81 in my 2011 book blogging challenge.
This is the last book that I read in 2011. It’s January 8, 2012, and I am finally starting to wrap up 2011. That may be a little ahead of schedule for me.
I enjoyed What I Talk About When I Talk About Running quite a bit. This book is at least part of what has inspired me toward more exercise in 2012. I wanted to share in the mental and emotional benefits Murakami found in running as well as in the physical benefits.
The book also appeals to me because it is as much a book about how he writes as it is a book about how he runs. The inner spirit required to run a marathon is basically the same spirit required to write a novel. I loved his attention to the parallels.
I also appreciate the fact that he talks about his own most embarrassing times and his times when he’s felt the greatest sense of failure. This is one of Japan’s and even the world’s most celebrated writers, yet there was something remarkably humble in his talk about his accomplishments.
Read it if you need some inspiration for either physical or mental tasks. It’s an interesting story and fairly useful guidebook.
