I would be completely remiss to not include Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha in the books I love. I pulled my copy, which has been in my collection for eleven years, off the shelf the other day and started reading it for probably the 9th time. It is one of those books that totally consumes you from the very start. I say this with complete honesty for I will admit that there are some books that, while amazing and gorgeous, are tedious and difficult to read. This book is just the opposite, telling the life story of Sayuri, a geisha in Kyoto, Japan as if Sayuri is in the room with you. She herself is one of the most likable and interesting fictional characters I have ever encountered. I would describe her as a kind/considerate and Japanese version of Scarlet O’Hara (if that is possible).
Aside from the story, learning about the world of the Geisha is a life lesson in itself. We have all heard about these fascinating females, but I believe so many people simply categorize them as prostitutes, which is far too banal for women who influenced the course of Japanese history and culture. Golden spent over 10 years writing this novel and interviewed dozens of retired geisha, most notably, Mineko Iwasaki, one of the most famous geisha of the 20th century (fantastic, isn’t she?)
I love this book to pieces (literally, it’s falling apart in my hands) and wanted to share it as a suggestion for anyone looking to get lost in a story.
Gigi Explains It All 
Didn’t see a reference to the Sophia Coppala youtube video. You might want to add one.
Didn’t understand any of the hipster reference. If there was an article, maybe you should reference it too. I really liked Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the Memoirs of a Geisha write up.
This will be my next fiction read. I still haven’t read it. But you make it sound pretty good.
I like your blog. I’m reading it on my cell phone by the way and it’s very accessible. I will look at it on a real computer tomorrow…
Have you read the virgin suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides? I think you’d like it… a little heavy but very beautiful. Plus Sophia Coppola turned it into a movie.
No I haven’t read that yet but I have wanted to read it for awhile now. I think it sounds like something I’d like too. Thanks for looking at the blog, I added RPL to my blogroll :)
Pingback: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford | Gigi Explains It All