I first read this in French so the quotes below are in French, I have also included the quotes from the translation. In a Nutshell: Sexe et Mensonges (Sex and Lies) is about what it is to be a woman in Morocco today, this isn’t an academic study, but a series of interviews with mostly … Continue reading Day 9: 🇲🇦 Sex and Lies
Day 8: 🇦🇷The German Room
In a Nutshell: The German Room transported me to another place, it had notes of (Elena) Ferrante, Murakami and (Mario) Benedetti in this wonderful novel. The narrator of the novel is pregnant, she lives in Buenos Aires but escapes to her childhood home, the German city of Heidelberg to escape and clear her head. Heidelberg … Continue reading Day 8: 🇦🇷The German Room
Day 7: 🇨🇺 Havana Year Zero
After reading two brilliant books from Charco Press last summer: The German Room by Carla Maliandi ( tr. Frances Riddle) and Holiday Heart by Margarita GarcÃa Robayo (tr. Charlotte Coombe). I decided to subscribe to their 2021 bundle. Charco Press is a small indie publisher, based in Edinburgh, that brings Latin American contemporary writers to … Continue reading Day 7: 🇨🇺 Havana Year Zero
Day 6: ðŸ‡ðŸ‡¹ Dance on the Volcano
Observations: Originally published in 1957 in French, this edition was translated by Kaiama L. Glover, a beautiful translation I may add. It was published in 2016 by Archipelago Books. I loved it, a period romp in places and at other times, a devastating tale of the impact colonialism has on nations like Haiti. In a … Continue reading Day 6: ðŸ‡ðŸ‡¹ Dance on the Volcano
Day 5: 🇫🇷 Mend the Living by Maylis de Kerangal, (tr.Jessica Moore)
Observations: There are two English translations of the novel, one for UK audiences (Mend the Living) and one for U.S. audiences (The Heart), which was published in the U.S. in 2017. The Wellcome Book prize rewards exceptional works of literature that illuminate the many ways that health, medicine and illness touch our lives. Mend the … Continue reading Day 5: 🇫🇷 Mend the Living by Maylis de Kerangal, (tr.Jessica Moore)
Day 4: 🇸🇻 Slash and Burn
In a Nutshell: Quite an intense reading experience. The book is written in the third person, yet at times it feels like it is almost in the first person. None of the characters are given names, and only one place, Paris, France, is referred to. It talks of the after-effects of El Salvador’s Civil War, … Continue reading Day 4: 🇸🇻 Slash and Burn
Day 3: 🇵🇹 Now and at the Hour of Our Death
And Other Stories is a small publishing house, publishing indie books translated into English. I decided to become a subscriber in 2019 and I also ordered a women-in-translation bundle. The women-in-translation bundle consisted of three books, one of them is Now and At the Hour of Our Death. This is a wonderful, life-affirming book. In … Continue reading Day 3: 🇵🇹 Now and at the Hour of Our Death
Day 2: 🇩🇿 Our Riches/A Bookshop in Algiers
A lot of my reading is accompanied by a snack or a good coffee. My edition of this book is called Our Riches but a new edition was released in May called A Bookshop in Algiers. In a Nutshell: Adimi was born in 1986, the same year as me! She was born in Algiers but … Continue reading Day 2: 🇩🇿 Our Riches/A Bookshop in Algiers
Day 1: 🇸🇳 So Long a Letter
So Long a Letter was the first book in my project. It came highly recommended by a friend. And what a delectable treat this 95 page novella was. In a Nutshell: So long a Letter (Une Si Longue Lettre) was published in 1979, the edition I read was published in 2008, this edition featured in … Continue reading Day 1: 🇸🇳 So Long a Letter
Introducing our #WITMonth guest editor, Jess Andoh-Thayre
Introducing our #WITMonth guest editor, Jess Andoh-Thayre My name is Jess Andoh-Thayre, 35, from London but currently living in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I am a French, Spanish and English teacher, translator, avid reader and now blogger. I am really excited about this year's #WITMonth, although this year I won't be able to read as much as normal … Continue reading Introducing our #WITMonth guest editor, Jess Andoh-Thayre
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 