Saturday 31 August 2013

August 2013 Wrap-Up

August was an interesting month with lots of reading and a few other activities too.  The highlight was my trip to the Melbourne Writers Festival - you can read about my experiences by clicking on the links below:

Prelude
Laurent Binet
The Future of the Novel (Teju Cole)
Andrés Neuman 

As for normal service...

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Total Books Read: 11

Year-to-Date: 82

New: 9

Rereads: 2

From the Shelves: 2
Review Copies: 6
From the Library: 3
On the Kindle: 3 (2 review copies)

Novels: 6
Novellas: 3
Short Stories: 2

Non-English Language: 10 (5 Spanish, Icelandic, German, Japanese, Norwegian, Various)
In Original Language: 2 (German, Various)
Aussie Author Challenge: 0 (3/3)
Japanese Literature Challenge 7: 1 (8/1)

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Books reviewed in August were:
1) Der Zauberberg (The Magic Mountain) by Thomas Mann
2) All Dogs are Blue by Rodrigo de Souza Leão
3) In Translation by Esther Allen and Susan Bernofsky (eds.)
4) Heaven and Hell by Jón Kalman Stefánsson
5) 70% Acrylic 30% Wool by Viola Di Grado
6) Lonely Hearts Killer by Tomoyuki Hoshino
7) Conversation in the Cathedral by Mario Vargas Llosa
8) The Missing Year of Juan Salvatierra by Pedro Mairal 

Tony's Turkey for August is: Nothing

A good month - come back in September :)

Tony's Recommendation for August is:
Thomas Mann's Der Zauberberg (The Magic Mountain)

Apologies to the seven other books reviewed in August - you never stood a chance.  Honourable mentions must go to Pedro Mairal, Viola Di Grado, Jón Kalman Stefánsson and Mario Vargas Llosa (in fact, there wasn't really a poor book among the reviewed choices).  The fact is though that Mann's classic towers above the others - a bit like a mountain...

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Well, after that month, I need a break - not that I'll get one ;)  There are plenty more books to be read and reviewed, and German Literature Month (which I'll be observing whether it happens or not) isn't too far away either.  September should be fun...