December 2014 Wrap-Up

December is a time for relaxation and reflection - for the most part.  While I was able to snatch a few moments to look back at the year that was, a blogger's task is never done, and I've already been busy with what the coming year will hold.  Despite all that, here's hoping you all had a great Christmas and New Year - and if you're still interested, here's how mine finished off ;)

*****
Total Books Read: 11
Year-to-Date: 130

New: 9

Rereads: 2

From the Shelves: 3
Review Copies: 5

From the Library: 3

On the Kindle: 0

Novels: 6

Novellas: 2
Short Stories: 2
Non-Fiction: 1

Non-English Language: 11 (8 Japanese, 2 Korean, French)

In Original Language: 0

Aussie Author Challenge: 0 (1/3) - BIG FAIL :(
Japanese Literature Challenge 8: 8 (12/1)

*****
Books reviewed in December were:

1) The Adventures of Shola by Bernardo Atxaga
2) Dinner with Buffett by Park Min-gyu
3) Texas: The Great Theft by Carmen Boullosa
4) The Republic of Užupis by Haïlji
5) Rain over Madrid by Andrés Barba
6) Wayfarer - New Fiction by Korean Women, edited by Bruce and Ju-Chan Fulton
7) The Flying Classroom by Erich Kästner
8) Zone by Mathias Énard
9) The Bird by O Chong-hui
10) Arpan by Park Hyoung-so 

Tony's Turkey for December is: Nothing

Nothing to report this month - luckily I had four saved over the year for Christmas ;)

Tony's Recommendation for December is:
Mathias Énard's Zone

I reviewed several excellent books this month, and many of the writers can consider themselves unlucky to miss out on the top prize.  I was sorely tempted to opt for Haïlji's Kafkaesque trip through Lithuania, but the reality was that one book was in a class of it own - for a week or so, I was truly in the zone ;)

 

*****
With 2014 done and dusted, it's time to look ahead to 2015, and (of course) I've wasted no time in getting the new year off to a literary start.  You see, the first month of the year is all about January in Japan, my personal attempt to get more people interested in J-Lit.  If that sounds like something you'd be interested in, please feel free to join us :)

November 2014 Wrap-Up

November was all about Lizzy and Caroline's German Literature Month, and while I didn't get around to reading quite as much as in previous years, I did get to try quite a few impressive German-language books.  However, even in the midst of all these Teutonic literary shenanigans, my Korean literature odyssey continued unabated, and I'm well on track to knocking off a good number of my remaining review copies before the end of the year :)

But I digress...

*****
Total Books Read: 11
Year-to-Date: 119

New:11

Rereads: 0

From the Shelves: 3
Review Copies: 5

From the Library: 2

On the Kindle: 2 (1 review copy)

Novels: 6

Novellas: 1
Short Stories: 4

Non-English Language: 11 (5 German, 4 Korean, 2 Spanish)

In Original Language: 4 (4 German)

Aussie Author Challenge: 0 (1/3)
Japanese Literature Challenge 8: 0 (4/1)

*****
Books reviewed in November were:

1) Agnes by Peter Stamm
2) Transit by Anna Seghers
3) The Parent Trap by Erich Kästner
4) Eine Halligfahrt (Journey to a Hallig) by Theodor Storm
5) Blumenberg by Sibylle Lewitscharoff
6) River of Fire and Other Stories by O Chong-hui
7) Irrungen, Wirrungen (Trials and Tribulations) by Theodor Fontane
8) Mario und der Zauberer (Mario and the Magician) by Thomas Mann
9) Mujong: the Heartless by Yi Kwang-su
10) Blood Brothers by Ernst Haffner
11) Die Ausgewanderten (The Emigrants) by W.G. Sebald
12) Alte Meister (The Old Masters) by Thomas Bernhard

Tony's Turkey for November is: Nothing

Another turkeyless month - surely December will see one more for the year ;)

Tony's Recommendation for November is:
Thomas Bernhard's Alte Meister

I was very close to causing major outrage by choosing one of my Korean books (River of Fire) as my pick for German Literature Month, but in the end Bernhard managed to redeem the honour of the German-language world with his claustrophobic tale of a morning in an art gallery (one I had the dubious pleasure of sharing in my post...).  It was definitely a close call, though ;)

 

*****
December is a time to relax from the rigours of German-language reading and look forward to the next challenge.  You see, the first month of the new year will see the third edition of my January in Japan blogging event - which means it'll soon be time to start cracking open the J-Lit.  Do join me ;)

October 2014 Wrap-Up

My October reading was a bit of a mixed bag.  I had a couple of great books from the library, several review copies to get to and a bit of reading to do in preparation for a certain blogging event...

But more of that later - shall we? ;)

*****
Total Books Read: 13
Year-to-Date: 108

New: 13

Rereads: 0

From the Shelves: 3
Review Copies: 6

From the Library: 2

On the Kindle: 2

Novels: 8

Novellas: 2
Short Stories: 3

Non-English Language: 13 (5 German, 4 Korean, Finnish, Hungarian, Portuguese, Norwegian)

In Original Language: 4 (4 German)

Aussie Author Challenge: 0 (1/3)
Japanese Literature Challenge 8: 0 (4/1)

*****
Books reviewed in October were:

1) They Were Found Wanting by Miklós Bánffy
2) The Foundling Boy by Michel Déon
3) Family Heirlooms by Zulmira Ribeiro Tavares
4) Twentieth-Century Stories from LTI Korea
5) Lady Anna by Anthony Trollope
6) Mr. Darwin's Gardener by Kristina Carlson
7) The Road to Sampo by Hwang Sok-yong
8) I Refuse by Per Petterson
9) Pavane for a Dead Princess by Park Min-gyu
10) Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector
11) Seiobo There Below by László Krasznahorkai

Tony's Turkey for October is: Nothing

Nothing to see here - maybe next time ;)

Tony's Recommendation for October is:
László Krasznahorkai's Seiobo There Below

Some great books for this month, but it was always a one-horse race for the main prize.  I really enjoyed I Refuse, and the Trollope and Bánffy books were typically entertaining.  Déon's interwar novel was also a wonderful read.  However, Krasznahorkai is in a field of his own here, and Seiobo There Below is a very deserving winner :)

 

*****
November means just one thing - yes, it's time for German Literature Month!  I'm already immersed in German-language reading, and the first of my reviews will be out in a couple of days.  Expect many more over the coming weeks :)

September 2014 Wrap-Up

September was a fairly calm month, with a bit of catching up with review copies and review writing.  Other activities meant that I didn't read that many books last month, but never fear - there are still plenty of reviews on the way :)

*****
Total Books Read: 9
Year-to-Date: 95

New:9

Rereads: 0

From the Shelves: 1
Review Copies: 8

From the Library: 0

On the Kindle: 2 (2 review copies)

Novels: 5

Novellas: 2
Short Stories: 2 

Non-English Language: 8 (2 Hungarian, 2 Korean, French, Portuguese, Spanish, German)

In Original Language: 1 (German)

Aussie Author Challenge: 0 (1/3)
Japanese Literature Challenge 8: 0 (4/1)

*****
Books reviewed in September were:

1) Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
2) Boyhood Island by Karl Ove Knausgaard
3) Antón Mallick Wants to Be Happy by Nicolás Casariego
4) The Plains by Gerald Murnane
5) One Spoon on this Earth by Hyun Ki-young
6) A Distant Father by Antonio Skármeta
7) Ich nannte ihn Krawatte (I Called Him Necktie) by Milena Michiko Flašar
8) Journey by Moonlight by Antal Szerb
9) I Live in Bongcheon-dong by Jo Kyung-ran
10) The Things We Don't Do by Andrés Neuman

Tony's Turkey for September is:
Hyun Ki-young's One Spoon on This Earth

An interesting book marred by an awful translation - another turkey, I'm afraid...

Tony's Recommendation for September is:
Antal Szerb's Journey by Moonlight

Aside from the turkey, there were some wonderful books reviewed this month, and it was hard to overlook a lot of them for the main honour.  Murakami, Knausgaard, Murnane and (especially) Neuman can all feel disappointed, but in the end, I just had to go with Szerb's classic tale of a marriage on the rocks in Italy :)

 

*****
October will see much of the same, but as the month draws on, I'll be turning my focus to all things Teutonic.  Yes, German Literature Month is not far off, so it's time for me to get cracking ;)

August 2014 Wrap-Up - Women in Translation Month

August saw the first edition of what will hopefully become an annual event, Women in Translation Month.  Hosted by Meytal of the Biblibio blog (who revealed her name during the month!), the event focused on the paucity of work by female writers in translation and attempted to turn a little more of the spotlight onto these authors.

It's hard to know how much of a success it was in the wider world, but it certainly generated a lot of interest in some quarters.  It was nice to see some publishers getting involved too (special mentions go to And Other Stories for their Tumblr series - here and here - and MacLehose Press for some suggestions on their site - here and here).  And, of course, every review on my blog in August (starting, in fact, on the 31st of July) was for the event :)

So, stats first - then my dozen reviews for Women in Translation Month :)

*****
Total Books Read: 11
Year-to-Date: 86

New: 11

Rereads: 0

From the Shelves: 3
Review Copies: 6

From the Library: 2

On the Kindle: 2 (2 review copies)

Novels: 7

Novellas: 2
Short Stories: 1
Non-Fiction: 1 

Non-English Language: 10 (3 Spanish, 2 Italian, Korean, French, Japanese, Norwegian, German)

In Original Language: 2 (French and German)

Aussie Author Challenge: 1 (1/3)
Japanese Literature Challenge 8: 1 (4/1)

*****
Books reviewed in August were:

0) Faces in the Crowd by Valeria Luiselli
1) My Son's Girlfriend by Jung Mi-kyung
2) The Pillow Book by Sei Shōnagon
3) The Life of Rebecca Jones by Angharad Price
4) The Blue Room by Hanne Ørstavik
5) Spirit on the Wind (and other Stories) by O Chong-hui
6) Sworn Virgin by Elvira Dones
7) Numéro Six by Véronique Olmi
8) There a Petal Silently Falls by Ch'oe Yun
9) Aller Tage Abend (The End of Days) by Jenny Erpenbeck
10) Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante
11) Sidewalks by Valeria Luiselli

Tony's Turkey for August is: Nothing

Christmas is looking very bare this year - looks like I'll be having toast instead of turkey ;)

Tony's Recommendation for August is:
Ch'oe Yun's There a Petal Silently Falls

Some great reads here, and it was a very close-run race.  The gallant runners-up this month were definitely Hanne Ørstavik's great story of psychological repression and Jenny Erpenbeck's time-twisting tale.  However, my choice goes to Ch'oe Yun's excellent selection of three long stories, a wonderful set of different writing styles and topics :)

*****
With Women in Translation Month duties over for now, September will (hopefully) be a little more relaxing.  Then again, I do have a very big pile of ARCs looking over my shoulder...

July 2014 Wrap-Up

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 Library: 1

On the Kindle: 3 (2 review copies)

Novels: 6

Novellas: 1
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)

*****
Books reviewed in July were:

1) Stingray by Kim Joo-young
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 ;)

June 2014 Wrap-Up

June has been a bit of a tough month - as a result, I've just been coasting a bit with the blog.  Still, there were some books read, and a fair few reviews as well...

*****
Total Books Read: 6
Year-to-Date: 62

New: 4

Rereads: 2

From the Shelves: 2
Review Copies: 4

From the Library: 0

On the Kindle: 1 (1 review copy)

Novels: 2

Novellas: 1
Short Stories: 1
Non-Fiction: 2

Non-English Language: 4 (3 Korean, Spanish)

In Original Language: 0

Aussie Author Challenge: 0 (0/3)
Japanese Literature Challenge 8: 0 (1/1)

*****
Books reviewed in June were:

1) I'll Be Right There by Kyung-sook Shin
2) Tirza by Arnon Grunberg
3) The House with a Sunken Courtyard by Kim Won-il
4) Granta 127: Japan, ed. Yuka Igarashi
5) Our Twisted Hero by Yi Mun-yol
6) Black Flower by Kim Young-ha
7) The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante
8) Modern Korean Fiction, ed. Bruce Fulton & Youngmin Kim
9) All Played Out by Pete Davies

Tony's Turkey for June is: Nothing

Nothing disappointed me in June - that's the kind of month I like :)

Tony's Recommendation for June is:
Arnon Grunberg's Tirza

There were some great books here, and it's hard to single any out.  The two collections were excellent, and the other four Korean books were all entertaining.  All Played Out was an enjoyable trip down memory lane, while Elena Ferrante is always top-class.  However, Tirza is a horrible, twisted book - and a very, very good one to boot :)

*****
I'm not going to make any promises for July, but as Spanish-Language Literature Month is around the corner, I'll do my best to get a couple read from my TBR pile.  As I said, though - no promises ;)

May 2014 Wrap-Up

What happened in May?  With IFFP duties finally over for the year, it was just another month, with another pile of books...  My K-Lit obsession is now in full swing, and you can rest assured that there'll be plenty of reviews of Korean literature in the coming months (especially now that I've discovered the joys of my local university library!).

But let's move on to the stats, shall we?

*****
Total Books Read: 10
Year-to-Date: 56

New: 8

Rereads: 2

From the Shelves: 2
Review Copies: 5

From the Library: 3

On the Kindle: 1 (1 review copy)

Novels: 7

Novellas: 1
Short Stories:2

Non-English Language: 10 (5 Korean, Icelandic, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, Arabic)

In Original Language: 0

Aussie Author Challenge: 0 (0/3)

*****
Books reviewed in May were:

1) Ten by Andrej Longo
2) An Appointment with His Brother and Other Stories by Yi Mun-yol
3) Dispute over a Very Italian Piglet by Amara Lakhous
4) A Meal in Winter by Hubert Mingarelli
5) Why Translation Matters by Edith Grossman
6) Running through Beijing by Xu Zechen
7) The Guest by Hwang Sok-yong
8) They Were Counted by Miklós Bánffy
9) Papers in the Wind by Eduardo Sacheri
10) The Dwarf by Cho Se-hui 

Tony's Turkey for May is:
Edith Grossman's Why Translation Matters

Translation matters, and Grossman is a world-famous exponent of the art.  However, this book, taken from some lectures she gave on the subject, is nothing more than a turkey - a huge disappointment :(

Tony's Recommendation for May is:

Miklós Bánffy's They Were Counted

If I'm honest, this wasn't a great month for reviews, with Grossman's turkey accompanied by reviews of some good, but unexceptional, books.  Some of the better books included those by Hwang Sok-yong and Amara Lakhous, but in this company, Bánffy's lengthy story of a society on the brink of its downfall stands head and shoulders above the competition :)

*****
I'm very excited about what's coming up in June - not just because I have a stack of books that I'm eager to get reading, but also because one of my favourite events is up again.  The eighth edition of Bellezza's Japanese Literature Challenge starts in June, and (as always) I'll be dusting off some books on my J-Lit shelves to join in.  I'll also (finally!) be starting the book I decided I would finish this year - The Tale of Genji :)

April 2014 Wrap-Up

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 Library: 3

On the Kindle: 2 (1 review copy)

Novels: 7

Novellas: 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 Emmerich
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...

March 2014 Wrap-Up

March is, of course, Independent Foreign Fiction Prize month, and once the longlist was announced, I leapt straight into it (luckily, I'd already finished seven of them...).  Still, with enforced waits owing to library lists and delivery times from overseas, it was a good job I had a few other books to tide me over ;)

The stats?  This way...

*****
Total Books Read: 17
Year-to-Date: 34

New: 12

Rereads: 5

From the Shelves: 6
Review Copies: 7

From the Library: 3

On the Kindle: 3 (2 review copies)

Novels: 11

Novellas: 3
Short Stories: 2
Non-Fiction: 1

Non-English Language: 14 (5 Japanese, 2 Korean, Russian, Swedish, Icelandic, Chinese, Arabic, Hebrew, French, Spanish)

In Original Language: 0

Aussie Author Challenge: 0 (0/3)

*****
Books reviewed in March were:

1) Ekaterini by Marija Knežević
2) The Good Life Elsewhere by Vladimir Lorchenkov
3) No One Writes Back by Jang Eun-jin
4) Butterflies in November by Auður Ava Olafsdóttir
5) Captain of the Steppe by Oleg Pavlov
6) The Dark Road by Ma Jian
7) Le Grand Meaulnes by Alain-Fournier

Tony's Turkey for March is:
Auður Ava Olafsdóttir's Butterflies in November

While Butterflies in November wasn't an awful book, it simply wasn't what I would have expected from one on the IFFP longlist - slightly disappointing.

Tony's Recommendation for March is:

Alain-Fournier's Le Grand Meaulnes

Not many reviews to choose from in March, and to be honest there weren't really many strong candidates.  Honorable mentions go to Vladimir Lorchenkov and (especially) Jang Eun-jin, but Le Grand Meaulnes was really in a class of its own this month...

*****
Looking ahead to April, there'll be the rest of my IFFP reviews (although the reading should all be done by now); in fact, there'll be a lot of posts going up as I read a heap of books in March.  Something to look forward to, then ;)

February 2014 Wrap-Up

February was a fairly quiet month, with a few review copies and even some rereading helping me to relax before things get busy again.  Yep, it was the calm before the oncoming storm...

*****
Total Books Read: 10
Year-to-Date: 17

New: 6

Rereads: 4

From the Shelves: 4
Review Copies: 6

From the Library: 0

On the Kindle: 1 (review copy)

Novels: 8

Novellas: 1
Non-Fiction: 1

Non-English Language: 9 (2 Spanish, Japanese, French, German, Korean, Serbian, Russian, Italian)

In Original Language: 2 (German, French) 

Aussie Author Challenge: 0 (0/3)

*****
Books reviewed in February were:

1) The Happy City by Elvira Navarro
2) Anatomie einer Nacht (Anatomy of a Night) by Anna Kim
3) The Soil by Yi Kwang-su
4) A Treatise on Shelling Beans by Wiesław Myśliwski
5) Calling All Heroes by Paco Ignacio Taibo II
6) Talking to Ourselves by Andrés Neuman
7) Bound in Venice by Alessandro Marzo Magno
8) Romola by George Eliot

Tony's Turkey for February is: Nothing

The Happy City wasn't my kind of book, but it wasn't poor enough to take its place in the pantry - no turkeys this month :)

Tony's Recommendation for February is:

Anna Kim's Anatomy of a Night

To be honest, I was tempted to cheat and name three or four books this month, with none of the main contenders really running away with the prize.  Commiserations then to Neuman, Myśliwski and George Eliot - the Austrian/Korean writer Anna Kim takes the honours in a photo finish ;)

*****
So, we look ahead to March, which (as you should all know by now) means one thing - it's IFFP time!  I've already kicked things off with my post suggesting a few contenders for the longlist, and the real thing will appear on the 8th.  Then it'll be time to get down to some serious reading - and blogging, of course ;)

January 2014 Wrap-Up

January is finally over, which means that January in Japan is (just about) done and dusted.  It's been a fun month spreading the word about J-Lit, but it's also been an extremely tiring one...  Thanks to everyone who has taken part :)

As for the numbers - well, it's a new year, so we start at 0 again...

*****
Total Books Read: 7
Year-to-Date: 7

New: 6

Rereads: 1

From the Shelves: 2
Review Copies: 5

From the Library: 0

On the Kindle: 1 (review copy)

Novels: 7

Short Stories: 0
Non-Fiction: 0

Non-English Language: 7 (3 Japanese, Spanish, German, Korean, Polish)

In Original Language: 1 (German)

Aussie Author Challenge: 0 (0/3)
Japanese Literature Challenge 7: 3 (23/1)

*****
Books reviewed in January were:

1) Shipwrecks by Akira Yoshimura
2) The Frontier Within by Kobo Abe
3) Modern Japanese Stories by Ivan Morris (ed.)
4) Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids by Kenzaburo Oe
5) The Diving Pool by Yoko Ogawa
6) Light and Dark by Natsume Soseki
7) A True Novel by Minae Mizumura
8) hardboiled \ hard luck by Banana Yoshimoto
9) Deep River by Shusaku Endo
10) Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

Tony's Turkey for January is:
Kobo Abe's The Frontier Within

I expected a lot more from this one, but (unfortunately) it failed to deliver.

Tony's Recommendation for January is:

Minae Mizumura's A True Novel

Norwegian Wood is always an enjoyable read, and Natsume Soseki's last novel was also impressive.  For a while, I was tempted to give the nod to the impressive Morris short-story collection, but in the end, Mizumura's Japanese take on Wuthering Heights was just too good to ignore :)

*****
Looking ahead to February, there'll be a lot of great translated fiction again (the review copies have mounted up again during my J-Lit binge).  I really need to do a good job there too - you see, with the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize longlist announced on the 8th of March, I'm going to be pretty busy again very soon ;)

December 2013 Wrap-Up

December has been a month of catching up and looking ahead.  I managed to get through a few review copies and library books I had lying around, before moving on to the next big project, more J-Lit for my January in January event :)  Still, before we get onto 2014, let's close off 2013 first...

*****
Total Books Read: 12
Year-to-Date: 130

New: 12

Rereads: 0

From the Shelves: 6
Review Copies: 5

From the Library: 1

On the Kindle: 1 (Review Copy)

Novels: 8

Short Stories: 3
Non-Fiction: 1

Non-English Language: 12 (7 Japanese, 2 French, Spanish, Czech, Romanian)

In Original Language: 0

Aussie Author Challenge: 0 (5/3)
Japanese Literature Challenge 7: 7 (20/1)

*****
Books reviewed in December were:

1) The Inflatable Buddha by András Kepes
2) Uppsala Woods by Álvaro Colomer
3) Beauty on Earth by Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz
4) Brief Loves that Last Forever by Andreï Makine
5) Blinding: The Left Wing by Mircea Cărtărescu
6) The Seamstress and the Wind by César Aira
7) The Miracle Cures of Dr. Aira by César Aira
8) The Devil's Workshop by Jáchym Topol
9) The American Senator by Anthony Trollope

Tony's Turkey for December is: Nothing

With four turkeys already for the year, my job is done :)

Tony's Recommendation for December is:

Mircea Cărtărescu's Blinding

I reviewed some great books to round off the year, several of which may have taken out the prize in a weaker month.  Special mentions go to Álvaro Colomer, Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz and Andreï Makine; however, Blinding was simply too good to ignore, a worthy recipient of the final book of the month award for 2013 :)

*****
That's it then for 2013, but (as you may have seen) 2014 has already kicked off with January in Japan.  Here's hoping you can join us to kick-start the new year with some great J-Lit!

November 2013 Wrap-Up

November was, of course, the month for German-language reading, with all my posts contributing to German Literature Month.  Thanks are due to Lizzy and Caroline for hosting and organising the event - once again, my contribution was to organise an unsuccessful excursion (see my posts below on The Blue Angel for details...).

Anyway, onto the stats - here's what was going on around these parts last month...

*****
Total Books Read: 10
Year-to-Date: 118

New: 8

Rereads: 2

From the Shelves: 6
Review Copies: 1

From the Library:2

On the Kindle: 1

Novels: 5
Novellas:3

Short Stories: 2

Non-English Language: 7 (4 German, 2 Spanish, Hungarian)

In Original Language: 4 (4 German)

Aussie Author Challenge: 0 (5/3)
Japanese Literature Challenge 7: 0 (13/1)

*****
Books reviewed in November were:

1) Nichts als Gespenster (Nothing but Ghosts) by Judith Hermann
2) Was bleibt (What Remains) by Christa Wolf
3) Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald
4) Holzfällen (Woodcutters) by Thomas Bernhard
5) Wellen (Waves) by Eduard von Keyserling
6) Božena by Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach
7) Wir Fliegen (We're Flying) by Peter Stamm
8) Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter (The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick) by Peter Handke
9) Leonardos Hände (Leonardo's Hands) by Alois Hotschnig
10) Professor Unrat (The Blue Angel) by Heinrich Mann (Part One, Part Two, Part Three)

Tony's Turkey for November is:
Marie von Ebner Eschenbach's Božena

The weakest of the bunch - not an awful book, but one I was a little disappointed by.

Tony's Recommendation for November is:

Thomas Berhard's Holzfällen

There were two stand-out reads, and if I were someone with more interest in Holocaust literature then Austerlitz may well have won out.  For me though, Bernhard's grumpy old man act was the worthy pick of the bunch for German Literature Month :)

*****
As we slowly near the end of 2013, it'd be nice to think that December would be a comfortable month of rereading and reflection - sadly, that's unlikely to be the case.  I have another crop of interesting review copies to flick through and only a short time to do it in.  You see, it's time to start planning January in Japan already - do join me then ;)