I am absolutely loving your newsletter! Apologies if you've answered this elsewhere, but I'm so curious where you find each book and choose on which one to read for those countries? It feels so overwhelming!
Thank you! At the very beginning of the project, I reached out to lots of cultural foundations, publishers, and academics for recommendations and started putting together a (slightly mad!) spreadsheet. Now I also get quite a few recommendations from readers, which is wonderful. I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the newsletter!
I would like to share the best book I’ve read in translation this year. It has a great title, too: "Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead" by the Polish writer Olga Tokarčuk.
Others might consider this to be more of a literary novel than a crime novel, but of course there’s nothing to say that it can’t be both. It certainly features a number of murders and a mystery to be solved, so that makes it crime so far as I am concerned.
It’s written from the first-person point of view of Janina Duszejko, who is an eccentric woman in her 60s, living in a rural area of Poland. Several strange deaths occur in the area and Duszejko, who is regarded by her neighbours as a crank, sets out to investigate and puts forward her theory that Nature is taking revenge for offences against it such as hunting wild animals. Each death seems to add evidence to confirm this oddball idea. It’s a delightful book, and Duszejko is a wonderful character.
Just read Good Behaviour by Molly Keane reissued by the New York Review of Books. Enjoyed picking up the clues of repression in the Irish country house of the 1920s.
The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World by Laura Imai Messina is an amazing book about the survivors of the 2011 tsunami. Going to pick up Breasts and eggs at the library today. Thank you for a wonderful book list!
I'm fascinated by your choice of books, especially this one. I facilitate the UN Women-USA Gulf Coast Chapter Book Club in Sarasota. We've been reading books by women mostly from developing countries for 20 years. We learn what is going on in their countries through personal narratives, as you do. If you'd like to see our bibliography, please email me at lkaldi@hotmail.com. Thanks. Leita Kaldi Davis
Hello Tabatha I really enjoy your newsletter and recommendations for books. I am not able to read all of the book mentioned now but some do strike a chord and I will aim to read them later. I am wondering whether you think the book about the Indian children is also suitable for teenagers? I haven't read it yet but am I right in thinking that there may be shades of the classic German book Emil and the Detectives where a group of youngsters catch a thief. The subtext of the novel deals with life in 30's Germany. Thank you very much for keeping me up to date with your suggestions.
Thanks, Gaby! I'd say that Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line is definitely suitable for teenagers. I'm not familiar with Emil and the Detectives, but it sounds interesting — I'll have to check it out.
Hello Tabatha thanks for your reply. I think I will read this book first and then get it for my 13 year old grandson who is into reading in a big way. I am currently reading Kamila Shamsie Home Fire. It's set in Northampton USA and London and deals with female struggle within the faith. I'm not sure whether you know it already or have even talked about it before. Love your site. Literature is so important,.
I loved this book abs was thinking of recommending it to you when I saw it was on your list already. As an avid reader & Australian living in Finland, I’m looking forward to getting your newsletters now I’ve found you 🙂 (I also highly recommend ‘Ice’ by Ulla-Lena Lundberg from the Åland Islands where I live)
It’s a great book, I’m glad you enjoyed it too. And thanks for the recommendation — I visited the Åland Islands last summer and had the best time ever 💛
I liked this book a lot even if the 'whodunit' is hardly a whodunit at all. I guessed whodunit very early on and I'm really bad at guessing that kind of thing. The book is really good on coercive control and abusive relationships.
I am absolutely loving your newsletter! Apologies if you've answered this elsewhere, but I'm so curious where you find each book and choose on which one to read for those countries? It feels so overwhelming!
Thank you! At the very beginning of the project, I reached out to lots of cultural foundations, publishers, and academics for recommendations and started putting together a (slightly mad!) spreadsheet. Now I also get quite a few recommendations from readers, which is wonderful. I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the newsletter!
This is a great concept for a newsletter!
I would like to share the best book I’ve read in translation this year. It has a great title, too: "Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead" by the Polish writer Olga Tokarčuk.
Others might consider this to be more of a literary novel than a crime novel, but of course there’s nothing to say that it can’t be both. It certainly features a number of murders and a mystery to be solved, so that makes it crime so far as I am concerned.
It’s written from the first-person point of view of Janina Duszejko, who is an eccentric woman in her 60s, living in a rural area of Poland. Several strange deaths occur in the area and Duszejko, who is regarded by her neighbours as a crank, sets out to investigate and puts forward her theory that Nature is taking revenge for offences against it such as hunting wild animals. Each death seems to add evidence to confirm this oddball idea. It’s a delightful book, and Duszejko is a wonderful character.
Thanks, David! I actually read Drive Your Plow for my Polish issue of the newsletter and absolutely loved it. It’s a great book!
Just read Good Behaviour by Molly Keane reissued by the New York Review of Books. Enjoyed picking up the clues of repression in the Irish country house of the 1920s.
Ooh thanks for the recommendation!
The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World by Laura Imai Messina is an amazing book about the survivors of the 2011 tsunami. Going to pick up Breasts and eggs at the library today. Thank you for a wonderful book list!
Thanks for the recommendation, Judy! I hope you enjoy Breasts and Eggs.
So great i found this. Been on an indian author spell especially female writers.
I've recently read - "The secrets between us" and "the space between us" both by Thirity umigar. They were really good.
The henna artist by Alka Joshi was brilliant and has a sequek out later this month.
Kololo hills by Neema Shah was good too although not particularly set in India.
Bookmarking all the recommendations for future reading.
Thanks
Thanks for the recommendations, Nnenna! I'll check out the books you mention.
I'm fascinated by your choice of books, especially this one. I facilitate the UN Women-USA Gulf Coast Chapter Book Club in Sarasota. We've been reading books by women mostly from developing countries for 20 years. We learn what is going on in their countries through personal narratives, as you do. If you'd like to see our bibliography, please email me at lkaldi@hotmail.com. Thanks. Leita Kaldi Davis
Thanks, Leita Kaldi! That sounds fascinating — I will drop you an email now.
Hello Tabatha I really enjoy your newsletter and recommendations for books. I am not able to read all of the book mentioned now but some do strike a chord and I will aim to read them later. I am wondering whether you think the book about the Indian children is also suitable for teenagers? I haven't read it yet but am I right in thinking that there may be shades of the classic German book Emil and the Detectives where a group of youngsters catch a thief. The subtext of the novel deals with life in 30's Germany. Thank you very much for keeping me up to date with your suggestions.
Thanks, Gaby! I'd say that Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line is definitely suitable for teenagers. I'm not familiar with Emil and the Detectives, but it sounds interesting — I'll have to check it out.
Hello Tabatha thanks for your reply. I think I will read this book first and then get it for my 13 year old grandson who is into reading in a big way. I am currently reading Kamila Shamsie Home Fire. It's set in Northampton USA and London and deals with female struggle within the faith. I'm not sure whether you know it already or have even talked about it before. Love your site. Literature is so important,.
I loved this book abs was thinking of recommending it to you when I saw it was on your list already. As an avid reader & Australian living in Finland, I’m looking forward to getting your newsletters now I’ve found you 🙂 (I also highly recommend ‘Ice’ by Ulla-Lena Lundberg from the Åland Islands where I live)
It’s a great book, I’m glad you enjoyed it too. And thanks for the recommendation — I visited the Åland Islands last summer and had the best time ever 💛
I liked this book a lot even if the 'whodunit' is hardly a whodunit at all. I guessed whodunit very early on and I'm really bad at guessing that kind of thing. The book is really good on coercive control and abusive relationships.
Ooh sounds great! I’ll check it out — thanks.
Thank you 💛
Thanks for reading, Cheryl-Lee!