July, I devoured "The Windup Bird Chronical," "Kafka on the
Shore," "1Q84," and "A Wild Sheep Chase," in that order.
Each at the time felt the best Murakami book I had read so
far. Afterward, I was a little reluctant to pick up "Dance,
Dance, Dance," fearing a letdown. I could have missed a
great experience.

After the first chapters, the novel started to feel like a
vocabulary builder custom-made for me. I would forget
about them as soon as I put down the book but in the 
moment learning these new words seemed natural and 
fun. I felt awe and wonder at the English translation as well
as the narrative: how did they do it?

Long descriptions of scenaries and weather, even with great
words and imagination, could be boring at times, but so many
things speak to me, including the protagonist's ex-marriage,
his "shovelling snow" metaphor for work, his own "system,"
and his attitude toward life: dance the best you can while
the music plays. One online reviewer liked the deconstruction
of Japan's advanced capitalism. I had to agree that that was
a good point, too.

"No skill to understand it, mastery to write it." (a la Taleb.)
What's his secret? He speaks to the mass and makes them
feel OK. It seemed the Japanese author did this without 
trying hard to go elite but, in the process, made himself
one, just like Garrison Keillor who, BTW, was a little defensive
and embarassed when he was called a celebrity.

In the end, these books have inspired me. I would like to
express myself honestly and as well as Murakami does
himself, in words.