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
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 García 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: 🇭🇹 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: 🇭🇹 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
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 