Read of the month: February

Things that can instantly make me happy: Bubble tea. A good book. A good run.
A good book about running by one of my favourite authors is such a delight I can almost forget about bubble tea. Almost.
"What I talk about when I talk about running" is not the typical Murakami book. No little people here, no mysteriously disappearing women with uncannily beautiful ears, no raining fish. This is an honest "kind of memoir" as the author himself calls it - about his life and experiences as a runner, as a writer, as a man.
I cannot call myself a runner. I like a good occasional run, I like to beat my own time and distance records. Maybe participate in a half-marathon (or even maybe a whole marathon!) in the near future - but no more than that. Reading the story of a man who has done 25 marathons and an ultramarathon (100km!) was a huge inspiration, especially when this man happens to be a great novelist, too.
This book is not only about running, so you shouldn't be put off by the title. Murakami describes all the physical and mental agonies he has gone through the years, all the little wins and big losses, all small things that matter and big things that don't. It is a great story about all the possible things we can do (doesn't matter if it is a 100km run or a finished novel or something else) when we set our minds right.
If you don't run you might want to give it a try after reading the story. If you do run - you might put an extra kilometre or two on top of your distance record. I know I did.