International Booker anticipation stack

A stack of mostly library books as I impatiently wait for International Booker longlist announcement on Monday.

🇧🇷 Of cattle and men by Ana Paula Maia, translated into English by Zoë Perry. Edit: this was eligible last year.

🇺🇸 Postcolonial love poem by International Booker judge Natalie Diaz

🇫🇷  🇸🇳 Vengeance is mine by Marie NDiaye, translated into English by Jordan Stump

🇸🇪 🇮🇷 The singularity by Balsam Karam in the original Swedish

🇦🇷 19 claws and a black bird Agustina Bazterrica, translated into English by Sarah Moses

🇺🇸 When my brother was an Aztec by IB judge Natalie Diaz

🇸🇪 The details by Ia Genberg in its original Swedish

🇸🇪 Hunter in Huskvarna by Sara Stridsberg in its original Swedish

🇮🇸 The mark by Frída Ísberg, translated into Swedish by Arvid Nordh

🇳🇴 The wolves of eternity by Karl Ove Knausgård, translated into Swedish by Staffan Söderblom

🇸🇪 Ædnan by Linnea Axelsson in the original Swedish

🇯🇵 The end of August by Yu Miri, translated into English by Morgan Giles

Have you read any of these? Which ones would you want to see on the longlist on Monday?

Bookstack

I’m back on my library book tower building ways!!! This stack is #LiteraryFifteen inspired.

🏆 Ursula K. Le Guin
The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez
Arboreality by Rebecca Campbell
Drinking From Graveyard Wells by Yvette Lisa Ndlovu

🏆 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation
Your Wish Is My Command by Deena Mohamed
The Fawn by Magda Szabo
The Forbidden Notebook by Alba de Céspedes
What Have You Left Behind? by Bushra Al-Maqtari
Ti Amo by Hanne Ørstavik
A Line In The World: A Year On The North Sea Coast by Dorthe Nors

🏆 Aspen Words
What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jiménez

Friendly reminder that Literary Fifteen 2024 is live! The book is for the 2024 longlist (and more books are incoming).

🏆 Jhalak
The Secret Diaries Of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Paterson Joseph
Onyeka And The Academy Of The Sun by Tolá Okogwu
I’m A Fan by Sheena Patel

🏆 Jhalak & OCM Bocas
When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo

🏆 NBA Translated Fiction
The Most Secret Memory Of Men by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr
Abyss by Pilar Quintana

🏆 Nebula & Ursula K. Le Guin
Spear by Nicola Griffith

🏆 Carol Shields
Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades

Leaning onto this stack are today’s purchases: The Antiquarian Sticker Book and The Botanist’s Sticker Anthology. Stickers intended to add that bit of art you need some days when you do not have it in you to draw or paint something yourself.

As for my Literary Fifteen status I’ve completed 8 out of 15 prompts. This stack would allow me to catch up on most of the prompts I have yet to read from: OCM Bocas (I’m working on OCM Bocas as I’m reading my way through Moon Witch Spide King by Marlon James. It is brutal as always but I’m enjoying being back with Sogolon and having James open a new world that deserves is own series in each chapter), Carol Shields, Jhalak, Ursula K. Le Guin.

AKO Caine I’m planning to read all the stories – just like last year – which are available through their website. It was a delight and exploration of different ways to tell a story.

For the Stella and JCB there are no books available for me so I’m guessing I will have to give up or figure out which one to buy. Any suggestions or disappointments?

Morning reading 📚☕

Inspired by my new-found love for reading vlogs on BookTube I wanted to do a reading update on my current reads.

The way spring arrives
I’ve finished the first story called The Stars We Raised by Xiu Xinyu (tr. Judy Yi Zhou). As the title reveals, in this story stars play a significant role. Stars appear and are “raised” by kids on a yearly basis for a couple of months until the stars are sold by the parents. We follow our narrator and the outcast Jiang Yang as they grew from kids to young adults. I liked the story, I viewed it as a comment on our society and the way we use things without care or consideration.

Jawbone
I’ve finished the first chapter and Fernanda is certainly in trouble. I suspect this will be a book where we get told the current situation and what came before it until it all explodes into some final scenes. High hopes for this being amazing.

Motherland by Paula Ramón – via Netgalley
This is described as powerful memoir from a Venezuelan reporter about one woman’s complicated relationship with her family as her beloved homeland collapses into ruin. I’ve finished the introduction this morning and believe I’m in for some beautiful language and reflections on what it means to lose your home and what home even is.

I’m also finishing Victory City by Salman Rushdie. My first book by Rushdie although I remember reading The Satanic Verses on the beach as a teenager. But I don’t think I ever finished it.

Library stack 📚

You are looking at my latest additions to my soon toppling tower of library books. If I keep going at this rate I will reach 40 books before vacation arrives at the end of next week.

To encourage my reading I scored a summer reading bingo card at the library. Anyone who participates gets a gift and you might win books if you are lucky. I’m excited to already have some prompts completed: read outside, recommend books on social media, and read out loud to someone. I’m looking forward to gift someone a book, and reading a graphic novel.

New additions to the leaning library book tower:

Shy by Max Porter – this would be my first book by Porter, I’ve been intrigued ever since Lanny.

A Spell Of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ – Stay With Me has made a lasting impression and I’m eagerly awaiting to try out book 2.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver – this better be good or many of you are liars.

I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai – another new-to-me author that I’ve seen a lot of praise for.