Mini-Episode 4: News in Books & Book Review w. Daniela Barani (A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles)
Got Books? Conversations with BooksellersShow Notes
Welcome back to Got Books. Today, I want to share books related news that caught my eye this week that I hope you'll find interesting, and we'll then move on to review one of my favourite books of the past years. Let's get started.
First, an article I read in the BBC talks about Somali women breaking tradition to write novels.
For centuries, Somalia has been known as the "nation of poets" but this tradition has largely been the preserve of men. It is unusual for Somali women to be the primary storytellers, yet they are now the ones taking on that mantle when living abroad. One of these storytellers is Ali Farah, who says this is because they have "more space" outside Somalia to pursue their literary ambitions - unshackled as they are from the cultural expectations placed upon them in a male-dominated society. You can read more about Ali Farah's work and new book in the BBC article https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58845340
Speaking of women in literature, a woman won a million-euro Spanish literary prize. But then It turned out that ‘she’ was actually three men. Maybe it won't surprise you to hear that the work of one woman was, it turned out, the equivalent of the work of three men.
Next up, we go to Israel, where two of the biggest bookstores say they are no longer selling works by Irish author Sally Rooney, after she refused to allow an Israeli publisher to translate her new book into Hebrew. You may have heard about this already, as it was also a big Twitter event, but essentially: Sally Rooney said it was in support of calls to boycott Israel over its policies towards the Palestinians. The move by the bookstores follows a backlash against Rooney's decision.
And finally, before we go to our book review, I thought I'd share with you a list of lists. A few friends asked me recently what to read - autumn and winter and good times to cozy up with a book, but..which book? Lithub has taken a mathematical approach to this conundrum and they compiled The Ultimate Fall 2021 Books - by looking over a total of 36 lists, which together recommended over 400 books being published this autumn. Seventy-seven of those 400 were recommended at least three times, and that's how they made it on this list of list. I'll just tell you the top 5 and link the article so you can check them all out. So top 5 most mentioned books on lists of books are - Colson Whitehead, Harlem Shuffle; the just mentioned Sally Rooney, Beautiful World, Where Are You (which by the way we reviewed on a previous episode, if you're curious); Lauren Groff, Matrix; Anthony Doerr, Cloud Cuckoo Land; and Jonathan Franzen, Crossroads.
https://lithub.com/the-ultimate-fall-2021-books-preview/
And now, let's chat to Daniela Barani about a great book: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.
More from Got Books? Conversations with Booksellers
In the sun-drenched Andalusia lie many wonders, and today we are unpicking one that is only two years young - Sunny with a Chance of Books. If you travel Northeast of Almeria, you'll find yourself in one of its picturesque pueblos blancos, Mojacar. Mojacar has a lot going for it: a Mediterranean coastline, Moorish landmarks, colorful fiestas - but its best attraction is the cultural heartbeat of the village, Sunny with a Chance of Books. I might be biased, since this is the brainchild of the one and only Antonia, who started this very podcast manifesting her dream of opening a bookshop. This bright yellow cozy living room of a place sells new and pre-loved books in multiple languages, hosts bookclubs, entrepreneurial talks, musical evenings and is peppered with children and cats. Antonia has achieved her dream, to say the least - but Antonia never stops. Recently she created the Literary Conversation Cards, a unique deck of 49 cards that has been ordered by bookshops around Europe and we hear, purchased by certain famed musicians as Christmas gifts. Let's dive into it and hear all about it! Follow the bookshop here https://www.instagram.com/sunny_withachanceofbooks/
Welcome back to Got Books, the podcast where we talk to booksellers all around the world. My guest today is Alex, co-founder of the first and only bookshop selling new english books in Lisbon, Portugal, Salted Books. This conversation was yet another proof, in case you needed one, that women can indeed do it all, if they set their mind to it. Alex has started Salted Books with her partner Mark, and she has done so without giving up her work and while raising two children. She’s created a magical space that only opened its doors about 5 months ago but has already received raving reviews from readers and writers in Lisbon, and if you head over to their Instagram page you’ll see why. The book curation couldn’t be more relevant, the design of the space is bold and beautiful and it just feels fresh and exciting and like you want to be there. Alex is also hosting intimate and very safe writing spaces, where early on a Tuesday mornings writers come together to write in silence, by candlelight. She’s bringing new voices to Lisbon and encouraging those in Lisbon to write and get creative. This conversation felt encouraging and uplifting and it confirmed a suspicion I’ve had for a while now, interviewing bookshop owners all around the world: starting and running a bookshop is a bit of an art form and there’s a lot of artistic freedom in how it can be done. Here’s my conversation with Alex.
Many of you may know that the main reason Got Books started, years ago, was that I wanted to have my own bookshop and so I figured it would be good to chat to lots of booksellers before I start what seemed like ..a bit of a wild adventure. Then..years passed, many conversations with booksellers were had, but I kept putting this dream of opening a bookshop on hold, for all sorts of reasons. I’m sure you can relate..there’s never a perfect time. A couple of weeks ago though, a small, cozy, kind of perfect location became available in my village so I decided to just go for it..I’ve signed a lease and, together with a few other neighbors and friends who are also really into books, just like you and me, we’re slowly putting together what may be the world’s smallest bookshop. It will be a side project for now, as I do have a full time job that I very much love and a two year old daughter that keeps me entertained and busy, but it’s happening, I’ll open a bookshop. I see it as a community project, since so many people are already contributing with ideas, books, pieces of furniture, their time.. and with that in mind, I have a favour I’d like to ask. If Got Books is a podcast that you enjoy and you’ve been on this bookshop dreaming journey with me, I’d love to ask for you to become a small part of this bookshop too. One way to do that would be to send me one or a few books you’d like to donate to my bookshop, and I’ll post the mailing address in the show notes; if you could add a note inside each book about why you chose it, why you liked it..I’ll make sure that your notes go up on the shelves too, for all to see. It would mean so much to me to get books from around the world from Got Books listeners and have these be some of the very first books as we open our doors. Another way to support this brand new bookshop, especially if you live far from Spain and sending books my way doesn’t feel like the most climate friendly thing to do, is to send me suggestions for how to name the bookshop. It may seem strange that I don’t have a name yet, given how long I’ve been thinking about it, but..I do not, so if you feel inspired, send me ideas on how to name a bookshop that is small, cozy, in a Spanish village by the sea, selling books in both English and Spanish. Feel free to email me your ideas a [email protected]
Welcome back to Got Books, the podcast where we talk to booksellers all around the world. My guest today is Edgars, owner of Robert’s Books, in Riga, Latvia. Robert’s Books was Riga’s first English bookshop and it has become, over the years, much more than that - a community space, a place to meet, work, relax, think, discuss, have fun, read and just be. It has also been a space for social experiments, one of its more recent ones involving a bit of a.. grey area: a sex shop inside the bookshop.