Tag: Translation

#Paris in July: So you don’t get lost in the Neighborhood by Patrick Modiano (2014)

"What a peculiar path I've had to take in order to reach you." One of the best parts of blogging is getting recommendations from friends. Thus, when my friend, Eden (check out his wonderful blog @ http://www.edenthompson.ca/blog ) praised Modiano's book , I knew I had to read it. Author Jean Daragane is a recluse … Continue reading #Paris in July: So you don’t get lost in the Neighborhood by Patrick Modiano (2014) →

#ClassicClub: Hotel Vesuvius by Johan Fabricius (1945)

Hotel Vesuvius is a small inn run by Bartolo and his wife, Luigi along with the waitress and general dogsbody, Nenella. While other guests come and go, there are three virually permanent guests staying there: Renato Colleoni, who has recently joined the fascist party, after all 'Uniforms ensnared female hearts and inspired men with respect … Continue reading #ClassicClub: Hotel Vesuvius by Johan Fabricius (1945) →

Invasive: The Thought-Reading Machine by Andre Maurois (1937)

Denis Dumoulin, is a professor of French Literature working in Caen. He and his wife Suzanne get on fine but for her overt attachment to her parental family which causes friction between the couple. So when he is offered the post of a visiting professor at the American University of Westmouth, he is more than … Continue reading Invasive: The Thought-Reading Machine by Andre Maurois (1937) →

#WIT: Pippi Langstrump (Pippi Longstocking) by Astrid Lindgren (1945)

August is the month when we celebrate the writings of women (in translation). To start the month, I picked up a book long on my shelves and considered a classic in Children's literature. Pippi is a young girl whose mother died during child-birth and whose father, the captain of a ship, is missing at sea. … Continue reading #WIT: Pippi Langstrump (Pippi Longstocking) by Astrid Lindgren (1945) →

First Read of 2023: The Puffin Book of Funny Stories (2005)

After the rather tepid last read of 2022, Frank Baker's The Twisted Tree, which ended on a disturbing note, I wanted to start 2023 with something much more cheerful. LO had borrowed this book from the library and I read it today. The book features some of the most well-known and loved authors of India: … Continue reading First Read of 2023: The Puffin Book of Funny Stories (2005) →

(Impossible) Crime in Translation: The Seventh Guest by Gaston Boca (1935)

Then a dispute arose between d’Arlon, his wife, and Émile. There were six of us, including Émile, who were supposed to share the table. But seven settings had been laid.Émile claimed he had taken the number of place settings prepared by his mistress. She claimed to have laid out the correct number. According to John … Continue reading (Impossible) Crime in Translation: The Seventh Guest by Gaston Boca (1935) →

Women in Translation: Shadow Sister by Simone Van Der Vlugt

Usually, I don't enjoy modern mysteries because I feel the world intrudes too much. Racism, sexism, pedophilia, dysfunctional families become the foci of the novel rather than the murder. However, while reading Simone Van Der Vlugt's Shadow Sister, I was surprised when I became more interested in the problems that a teacher of a school … Continue reading Women in Translation: Shadow Sister by Simone Van Der Vlugt →