July saw me get back into a reading groove with lots of books finished and a good number of reviews written too. It was a fast pace, but I just about managed to keep up - and here are the numbers to show you what I mean ;)*****
Total Books Read: 13
Year-to-Date: 75
New: 13
Rereads: 0
From the Shelves: 1
Review Copies: 10
From the Shelves: 1
Review Copies: 10
From the Library: 1
On the Kindle: 3 (2 review copies)
Novels: 6
Novels: 6
Novellas: 1
Short Stories: 6
Non-English Language: 13 (3 Spanish, 3 Korean, 2 Japanese, Portuguese, French, Arabic, Norwegian, Welsh)
Short Stories: 6
Non-English Language: 13 (3 Spanish, 3 Korean, 2 Japanese, Portuguese, French, Arabic, Norwegian, Welsh)
In Original Language: 0
Aussie Author Challenge: 0 (0/3)
Japanese Literature Challenge 8: 2 (3/1)
Japanese Literature Challenge 8: 2 (3/1)
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Books reviewed in July were:
1) Stingray by Kim Joo-youngBooks reviewed in July were:
2) The Beautiful Team by Garry Jenkins
3) Paradises by Iosi Havilio
4) The Book of Rio by Toni Marques and Katie Slade (eds.)
5) Paris by Marcos Giralt Torrente
6) The Mahé Circle by Georges Simenon
7) The Shadow of Arms by Hwang Sok-yong
8) Dead Stars by Álvaro Bisama
9) The Book of Gaza by Atef Abu Saif (ed.)
10) The Tilted Cup: Noh Stories by Paul Griffiths
11) Faces in the Crowd by Valeria Luiselli
Tony's Turkey for July is: Nothing
Not one of this month's eleven offerings deserves a stuffing - maybe in August...
Tony's Recommendation for July is:
Marcos Giralt Torrente's Paris
There were several strong contenders this month, including Comma Press' excellent The Book of Gaza, the very elegant Stingray and Paul Griffiths' beautiful (and entertaining) adaptation of Noh plays. One that almost took out the prize was Faces in the Crowd, a gallant runner-up here, just as it was in the Three PerCent World Cup of Literature. However, Paris is an intense, complex novel, a deserving choice for the pick of July's books :)
*****
Looking ahead to August, it's time for a new blogging event, but one which will hopefully become a regular occurrence on the blogging calendar. With both translated fiction and books written by women getting little oxygen in mainstream reviewing, it's time for Women in Translation Month to change that a little. And what am I doing to help? Well, you'll see throughout August. Here's a little clue - lots of reviews ;)
