When I spent 3 years working and studying in Japan, I really came to appreciate the unique perspective literature can give on a foreign culture.
I also realized that in the US we very rarely read translated literature of any kind, and I decided I would make it a priority to read a few foreign language books every year.
That, combined with a world-altering pandemic, is where I came up with the idea for inboox.
inboox is a book club. I'll draw on my friends' and my familiarity with Japanese and Spanish-language literaure to find a set of thematically related books.
We'll read 4 per year, all recipients of a major literary award and discuss the books online.
I also like taking photos, and I will pair each book with a bookmark/print of a thematically tied picture I have taken.
You can sign up to recieve the books in your mailbox at the start of every quarter.
If you would like to get the books yourself, that's totally cool too!
May I suggest your local library, Powell's, or the Kindle version?
The Four Pillars
The four books we read annually come from the following four categories:
American Literature
Most likely a Pulitzer Prize winner in fiction. This award is given to a book by an American author,
preferably dealing with American life.
Japanese Literature
We will stick to the Akutagawa Prize or the Yomiuri Prize, two of the major fiction awards in Japanese literature.
Spanish Literature
Focus on novels by authors who have won the Miguel de Cervantes Prize, a lifetime achievement literary award
presented to an author writing in Spanish.
Grab Bag
This last one will be your choice between winners of the following awards:
A book every 3 months gives everyone the chance to find time to read it.
I have spent a lot of time in the US, Japan, and Spain, so I am more familiar with books, authors, and awards in those languages.
But I also like to read other things and mix things up.
Photography is a hobby of mine, and I'll try to find a photo that I feel relates to the novel in some way.
You can see more of my work here.
You can buy them yourself and still participate!
I thought it would be kinda fun to add my photo and make it a convenient service.
Plus, you know you like getting packages.
Coordinating schedules and doing a Zoom conference is hard and stressful, so I think a text-based platform like reddit is better.
That way it can be open for a few days and gives everyone the chance to participate.
The commenting system on reddit is also perfect for responding to other people.
It's a popular website that is basically a collection of forums.
You can write about whatever you want! A small paragraph about whether or not you liked the book; your thoughts on the themes, characters, or literary devices used in the book; responses to other peoples comments are all a few examples.
When you fill out the form you will be given a few options to pay.
Quarters start on January, April, July, and October. I will send out the books around the first of the month, and the discussion will be on the last weekend of the month (specified in the e-mail).
You'll need to sign up 10 days before the end of the last cycle to get the book for the next cycle.
I will charge you on the 3 month anniversary of your initial sign up. You will get a chance to opt-out before an opt-out deadline, a few weeks before the start of the next quarter.
You can opt-out of the next book by following this link.
One to introduce the book, one to remind you the discussion is coming up, and one to tell you the discussion is live every cycle.
Just let me know in the comments when you sign up, or email me before the opt-out deadline.
