospheric, Dance Dance Dance is an existential mystery best enjoyed for its mood and magical realism rather than its answers. Come for the strangeness - stay for the feels.
The Dolphin Hotel is distorted, much too narrow. It seems more like a long, covered bridge. A bridge stretching endlessly through time. And there I am, in the middle of it. Someone else is there too,...
(Also, see 100 recommendations for the series The Rat ) - #5
Save:A moody, meandering coming-of-age novella best suited for Murakami fans or literary curiosity-seekers; not his strongest, but worth it if you want to see where it all began.
A writer I happened to meet when I was in college told me this. It was a long time before I finally understood what those words meant, but just knowing them was a kind of comfort that put me at ease.... - #6
Save:A dreamlike romp through 1970s Japan with a surreal quest at its heart - A Wild Sheep Chase is Murakami in full whimsical, mysterious form. Not for everyone, but a treat for those who love strange, thought-provoking fiction.
The day of the funeral, I took a streetcar from Waseda. I got off near the end of the line. The map proved about as helpful as a globe would have been. I ended up buying pack after pack of cigarettes,... 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...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...A meditative, modest memoir that connects the dots between running, writing, and living well - perfect for Murakami fans, runners, and seekers of gentle life inspiration, but perhaps a little slow for those wanting hard-hitting revelations or dramatic storytelling.
I’M ON KAUAI, in Hawaii, today, Friday, August 5, 2005. It’s unbelievably clear and sunny, not a cloud in the sky. As if the concept clouds doesn’t even exist. I came here at the end of July and, as a...- #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...
