Books I Want To Keep

I have read so many duds and books recently that I gave up on because their meh factor was way too high. These are the pearls in a bit of a swamp, the ones I actually finished. Bea Howe, Lady With The Green Fingers. The Life of Jane Loudon I rather unfairly only think of … Continue reading Books I Want To Keep →

Inaka. Portraits of Life in Rural Japan

A mention of this book popped up on Twitter, and I went straight to the Camphor Press website and bought it. I've never been to Japan, but two family members have, one for a year, and she's been trying to get back there ever since. Japanese books are stacked up in her bedroom, not just … Continue reading Inaka. Portraits of Life in Rural Japan →

Vern Sneider and The Tea-House of the August Moon

Today’s letter is S, and today’s author in the Really Like This Book podcast series catch-up is totally obscure. I present to you The Teahouse of the August Moon, by the American novelist Vern Sneider. This is a gentle comedy about the American occupation of Japan after the Second World War, where the Japanese get the … Continue reading Vern Sneider and The Tea-House of the August Moon →

Tell Me What You Read: David McKay and literary translation

In Tell Me What You Read I interview well-kenned folk in public life about how their reading has shaped their lives, in the past and now. David McKay, literary translator of Stefan Hertmans’ War and Turpentine, and Everything to Nothing by Geert Buelens. Tell me which authors, or what reading, you can see now were influential … Continue reading Tell Me What You Read: David McKay and literary translation →