July /august round up
31 Aug 2011 12 Comments
in round up Tags: 2011, round up, TRANSLATIONS
Well I missed July’s wrap up of reads so you’ve a bumper edition this time .I ve read a few more english and american books in last two months than normal, but will be back on translations for next couple of months .So here is the list of what I ve read in last couple of months in no particular order -
- Phantoms of Breslau by Marek Krajewski (Poland)
- The violins of Saint Jacques by Patrick Leigh Fermor (England)
- Vox by Nicholson Baker (America)
- Three men in a boat by Jerome K. Jerome (England)
- Half blood blues by Esi Edugyan(Canada)
- Vile bodies by Evelyn Waugh (England)
- The tears of autumn by Charles Mccarry(America)
- Dart by Alice Oswald(England)
- Down the rabbit Hole by Juan Pablo Villalobos(Argentina)
- Until thy wrath be past by Asa Larson (Sweden)
- The stranger’s child by Alan Hollinghurst(England)
- U&I by Nicholson Baker (America)
- Ashes by Sergios Gakas (Greece)
- All the lights by Clemens Meyers(Germany)
- Good offices by Evelio Rosero (Columbia)
- The manual of darkness by Enrique de Heriz(Spain)
- The milkman in the night by Andrey Kurkov (Ukraine)
- I the supreme ny Augusto Roa Bastos (Paraguay)
- Corrections by Thomas Bernard(Austria)
- Exiled from almost everywhere by Juan Goytisolo(Spain)
- the sense of an ending by Julian Barnes(England)
So that is it 21 in two months taking the total for the year to 85 books which is exactly same as August last year .I ve read lot english books but going be posting them in between translations reviews for a while .Off the books read the Phantoms of Breslau and down the rabbit hole were my huge favourites .I read three longlisted booker of them the stranger’s child was just my favourite .What you’ve read recently ?
plans for next month well I m reading very short novellas next couple of weeks to give me things to review whilst I make my way through the 1100 plus pages of Parallel stories from the end of the month and I think it will take a month to read with some other books thrown in .What are your plans for September ?
June round up – half year round up and July plans
04 Jul 2011 18 Comments
Well I m a bit late doing this ,but this is due to my darling wife needing a minor op over the weekend so time for blogging has been none unfortunately ,but did read some books as I was waiting with her .so June I managed to get through ten books last month with a few on go as well so the books are -
- beauty and the inferno by Roberto Saviano (italy)
- The skating rink by Roberto Bolano (chile)
- The new Moscow philosophy by Vyacheslaw Pyetdukh (Russia)
- As though she were sleeping by Elias Khoury (Lebanon)
- Antipodes by Ignacio Padilla (Mexico)
- Lizkla and her men by Alexander Ikonnikov (Russia)
- Please look after mother by Kyung-Sook Shin(South Korea)
- Hear the wind sing by Haruki Murakami(Japan)
- Waiting for the wild beasts to vote by Ahmadou Kourouma(Ivory Coast)
- Hidden camera by Zoran Zivkovic(Serbia ) -started in may finished today but due at library so put in june’s total
So that is it nine countries read and to be truthful hard to pick a favourite this month as they were all good in their own ways but I ll say the beauty and the inferno is a book we should all read .As for the state of the blog I m trying to get regular post’s and finding it harder this year need to find my mojo again .
Total so far for the year is 64 the same as June last year so still on course to match last years total as I read more in summer any way like reading in natural light easier on my eyes .
Half year -
Well I ve read books from 26 countries so far this year which keeps up the Idea behind Winston’s dad bring the world through the everyman ,I ve had a number of great interviews so far this year this is something I m going to carry on doing mainly round translation .I m worried I ve lost some consistency with posting this is due to my poor time management I need to work on this as I ve a huge pile of unreview books backing up ,I feel my posts are getting slightly better I ll never be a star but I m trying to make them more than earlier reviews .so if you’ve any thought tell me .thanks for following my blog .
July’s plans -
Well I m going to read a number of english , american and ANZ fiction books in July and August .I ve books I brought piling up and a few I ve been sent ,some I think will be in Booker long list due in three weeks ,plus want to read USA by John Dos Passos to give me time to catch up on reviews at well over a 1000 pages it will take me two weeks time to catch up I think .
What are your plans ?
May round up
01 Jun 2011 24 Comments
Well I ve had a great month reading if not blogging ,I ve got through a lot of books or at least it seems that was -
- The painter of signs by R K Narayan (india)
- various authors – fiction desk collection
- Tarantula by Thierry Jonquet (france)
- Red April by Santiago Roncagliolo (Peru)
- Caesarian by Tommy Wiernga (Netherlands)
- Tomorrow Pamplona by Jan Van Merbergen (Netherland)
- The foxes come at night and other stories by Cees Nooteboom(Netherland)
- The most Beautiful walk in the world by John Baxter(Australia)
- The upright piano player by David Abbott(UK)
- Solibo Maginficent by Patrick Chamoiseau (Martinique)
- Sunlight on cold water by Francoise Sagan (France)
- The marquise of O by Heinrich Von Kleist (Germany)
- Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck (germany)
I ve not review dutch books saving them for Iris Dutch reading Month .Managed to get all the IFFP books read this month ,look forward to next years long and short list books ,if there as good as this years we re in for a real treat .
Total so far this year 54 books this year which is same as this time last year .so still on course for 130ish book
Book of the Month is Tomorrow Pamplona a book I can’t wait to tell you about next month .As part of Iris Dutch book month plus hope to have a couple of great interviews with people involved in Dutch literature .
April round up
01 May 2011 18 Comments
Another month flown by here ,been very busy on other things had ball for work also a funeral which was a upsetting event .On a happier note had family visit ,well what did I read ?
- Kamachatka by Marcelo Figureas .
- I curse the river by Per Peterson
- The sickness by Alberto Barrera Tyszka.
- The museum of innocecne by Orhan Pamuk.
- The secret history of Costaguana by Juan Gabriel Vasquez
- Nostromo by Joseph Conrad.
- The anatomy of a moment by Javier Cercas .
- Tiger wife by Tea Obreht .
- the rest is silence by Carla Golfenbein .
- Kye by Lukas Tomin.
I spent lot time in latin america last month with 5 books of the ten connected to latin america ,My favourite was Kamatchatka .
as for year totals
books read in 2011 -41 books – little behind last year but not that worried had lot on this month .
Plans for may -
I ve a number of library books that are near renewal end so need to read them ,also a couple more from iffp shortlist to read .
What plans have you got for may reading wise ?
winston’s round up was it a mad march here !
31 Mar 2011 2 Comments
in round up Tags: 2011, round up
Well we’re three months in to 2011 and like last month I ve been very stop start with blog and reading but managed to get these read -
- A rift in time by Raja shehadeh (Palenstine)
- Cheating at canasta by William Trevor (Ireland)
- The tree and other stories by Abdallah al-Nasseur (Saudi Arabia)
- Monsieur pain bu Roberto Bolano (chile)
- Blood sister by Alessandro Perissnotto(Italy)
- Pinball 1973 by Haruki Murkami (Japan)
- While the women are sleeping by Javier Marias (Spain)
- Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred doblin (Germany)
- Monsieur Linh and his child by Philipe Claudel (France)
- The particular sadness of lemon cakes by Amiee Bender(U.S)
- The possessed by Elif Batumann (turkish/US)
In middle of
- tigers wife by tea Obert
- Cloudstreet by Tim Winton
- Ten stories about smoking by Stuart Evers
- Kamchatka by Marcelo Figueras
hope finish these this week then got most of Independent foreignfiction prize longlist to read ,also one from the 12 to watch list a chilean novel and a novel set in cyprus .so with longer nights be reading more hopefully
Year to date -
31 books bit behind my plan for 140 this year but 2 more than this time last year so doing well .
Favourite -
A book I waited to get my hands on and was happy I did !
Febuary round up and march plans
01 Mar 2011 17 Comments
in round up Tags: 2011, round up
I ve let foot of the pedal so to speak this month not blogged a lot or read a lot ,also a family bereavement this last weekend knocked me for six .I hope to get back to full steam this month .so last month -
- the gospel of anarchy by Justin Taylor (us)
- Death and the penguin by Andrey Kurkov (Ukraine)
- The falafel king is dead by Sara Shilo (Israeli)
- The children of rain by Amelie Nothomb (Belgian)
- Saplings by Noel Streatfield (UK)
- Next world novella by Mathias Politycki (German )
- Flypaper by Robert Musil (German)
- The queens necklace by Italio Calvino (Italy)
Well that’s 8 books not a lot but I’ve not had time last month with work and family time .
That brings total to 20 this year .
March plans
I ve two projects to get off the ground the village reading challenge and men’s book reading list ,so be working on them .I m doing a week near end of month for the penguin mini classics as I ve now seven to read from round the world .
January round up and feb plans
31 Jan 2011 8 Comments
in round up Tags: 2011, round up
Well that flew by doesn’t seem five minutes since new years day and here I am at the last day of the month well ,I ve read a lot of Italian novels this month as planned .so here is what I read this month
- 2666 by Roberto Bolano (Chile)
- Hare with amber eyes by Edmund du Waal (uk)
- Norwegian wood by Haruki Murakami (Japan)
- Khirbet Khizeh by s. Yihzar (Israeli)
- If on a winter’s night a traveller by Italo Calvino (Italy)
- The Luneberg variation by Paulo Mauersig (italy)
- The leopard by Giuseppe Di Thomas (Italy)
- Foucault’s Pendulum by Umberto Eco (Italy)
- The tartar steppe by Dino Buzzati (Italy)
- The fugitive by Massimo Carlotto (Italy)
- A song for carrying water ,collected Somalia tales (Somalia)
- My dead dad was in ZZ top by Jon Claser(us)
Twelve books was three better than Last January and enough to keep me on track ,need to catch up on reviews but time has got best of me this weekend .
Favourites -
2666 & if on a winter night a traveller – two modern great that I d been scared of reading but enjoyed both for different reasons both still have me thinking 2666 in particular as I struggle to capture what I felt for the book .
February plans -
The country of focus this month is South africa ,I plan to tackle some more african books this month as well and another Bolano and Murakami ,Plus planning for a special announcement that will come tomorrow and be planned over next month ready for March .
What did you read last Month ?
winstons round up
19 Jan 2011 4 Comments
in round up Tags: 2011, prize winners, round up
A quick round of some things going on I ve seen around web and on twitter and a e-mail I was sent about a new translation .
New Julio Cortazar prose piece -I received a e-mail from Guernica magazines poetry editor telling me about Anne Maclean’s new Julio Cortazar translation of Prose from the observatory ,A extract is on Guernica here ,well worth a look the book is published later this year on archipelago books in june .
Prize news -The new panel for this years Independent foreign fiction prize 2011 the are .
The judges for this year’s prize are:
- Harriett Gilbert, writer, academic and broadcaster
- Author, M J Hyland
- Catriona Kelly, writer and Professor of Russian at the University of Oxford
- Novelist and reviewer, Neel Mukherjee
- Boyd Tonkin, Literary Editor of theIndependent
A diverse list of Judges my only Gripe with the prize is it name a little to long maybe a catchy replacement needed and fact it needs a high-profile with the reading public this year booktrust are running it hope they promote it more than in past years it need it long list out in march I will be sure to list this is my favourite prize .
Next week sees the three percent long list for best translated book award ,the american cousin to our Independent prize on 27th I will post the long list when I find it out and link to any books I ve reviewed .
Google word search – Is google Ngram view that will graph a words popularity from 1860 til now on a graph ,this uses the 6 million books google have scanned and can use fiction and non fiction for your search have fun .
November round up
04 Dec 2010 6 Comments
book of the month .
Well I ve let the blog go a bit to pot this month and also my reading .hope to make up this month on blogging and reading .I ve read this month .
- City pick amsterdam edited by Heather Reyes and Victor Schiferi .
- Autonauts of the cosmoroutes by Julio Cortazar and Carol Dunlop.
- Purge by Sofi Oskannen .
- three trapped tigers by G Cabrera Infante .
- Tail of the Blue Bird by Nii Ayikwei Parkes.
- ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco
- windows on the world by Frederic Beigbeder
- A buyers market by Anthony Powell .
- The book of chamleons by Jose Eduardo Agualusa .
That is 9 in all the least for some months ,I m not a winter person and hate dark nights so have been reading less .
Challenges -
books for the year 119 want to read hundred but passed that a while ago hope to finsh with over 125 .
around the world in 52 books 20/52 one more from orginal list read .
Next month Novella reading first weekend and want to clear library pile that has built up .and finsh year reading 2666 .
OCTOBER ROUND UP
31 Oct 2010 16 Comments
in reading challenge, round up Tags: 2010, TRANSLATIONS
A busy month here manage to clear some of my back reviews still got some to write ,I ve struggle to blog sometimes this month due to work as there has been a shortage of staff thus my workload has increased ,well here is what I managed to read .
- the bad girl by Mario Vargas Llosa .
- Traveller to the east by Thomas Molfo
- I saw Ramallah by Mourid Barghouti
- the life of an unkown man by Andrei Makine
- The weekend by Bernhard Schlink
- Three seconds by Roslund and hellstrom
- The end by Salvatore Scibona
- To the end of the land by David Grossman
- Urn Burial by Sir Thomas Browne
- The haunting of hill house by Shirley Jackson
- The hound of the baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
well eleven this month not bad as have been busy at work ,the challenges for the year .Book of the month well two the Schlink and Grossman
100 books in a year -110/100
52 books 19/52
well passed a hundred and add one to my around world in 52 books ,got few more countries down on blog this month taking total up to 56 .
NOVEMBER PLANS
Well November plans ,well I’ve got lot library books need reading ,a Henrich boll ,three Ghanian books ,purge sofi Oskana among them so want clear them near start then end of month want to read some more Bolano have Amulet ,getting Skating rink and maybe another as I plan to read 2666 over christmas .
What your November plans ?
