Modern Gothic? Yes, Please.

- Jake, the dog

japanese book recommendations

japanese literature is one of the reasons i absolutely adore the language and the culture. it’s unique, different from anything i’ve seen in literature from other parts of the world. during the years of learning japanese i’ve discovered many authors and books that are now my favourite, so i thought i’d share them with you! they can become great help while studying japanese, but you definitely should read them for fun first - it’s worth it, believe me.

i’m gonna include romaji, in case someone who doesn’t speak japanese wanted to read these!

dazai osamu - ningen shikkaku (太宰治・人間失格) (english title: no longer human)

this novel is considered one of the masterpieces of contemporary literature in japan. it’s taught at school, adapted to mangas and films and anime series, reissued up to this day despite it being first published in 1948. the book follows a man who feels like he is losing his ability to be human. it’s a timeless story, but also very sad and engulfing the readers in hopelessness. don’t read if you hate emotional rollercoasters.

natsume souseki - kokoro (夏目漱石・こころ)

natsume is another of the most respected japanese writers, this novel considered his masterpiece. during a trip, the protagonist meets someone he calls sensei - someone he deeply admires and looks up to. however, sensei is more mysterious than it seems. though the plot is quite simple and spoiling it in any way would be ruining your fun, it’s definitely worth reading. the author conveyed the feelings of admiration, loss, guilt, shame, as well as described developing friendship between the two men.

yumeno kyuusaku - dogra magra (夢野久作・ドグラマグラ)

the japanese say that whoever finishes this novel will surely go mad. i can’t deny; when reading it for the first time i stopped halfway because it’s very long and difficult. i still want to go back and read it properly though. it’s a very creepy and disturbing story about a man who wakes up in a mental hospital, not remembering who he is, why he’s there and what he has to do with the woman who keeps calling him from behind the wall. since this novel has no english or even european language translation (only a french one, to my knowledge) reading it would be big challenge. it contains a lot of medical vocabulary related to psychiatry and mental illnesses. recommended to horror fans.

yoshimoto banana - kitchen (吉本ばなな・キッチン)

this novel is quite short and fairly easy to read. it’s often described as a shoujo manga without pictures. it tells a story of a young woman who loses her last family member and suddenly finds herself lost in the adult world. luckily, she gets the chance to live with her acquaintance and his mother. the mother is actually a father, but it doesn’t stop them all to live together like a family. this book is very calm and melancholic, devoid of swift action, focused more on the feelings of the characters. it’s full of coziness and descriptions of food. read when it’s dark outside.

sakurazaka hiroshi - all you need is kill (桜坂洋・all you need is kill)

now this book might seem like it doesn’t fit in this list, which is full of classics and serious books. it’s a light novel, made solely for entertainment. it even got a hollywood adaptation starring tom cruise (which isn’t very good, mind you). what i love about this novel, though, is its simplicity in telling the story. the hero, a soldier, gets trapped in a time loop which feels like a nightmare but also allows him to master his fighting skills. the narrations follows his witty thoughts, which is very entertaining. despite it being simple, the novel is touching and gripping, it also has a fairly simple language to read it in japanese.

that sums up my top 5 japanese books list. if you have any recommendations of your own, don’t hesitate to add them here, since i’m always looking for new books to read!

頑張りましょう！

— ophelia in paintings: moodboard

I read 魔道祖师 Mo Dao Zu Shi (thank you translators 😭❤) last year and it became one of my favorite danmei xianxia novels. Now that I’m learning chinese, one of my goals is to read the novel in its original text.

▪Venus de’ Medici. Published: Gérard Audran (1640 - 1703) Drawn/Engraved: Girolamo Mantelli From: Girard Audran, Les Proportions Du Corps Humain, Mesurées sur les plus belles Figures de l'Antiquité(Paris: 1683), pl. 15

Ivan Aivazovsky -The Ninth Wave (1850)

German vocab: Exam season

die Prüfung(-en) - exam

die Klausur(-en) - exam

das Examen(-) - exam

die Probeprüfung(-en) - mock exam

die Probeklausur(-en) - mock exam

der Leistungsdruck - pressure to achieve

der Schulstress - stress at school

die Prüfungszeit - exam period

die Examensergebnisse - exam results

die Note(-n) - grade

der Prüfer(-) / die Prüferin(-nen) - examiner

die Examensvorbereitung(-en) - exam preparation

die Versagensangst - fear of failure

die mündliche(-n) Prüfung(-en) - oral exam

die schriftliche(-n) Prüfung(-en) - written exam

die Abschlussnote(-n) - final grade

die Abschlussprüfung(-en) - final exam

die Furcht - fear/dread

die Erwartung(-en) - expectation

die Karteikarten - flashcards

die Mindmap(s) - mind map

die Aufsichtsführende(-n) - invigilator

das Abitur - high school leaving qualification (Germany)

die Matura - high school leaving qualification (Austria)

die Erfolgsquote - pass rate

der Erfolg(e) - success

der Notendurchschnitt(-e) - grade point average

die Prüfungsanmeldung - exam registration

die Prüfungsunterlagen - exam papers

der Prüfungstermin(-e) - exam date

die Prüfungsangst - exam nerves

die Examensgebühr(-en) - exam fee

die Prüfungsfrage(-n) - exam question

das Prüfungsfach(-“er) - exam subject

der Prüfungstag(-e) - exam day

das Prüfungsbüro(-s) - exam office

die Prüfungstechnik - exam technique

das Zertificat(-e) - certificate

das Zeugnis(-se) - certificate/school report

gestresst - stressed

besorgt - anxious

ängstlich - anxious

gut vorbereitet - well-prepared

klug - clever

fähig - able

schwierig - difficult

erfolgreich - successful

erfolglos - unsuccessful

Angst vor (+dat) etw haben - to be scared of sth

ausrasten (sep) - to flip out

in Tränen ausbrechen (sep) - to burst in to tears

Examen machen - to do exams

eine Prüfung machen - to sit an exam

eine Prüfung schreiben - to sit an exam

eine Prüfung bestehen - to pass an exam

Antworten überprüfen (insep) - to check answers

nochmals überprüfen (insep) - to recheck

einen Fehler machen - to make an error

antworten - to answer

schreiben - to write

prüfen - to examine

lernen - to learn

wiederholen (insep) - to revise

Notizen machen - to take notes

büffeln - to cram

pauken - to cram

zögern - to procrastinate

verwirklichen - to achieve (a goal)

erreichen - to achieve

stolz auf (+akk) etw/jdn sein - to be proud of sth/sb

gute Noten bekommen - to get good grades

schlechte Noten bekommen - to get bad grades

(bei einer Prüfung) durchfallen (sep) - to fail (an exam)

sitzenblieben müssen - to have to repeat a year

Academia inspiration

I don’t know how I didn’t figure this out but now that I have I don’t know what to do with this information

German music recommendations #2

Kraftklub -  Schüsse in die Luft OK KID - Kaffee Warm Jennifer Rostock - Hengstin Frittenbude - Die Möglichkeit eines Lamas Bilderbuch - Maschin Kraftklub - Wie ich EFF - Stimme Ali As feat. Namika – Lass sie tanzen Namika - Wenn sie kommen Prada Meinhoff - Maske