Last week, in my capacity as learning support teacher, I taught a lesson to the whole grade 4 cohort about my book project. Why you might ask. The Grade 4s are looking at why we read. I presented my project and blog then set them on their own discovery task, linked here. Thanks to the … Continue reading End of the road!
Holland 🇳🇱: The Tree and The Vine by Dola de Jong, tr. by Kristen Gehrman
In a Nutshell: First published in Dutch in 1954, The Tree and The Vine was regarded as groundbreaking and controversial. I read about this book, along with Nine Moons thanks to the wonderful online magazine, Words without Borders. Set in Amsterdam in 1938, the novel explores the tumultuous relationship between two very different women. In the shadow of the Nazi … Continue reading Holland 🇳🇱: The Tree and The Vine by Dola de Jong, tr. by Kristen Gehrman
Sudan 🇸🇩: Thirteen Months of Sunrise by Rania Mamoun, tr. Elizabeth Jaquette
In a Nutshell: Thirteen Months of Sunrise depicts the lives of ordinary people living in contemporary Sudan. It is a slim collection of 10 short stories. My personal favourite was the first and the story that gives the collection its title. Themes: Isolation, urban living, human experience, love. A Quote: “Perhaps the abaya I was wearing … Continue reading Sudan 🇸🇩: Thirteen Months of Sunrise by Rania Mamoun, tr. Elizabeth Jaquette
Czech Republic 🇨🇿 : Europe Must be for the 99 Per Cent by Apolena Rychliková, tr. by Julia Sherwood, in Europa 28: Writing by Women on the Future of Europe, edited by Sophie Hughes and Sarah Cleave
An Overview: Europa 28 is a brilliant anthology of essays, short stories and play excerpts from women writers, artists, scientists, entrepeneurs and dreamers. In this anthology, one woman from each of the EU states, including the UK, shares their vision for the future of Europe, hence the title Europa 28. Who would have thought a book on … Continue reading Czech Republic 🇨🇿 : Europe Must be for the 99 Per Cent by Apolena Rychliková, tr. by Julia Sherwood, in Europa 28: Writing by Women on the Future of Europe, edited by Sophie Hughes and Sarah Cleave
Armenia 🇦🇲: Three Apples Fell from the Sky by Narine Abgaryan, tr. Lisa.C. Hayden
I read this book during last year's #WomenInTranslation Month (August 2021), a tradition started 10 years ago by Meytal Radzinki. It is thanks to Meytal and the #WIT twitter community that I have read as many books as I have. If you are on Twitter, look for the hashtag #WiTmonth and follow people like TranslateWomen, MillieMargretta and Read_WIT and @GlobalLitIn. It is especially … Continue reading Armenia 🇦🇲: Three Apples Fell from the Sky by Narine Abgaryan, tr. Lisa.C. Hayden
Montenegro 🇲🇪: Catherine the Great and the Small by Olja Knežević, tr. by Paula Gordon and Ellen Elias-Bursać
In a Nutshell: This is a book about the life of Catherine. Split into two sections: Catherine the Small is about her childhood and youth growing up in Montenegro and then studying/living in Belgrade, Serbia. The second half, entitled Catherine the Great is about her time as a mother and wife. The novel takes us … Continue reading Montenegro 🇲🇪: Catherine the Great and the Small by Olja Knežević, tr. by Paula Gordon and Ellen Elias-Bursać
Serbia 🇷🇸: Feminine Genealogy by Ljiljana Habjanović Djurović
In a Nutshell: I found this wonderful read thanks to a recommendation from my friend, Anja. I read this on my kindle. This multigenerational novel tells the story of five female generations, within the same family, told from the perspective of Iva, who’s the youngest of the five generations. The feminine genealogy goes from Krstinja, … Continue reading Serbia 🇷🇸: Feminine Genealogy by Ljiljana Habjanović Djurović
Tajikistan 🇹🇯: Tales of Grandma Gulsifat by Gulsifat Shakhidi, tr. Tatyana Kinzhalova
In a Nutshell: This book is a bilingual selection of fairy tales in Russian and English. Themes: Love, family, identity and traditions. A Quote: “There is a voice they call bel canto, but you are ‘bel catto’.” An Observation: I loved the children reviews at the end of the English version, these were left on the … Continue reading Tajikistan 🇹🇯: Tales of Grandma Gulsifat by Gulsifat Shakhidi, tr. Tatyana Kinzhalova
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Cat Who Saved Books
A quiet hero’s journey for YA readers, The Cat Who Saved Books tells the story of high-schooler Rintaro Natsuki, a shy hikikomori (shut-in). When the story begins, Rintaro’s beloved grandfather and guardian has just died, leaving him the owner of his grandfather’s secondhand bookstore. The description of Rintaro’s feelings about his grandfather’s death are poignant, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Cat Who Saved Books
Belarus 🇧🇾: Last Witnesses: Unchildlike Stories by Svetlana Alexievich, tr. Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky
In a Nutshell: This book was published in 1986 and it was translated into English and published a couple of years ago. It tells the story of the children, now adults, who survived the Nazi invasion on the eastern front of WW2. This book documents the memories of children who survived. Over 100 testimonies, which … Continue reading Belarus 🇧🇾: Last Witnesses: Unchildlike Stories by Svetlana Alexievich, tr. Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 