M.A.Orthofer

New review: Ignatius T. Mabasa's 1999 novel, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑀𝑎𝑑 www.complete-review.com/reviews/zimb... (The first in @ugapress.bsky.social 's new African Language Literatures in Translation-series.)

Bookish history is, of course, my favorite kind of history.

README In README, historian Patrick McCray argues that in order for computers to become ubiquitous, people first had to become interested in them, learn about them,...

In the mail: slow start to the week, but the one arrival so far certainly something I've been looking forward to: "A Bookish History of Computing from Electronic Brains to Everything Machines" by @patrickmccray.bsky.social , 𝑅𝐸𝐴𝐷𝑀𝐸, from @mitpress.bsky.social mitpress.mit.edu/978026255348...

The previous translation, published in the wake of the Richard Chamberlain-Toshiro Mifune 𝑆ℎ𝑜̄𝑔𝑢𝑛 miniseries, sold more than 40,000 copies in the US its first year www.nytimes.com/1982/08/08/b... "Despite its heft". Also despite the 𝑁𝑌𝑇𝐵𝑅 review ... www.nytimes.com/1981/09/13/b...

The longest book I've reviewed so far this year (1692 pp.). Also the longest review so far this year — over 4600 words, sheesh ..... Kind of/really hoping I don't exceed either of those for the rest of the year.

New review: the new (unabridged and three-volume) translation of Yoshikawa Eiji's 1939 epic, 𝑀𝑢𝑠𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑖 www.complete-review.com/reviews/japa...

Past and Thoughts — Harvard University Press An annotated translation of Alexander Herzen’s monumental memoir Past and Thoughts—the first new English-language edition in a century—captures the tumultuous life and penetrating cultural and politic...

Also: a new translation — and: "An Annotated Critical Edition" — of Alexander Herzen's 𝑃𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠, coming from @harvardpress.bsky.social www.hup.harvard.edu/books/978067...

Sisters in Yellow by Mieko Kawakami: 9780593537732 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books From Mieko Kawakami, award-winning author of Breasts and Eggs, comes a bold novel of sacrifice and the tumultuous bonds of sisterhood, set in the gritty Tokyo of the 1990s. “I can never forget the...

In the mail: a very good weekend-duo, led by Kawakami Mieko's eagerly anticipated 𝑆𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑌𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤, coming from @aaknopf.bsky.social www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/735249...

Right !

António Lobo Antunes, One of Europe’s Most Revered Writers, Dies at 83

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/b...

Teddy Bears Never Die "The perfect mix of horror and heart." —Kylie Lee Baker, author of Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng "Cho Yeeun is amazing. Insanely amazing." ―B...

In the mail: pleased to see ARC of Cho Yeeun's 𝑇𝑒𝑑𝑑𝑦 𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑁𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝐷𝑖𝑒 (5/2026) www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/cho-y... "A young woman and a possessed teddy bear set out on a revenge quest" — how could I resist ?

Thanks ! I'm hoping conditions hold up to allow for additional embellishments.

It's been years since conditions have been adequate enough for me to follow my true calling — working in/with snow. Not ideal, but with decent material to work with for much of this season I could at least keep my hand in.

Pretty sure it's not intentional, but local post office does say it's time to give up hope ..... (A rare review copy on its way to me that I have a tracking number for, so I don't know how often this happens; overall, USPS seems to be reliable.)

Not in the mail: hmmmm, Supreme Court rules (24 February) "intentional nondelivery of mail" by USPS is OK www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p... and I have a package *in limbo* just a few miles from its destination (me !) since 11 February ..... bsky.app/profile/maor...

Between Fixed and Fickle — Harvard University Press A psychologist explains why—and how—moral views change across different life stages, situations, and historical eras.We like to believe that moral truths are obvious and unchangeable: cheating is wron...

Finally: Audun Dahl explains: "Why Our Moral Views Keep Changing", in 𝐵𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝐹𝑖𝑥𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐹𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑙𝑒; from @harvardpress.bsky.social www.hup.harvard.edu/books/978067...

Transcendence for Beginners Transcendence for Beginners is an innovative book about philosophy and life writing, exploring how each practice might complement the other and so contribute to a greater understanding of human existe...

Also: Clare Carlisle offers 𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐵𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑠; from @nyrb-imprints.bsky.social www.nyrb.com/products/tra... (I am definitely a beginner regarding any aspect of transcendence, so .....)

The Mad In The Mad, originally published in Shona as Mapenzi and awarded the Zimbabwe Book Publishers Association Award, Mabasa’s pen runs riot, using sarcasm, hum...

In the mail: nice trio, with the standout the first in @ugapress.bsky.social eagerly anticipated African Language Literatures in Translation-series, Ignatius T. Mabasa's 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑀𝑎𝑑, translated by J. Tsitsi Mutiti from the Shona www.ugapress.org/978082037693...

Success of serial killer novel fuels bidding wars for Japanese books Asako Yuzuki’s bestselling satirical novel Butter, along with interest in the culture and history, has resulted in publishers racing to find the next hit

Hey, whatever works. www.thetimes.com/culture/book...

New review: Anna Albinus' 𝑅𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑖 www.complete-review.com/reviews/modd...

Hey, reading is now an activity that's become a status symbol — deal with it !

Reading is so trendy now that Coach is making book charms The fashion brand said its latest campaign was "inspired by a renewed cultural embrace of long-form storytelling," largely fueled by Gen Z.

"Coach last week unveiled a collection of book-themed bag charms for $95 each, leaning into the growing buzz around reading — an activity that’s become a status symbol." www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news... So I guess everything is OK now.

Appreciate that the Bardarska comes with this opening assurance:

Particularly excited about translations from Urdu www.openletterbooks.org/collections/... and Bulgarian www.openletterbooks.org/collections/... from @openletterbooks.bsky.social !

In the mail: retreating deep, deep into a hole, given world events and situation, but at least have five great week-/month-end arrivals to take with me, incl. a five-in-one César Aira-volume ! www.ndbooks.com/book/five-by... Also: ARC of yet more Jeyamohan ! us.macmillan.com/books/978037...

The German publisher of four Noam Chomsky books @unrastverlag.bsky.social is pulling them from distribution on 2 March books unrast-verlag.de/2026/02/pres...

Mai, Juni und Juli Zeh

I'm afraid AI-"authored" reviews are going to flood and soon dominate the market as well.

1 year, 1 publisher, 9,000 books: AI-generated titles flood Korean shelves - The Korea Times For generations, Koreans have regarded books as the most reliable form of information. They're slower than social media, but more carefully made an...

What we can all look forward to www.koreatimes.co.kr/lifestyle/bo...