Michael Pronko

more photos (4)


#30 most followed

Michael Pronko’s Followers (224)

member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
Cathy
2,126 books | 1,222 friends

Jessica
103,607 books | 1,962 friends

Steve S...
592 books | 4,230 friends

Lynne
2,189 books | 227 friends

Paul Fr...
3,432 books | 54 friends

Cathy Cole
3,222 books | 539 friends

Erica S...
670 books | 118 friends

Matthew...
3 books | 10 friends

More friends…

Michael Pronko

Goodreads Author


Born
in Kansas City, Kansas, The United States
Website

Twitter

Genre

Member Since
March 2015


Michael Pronko is an award-winning, Tokyo-based writer of murder, memoir and music. His writings on Tokyo life and his taut character-driven mysteries have won critics’ awards and five-star reviews. Kirkus Reviews called his second novel, The Moving Blade, “An elegant balance of Japanese customs with American-style hard-boiled procedural” and selected it for their Best Books of 2018.

Michael also runs the website, Jazz in Japan, about the vibrant jazz scene in Tokyo and Yokohama. He has written regular columns about Japanese culture, art, jazz, society and politics for Newsweek Japan, The Japan Times, Artscape Japan, Jazznin, and ST Shukan. He has also appeared on NHK and Nippon Television.

A philosophy major, Michael traveled for years, du
...more

To ask Michael Pronko questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

Michael Pronko Lower my standards. It’s OK to accept shitty writing sometimes. No one gets out of bed dressed for a wedding. You’re in an old T-shirt and torn underw…moreLower my standards. It’s OK to accept shitty writing sometimes. No one gets out of bed dressed for a wedding. You’re in an old T-shirt and torn underwear. Or I am. I always figure I’ll spiff up the writing later. Writing for years for newspapers and magazines, I got used to this little thing called a deadline. The idea of a deadline becomes internalized, as a normal part of the process. Getting blocked is usually a little internal melodrama you’re acting out inside yourself, like an argument with your lover over something trivial. It’s never worth it. (less)
Michael Pronko The internal excitement of writing is the most thrilling thing. Making connections, getting into trouble, with ideas or characters or technique, and g…moreThe internal excitement of writing is the most thrilling thing. Making connections, getting into trouble, with ideas or characters or technique, and getting back out, learning through writing, all of that I find to be just amazing! The “a-ha” and “whoa whoa whoa!” moments of insight, breakthrough, and understanding are what make the suffering of writing worth it. You can get those moments in regular life, but with writing, you get to share them. (less)
Average rating: 4.16 · 4,157 ratings · 489 reviews · 15 distinct worksSimilar authors
The Last Train (Detective H...

4.06 avg rating — 1,757 ratings — published 2017 — 7 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Moving Blade (Detective...

4.20 avg rating — 680 ratings — published 2018 — 6 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Tokyo Traffic (Detective Hi...

4.20 avg rating — 509 ratings — published 2020 — 5 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Tokyo Zangyo (Detective Hir...

4.42 avg rating — 432 ratings — published 2021 — 3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Azabu Getaway (Detective Hi...

4.30 avg rating — 285 ratings3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Shitamachi Scam

4.21 avg rating — 246 ratings5 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Motions and Moments (Tokyo ...

4.14 avg rating — 97 ratings6 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Beauty and Chaos: Slices an...

3.85 avg rating — 79 ratings — published 2009 — 7 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Tokyo's Mystery Deepens

4.15 avg rating — 47 ratings6 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Tokyo Tempos (Tokyo Moments...

4.23 avg rating — 13 ratings3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
More books by Michael Pronko…

8 of the best series

Pleased to be included in Independent Book Review's 8 of the Best Book Series

https://independentbookreview.com/202...
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on March 03, 2025 16:52
The Last Train The Moving Blade Tokyo Traffic Tokyo Zangyo Azabu Getaway
(5 books)
by
4.17 avg rating — 3,663 ratings

Michael’s Recent Updates

Michael Pronko is now friends with Jessica
6678507
Michael Pronko is now following Feathered Quill Book Reviews's reviews
162029061
Michael Pronko rated a book it was amazing
Perplexing Plots by David Bordwell
Rate this book
Clear rating
The subtitle gives away the gist of this excellent, somewhat academic study. He points out how popular storytelling was always steeped in mystery, thriller, murder, crime, and detective plots. He points out how popular storytelling gradually carried ...more
Michael Pronko rated a book it was amazing
Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew B. Crawford
Rate this book
Clear rating
I wasn't one of the shop guys in high school, but one of my best friends was. I spent summers working at a public swimming pool and fixing almost every damn thing in the place. This book argues that the value of work is instilled by working with your ...more
Michael Pronko rated a book it was amazing
How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky
Rate this book
Clear rating
I can't write much about this excellent book without screaming—not at the book but at the conditions in the US that make a book like this needed. It's great. Read it. I'm going to put my head out the window and scream now… ...more
Michael Pronko rated a book it was amazing
How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky
Rate this book
Clear rating
I can't write much about this excellent book without screaming—not at the book but at the conditions in the US that make a book like this needed. It's great. Read it. I'm going to put my head out the window and scream now… ...more
Michael Pronko rated a book it was amazing
Beastly Things by Donna Leon
Rate this book
Clear rating
Like all of Leon's work, this one is a grand tour through Venice, high and low. Detective Brunetti is a classic character who knows what he should know, never oversteps his bounds in judgment, and gets the case solved. It's rich with culture, feeling ...more
Michael Pronko has read
How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky
Rate this book
Clear rating
Michael Pronko rated a book it was amazing
Beastly Things by Donna Leon
Rate this book
Clear rating
Like all of Leon's work, this one is a grand tour through Venice, high and low. Detective Brunetti is a classic character who knows what he should know, never oversteps his bounds in judgment, and gets the case solved. It's rich with culture, feeling ...more
Michael Pronko rated a book really liked it
Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
Rate this book
Clear rating
I'm a sucker for books like this that help improve my life and my time management. It's not really management; it's more like presenting a fresh understanding of time. It's a quick read (ha!), and you get a lot of complex ideas in digestible form. I ...more
More of Michael's books…
Quotes by Michael Pronko  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“Some days, all of Tokyo feels like a karaoke room, only without the singing.”
Michael Pronko, Motions and Moments

“Cup ramen”
Michael Pronko, Tokyo Zangyo

“the”
Michael Pronko, The Moving Blade

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
The Seasonal Read...: This topic has been closed to new comments. Summer Challenge 2015: Completed Tasks (DO NOT DELETE POSTS) 3424 689 Sep 01, 2015 07:40PM  
Goodreads Librari...: This topic has been closed to new comments. Kindle giveaway 2 27 Jan 14, 2018 05:15PM  
Non Fiction Book ...: How do you read so fast? 30 53 Nov 17, 2019 06:59AM  
Japanese Literature: 2023 #JanuaryinJapan 89 379 Feb 13, 2023 08:50AM  
Book title game 17042 5042 Jul 28, 2024 07:30AM  
The Challenge Fac...: Alphabet Soup Chain Game 99 141 Aug 13, 2025 09:43AM  
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms...”
Henry David Thoreau

“I’m a modern man, a man for the millennium. Digital and smoke free. A diversified multi-cultural, post-modern deconstruction that is anatomically and ecologically incorrect. I’ve been up linked and downloaded, I’ve been inputted and outsourced, I know the upside of downsizing, I know the downside of upgrading. I’m a high-tech low-life. A cutting edge, state-of-the-art bi-coastal multi-tasker and I can give you a gigabyte in a nanosecond!
I’m new wave, but I’m old school and my inner child is outward bound. I’m a hot-wired, heat seeking, warm-hearted cool customer, voice activated and bio-degradable. I interface with my database, my database is in cyberspace, so I’m interactive, I’m hyperactive and from time to time I’m radioactive.

Behind the eight ball, ahead of the curve, ridin the wave, dodgin the bullet and pushin the envelope. I’m on-point, on-task, on-message and off drugs. I’ve got no need for coke and speed. I've got no urge to binge and purge. I’m in-the-moment, on-the-edge, over-the-top and under-the-radar. A high-concept, low-profile, medium-range ballistic missionary. A street-wise smart bomb. A top-gun bottom feeder. I wear power ties, I tell power lies, I take power naps and run victory laps. I’m a totally ongoing big-foot, slam-dunk, rainmaker with a pro-active outreach. A raging workaholic. A working rageaholic. Out of rehab and in denial!

I’ve got a personal trainer, a personal shopper, a personal assistant and a personal agenda. You can’t shut me up. You can’t dumb me down because I’m tireless and I’m wireless, I’m an alpha male on beta-blockers.

I’m a non-believer and an over-achiever, laid-back but fashion-forward. Up-front, down-home, low-rent, high-maintenance. Super-sized, long-lasting, high-definition, fast-acting, oven-ready and built-to-last! I’m a hands-on, foot-loose, knee-jerk head case pretty maturely post-traumatic and I’ve got a love-child that sends me hate mail.

But, I’m feeling, I’m caring, I’m healing, I’m sharing-- a supportive, bonding, nurturing primary care-giver. My output is down, but my income is up. I took a short position on the long bond and my revenue stream has its own cash-flow. I read junk mail, I eat junk food, I buy junk bonds and I watch trash sports! I’m gender specific, capital intensive, user-friendly and lactose intolerant.

I like rough sex. I like tough love. I use the “F” word in my emails and the software on my hard-drive is hardcore--no soft porn.

I bought a microwave at a mini-mall; I bought a mini-van at a mega-store. I eat fast-food in the slow lane. I’m toll-free, bite-sized, ready-to-wear and I come in all sizes. A fully-equipped, factory-authorized, hospital-tested, clinically-proven, scientifically- formulated medical miracle. I’ve been pre-wash, pre-cooked, pre-heated, pre-screened, pre-approved, pre-packaged, post-dated, freeze-dried, double-wrapped, vacuum-packed and, I have an unlimited broadband capacity.

I’m a rude dude, but I’m the real deal. Lean and mean! Cocked, locked and ready-to-rock. Rough, tough and hard to bluff. I take it slow, I go with the flow, I ride with the tide. I’ve got glide in my stride. Drivin and movin, sailin and spinin, jiving and groovin, wailin and winnin. I don’t snooze, so I don’t lose. I keep the pedal to the metal and the rubber on the road. I party hearty and lunch time is crunch time. I’m hangin in, there ain’t no doubt and I’m hangin tough, over and out!”
George Carlin

“I’m forever near a stereo saying, ‘What the fuck is this garbage?’ And the answer is always the Red Hot Chili Peppers.”
Nick Cave

“Our heads are round so our thoughts can change direction.”
Francis Picabia

“There are thirty-two ways to write a story, and I’ve used every one, but there is only one plot – things are not as they seem.”
Jim Thompson

220 Goodreads Librarians Group — 293711 members — last activity 0 minutes ago
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more
596 Audiobooks — 15884 members — last activity 4 hours, 5 min ago
Audio & audiobooks are getting more and more popular for commuters & those wanting to squeeze in another book or two a month while doing other activit ...more
1174850 BestThrillers.com Book Awards — 327 members — last activity Aug 30, 2025 04:57AM
This group celebrates the books recognized each year in the annual BestThrillers.com Book Awards. The award series recognizes stellar books across 15 ...more
31471 THE Group for Authors! — 12860 members — last activity Sep 09, 2025 12:00PM
This is a group for authors to discuss their craft, as well as publishing and book marketing.
54220 Ebook Giveaways & Great Deals — 362 members — last activity Sep 01, 2025 10:38AM
A great place to find book giveaways and great deals!
60696 Making Connections — 14708 members — last activity 6 hours, 32 min ago
Read, Review, and Make Connections
26989 Goodreads Authors/Readers — 54898 members — last activity 2 hours, 16 min ago
This group is dedicated to connecting readers with Goodreads authors. It is divided by genres, and includes folders for writing resources, book websit ...more
78683 Review Group — 5537 members — last activity 2 hours, 42 min ago
Reviews are very important for Self-Published (SP), and Indie authors, just as they are for others. Unfortunately, though, many SP/Indie books don't g ...more
94882 Authors Helping Authors — 1141 members — last activity Sep 01, 2025 03:31AM
Being an indie author means you are part of an ever-growing family of like-minded individuals all working toward the same ultimate goal-writing and pu ...more
100482 Genre Specific Review Groups — 1672 members — last activity 7 hours, 50 min ago
Following the example of fellow Goodreads group, "Review Group", this group believes support for our Indie authors is extremely important. Many of the ...more
More of Michael’s groups…



No comments have been added yet.