Books A-E

Aciman – André Aciman: Call me by your name

Atlantic Books

Purchased from: norli, Ålesund, Norway

It is the summer of 1980. Seventeen-year-old Elio is spending the season with his family in their villa on the Italian Riviera. Each year, the family welcomes a visiting scholar, offering room and board in exchange for companionship.
This summer’s guest is Oliver, a young American working on a book about Heraclitus while translating it into Italian. Like Elio, he comes from a Jewish background—and he soon captures the boy’s fascination. What begins as curiosity blossoms into desire, setting in motion a delicate dance of attraction and restraint.
Over six weeks, their longing simmers, urgent yet unspoken. But when Oliver must return to the United States, what remains of their brief, incandescent love? For Elio, Oliver is his first great passion—one that lingers far beyond that summer. Years later, the two will meet again.
Call Me by Your Name is a tender and exquisitely crafted novel, portraying a love that is as emotional as it is physical. I admire authors who lead readers so intimately through a story’s unfolding, and André Aciman does so with brilliance. At times, it feels as though we are peering through a keyhole, witnessing moments almost too private to share—none more unforgettable than the now-iconic peach scene.

Author: André Aciman (born 1951) is an Italian-American author and scholar. He was born in Egypt and, during President Nasser’s regime, his family fled the country when it became unsafe for Jews. Aciman later settled in the United States, where he holds both American and Italian citizenship. He is currently a professor of comparative literature at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

Adeane – Anthony Adeane: Out of Thin Air

riverrun

Purchased from: Penninn Eymundsson, Reykjavik, Iceland

Out of Thin Air tells the true story of two baffling Icelandic criminal cases from the 1970s—cases that remain unresolved to this day.
Two men, Gudmundur and Geirfinnur, vanish without a trace. Their bodies are never recovered. With little experience in handling such disappearances, the Icelandic police take the investigation into their own hands. Suspects are quickly rounded up, and Erla, one of those accused, even implicates her own half-brother—an act that seems almost incomprehensible. Questionable interrogation methods are used, long prison sentences follow, and a German expert is brought in. Yet one cannot help but wonder whether Iceland might have been better served seeking the expertise of the FBI, given the nearby NATO presence.
The accused are mostly petty criminals—but does that mean they were capable of murder? Anthony Adeane reconstructs the events with remarkable clarity, exposing the shaky reasoning and improbable conclusions that shaped the case. He also paints a vivid picture of Iceland at the time, a society markedly different from much of Western Europe.
What lingers, however, is a sense of absence. The book focuses heavily on suspects and perpetrators, but what of the victims and their families? How did they endure decades of uncertainty? What toll did the investigations take on them? Could other scenarios explain what happened? And is it even certain that the two disappearances were connected?
Adeane raises many questions—but leaves just as many unanswered, perhaps even unasked.

Author: Anthony Adeane is a British journalist and filmmaker. The book reviewed above was later adapted into a Netflix film.

Adler – Katharina Adler: Iglhaut

Rowohlt

Purchased from: Doppelpunkt, Uster, Switzerland

Iglhaut centers on a woman in her mid-forties, a self-employed carpenter who lives alone in an apartment building. The novel follows her everyday life and the people around her, whose affairs she repeatedly—and often reluctantly—finds herself drawn into.
Iglhaut herself is not without struggles: she suffers from a painful molar but cannot really afford proper treatment. Even so, her trip to the dentist turns out to be worthwhile for reasons beyond the medical.
In principle, I would have enjoyed a novel about such an unassuming woman and her equally unassuming daily life. Unfortunately, I felt the author leaned too heavily on forced humor. What struck me as “typical female comedy” quickly became dull. The character names and chapter titles—meant, it seems, to be witty—felt instead uninspired: Iglhaut (the protagonist), Kanzlerin (her dog), Amalburga, Prof. Dr. Teufel, and so on.
This experience is one of the reasons why, these days, I find myself reading almost exclusively novels by male authors.

Author: Katharina Adler (born 1980) is a German author and screenwriter. Her debut novel, Ida (2018), inspired by the life of her great-grandmother, received wide recognition. In addition to her work in fiction, she has written several screenplays for the long-running German crime series Tatort.

Ahndoril – Alex Ahndoril: Jeg Lukker øynene og ber (I Close my Eyes and Pray)

Gyldendal

Purchased from: ARK Bokhandel, Trondheim, Norway

Actress Bianca Salo turns to private detective Julia for help, convinced she has seen her late fiancé, Nicolàs Castelo—and equally certain that he is stalking her.
As Julia begins her investigation, unsettling incidents and attacks occur at the theatre where Bianca is performing in Macbeth. Realizing the case may be more dangerous than she anticipated, Julia enlists the help of her ex-husband Sid, a police officer. But is Nicolàs truly dead? And if so, who is behind these events? Step by step, Julia unravels the mystery, relying on her keen psychological insight to fit the pieces together.
I enjoyed this crime novel, particularly because it encourages the reader to play detective alongside the characters. That said, I suspected the culprit from the very beginning.

Author: Alex Ahndoril is the joint pen name of Swedish writers Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril (born 1966) and Alexander Ahndoril (born 1967). Together, they also publish under the internationally renowned pseudonym Lars Kepler.

Andras – Joseph Andras: Faraway the Southern Sky

Verso Books

Purchased from: O'Mahony's Booksellers, Tralee, Ireland

The story begins at the end of the First World War. A young Ho Chi Minh flees Indochina for Paris. His exact age is uncertain—likely in his late twenties. Relatively tall for an Asian, thin as a shadow, and almost always with a book in hand, he cuts a striking yet elusive figure.
In the City of Light, he falls in with artists and radicals. Years later, he would rise to become a leader within the French Communist Party. Constantly pursued by spies, he moved from one Parisian arrondissement to another, adopting false names and taking on all manner of jobs. Along the way, he crossed paths with notable figures—at one point even meeting Charlie Chaplin on a boat trip, where he asked him for an autograph. And yet, despite these glimpses, little is truly known about him.
Perhaps this is partly due to my own lack of prior knowledge of Ho Chi Minh. But I must admit: even after reading this book, he remained as unfamiliar to me as before. The narrative style did little to spark my curiosity, and in the end, I found the book disappointing.

Author: Joseph Andras (born 1984) is a French author, writing under a pseudonym.

Andrea – Jean-Baptiste Andrea: Was ich von ihr weiss (Veiller sur elle)

Luchterhand

Purchased from: Buchhandlung Benziger, Einsiedeln, Switzerland

Not read yet

Author:  Although I usually prefer to read French authors in the original, I was delighted to come across in this shop a book by an author who happens to share his first name with the founder of the Eindsiedeln bookshop. 
Jean-Baptiste Andrea (born 1971) is a French novelist, screenwriter, and film director. With family roots in Italy—and with Italy itself playing a major role in shaping his work—Andrea draws on a rich cultural background. In 2023, he was awarded the Prix Goncourt for his novel Veiller sur elle.

Ardone – Viola Ardone: Ein Zug voller Hoffnung (The Children’s Train)

C. Bertelsmann

Purchased from: ZAP* Visp, Visp, Switzerland

Naples, 1946. The war is over, but poverty lingers. Resources are scarce, and Amerigo’s father is gone. At just seven years old, he lives with his mother in dire hardship.
A communist charity offers children from the south a rare chance: a few months with host families in the wealthier north. Amerigo’s mother reluctantly agrees. Saying goodbye is painful, and the children are sent off—some to families, others to childless couples. For Amerigo, a new life begins. But will he ever truly want to return?
The novel is told from Amerigo’s perspective. At times the voice is childlike and naïve; at others, it shifts in ways that feel less convincing. Perhaps it is a risk of reading in translation, but I found the narrative style unconvincing, which made it difficult to connect with the characters.
In the final section, Amerigo appears as an adult. The author layers the text with memories, clearly aiming for emotional impact. For me, however, it felt too heavy-handed—an attempt to force sentiment that ultimately left me unmoved.

Author:  Viola Ardone (born 1974) is an Italian novelist and journalist from Naples. She contributes to Corriere della Sera and also teaches history, Italian, and Latin.

Atwood – Margaret Atwood: Penelope und die 12 Mägde (The Penelopiad)

Goldmann

Purchased from: Buchparadies, Ebikon, Switzerland

We know Greek mythology from Homer’s Odyssey or, more recently, from Hollywood adaptations. But what happens when Canadian author Margaret Atwood retells the story from Penelope’s perspective?
The result is The Penelopiad, a witty and unconventional novel. Atwood’s use of modern language may at first seem surprising, yet it fits naturally within the context. Her Penelope—plain in appearance compared to her famously beautiful cousin Helen—reflects on her marriage to Odysseus, the long years of loneliness during the Trojan War, and his many betrayals.
The female perspective is central. Atwood deliberately chose Penelope, traditionally seen as the model of the faithful wife, to highlight her quiet endurance amid the power struggles and heroics surrounding Odysseus.
As the title suggests, the twelve maids play an equally crucial role. They accuse Penelope of failing to protect them, having been used and ultimately condemned to death. In their voices, Penelope is not only the narrator but also placed on trial herself.

Author: Margaret Atwood (born 1939) is a Canadian author from Ottawa. She was inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame in Toronto and, in 1984, even inspired the creation of an academic fan club devoted to her work. Her most famous novel is The Handmaid’s Tale, and she has received numerous awards, including the Booker Prize.

Auster – Paul Auster: Baumgartner

Faber & Faber

Purchased from: Buchparadies, Wädenswil, Switzerland

Sy, a seventy-year-old author and philosophy professor, is on the verge of retirement. He is still haunted by the loss of his beloved wife Anna, who died in an accident ten years earlier. Learning to live with this absence has become the defining struggle of his life. One day, Anna’s long-silent phone suddenly rings—and when Sy answers, he hears her voice.
The story opens with a vivid scene: Sy burns his finger, exchanges a few words with a UPS deliveryman who brings him a book, and then tumbles down a flight of stairs. The beginning is beautifully written and immediately engaging. Baumgartner, as the protagonist is called, is a character the reader wants to follow.
Yet after this strong start, the narrative seems to lose its way. The momentum falters, and for a time the storytelling feels scattered. Only toward the end does Auster return to a clearer, more compelling thread.
The preoccupation with death is unmistakable. It resonates all the more knowing that Paul Auster himself passed away on April 30, 2024.

Author: Paul Auster (1947–2014) was an American author whose works have often been adapted for film. He was first married to writer Lydia Davis, and later to novelist Siri Hustvedt.

Autissier – Isabelle Autissier: Acqua Alta

Mareverlag

Purchased from: RavensBuch, Friedrichshafen, Germany

Venice, 2021. What many had long feared finally comes true: the city is swallowed by floods. In Italy, this recurring phenomenon is known as Acqua Alta—but this time, the billion-dollar flood barrier fails. Historic palaces and churches lie in ruins.
At the center of the novel is the Malegatti family. Guido, who rose from modest origins by marrying into a noble family, now works as an economic advisor eager to squeeze profit from tourism. His wife adores her city yet remains blind to the hardships of ordinary Venetians. Their teenage daughter Léa, distant from her father’s ideals, falls in love with her university professor—a relationship that deeply shapes her choices. Determined to save her Venice, Léa turns against her family. But what exactly does she plan?
The dystopian premise is compelling, and the opening pages, which vividly portray Venice after the Acqua Alta, are particularly striking. The novel raises important questions and highlights contradictions: the damage caused by mass tourism, Guido’s short-sighted opportunism, and Léa’s ambivalence—so characteristic of today’s youth, who demand change while relying on the very system they criticize.
What I missed, however, was a stronger sense of suspense. The narrative occasionally lost momentum and failed to grip me fully. Still, it proved to be a thought-provoking and worthwhile read.

Author: Isabelle Autissier (born 1956) is a French author and sailor. She gained fame as the first woman to sail solo around the world in a regatta and later became president of WWF France.

Bachmann – Ingeborg Bachmann: Malina

Suhrkamp

Purchased from: Buchhandlung Walther König im MQ, Vienna, Austria

The first-person narrator, who signs her letters as “An Unknown Woman,” lives in Vienna at Ungargasse 6, together with Malina (whom she refers to only by his surname). Just three houses away, at number 9, lives Ivan.
Her life revolves around these two men. Ivan, a self-assured Hungarian, exerts a powerful presence, while Malina remains distant, reserved, and a calming counterweight. He has neither friends nor enemies—something that seems to define his entire character. Malina is her imagined roommate, embodying a kind of internal dialogue, the angel and devil on her shoulders.
The narrator strives to please Ivan, caught in a palpable dependence and a constant desire for his recognition. Yet Ivan grows increasingly distant, pushing her further into psychological turmoil.
Malina is above all a study of identity, but it also probes the dynamics between men and women at a time when women still lacked equal status and independence in society.
For me, the novel lacked a clear plot. Bachmann’s strength lies unmistakably in lyricism rather than storytelling. Her language is powerful, but the episodes feel historically disjointed, as if too many thoughts crowded her mind and she sought to capture them all on paper. Perhaps the fault lies with me—that I lack the intellectual depth for such a demanding read.

Author: Ingeborg Bachmann, an Austrian poet, is regarded as one of the most influential German-language lyricists of the 20th century. She shared a relationship with fellow writer Max Frisch, who held her in high esteem. Since 1977, the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize has been awarded annually in her honour in her hometown of Klagenfurt.

Backman – Frederick Backman: Anxious People

Penguin

Purchased from: Bookstor, Den Haag, Netherlands

Out of sheer desperation, because it is so easy to fail as a human being in everyday life, and because simply living has become unbearably expensive, a person makes the wrong decision.
She attempts to rob a bank, only to discover that it is cashless. Panicking, she flees into a residential building where an apartment viewing is taking place. Soon after, the case is taken on by the father-and-son police duo, Jim and Jack. But when the police storm the apartment, the bank robber has vanished. Do the prospective buyers know more than they are willing to admit?
Backman tells this story beautifully. I especially enjoyed the way the characters are introduced and gradually woven together, revealing their individual lives and struggles. The fate of the bank robber, in particular, carries a strong philosophical dimension, while the personal stories of the other characters slowly unfold as well.
Although I found the ending a little unsurprising, Anxious People remains a highly readable and engaging novel, rich in empathy, humour, and insight into human vulnerability.

Author: Fredrik Backman (born 1981) is a Swedish author from Stockholm. He first gained recognition in Sweden as a blogger, having previously worked as a forklift driver.

Bailly – Pierric Bailly: Le roman de Jim

Folio

Purchased from: Albert Le Grand, Fribourg, Switzerland

At twenty-five, Aymeric finds himself at a crossroads. After a stint in prison, he reconnects with his former love Florence, who is now six months pregnant. The two resume their relationship, and Aymeric immediately embraces the role of substitute father. The biological father, Christophe, refuses any responsibility, choosing instead to remain with his wife and children and rejecting the unborn son, Jim, from the outset.
Aymeric and Florence move in with her mother, where Aymeric builds a tender bond with Jim through the simple, everyday rituals of fatherhood. Yet their fragile stability unravels when Christophe reappears. Having lost his own family in a car accident, he moves into the household, creating a patchwork arrangement that is doomed to fail. Eventually, Aymeric leaves. Later, following her mother’s death, Florence sells the house and emigrates to Canada with Christophe and Jim. The separation is devastating, and Florence’s decision to cut Aymeric off from Jim deepens the wound. Only years later does Jim, now grown, return to France to seek him out.
Told with great sensitivity from Aymeric’s perspective, the novel captures his vulnerability and humanity in a way that immediately wins the reader’s sympathy. What makes it especially engaging is the contrast between Aymeric’s understanding of events and the perspectives of Florence or Jim, which are only glimpsed from the margins. In the end, the book becomes not just a moving portrait of fatherhood and loss, but also a meditation on how the choices we make—often in moments of crisis—can irrevocably shape the course of multiple lives.

Author: Pierric Bailly (born 1982) is a French novelist and essayist originally from the Jura region. His work often reflects the landscapes and sensibilities of his upbringing, combining intimate observation with broader social themes. He now lives near Lyon.

Bärfuss – Lukas Bärfuss: Die Krume Brot

Rowohlt

Purchased from: Buchzeichen, Langenthal, Switzerland

The story is set in the early 1970s and follows the fate of Adelina, a young woman born to Italian immigrants in Switzerland. Her brief moments of happiness are soon overshadowed when she becomes pregnant. Adelina loses her job, her apartment, and sinks below subsistence level, burdened with debt. With each page, it feels as though life strips her of a little more.
A turning point comes when she meets Emil, who takes her and her daughter in. He supports her and even buys a house in the mountains of Piedmont. But just as hope begins to surface, tragedy strikes again—her daughter disappears without a trace.
Although the blurb promised much, I found it difficult to truly sympathize with Adelina. At first, her struggles moved me, but as the story unfolded, each decision and new misfortune made her less and less relatable.

Author: Lukas Bärfuss (born 1971) is a Swiss writer from Thun. His works have been translated into more than twenty languages and have received numerous awards, including the Swiss Book Prize and the Georg Büchner Prize. After leaving primary school, he experienced a period of homelessness before finding work in bookshops in Bern and Fribourg.

Barry – Kevin Barry: That Old Country Music

Doubleday & Co.

Purchased from: Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop, Galway, Ireland

That Old Country Music is a collection of eleven short stories, each very different in tone and theme, yet united by their focus on love and loneliness.
The collection opens with The Coast of Leitrim, in which a solitary man falls in love with a Polish waitress and, with hesitant courage, declares his feelings to her. Another story follows a nine-year-old Roma girl who runs away from home, boards a train without a ticket, and narrowly escapes the conductor. Injured, she is discovered by a hermit who takes her into his campervan. In Who’s-Dead McCarthy, a man named Con McCarthy has an uncanny reputation: he is always the first to know who in town has died, making him a figure both feared and respected. Inevitably, the day comes when the news is about himself.
Not every story resonated equally with me. Some felt unfinished, almost as if they were fragments or abandoned ideas for longer novels. Yet Barry’s descriptions are often strikingly beautiful, and his language carries a lyrical quality—even if, at times, I struggled to align his images with my own imagination. Personally, I might have enjoyed the collection more had the stories been set fifty to seventy years earlier, in a slightly more distant world.

Author: Kevin Barry is an Irish author and journalist from Limerick. He has received numerous awards for his work, particularly for his novels. His short story collection That Old Country Music was awarded the Edge Hill University Short Story Prize.

Barry – Sebastian Barry: Old God’s Time

Faber & Faber

Purchased from: Books Upstairs, Dublin, Ireland

Former police officer Tom Kettle has been retired for nine months, living a reclusive life overshadowed by the tragic loss of his wife, June, and their two children.
One night, two young officers knock on his door. His former superior, Fleming, is reopening a decades-old cold case involving two abusive priests—one of whom was brutally murdered. As the investigation unfolds, the case draws Tom back into his own past. Both he and June had grown up as orphans in a Catholic boarding school, and the memories it stirs awaken inner conflicts, feelings of guilt, and questions of morality. The novel also confronts the failures of the authorities in addressing child abuse within the Church.
As a reader, I struggled with the narrative style, which often felt cumbersome and difficult to follow—though perhaps this reflects the weight and complexity of the subject matter itself. Still, the book contains moments of piercing beauty. One line in particular stayed with me, as Tom remembers June and the emptiness her absence left:
“And all before June: not BC and AD but BJ and AJ.”

Author: Sebastian Barry (born 1955) is among the most renowned contemporary Irish authors. In addition to his acclaimed novels, he has also written plays and poetry. His strong ties to the theatre are no coincidence: he is married to actress Alison Deegan, and his mother, Joan O’Hara, was one of Ireland’s most celebrated actresses of her time.

Bayer – Thommie Bayer: Einer fehlt

Piper

Purchased from: Lüthy - Das Buchhaus, Chur, Switzerland

Einer fehlt is a beautifully written novel about three friends—Paul, Georg, and Schubert. The trio first met on a trip to Italy and have remained inseparable ever since. Binding them together, though also complicating their friendship, is one woman: Carolin. She is Schubert’s girlfriend, but she has also been romantically involved with Paul and Georg in the past.
When Georg’s wife, Malin, dies, he suddenly becomes unreachable. Concerned, Paul and Schubert set out on a journey to Vienna to find him. The road trip is narrated with great variety and richness, interwoven seamlessly with scenes from the past. Through these flashbacks, the reader gains insight into how the three friends met and how different their personalities are.
When Georg cannot be found in Vienna, the search leads them further afield to Italy and France. From this point, however, the narrative seems to lose the elegance and intensity that marked the earlier chapters. At times, it feels as though the author used the story as a pretext for travelling himself. After such an engaging and powerful buildup, the ending struck me as somewhat abrupt.
Still, despite these shortcomings, it remains a compelling and rewarding read.

Author: Thommie Bayer (born 1953) is a German writer who has also pursued careers in painting, music, and screenwriting. He studied painting, has written screenplays, and released several albums as a musician.

Bazterrica – Agustina Bazterrica: Tender is the Flesh

Pushkin Press

Purchased from: Passa Porta, Bruxelles, Belgium

The world has changed: animals can no longer be eaten because they carry a deadly virus. To satisfy the appetite of the privileged few, humans are now bred and consumed in the same way animals once were—fattened with growth additives, abused in laboratories, and ultimately processed in production plants.
This is the world in which our protagonist, Marcos, works. His personal life is marked by strain and grief: his father lives in a care home that Marcos alone pays for, while his sister shirks both financial and emotional responsibility. His marriage has collapsed under the weight of tragedy after the loss of their child, and his wife has moved back in with her mother. Marcos begins to question his job in the slaughterhouse. Is he working there only to cover expenses—or is he complicit in something far darker? His doubts intensify when he is given an FGP, a so-called "First Generation Pure," bred for human consumption. Instead of killing her, Marcos makes a different choice—one that will alter the course of his life.
I am not generally a fan of shock literature, but this novel is compellingly written. Every action and event is tightly interconnected, and the characters feel deeply thought out. I was gripped by curiosity to see how it would end. Beyond the disturbing premise, the book also holds up a mirror: it forces us to confront the cruelty of animal husbandry and the moral blindness of those who ignore it in order to preserve their own comforts.

Author: Agustina Bazterrica (born 1974) is an Argentine author and short story writer. 
In Argentina, she was awarded the prestigious Premio Clarín, the country’s most important literary prize. Alongside her novels, she has also published numerous short stories, further establishing her as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Latin American literature.

Beaulieu – Baptiste Beaulieu: Oû vont les larmes quand elles sèchent

Proche

Purchased from: L'étage, Yverdons-les-Bains, Switzerland

Dr. Jean runs a small GP practice. He listens patiently to his patients, cares for them, and offers comfort. Yet, no matter how moving their stories or medical histories may be, he himself cannot cry.
One day, he is called to help a child suffering an epileptic seizure. But the boy’s mother, in her panic, gives the wrong house number—24 instead of 42. The ambulance arrives six minutes too late, and the child dies. Those six minutes are enough to dry Dr. Jean’s tears forever.
The story is told with great sensitivity, written in a style that is at once poetic and quietly humorous. Dr. Jean, a 36-year-old doctor who is always there for others, remains an enigma: his own feelings and past go unquestioned. The author allows the reader to enter this hidden emotional world, especially in the final pages of the novel. The fates of his patients, too, are deeply affecting—such as Monsieur Soares and his wife Josette, who is battling cancer.
And yet, for all its tenderness, I too did not cry while reading. As though the title itself would not permit it.

Author: Baptiste Beaulieu (born 1985) is a French author and physician from Toulouse. He first gained wide recognition with his blog Alors voilà, in which he recounted his experiences in the emergency room. His novels, too, draw heavily on his life as a doctor, weaving together medical insight and human stories.

Behrens – Lina Behrens: Das Stranddistelhaus

Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag

Purchased from: Inselzauber, Spiekeroog, Germany

The novel follows the stories of three women whose journeys to Spiekeroog each mark a turning point in their lives. Told across three different eras, their fates gradually unfold until the threads of their stories come together at the end.
While on holiday on the beautiful island of Spiekeroog, Lina Behrens’ novel was recommended to me—a perfect match, I thought. The cover is certainly appealing, though it already hints at the direction the story will take.
At times, however, the narrative felt as though the author had gathered topics from an encyclopaedia and woven them into the plot: quotations from Einstein, references to Tucholsky, details of botany, the war, and—almost inevitably—a female shaman. From the moment the shaman appeared, the story lost me as a reader. Instead of drawing me in, it made me impatient for the end.

Author: Lina Behrens (born 1983) is a German author. She lives in Hamburg.

Benioff – David Benioff: City of Thieves

Sceptre

Purchased from: Bookz&Booze, Gent, Belgium

Leningrad, 1941. The winter is bitterly cold. Author David Benioff captures his grandfather’s memories of that time on tape, but it falls to him to fill in the gaps—the details his grandfather could no longer recall.
Lev, a 17-year-old who refuses to flee with his family, stays behind in the besieged city. A passionate chess player, his love of strategy will later prove useful. But when he takes a knife from the body of a dead German paratrooper, he is arrested and thrown into prison. There, he meets his cellmate, Kolya.
Their fate is sealed when a colonel assigns them an impossible mission: to find a dozen eggs within six days. In a city devastated by war, where hunger and death rule the streets, such a task is nearly unimaginable. Braving the relentless cold and the constant threat of German patrols, Lev and Kolya set out. Will they succeed?
My own copy of the novel turned out to be misprinted: it began at page 281. Luckily, I soon tracked down page one, and from there the story unfolded. I found it powerfully written—more like a gripping adventure tale than a somber memoir. And yet, I still felt deeply for Lev throughout his ordeals.
Unfortunately, my edition was also missing the final 24 pages. I never learned how the story ends. In a sense, then, the book closed on an open ending for me. My copy finishes with the lines:
"Lev?"
‘"Yes?"’
"Are we close?"

To which I can only reply: "Just 12 pages away."
So now, like Lev and Kolya, I too embark on a mission—not to find twelve eggs, but the twelve missing pages.
I informed the bookshop, and Ief immediately apologized and offered a refund. That won’t be necessary. Such things happen.

Author: David Benioff (born 1970) is an American writer and screenwriter best known as the co-creator and co-writer of the television series Game of Thrones. He has also written several screenplays and is the author of the novels The 25th Hour, his acclaimed debut, and City of Thieves.

Bernstein – Hilda Bernstein: The World That Was Ours

Persephone Books

Purchased from: Persephone Books, Bath, England

In her autobiographical book, Hilda Bernstein vividly portrays life in 1967 under apartheid in South Africa, a society dominated by a white minority. She offers a powerful account of political repression, fear, and resistance during this era.
Hilda’s husband, Rusty, is placed under house arrest: he must remain on his property from 6:30 p.m. until 6:30 a.m. One day, he tells her he is “busy”, shortly afterward, he is arrested. What follows are weeks of despair, rare prison visits, and a constant sense of uncertainty that comes to define daily life for the Bernstein family. Bernstein also makes clear that, as harsh as these conditions are for political prisoners like her husband, Black prisoners suffer far worse treatment.
Both Hilda and Rusty are committed human rights activists and members of the Communist Party. They fight alongside the African National Congress against the oppressive white minority regime and are friends of Nelson Mandela. The narrative recounts months of imprisonment, comrades who do not survive captivity, and others who manage to escape the country.
Eventually, Hilda herself plans to flee with her husband, as the regime is closing in on them. 
I found the subject matter very compelling. However, the section describing the escape across the border could have been written with more dramatic intensity. The hardship and suffering of the long, dangerous journey did not come across as strongly as I expected, and particularly the moment on the train platform could have been emphasized more. Nevertheless, the book is highly readable and deeply engaging.

Author: Hilda Bernstein (1915–2006) was an English-born writer and activist who settled in South Africa in 1933, where she later married. She worked as a journalist and became a committed supporter of the African National Congress (ANC) during the struggle against apartheid. In addition to her political work, she authored several books, including one on the life of Steve Biko.

Berry-Dee – Christopher Berry-Dee: Talking with Psychopaths and Savages

Kings Road Publishing

Purchased from: The Bookshop by WS Smith, London Heathrow, England

Talking with Psychopaths is not just another true crime book. It recounts real cases while attempting to step inside the minds of those who committed them. Christopher Berry-Dee goes further than most writers by actually speaking to the perpetrators, interrogating them, and analysing their words and behaviour. The result is a disturbing but fascinating look into lives that most of us can hardly imagine.
II’ve watched quite a few true crime programs over the years, but usually as background noise while I’m cooking or tidying. That distance makes it easier to absorb horrific details without them lingering too much. Reading about the same kinds of cases, however, is a very different experience. A book requires your full attention. You can’t glance away when it becomes too much. You can’t fast-forward through the worst parts. Every page holds you in place, forcing you to confront the darkness head-on.
The stories in this book are shocking, gruelling, and at times almost unbearable. They make you grateful for the detectives, investigators, and psychiatrists who dedicate their lives to tracking down and understanding such people, ensuring they cannot harm anyone else. Yet Berry-Dee also shows that the system is not infallible. In some cases, it is frighteningly easy for perpetrators to slip through unnoticed, or even to exploit weaknesses in the justice system. That knowledge leaves you uneasy, as if the monsters described in these pages are not confined to the past but might be lurking somewhere close by.
What impressed me most was Berry-Dee’s respect for the victims and their families. He never sensationalises their suffering or forgets the human cost behind the crimes.
The book unsettled me to the point that I struggled to sleep while reading it. Some of the cases will stay with me for a long time, especially that of the Broomstick Killer. The cruelty and perversity were beyond comprehension.

Author: Christopher Berry-Dee (born 1948) is a British criminologist, author, and former editor of The Criminologist journal. He has written more than forty books on true crime, many of which have become international bestsellers.

Bishop – Stephanie Bishop: Der Jahrestag (The Anniversary)

dtv

Purchased from: Buchhandlung zur Rose, St. Gallen, Switzerland

Writer Lucie, who publishes under the pen name J.B. Blackwood, is in a relationship with Patrick, a film director who was once her professor and is more than twenty years older. While her career is flourishing, his is in decline, and their marriage is suffering just as much as his professional life.
Hoping to rekindle their connection, J.B. invites Patrick on a cruise to celebrate their wedding anniversary, planning to surprise him afterwards by taking him to an awards ceremony where she will be honoured. At first, the trip seems to lift them out of their daily rut, but when the ship is caught in a violent storm, tragedy strikes: Patrick goes overboard.
Devastated, J.B. retreats to her sister’s home in Australia, where she faces a tense and complicated family dynamic. Then, on Christmas Day, a call from a police officer forces her to reconsider what really happened on the cruise.
The first half of the novel is exceptionally well written, with nuanced portrayals of relationships and perceptive insights into the characters’ inner lives. I had been expecting a surprising twist, but found the outcome disappointingly predictable. As the story went on, I struggled to connect with the protagonist, whose perspective became increasingly exhausting. The final section, particularly from the trial onwards, felt unnecessary and weighed down the narrative, ultimately lowering my overall impression of the book.

Author: Stephanie Bishop is an Australian author and a professor of creative writing at the University of East Anglia. 
Fittingly, given the themes of her novel, she harbours a fear of large ocean waves. Her first great "love" was Atréju from the film The Never Ending Story.

Borrély – Maria Borrély: Mistral (Sous le vent)

Kanon Verlag Berlin

Purchased from: Buchhandlung am Obertor, Radolfzell, Germany

Marie lives in a picturesque village in Haute-Provence, where she grows up in a sheltered world. One day she meets Oliver and falls deeply in love with him, but he soon moves on, leaving Marie swept up in a storm of emotions as wild and unpredictable as the mistral.
I usually prefer to read novels in their original language, and perhaps I should have done the same with Mistral. Maria Borrély’s prose is rich in poetry and filled with vivid, emotionally charged descriptions of nature that still feel strikingly relevant today. Love, of course, is at the heart of the story as well. In German, however, such passages can sometimes come across as a little sentimental. Even so, this novel remains a wonderful testament to its time and a remarkable rediscovery of an extraordinary writer.
For me, Marie’s tragic love story occasionally lacked emotional depth, perhaps because Borrély devoted more space to portraying the landscapes and people around her.
The edition is rounded off with a thoughtful epilogue by translator Amelie Thoma, which brings readers much closer to the author and her world.

Author:  Maria Borrély (1890–1963) was a French novelist from Marseille. She wrote four novels, all set in her native Provence, where the landscape and people deeply shaped her work. Borrély worked as a teacher, as did her husband, Ernest Borrély, who was seriously injured during the Second World War. Today, a collège in Digne-les-Bains bears her name in recognition of her literary legacy.

Boyer – Frédéric Boyer: Si Petite

Gallimard

Purchased from: Librairie Compagnie, Paris, France

On 6 August 2009, a horse collapses and dies during a race. Just four days later, an eight-year-old girl is reported missing by her parents; a month later, her body is found.
What really happened? Was it an accident, or was it a crime?
Si Petite tells the story of a girl who was denied a fair chance at life, even before she was born. Over the course of 121 pages, Frédéric Boyer recounts her brief existence with sensitivity, reflecting not only on the struggles she could never escape but also on how this realisation affected him as a writer.
For me, however, the book dwells too heavily on introspection, on thoughts and feelings, rather than focusing on the story of this young life itself.

Author: Frédéric Boyer (born 1961) is a French author from Cannes. He is also active in the film industry, serving as artistic director of both the Les Arcs Film Festival and the Tribeca Festival.

Boyne – John Boyne: Water

Transworld Publ. Ltd UK

Purchased from: Mondadori Duomo, Milan, Italy

Vanessa arrives in a village on a remote Irish island. The first thing she does is change her name, determined to leave her past behind. Her daughter Rebecca no longer speaks to her, and her husband, once a respected judge, is now in prison after being exposed for abuse and corruption. Vanessa herself is suspected of complicity in his crimes.
Her older daughter has died, and little by little the reader discovers the reasons why.
John Boyne has written a powerful novel that impressed me both for its language and its storytelling. It portrays with great sensitivity how someone turns away from the past, struggles with shame, and seeks a new beginning in solitude.
This book feels destined for a film adaptation. The images are so vivid that I could see them clearly before me, especially the ending.

Author: John Boyne (born 1971) is an Irish novelist. His book The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is regarded as the most commercially successful Irish novel of all time. Water is the opening volume of his four-part Elements series.

Brassil – Denise Brassil & Martha Brassil: What Anna did next

Sea View Media

Purchased from: Dingle Bookshop, Dingle, Ireland

Anna, 28, drifts through a series of unstable relationships, most of them little more than one-night stands. One December, she decides it is time to reinvent herself with the new year. Leaving behind the quiet coastal town of Dingle, she moves to Dublin in search of true love and takes a job at an insurance company.
Yet her past is not so easily left behind. Her family life weighs heavily on her, and when tragedy strikes, Anna is forced to confront not only her roots but also herself. This turning point leads her to a difficult but important decision.
For much of the book, right up until the last thirty pages, I found myself questioning its meaning and purpose. The humour often felt odd, and the protagonist remained distant and unsympathetic to me. Still, the closing scenes provided some powerful storytelling, with the images at Tralee railway station especially vivid.
I also appreciated the touch of originality in the glossary, which consisted of a single entry:
eejit – an informal Irish word meaning “idiot.”
Conclusion: That’s what comes of picking up a local novel simply because it was recommended in the charming little town of Dingle. :-)

Author: Denise Brassil is an Irish author who co-wrote the book with her sister Martha. After Martha’s untimely death at the age of 55 from a rare brain virus, Denise completed the work on her own.

Bythell – Shaun Bythell: Neue Bekenntnisse eines Buchhändlers (Confessions of a bookseller)

btb

Purchased from: Texxxt Buchhandlung, Munich, Germany

Shaun Bythell, owner of The Bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland’s largest second hand bookshop, offers readers a witty and insightful account of his daily life among the stacks. His book captures the eccentricities of customers, the quirks of the trade, and the quiet charm of a world increasingly under threat.
The tone is humorous, endearing, and deeply rooted in Scottish character, making it as entertaining as it is authentic. Beyond the anecdotes, however, lies a gentle reminder of the precarious state of bookshops today. With record stores having all but disappeared, Bythell’s observations highlight how much responsibility lies with us as readers to ensure that independent bookshops, whether selling new or second hand titles, do not suffer the same fate.
I read the German translation, which at times felt a little uneven, with the occasional careless phrasing and a few typographical errors. These lapses distracted slightly from the overall experience and made me wish I had chosen the original English edition instead.
Ironically, I purchased the book itself at a reduced price, though I consoled myself with the thought that I had not haggled and had paid in cash.
Bythell’s work is at once entertaining and thought provoking, combining sharp humour with a genuine love of books. It stands as both a celebration of bookselling and a quiet call to action for those who still value the cultural importance of independent bookshops.

Author: Shaun Bythell is a bookseller and author who has managed The Bookshop in Wigtown since 2001. His works offer an entertaining glimpse into the daily life of a bookseller and also feature memorable anecdotes about his cat, Captain.

Calvino – Italo Calvino: If on a Winter’s Night A Traveller

Vermilion

Purchased from: Waterstones, Exeter, England

A reader, seemingly me, walks into a bookshop and buys If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller. At first the experience is enjoyable, but soon the reader discovers mistakes in the text. Returning to the shop, they are given a replacement copy, only to find that this version begins an entirely different story.
And so it continues. Each time a new beginning unfolds, each in a different genre, as though the reader is forever chasing the real book. Along the way another reader, Ludmilla, joins the search, and with her the line between fiction and reality begins to blur.
I had been very excited to read this novel. The premise sounded fascinating, but for me the promise never quite came together. Perhaps it is simply my own limitations, but I fear much of it went over my head.

Author: Italo Calvino (1923–1985) is regarded as one of the most significant Italian writers of the 20th century. Born in Cuba and raised in Italy, he initially sympathised with Mussolini before turning to communism, a political stance he later abandoned. Calvino died of a stroke in 1985.

Campbell – Jane Campbell: Kleine Kratzer (Cat Brushing)

Kjona Verlag

Purchased from: ZweiEinsDrei, Hamburg, Germany

A beautifully written collection of short stories, most of which centre on the lives and destinies of older women. The themes range from illness and the approach of death to love and even revenge, yet the tone often carries a quiet humour of its own.
Each story is well contained, though I felt that many of them might have unfolded more fully in the form of a longer novel. What I often missed was the sharp, striking ending, the “bang”, that I especially enjoy in short fiction.
Still, it is a very enjoyable read, and I particularly appreciated how much space is given to older characters. Too often they are pushed to the margins of literature, yet here they prove far more engaging than the usual protagonists.

Author: Jane Campbell (born 1942) is a British author. Her debut collection Cat Brushing was published when she was 75 years old.

Caro – Fabrice Caro: Fort Alamo

Gallimard

Purchased from: Quai des Brumes, Strasbourg, France

Cyril is standing at the checkout in a supermarket when someone cuts in front of him. .Shortly afterwards, the man lies motionless on the floor.. Cyril is shaken, but assumes it’s a tragic coincidence until the neighbour’s dog dies soon after. He had cursed it too.
It slowly dawns on him that whenever he becomes furious at someone, they seem to die of a stroke. The pattern begins to feel eerily inevitable almost like Hitchcock’s The Birds, where disasters unfold simply because the characters happen to be present. Cyril realises he might not just witness these incidents; he may provoke them.
Meanwhile, he and his brother are sorting through their recently deceased mother’s house, an emotionally fraught task even without mysterious deaths piling up around him.
The strange events continue.
When a man who is watching television loudly on the bus dies shortly after irritating him, Cyril knows he cannot spend Christmas with his family, especially not with his sister-in-law Corinne. She would almost certainly be next.
Eventually, he confides in his wife. But will she believe him and, more importantly, can she help?
I found the novel Fort Alam0 both fascinating and unsettling. It left me somewhere between “I’d love to have that ability” and “This is deeply creepy.” The writing is strong, and the characters are vivid and believable.
My only disappointment was the ending. I would have liked the closing supermarket scene to be revisited with more detail and emotional weight.

Author: Fabrice Caro (born 1973), also known as Fabcaro or simply Fab, is a French writer and cartoonist best known for his comics. He has also published several novels with Gallimard and has pursued a career as a musician.

Carroll – Lewis Carroll: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (illustrated by Salvador Dalí)

Princeton

Purchased from: Alice Through the Looking Glass, London, England

Alice was tired of sitting beside her sister on the park bench. She was bored.
Just as she was wondering whether it was worth getting up to make a daisy chain, a white rabbit ran past her. It took a watch out of its waistcoat pocket and exclaimed, “Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!”
That was reason enough for Alice to follow it. She crawled into the rabbit’s burrow and fell through a seemingly endless tunnel, landing in a fantastic underworld: Wonderland.
On a three-legged glass table lay a golden key. Behind a curtain was a tiny door, only fifteen inches high. “How I wish I could shut up like a telescope!” sighed Alice.
She reached for a bottle standing nearby and suddenly began to shrink! 
And then it becomes curiouser and curiouser!
Here, nothing obeys the rules, and the strangest of all are the characters Alice will soon encounter.
The book is beautifully written, I adore it, though Dalí’s illustrations never quite matched the madness in my imagination.
My favourite chapters are those set in the courtroom:. everything descends into nonsense, the Queen demands the sentence before the verdict, and Alice’s beheading seems imminent. I'd rather not mention the jury.
Even after re-re-reading it, I’m not sure I understand Alice in Wonderland. Some people say it’s about growing up, about self-discovery and the confusing leap from childhood to adulthood.
Maybe. Or maybe it’s just about falling, falling into imagination.
One day, I might ask the Mock Turtle what she thinks. I bet she’d have an answer that makes no sense at all, which, in Wonderland, might be the truest kind of wisdom.

Author: Lewis Carroll (1832–1898) was a British author best known for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. He was also a photographer and illustrator, and his imaginative work later became a source of inspiration for many surrealist artists.

Chalandon – Sorj Chalandon: Am Tag zuvor (Le jour d’avant)

dtv

Purchased from: Buchhandlung Eulennest, Baden-Baden, Germany

Joseph and his younger brother Michel grow up on a farm in northern France. Joseph begins his working life as a mechanic, but soon abandons the trade to take a job in the Saint-Amé mine. The labor is brutal.
On 27 December 1974, the unimaginable happens: an explosion in the pit kills 42 men.
Michel is told that Joseph has survived. Yet only days later, Joseph dies as well - just 30 years old. The family is shattered. A year after Joseph’s death, their father takes his own life, leaving behind a letter.
Years pass. Haunted by the past, Michel tracks down the man he believes responsible for his brother’s death and tries to kill him. The attempt fails. Michel remains at the scene and calmly waits to be arrested.
As the investigation unfolds, unsettling details begin to surface. Did Joseph really die in the mining accident at all?
The novel is impeccably structured. Sympathies are drawn early, but doubt is never far behind. As a reader, you feel it almost immediately: something is wrong, something is being withheld. A revelation is coming.
And I love a book that dares to spring a twist.

Author: Sorj Chalandon (born 1952 in Tunis) is a French writer and journalist. He reported for Libération from conflict zones in the Middle East and has received several prestigious awards for his work.

Chasterton – G.K. Chesterton: The Napoleon of Notting Hill

Penguin Classics

Purchased from: Daunt Books Notting Hill, London, England

London, 1984 (originally published in 1905) imagines a Britain still ruled by monarchy, though not by hereditary succession but by random selection. By this system the boyish-looking Auberon Quin unexpectedly becomes king—a man with a taste for the absurd.
On a whim, Quin decrees that the districts of London be transformed into medieval city-states, each with its own flags, uniforms, and rituals. What begins as little more than a game soon takes on a darker tone when Adam Wayne, the Provost of Notting Hill, embraces the new order with absolute seriousness. Convinced of its importance, Wayne throws himself into defending Notting Hill with genuine passion and patriotic zeal, even finding an ally in Mr. Turnbull, a local toy shop owner. Together, they prepare to go to war for their beloved district.
The novel is both satire and social critique, poking fun at the dangers of excessive nationalism at a time not far removed from the world wars to come. Yet its absurdity continues to resonate today. I found much of it amusing, with certain scenes especially vivid in my imagination. I loved the originality of the premise, though I felt the pacing slowed in places, particularly in the middle.

Author: G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton (1874–1936) was an English writer and philosopher, best known for creating the detective Father Brown. He was born in Kensington, not far from the bookshop where I purchased this edition.

Chatwin – Chatwin Bruce: On the Black Hill

Vintage Classics

Purchased from: Hinton’s of Conwy, Conwy, Wales

Lewis and Benjamin Jones are identical twins, born and bound to the farm called The Vision, set amidst the rolling hills of rural Wales. Lewis is the stronger, broader one, quick to catch the eye of women, while Benjamin, quieter and more reflective, carries his strength inward, in words and thought.
Except for a seaside holiday, the brothers have never ventured farther than Hereford. They have always shared the same narrow bed and communicate without the need for speech, their bond as natural and enduring as the land they till. A little sister hovers at the margins of their lives, their father’s favourite, while the twins remain their mother’s heart.
The novel unfolds the story of how their parents met, how the children grew up on the farm, and the struggles that shaped them, from neighbourly feuds over livestock to the far greater trials of war, which for the first time tears the brothers apart.
I found the story deeply moving and strikingly authentic; you can almost feel the wind sweeping across the Black Hill, smell the damp earth, and sense the quiet persistence of the seasons. The sections centred on Mary, their mother, were especially powerful — her suffering, her longings, her fierce determination to hold the family together, and her boundless love for her sons are rendered with rare tenderness. Once she was gone, I felt the story lose some of its warmth and emotional depth.
All in all, On the Black Hill is a beautiful, quietly haunting, and profoundly human novel. Chatwin captures the strange poetry of a life lived close to the soil and the indelible bond between two souls rooted to the same ground.

Author: Bruce Chatwin (1940–1989) was a British author and journalist best known for his travel writing, a genre he helped to popularize. His breakthrough work, In Patagonia (1977), became a classic of modern travel literature.
Chatwin’s life was as unconventional as his writing. Openly bisexual, he married Elizabeth Chanler, who was fully aware of his orientation. His personal life was often turbulent.
In his later years, while visiting Switzerland, Chatwin collapsed in the street. He died shortly afterward in Nice, France, from complications related to AIDS.

Cheon – Cheon Myeong-kwan: Eine Bumerangfamilie (Boomerang Family)

Weissbooks

Purchased from: Mille et deux feuilles, Zurich, Switzerland

Nothing is working out for him anymore: everything he owns has been sold off, his hair is falling out, and his career as a film director has crashed, his latest work, a mystery melodrama, was such a disaster that it was even named the worst film of the year.
Bankrupt and unable to pay back anyone he owes, he has lost not only his savings but even his rent deposit, which his landlord used to cover unpaid rent. His wife has left him, and he can no longer show his face anywhere.
His only choice is to move back in with his mother. But his older brother Han-mo, four years his senior, has already taken up residence there...
And no sooner has he settled in than his sister Mi-yeon and her teenage daughter Min-kyung also decide to return to their mother’s tiny flat. Chaos is inevitable.
Their mother is the glue that holds the family together, patient and understanding with all her children. Still, tensions flare between the siblings. Yet it is precisely this friction that brings long-buried parts of their family history to the surface.
How will they cope with these new revelations, and more importantly, will they find a way out of their tangled situation?
Unexpectedly, it is Han-mo who seems to take the first step…
At first, I found the premise of several adults being forced back into their mother’s cramped flat genuinely amusing. Unfortunately, that impression faded quickly. The characters felt clumsy and overburdened by plotlines involving drug dealers, pornography, and humour stripped of any warmth. The narrative seemed contrived, engineered to cater to broad, low-effort laughs rather than authentic wit. It was clear that the problem wasn’t a matter of translation, the story lacked both genuine humour and depth. I also felt no real curiosity to keep reading.

Author: Cheon Myeong-kwan (born 1964) is a South Korean novelist, screenwriter, and film producer. Boomerang Family is his second novel.

Cho – Cho Nam-Joo: Wo ich wohne, ist der Mond ganz nah

Kiepenheuer & Witsch

Purchased from: Büchertruhe, Keitum, Germany

The novel follows 30-year-old Mani, who still lives with her parents in a poor district of Seoul. Life has never been easy for her, and it becomes even harder when she suddenly loses her job.
From childhood, Mani has endured bullying and disappointment. She comes to realise that she lacks the talent to follow in the footsteps of her idol, Nadia Comăneci, and throughout her life she finds herself constantly exploited. When news arrives that their neighbourhood is to be redeveloped, the family is thrown into uncertainty. By chance they discover that the redevelopment plans may be cancelled—yet the possibility of selling their home still remains.
The novel is engaging in its themes and setting, but for me it lacked the emotional resonance I had hoped for. Perhaps this is a matter of translation; with books like this, much can depend on the nuances of the original language. It may also be that I am not yet fully attuned to the particular rhythms and sensibilities of Asian storytelling.

Author: Cho Nam-Joo (born 1978) is a South Korean author who previously worked as a television scriptwriter for nine years.

Clarkson – Jeremy Clarkson: Diddly Squat – Pigs might fly

Penguin

Purchased from: The Works, Exeter, England

A book about the chaotic everyday life on Jeremy Clarkson’s farm, this is the third installment in the series.
Since I’m not particularly interested in cars, I didn’t always connect with Clarkson’s style of humour. Still, a few of his remarks did make me smile.
For me, Diddly Squat – Pigs Might Fly would have worked better as a collection of newspaper columns. As a book, it falls a little flat: there’s too much opinion and not enough storytelling, which I would have expected from a work like this.
I can certainly understand farmers’ frustrations, but I find it too easy to put the blame solely on politicians. Consumers also bear responsibility: we decide whether to buy regional products and whether we’re willing to pay a fair price for food. Sadly, common sense often seems absent in today’s society—not only when it comes to food choices but also in the way we use transport (e.g. cars).
As for me, you’ll usually find me at the weekly market with a full basket—regional, seasonal, and definitely not cheap, imported produce.
So, in keeping with Clarkson’s style, what I’ve written here is perhaps more of an opinion than a review.

Author: Jeremy Clarkson (born 1960) is a British author, presenter, and farmer best known for his long-running motoring show Top Gear.
In 2024, he became the owner of The Farmer’s Dog, a pub situated just east of Oxford. Rather amusingly for a man so closely associated with cars, there is even a bus stop named after the establishment. So please use public transport to get there.
At the pub, Clarkson prides himself on serving traditional British food fried in British oil. Yet one item on the menu resists his quest for complete national purity: the unmistakably international gin and tonic.

Cline – Emma Cline: Die Einladung (The Invitation)

Hanser

Purchased from: Lüthy Kanisiusbuchhandlung, Fribourg, Switzerland

At 22, Alex is evicted from her flat after failing to pay the rent. At the same time, she is bombarded with messages from Dom, to whom she owes a considerable sum of money. With nowhere else to go, she takes temporary refuge with her wealthy lover Simon, who is unaware of her real situation. Inevitably, she also manages to ruin things with him. Simon is preparing to host a party in a few days, which Alex is determined to attend. Until then, she must scrape by with little money and no place to live, relying on her calculating and manipulative charm to use the people she encounters.
I found neither the story nor the protagonist compelling. The psychological dimension, which could have added real depth, was largely absent. Alex herself struck me as unappealing in every way, lacking both self-reflection and any meaningful exploration of her past.

Author: Emma Cline (born 1989) is an American author. She also contributes to magazines, including O, The Oprah Magazine.

Coelho – Paulo Coelho: Der Alchimist (The Alchemist)

Diogenes

Purchased from: Manas Books & Coffee, Chur, Switzerland

Santiago is a young shepherd plagued by a recurring dream in which he sees a treasure hidden near the pyramids of Egypt. Convinced that the dream carries meaning, he sets out on a journey. Along the way he meets a palm reader and a king, both of whom encourage him to believe in his vision and pursue his destiny.
His path takes him to Africa, where he faces challenges, encounters unexpected love, and eventually meets an alchemist in an oasis. The alchemist recognises that Santiago has grown through his experiences and guides him deeper into the desert. In a seemingly hopeless situation, Santiago ultimately demonstrates that even the impossible can be achieved.
The title of the novel feels deliberately ambiguous. The true alchemist, it seems, is Santiago himself, transformed by his journey.
The central message of the book is clear: if a person has a dream, they should follow it. The road may be difficult, but it brings wisdom and experience, and in the end the pursuit will be rewarded. Every obstacle can be overcome, and sometimes the treasure we seek is closer than we imagine.
This edition features new illustrations, though I did not find them particularly appealing.
Reading The Alchemist reminded me of my experience with The Little Prince. Both books inspire deep admiration in many readers, but I could not fully share in the fascination. While I appreciated the beauty and simplicity of Paulo Coelho’s story, I found myself lacking the childlike curiosity needed to surrender completely to it.

Author: Paulo Coelho (born 1947) is a Brazilian author from Rio de Janeiro and one of the most widely read contemporary writers. His novel The Alchemist has been translated into 81 languages. 
He currently lives in Geneva.

Cognetti – Paolo Cognetti: The Lovers

Hodder & Stoughton

Purchased from: Rizzoli Galleria, Milan, Italy

The protagonist, Fausto, leaves Milan and the remains of a long-term relationship behind. Seeking a new beginning, he takes a job as a chef in the remote mountain village of Montana Fredda in the Italian Alps. There he meets Silvia, a 27-year-old woman who, like him, is searching for change. The two gradually grow close.
The Lovers is a deceptively simple novel that portrays human relationships with quiet beauty while leaving much unsaid. Paolo Cognetti writes with a painter’s eye for detail, evoking vivid images of both people and places. His descriptions of the mountains are particularly striking, capturing not only their splendour but also their harsh and unforgiving side.
I found the book a pleasure to read, and it left me thoughtful, as though its silences and gaps were intentional. Perhaps what felt missing was not an absence at all, but an invitation to linger, to reflect, and to keep imagining beyond the page.

Author: Paolo Cognetti (born 1978) is an Italian writer and documentary filmmaker.

Colfer – Eoin Colfer: Der Hund, der sein Bellen verlor (The Dog Who Lost His Bark)

dtv

Purchased from: Blatter Imhof, Huttwil, Switzerland

I came across this book in the adult section, which is probably why it caught my eye immediately. To my surprise, it turned out to be a wonderful children’s story, partly told from the perspective of Oz, a dog.
Through Oz’s eyes we experience the emotions of a puppy separated from his mother, and the confusion of being given away as a Christmas present, shut inside a gift box with tiny holes to breathe through. But Oz is not the dog his new family imagined. He is quickly abandoned and ends up in an animal shelter, where, misunderstood by people, he loses his bark.
Hope returns when Patrick and his mother adopt him. They are spending the summer with Patrick’s grandfather, and while Patrick does not yet know that his father has abandoned the family, the bond he forms with Oz helps both boy and dog find comfort. Thanks to Patrick’s love, Oz finds his voice again and begins a happier life. Yet once more, circumstances force him back to the shelter, this time bewildered by the people he thought he could trust.
The story is beautifully complemented by tender, lovingly drawn illustrations.
This is a book that everyone who owns, or dreams of owning, a dog should read.

Author: Eoin Colfer (born 1965) is an Irish teacher and author best known for his children’s books. His first name is pronounced “Owen.” 
He began writing stories while still in primary school and has since explored a wide range of genres, from crime fiction to science fiction.

Connolly – John Connolly: The Instruments of Darkness (signed)

Hodder & Stoughton

Purchased from: Alan Hanna's Bookshop, Dublin, Ireland

Two-year-old Henry has disappeared. The only trace is a blanket stained with his blood. His father, Stephen, is convinced that Colleen, Henry’s mother, must be responsible. The authorities share his suspicions, especially in an election year when appearances matter more than truth.
Colleen’s lawyer turns to detective Charlie Parker for help. From the outset, Parker is certain of her innocence. As he begins to investigate, he soon uncovers a troubling connection that leads back to Stephen himself.
The thriller is well crafted, but for my taste it introduces too many characters, which makes the plot feel crowded. I also missed the classic crime-novel structure, the kind that lets readers try to piece together the solution themselves. Likewise, the story lacks the spine-tingling atmosphere that Scandinavian writers handle so brilliantly. To be honest, I found the book longer than it needed to be, which weakened its impact.

Author: John Connolly (born 1968) is an Irish writer whose books have sold millions of copies worldwide and been translated into 47 languages. 
I especially like the slogan on his website: “Helping to keep your bookshelf overstocked since 1999…”

de Cabissole – Pierre de Cabissole: Le Carnaval sauvage

Grasset

Purchased from: Payot, Fribourg, Switzerland

Maria, 23, is studying in Lyon. After three years away, she returns to her home village, where once a year the Carnaval Sauvage takes place—a medieval ritual marking the end of the grape harvest. But this is no ordinary festival: men disguise themselves as beasts and chase women dressed in white, drenching them in wine lees and filth.
Maria’s mother died when she was twelve, leaving her father and her first great love, Agnès, behind in the village. But Agnès is now with Dorian, the domineering leader of the local men. When Maria and Agnès meet again, their old love is reignited, pulling them irresistibly back together—with consequences that prove inescapable.
Le Carnaval sauvage is one of those rare novels that captivates from the very first page. It is emotional, unsettling, and written with striking precision. The characters are complex and vividly drawn, the atmosphere both raw and poetic. I found myself unable to put it down. It is not just a gripping story but also a powerful reflection on tradition, desire, and the ways in which communities can both bind and suffocate their members.

Author: Pierre de Cabissole (born 1980) is a writer from Montpellier. 
His debut novel was Le Carnaval sauvage. He also works as a screenwriter, director, and producer of animated films, and has published an autobiographical book titled Et vivre encore.

De Giovanni – Maurizio De Giovanni: Zu kalt für Neapel

Kampa

Purchased from: BuchKultur Opitz, Konstanz, Germany

The novel introduces Mina, an attractive social worker who devotes herself to helping those on the margins in Naples’ Spanish Quarter. In doing so, she inevitably clashes with the powerful Contini family and refuses to back down.
Meanwhile, her ex-husband, De Carolis, is investigating the murder of an elderly man. At the heart of his case is the man’s ten-year-old granddaughter, a remarkably clever and intriguing child.
How are Mina’s struggle and De Carolis’s investigation connected?
Up to the halfway point, I was captivated by the characters that De Giovanni created, particularly the girl, who sparked my curiosity and raised my expectations. Unfortunately, what began with such promise led to a rather mediocre ending. A shame, as a good thriller should sustain its tension right through to the final page.

Author: Maurizio de Giovanni (born 1958) is a crime novelist from Naples. 
He studied ancient languages and was also an avid water polo player.

Delaye – Alain Delaye: Jean de la Croix

Points

Purchased from: Librairie Delphica, Geneva, Switzerland

The book recounts the life of the poet Jean de la Croix, who lived in a monastery in Andalusia during the Middle Ages. I read it, though I must admit, I might not even have noticed if this had been the copy missing a few pages…

Author: Alain Delaye (born 1937) is a French author.

De Poortere – Pieter De Poortere: Renée

Nanuq

Purchased from: Slumberland, Bruxelles, Belgium

When speaking of Belgium’s capital, the surrealist painter René Magritte and the world of comics inevitably come to mind—they simply belong together. Pieter De Poortere captures this unique blend in his picture book Renée, a delightful work that portrays well-known corners of Brussels along with its inhabitants, both famous and ordinary.
The book is crafted with great care and infused with subtle humour. On every page, I found something unexpected waiting to be discovered.
Strictly speaking, it cannot be classified as fiction, yet I enjoyed it so much that I felt it deserved a place here.

Author: Pieter de Poortere (born 1976) is a Flemish comic artist, working in the tradition of many great Belgian cartoonists. 
He rose to fame with his series Dickie.

Desiati – Mario Desiati: Spatriati –

Other Press

Purchased from: Ubik Libreria, Como, Italy

Spatriati is a contemporary coming-of-age novel set in Martina Franca, a small town in Apulia, southern Italy.
The story follows Francesco Veleno, a rather introverted young man, and Claudia, a rebellious free spirit with a strong desire for freedom and new experiences.
Francesco is drawn to Claudia, who seems unreachable at first. One day, however, she approaches him and reveals that her father and Francesco’s mother are in a relationship. From then on, the two spend much of their time together and develop a deep, almost symbiotic connection.
Their bond changes when Claudia moves to London. After her return, she starts a relationship with a musician. Francesco stays close to her, but never as close as he wishes to be. Claudia continues to fascinate him, while he also begins to explore his attraction to men.
As they grow older, their lives take different directions. Claudia eventually moves to Berlin, a place that perfectly suits her unconventional personality. Still emotionally connected, Francesco later follows her there.
The novel flows smoothly and is pleasant to read, but I found it hard to truly immerse myself in the story. For me, Claudia took up too much space, as I found Francesco’s quieter character much more compelling. 
The title Spatriati becomes clearer as the novel goes on. It comes from the verb spatriare, meaning “to leave one’s homeland” or “to be estranged from it,” but it can also suggest being unanchored or unattached.

Author: Mario Desiati (born 1977) is an Italian novelist, poet, and essayist from Apulia. 
Trained as a lawyer, he left the legal world for literature and later worked as an editor in Rome. His novels often turn his native region into a central character, blending dialect, history, and local culture. In 2022 he won the prestigious Premio Strega for Spatriati.

Didierlaurent – Jean-Paul Didierlaurent: Le Liseur du 6:27 h

Gallimard

Purchased from: Librairie de cap et de mots, Bulle, Switzerland

Guylain Vignolles, 36, takes the RER to his factory job every weekday at 6:27 a.m. There, books are destroyed by the ton. Guylain, however, rescues a handful of pages each day. On his commute, always seated on the same folding seat by the door, he reads these salvaged fragments aloud. Before long, he catches the attention of his fellow passengers.
One morning, Guylain discovers a USB stick on his way to work. He picks it up, and the search for its owner begins—bringing a spark of change to his otherwise monotonous routine.
I found the story endearing and accessible, with protagonists who are ordinary, flawed, and all the more relatable for it—anti-heroes much like ourselves. The middle section dragged a little for me, but overall, I enjoyed the novel’s charm and humanity.

Author: Jean-Paul Didierlaurent (1962–2021) was a French writer who studied advertising in Nancy and later worked for a telecommunications company. 
His debut novel, Le Liseur du 6h27, became an international bestseller, translated into more than 30 languages. He died of cancer in 2021.

Donleavy – J.P. Donleavy: La dame qui aimait les toilettes propres (The Lady Who Liked Clean Restrooms)

Gallimard

Purchased from: Librairie Feuilles d’Encre, Colmar, France

The story follows Jocelyn Guenevere Marchantiell, a once-wealthy society lady whose reputation collapses after her husband abandons her for a younger woman and later dies. Ignored by her children and shunned by high society, she drifts into a diminished life in New York. Clinging to a single piece of advice—nothing surpasses clean toilets—she finds, after a series of upheavals, that public restrooms become her unlikely refuge and place of escape.
Personally, the book didn’t resonate with me. I found it difficult to connect with the protagonist, and since satire—the genre it most closely resembles—is not to my taste, it remained merely entertaining.

Author: James Patrick Donleavy (1926–2017) was an American-born Irish writer.
He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II before moving to Ireland, where he studied microbiology at Trinity College, Dublin. The son of Irish parents, he became an Irish citizen in 1967. 
Donleavy went on to publish numerous works of fiction, the most celebrated being The Ginger Man (1955), which brought him international acclaim.

Donovan – Gerard Donovan: Julius Winsome

btb

Purchased from: Hartliebs Bücher, Vienna, Austria

Julius Winsome has lived for 20 years outside the town of Ken Fort (Maine) in a house in the woods near the Canadian border. The cottage is lined with 3,282 books that his father had collected and read.
One day, Claire emerges from the forest, claiming to have lost her way. The two grow closer and she recommends that he get a dog so he won't be alone anymore. He follows her advice. Suddenly, she disappears from his life and begins an affair with police officer Troy.
It is hunting season. One morning, Julius hears a shot. He goes to investigate and finds his beloved dog Hobbes shot at close range.
Julius decides to search for the murderer of his faithful companion. Was it one of the hunters, and what does the police officer Troy have to do with it?
This novel gripped me from the very first word. It is excitingly structured and also very emotional. Simply sensational and intelligent storytelling!
It's rare for me to feel so strongly for a protagonist. This was the case with Julius, and I suffered with him until the very last letter. I also like the moral standpoint, how hunting is viewed from the animal's perspective. Hunting an animal that you know won't fight back. But what if the hunter suddenly becomes the hunted?

Author: Gerard Donovan is an Irish writer. In 2003, his novel Schopenhauer's Telescope was longlisted for the Booker Prize. In Galway, he studied philosophy and German language and literature.

Dorion – Hélène Dorion: Pas même le bruit d’un fleuve

folio

Purchased from: Le Petit Bookshop, Wettingen, Switzerland

Hanna’s mother, Simone, has recently passed away. While clearing out her mother’s house, Hanna comes across a notebook, photographs, and old newspaper clippings. At first, their meaning escapes her.
Shortly before her death, Hanna had offered to drive Simone back to her childhood home on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, but Simone refused. She had always remained distant from her daughter. Speaking of her mother, Hanna once said: “Elle me semblait marcher de l’autre côté de la rive”—“I always felt she walked on the far side of the shore.”
After Simone’s death, Hanna travels to Kamouraska. Piece by piece, she uncovers her mother’s hidden past. The fragments she found turn out to be bound to Simone’s great love, and to a tragic shipwreck in 1918. Along the way, Hanna also discovers an unexpected bond between them—something they share despite years of distance.
Hélène Dorion’s novel is written with lyrical beauty and poetic depth.
If I had structured the narrative differently, I would have drawn a sharper line between past and present events, letting suspense build gradually as the two timelines unfold.

Author: Hélène Dorion (born 1958) is a Canadian poet and novelist. She made history as the first living woman, and the first Quebecker, whose work was added to the French baccalaureate curriculum, with her collection mes forêts.

Dubois – Maeva Christelle Dubois: L’Ode et le Requiem

Collection Romannesque

Purchased from: Galibrairie de la Tour de Bolliet, Vevey, Switzerland

Kenshi is a rising actor: young, graceful, and beautiful, with the bearing of a prince and the arrogance to match. Obsessed with grandeur and the shadow of death, he is sent to a remote hamlet in the Albe region, beneath the snow-veiled Mont de Nivée. There, he is meant to learn stillness, to lose himself in solitude until the first snowfall.
But the hamlet is bleak and unwelcoming. The villagers turn away from him, leaving only Mortimer, the weary innkeeper, as his reluctant host. For months, Kenshi drifts alone through empty rooms and endless silence, until one day, a sound shatters the stillness: a violin, playing a requiem behind the door of room 24.
The music leads him to Chara, a young violinist. Their meeting unsettles him, reshaping his pursuit of greatness into something unknown..
The novel breathes atmosphere, its prose drifting toward the philosophical. The opening, with the solitary arrival in the hamlet, is especially striking. I could almost feel the air, each breath heavy with silence. Yet as the pages turned, I found myself wishing for more. It was the human ties, the fragile threads between characters, that I longed to see drawn tighter. At times I felt certain elements were perhaps sought a bit too consciously, though the overall effect remained strong.

Author: Maeva Christelle Dubois (born 1992) is a Swiss writer from the Lake Geneva region. She has worked with UNESCO, among other organizations.

Duffy – Austin Duffy: the night interns

Granta Books

Purchased from: Hodges Figgis, Dublin, Ireland

The story unfolds in a hospital that never sleeps—running 24 hours a day but chronically short of skilled staff. Three surgical interns take the night shift. Their pagers constantly beep as the nurses call for help.
Among them, Lynda is the most self-assured, while the narrator and Stuart often wrestle with uncertainty. They find support in each other, tackling patient emergencies side by side. When the three decide to split the night to snatch some rest, one small oversight sets off a chain of consequences…
The Night Interns is told with gripping intensity. Austin Duffy’s medical background lends the novel authenticity, nothing feels forced or artificially researched. What stood out most for me was the first-person narrator: a flawed, doubtful, yet deeply human man, navigating the harsh realities of life at the very bottom of the hospital hierarchy.

Author: Austin Duffy is an Irish author and a full-time practicing medical oncologist. 
He fits writing into the margins of his busy life, often during his daily commute.

Easter Collins – Sarah Easter Collins: So ist das nie passiert (Things don’t break on their own)

Hodder & Stoughton

Purchased from: Buchhandlung Höllrigl, Salzburg, Austria

Willa and her younger sister Laika are inseparable, bound together against the cruelty of their tyrannical father. But when Laika suddenly vanishes without a trace, Willa’s world shatters. The press seizes on the case, and Willa is sent away to a distant boarding school, where she meets Robyn—and discovers the first stirrings of love.
Still, she cannot stop searching for Laika. Years later, at a dinner party, Willa sees a woman who makes her heart stop. Could it really be her lost sister sitting across the table?
Told with gripping intensity, this novel is a true page-turner, revealing its secrets piece by piece. While the ending may stumble slightly, the journey there is unforgettable—a story of loss, love, and the unbreakable bond between sisters.

Author: Alongside her writing, British author Sarah Easter Collins nurtures a deep passion for painting. She has exhibited her work for many years, capturing landscapes, flowers, and her beloved adopted dogs.

Erlick – Nikki Erlick: The Measure

Harper Collins

Purchased from: The Padstow Bookseller, Padstow, England

What if, one morning, everyone over the age of twenty-two found a box waiting on their doorstep? Inside lies a single string—the length of which reveals the span of their life. Would you dare to look? And if you did, how would you live with the knowledge of your own fate—and that of others?
In a world reshaped by this revelation, those with short strings are shunned and discriminated against, losing jobs, opportunities, even access to healthcare. Against this backdrop, the novel follows several intertwining lives:
Nina and Maura, a lesbian couple, face the cruel truth that Nina will live long while Maura will not. Yet love compels them to marry in defiance of fate.
Amie, Nina’s sister, begins an unlikely pen-pal exchange with a short-stringer. When they meet by chance, love blossoms in a way that feels both fragile and deeply moving.
Jack, nephew of a U.S. presidential candidate, is destined for a long life. His best friend Javier, not so. In an act of devotion, the two secretly swap boxes—allowing Javier to pursue a military career that will change lives forever.
Threaded through these stories is a powerful reminder: what matters is not the length of life, but its depth.
I found the novel compelling and thought-provoking, though at times a little too steeped in American cultural touches. I found the choice of Que Sera, Sera at the conclusion somewhat clichéd.

Author: Nikki Erlick is an American author and travel journalist who has journeyed across many countries. The Measure is her debut novel.

Erne – Marianne Erne, Patricia Jäggi, Kathrin Probst & Katharina Wehrli: Kruttingen – E Dorfgschicht (Kruttingen – a Village History)

Arisverlag

Purchased from: Papeterie Bücher Kohler, Huttwil. Switzerland

The novel follows a familiar structure: Georg returns to his home village after many years away. His mother has died, and he never managed to see her one last time. The villagers all remember him in one way or another—some fondly, others less so. Whispers spread that he once stole 20,000 francs from the safe in his parents’ bakery.
As the story unfolds, the lives and secrets of the villagers gradually come to light, with a few well-placed surprises along the way.
I must admit, I began this book with some skepticism, as I rarely warm to novels by Swiss authors. Yet I was pleasantly surprised. Though written in High German, the dialogues appear in Swiss German—a choice that works remarkably well here.
In the end, I found myself thoroughly entertained. The writing draws you quickly into the rhythms of life in the fictional village of Kruttingen. Still, I suspect the book will resonate most with Swiss readers. Its style strongly recalls the atmosphere of the old black-and-white films featuring actress Margrit Rainer.

Author: This novel is the result of a collaboration between four authors who first met during a creative writing course.

Ewan – C.M. Ewan: Etage 13 (The Interview)

Blanvalet

Purchased from: Imhof Papeterie + Buchhandlung, Willisau, Switzerland

Kate has endured some harrowing years. Her beloved husband, Mark, died in a plane crash—a tragedy made all the harder because both had worked for the company responsible for aviation safety, where troubling inconsistencies had already come to light.
Determined to move forward, Kate pursues a new career opportunity. Through an agency, she secures an interview with a prestigious firm. But when she arrives at the sleek, modern glass building, the meeting proves to be a trap. Suddenly, her past is catching up with her faster, and more dangerously, than she could have imagined.
With The Interview, C.M. Ewan delivers a gripping, high-tension thriller that keeps the pages turning. Personally, I would have preferred Kate’s story told outside the first-person perspective, but the novel’s intensity remains undeniable.
In his epilogue, Ewan acknowledges possible inaccuracies concerning travel restrictions, a minor detail that hardly detracts from the experience. Even his slip of referring to Swiss International Air Lines as Swissair felt fitting in its own way, unintentionally adding to the atmosphere.

Author: C.M. Ewan (born 1976) is an English thriller writer from Taunton. 
He lives in Somerset with his wife, their daughter, and the family’s Labrador.