What I read in June 2026

June was a two-book month, both by Japanese authors - one a semi-autobiography, the other an edge-of-the-seat crime thriller. They are:

1. Norwegian Wood - by Haruki Murakami

2. The Devotion of Suspect X - by Keigo Higashino

Norwegian Wood

A semi-autobiographical novel disclosing a portion of the author's life. I bought this book after coming across a fair share of posts about it on Instagram. But when I started reading, I just couldn't connect with the storytelling. I tried hard pushed through 50 pages - but it didn't click, so I discontinued it.

So this isn't a review or an opinion - others might love it, it just wasn't for me this time.

The Devotion of Suspect X

At this point, a month never goes by without me reading a crime thriller or suspense novel. The same happened in June, and this time it was The Devotion of Suspect X , a crime thriller revolving around a man's murder.

The Setup

Yasuko lives a quiet life, working in a Tokyo bento shop, a good mother to her only child. But when her ex-husband appears at her door without warning one day, her comfortable world is shattered. When Detective Kusanagi of the Tokyo Police tries to piece together the events of that day, and finds himself confronted by the most puzzling, mysterious circumstances he has ever investigated. Nothing quite makes sense, and it will take a genius to understand the genius behind this particular crime...

My Take

What I like about this book is that it never moves in one straight line i.e., crime, investigation, and capture. It has small, emotional subplots, each with its own significance, adding value to the main plot. Every character involved in this story has a part to play.

Also, this book isn't really a typical who did it, you already know more than the detective does at certain points. And that changes the whole feel of it. It's less about who did it and more about how far someone would go for a person they love. Higashino doesn't rush to a clever twist just for the sake of it, the emotion stays right there with the mystery throughout.

My Ratings: 4.2/5