February Books
I only read three books in February. I'll have to do better in March and try to finish five!
In the Miso Soup by Ryū Murakami (1997) 
I didn't realize until I was over halfway through this book that the author also wrote Audition. Its movie adaptation is one of the most disturbing pieces of horror media I've ever experienced, but there's a scene in In the Miso Soup that rivals Audition for how disturbing it is. So fair warning: this is not an easy book to read, and there's one scene in particular that is difficult to stomach.
That being said, I did enjoy reading this book. It's about a 20-year-old guy named Kenji who works as a "nightlife guide" for tourists in Tokyo. To put it bluntly, he specializes in "sex tours," in his own words. He meets a client named Frank, a middle-aged American man who seems...off. As the story progresses, Kenji's suspicions about Frank only grow.
Murakami's writing flows well and is easy to read without being overly simplistic (props to the translator, Ralph McCarthy, as well). I read this book almost entirely in one sitting. It provides a lot of insight into Japanese culture and philosophy, exploring the loneliness that still pervades Japan today and how Tokyo's sex industry plays into that. There's lots of discussion of sex work but very little actual sex in this book, by the way.
The last 1/3 lost a bit of momentum and felt out of sync with the rest of the book, but it was a quick and interesting read overall. I recommend this if you're into horror and if you're interested in learning more about Japan, but yeah, it's quite shocking and disturbing, so take care if you choose to pick this one up. I'm glad I read it, but I'll never read it again.
Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker (2024) 
This was a fun but flawed read. I wasn't blown away by it or anything, but I enjoyed it for the most part.
The story follows Mara, a young woman who's kind of aimless in life. She's changed her majors several times and taken quite a few gap years working odd jobs, figuring out what she wants to do. Her family is annoyingly judgemental about this, often treating her like an outcast who doesn't deserve a spot at the table.
Her cousin Jeremy, however, offers her a job as a PA on his TV show. He's the star of a reality show that renovates haunted houses, where the crew does both home makeovers and (fake) ghost hunting. She hesitates at first but ends up loving the job and being really good at it. Things start getting weird, though, when she meets another new PA named Jo.
If you're looking for a lighter horror story, I would recommend this. There were some creepy moments, but it's more of a slice-of-life book with comedy and a fun ghost story on the side. I found Mara really relatable and appreciated the unique origins of the ghost.
I found myself wanting more in the end, though. It was nice seeing Mara come into her own, but the way things were wrapped up with her family were unsatisfying and I just felt like the story was missing something. It needed to go more in-depth on both the show and the family. Still, a fun read!
Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrott (1929) 
One of my new all-time favorites. Ex-Wife was published anonymously in 1929 and was considered scandalous at the time but was also an instant bestseller. It follows Patricia, a woman in her 20s living in New York City. She works as a lead copywriter at a department store and spends her free time shopping for clothes and going to speakeasies. Her life is upended when she and her husband, Peter, get a divorce.
At first glance, it sounds frivolous, but it's a deep and meaningful story about a young woman trying to navigate life that still resonates today. I absolutely adored the friendships Patricia develops with Lucia and Helena, two other women living on their own means, whether by circumstance or choice. Every character in this is so well-written and complex in their own ways.
I honestly don't know what to say that would be adequate for this book. There are so many quotes and passages that I should have written down, that I would like to remember forever, but then I'd be writing almost as much as reading. I never want to forget the entire book.
We still read books that were written a hundred years ago because we still find ourselves in them, and they remind us that people weren't really so different then. Patricia was me in my 20s, navigating a world of perceived freedoms yet dealing with the same difficulties women have faced for centuries.
This book broke my heart again and again, just like life, and I loved every bit of it.