Sayaka Murata’s “Convenience Store Woman” has become the book that has finally gotten me out of the book reviewing rut. Maybe because I got the chance to dive deeper into it during two different book club discussions, one in Paris and one in Barcelona, presenting me with the opportunity to hunt for hidden treasures beyond…
Category: TRANSLATED
Our Others – Olesya Yaremchuk
“Our Others” was the ninth book in the series of my personal quest to learn more about my native country, Ukraine. Previous ones that I have read ranged from fiction to non-fiction, written in English, German, Ukrainian and Russian: “Diary of an Invasion“, “Sommer in Odesa“, “You Don’t Know What War Is“, “A Ukrainian Christmas“,…
A Ukrainian Christmas – Yaroslav Hrytsak and Nadiyka Gerbish
This book and the experience of reading it is the perfect companion for the pre-Christmas time. It helps create a holiday atmosphere, inviting you with its stunning cover, enveloping you in interesting stories, as well as beautiful illustrations by Ukrainian artists. Even though the focus is set on Ukraine, it’s generally extremely informative about all…
Happening – Annie Ernaux
I have first come across Annie Ernaux’s writing through her book “The Years“ which has been picked to be read by the “Barcelona Women’s Book Club” in September of 2023. Once I got through that one, I was instantly looking forward to get to some more books of the author’s soon. Luckily, “Happening” was chosen…
Elena Knows – Claudia Piñeiro
This book had everything I could have wished for from a piece of fiction and more, so this was a strong 5/5 ★ read for me! It had beautiful style, a captivating story, well developed characters (especially considering over how few pages the story stretched) and some really important themes that have been tackled. You…
I Feel Bad About My Neck – Nora Ephron
Having picked this book to read more about the topic of aging, how women deal with it and how they experience it, I can’t say that I ended up being a fan of it… It started with an intro by Dolly Alderton that went on and on without adding any value and it went over…
You Don’t Know What War Is – Yeva Skalietska
Even before going into this book I had some doubts about it and unfortunately they only got confirmed. I only pushed my way through it because I already had it standing on my bookshelf at home and I unfortunately haven’t checked its reviews before buying it. I’m rating this book with 1/5 ★ because I…
The Woman Destroyed – Simone de Beauvoir
I have previously shied away from books by Simone de Beauvoir, thinking that they would be too complicated or too philosophical for me, so it was only thanks to a book club in Barcelona that I got my hands on a novel by the author. Three short stories make up the entirety of the book,…
Drive your Plow over the Bones of the Dead – Olga Tokarczuk
After having previously read Olga Tokarczuk’s book “Flights” with a book club in Paris and having rated it with 2/5 ★ I didn’t think that I would read anything else by the author after it. But here we are again, a book club in Barcelona having chosen “Drive your Plow over the Bones of the…
The Flaw – Antonis Samarakis
With this book I definitely had the case where I fell in love with the book cover but was disappointed with its content. Having been attracted to the beautiful edition in a bookstore in Athens, I was expecting a bit more from a book that was advertised as having been translated into more than thirty…
The Years – Annie Ernaux
This book will probably be one of those that I will pick up again and again throughout the years. The sheer amount of passages that I highlighted speaks for itself (as you can see on the photo in the bottom of the post). From stylistically beautiful phrases, to clever observations or reflections on life as…
My Name is Red – Orhan Pamuk
This book has got to be the worst one I have read in 2023. Having started reading it in November 2022, it took me three attempts to finally finish it. When starting reading it for the third time, my only personal motivation was to prove my perseverance and my patience by fighting my way through…
Greek Lessons – Han Kang
This was the second book that I read by Han Kang, after previously reading “The Vegetarian” in 2019, which I rated with 4/5 ★. Even though I still have the author’s two other books, “The White Book” and “Human Acts” on my “to-read” list, I’m starting to think that the author might just not be…
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running – Haruki Murakami
I have been curious about this book for years already but have never gotten around reading it earlier because I wasn’t sure whether I would find it interesting enough, not being a runner myself. It ended being much more generally philosophical, speaking a lot about the process of writing, similar to Murakami’s latest book, “Novelist…
Novelist as a Vocation – Haruki Murakami
Having marked the release date of this book months in advance, finally being able to anticipate reading something new written by Murakami, I was more than satisfied by “Novelist as a Vocation”. It gave such an intimate insight into the author’s life, how he became a writer and how he manages to continue being one….
From Scratch – Tembi Locke
Having received “From Scratch” as a suggestion from a friend who watched and loved the Netflix series, I decided to go ahead with reading the book first. This was the best choice I could have made since I really enjoyed the book and wish I could unsee the series. It was made in a completely…
Heaven – Mieko Kawakami
Having read this book for a book club in Barcelona, getting through it was a bit of a struggle. It simply didn’t draw me in to continue reading it, which might have been linked to the distant way it was written. What it did do though, was open up an intensely emotional world for the…
Ikigai – Hector García and Francesc Miralles
“Ikigai” might be a good book for those who are currently struggling with finding meaning in their lives. It’s quite compact, being just about 185 pages long, and it is mostly filled with little tips inspired by places in Japan on how to live a long and happy life. Having previously read David A. Sinclair’s…
Untold Day and Night – Bae Suah
My choice of this book has been influenced by “bookstagram”, having first seen it there and having been intrigued by the cover. In this case the judgement by the cover was successful! During this short read when I got through the 150 pages in just a couple of days, I was mesmerised by the writing….
Open Heart – Elie Wiesel
This was the first book I was able to read through ever since the start of the full scale war in Ukraine, on the 24th of February 2022. I was looking for something humane, something warm and touching, something that would be inspiring and Elie’s story about life after having survived Holocaust hit the right…
Das Licht – T. C. Boyle
Es scheint so, als ob mir dieses Buch über den Weg gelaufen ist, um mir eine Lektion zu erteilen… Dass ich endlich aufhören sollte, in Airbnbs hinterlassene Bücher zu lesen, mit der Hoffnung dadurch über einen verborgenen 5/5 ★ Schatz zu stolpern. Es ist das zweite Buch, das ich von T. C. Boyle gelesen habe…
Strangers – Taichi Yamada
“Strangers” was one of those books that has been left behind by another traveler on the shelf of an Airbnb apartment. Me, always being curious about what kind of reads others bring along on their vacations, decided to take it along for a couple of days at the beach. As it says in the reviews…
Der Klang der Wälder – Natsu Miyashita
Natsu Miyashitas Buch schafft vor allem eines hervorragend – eine besondere Stimmung zu zaubern. Im Vergleich zum raschen und gestressten Alltag bietet einem die Geschichte in “Der Klang der Wälder” eine Oasis der Ruhe und des Rückzugs. Ich habe mich jedes Mal aufs Neue darauf gefreut, in das Buch einzutauchen, was auch durch die wunderschöne…
The Book Collectors of Daraya – Delphine Minoui
Within this book, the reporter Delphine Minoui tells the story of an underground library that has been created within the Syrian town of Daraya, despite the constant bombings and a state of terror the inhabitants were surrounded by, day in, day out. The focus is placed upon both the founders of this library, as well…
If I Had Your Face – Frances Cha
This book was the first one that I read that gave an insight into South Korean life and its culture. By the time I was done with it though, it has left me longing for more. More depth, to be more stylistically impressive and to be able to see more development of the characters. It…
Dependency – Tove Ditlevsen
The third and final part of Tove Ditlevsen’s autobiography almost draws you into a dependency to it until you turn the very last page. After a less engaging middle part, “Youth”, this one has definitely left me under an impactful impression. Just as the title suggests it, this part of the story deals with the…
Youth – Tove Ditlevsen
As much as I have absolutely fallen in love with “Childhood”, Tove Ditlevsen’s first part of her autobiographical trilogy, “Youth” simply didn’t manage to measure up to its standards. The second part of her memoir circles around the author’s teenager into early adulthood years, which are narrated in a much less introspective and reflected kind…
Childhood – Tove Ditlevsen
Here is a case where judging a book by its cover has gone well for me 😉 Never having heard of the author Tove Ditlevsen before, I have discovered this trilogy, Childhood making up the first book of it, on…. Bookstagram! (aka some accounts posting book content on instagram) I was tempted to purchase this…
The Discomfort of Evening – Marieke Lucas Rijneveld
I have recently been quite spoiled by 5/5 ★ books and “The Discomfort of Evening” was a very welcome addition into that category! It was a well deserved winner of the International Booker Prize in 2020, in my point of view, and I was really glad to have come across it thanks to that award….
The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree – Shokoofeh Azar
The choice in order to purchase this book and to suggest it to my local book club was a personal one. Ever since having traveled to Iran and having heard about people’s experiences living there after the Revolution, I was curious to read more about it. What I’ve been repeatedly confronted with, were the views…
The Hidden Life of Trees – Peter Wohlleben
What started off as an incredibly interesting book filled with completely new information for me, didn’t quite manage to hold that level until the very end. Nevertheless, I still considered it to be a more or less enjoyable read. I really appreciated the sense of humour of the author throughout the writing and the short…
Mr. Gwyn – Alessandro Baricco
I read the German translation of “Mr. Gwyn” by Annette Kopetzki and I’ve got to say that after this first book as an intro to the author, I’m very curious about discovering other novels by Alessandro Baricco! I got through “Mr. Gwyn” in almost just a single day, one reason being that I was stuck…
Life for Sale – Yukio Mishima
I thought that this book was absolutely beautiful. Swaying back and forth between 4 and 5 out of 5 stars, I finally settled for the highest grade. It’s an extremely short and easy read, but nevertheless executed perfectly by the author. I loved the way it was structured with short chapters that made you want…
Flights – Olga Tokarczuk
Having picked up the book for an upcoming book club but most of all having been curious about it because of Olga Tokarczuk having received the Nobel Prize for Literature, I’ve got to say that I was underwhelmed to say the least. Personally, getting through this book was a pain… I didn’t feel motivated to…
Delta of Venus – Anaïs Nin
Finishing up this book, I’ve had a bit of mixed feelings about it. All in a all, I think I’m just generally not really into reading erotica. I’d rather do it myself than read about it 🤷🏻♀️🤭 Nevertheless, it can be said that it is written in such a way that it would be appealing…
Lullaby – Leïla Slimani
The story instantly whips you up into hyper awareness with the way that it starts, announcing the tragic ending on the first couple of pages. The fact that it still makes you want to read on and understand the whole story, is definitely a sign of great writing! The style was simply impeccable, simple, yet…
Submission – Michel Houellebecq
This is definitely the worst book I have read this year (and it also comes close to probably being one of the worst books I’ve ever read in my entire life). To start off, I absolutely don’t understand the hype and the buzz around Michel Houellebecq. To me, he comes off as a completely arrogant…
The End of Eddy – Édouard Louis
I would give “The End of Eddy” a rating rating of at most 2,5 out of 5 stars. The book simply wasn’t long enough to get attached to it or to understand the characters. Somehow the story felt like it was being suffocated, that it didn’t have enough space and enough pages to unfold itself…
Killing Commendatore – Haruki Murakami
After having put two non-enjoyable books behind me, I do have to say that as usual to Murakami’s style, this story simply flowed with ease. When you sat down with the book, you were softly enveloped into a different world and the storyline unfolded with ease. Nevertheless, I do have to say that “Killing Commendatore”…
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World – Haruki Murakami
I have recently found out how I can explain Murakami’s style to people who haven’t read any of his work yet – you could compare him to Dali or Magritte in the world of artists. He’s the surrealist of the writers, constructing unbelievable worlds, at times disturbing, at others completely mesmerising. This book was no…
God Save la France – Stephen Clarke
Picking up “God Save la France” for the second time but in its French translation to practice my language skills has only left me disappointed. I remember rating “A Year in the Merde” as one of my favourite books after finishing it, laughing out loud while going through it and finishing it in a flash…
Le K – Dino Buzzati
This being the first encounter with Dino Buzzati’s work, I was definitely positively surprised, judging by the fact of how I chose to buy the book. It has been standing around on my bookshelf for at least five-six years, having picked it up in a little French town from a shelf outside on the street,…
Le Livre des Étreintes – Eduardo Galeano
Reading this one in French has definitely been a challenge, so I would suggest you to read it in a language you feel at ease with. I felt a bit conflicted with my general opinion about the book: It has helped me in moments I have been feeling completely and absolutely down. I was literally…
À propos d’un gamin (About a Boy) – Nick Hornby
Out of the 3 Nick Hornby books that I’ve read, this was definitely the one that I hated the least 😁 The characters were better developed, in my opinion, than the ones in “A Long Way Down” or “High Fidelity”. Nevertheless, what seemed to have mainly elevated the rating, was the fact of imagining Hugh…
Underground – Haruki Murakami
Murakami’s “Underground” has definitely nothing to do with the author’s other works of fiction. Nevertheless I mostly reached out for the book because of Murakami – I didn’t end up being completely disappointed but it also wasn’t a groundbreaking book in my opinion, therefore the 3 out of 5 stars rating. What I read out…
Vous descendez? (A Long Way Down) – Nick Hornby
The only reason why I keep on reaching out to Nick Hornby’s books is the fact that I’ve got them standing around in French on my bookshelf. In my opinion, that’s also the only plausible reason to read them – translated from English into other languages to learn those foreign language, since the style and…
A Strangeness in My Mind – Orhan Pamuk
Going through my second Orhan Pamuk book, it once again had the effect of pulling you into a completely different world and making you feel as if you’ve known the characters for years. The way it’s written is absolutely effortless and the transitions of seeing the story from different people’s perspectives gave it even more…
Chernobyl Prayer – Svetlana Alexievich
“Chernobyl Prayer” was one of those books that simply took you on an emotional roller-coaster ride while reading it. The collected stories would probably be the most authentic ones you’ll get to read when trying to find the real background stories of people affected by the Chernobyl disaster. With tears of sadness, feeling touched by…
The Dark Road – Ma Jian
Ma Jian’s story definitely gave an absolutely different perspective on China’s “one child policy” than what you would expect. The narrative proceeded in a way that felt a bit like a roller-coaster ride, which could be perceived from both a positive and a negative side. It didn’t manage to captivate your attention completely but nevertheless…
The Vegetarian – Han Kang
“The Vegetarian” was a short, yet an impactful read, which managed to grasp you emotionally if you opened up to the story. Regardless the name, the topic of vegetarianism, though playing a decisive role in the development of the story, was only a marginal one. It was much more of a tale of the freedom…
Scenes from Village Life – Amos Oz
Having previously read “My Michael” by Amos Oz and having immensely enjoyed it, I was excited about indulging in “Scenes from Village Life“. Even though a certain atmosphere was established through a particular warmness in the author’s style, it was a generally a disappointing read. This was a typical book which needed to be read…
The Prisoner of Heaven – Carlos Ruiz Zafón
I’ve heard a lot of praise for the works of Carlos Ruiz Zafón from friends who have read his books. “The Prisoner of Heaven” was picked up by chance at an airport, mostly because I was intrigued by the description on the back. The secret World of the Cemetery of Forgotten books, hidden in the…
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared – Jonas Jonasson
“The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared” turned out to be one of the worst books I have read in years. That’s what you get for trusting the bestseller list and giving this book with the weird title a chance. Books with 400 pages like this one I usually finish reading…
1Q84 – Haruki Murakami
This book leaves you off wanting more. It’s special. Just as so many of Haruki Murakami’s books, this one enveloped you in an extraordinary atmosphere, where you felt so close to the characters. It was a touching, but at the same time an exciting story. Once you started reading it, you simply didn’t want to…
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