Inspired from this, I knew I had to do this one as well because I also have some translated books in my tbr, physical and otherwise. I do have a goal of reading at least a few of them this year. Let’s see how it goes.
Vita Nostra by Marina & Sergey Dyachenko
I came across this one all on my own and then I read the reviews from some bloggers and it only cemented the thought that I really wanted to check it out. I don’t think I know much beyond the actual summary of the book and I am kind of okay with it. I am glad that I don’t have a lot of things spoiled for me. It’s been on my shelf for almost a whole year now, I think? So maybe it’s time to actually read it. There’s also another book by the same authors that’s out now in all its translated glory. So I am hoping to read this one before I go around buying that one.
It has ‘magic’ school and a young woman who comes into the school with absolutely no idea how to go about the whole magic/ technology thing? I really like the vibe of that and some of the bloggers I trust have raved about it. So there’s that assurance that I really might end up liking it.
The Complete Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino, Martin L. McLaughlin Tim Parks William Weaver
As I said when I hauled this book, I have always wanted to read something by Calvino. So when I got a good deal for one of his books, I took it eagerly. This story sounds very whimsical and sort of abstract? I would be very interested to see if I like this or not. It sounds like either it’s a collection of all sorts of short stories? but also a continuation of stories throughout the book? I am never sure but hey, I will hopefully know soon enough.
I really don’t know enough about this one to offer any short summaries about this one. Oh well, hopefully, you are not like me and is completely unaware of Calvino’s works.
The Unwomanly Face of War by Svetlana Alexievich, Richard Pevear , Larissa Volokhonsky
So. I have been eyeing this one for a while and after watching Chernobyl I knew I had to read it, not because it’s about Chernobyl but because it reminded me of this author’s other books and then I was reminded that this book existed as well. It’s not super common to read about the women in the World War II unless it came from the UK or France but almost never Russia? So, I knew I wanted to read it. I know that there’s unnumbered women whose story hasn’t been shared and might never be but whenever I find something that truly intrigues me, I know I want to read it.
This book is a collection of stories from the women who fought in the Second World War, the author spent quite a lot of time and effort in tracking down women who fought in the war and when the manuscript was finished, Alexievich was not allowed to publish it because it went against the state sanctioned history of the war. Doesn’t it sound absolutely worth the read? I do.
The Blizzard by Vladimir Sorokin
This one I bought on impulse because I had no idea about the author or the book if I am being honest. I mean, I read the synopsis and it was intriguing enough but I also felt like reading it. District doctor Garin is desperately trying to reach the village of Dolgoye, where a mysterious epidemic called the “Chernukha” is raging and threatens to spread throughout the country, turning people into zombies. The doctor carries with him a vaccine that will prevent the spread of this terrible disease, but is stymied in his travels by an all-consuming snow storm, an impenetrable blizzard. It sounds like something I would enjoy thoroughly because it sounds like it’s a bit post-apocalypse but not quite? Also it’s set in Russia, not the usual place for a post apocalyptic novel to take place. So yay!
Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Luiz Zafon, Lucia Graves
I think almost everyone in the bookish world knows of this one. It’s been on my shelf for almost two years now and it’s high time I read it this year. I also that I have said this many times in the past as well.
This is a story of a boy named Daniel, his widowed father takes him to the secret of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a library tended by Barcelona’s guild of rare-book dealers. There he finds a book called Shadow of the Wind and falls in love with the book so much that he wants to read all the books by the author. However he soon finds out that all the other books by the author have vanished off the face of the earth with planning. This book is also set in the post Spanish civil war and it has mystery and I think, murder as well? Can’t wait to read it. (Says she as she quite clearly has had the book for a long while and not read it yet.)
Rumi: A New Translation of Selected Poems by Rumi, Farruk Dhondy
I am very glad to realise that I have already read this book! I mean, I am just glad that at least one of the translated books I have on my shelf is read. Although it is a bit alarming that I don’t remember anything from it. However I will also say, in my defense that poetry rarely works for me and sticks with me even less. So. Yeah.
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa
I will be the first to admit that I bought it because I was weak for the cover. I mean, look at it! It’s so pretty!!! It is the story of a brilliant math professor, with a peculiar problem–since a traumatic head injury, he has lived with only eighty minutes of short-term memory. The housekeeper is a young woman with a ten-year-old son who is hired to look after him as well as the house he lives in. It sounds like a slice of life sort of book, just one where a family is found? I love found families and this sounds like it’s a pretty wholesome touch to it, so….I am just waiting to read this one as soon as my heart just gets ready for this one.
Are you interested in any of them? Do you also have a few translated books in your tbr? If so, then care to share with the class? Because I am always up for some more books in my tbr. It is known.
bookwormmuse 
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