2019 Book Reviews

#23 What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

by Haruki Murakami.

I really enjoyed this nonfiction memoir where Murakami reflects on two activities he has undertaken for decades: running and novel writing.

I enjoyed and appreciated one of his core points which was that in order to write novels one needs to have a strong body and so he runs to be healthy and strong enough to keep up his writing. This is a rule that can apply to anything in life. If we have something we want to achieve we must also ensure that our body is strong and healthy enough to help us achieve it.

The chapters were written sporadically, between August 2005 and October 2006, and are similar to journal entries. Murakami is somewhat private so I enjoyed getting glimpses into what his life as a famous novelist is like, including his routines for writing and exercise.

My rating: 8.1/10