Sylvain Tesson is an explorer who's circled the globe multiple times. From his journeys, he brought back this collection of stories—snapshots of lands he passed through. A Georgian farmer campaigns for a paved highway that will ultimately destroy his way of life. An aging revolutionary in South America realizes he traded ideals for profit...
Read MoreI just crawled out of a reading slump so severe that printed words made me physically ill. My cure? Revisiting a beloved author. This time I picked Barbara Pym, an English novelist whose quiet observations cut deep. Her characters navigate social rituals with dignity and desperation in equal measure...
Read MoreHere's a confession: I hate the holiday season more every year. Not the aesthetic—I love red, green, sparkle. Not the food—foie gras, chocolate, champagne are sacred. What I can't stand is the grotesque waste festival, the consumption orgy, the mandatory cheer that masks empty gestures and environmental destruction...
Read MoreSet in an unnamed country (but unmistakably 1990s Algeria), this novel captures a society drowning in corruption and chaos. Violence tears through the lives of Déhia, Adel, and Badil. Déhia is a modern woman from a progressive family. Adel and Badil are young men caught in a system that devours hope...
Read MoreIt's November. Rain, wind, cold. Perfect day to stay under the covers. Or answer a tag that's been circulating through the book blog world, sent my way by Cuné. The game: name 15 authors who've shaped your reading life. The ones who made you who you are as a reader...
Read MoreThe stories in this collection sketch a country consumed by violence and eaten by corruption. Peasants watch armed men steal their land. A guerrilla fighter realizes he traded revolutionary ideals for drug money. Each narrative captures a moment where brutality becomes ordinary...
Read MoreLeiloona had an idea: create a playlist of book bloggers' favorite songs. I barely listen to music anymore, especially this past year when I was on permanent Mozart's Requiem loop for concert reasons. But I dug through my mental archives to find tracks that still hit...
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