After Dark by Haruki Murikami

Another weird and wonderful tale about a woman, a man and the people that their lives cross with in one night. As per usual, the story is beautifully crafted, nothing is resolved and yet everything is as it should be. Perhaps that's the key to Murikami's genius? Just like in real life, the loose ends don't get neatly tied away, but there are enough possibilities and potentialities that the story itself is enough and it doesn't need to be neatly boxed away.

Underground: the Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche by Haruki Murakami

An odd and strangely compelling book investigating the effects of the sarin gas attacks on the Toyko underground rail system on contemporary Japanese society. An incredible series of accounts of an incredible day in Japanese history, as told to Murakami by some of the victims, their families and members of the Aum cult who were behind the attacks. Scary and deeply moving stuff.

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami

Another book of short stories, this time all by Murakami. As you might expect from a collection of short stories, some are better than others - seeing as they're by Murakami though, they're mostly good. Some are even great. Tony Takitani, for example, is just a classic. Everything I like is there - a coherent beginning, middle and end; a twist; and a gut-punch!

Birthday Stories selected by Haruki Murakami

Twelve birthday-related short stories by twelve different authors.
I enjoyed this book more than the 3-star rating would imply but I have a bit of an issue with short stories. You see, I'm a greedy reader - so I like short stories because I can guzzle them down quickly, several in one sitting. Unfortunately, this means that I don't give myself the time to digest each story on its own merits, so they all end up being a big messy blur. Also, I find that short stories tend to leave me feeling a little bit dim: I'm sure that there's a meaningful message tied up in the story and I just don't get it.
So, my own feelings of inadequacy aside, not one of these stories is about a 'Happy Birthday'. The strange tenor of each tale juxtaposed against the pre-supposed happiness of their settings left me in an oddly dissatisfied and slightly depressed mood. Maybe I did get it after all?