6: A book originally written in a language other than English

[Laura, Celestial Sphere Mod]

There's undoubtedly some amazing books that were written and published in the English language. But sometimes these books that dominate the shelves at the expense of true gems. So this week we're going to devote our reading to some of those great books that have been translated from a different language.

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Suggestions:
Best Foreign Language (non-English) Books
Listopia: Women in Translation
Flavorwire: 50 Works of Fiction in Translation That Every English Speaker Should Read
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Optional questions:
- What are you reading for this category?
- What is the books original language?

[Tracy]

I chose Ru, which is about a girl who immigrates from Vietnam to Canada. It was originally written in French.

(My history with French translation is grim so far.... I read The Elegance of the Hedgehog and HATED it!!!! I'm hoping this one is more...umm...simple? Less pretentious?)

[Karen]

Another helpful list (World Literature Today’s 75 Notable Translations of 2017):
https://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/...

[Jacqueline]

I was thinking A Man Called Ove or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for this one.

[Cheri]

I've been meaning to read The Name of the Rose for ages, so I may read it for this. The original language is Italian. I'm also considering The Keeper of Lost Causes, which is the first in a highly rated Danish mystery series.

[Michele]

I would reccommend Purge. It was written by a Finnish- Estonian writer ( original written in Finnish) and it talks about 2 women who suffered under the Soviet occupation of Estonia. It was inspired by truthful occurances. And I honestly don't think that many people know about Estonia or it's history since we are a small country so this would be an eye-opening book I think.

[Shelly]

I found an interesting list of "women in translation" for this prompt while looking for a book to complete prompt #37 (a Women's Prize for Fiction winner or nominee).

https://www.womensprizeforfiction.co....

[Lizzy]

Cheri wrote: "I've been meaning to read The Name of the Rose for ages, so I may read it for this. The original language is Italian. I'm also considering The Keeper of Lost Causes, w..."
Cheri - I read The Keeper of Lost Causes and really enjoyed it, so much so that I’ve read three additional books in the series. I definitely recommend.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Jacqueline wrote: "I was thinking A Man Called Ove or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for this one."

You can't go wrong with Fredrick Backman! Ove is a great one for this prompt!

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I had quite a few on my list that would fulfill this prompt (surprisingly -- I don't typically enjoy translations).

Here's what I'm choosing between:
If on a Winter's Night a Traveler
The Diary of a Young Girl
A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea
Chronicle of a Death Foretold
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
The Little Prince
Death with Interruptions
Roadside Picnic
Battle Royale

[Laura • lauralovestoread]

Really struggling to find one here but going with Ruby Red

[Shelly]

There are so many great options for this prompt! I have narrowed my choices down to three:
After the Crash
1Q84
The Unbearable Lightness of Being

[Teresa]

I'm going with a book I've had on my bookshelf since last winter: The Snowman

[Jill]

I am going to read Six Four. It was originally written in Japanese.

[Catherine]

i have read all if Murakami's books and highly recommend them for this category especially 1Q84 but doubt you will finish all 3 parts in a week! another great book i read this year was Based on a True Story by Delphine de Vigan. i am choosing Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada

[Gośka]

I will be reading The Brothers Karamazov for that category. I can't wait as I actually own that book, just couldn't get to it somehow...

[Michele]

Catherine wrote: "i have read all if Murakami's books and highly recommend them for this category especially 1Q84 but doubt you will finish all 3 parts in a week! another great book i read this year was Based on a T..."
I read only half of South of the Border, West of the Sun I hated it so much. Couldn't finish... and it kind of ruined Murakami to me :( I know thatone should not judge all the books of a writer based on just 1 book but..I really really hated it.

[Samantha]

Reading Beartown by Fredrik Backmanfor this one.

[Meredith]

I just finished The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe about a Holocaust survivor named Dita Kraus. It was originally written in Spanish. highly recommend it.

[Andrea]

What are you reading for this category?
I just finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.
What is the books original language?
Its original publication language is Swedish.

[dalex]

I had oodles of books to pick from for this topic. I finally decided on Amatka by Karin Tidbeck .

[Sophie]

Michele wrote: "I would reccommend Purge. It was written by a Finnish- Estonian writer ( original written in Finnish) and it talks about 2 women who suffered under the Soviet occupation of Estonia...."

Thanks for this recommendation, I'm adding it as an option for Estonia in my Around the World challenge!

I'm going to go crazy with Ancient Greek as my other language, reading Idylls by Theocritus. Apparently it's a good starting point if you've never read Ancient Greek literature, we'll see!

[Michele]

Sophie wrote: "Michele wrote: "I would reccommend Purge. It was written by a Finnish- Estonian writer ( original written in Finnish) and it talks about 2 women who suffered under the Soviet occupa..."
You are welcome ;)

[Rhonda]

The Play of Death, book#6 in the Hangman's Daughter series. Original language is German. I love these books and usually listen to them via Audible.

[Kim]

- What are you reading for this category?
I think I'm going to read Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
- What is the books original language? Germany

[Laura, Celestial Sphere Mod]

Rhonda wrote: "The Play of Death, book#6 in the Hangman's Daughter series. Original language is German. I love these books and usually listen to them via Audible."

I honestly had no idea there were so many books in the series! I have had the first one on my Kindle for years. I really should actually read it this year.

[Anna]

Cheri wrote: "I've been meaning to read The Name of the Rose for ages, so I may read it for this. The original language is Italian. I'm also considering The Keeper of Lost Causes, w..."

The Name of the Rose is really good, I've read it 2X. And the film was great too!

[Kenna]

I chose Beartown by Fredrik Backman. I enjoyed his book A Man Called Ove last year, but I understand from reviews that Beartown is very different but also good.

[Kerry]

I have also read for this prompt and my 1st book for the challenge. It was interesting but not my favorite.
It was originally in Swedish.

[Anastasia]

I am reading The Housekeeper and the Professor
. It originally written in Japanese.

[Mariana]

I read Pé Descalço, it's a Portuguese non-fic story of a man who travels from Sweden to Portugal with no money (on purpose).

[Kayla]

I read The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani for this prompt. Loved it. It was originally written in French

[Beth]

I'm reading one of my most anticipated books on my TBR for this prompt - Human Acts by Korean author Han Kang.

I loved her other novel The Vegetarian last year so I'm very much looking forward to this one.

[Tracy]

Thinking of and will probably switch to The Vegetarian for this category, or maybe The Dinner by Herman Koch.

[Ashley]

I will be reading Don Quijote for this week. I read a few pages before in Spanish and it was entertaining so now I have the chance to read the entire book.

[Carol]

Cornelia Funke –

[Charity]

- What are you reading for this category? Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami
- What is the books original language? Japanese

[Katie]

Beth, I read Human Acts last year and loved it! I hope you enjoy. I read The Vegetarian afterward, but really disliked that one, so I'll be interested to see what you think of Human Acts. I think the narrative devices & way she does narration in it are amazing.

[Lisa (the.running.bookworm)]

I will be reading The Oxford Murders, by Guillermo Martinez (originally written in Spanish). I enjoyed the film years ago and am hoping the book may be even better.

[Marie]

I'm reading Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson. It was originally written in Icelandic. I added it to my TBR when I was looking for books for last year's challenge and was looking for an excuse to read it. Hopefully it's good, since I've also got a couple more from the same series.

[Sarah]

I read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, originally published in Swedish, for this prompt. I thought it started off a bit slowly...but once I got into it, I could not put it down!

[Jody]

I've decided to read A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz for this one. I've heard so many amazing things about this author so I'm very much looking forward to it.

It was originally written in Hebrew.

[Jen]

I did Mincemeat: The Education of an Italian Chef. It wasn't bad. The main thing I got from it is that I need to start talking my son (who wants to be a chef) out of doing it. OMG the sex and drugs! Not the life I want for my kid.

[Beth]

Katie wrote: "Beth, I read Human Acts last year and loved it! I hope you enjoy. I read The Vegetarian afterward, but really disliked that one, so I'll be interested to see what you think of Human Acts. I think t..."

I've just finished Human Acts and really enjoyed it too - definitely agree about the different narrative styles, it's such an effective way of portraying the events.

I'm torn between which of her novels I enjoyed best; they're so different and I enjoyed each for different reasons. I do understand why The Vegetarian may have less appeal though!

[Katie]

Beth, I'm glad you liked it! That finally section where the author brings herself into the story. So good.

[Melanie]

I'm torn between Austerlitz and All Quiet on the Western Front for this particular challenge. They were both originally read in German, and I've been wanting to read both for ages and ages.

[Jody]

Melanie, I haven’t read Austerlitz, but I read All Quiet on the Western Front last year and it was absolutely incredible. One of the best books I’ve ever read.

[Jody]

I ended up swapping my book for this week to Candide. I started my other book about a week ago, and although I'm really enjoying it, it's slow, and I want to take my time with it rather than rushing it, and I finished Candide in the meantime. I'm eager to get onto the gothic novel prompt so I can finally read Dracula!

[Barbara]

Q: What are you reading for this category?
A: Baião de Três

Q: What is the books original language?
A: Portuguese BR. My native language.

[Cheri]

What are you reading for this category?
The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen

What is the book's original language?
Danish.