How it works
Read it in three steps
Get the book
Grab the paperback or the ebook. We read one part a week, about 35 pages.
Get your weekly word list and notes
Every week we send the words and notes on key passages from the pages ahead, so you can read whenever it suits you.
Study them as you read
Study the cards on Hanayoku, or export the deck to Anki or the app you normally use. Hard words come back more often.
覚悟
かくご
resolve; readiness
Our first book club, led by a Japanese teacher
Read on your own during the week. On Saturday we meet for 60 minutes to go through the pages, the word list, the notes, and your questions.
Yui Sensei
Japanese Teacher
Word list and notes
Helping you understand
Week 1 — Keiko’s world (pages 1–35)
コンビニ人間 (Convenience Store Woman) · コンビニ人間
148 words · 17 new to you
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歯車 はぐるま noungear (from a cogwheel)
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異物 いぶつ nounsomething foreign; an outsider
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伝染 でんせん nouncontagion; spreading
Sentence of the week
「こうして伝染し合いながら、私たちは人間であることを保ち続けているのだと思う。」
We copy each other's words and habits, and that's what keeps us human.
Each week we mark the words and passages that are likely to trip you up in the pages ahead.
You get the word list, notes on key passages, and a plain explanation of the harder sentences, so you know what is happening on the page. Study on Hanayoku, or export the deck to Anki.
The book
コンビニ人間 (Convenience Store Woman)
コンビニ人間 · 村田沙耶香 (Sayaka Murata)
Keiko has worked at the same convenience store for eighteen years. She knows the rules, she likes the routine, and she doesn't see what everyone else is worried about. The book is short, the Japanese is everyday, and the chapters move quickly.
- Duration
- 5 weeks
- Pace
- 5 parts · ~35 pages a week
- Each week
- Word list + notes
Schedule
Five Saturdays, one finished book
We meet every Saturday at 11:00 JST for 60 minutes. During the week you read one part (about 35 pages) and go through the word list and notes.
Yui Sensei
Japanese Teacher
"During each session, tell us what was challenging in each chapter and we'll go through them together."
The first Hanayoku book club
Saturdays 11:00–12:00 JST · 60 minutes
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Week 1 Sat Sep 26 · kickoffKeiko’s world · pages 1–35
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Week 2 Sat Oct 3Eighteen years at the store · pages 36–70
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Week 3 Sat Oct 10Shiraha · pages 71–105
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Week 4 Sat Oct 17The arrangement · pages 106–140
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Week 5 Sat Oct 24 · finishLeaving and returning · pages 141–176
This book has no chapters, so we split it into five parts.
Page numbers are for the hardcopy 文春文庫 edition (176 pages).
Starts Saturday 26 September
Join for freeFree to join
$50 Free for the first book club
There's no charge for the first book club; simply bring a copy of the book. We'll email you a link to join the book club Discord server, send the word list and notes each week, and meet five times on Saturdays.
What you get
- Five live sessions, 60 minutes each
- A word list, notes, and hard sentences explained
- Words you can study here or export to Anki
- A reading schedule for the five weeks
- A small group reading the same book
Join the club
We'll email you a link to join the book club Discord server.
Sign-ups are closed
This book club is no longer taking new readers. Follow us to hear about the next one.