Irrational Reading - Issue 1

Whether you take a doughnut hole as blank space or as an entity unto itself is a purely metaphysical question and does not affect the taste of the doughnut one bit. - Haruki Murakami, A Wild Sheep Chase

Issue 1

Mar 10 2025

Welcome to the inaugural issue of the Irrational Reading newsletter! I'm excited to embark on this journey together as we explore the ideas found in the words we read. My goal is to explore the world through the lens of the written word and challenge assumptions, uncovering hidden connections, and embracing the unexpected.

This month, we’re diving into A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami, a novel that blends the ordinary with the surreal, transforming a simple task into an enigmatic adventure. A nameless protagonist, a mysterious letter, and an elusive sheep set the stage for a journey that is as much about self-discovery as it is about chasing the unknown.

Murakami’s world is filled with shadowy figures, cryptic messages, and existential undercurrents. As we read, let’s consider the themes of fate, power, and isolation that emerge from the novel’s quiet yet profound moments. What does it mean to be chosen for something beyond your understanding? How do the forces shaping our lives remain unseen yet deeply influential?

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Beyond the Book

Kangaroo Notebook⇢

Kōbō Abe

Like Murakami’s novel, Kangaroo Notebook follows a passive, detached narrator whose mundane life is upended by an inexplicable phenomenon—radish sprouts growing from his legs. This sets off an absurd journey filled with strange encounters, shadowy organizations, and an unsettling mix of the real and the unreal.

Fever Dream⇢

Samanta Schweblin

Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin follows a protagonist drawn into an eerie, inexplicable mystery-in this case, a mother trapped in a feverish conversation about her child’s fate.

The Dovekeepers⇢

Alice Hoffman

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman is a lyrical, mystical retelling of the siege of Masada, following four women whose lives intertwine through love, loss, and destiny. Like A Wild Sheep Chase, it blends reality with myth, using storytelling to explore fate and survival in an uncertain world.

Word of the Week

sidle

verb | sī-dᵊl

to go or move with one side foremost especially in a furtive advance

The Digital Shelf

OvinoPro⇢

iOS Sheep Management

OvinoPro is for technicians and farmers who work with sheep, specifically regarding the complete cycle of sheep farming and sheep confinement.

Spoonflower⇢

Fabric

Shear delight awaits at Spoonflower, where you can discover a woolly wonderland of custom fabric, wallpaper, and home decor! With designs from independent artists around the globe.

Atlas Obscura⇢

Booking platform

Venture beyond the familiar with Atlas Obscura, where hidden gems and enigmatic wonders of Tokyo await your discovery. Like a curious sheep straying from the flock, you’ll uncover the city’s most mysterious and unusual places.

Social Snippets

Love my unfulfilling job that makes me feel like an absolute idiot and provides no satisfaction, feeling of accomplishment or worth

⥤ @natenomm.bsky.social

∉ The Book in Numbers ∉

Approximately 70% percentage of workers stay in unfulfilling jobs—just like the protagonist at the start of the novel, drifting through life until the sheep forces him into action.

Murakami was 36 years old when A Wild Sheep Chase was published, marking his rise as an international literary voice.

12,000,000

Estimated number of Walkman units sold in Japan by 1983 after its launch in 1979, just a year after the novel’s pivotal photograph was taken.

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