Title: Her Body and Other Parties Writer: Carmen Maria Machado Publishing House: Graywolf Press Date of Publication: October 3rd 2017 Rating: 5 stars ‘’What magical thing could you want so badly they take you away from the known world for wanting it?’’ This book is one of those cases when you feel someone calling your name. From the enticing cover…
Month: July 2018
Black Cats and Evil Eyes
Title: Black Cats and Evil Eyes: A Book of Old-Fashioned Superstitions Writer: Chloe Rhodes Publishing House: Michael O’ Mara Books Date of Publication: September 1st 2012 Rating: 1 star ‘’No matter how certainly we know that the spirits of the damned aren’t lurking under ladders hoping that we might sneeze at just the right moment for them to take…
Οι Όχθες του Σάβου
*The English review is hiding below:) * H λογοτεχνία των Βαλκανίων είναι τόσο ιδιότυπη και ξεχωριστή όσο κι η Ρώσικη. Η έμφαση στην ηθογραφία, η γλαφυρότητα των καθημερινών χαρακτήρων, η μεστή γλώσσα χωρίς ιδιαίτερη ποιητικότητα αλλά γεμάτη ρεαλισμό είναι ξεκάθαρα γνωρίσματα της λογοτεχνίας της ΝΑ Ευρώπης. Είναι πάντα ευχάριστο να βλέπεις καινούριους εκδοτικούς οίκους να…
The House in The Hills
Title: The House In The Hills Writer: Rowan Hanlon Publishing House: Reverberator Books Date of Publication: June 5th 2018 Rating: 1 star You know, sometimes the book industry reminds me of today’s Hollywood. They lack the stories and the scriptwriters, resorting to an absurd recycling of the success of the past, creating ridiculous remakes that wouldn’t even achieve a…
The Diary Of A Bookseller
Title: The Diary of A Bookseller Writer: Shaun Bythell Publishing House: Melville House Publishing Date of Publication: September 4th 2018 (first published September 28th 2017) Rating: 2 stars These are the experiences of Shaun Bythell, a bookseller in Wigtown in beautiful Scotland, in diary format. The working days, the customers (problematic or not), the co-workers, the struggle to support…
The Testament of Mary
Title: The Testament of Mary Writer: Colm Tóibín Publishing House: Penguin Date of Publication: October 1st 2012 Rating: 5 stars ‘’I have forgotten how to smile. I have no further need for smiling.’’ I’m not sure how this review is going to come through. This is a subject matter very close to my heart and a novel by one of my…
Sentimental Tales
Title: Sentimental Tales Writer: Mikhail Zoshchenko (translated by Boris Dralyuk) Publishing House: Columbia University Press Date of Publication: July 31st 2018 Rating: 5 stars ‘’What do you think, Auntie, does man have a soul?’’ Mikhail Zoshchenko is considered one of the greatest Soviet satirists, a genre that flourished in the country, especially during the Soviet era. The six stories…
Animals Eat Each Other
Title: Animals Eat Each Other Writer: Elle Nash Publishing House: Dzanc Books Date of Publication: July 18th 2017 Rating: 5 stars ‘’I learned that Lilith was made from the same dust as Adam, and not from his rib. I learned that Lilith was either banished or left the Garden because she refused to obey and it seemed likely to me…
The Heart Goes Last
Title: The Heart Goes Last Writer: Margaret Atwood Publishing House: Doubleday Date of Publication: September 24th 2015 Rating: 2 stars ‘’Someone’s accepting it, Stan thought. You can bet they are. If there’s money in it.’’ Stan and Charmaine are married, young and hopeful. However, a devastating economic crisis has taken away their jobs and their home. All they have left…
The Travelling Cat Chronicles
Title:The Travelling Cat Chronicles Writer: Hiro Arikawa Publishing House: Doubleday Date of Publication: November 2nd 2017 (first published November 1st 2012) Rating: 5 stars ‘’Human beings are basically huge monkeys that walk upright, but they can be pretty full of themselves.’’ Confession alert: each time I see a cat- and I literally mean EACH time- I shout ‘’Kitty!’’ at…
My Real Name is Hanna
Title: My Real Name Is Hanna Writer: Tara Lynn Masih Publishing House: Mandel Vilar Press Date of Publication: September 11th 2018 Rating: 5 stars *Any political comments will be promptly deleted* ‘’As good as life looks now to us young children, there is still a sense of always looking over your shoulder for something to hit you.’’ This is one…
The Forensic Records Society
Title: The Forensic Records Society Writer: Magnus Mills Publishing House: Bloomsbury Publishing Date of Publication: April 6th 2017 Rating: 2 stars *Being unable to find a single worthy quote in a book is telling, isn’t it?* I vividly remember my fascination with vinyl records at the age of 11-12. My generation witnessed a brief revival of these beautiful, black…
The Argonauts
Title: The Argonauts Writer: Maggie Nelson Publishing House: Graywolf Press Date of Publication: May 5th 2015 Rating: 5 stars ‘’You’ve punctured my solitude, I told you.’’ I feel as if I’m treading on thin ice with this one, because in all honesty, this is a book that one has to read in order to understand. I feel that Nelson…
The Silent Companions
Title: The Silent Companions Writer: Laura Purcell Publishing House: Raven Books Date of Publication: October 5th 2017 Rating: 5 stars ‘’I am not dead.’’ Goodness me! How can I write a coherent (and non-spoilery) review on a book that has stayed with me, haunting me (no pun intended) ever since I started reading? A novel that has definitely made it…
I Spy Book Challenge
My dearest friend, Marina @Books Of Magic tagged me for a Challenge that proved to be an absolute fun! I am sure that you have already visited her wonderful, beautiful blog and you should do so on a daily, hourly basis! The challenge: Find a book that contains (either on the cover or in the title) an example…
Love
Title: Love (Vintage Minis Series) Writer: Jeanette Winterson Publishing House: Penguin Date of Publication: June 8th 2017 Rating: 5 stars ‘’Love as the night-haunter, the blood-hunter, the body’s rack, antagonist of conscience. Love as the space between utility and despair. Love as the enemy of ease.’’ The Vintage Minis series is a wonderful new project by Penguin. Taken…
The Opinionated Reader 