In a Nutshell: When adult siblings, Liv, Ellen and Häkon, along with their partners and children, gather in Rome to celebrate their father’s 70th birthday, their lives are thrown into disarray when their parents announce that they have decided to divorce. It is told predominantly from the perspectives of the two sisters, Ellen and Liv … Continue reading Day 18: 🇳🇴 A Modern Family by Helga Flatland
Day 17: 🇦🇱 Sworn Virgin
In a Nutshell: Translated from the Italian and published by the independent publishing house, And Other Stories, there is a subtle musicality to this wonderful book. One of my favourites in a while. When Hana’s sick uncle calls her back from the capital to his home in the mountains of Northern Albania, he tries to … Continue reading Day 17: 🇦🇱 Sworn Virgin
Day 16: 🇦🇫 Washing the Dust from Our Hearts: Poetry and Prose from Writers of the Afghan Women’s Writing Project
An Observation: It seems a necessary entry in my book project given the situation in Afghanistan right now. Find out more about AWWP here: https://awwproject.org/ In a Nutshell: Washing the Dust from Our Hearts: Poetry and Prose is a bilingual anthology, it was first written in English then translated as a whole into Dari (Afghan … Continue reading Day 16: 🇦🇫 Washing the Dust from Our Hearts: Poetry and Prose from Writers of the Afghan Women’s Writing Project
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Good Night, Earth
A charming, offbeat picture book for ages 3-6, Good Night, Earth* flips the beloved childhood favorite, Goodnight, Moon, on its head in a delightful way by imagining the bedtime ritual of a far-off alien family. Using a telescope they see that: The axolotl is so, so tired. He swallows a gulp of fresh water and reads … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Good Night, Earth
Day 14: 🇯🇵Moshi Moshi
Moshi Moshi means hello in Japanese, can be used on the phone and in other contexts. Observations: In November 2017, we went on our honeymoon to Japan. Prior to flying there, I ordered a few books by a smattering of Japanese authors. Kitchen was one of them. Kitchen is probably Yoshimoto’s most famous work, however … Continue reading Day 14: 🇯🇵Moshi Moshi
Day 12: 🇲🇽 Tell Me How it Ends
In a Nutshell: Luiselli is a Mexican writer/journalist, who currently lives in New York City. Tell me How it Ends is about Luiselli’s experiences working as a volunteer for the Federal Courts in NYC. She interviews unaccompanied migrant children, she then translates and transcribes their interviews. A wonderful if sometimes harrowing read. Observations: This book … Continue reading Day 12: 🇲🇽 Tell Me How it Ends
Day 11: 🇵🇪 Nine Moons
In a Nutshell: Published by Restless Books, a US indie publisher and written in 2009, Nueve Lunas in Spanish, this wonderful essay collection was translated into English in 2019 by Jessica Powell. Each chapter is a month of Wiener’s pregnancy, she is from Lima, at athe time of writing the book, she was living in … Continue reading Day 11: 🇵🇪 Nine Moons
Day 10: 🇷🇼 Not my Time to Die
In a Nutshell: This was the first book to follow the full story of one person’s multifaceted experiences of genocide and it was also the first account authored by a Rwandan survivor. Yolande Mukagasana was a nurse before being hunted down, her husband and children were murdered but she survived. Observations: I read this book … Continue reading Day 10: 🇷🇼 Not my Time to Die
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Immortal Boy
What initially makes The Immortal Boy, written by Colombian author Francisco Montaña Ibáñez, stand out from other YA novels is its innovative dual language format. Published this year by Levine Querido, the book can be read in English or in Spanish, depending on how one holds the book. On one side, the reader can read … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Immortal Boy
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
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 