The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian
10 Oct, by in Adult Readers, Armenian American, Audio, European, Fiction
This, Chris Bohjalian's latest, is one to stick in the ears ...
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Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian
09 Oct, by in Adult Readers, Armenian American, Audio, European, Fiction, Jewish
Every so often, I seem to get on a specific reading spree on a topic not exactly of my choosing – that is, the books seem to serendipitously line up on their own. The latest batch of they-chose-me-titles have been set during the final brutal months...
Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
08 Oct, by in Adult Readers, British, European, Fiction
Confession: If I didn't have to read Elizabeth Wein's follow-up to her breath-wringing adventure, Code Name Verity, I would have kept Rose Under Fire under wraps, hidden somewhere amidst my must-read pile, and just be content with basking in the potential promise of a satisfying 'gawwww' sometime...
In the Sea There Are Crocodiles: Based on the true story of Enaiatollah Akbari by Fabio Geda, translated by Howard Curtis
01 Oct, by in Adult Readers, Afghan, Audio, European, Italian, Translation, Young Adult Readers
Although the cover bears the designation, "A Novel," Enaiatollah Akbari – whose name also appears on said cover (who is not the book's author, Fabio Geda) – is a real person. A kid, really. In case you need a face to place with the name, the back...
Beirut 1990: Snapshots of a Civil War by Sylvain Ricard, Bruno Ricard, illustrated by Christophe Gaultier, translated by Anna Provitola, edited by Alex Donoghue
27 Sep, by in Adult Readers, European, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Lebanese, Memoir, Nonfiction, Translation, Young Adult Readers
Almost a quarter century has passed since two French brothers – in their early 20s at the time – decided to visit their Aunt Thérèse in Lebanon. In September 1990, the country is a 15-year-old war zone, but the brothers plan to deliver supplies, medicine, and a...
The Magic Ball of Wool by Susanna Isern, illustrated by Nora Hilb, translated by Jon Brokenbrow
11 Sep, by in Children/Picture Books, European, Fiction, Translation
In my crotchety old age, sleep is a major challenge, so I usually end up taking a pile of must-reads to bed. In spite of the lack of zzzzs, my stacks aren't exactly shrinking, but how grateful am I to never be without bookish company...
My Father’s Arms Are a Boat by Stein Erik Lunde, Illustrated by Øyvind Torseter, translated by Kari Dickson
07 Sep, by in Absolute Favorites, Children/Picture Books, European, Fiction, Translation
A dear friend lost her mother this week; even if a parent is granted almost a century of life well lived, the surviving child's loss resonates for always. When a parent dies while the child is still very young, to understand and accept such loss...
Wolfsmund (vol. 1) by Mitsuhisa Kuji, translated by Ko Ransom
16 Aug, by in Adult Readers, European, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Translation, Young Adult Readers
The top of this debut volume proclaims, auf Deutsch, "Poesie des Widerstandes," or 'Poetry of the Resistors.' Poetry is certainly visible in the alpine landscapes and the swirling energy of the constant movement; most pronounced, however, is the tragedy of what happens across the panels...
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
12 Aug, by in Adult Readers, Audio, European, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific
Magic happens when narrator George Guidall says "and yet ...
The Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, translated by Lucia Graves
29 Jul, by in European, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Spanish, Translation, Young Adult Readers
The offer of a new job in a small resort town on the coast of Normandy allows the recently widowed Simone Sauvelle the chance for her and her two children to escape a poverty-stricken life in Paris. As the assistant to brilliant toymaker Lazarus Jann,...
Templar by Jordan Mechner, illustrated by LeUyen Pham & Alex Puvilland, color by Hilary Sycamore and Alex Campbell
05 Jul, by in Adult Readers, European, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Nonethnic-specific, Vietnamese American, Young Adult Readers
Ready for some swashbuckling adventure ...
Anatomy of a Disappearance by Hisham Matar
23 May, by in Adult Readers, Arab, Audio, British, Egyptian, European, Fiction, Middle Eastern
Hisham Matar's second novel (following his much-lauded, substantially-awarded debut, In the Country of Men) reads like a fast-moving dream, events jarringly, jaggedly forced together, and yet somehow managing to maintain a clear, thoughtful narrative. Narrator Steve West's methodically-paced, calmly-controlled voice imbues Matar's haunting story with dignity...
Thermae Romae II by Mari Yamazaki, translated by Stephen Paul
10 May, by in Adult Readers, European, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Translation, Young Adult Readers
To get to know our time-traveling bather, start with Volume I. When in Thermae Romae, you need to do as this Roman does and find out how he journeys back and forth between far-spanning centuries and cultures with one thing in common – an obsession with the...
Hello in There! A Big Sister’s Book of Waiting by Jo Witek, illustrated by Christine Roussey
02 May, by in Children/Picture Books, European, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific, Translation
For anyone with a child who will soon become an older sibling, this book is IT. And if that lucky elder happens to be a sister-in-waiting, this couldn't be more perfect. "You're in there and I'm out here, outside Mama's belly. I'm waiting for you!" the...
Thermae Romae I by Mari Yamazaki, translated by Stephen Paul
15 Mar, by in Adult Readers, European, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Translation, Young Adult Readers
Rome, 128 AD. Even back then architects had a hard time finding work. Poor, poor Lucius – in spite of his fancy Athens training, his designs are considered "half-baked," and he finds himself "blacklisted out of the industry." Instead of sulking, an old friend convinces him...
Odette’s Secrets by Maryann Macdonald
27 Feb, by in European, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Nonethnic-specific, Poetry, Verse Novel/Nonfiction, Young Adult Readers
I'm compelled to start backwards with a number: 84. As children's writer (more than 25 times over) Maryann Macdonald explains in her ending "Author's Note," 84% of French children survived the horrors of World War II; in fact, "more children survived in France than in any other...
The Word Collector by Sonja Wimmer, translated by Jon Brokenbrow
16 Nov, by in Children/Picture Books, European, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific
Admiring Ana A. de Eulate's The Sky of Afghanistan earlier this fall led me to Sonja Wimmer's spectacular art. Allow me a moment of WOW. I admit that finding only Wimmer's name on the cover of this title was the initial reason I opened these pages, and...
I Have the Right to Be a Child by Alain Serres, illustrated by Aurélia Fronty, translated by Helen Mixter
30 Oct, by in Children/Picture Books, European, Nonfiction, Translation
"I am a child / with eyes, hands, / a voice, a heart, and rights," opens this vibrant, translated import that provides a crucial reminder that even the smallest beings in the world have basic needs that deserve and demand to be addressed and met. Across...
Stories 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 by Eugène Ionesco, illustrated and translated by Etienne Delessert
24 Oct, by in Children/Picture Books, European, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Short Stories, Translation
How strange to admit that Dave Eggers taught me Eugène Ionesco – Mr. Theatre of the Absurd himself – wrote kiddie stories in addition to his dozens of plays (Rhinoceros, The Chairs, The Bald Soprano, being some of his signature pieces). Eggers founded McSweeney's which recently debuted McMullens,...
The Sky of Afghanistan by Ana A. de Eulate, illustrated by Sonja Wimmer, translated by Jon Brokenbrow
27 Sep, by in Afghan, Children/Picture Books, European, Fiction, Spanish, Translation
"I look at the sky, I close my eyes, / and my imagination begins to soar ...