Daughter of Ashes by Ilaria Tuti: Fierce heroine’s finale
Daughter of Ashes is the third and final title in Ilaria Tuti’s gripping crime series starring the indomitable Superintendent Teresa Battaglia. Read our full review.
Translations
Man Down by Irma Venter (trans.) Review: Feisty suspense
Man Down (Rogue #2) by Irma Venter is an action-thriller with fascinating feisty female leads and a laser-focused narrative. Read my full review. Man Down Synopsis In Irma Venter’s follow-up to the electric Hard Rain, Ranna Abramson returns home to the lion’s…
The Sleeping Nymph / Painted in Blood by Ilaria Tuti, Book Review
Ilaria Tuti’s The Sleeping Nymph (aka Painted in Blood) is a criminally good character-driven crime thriller and uniquely captivating historical mystery in translation. Read on for our full review. The Sleeping Nymph Book Synopsis In the highly anticipated follow-up to Flowers…
The Disaster Tourist by Yun Ko-eun, Review: Gristly food for thought
The Disaster Tourist by Yun Ko-eun is slim but impactful Korean literature… gristly food for thought for those planning post-pandemic travel itineraries. The Disaster Tourist Synopsis Yona has been stuck behind a desk for years working as a programming coordinator for…
Subhash Jaireth on Spinoza’s Overcoat: Travels with Writers & Poets
Today we welcome Subhash Jaireth, to discuss his new book Spinoza’s Overcoat: Travels with Writers and Poets, a collection of essays on the writers, and their writing, that have enriched his own life. Plus, thanks to Transit Lounge Publishing we have 2…
The Binder of Lost Stories by Cristina Caboni, Review: Bookish enchantment
The romantic bookish themes in Cristina Caboni’s The Binder of Lost Stories and dramatic quest to solve a historical puzzle will enchant readers. The Binder of Lost Stories Synopsis From internationally bestselling author Cristina Caboni comes an exquisite and engrossing novel…
AT DUSK by Hwang Sok-yong, Book Review
At Dusk won Hwang Sok-yong the Emile Guimet Prize for Asian Literature. At Dusk Synopsis: In the evening of his life, a wealthy man begins to wonder if he might have missed the point. Park Minwoo is, by every measure, a…
The Plotters by Un-su Kim, Review: Dark humour & contradiction
The Plotters Review: Un-su Kim’s absurdly humorous, evocative novel keeps readers on their toes, captivated by its kaleidoscopic contradictions. A rising star of Korean literature. The Plotters Synopsis Translated by Sora Kim-Russell The important thing is not who pulls the trigger but…
HOTEL SILENCE by Audur Ava Olafsdottir, Book Review
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir’s Hotel Silence (Winner of the Icelandic Literary Prize) features a perplexing protagonist and thought-provoking themes. Hotel Silence Synopsis: Jónas Ebeneser is a handy DIY kind of man with a compulsion to fix things, but he can’t seem to fix his…
The Red-Haired Woman by Orhan Pamuk, Review: Insightful
Orhan Pamuk’s latest novel The Red-Haired Woman — a beguiling mystery tale of family and romance, of east and west, tradition and modernity, by one of the great storytellers of our time. The Red-Haired Woman Synopsis From the Nobel Prize winner and…
SPRING GARDEN by Tomoka Shibasaki, Book Review
Spring Garden, winner of the Akutagawa Prize, is a sharp, photo-realistic novella of memory and thwarted hope. Spring Garden Synopsis: Divorced and cut off from his family, Taro lives alone in one of the few occupied apartments in his block, a…
FAMILIAR THINGS by Hwang Sok-yong, Book Review
Familiar Things by Hwang Sok-yong… A new novel from one of South Korea’s most celebrated contemporary writers. Familiar Things Synopsis: Seoul. On the outskirts of South Korea’s glittering metropolis is a place few people know about: a vast landfill site called…
Booklover Mailbox – Christoffer Carlsson, Hwang Sok-Yong and Lucy Ives
Three distinctly different titles this fortnight – two literary, two in translation, two yet to be released. October is the Coldest Month by Christoffer Carlsson Hot on the heels of his bestselling Scandinavian crime series featuring Leo Junker, Swedish author Christoffer…
FATAL CROSSING by Lone Theils, Review: Feisty heroine
Lone Theils’ Fatal Crossing is a page-turner with real grit, substance and a fantastic heroine. Read my full review. Fatal Crossing Book Synopsis When a picture of two Danish girls who disappeared on a boat bound for England in 1985 surfaces in an old…
THE HEN WHO DREAMED SHE COULD FLY by Sun-mi Hwang, Book Review
The 2 million-copy best-selling modern fable from Korea that won hearts around the world. The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly Synopsis This is the story of a hen named Sprout. No longer content to lay eggs on command only to have…
GOOD LUCK BAG & MOVING THE BIRDS by Mitsuyo Kakuta, Book Review
On the hunt for Japanese literature of a similar style to the works of Hiromi Kawakami, I found these delightful short stories (Kindle Singles) from the award-winning Mitsuyo Kakuta (English translation by Wayne P Lammers). Good Luck Bag Synopsis : From one…
