"NICE HUMAN BITCH"

Sprint

(Source)

i've been reading the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series for about a month now (on Book 3, has been taking me a while because of moving, library delays, and a generally slow reading pace). i really love the premise; time travel as a device usually annoys the shit out of me, but not this time (perhaps due to it being more magical realism than sci-fi/fantasy).

however, i still found myself making excuses for the author, especially about why there are almost no gay characters until Book 5 (i cheated and skipped ahead for the one story). i reminded myself that Japan still has a closeted culture of "don't ask, don't tell" and that the author was just being true to the current situation. but then a blog post helped me think a bit more critically about how the author is not pushing any buttons when it comes to feminism and challenging traditional gender norms, especially around women literally sacrificing their lives for their families. i might keep pressing on, or i might stop while i'm ahead. (too many books, not enough time.)