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The #readwithko Halloween Reading Challenge has officially wrapped up for its sixth consecutive year! Thank you to everyone who participated—I hope you had a wonderful month 🥳✨

This week, I finished the last chapter of 赤ずきん、アラビアンナイトで死体と出会う。 The vibes were definitely different from the first two books, which wasn’t necessarily a minus. I do think, however, it’s time to admit that my love for this series has more to do with tradition and nostalgia than with the actual content anymore.

That said, the fourth book came out this summer, and I’ve already stocked up for next Halloween. The first chapter of what will be the fifth book has also just been published in this month’s issue of 小説推理, so there’s plenty more to look forward to!

Speaking of comfort reads, I recently finished Book 28 of Akagawa Jirō’s vampire mystery series, which I found for cheap at BookOff. These volumes are fantastic palate cleansers for whenever I’m feeling unmotivated or don’t have the energy to think too deeply about what I’m reading.

Thank you again for joining me, and congratulations on finishing the challenge! Until next time 👏👏

#readingchallenge #languagechallenge #studygram #studymotivation #languages #languagelearning #languagecommunity #languagestudy by @ko.studygram

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3

a year ago

Very excited for this week’s #readwithko update because I finally get to talk about this absolute gem of a book! I’m especially excited because it’s nonfiction—which, if you know me, is something I hardly ever go for!

うたうおばけis an essay collection by highly acclaimed novelist and poet Kudō Rein. It features 39 hilarious anecdotes from the author’s high school and university days, as well as stories from her early career. Each episode is written with such warmth, whimsy, and an evident appreciation for the small, often-overlooked moments of everyday life.

To give an example, the time the author meets two elementary school boys in the park one summer afternoon. One boy is perched on the other’s shoulders, trying to reach a rare stag beetle, while the one below cheers him on with heroic one-liners. Running late for work (and being only 4’10”), the author isn’t able to help them, but when the boys notice her watching, they stop what they’re doing, swivel around and shout hello in unison. She runs into them again days later, but before she can ask whether they managed to catch the beetle, they’ve dashed off, excited about having fried chicken for dinner. It ends with this:

「未来だなあ。このからあげボーイズがしあわせに暮らせる国にしなくちゃって、でっかい責任を感じたりする。からあげボーイズがからあげおじさんになるまでに、わたしに何ができるだろうか。」

It hardly seems fair that someone gets to encounter so many special moments on a regular basis. But maybe it just means I should be romanticising my own life a little more. This was a lovely reminder to pay more attention to the everyday—the ordinary exchanges with family, the casual banter with coworkers, and the fragments of conversation I overhear around town—even when it might not seem all that important at the time.

I’d be lying if I said I bought this book for any reason other than the cover illustrations, but thankfully so—I might’ve passed on it had I known it was nonfiction at the time, and what a shame that would’ve been!

#readingchallenge #languagechallenge #studygram #studymotivation #languages #languagelearning #languagecommunity #languagestudy by @ko.studygram

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4

a year ago

We’re already a fortnight into the month, and the days are passing by WAY TOO FAST 🫨 Although I switched to non-Halloween books for a few days for work, I had a super fun first week of #readwithko and still made great progress!

📖 赤ずきん、アラビアンナイトで死体と出会う。
Page 133 of 257 (51%)

No need to go on about how much I love the series, but as for initial thoughts, absolutely no complaints so far! I’ve never read any of the original stories in The Arabian Nights, so I do get confused from time to time, but I think the book does a good job repeating important info. It also doesn’t help that I’m leaving a whole week between chapters, but this way, the fun lasts longer 🥹

I’ll be finished with my other book for the challenge very soon, so I’ll introduce it in the next update (which I’m realising now is due in only a few days). Sending us all good vibes, yay yay good vibes 🫴🏼✨ by @ko.studygram

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2

a year ago

It’s #readwithko season, yay yay yay 🎃🍂

Can you believe we’ve been reading together for six years now?! Thank you for sticking with me this long and for always matching my enthusiasm towards the challenge. It’s what I look forward to most every year, and the absolute highlight of my language learning adventures thus far. We’re going to crush it, as always!

I’ll be reading two books this month, the first being『赤ずきん、アラビアンナイトで死体と出会う。』

This is the third instalment of Aoyagi Aito’s hilarious fairy tale mystery series, which has very much become my default choice every October. The ever-curious, ever-precocious Red Riding Hood now finds herself wandering the Arabian Desert and amongst the company of Aladdin, Ali Baba, and Sinbad 🕌🐪🌌🧞‍♂️

I had every intention of reading this last year, then things came up, then the month was practically over by the time I could get around to it. But I’m glad it worked out the way it did, because this series just hits different in spooky season!

Again, thank you for joining, and all the best with your monthly goals!

#readingchallenge #languagechallenge #studygram #studymotivation #languages #languagelearning #languagecommunity #languagestudy by @ko.studygram

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a year ago

📢 Calling all language learners who love to read! The #readwithko Halloween Reading Challenge returns for its SIXTH year, and while I may be biased, what better way to tackle some language learning goals than with a good book and spooky vibes?!

This October, I challenge you to take your reading skills to the next level by completing a book in your Target Language (TL). Whether you’re already in the middle of a book or starting fresh with something new, try to clear your goal by Halloween, October 31 🎃

Remember, you have the freedom to adjust your goal to suit your daily schedule, current proficiency level, experience in TL reading, and book length or difficulty.

HOW TO JOIN
🩷 Select a book (or multiple books) in your TL. Any genre or type of book is welcome for this challenge.

🥀 Decide your goal based on the factors mentioned above. It could be finishing an entire book, reaching a specific chapter, completing a series, or any other milestone.

🦇 Plan your reading schedule by deciding the number of pages or the amount of time you want to read each day. If you prefer a more flexible approach, you can simply aim for daily consistency over anything else!

🩷 Consider your reading method. Are you aiming to expand vocabulary and deepen comprehension through focused, in-depth reading (intensive method), or to simply immerse yourself in language books while improving reading speed (extensive method)? Of course, you can always combine both methods.

🥀 Share an introduction post on the first day of the challenge (Oct 1) explaining your reading goal.

🦇 Share a progress report at the end of each week, including the total pages read or percentage completed. Answering the prompts is entirely optional, and the dates to upload are completely flexible.

🩷 Use #readwithko to stay connected! Feel free to tag @ko.studygram on IG and join the broadcast channel for more!

Let’s embrace the spirit of spooky season and continue making good reading habits together. It’s an absolute honour to be hosting once again!

#readingchallenge #languagechallenge #studygram #studymotivation #languages #languagelearning #languagecommunity #languagestudy by @ko.studygram

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a year ago

Something in me switched off last November and the thought of posting what I was reading on IG suddenly felt like the last thing I wanted/needed to do. But my favourite time of year is just around the corner and I can sense the motivation starting to reach me again.

Excited to reconnect with everyone and talk books and language learning (and language learning books) 🩷

#languagelearning #studywithme #studygram #japanesestudygram #studyjapanese #japaneseimmersion #immersionlearning #japanesebooks taken in Yokohama, Japan by @ko.studygram

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a year ago

October is over, and what a chaotic adventure it was! I tackled a few big tasks this month (some not so pleasant), but seeing everyone’s #readwithko updates each week was the best motivation 💪🏼

As always, I read a few EXCELLENT novels and started some new manga series. The standouts for me were the first two volumes of 特別じゃない日 by Soraho Ina, a perfect slice of life comic essay about the daily lives of families and neighbours.

October consistency:
☑️ 小学生なら知っておきたいもっともっと教養366: 1日1ページで身につく!

While things are only going to get busier and more daunting for me from here, there’s still plenty of fun festive reading ahead 📖☕️🍂🧦

#languagelearning #studywithme #studygram #japanesestudygram #studyjapanese #japaneseimmersion #immersionlearning #japanesebooks taken in Yokohama, Japan by @ko.studygram

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2 years ago

Have you ever been in a bookstore, admiring a new release you’ve eagerly awaited for months, only to get distracted by another book so tiny you mistook it for a notepad, and instead of starting the first book as planned, started the other one and became so engrossed you kept reading until you finished it, then spent the rest of the night taking dumb af photos of it with nearby Halloween decorations? Because same.

口に関するアンケート is a palm-sized, 63-page short story by trending horror author Sesuji (written as ‘spine’ in kanji). The mini chapters are presented as voice recordings of a group of college students recounting a night of harrowing antics and the mysterious tragedy that ensued. The writing style is quite vague and relies on readers to piece the puzzle together, which meant it took a few attempts to understand what was happening. Fortunately, everything was revealed after taking the questionnaire at the very end!

600 yen for such a miniature book is indeed pricey and I hesitate to justify the cost based on overall satisfaction, but I did have fun with it and thought it was a great spooky read for Halloween 🪦

#readwithko #readingchallenge #languagechallenge #japanesestudygram #japaneseimmersion #口に関するアンケート #背筋 taken in イクスピアリ by @ko.studygram

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2 years ago

One week in, one book down 🙌🏼 I’ve finished my first novel of #readwithko and couldn’t have picked a better way to start the challenge!

人魚が逃げた is the newest novel by the brilliant Michiko Aoyama, one of my absolute favourite Japanese authors.

One Saturday afternoon in Tokyo’s swish Ginza district, a dashing young man dressed in regal attire and a golden crown appears, claiming to be a prince searching for his runaway mermaid. The news quickly spreads and soon starts trending on social media. Amid the commotion are five individuals, each at different milestones in life and uncertain of their next steps. As they encounter the prince and draw inspiration from the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale he originates from, they’re able to reexamine themselves, their relationships, and find the strength to move forward.

This story is a reminder that even when attempting to consider the perspectives of others, allowing fear and insecurity to distort perceptions can hinder the truth and lead to grave misunderstandings. It was a pleasure to meet the characters and read their unique interpretations of the original Little Mermaid tale, which continues to be cherished by so many 🧜🏼‍♀️

Michiko Aoyama has been nominated for the The Booksellers’ Award for 4 consecutive years, and English translations include What You Are Looking for is in the Library and The Healing Hippo of Sunrise Park, coming August 2025. For Japanese learners, 木曜日にはココアを is a great starting point to get into her work!

#readingchallenge #languagechallenge #studygram #人魚が逃げた #青山美智子 #PHP研究所 #NetGalleyJP taken in Yokohama, Japan by @ko.studygram

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2 years ago

Welcome back to another round of the #readwithko Halloween Reading Challenge 🫡
 We have a thrilling ten weeks of TL reading ahead, and I’m planning to make the most of each and every day! Though I’ll be more low-key with hosting duties this year due to work and personal projects, I wanted to begin by expressing my sincere thanks for joining me once again. It’s such a pleasure to continually see language learners of all levels thrive in their reading ventures each year. Wishing you all a wonderful time!
 The book I’m most excited to read in October won’t be released for another week, so I’m using the downtime to start on books already in my collection (and share old photos I haven’t posted yet).

First on the list is the Shincho Bunko edition of Beauty and the Beast, which features this beloved tale along with 12 others by French novelist Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont 🥀 My goal is to read at least one story per week until the end of the challenge, in between my main books.
 I’ve also started reading another book by one of my favourite authors, which I’ll introduce in the next update once I’ve had time to understand the plot more (and take some aesthetic fall pics hehe) 📚🍂

Best of luck and happy reading, you legends!

#readingchallenge #languagechallenge #studygram #studymotivation #languages #languagelearning #languagecommunity #languagestudy taken in Yokohama, Japan by @ko.studygram

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2 years ago

Eagerly awaiting your response 📞

#japanesebooks #japaneseliterature #bookrecommendations #languagelearning #studywithme #studygram #japanesestudygram #studyjapanese #japaneseimmersion #immersionlearning taken in Yokohama, Japan by @ko.studygram

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2 years ago

📜 Hear ye, hear ye! The #readwithko Halloween Reading Challenge returns for its FIFTH year, and to commemorate the occasion, we’re making it more challenging, more rewarding, and more festive than ever 🎃🍂🦃🧣🎄🎁

This October, November, AND December, I challenge you to take your reading skills to the next level by completing AT LEAST ONE BOOK in your Target Language (TL). Whether you’re already in the middle of a book or starting fresh with something new, try to finish YOUR specific goal by December 15th.

Remember, you have the freedom to adjust your goal to suit your daily schedule, current proficiency level, experience in TL reading, and book length or difficulty.

HOW TO JOIN
🖤 Select a book (or multiple books) in your TL. Any genre or type of book is welcome for this challenge.

🤍 Decide your goal based on the factors mentioned above. It could be finishing an entire book, reaching a specific chapter, completing a series, or any other milestone.

🧡 Plan your reading schedule by deciding the number of pages or the amount of time you want to read each day. If you prefer a more flexible approach, you can simply aim for consistency without setting specific daily targets.

🖤 Consider your reading method. Are you aiming to expand vocabulary and deepen comprehension through focused, in-depth reading (intensive method), or to simply immerse yourself in language books while improving reading speed (extensive method)? Of course, you can always combine both methods.

🤍 Share an introduction post on the first day of the challenge (Oct 5) explaining your reading goal.

🧡 Share a progress report at the end of each week and a final report at the end of the challenge. Include the total pages read or percentage completed. Answering the prompts is entirely optional, and the dates to upload are completely flexible.

🖤 Use #readwithko to stay connected! Feel free to tag @ko.studygram on IG and join the broadcast channel for more!

Let’s embrace the spirit of both spooky season AND holiday season and continue making good reading habits together. A huge thank you for all your support over the past five years—I truly appreciate each and every one of you! by @ko.studygram

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2 years ago