Super excited for this, and glad you had such a good first outing exploring Japanese mystery! Just a few random historical notes: - Western literature was celebrated during the Meiji period. Academic programs for foreign literature had more competitive admissions and the degrees were seen as more prestigious than Japanese literature degrees. One consequence of this was foreign literature was gatekept from women authors, who found more opportunity studying Japanese classics. I think this might explain some of the misogyny in the genre (with much of the rest being a reflection of misogyny in the broader culture that continues to this day). - During the imperial period, especially the late 1920s / early 1930s, there was a strong conservative backlash against certain social developments. In particular, the government attempted to crack down on the emerging understanding of crime as an outgrowth of social conditions as opposed to individual moral failings. Much of this had to do with the reimagining of Shinto as a state religion and the creation of a personal devotional link to the emperor. I think some of the grittiness of the post-war period was the children of the 30s and 40s finally having a chance to voice their displeasure with the stultifying culture of that time. - Mystery/detective/logic puzzle fiction remains incredibly popular. The manga + anime Detective Conan, a love letter to the genre, is still going strong at nearly 1100 episodes.
This is the dumbest comment I’ve ever left and I’m so sorry for it, but when you were waving around The Honjin Murders, my brain changed it to The Honkin’ Murders and now I low key want to write a book with that title.
Do you know of the Shedunnit Podcast and Book Club? It focuses on Golden Age of detective fiction. We read both The Honjin Murders and The Decagon House Murders, which introduced me to Japanese detective fiction.
Love love love these charts and diagrams- especially the map of where the stories take place! I added all of these to my own TBR and am very excited to check them out! Thank you for also introducing me to an exciting genre that I may never have really dipped my toes into otherwise!
I might be in the minority of people who actually prefer Japanese honkaku novels over the British Golden Age novels. You chose some of my favourite writers here but not really their best books. I would personally recommend "Gokumon Island" as a much, much, much better Kindaichi mystery - oodles of atmosphere, great characters, mysteries from the past, and an isolated setting. "Salvation of a Saint" is my favourite Higashino and easily the greatest experience I ever had reading a book. I read the first half on the train and I vividly recall walking home from the station formulating theories and reenacting the crime in my mind. As for Shimada, "Tokyo Zodiac Murders" is the ultimate classic and the book which launched the shin honkaku movement. Most of them are locked room mysteries however and the killer is either revealed outright or very easy to guess. The whodunnit aspect does not seem to have interested them very much. If you like me are a fan of John Dickson Carr that's not a problem.
Yay for translated literature! I'm not super familiar with Japanese literature. I'm always looking for non-US/UK book recommendations, so this video made me super happy! I hope you'll dip into reading books from more countries.
I loved this video! Thanks for the overview of the history of the genre as well. I'm definitely adding several of these to my tbr! My freshman seminar in college (many moons ago lol) was about mystery novels set in different countries and times and how that setting is its own character in the mystery, and this builds on that concept in a way I really like
I'm so glad you're discovering Japanese mystery novels! There's so much to discover, it's very exciting. I think The Honjin Murders is part of the orthodox movement rather than the new orthodox one as it was written in the 1940s. I found it weaker than new orthodox novels I've read. You absolutely need to read The Tokyo Zodiac Murders by Soji Shimada! I'm curious to see what you would think of it. I haven't read Murder in the Crooked House yet but the two books are quite different from one another according to some reviews.
I'm excited to check some of these out! I'm a fan of reading books from other countries and have read a fair few Japanese authors. I would highly recommend The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa, I really enjoyed it!
Yay! I just finished The Devotion of Suspect X & Confessions and really wanted to find more great Japanese mysteries!!!! Thank you so much for this video! So insightful and informative ❤
I really hope this becomes a series for you, I’m a HUGE Japanese lit fan. Decagon House murders is a 5 ⭐️ for me and I also really liked Confessions but I HATED Honjin Murders, like a lot 😂. I’d love to hear your thoughts on The Woman in the Purple Skirt by Natsuko Imamura. Pretty polarizing one but I was obsessed and it’s got a beautiful cover.
About "Honjin Murders," I can understand your dislike of it. I am not fond of the story neither for it has a lot of the unpleasant values of the old era. I still read Yokomizo's stories for their eerie atmospheres and good tricks.
I really appreciated you sharing what you've learned about the Japanese mystery literary traditions - it really added to my enjoyment of the video! I had a similar deep dive when I first starting reading Latin American magical realism - it gave me a better understanding of how and why these stories were being told. The Decagon House Murders (which I've been seeing everywhere online recently) and Aosawa Murders (on my radar at release and since forgotten about it) appeal to me the most based on your reviews :)
ooh the Maresi series by Maresi Turtschaninoff (translator A.A. Prime) is one of my favorite fantasies and it's put out by Pushkin Press! might have to look into their mysteries...
I have read exactly zero Japanese mysteries but it was really interesting to hear the history and transition between the different schools. The way you describe what you want from a mystery is exactly what I want and have been struggling to find lately. So I'm definitely curious now to check out Decagon House Murders and maybe the Honjin Murders
Thank you so much for making this video! I’ve been looking to get into this sub genre of mystery thriller, and have the Tokyo zodiac murders on my shelf. I have a renewed urge to pick it up now!
I’ve read a handful of translated Japanese mystery/suspense novels over the years and have enjoyed most of them. I really appreciated your dive into the history of the genre.
Great video. Loved the history discussion of the genre development in Japan as well. I've read Confessions but otherwise haven't read any Japanese mysteries. Definitely will add a few of these to my TBR.
Incidentally, I just finished a Japanese detective fiction novel called Strawberry Night written by Honda Tetsuya! I think it's the first of a series and quite popular in Japan, because there are several adaptations! Of Higashino Keigo's works, I actually really liked the tv show that adapted his Galileo series, where a physics professor helps solve cases through science (but I watched it some 10-ish years ago)--- I agree with your assesment of The Devotion of Suspect X (though, my goodreads review says I liked the film adaptation better, so I believe my past self's opinion ahahah) EDIT: wikipedia says that Yukawa-sensei is in Suspect X but I totally forgot that??? ahahahahah anyway the drama is better Edit 2: still I would like to know your opinion on Italian mysteries!!!
Loved this video ❤ long time fan of mysteries and a decade long resident of Japan (semi-recently returned to the US). I just finished The Millhouse Murders last month! And I’ve read some of Higashino’s other novels. I consider his Det. Kaga series more of a police procedural (Malice is book one), but I do like Det. Kaga and read the third book available in English - A Death in Tokyo - earlier this year.
Thank you so so much for that lesson! As a lifelong enjoyer of Japanese media (via manga, anime, and videogames), this video is so fascinating. I can see already where these traditions have influenced a lot of my favorite mystery games (Ace Attorney, Zero Time Dilemma, Danganronpa) and I am ready to dive into this tradition following your lead! My local crime novel bookstore has many of these titles so a littlw shopping treat is in store for me
This is a wonderful project and video. I really appreciated the overview in the beginning of the different subgenres, and I agree, The Decagon House Murders was excellent. Diary of a Void is a recent literary release in English that's all about the effects misogyny, it's good but also kind of rough/sad.
Such a GREAT project! All three of your favorites are favs for me as well. I’m so happy you had such a great time. At mystery writers conferences I have heard US locked room mystery authors attribute John Dickson Carr as their inspiration too so he is indeed a heavy hitter. (And I LOVE reading from him.) Just as an FYI, Lady Joker has intense character development and I would classify it in the social school. It is definitely very literary and, IMO, absolutely a work of genius. I just got The Mill House Murders so I’m excited about that.
This was a super helpful video! I also thought Confessions or The Devotion of Suspect X were ok but didn’t love them considering the hype. I always want to read more translated and didn’t know where to go next so super happy to add the ones you enjoyed most to my TBR, especially since we have similar taste in mysteries!
The fifth one of the Decagon House Murders series (can be translated as The Clock House Murders) is the best of the series so far. Always on the top 10 of different detective novel ranking list in japan. I hope it will be translated to english !
Interesting overview. I've been intrigued by the covers of Pushkin Vertigo books and have been tempted to try them but haven't yet taken the plunge. Since I'm commenting 5 months later, I'm curious if you've read more of them.
I would love to hear what you think about OUT by Natsuo Kirino. It has a lot of social commentary and is imo more in the EWWW category. Definitely not the new orthodox school. The misogyny is part of modern books as well, unfortunately, because it's part of modern Japanese society - although it has been getting better but it's a slow improvement.
I read The Honjin Murders last year and really liked the detective and the vibe but omg the reason for the murder got me in a state of "i just can't". I understand the historical context but jeeeeeeeesus, that was too much.
If you want a Japanese locked room mystery with stronger characterisation then The Tattoo Murder by Akimitsu Takagi is a definite recommendation. I believe this is also put out by Pushkin.
Every time one of these comes out I rush to buy it, I so far have 14 Pushkin Vertigo novels. A messed up story by Soji Shimada is The Tokyo Zodiac Murders it's extremely disturbing. 2 of my 14 are 2 Soviet Union mystery novels by Yulia Yakovleva.
Have you read any John Dickson Carr? He also wrote under Carter Dickson. If you haven’t, he has several you might enjoy. His influence is, as you said, all over the Honkaku and shin Honkaku works. There are a lot of little nods in the ones I’ve read.
So glad you covered these classic Japanese mysterious. I am currently reading The Honjin Murders and quite enjoying it. This subject and discussion is a big part of Gigi Pandian's newest mystery The Raven Thief. So I love that some of the same stuff is being discussed in Honjin but decades apart. This is why reading is fun.
Sounds like I'm a New Orthodox girl. Locked room mysteries are my favorites followed by isolated closed circle and cold case. I've just bought The Decagon House Mystery and the follow up to it. The Honjin and Crooked House both sound good too. 🤣 It always ends up being expensive to watch you. 🤷♀️ I'm not sorry, but my wallet has declined to comment. 😉
Edogawa's E is not like "Ee / I " but like "Eh" as in "E-xtra". Kindaichi is pronounced like "kin (like "next of kin") - die (like "to die") - chi (as in "chee(se)"). Kindaichi is a HUGELY popular multi-season Japanese tv show too btw. Aosama is "a (a-pple) - o (oh!) - sama". Keigo (KEI is ike ca-ble car and GO as in go) Higashino (HI as in "hehe" GA as in "lady gaga" SHI as in "she" NO as in "no"). Higashino is huge, and his new book came out last month and it already sold 600k in Japan. KA as in can, NA as in Nah I'm good, E as in E-xtra. Also, Japanese is a syllabic language so the pronunciation of each syllable doesn't change 99% of the time.
No hate here please. Sincere comment NOT RACIST. Is there are recommended site--Google Translation??--to aid in pronounciation of Japanese Author names or info in books? Also basic spelling/writing traditions to find books authors etc? End up trying to copy down info on 3x5 cards holding them out for peeps to help, thanks all!
One thing I usually do when trying to understand how names are pronounced in a language is that I Google: language + alphabet/syllabary pronunciation. Lingodeer has a very detailed blog post with audio for Japanese called "Japanese pronunciation, the most detailed guide". Understanding the difference in letter/syllable sounds helps with reading their names out loud. If they are relatively famous authors you can also search for videos about them or interviews with them on UA-cam, because usually you have a person with knowledge about the author or themselves pronouncing their name.
Super excited for this, and glad you had such a good first outing exploring Japanese mystery! Just a few random historical notes:
- Western literature was celebrated during the Meiji period. Academic programs for foreign literature had more competitive admissions and the degrees were seen as more prestigious than Japanese literature degrees. One consequence of this was foreign literature was gatekept from women authors, who found more opportunity studying Japanese classics. I think this might explain some of the misogyny in the genre (with much of the rest being a reflection of misogyny in the broader culture that continues to this day).
- During the imperial period, especially the late 1920s / early 1930s, there was a strong conservative backlash against certain social developments. In particular, the government attempted to crack down on the emerging understanding of crime as an outgrowth of social conditions as opposed to individual moral failings. Much of this had to do with the reimagining of Shinto as a state religion and the creation of a personal devotional link to the emperor. I think some of the grittiness of the post-war period was the children of the 30s and 40s finally having a chance to voice their displeasure with the stultifying culture of that time.
- Mystery/detective/logic puzzle fiction remains incredibly popular. The manga + anime Detective Conan, a love letter to the genre, is still going strong at nearly 1100 episodes.
this is so interesting! thanks for sharing your knowledge. 👌🏻
Cool comment 👍
This is the dumbest comment I’ve ever left and I’m so sorry for it, but when you were waving around The Honjin Murders, my brain changed it to The Honkin’ Murders and now I low key want to write a book with that title.
that would be an amazing killer clown book. or maybe the clown is the detective. and he honks his nose when he has an idea.
Do you know of the Shedunnit Podcast and Book Club? It focuses on Golden Age of detective fiction. We read both The Honjin Murders and The Decagon House Murders, which introduced me to Japanese detective fiction.
I recommend OUT by Natsuo Kirino. I really enjoy Scandinavian dark police procedurals, my favorite so far being THE CHESTNUT MAN by Soren Sviestrup.
Pushkin Press are amazing - I’ve found all sorts of brilliant books in translation via them. Oh, including kids books too.
Love love love these charts and diagrams- especially the map of where the stories take place! I added all of these to my own TBR and am very excited to check them out! Thank you for also introducing me to an exciting genre that I may never have really dipped my toes into otherwise!
I might be in the minority of people who actually prefer Japanese honkaku novels over the British Golden Age novels. You chose some of my favourite writers here but not really their best books. I would personally recommend "Gokumon Island" as a much, much, much better Kindaichi mystery - oodles of atmosphere, great characters, mysteries from the past, and an isolated setting. "Salvation of a Saint" is my favourite Higashino and easily the greatest experience I ever had reading a book. I read the first half on the train and I vividly recall walking home from the station formulating theories and reenacting the crime in my mind. As for Shimada, "Tokyo Zodiac Murders" is the ultimate classic and the book which launched the shin honkaku movement.
Most of them are locked room mysteries however and the killer is either revealed outright or very easy to guess. The whodunnit aspect does not seem to have interested them very much. If you like me are a fan of John Dickson Carr that's not a problem.
Appreciate the brief genre history!
Yay for translated literature! I'm not super familiar with Japanese literature. I'm always looking for non-US/UK book recommendations, so this video made me super happy! I hope you'll dip into reading books from more countries.
I loved this video! Thanks for the overview of the history of the genre as well. I'm definitely adding several of these to my tbr! My freshman seminar in college (many moons ago lol) was about mystery novels set in different countries and times and how that setting is its own character in the mystery, and this builds on that concept in a way I really like
Amazing video!! Right up my alley, a big fan of Japanese mystery and excited to pick up a few of these that I haven’t read!
I'm so glad you're discovering Japanese mystery novels! There's so much to discover, it's very exciting. I think The Honjin Murders is part of the orthodox movement rather than the new orthodox one as it was written in the 1940s. I found it weaker than new orthodox novels I've read. You absolutely need to read The Tokyo Zodiac Murders by Soji Shimada! I'm curious to see what you would think of it. I haven't read Murder in the Crooked House yet but the two books are quite different from one another according to some reviews.
I'm excited to check some of these out! I'm a fan of reading books from other countries and have read a fair few Japanese authors. I would highly recommend The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa, I really enjoyed it!
I highly recommend Rampo's short stories...esp The Chair... he also has several in the same book that are weird if you like that.
Yay! I just finished The Devotion of Suspect X & Confessions and really wanted to find more great Japanese mysteries!!!! Thank you so much for this video! So insightful and informative ❤
Have you tried Decagon House Murders, Malice by Keigo Higashino, and Newcomer by Keigo Higashino? I really enjoyed these!
@@NightOwlReader2790 no I hadn’t, but thank you for some new additions to my TBR 🎉
glad you enjoyed!
This was interesting! I have loved a lot of Japanese translated literary fiction but haven't delved into mystery yet, so this was helpful!
So happy to see this video! It was in the making for a while but happy to see it. I’m sure you had a blast reading the titles.
Very cool topic! Thanks for sharing 😊
I really got into Japanese general fiction last year, so this year, I might expand that further into Japanese crime fiction.
I really hope this becomes a series for you, I’m a HUGE Japanese lit fan. Decagon House murders is a 5 ⭐️ for me and I also really liked Confessions but I HATED Honjin Murders, like a lot 😂. I’d love to hear your thoughts on The Woman in the Purple Skirt by Natsuko Imamura. Pretty polarizing one but I was obsessed and it’s got a beautiful cover.
About "Honjin Murders," I can understand your dislike of it. I am not fond of the story neither for it has a lot of the unpleasant values of the old era. I still read Yokomizo's stories for their eerie atmospheres and good tricks.
I really appreciated you sharing what you've learned about the Japanese mystery literary traditions - it really added to my enjoyment of the video! I had a similar deep dive when I first starting reading Latin American magical realism - it gave me a better understanding of how and why these stories were being told.
The Decagon House Murders (which I've been seeing everywhere online recently) and Aosawa Murders (on my radar at release and since forgotten about it) appeal to me the most based on your reviews :)
This is fascinating! I've been wanting to read more Japanese mysteries and it's so interesting to learn some history about them.
Such a great video! I really appreciate this and have added The Decagon House Murders to my list!
ooh the Maresi series by Maresi Turtschaninoff (translator A.A. Prime) is one of my favorite fantasies and it's put out by Pushkin Press! might have to look into their mysteries...
I have read exactly zero Japanese mysteries but it was really interesting to hear the history and transition between the different schools. The way you describe what you want from a mystery is exactly what I want and have been struggling to find lately. So I'm definitely curious now to check out Decagon House Murders and maybe the Honjin Murders
Awesome video and breakdown. I've been eyeing that Pushkin Vertigo line of Japanese mysteries.
Thank you so much for making this video! I’ve been looking to get into this sub genre of mystery thriller, and have the Tokyo zodiac murders on my shelf. I have a renewed urge to pick it up now!
I’ve read a handful of translated Japanese mystery/suspense novels over the years and have enjoyed most of them. I really appreciated your dive into the history of the genre.
What a great overview, thank you so much for the information and inspiration!
Great video. Loved the history discussion of the genre development in Japan as well. I've read Confessions but otherwise haven't read any Japanese mysteries. Definitely will add a few of these to my TBR.
Incidentally, I just finished a Japanese detective fiction novel called Strawberry Night written by Honda Tetsuya! I think it's the first of a series and quite popular in Japan, because there are several adaptations!
Of Higashino Keigo's works, I actually really liked the tv show that adapted his Galileo series, where a physics professor helps solve cases through science (but I watched it some 10-ish years ago)--- I agree with your assesment of The Devotion of Suspect X (though, my goodreads review says I liked the film adaptation better, so I believe my past self's opinion ahahah)
EDIT: wikipedia says that Yukawa-sensei is in Suspect X but I totally forgot that??? ahahahahah anyway the drama is better
Edit 2: still I would like to know your opinion on Italian mysteries!!!
Loved this video ❤ long time fan of mysteries and a decade long resident of Japan (semi-recently returned to the US).
I just finished The Millhouse Murders last month! And I’ve read some of Higashino’s other novels. I consider his Det. Kaga series more of a police procedural (Malice is book one), but I do like Det. Kaga and read the third book available in English - A Death in Tokyo - earlier this year.
This was a super fun project to watch you wrap up and now I am interested in reading some of these books too
Thank you so so much for that lesson! As a lifelong enjoyer of Japanese media (via manga, anime, and videogames), this video is so fascinating. I can see already where these traditions have influenced a lot of my favorite mystery games (Ace Attorney, Zero Time Dilemma, Danganronpa) and I am ready to dive into this tradition following your lead! My local crime novel bookstore has many of these titles so a littlw shopping treat is in store for me
Thank you for your review. ❤
This is a wonderful project and video. I really appreciated the overview in the beginning of the different subgenres, and I agree, The Decagon House Murders was excellent.
Diary of a Void is a recent literary release in English that's all about the effects misogyny, it's good but also kind of rough/sad.
Such a GREAT project! All three of your favorites are favs for me as well. I’m so happy you had such a great time.
At mystery writers conferences I have heard US locked room mystery authors attribute John Dickson Carr as their inspiration too so he is indeed a heavy hitter. (And I LOVE reading from him.)
Just as an FYI, Lady Joker has intense character development and I would classify it in the social school. It is definitely very literary and, IMO, absolutely a work of genius.
I just got The Mill House Murders so I’m excited about that.
This was a super helpful video! I also thought Confessions or The Devotion of Suspect X were ok but didn’t love them considering the hype. I always want to read more translated and didn’t know where to go next so super happy to add the ones you enjoyed most to my TBR, especially since we have similar taste in mysteries!
The fifth one of the Decagon House Murders series (can be translated as The Clock House Murders) is the best of the series so far. Always on the top 10 of different detective novel ranking list in japan.
I hope it will be translated to english !
I love your ventures into exploring mystery novels from other countries. Will you repeat this experiment again?
Decagon Murders added to the list! Excited to hear your thoughts on Malice :)
Interesting overview. I've been intrigued by the covers of Pushkin Vertigo books and have been tempted to try them but haven't yet taken the plunge. Since I'm commenting 5 months later, I'm curious if you've read more of them.
Just fknished decagon after ur rec!! Was really great and very Christian esque
I would love to hear what you think about OUT by Natsuo Kirino. It has a lot of social commentary and is imo more in the EWWW category. Definitely not the new orthodox school. The misogyny is part of modern books as well, unfortunately, because it's part of modern Japanese society - although it has been getting better but it's a slow improvement.
I have "A Death in Tokyo " by Keigo Higashino checked out from my library. It's next up after I finish "The Sittaford Mystery" by Agatha Christie.
I read The Honjin Murders last year and really liked the detective and the vibe but omg the reason for the murder got me in a state of "i just can't". I understand the historical context but jeeeeeeeesus, that was too much.
If you want a Japanese locked room mystery with stronger characterisation then The Tattoo Murder by Akimitsu Takagi is a definite recommendation. I believe this is also put out by Pushkin.
Thank you for this video!
I am game to give Decagon House Murders a go. A little intrigued by Confessions (maybe for spooky season ;)
Mara you would make an exemplary and wonderful English Literature lecturer 📚👍🌹😄
Every time one of these comes out I rush to buy it, I so far have 14 Pushkin Vertigo novels. A messed up story by Soji Shimada is The Tokyo Zodiac Murders it's extremely disturbing. 2 of my 14 are 2 Soviet Union mystery novels by Yulia Yakovleva.
Thanks for pointing out the HIV/AIDS issues in Confessions. I really disliked that and haven’t heard anyone else mention it.
Lianne at literarydiversions talked about it at length in a wrap up video from September.
@@karenmcilvoy5834 thanks I’ll check that out.
Have you read any John Dickson Carr? He also wrote under Carter Dickson. If you haven’t, he has several you might enjoy. His influence is, as you said, all over the Honkaku and shin Honkaku works. There are a lot of little nods in the ones I’ve read.
Always meant to but not yet!
So glad you covered these classic Japanese mysterious. I am currently reading The Honjin Murders and quite enjoying it.
This subject and discussion is a big part of Gigi Pandian's newest mystery The Raven Thief. So I love that some of the same stuff is being discussed in Honjin but decades apart. This is why reading is fun.
I loved Confessions hahaha revenge... but I agree it's more of a horror. The myso part doesn't surprise me at all.
I just started reading "Six-Four" which is highly praised. Not sure if you know it. It's good so far
Full throated enjoy cracked me up 😂
Sounds like I'm a New Orthodox girl. Locked room mysteries are my favorites followed by isolated closed circle and cold case. I've just bought The Decagon House Mystery and the follow up to it. The Honjin and Crooked House both sound good too. 🤣 It always ends up being expensive to watch you. 🤷♀️ I'm not sorry, but my wallet has declined to comment. 😉
Love this video , great job… but disagree with your review on keigo higashino’s book… thought it had a great twist
Edogawa's E is not like "Ee / I " but like "Eh" as in "E-xtra".
Kindaichi is pronounced like "kin (like "next of kin") - die (like "to die") - chi (as in "chee(se)"). Kindaichi is a HUGELY popular multi-season Japanese tv show too btw.
Aosama is "a (a-pple) - o (oh!) - sama".
Keigo (KEI is ike ca-ble car and GO as in go) Higashino (HI as in "hehe" GA as in "lady gaga" SHI as in "she" NO as in "no"). Higashino is huge, and his new book came out last month and it already sold 600k in Japan.
KA as in can, NA as in Nah I'm good, E as in E-xtra.
Also, Japanese is a syllabic language so the pronunciation of each syllable doesn't change 99% of the time.
Mara, I just wanna point out that you favorite out of these was written by a man named Snow-Bunny UwU
No hate here please. Sincere comment NOT RACIST. Is there are recommended site--Google Translation??--to aid in pronounciation of Japanese Author names or info in books? Also basic spelling/writing traditions to find books authors etc? End up trying to copy down info on 3x5 cards holding them out for peeps to help, thanks all!
One thing I usually do when trying to understand how names are pronounced in a language is that I Google: language + alphabet/syllabary pronunciation. Lingodeer has a very detailed blog post with audio for Japanese called "Japanese pronunciation, the most detailed guide". Understanding the difference in letter/syllable sounds helps with reading their names out loud.
If they are relatively famous authors you can also search for videos about them or interviews with them on UA-cam, because usually you have a person with knowledge about the author or themselves pronouncing their name.
💚💙💚