It was a rainy, gloomy week, so nothing much happened, apart from the fact that I made it to IKEA! It’s huge, and I spent aaaages in the light section because some of them were so beautiful. Didn’t buy too much, though — just a throw for my chair and a new table lamp. I loved the raspberry tea thing they had at the cafeteria.

Murakami’s [Norwegian Wood](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/9a8ba591-4e66-4d51-8f46-df5ba1b42711) had me in its grips the entire week. I’d first read it many years ago but time made sure I’d forgotten the most important parts of it, so it felt like the first time. Some parts moved me. Some were gross. The story is propulsive and his writing is as kinetic as ever. Overall, I really can’t say whether I loved it or not. (There aren’t any concrete parameters for loving a book, anyway). But I see myself coming back to it in a few years.

To keep the momentum going, I read [Killing Commendatore](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/3d6f39c0-9753-48a1-aa0a-55fe2dea7b0c), too. This just… wasn’t it. Many things about it threw me off: the repetition, the sudden historical rambles, the child’s role. It felt like three separate stories were being mashed into one 700-page glob.

My sister and I finally got mum to watch the first few episodes of [The Crown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crown_(TV_series) (probably succeeding only because the Queen died and mum’s curiosity was piqued). I stopped 3 seasons in but I might go back to it again.

I really miss the sun. I like wearing sweaters and all, but I miss being able to sit in the sunshine and go out for walks. I’m at a higher altitude so my part of the city hasn’t been flooded, but everything is grey and squelchy. I hope it lets up soon.