- Deepfake by Makis Malafekas
- Ambivalence by Brian Dillon
- Dying in Toronto or Our Lady of Czestochowa is still shedding tears by Daša Drndič
- The Assault by Harry Mulisch
- Blackout by Yann Chateigné Tytelman
- The Sharks by Jens Bjørneboe
I’ve decided to end the month today. Partly as it is another red-hot day here in the UK. The hot weather has hit my reading, and the fact I have just had a lot of stress this last month or so. Anyway, the month is nearly over. I managed six reviews. Starting off in Greece and a man going undercover in a right-wing group. Then a tale of a man growing up in Dublin ijn the 80s. Then being Eiled in Toronto in the 90s by one of my all time favourite writers. Then the los of parents and what happened in they years after that in Holland for the solo survior of a family. Then a man ijn lockdown tries to write to his dad but gets caught up with art as he does so. Then a ship in the cusp of the 20th century is shipwrecked after a mutiny.A good month as they were all great books.
Book of the month
It had to be this book, Daša Drndiċ’s account of the years she spent in Exile in Canada. A mix of insight into Canada from an outsider’s perspective. From the customs and just general life. To feeling apart from home and what you do to soet that when you are in Exile. I do hope we get to read all her writing over time she is a unique voice
Non book events
I made a real effort to record my films this month on Letterboxd after seeing a video where someone had seen a film every day for 1000 days. I don’t think I can do this, but I’m trying to watch a few more films, and it has been working. So far, a couple of highlights: Tatsui, the animated life of one of Japan’s most well-known manga writers. Oslo August 31st sees a man on a day out from recovery struggle to get back to his own life. But the best so far is the heart-wrenching The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, a tale of a trans family living in the Chilean Desert in a mining village at the time AIDS is just starting to take people’s lives. Music-wise, I brought a number of the reissued Mojave 3 CDs; the band were a spin-off from the Shoegaze group Slowdive but with a mellow acoustic take on their music. Then I just heard today of the Sad loss of Glen Hansard. The actor/singer was in the movies The Commitments and Once. The bands The Frames and The Swell Season of course, the latter named after a Czech novel were his band with his co-star and ex-wife, Markéta Irglova. I was just saying to my best friend that we know the most famous people that day at our age, but not those of a similar age to us; Glen was a sad loss for a man who was both a heartfelt singer and actor.
Next month
I hope to come roaring back. I have felt a little better the last few days, barring the heat, and have held back a number of books. I have a good selection of books to read from the TBR I have been posting as a few options on Instagram, but I also have other books in my bookcases. I look forward to seeing what other people read next month for Women in Translation Month. How was your July? Are you a summer reader, or, like me, do you prefer reading on cold winter nights?
I am definitely a summer reader! Give me an cool outdoor setting with a nice breeze and I’m hitting those pages so quick!!!! The heat makes me cranky lol.
Hope your August is super successful 🙂
Thanks yes the heat some days just too much
I hadn’t heard about Glen Hansard, I’ll watch Once again in memoriam. Sounds a good July in spite of the heat, looking forward to you roaring in August!
So sad I watch the commitments so young in that
It *is* too hot, St, I’m longing for rain and cooler weather. It does impact on my reading a bit. Looking forward to WIT though, I have a few possibles lined up.
Thanks for the reminder about WIT Month, I am about a third of the way through Touba and the Meaning of Light by Iranian author Shahrnush Parsipur, and it’s quite complex so that will probably be all I can manage!
I hope it cools down for you soon, don’t try to do too much!
Oh not seen that one by her sad she passed so soon after booker listing
It’s interesting because the Iranian-Australian author Shokoofeh Azar uses elements that are similar, originating from Iranian myth, their ancient religion (not Islam) and what we would call magic realism. So I think (because I am hardly an expert on the basis of reading three books) that Azar is writing in the same tradition.