The Crimean Nexus: Constantine Pleshakov

The Crimean Nexus: Putin's war and the clash of civilizations by Constantine Pleshakov was published in 2017 by Yale publishing. Pleshakov is a former policy analyst who now teaches at the Five-College Consortium in Massachusetts. He was born in Yalta and is now a permanent resident of the United States. Pleshakov provides a clear background … Continue reading The Crimean Nexus: Constantine Pleshakov →

The lady and the little fox fur by Violette Leduc, translated by Derek Coltman

Throughout my reading of this novella, I could not get Katherine Mansfield's short story "Miss Brill" out of my mind. It is not a similar story but still, the love that the old woman has for her little fox fur reminded me of the feelings that Miss Brill had for her little pieces of finery; … Continue reading The lady and the little fox fur by Violette Leduc, translated by Derek Coltman →

Go Went Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck translated by Susan Bernofsky

Originally published in German in 2015, Erpenbeck's latest novel was published in English in 2017. Given the major refugee and asylum crisis in Europe of 2014, in particular, this book's publication in German was timely. Unfortunately by the time of its English publication 2017 and wider distribution in 2018 it was still vital and contemporary. If … Continue reading Go Went Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck translated by Susan Bernofsky →

Familiar Things by Hwang Sok-Yong

When my husband gave me the birthday gift of 'A Year of Books' from Foyles' I chose the translated fiction category for a variety of reasons. I love reading and travelling and having lived in several countries now, and I felt that this could continue to open my reading horizons. I'm currently living in a … Continue reading Familiar Things by Hwang Sok-Yong →

Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure – John Cleland (1748-1750)

As the first book in my Reading Years challenge this was a huge challenge for me to read. The first clue of the content of this book should have been the “what other books have been bought by people who downloaded this book” category on amazon.com. Having decided that there was never enough time for … Continue reading Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure – John Cleland (1748-1750) →

Politics and Activism: not a how-to but a must-read.

Deray McKesson On the Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope  (2018) Viking Press: New York. (220 pages) Deray McKesson is one of the key players in the protests in Ferguson that broke out the day after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in August 2014. McKesson would not call himself a leader of this … Continue reading Politics and Activism: not a how-to but a must-read. →