Interesting book about his T-shirt collection. ( )

If you’re thinking it’s unlikely a book about someone’s t-shirts could be interesting, you’d be right. ( )

Ok, it is Murakami, so I bought it because I am one of those reader. As I was buying it, I thought, why am I buying a book about tee shirts? There has to be some deeper meaning here, right? Nope, it is about certain tee shirts from his tee shirt collection and what they mean to him. You learn he has lots of them, he doesn’t know what some of them mean, he has boxes filled with tee shirts, and many mean something to him.

I still enjoyed it. ( )

I wear a lot of different writing shirts in my course videos for writers, so one of the writers who subscribes to my videos sent me a copy of this Murakami book.

Murakami basically talks about T-shirts he owns -- and he seems to own thousands upon thousands. And then tells little stories about each one. Some stories are mildly amusing, and some seem one step lower than an anecdote (what exactly is one step below an anecdote? Just a dote?)

It's not a bad read, if you're stuck inside on a rainy day and already love Murakami. It's filled with droll observations, understated humor, and even some melancholy stories, like the former pro-surfer who sold out and now works in real estate.

I've got to admit that some of the details he marshals are surprising as well -- he talks about Darwin drowning iguanas in the name of science, and Japan sending incendiary balloons to set the U.S. West Coast on fire during WWII.

I found it funny that there's a whole section of the book that seems to be highlighting Murakami's lack of experience -- he has shirts of bars he hasn't been to, cities he hasn't visited, and beers he hasn't drunk.

But I did discover that he refuses to wear T-shirts with his own name or image on them (yeah, that would be kind of weird, yo), but will wear shirts depicting his books (like a cool bird image representing the Wind-Up Bird Chronicle).

Plus, in his very Murakami-esque way, he has a funny talent for stating the entirely obvious and yet attempting to make it sound profound: "pro-social forces are very desirable." You don't say, Murakami!

In the end, though, the book is a little too slight. I've written blog posts longer than this entire book. It's more of an article with some pictures that a crafty publisher decided to publish as a book. And why wouldn't they? It'll probably earn more money than anything I've ever written. ( )

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that one of the best novelists working today shares my hobby of collecting tees; I already knew that he was a fellow record collector. His informal short essays on various themes in the tees are winning, amusing, and charmingly selp-deprecating. As with many good essays, one also learns a good bit about the author which doesn't have a great deal to do with the shirts. Two appended interviews about the shirts, also worthwhile, are slightly anticlimactic. It's a great one-hour read for fans of Murakami, tees, or just plain excellent writing. ( )