In my End of the year review for last year, I indicated that I might be leaving Twitter/X for Bluesky. That time is approaching. I am sure that I do not have to explain my reasoning, However, for those unsure suffice it to say that I consider the behaviour and actions of the site owner … Read more
The latest addition to my website is Pandelis Prevelakis‘ Ο Κρητικός (The Cretan). The novel essentially tells the story of the struggle for Cretan independence from the Ottoman Empire in the late nineteenth century . We have two key characters – the very real Eleftherios Venizelos who would later become prime minister of Greece and … Read more
Every year around this time, I read only books from one country. The past two years my planned book reading was interrupted by my decision to focus on novels from two countries who were victims of brutal attacks by another country – Ukraine and Palestine. I did think of doing Lebanon and this year , … Read more
The latest addition to my website is Mbarek Ould Beyrouk‘s Saara (Saaara). We get the first person narration of three characters. The eponymous Saara had a violent father, causing her mother to leave and, later, her sister. She has parties and affairs but is something of a lost soul, The young sheikh heads a Sufi … Read more
The latest addition to my website is Sergei Lebedev‘s Белая дама (Lady of the Mine). The novel is set in the Donbas region of Ukraine in July 2014. The Russians have annexed Crimea and are causing serious disruption in Donbas. During the book they will shoot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.The town we are concerned … Read more
The latest addition to my website is Guixing Zhang‘s 傀儡花 (Elephant Herd). Zhang is a Malaysian born Chinese speaker who moved to Taiwan and was naturalised Taiwanese. However his novels are set primarily in Sarawak, Malaysia. This one is about Shicai who is called the boy whom we meet when young and also when older. … Read more
You don’t need to tell you what a grim year it has been so I won’t. Fortunately there have been some interesting books to keep us going. I have read fewer books this year which I expected as I had other things going on. I did add one new country – Vanuatu, apparently the only … Read more
The latest addition to my website is Mariama Bâ‘s Un chant écarlate (Scarlet Song). Ousmane Gueye, a young Senegalese falls for a white French girl, Mireille, daughter of a French diplomat at school. They both go to the same Senegalese university and continue their relationship. However, when her parents find out, she is immediately sent … Read more
The latest addition to my website is Yōko Ogawa‘s 凍りついた香り [The Scent of Ice]. Ryoko is living with Hiroyuki, a perfumer. They had celebrated their first year together and he had made her a special scent. The best day he kills himself. Ryoko wants to know why and, with the help of his younger brother, … Read more
The latest addition to my website is Peter Stamm‘s Agnes (Agnes). Our unnamed narrator is a Swiss author temporarily lviing in Chicago, where he is writing a book on US luxury trains. He had written fiction but felt he might not be good enough. He meets Agnes, a scientist, in the library and they eventually … Read more