You guys! I have one more book to read to finish off the International Booker Prize! Hopefully I can get through Domenico Starnone’s The House on Via Gemito before the winner is announced. That is the goal but we’ll see!! Also farmer market season has begun in Minneapolis and I’m very excited to have them back. These bagels from Rudy’s Breakfast Bagel were amazing and can’t wait to get these babies again. #sundayfunday #farmermarket #rudysbreakfastbagel #domenicostarnone #thehouseonviagemito #europaeditions #bookstagram #foodie #foodandbooks #minneapolis #kingsfieldfarmersmarket #bagels #readbookerprize #internationalbookerprize #internationalbooker2024 #translatedfiction #translatedliterature #booksintranslation
👒 A R C / A L C • R E V I E W 👒 • Title: A Good Life Author: Virginie Grimaldi Rating: 3.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ • I went into A Good Life pretty blind, so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised as to how much I enjoyed this one. A Good Life is told in a nonlinear, dual timeline in the past and the present and in a dual point of view through the eyes of Agathe and Emma. The past timeline is through various stages of their lives - giving detailed glimpses into what and who shaped them to be who they are in the present. I really enjoyed that in-depth look at the sisters’ past and felt that I could understand their situation better having that past information. • This story is so much about overcoming a traumatizing childhood, sisterhood, the love you have for your family and overall healing. It was a beautiful journey as these two sisters reunited and relived their past and moved forward with their future. This is definitely more of a character driven book, really focusing on the growth of each of the characters. It’s also a lot slower paced, which was fine for how deep of a story this one was. • I listened to this via audiobook through the Libro.fm influencer program while reading along on my Kindle. Liz Fodor was the narrator, and she was great. This was a very short book, so the audiobook is justaround 7 hours which makes for a super quick read. Definitely recommend the audiobook if you are thinking of picking this one up. • Overall, I loved the themes, I enjoyed learning about the sisters’ past and their reconciliation but I just wanted a bit more from it. It’s good but not my favorite. I was very happy to have the audio to listen to. I think my contemporary lit fans will eat this one up. A Good Life will release on 5/28. Huge thank you to @netgalley @europaeditions @librofm and Virginie Grimaldi for the ALC and eARC in exchange for my honest review. • What is your favorite genre to read?
Currently reading... #themirrorvisitor #thememoryofbabel #books #bookstagram #yafiction #yabooks #europaeditions #christelledabos #library #librarybooks
In one of my wife's recent book hauls she came back this & immediately wanted to read it but had to wait until she had. She finished it and then went out and bought the entire series so I am hoping I find A Winter's Promise (The Mirror Visitor Book 1) by Christelle Dabos as enjoyable #nowreading #goodreadschallenge2024 #bookmory #europaeditions #newseries
i love when the second book only gets better! an easy five stars for me.
#postcardexchange The #postcards continue to fly into my mailbox I'm so delighted. Jenni is in #melbourne #australia has just received this card from Elisabeth who lives in #hagerstown #usa Have you received your Partner card yet? When you do please post it on social media and tag us #myfrenchlife or @maviefrancaise Has anyone been to #chesapeake as photoed on this card? Please she your experiences Thank you Jenni and Elisabeth for joining in on our Postcard Exchange fun :) Warm regards Judy #thepostcard #europaeditions @anneberest @tinakover444
#makikashimada #loveatsixthousanddegrees #haydntrowell #europaeditions
𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀 The Art of Running by Andrea Marcolongo Author: Andrea Marcolongo Narrator: Madi Kaye Format: Audio (Libro.fm ALC) Publisher: Europa Editions Published date: 1 April 2024 Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Recommend: Yes! This book is an ode to running. The author is a renowned classicist and begins with Greek’s relationship to running. She explores running in context of history, philosophy, biology, contemporary, mental health. It is very well thought exploration into running. Thank you so much @librofm and @europaeditions for this thought provoking book! QOTD: Do you run? What is your choice of exercise? Or what are you currently reading or watching or listening? AOTD: I wish reading was an exercise…I walk and listen to audiobooks 😀
Mrs. S by K. Patrick. A young teacher working at an all-girls boarding school in England finds themselves falling for the headmaster's wife, Mrs. S. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- 4 Stars Mrs. S as a story can best be described as sensual sapphic academia. Author K. Patrick has skillfully created settings that are so evocative that they nearly feel like secondary characters. An all-girls boarding school in the Spring, a rose garden, a car-filled junkyard. Most essential though, is the steamy, slow-burn, situational affair at the center of this novel. It progresses in a very real-feeling way. I really enjoyed this book -- but only once I got into the rhythm of the story. Dialogue is included in descriptive paragraphs without any quotes or use of "she said" or similar identifying phrases. Here's an actual example: "I go to leave, I will have to walk them back to their dorms, to monitor them as they eat dinner, as they get ready for bed. Mrs. S stays at my side. I expect you find all of this quite strange. Me? Yes. I guess it’s not what I’m used to. No, I don’t imagine that it is. She stops before the door. I do the same. Must seem a rather extraordinary way to find a boyfriend, I expect you had simpler methods? Sure, something like that. I hold back, too exhilarated by the question, it could mean nothing. Not so old-fashioned where you’re from. Maybe more than you think. Is that so?" A bit of a challenge to get used to, but once I did, it was a much smoother and more delightful read.
#qotd - Any books that experiment with structure? Satire, Fiction (273 p.) INT. AIRPORT TERMINAL INCONSPICUOUS BROWN GUY TAPS ON PHONE SCREEN. BORED PEOPLE LAZE AROUND. PEOPLE LISTEN TO MEMES LOUDLY. KIDS CRY. BROWN GUY WRITES - Willis Wu is a bit actor on a long-running detective show shot in the Golden Palace restaurant in Chinatown. His breadth of talent allows him to play, in no particular order, Generic Asian Man, Delivery Guy, Disgraced Son, and Striving Immigrant. But he knows in his heart that he is about to be offered the role of his lifetime, that if he holds on for a while, he'll fulfill his potential and become KUNG FU GUY. But is the world ready for him to show off his (karate) chops? This fun, satirical novel is a biting take on the stereotyping of Asian immigrants in America. Written in the form of a screenplay, this unique reading experience regularly veered into the surreal and broke the fourth wall. We not only see Willis's struggles but the flashbacks turn it into a generational saga of trying to make a future for your children against all odds. Charles's writing often said profound things in throwaway punchlines, which is quite a skill. Once you get used to the screenplay format, the pages fly. The crux of this novel ties into the powerful TED talk that Chimamanda Adichie gave on 'The danger of a single story' and how both, telling and listening to a flattened narrative of an identity traps its characters into a caricature. Not being able to see oneself outside that image also stunts one's imagination and turns the lack of representation into a self-fulfilling prophecy. I highly encourage you to complement the novel with the talk. That said, I do not like it when the author doesn't trust the reader to fully grasp what they wish to say and they explicitly lay out every single point in a separate chapter. Here, it came in the form of a strange confessional courtroom scene where the defendant's lawyer went over and beyond in explaining himself, puncturing the rhythm of the plot and turning it into Liberal Arts Student Writing An Assignment. I physically whined reading that section. FLIGHT ANNOUNCES BOARDING. BROWN GUY LEAVES. THE END.
“So at two that afternoon, while he stands on a deserted beach of glimmering white sand, gazing out into an ocean that stretched in gradations of deepening colour towards a line of surf that marks the reef far out, he looks at his watch and feels their departure almost as a physical change in himself.” Another unassuming work catching me by surprise! This Booker Prize-shortlisted novel from South African writer Damon Galgut is a great piece of economy, achieving the depth so many other writers pursue by way of hifalutin, through plain language alone. You read the first few pages and think nothing of it, at least not much, and then you can only keep reading. It’s a subtle mechanism that leaves you wanting more, and moved, unexpectedly and inexplicably. In authorship, this is not accidental, and so I need no further proof of Galgut’s proficiency. His way is reminiscent of Hemingway. After the heavy-handed Babel (finished yesterday), which enlisted my logic in wonderful ways but left me quite disconnected, the emotional responses that In a Strange Room elicits with its careful deliveries makes me feel human once more. A great read! Note: The book’s overarching themes are temporality, mortality, and loss—far from what I expected—and there are sensitive elements in the last story, The Guardian. Sadly there are no trigger warnings in books so, look out. First published in 2010 ——— #damongalgut #bookerprizeshortlist #bookerprize #travelbooks #booksbooksbooks #bookish #bookreview #literature #lifeinliterature #readercommunity #readreadread #southafricanauthors #bookswithbluecovers #booklog #instabook #europaeditions #booksabouttravel
April Wrap-Up. 📚 one Nobel Prize winner (Cela), one new auto-buy author (Marías!), two new (to me) authors, two by women, two from Italy, three from Spain, all five in translation. April was also the most memorable and special trip to Spain with my two ride-or-dies, full of long walks, train rides, Aperol spritz’s, art museums and beautiful buildings. I checked off several bucket list items from my life list because I saw the following works of art in real life with my very own eyes: • Guernica, Pablo Picasso • The Garden of Earthly Delights, Hieronymous Bosch • Las Meninas, Diego Velásquez • La Sagrada Família, Antoni Gaudí Photography was not allowed at the Prado so sadly no pictures of the Bosch or the Velasquez, but I’ll share a few snaps of Guernica and Sagrada in my stories if at all interested. 40 > 39. What a month. ❤️ • • • #monthlywrapup #aprilwrapup #elenaferrante #javiermarias #josecamilocela #nataliaginzburg #readtheworld #translatedliterature #translatedlit #translatedfiction #literaryfiction #europaeditions #nyrbclassics #newdirectionspublishing #penguinmodernclassics #bookstagram #bibliophile
📚Book Review📚 The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey 336 pages COMING AUGUST 13, 2024 ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ When my Aunt Rosalie sent me The Axeman’s Carnival, I put it aside because the cover just didn’t do it for me. A big black magpie next to an axe? It didn’t appeal to me. For some reason, I recently picked it up and adored this book so much!! 5 stars for writing, creativity and being so different than what I could ever imagine writing. Marnie lives with Rob, a sheep farmer in an isolated area of New Zealand. One day a magpie baby falls out of a tree and Marnie takes it as her own. Tama, the magpie tells this story from his perspective as he becomes an internet star who can speak English. He becomes Marnie’s confident, as she suffers an abusive marriage. Tama is pulled between his home with Marnie and the animal world. I mean my description just doesn’t do it justice. You have to read this one. My reading experience reminded me of Shark Heart and I put it in the same category as a book that you read and think WOW. Never thought I was going to love that like I do. Anyway, Europa Editions is publishing THE AXEMAN’S CARNIVAL in August in the U.S. I quickly borrowed Catherine Chidgey’s Pet and I am loving it as well. QOTD: What is the last book that surprised you? #newreleases #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookseverywhere #readersofig #readersofig #readingrainbow #readersofinstagram #lovetoread #readmore #bookstagrammer #mystery #goodreads #pelotonmomsbookclub #readspinrepeatbookclub #europaeditions #newzealand #catherinechidgey #foreignlit #booklove
A GOOD LIFE by Virginie Grimaldi Thanks to @LibroFM and @europaeditions for the advanced listening copy! 'A Good Life' by Virginie Grimaldi, a captivating novel set in France, introduces us to the contrasting lives of sisters Emma and Agathe. Emma, the older sister, embodies responsibility and sensibility, while Agathe, five years her junior, is a whirlwind of passion and chaos. Their shared childhood trauma, which they sought solace from at their grandmother's house, has always been a bond between them. However, as the drama surrounding Agathe escalated, Emma felt compelled to distance herself. When their grandmother passes away, the sisters reunite to clean out her house. In the process, we hear their stories and perspectives and get a peek at the reconciliation between two very different people. Alternating between past and present, Emma and Agathe, the reader gets to see the experiences and thoughts that shaped the sisters into who they are today as they ponder what exactly makes a good life. This was a fun listen full of sardonic humor. It also explored important topics, particularly mental health issues. How much can you help someone who might not want your help? When do you step in and when do you just love them from afar? Are you really a horrible person if you detach and put your own needs first? It was good to watch the sisters rediscover things about each other and themselves in the process of sharing their memories of their beloved grandmother. The vignettes from the past are short but powerful. This is Grimaldi's American debut and I look forward to more! Be advised that the novel also includes scenes of child abuse. #A GoodLife #VirginieGrimaldi @VirginieGrimaldi #LibroFM #EuropaEditions #NewRelease #NewFiction #France #Sisters #MentalHealth #Bookstagram #IGbooks #Librarian #Audiobook #BookReview
What makes a Ferrante novel? I ask myself while reading The Lying Life of Adults. The Ferrante fever caught me during covid (the irony). Rarely does a review send me straight to an online bookstore to purchase a book and pay extra for the shipping, but bookstagram made a compelling case for this mysterious Italian writer. Her pseudonymic identity played a major factor, not gonna lie, as I was looking for Ferrante in the Neapolitan quartet, in her other books, in every character she writes and every setting she plots. I didn’t find her because when one reads Ferrante, the distance between what is fictional and what is real dissolves, collapses. I can’t say I was disappointed. She has me wrapped around her lines and whatever she pours into her papers. I am one of the many readers who have gleaned insights into my own life from reading Ferrante’s books. She has a compelling way in externalizing her characters’ inner state because most of the drama happens inside their minds, or, at any rate, gains meaning there. they become a sort of vehicle that take me through what I don’t voice, what I silence, intentionally (I blame the patriarchy, don’t we all?). In describing the anxieties and inner conflicts her female characters go through, I understand my own. Besides, the way she portrays the female experience transcend class and cultural boundaries. Lenu, Lila, Olga, Giovanna, Vittoria are part of me as much as I am part of them. They don’t try to escape the shame the jealousy the (inner) violence and as Elton John said it’s a human sign when things go wrong and Ferrante’s characters see that as a potential, a possibility to make sense of their experiences. So what makes a Ferrante Novel? None of her novels provide conclusive evidence of the protagonists’ guilt or innocence. They present society’s judgments and characters’ self-blame, but her narratives focus on extenuating circumstances, on the why of things. So basically if Ferrante had a tribe, I consider myself a member of that tribe.
Happy Independent Bookstore Day! 🥂 IBD is a big deal here in Portland because this is a city of indie bookshops. From Powell’s “The City of Books” down to tiny, esoteric shops, we overflow with bookstores. I think all the rain fosters reading! ☔️ I celebrated with visits to two of my favorite Portland bookstores, Vivienne Culinary Books @viviennepdx, Portland’s cookbook shop, and Melville Books @melville_books, a charming book nook tucked away at the end of a flower-bedecked gravel path. I could smell the lilacs and wisteria while I browsed. Both shops are having sales this weekend so stop by if you are in Portland! 🛍️ I love the Skandinavian baking book I found at Vivienne’s. Baking inspo! 👩🏼🍳 This stack from Melleville’s definitely sparks joy for me. I found half of them on the $2 shelves outside. 🤗 The others were all 25% off. What a great weekend to shop for books! 📚 I’m excited about the NYRB Classics and the two Europa Editions mystery books. That pretty, vintage Angela Thirkell also calls to me. 😍 See any here that catch your eye? 🙋🏼♀️ #independentbookstoreday #pdxbookstores #shoppdx
*New Review* *Link in Bio* "The Art of Running: Learning to Run Like a Greek" by Andrea Marcolongo Synopsis: The inspiring story of how one of Europe’s most original and compelling classicist learned to run—and live—like a Greek Each year, all over the world, thousands of professional athletes and millions of amateur enthusiasts replicate Philippides’s enterprise, many running with such gusto that one could be forgiven for thinking the fate of Athens once more hung in the balance. Why do we run? To what end, all the effort and pain? Wherefore this love of muscle, speed, sweat, of testing one’s limits? The Greeks were the first to ask these questions and to wonder why we choose to measure ourselves in this way against others; they were the first to formulate the adage, mens sana in corpore sano; they were first to interrupt war, work, politics, the daily routine to enjoy public celebrations of athletic prowess. The Greeks invented sport! Sport as something separate from labor or war; activity as an end unto itself and a form of entertainment for others. They were also the first to understand how regular physical activity, victory, and loss connected to our emotional and mental well-being. As the pandemic entered its second year, despondent, isolated, and apprehensive about the future, the internationally renowned classics scholar and best-selling author Andrea Marcolongo discovered running. After years spent with her head and heart in the books, trying to think like a Greek, she set out to learn how to run like a Greek. In doing so, she not only deepened her understanding of the ancient civilization she has spent decades studying, but also discovered a great deal about herself. @europaeditions #book #bookstagram #bookreview #memoir #running #runningmemoir #booksofinstagram #bookreviewer #andreamarcolongo #artofrunning #europaeditions
”How foolish to think you can tell your children about yourself before they’re at least fifty. To ask to be seen by them as a person and not as a function.” ”I felt the need to hear the sound of my voice, to get it under control with the help of someone else’s voice.” I really enjoyed this one. A woman’s honest reflection on herself both as a mother and outside of being a mother. As she spends a holiday doing this on a beach, something dark is trying to resurface. I like Ferrante’s voice. She can be ambiguous with such elegance. After being intensely smitten with ’The Days of Abandonment’ and ’Troubling Love’, I felt disappointed with ’My Brilliant Friend’. I actually had a conspiracy theory that ’MBF’ can’t be written by the same person. I may give her ”Neapolitan Novels” a second chance one day, but I just find her shorter fiction so much better. #elenaferrante #thelostdaughter #readwomen #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #readingismagic #paperbacklove #readlikeagirl #italianliterature #europaeditions #alwaysreading
Dog by @robperry2.0 published by @europaeditionsuk and out tomorrow. #gifted #proof “Dog is a novel full of deft humour and escalating tenderness - a tale about misfits, human and canine, and the currents of hope and courage that bring them together” Ross Raisin 4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ I adored Dog! What a wonderful read. Heartwarming, quirky and very human! If you’re a fan of Fredrik Bachman’s books, you’ll more than likely love Dog. Dog follows 18 year old Benjamin who goes on a trip to see a dead whale, and inadvertently ends up taking home a dog (or rather the dog follows him) called Gary. The problem is, is poor Benjamin is a germophobic, lives in a caravan (not the best place for a dog) and his nan is in the hospital. He’s very green, not particularly wise to the ways of the world and so he instantly trusts a stranger when he is informed that the dog’s owners are not good people. An adventure of sorts begins, as Benjamin does what he can with the “help” of Leonard (the stranger) to protect Gary at all costs. Undoubtedly there are a few sad, heartbreaking moments but overall this is a book about love, tenderness and friendship. It’s such a delight of a book and I loved the quirky characters within. I’m so pleased I read this. Please read this book! #dog #europaeditions #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #bookishcommunity #books #bookworm
Buonasera. Sono molto emozionata di essere qui. Vengo dalla Spagna, precisamente dalla Galizia ed è la prima volta che ricevo un premio dato che sono passati pochi mesi da quando mi sono imbarcata in questo viaggio, con la mia prima pubblicazione, il romanzo MAREA MORTA. Poco dopo è nato "5", una piccola raccolta di poesie, grazie al quale oggi sono qui. Spero che lo leggiate con il cuore poiché l'ho scritto con l'anima. Volevo ringraziare la giuria del Premio Pegasus per avermi dato l'opportunità di vivere questa esperienza. GRAZIE a Europa Ediciones per avermi aperto tante porte in questa nuova fase. GRAZIE ai miei figli, ai miei genitori, ai miei fratelli; senza dimenticare amici e naturalmente il mio compagno di avventure... MOLTE GRAZIE a tutti loro per sostenermi, incoraggiarmi e insegnarmi cose nuove ogni giorno. E a voi, caro pubblico, spero che possiate godervi la serata come sto facendo io. Un saluto. #5 #europabuch #europaeditions #europaedizioni #europaediciones #premioletterario #premioliterariopegasus #premiopegasus #poesia #poema
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante | Italy 🇮🇹 One quote summarized the essence of this book completely while showing Ferrante’s prose, An example that describes the premise of the book completely, “I felt grieved at the waste, because I was compelled to go away, because she preferred the adventure of the shoes to our conversation, because she knew how to be autonomous whereas I needed her, because she had her things that I couldn’t be part of, because Pasquale, who was a grown-up, not a boy, certainly would seek other occasions to gaze at her and plead with her and try to persuade her to secretly be his girlfriend, and be kissed, touched, as it was said people did when they became boyfriend and girlfriend-because, in short, she would feel that I was less and less necessary.” This was my first taste of Italian literature, and I think it’s worth it to get a feel of the rougher side of this nation, however, I see how some readers have struggled with the structure of the book, maybe from translation or the nature of the book. Full review in the link in my bio!
🌸 My favorite books jam a shovel into the soil and excavate, with exquisite precision, deeper layers of the human experience that are both excruciatingly intimate and profoundly universal. This is how I read this story — one that cuts deep to explore the wants, phases, responsibilities, hopes, vulnerabilities, pains, joys, burdens and resilience that are all part of the experience of being a woman. Using wit and minimal, impactful prose (translated by two men which I find wild), Kawakami packs poignant observation, breathtaking emotion and humor into her writing. I was wholly seduced, surrendering to her thoughtful, observant and inquisitive narrator, Natsuko and all of her longing. I loved getting to know her family and many other memorable, multi-dimensional characters who spanned ages and economic classes, as well as the food, drink and settings around Tokyo and Osaka. Be prepared to be challenged, agree, disagree, and generally contemplate complex issues surrounding choices around the decision to become a parent, the importance of transparency in parenting, and the insane expectations we put on women over the course of their lives (across cultures). I can say I *loved* this book. I’ll be thinking about it for a long time, and will definitely be reading more Kawakami 💕
“I do like you to help me,if you can, to take the words line them up and put them back all together all the bits that I feel splintered and scattered throughout my body.I do like to join the pieces, as if I was repairing a broken object, so that I can pick it up and pull it out of me so that I can keep it beside me, carry it in my pocket, put it in my bag in one whole piece.” This quote reveals the tortured psyche of lawyer Irina three years after her twin girls, six years old disappeared following their kidnapping by her husband Mathias who died by suicide.In an urgent chilling narrative and a portrait of a fragile woman, the novel delves into Irina’s thoughts and memories as she tries to stitch her life back together. The absence of her children cannot be forgotten. Loosing a child is the touch stone of grief, the gold standard of pain. And why isn’t there a word for someone who has lost a child? Why is that word missing? “Widower-lost their spouse. Orphan-parents have died. —who lost children “ Riveting and heartbreaking the novel explores parental love , memory and the saving grace of words but there is still that missing word.Through out this novel, Irina calls out every one for their blasé attitude of the case of her missing children. She refuses for the case to be closed . Every one feels her wrath; prosecutors, teachers, therapists, babysitter, but to no avail . “Your honor”, she says to the prosecutor “waiting for your loved ones is not a parenthesis”. A brilliant exploration of the mind of a mother who has lost her children. Just like in Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, De Gregorio takes a true story and made it extraordinary . A quite devastating but somehow hopeful tale. The aftermath of a tragedy and fierce portrait of a mother. #europaeditions #concitadegregorio
THE OTHER PROFILE | Irene Graziosi Translated from the Italian by Lucy Rand . I wasn’t sure what I would encounter in an Italian book about social media and influencers, but author Irene Graziosi does a superb job of shepherding the reader into a thoroughly modern and unexpected story. Twenty-something Maia dropped out of grad school in Paris and moved back to Milan with her much older professor boyfriend; her general indifference about the world gives her a morose quality that the reader doesn’t quite understand until we learn more about her past. While working at a sad local bar, she applies to work for a famous social media influencer despite her sharp contempt (“social media...is the death of the revolution,” & “a flock of accounts cheer on whoever seems the most morally intact.”). And so Maia starts working for 18-year-old Gloria, a straight-laced woman with millions of followers. . Maia and Gloria’s relationship to each other takes surprising turns and the novel experiments with themes of identity, consumption, and the way women have to navigate this contemporary world. Maia isn’t clear on what defines her any more, but Gloria may be able to help her see—and vice versa. The novel also teases out the curious generational gaps between its characters, as Maia and Gloria are less than ten years apart but Maia still tries to philosophize on why Gloria is the way she is (“perhaps... because she was born when the sun was already beginning to set on sub-cultures”). It’s a fascinating dichotomy, with plenty of swerves and biting writing that kept me rapt. . And you and me, we come with our own opinions about social media. Look at us here, right now. Look at that cover, that cracked mirror that I would occasionally catch my glimpse in. This is a story about women and friendship and dark grief and coming-of-age but also: it’s a story about you, the reader. What is the role of social media in your life? How much do you let it define you? How much of what you put out here is true, or, as Maia believes... what you would like to be true? . Have you read THE OTHER PROFILE? I recommend its scathing story! Thanks to @EuropaEditions for the review copy! 🧡🩷💜
The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery. Europa Editions paperback. Originally published in French. #europaeditions #fictionbooks #frenchfiction #translatedfiction
🍭 Delicious Book Mail 🍭 Thank you @suethebookie for this gorgeous book and yummy treats. I shall snack while I read! 🤓📚😋 #theotherprofile #europaeditions #irenegraziosi #suethebookie #giveawaywinner #bookstagram #haribofanatic #bookstagramcommunity #bookreviewer #readingismagic✨ #ilovetoread📚
Everywhere, the birds, but above them all and louder, the magpies. We are here and this is our tree, and we're staying, and you need to leave and now. Tama is just a helpless chick when he is rescued by Marnie, and this is where his story might have ended. 'If it keeps me awake,' says Marnie's husband Rob, a farmer, 'I'll have to wring its neck.' But with Tama come new possibilities for the couple's future. Tama can speak, and his fame is growing. Outside, in the pines, his father warns him of the wickedness wrought by humans. Indoors, Marnie confides in him about her violent marriage. The more Tama sees, the more the animal and the human worlds - and all the precarity, darkness and hope within them - bleed into one another. Like a stock truck filled with live cargo, the story moves inexorably towards its dramatic conclusion: the annual Axeman's Carnival. Part trickster, part surrogate child, part witness, Tama the magpie is the star of this story. Though what he says aloud to humans is often nonsensical (and hilarious), the tale he tells us weaves a disturbingly human sense. The Axeman's Carnival is Catherine Chidgey at her finest - comic, profound, poetic and true. #farrells #farrellsbookshop #theaxemanscarnival #catherinechidgey #europaeditions
The days of Abandonment: by Elena Ferrante. Again one of my first's this year, and what a phenominal read. I am moved by the utter rawness in which the protagonist Olga is portrayed after her husband abandones hers as the name of the book suggests. We read about a very real portrayal of an abandoned wife left with two children to fend for, after giving her complete self for the growth of everybody. As the story progresses, we see how a marriage unravels, her battles against raising kids who blame her at every given point and finaly her rage and her dillusional state of mind wherein a simple act of locking a door becomes such a complex task for her. This being such a short book still manages to deliver all it promises infact more, much more. The writing is very sharp and effective, although making one feel uncomfortable throughout. Will definitely be picking up more by Elena once my book buying ban comes to an end. #elenaferrante #europaeditions #daysofabandonment #bookstagram #womenwriters #translatedliterature #readeveryday #mustread #bookrecommendations #fyp #pencil #loveforpencils #woodenpencils #doms #domspencil
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante | Italy 🇮🇹 Born in Naples, Italy herself, Elena Ferrante is a pseudonymous Italian novelist, therefore not many facts about her life are publicly known. In interviews she has said that she’s the daughter of a seamstress, and that she has three sisters. Her four-book series of Neapolitan Novels are her most widely known works and Time magazine called Ferrante one of the 100 most influential people in 2016. The author has said that “books, once they are written, have no need of their authors.” Although there has been a lot of speculation and theorizing into the identiy of this well-known author, I agree with Ferrante in that there is a certian charm to letting the books speak for themselves.
I'm really enjoying my re-read of this one. #theeleganceofthehedgehog #murielburbery #europaeditions #reread #readingfiction #novels #bookstagram #books #France #frenchnovels
✨Enthralling!! Forgotten on Sunday by Valerie Perrin. The writing grabbed me from the beginning, and the story kept reeling me in page after page, where we learn the life of an old woman in a nursing home as well as shocking secrets involving the nursing assistant’s family history. It’s a family drama, a love song, a mystery, and a reminder that everyone has a story. On sale June 4, 2024 #valerieperrin_ #EuropaEditions #France #LifeStories #Secrets #Drama #bookstagram #bookworm #book #books #bookstagrammer #reading #read #booklover #booknerd #bookaddict #bookish #bookstagram #bookreader #reader #booktalk #bookphoto #bookrecommendations
I completed reading Irene Graziosi’s, “The Other Profile” today, which @europaeditions kept promoting on IG. This was kind of ironical because the novel was pretty much about the fakeness of social media. 26 year old Maia gets hired by celebrity influencer 18 year old Gloria to assist with Social media, advertising and to flesh out a personality for Gloria, who is famous but pretty much lacks a personality and/ or a brain. Maia has dropped out from university, has recently moved to Milan from Paris with her much older, Professor boyfriend, and is as aimless as Gloria is personality-less. By and by their personalities start influencing each other and Maia finds Gloria adopting her outlook and views and using them to be taken more seriously. This novel about privilege, influencer culture, the heartlessness and cynicism of Gen Z, was an interesting read. Graziosi has captured the fakeness of social media and the dumbing down of our times, very well. The fatalistic outcome and bitterness is probably a sign of our times, and Graziosi captured the performative nature of advocacy of causes, very well. It amused me greatly how a novel about everything that is wrong with influencer culture, was promoted so well on social media, but these are the times we live in! I am thankful @europaeditions puts translated contemporary literature out there, where the novels include the working class sections of society, and I’ve particularly been greatly enjoying novels translated from Italian. Recommended reading for everyone who enjoys contemporary (and fatalistic) translated literature. Rating: 3.75/5 . . . #theotherprofile #irenegraziosi #europaeditions #LucyRand #translatedliterature #influencerculture #italianliterature #review #novel #socialcommentary #noir #satire #contemporaryfiction #fiction #bookreview #bookstagram #reading #ilovebooks #ilovereading #literature #book #booksofig #bookaddict #bookobsessed #regularreader #translatedfiction
Lambda is out today in paperback, with a beautifully downbeat new cover designed by Ginevra Rapisardi at Europa Editions (who let me contribute the lambda). Set in a consumerist society saturated with surveillance technology, a genocide unfolds in full view of an inactive government. It’s a work of fiction. #europaeditions #ginevrarapisardi #lambdanovel
My copy is so worn and loved from being carried with me everywhere as I find myself inhaling, savoring and just completely besotted with #thebridesman by Savyon Liebrecht. It is translated from Hebrew by @gilahelle and published by @europaeditions I am coming to the last few pages and I don’t want to leave these characters behind, I just am mesmerized by this book so deeply and thoroughly. From @europaeditions : From one of the most important voices in contemporary Hebrew literature, the gripping story of a reunion between two family members that brings back a long-forgotten past and reveals secrets that will change their lives forever. Micha, an Israeli expat in Los Angeles working as a ghostwriter, receives an unexpected invitation. Adella, married to his beloved uncle, has bought him a ticket to Israel and booked a boutique hotel, so that he can return home and meet with her. Years before, Micha was the bridesman at Adella’s wedding. He remembers her as a rebellious young woman, and orphan and an outsider, who was mocked by his close-knit family of Persian Jews. Micha is stunned by the Adella of today–poised, confident, with nothing of the uneasy woman he remembers from the past. When finally Adella reveals the true story of her life, powerful memories resurface in Micha, although nothing can prepare him for the surprise she has in store for him… The Bridesman presents a beguiling cast of characters, whose stories are interwoven into a gripping and moving tale about family, place, and the unceasing power of the past to reshape our lives and identity. #savyonliebrecht #gilahkahnhoffmann #translatedfromhebrew #jewishfiction #jesicareviewsjewishfiction #europaeditions #hashoshbin @emanueleragnisco #israeliauthor #israeliauthors #readingisraeliliterature #israeliwriter #jewishwriters #jewishauthor #bookfluencer #bookfluencers
💕 BOOK REVIEW 💕 Thank you @europaeditions for this gifted package On Wednesdays we wear pink and I have the perfect book for you to indulge in. 𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐋𝐄: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑: 𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐙𝐈𝐎𝐒𝐈 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃: 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐔𝐁 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: 𝟎𝟐.𝟐𝟎.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐘: 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞 𝐊𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐡𝐚 𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐓𝐇: 𝟕𝐡 𝟏𝟔𝐦 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝟐𝟐𝟔𝐩 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 I was really drawn in to this novel right from the start. It’s a character driven story as we follow twenty-six year old Maia, as a university dropout out, a cafe worker, and with a dysfunctional relationship with an older man she met in Paris. In the most unusual circumstance she lands a job as an assistant for a famous 18yo influencer named Gloria. Gloria’s world is so far from Maia’s which was probably why she got the job in the first place - maybe to keep Gloria grounded, and more relatable to her audience. I loved and enjoyed THE OTHER PROFILE and read it over a rainy weekend in Los Angeles unable to stop listening to Barrie Kealoha’s narration. It is a thought provoking read for sure, that I found immensely funny and sad at the same time. I thought that Graziosi’s writing certainly hit the head on many aspects of the lives of our youth, the perceptions of reality vs illusion, the price we pay for being just a bit insta famous, and the freedom we find by untethering the shackles of social media. Fantastic and Brilliant GIVEAWAY: If you want a copy just let me know in the comments below, tell a friend, share in your stories, and I will mail out a copy to you if you live in US or Canada. Ciao! 𝐐𝐎𝐓𝐃: 𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚? #ad
First Quarter of 2024: I read 57 books and these were the ones that I want everyone to read. They stood out for either character development, storytelling and/or books I could not put down and stop thinking about. Backlist, Memoir, Historical Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Mystery and my favorite: Family Drama! QOTD: Have you read any of these favorites? Do you have any first quarter faves? #smallmercies #dennislahane #whathappenedtonina #dervlamctiernan #annaquindlen #afterannie #nonfiction #juliemyerson #thepostcard #anneberest #europaeditions #everylastone #hellifwedontchangeourways #brittanymeans #memoir #prophetsong #paullynch #bookerprize2023 #firstquarterfavorites #bookreview #bookreviewer #readersofig #readersofig #readingrainbow #readersofinstagram #lovetoread #readmore #pelotonmomsbookclub #readspinrepeatbookclub
On social media, people reveal how they would like to be seen. What emerges is not what we are but what we desire to be. The Other Profile Irene Graziosi • Well it has been a hot minute since I’ve posted a review! A house full of loved ones and a trip to see my daughter in NYC has me behind, so let’s catch up! • The words edgy and contemporary don’t usually describe the books I read but they’re the first that come to mind with The Other Profile, an Italian work in translation that tells the story of Maia, a young woman who is struggling with her identity and aimlessly drifting through life when she accepts a job as the assistant to Gloria, a successful, 18 year old influencer. • On the surface, these two women have nothing in common and Maia struggles with the seemingly superficial and self-absorbed Gloria. But as the story unfolds, Maia sees beyond the image and finds a lonely and isolated girl underneath Gloria’s shallow facade. • Gloria and Maia’s relationship is a tool by which Graziosi examines the toxicity of social media. This is not a plot driven novel but an exploration of how online culture affects relationships and personal confidence. There is a twist that flips these women’s relationship on its ends and exposes one of them, proving that what we see isn’t always what we get. • This was a bit reminiscent of My Year of Rest and Relaxation - you probably won’t like these characters, but they’re used as a way to explore a timely topic. I don’t normally give content warnings but there is some unnecessary (IMO) vulgarity in between these pages and because my reviews are always honest I’m noting it. I do however think it comes with the territory of this story and these characters, just a bit cringy. • As for the gummy crocs - you’ll have to read it to find out! • Thank you @europaeditions for this gifted copy!
I’m currently getting my first pedicure of the year and friends, it’s not pretty. I always end up with runner’s toes #iykyk and she just said, “don’t worry, I’ll make them look normal.” 😂 Are you a pedicure fan? What’s your go to color? • • Have you seen me go on and on about a recent trip to France? I’m not done yet! I love having the opportunity to read translated fiction. It’s one of my favorite things about #bookstagram, discovering writers from around the world that have shared beloved stories. A Good Life takes us to southern France where two estranged sisters meet at their grandmother’s Basque home before it’s sold. Emma and Agathe are middle aged and have been estranged for five years, but their grandmother was the one constant in a childhood full of upheaval. Their stories are told through alternating voices and cover decades. After the early death of their father, their mother became increasingly abusive as her alcohol dependence increased. I love a slice of life story, and books featuring sisters are some of my faves, so this one hit just right for me. This novel was beautifully written (and translated), and as the motivations behind the reunion was revealed, the tears started falling. It’s a lovely story of family, shared memories, and the power of love. I really enjoyed this one. • • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 • • Thanks to @europaeditions for the #gifted ARC and to @librofm for the ALC. The Good Life publishes May 28. • • #thegoodlife #vırgınıegrımaldı #france #europaeditions #europa #basque #frenchliterature #translatedfiction #jardindeluxembourg #sisters #familydrama #bookrecommendations #bookphotography #paris #paris #booktok #bookstagram
📚 Books of the Month April! 📚 Want to know ahead of these posts? Want to join a reading group (please note that some are already full)? Sign up for our newsletters on our website, or DM us to learn more. #sula #tonimorrison @vintagebooks #aMasterOfDjinn #PDjeliClark @littlebrown #Disoriental #NegarDjavadi @europaeditions #europaeditions #aHouseWithGoodBones #TKingfisher #titanbooks @titanbooks #SmokeKings #JahmalMayfield #MelvilleHouse @melvillehouse #InMemoriam #AliceWinn #VikingPublisher? @Vikingbooks #frontier #GraceCurtis #HodderandStoughton @hodderbooks #TheWakeUpCall #BethOLeary #Quercus @quercusbooks #DeathUnderALittleSky #StigAbell #HarperCollins @harpercollinsuk #OnceUponAPrime #SarahHart #CompassAndBlade #RachelGreenlaw
The Bridesman by Savyon Liebrecht https://jewishbookworld.org/2024/03/the-bridesman-by-savyon-liebrecht/ Translator: Gilah Kahn-Hoffman From one of the most important voices in contemporary Hebrew literature, the gripping story of a reunion between two family members that brings back a long-forgotten past and reveals secrets that will change their lives forever. @gilahelle #europaeditions @europaeditions #Jewish #JewishBook #book #bookstagram #instabook #bookstagrammer #bookshelf #bookaholic #bookworm #JewishBookWorld
🩷 𝗚 𝗜 𝗩 𝗘 𝗔 𝗪 𝗔 𝗬 🩷 Hello book lovers! Let’s kick off the new week with a giveaway. I’ve partnered with my wonderful friends @europaeditions to give a copy of 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙚 to one lucky winner. Thank you to @europaeditions for my box of goodies. It also came with gummy crocodiles, but gummy candy is my weakness so those were devoured within minutes. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙚 is a brilliant and darkly funny story of a friendship and its unraveling, and a powerful examination on the disruptive impact of social media on our lives. Once an ambitious and promising student at an elite university in Paris, Maia is now 26, living in Milan, and stuck in a dead-end job at a cafe and a dysfunctional relationship with an older man. Until one day her life seems to change: thanks to a friend’s recommendation, and despite not knowing anything about social media, she is hired to work for Gloria, an 18-year-old influencer with millions of followers. Slowly, Maia understands that her disdain for the world of influencers is precisely why she was chosen for the job: as an outsider, Maia can keep Gloria grounded, tethered to reality—remind her that the image she projects online is only an illusion. ❓Social Media…love it, hate it, or it’s complicated? 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿: 🩷 Follow me @suzysbookshelf AND @europaeditions 🩷 Like AND save this post 🩷 Tag a friend in the comments (unlimited) 🩷 For an extra entry, share this post to your stories and tag me. Drop a 🧡 in the comments so I can count your entry. Giveaway open to US entrants only and ends April 10 at 11:59 PM EST. Winner will be announced via a DM from me. . . . #AmReading #BooksBooksBooks #BookCommunity #Bibliophile #BookPhotography #Bookaholic #BookishPost #BookReviewer #Bookstagram #Bookstagrammer #BookLife #ReadersOfInstagram #TBR #BooksOfInstagram #BookWorm #BookAddict #BookishLove #BookLover #BookReview #NewBookAlert #MyBookFeatures #BookishLadiesClub #BooksOfInstagram #SuzysBookshelf #CoffeeAndCurrentlyReading #TranslatedFiction #EuropaEditions #TheOtherProfile
‘I am the queen of spades, I am the wasp that stings, I am the dark serpent. I am the invulnerable animal who passes through fire and is not burned.’ This isn’t a book you read so much as feel. Olga is clearing the dishes after lunch when her husband Mario quietly tells her he is leaving her. Olga is stunned, yet skeptical; in their 15 years of marriage Mario has made similar declarations. ‘An absence of sense,’ is how he apologetically explains his behavior afterwards. Olga remains calm, courteous: she expects him to return in a couple of days. Except that he doesn’t. Not for Olga, at least. To give the children gifts, to pet the dog. Olga is calm, she is composed, she breaks down, she is hanging on by the merest of threads, the thread snaps. Olga is unmoored, in the abyss. And then, mercifully, Olga’s foot touches solid ground again. It’s about relationships and betrayal and motherhood and aging. It’s about the effect that such a declaration causes: the upending of a life, the single-minded spiraling of thought, of action, the fixation, the delirium, the vulnerability, the jealousy, the rage. It’s about loss: of the ability to focus, to rationalize, of the life previously lived. It’s about the resurfacing of memory. Atmospherically this book is incredibly powerful, and Ferrante doesn’t hold back: as Olga spirals, so the writing quickens, becomes less controlled, which further heightens the sense that Olga is desperately trying — and mostly failing — to grasp hold of something tenable, something that will tether her to reality. For much of this book I felt supremely anxious, for Olga, for her children, for the decisions she was and wasn’t making. I was simultaneously apprehensive while completely unable to put the book down. I held onto Ferrante’s hand for dear life. She’s a total powerhouse. Highly recommend. #readtheworld 📍 Italy 🇮🇹 • • • #bookreview #elenaferrante #readwomen #womenintranslation #translatedlit #translatedliterature #translatedfiction #italianliterature #europaeditions #bookstagram #literaryfiction #bibliophile
The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante Translated by Ann Goldstein Have you ever found yourself in a position where all rationale goes out the window? When your decisions no longer make sense but you are powerless to stop them? In The Days of Abandonment, Olga loses all sense of self when her husband abruptly announces his departure from their marriage. That was is it, plain and simple: he no longer wished to participate. She fell apart, she came undone. As we witness a mother spiral through the stages of grief, we begin to question: what would I do in this situation? It’s easy to judge Olga for her actions. She is a mother after all, first and foremost. One can see her neglect of her children as yet another reason for her husband to leave. Or the dog she never wanted, left whining and longing for the owner who cared. But sometimes we don’t want to look reality in the face. We don’t want to admit that we are capable of the same. Grief and healing are by no means linear. We let ourselves go, we abandon all hope, and we flounder, splashing and grasping for one ounce of relief. Everyone is wrong and everything hurts. It may not be right to let the rest of your responsibilities fall to the wayside but let’s be honest, they do. To be quite literally trapped in your sorrow is its own personal type of hell. But through the process of grief, which can vary so much from person to person, she found her way back to herself. Olga shed the parts of her that no longer served; the parts that she initially changed for her husband and learned to love again within herself. She is not perfect, but none of us are. Grief makes monsters of us all but through life’s up and downs I have learned this: One can find solace in solitude.
Book Review 4/5 ⭐️ The Lost Daughter ”The unspoken says more than the spoken” Elena Ferrante’s writing style is exactly what I love. Her literary style is one of the most elegant and precise that I have come across. Her writing feels too real to be fiction, and it’s too good not to be enchanted by. I deeply admire the frankness and the brutality of her thoughts and I am eager to celebrate the woman’s strength that is manifested in each and every sentence she writes. With The Lost Daughter, Ferrante delivers a psychological exploration of living up to maternal norms and the pain we can inflict on each other. As it jumps through time, exploring the relationships between mother and daughters, this book bravely tackles a social taboo: what if motherhood makes us feel small and unimportant? What if we choose to walk away? our roles? What does that say about us? And just to contrast, not every mother will/can identify with this story or Leda the protagonist’s ideas of motherhood, however, it’s refreshing to read what feels like intrusive thoughts that have crossed many mothers’ minds at times, all the time perhaps? Maybe not at all like I said… Full disclosure: I KNOW CLOSE TO NOTHING about being a parent unless you count babysitting my nieces and nephews and having to take care of my now Angel baby for a few months! So 🤷🏾♀️ I do recommend this book, and there is a movie already on Netflix 🎉 Excited for this week? . . #elenaferrantebooks #thelostdaughter #bookreviewersofinstagram #internationalwriters #internationalbook #bookphotography
‘Bianca took an orange from the tray of fruit, opened a drawer, handed me a knife. I didn’t understand, I was running after my own desires, I couldn’t wait to escape that house, forget it and forget everything. Make a snake for us, she asked then, for herself and Marta too, and Marta smiled at me encouragingly.’ 🐍 🍊 The Lost Daughter, Elena Ferrante (Translated by Ann Goldstein) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #illustration #digitalart #digitalillustration #freelanceillustrator #illo #creativedesign #graphicart #illustagram #creativeedinburgh #edinburgh #itsnicethat #creative #booklover @europaeditions @europaeditionsuk #elenaferrante #thelostdaughter #anngoldstein #europaeditions
📚 #fridayfrocksandfiction 📚 Book mail truly is the best mail and I was overjoyed to be the lucky recipient of a giveaway of Catherine Chidgey’s latest novel. Published in paperback in the UK yesterday, The Axeman’s Carnival promises to be dark, funny, insightful and touching. Oh, and it’s narrated by a magpie whom you can also follow here: @tamamagpie A few pages in, and I’m already hooked! The Blurb: Tama is just a helpless chick when he is rescued by Marnie, and this is where his story might have ended. ‘If it keeps me awake,’ says Marnie’s husband Rob, a farmer, ‘I’ll have to wring its neck.’ But with Tama come new possibilities for the couple’s future. Tama can speak, and his fame is growing. Outside, in the pines, his father warns him of the wickedness wrought by humans. Indoors, Marnie confides in him about her violent marriage. The more Tama sees, the more the animal and the human worlds – and all the precarity, darkness and hope within them – bleed into one another. Like a stock truck filled with live cargo, the story moves inexorably towards its dramatic conclusion: the annual Axeman’s Carnival. Part trickster, part surrogate child, part witness, Tama the magpie is the star of this story. Though what he says aloud to humans is often nonsensical (and hilarious), the tale he tells us weaves a disturbingly human sense. The Axeman’s Carnival is Catherine Chidgey at her finest – comic, profound, poetic and true. Thanks to @europaeditionsuk for a copy of this wonderful novel. #theaxemanscarnival #catherinechidgey #tamamagpie #literaryfiction #europaeditions #gothic #womenwriters #kiwiwriter #bookstagram #bookstagramuk #booksandflowers #bookflatlay #bookphotography #bookaesthetic #newrelease #paperback #gifted
was sent this book by @europaeditions !! excited to read & review it :))
🪓 The Axeman’s Carnival I’ve been reading this gorgeous book sent to me from @europaeditionsuk by @catherinechidgey which is released today in the UK! Narrated by Tama the magpie, tamamagpie it’s a wonderful, really original exploration of our relationship with nature, domestic violence, capitalism and commodification. Books from the perspective of animals can be hit and miss for me but I’m so engrossed in Tama’s narrative and his relationship with Marnie! It’s beautiful, extremely clever, sometimes funny and sometimes sad and I have a feeling it’s going to break my heart. If you like literary fiction, inventive narratives and a different take on nature I highly recommend picking this one up! #theaxemanscarnival #catherinechidgey #europaeditions #europaeditionsuk #literarybooks #newbooks #publicationday #booksaboutnature #newzealandbooks #newzealandfiction #readingwomen #booksof2024 #newrelease #newreleasebooks #bookstagram #bookworm
My first published piece was in Andy Warhol’s Interview in 1977. Now I’m back there in the latest issue, being interviewed by novelist Stephanie LaCava. Feels like home (my home)!! #interview #andywarhol #biteyourfriends #stephanielacava #fernandaeberstadt #europaeditions
I am currently reading, wait no inhaling or savoring or just completely besotted with #thebridesman by Savyon Liebrecht. It is translated from Hebrew by @gilahelle and published by @europaeditions I sat on a rooftop deck today in Seattle just basking in the sunshine, views and this book. From @europaeditions : From one of the most important voices in contemporary Hebrew literature, the gripping story of a reunion between two family members that brings back a long-forgotten past and reveals secrets that will change their lives forever. Micha, an Israeli expat in Los Angeles working as a ghostwriter, receives an unexpected invitation. Adella, married to his beloved uncle, has bought him a ticket to Israel and booked a boutique hotel, so that he can return home and meet with her. Years before, Micha was the bridesman at Adella’s wedding. He remembers her as a rebellious young woman, and orphan and an outsider, who was mocked by his close-knit family of Persian Jews. Micha is stunned by the Adella of today–poised, confident, with nothing of the uneasy woman he remembers from the past. When finally Adella reveals the true story of her life, powerful memories resurface in Micha, although nothing can prepare him for the surprise she has in store for him… The Bridesman presents a beguiling cast of characters, whose stories are interwoven into a gripping and moving tale about family, place, and the unceasing power of the past to reshape our lives and identity. #savyonliebrecht #gilahkahnhoffmann #translatedfromhebrew #jewishfiction #jesicareviewsjewishfiction #europaeditions #hashoshbin @emanueleragnisco #israeliauthor #israeliauthors #readingisraeliliterature #israeliwriter #jewishwriters #jewishauthor #bookfluencer #bookfluencers
Just in case you were wondering (you weren’t), I bought the tulips yesterday. 💐 Have you ever looked at @influencersinthewild and laughed at the behind the scenes snaps of influencers out there getting the perfect shot for the gram? I can’t tell you how many girls I saw in Paris wearing berets and carrying baguettes they weren’t going to eat. 😂 Here on #bookstagram is a much quieter type of “influencing”. • • A brilliant and darkly funny story of a friendship and its unraveling, and a powerful examination on the disruptive impact of social media on our lives. The Other Profile is a translated novel from Italy that in equal parts made me laugh and cringe. Can you imagine working for an 18 year oldI influencer? At 26, Maia is in a dead end job ms goes to work for Gloria who has millions of followers and it really seems like Gloria can’t do anything on her own. 🤷🏻♀️ Swipe for the full synopsis… Thanks to @europaeditions for the fantastic #gifted book and fun treats. I love @europaeditions and the works of fiction from around the world that they’ve introduced into my life. • • #bookgiveaway #europaeditions #translatedfiction #influencer #theotherprofile #irenegraziosi #italian #italianliterature #bookrecommendations #bookphotography #bookstagram #booktok #haribo #booksandsnacks
“A brilliant and darkly funny story of a friendship and its unraveling, and a powerful examination on the disruptive impact of social media on our lives.” I love presents and especially this kind!!! Thank you so much @kristi.bontrager & @europaeditions !!! The card reads (and huge bonus points for spelling my name right….long story as my mom had a dream and I was born in 1974) Jesica- Gummy crocs Law & Order SVU And a toxic relationship Enjoy! Kristi Okay so we as a family, this is all @ddehart aka @book_chats_with_dennis , have watched decades of Law & Order including two new episodes last night. I get a lot of books in the mail to review but it’s the little inserts like this, and @haribousa that make me prioritize reading plus check out the cover of this book with that silvery bling. Thank you so much @europaeditions @europaeditionsuk @mic_italia for bringing @irenegraziosi ‘s #theotherprofile to me just in time for a reading weekend getaway. This edition is translated from the Italian by @lucyjrand . In Italian the book is called #ilprofilodellaltra . #jesicareviewseuropaeditions #jesicareviewsfiction #jesicareviewstranslated #irenegraziosi #europaeditions #europaedition #europaeditionsusa #translatedfiction #translatedfromitalian #italianliterature #italianficton #italianbooks #italianauthor
Indie spotlight: Europa Editions @europaeditionsuk In their words: ‘The Europa catalogue is eclectic, reflecting the founders’ belief that dialogue between nations and cultures is of vital importance and that this exchange is facilitated by literature chosen not only for its ability to entertain and fascinate but also to inform and enlighten.’ Not only is Europa Editions home to one of the greatest writers of all time: Elena Ferrante, it’s also the home of our beloved @kobbybenben’s book No One Dies Yet, which was a subscription pick a few months ago. If you don’t know, Kobby is a fantastic Ghanaian Bookstagrammer, fashion icon, dancer and comedian, and now he’s also an exceptional published writer. If you haven’t read his book yet, do yourselves a favour and crack on! P.S. it’s available on our website. This has turned into a Europa spotlight and a Kobby spotlight, but it feels correct. For more indie goodness, don’t forget to sign up to our subscription service via the link in our bio. It’ll bring you mucho mucho joy. #books #europaeditions #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #bookrecs #bookrec #translatedlit #womenintranslation #booksbooksbooks #booksubscriptionbox #booksubscription #africanlit #italianlit #elenaferrante
Pet by Catherine Chidgey. This was not my usual kind of read. It’s a thriller. About a young girl in New Zealand and a female teacher at her school who plays favorites. The creepiness is sprinkled with elements of racism, bullying, misogyny,religion and corporal punishment. Not my kind of book but if you like queasy tension this is the book for you. #catherinechidgey #pet #europaeditions #paperbacks #books #bookish #bookstagram #bookworm #thriller #newzealandauthor #thechainreader
“The only way to keep from suffering, she knew, was just to move forward, to keep going, and to never, 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 look back.” This was heavy. Most of the book made me feel like I was reading a memoir over fiction, which I wasn’t mad at, but I think I would have preferred it to be a bit shorter. My interest waned a bit as the story went along. Overall though I did think it was a really good read that I would recommend. Also obsessed with the cover.