April was a big month of reading and reviewing, with IFFP-longlisters and ARCs clamouring for my attention. Luckily, I managed to get through somehow - and here are the usual numbers to prove it ;)*****
Total Books Read: 12
Year-to-Date: 46
New: 11
Rereads: 1
From the Shelves: 2
Review Copies: 6
From the Shelves: 2
Review Copies: 6
From the Library: 3
On the Kindle: 2 (1 review copy)
Novels: 7
Novels: 7
Novellas: 1
Short Stories: 3
Non-Fiction: 1
Short Stories: 3
Non-Fiction: 1
Non-English Language: 11 (3 Korean, 2 French, 2 Italian, German, Icelandic, Chinese, Hungarian)
In Original Language: 1 (German)
Aussie Author Challenge: 0 (0/3)
*****
Books reviewed in April were:
1) The Tale of Genji: Translation, Canonization, and World Literature by Michael EmmerichBooks reviewed in April were:
2) The Corpse Washer by Sinan Antoon
3) At Least We Can Apologize by Lee Ki-ho
4) Exposure by Sayed Kashua
5) Where Tigers are at Home by Jean-Marie Blas de Roblès
6) Nagasaki by Éric Faye
7) Revenge by Yoko Ogawa
8) Oh, Tama! by Mieko Kanai
9) Lonesome You by Park Wan-suh
10) Rücken an Rücken (Back to Back) by Julia Franck
11) Photo Shop Murder and Other Stories by Kim Young-ha
12) Liveforever by Andrés Caicedo
Tony's Turkey for April is: Nothing
I wasn't a huge fan of Lonesome You, but there was a lot to like about it - and that's as close as we're getting this month ;)
Tony's Recommendation for April is:
Jean-Marie Blas de Roblès' Where Tigers are at Home
Astoundingly overlooked by both the IFFP and the BTBA, Where Tigers are at Home is a great big rambling book that deserves to find a wider audience. Apologies to Andrés Caicedo and Michael Emmerich (Liveforever was also a mesmerising read, and I loved Emmerich's examination of a Japanese classic), but Blas de Roblès' novel was a big winner this month :)
*****
Let's look ahead to May then, and having finally polished off the whole of the IFFP longlist, I have a bit more freedom to branch out a little. I'll probably be continuing with my recent project, with more K-Lit adventures - then again, I've been meaning to get around to a certain Japanese classic too...
