The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle – by Haruki Murakami (translated from Japanese by Jay Rubin, 1997)

Three books in one, a deeply “spiritual” or synchronistic and metaphorical story about a man's struggle within himself to find his lost wife. I took my time reading this book as it was a savory feast that saddened me to finish. Murakami is brilliant, and clearly “sees” what few people can “behind the scenes” of reality. Every character was “real” and well fleshed out. A very enjoyable read.

The Pigeon – by: Patrick Suskind (translated from French by John E. Woods, 1988)

This book was another gift from a philosophically-minded friend of mine. It was a very short day-in-the-life sort of story with Kafkaesque undertones. An enjoyable light read.