Try Reading Lucia Berlin’s Stories

Try Reading Lucia Berlin’s Stories – From Japan

Do you read stories from other countries in their original language?

Since I was a child, one of my dreams has been to read foreign books in their original language. My bookshelf is filled with books from around the world, but for a long time, I only collected them without actually reading them. Whenever I tried, I would give up after just two or three lines because there were so many unfamiliar words.

Two years ago, I joined an online class that read Mary Poppins. We read one chapter at a time, twice a month, for two and a half hours. Before each class, I prepared by looking up unknown words in the dictionary, reading aloud, and checking pronunciation by listening to native YouTubers’ readings. Finally, after a year, I completed the book!

Finishing my first foreign book was an incredibly happy moment for me. At first, I wasn’t particularly interested in Mary Poppins because I thought it was just a children's book. But as I read on, I discovered its rich imagination and deep messages.

Now, I’m reading A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin. Since it’s a collection of short stories, I plan to read one story per week.

How about you? Would you like to try reading a book in a foreign language? If you’re interested in Japanese books, I’d be happy to support you! 😊

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