Radz Pandit

Paused what I was reading because I picked this up, checked out the first few pages, and couldn’t stop. I think it’s those tenses; they keep the pace at a zip. Anyhoo, only 140 pages. A joy from Mathias Énard and @avecsesdoigts.bsky.social.

It's great so far! Énard is always so interesting.

THE DESERTERS by Mathias Énard. Translated by Charlotte Mandell. New Directions.

"The cabin, the hovel, you'll take refuge there for a while,

the cabin will protect you with its childhood,

you'll be caressed with its memories,

sometimes sleep comes by surprise like the bullet of a marksman lying in ambush."

#CurrentlyReading

They truly are!

Seven Favourite Virago Modern Classics A post on seven excellent Virago Modern Classics featuring 20th century women writers on International Women's Day.

Seven Favourite Virago Modern Classics readersretreat2017.wordpress.com/2026/03/08/s...

I'm an Enard fan and have just started this, so good to know you rate it highly.

The Deserters Mathias Enard’s The Deserters, beautifully translated as usual by Charlotte Mandell, is two novels for the price of one. The first takes place in a war-torn landscape where a deserter returns to hi…

My latest #InternationalBookerPrize2026 review is Mathias Enard's The Deserters, translated by @avecsesdoigts.bsky.social -
1streading.wordpress.com/2026/03/08/t...

Virago Modern Classics and @radzpandit.bsky.social? The perfect combination.

One of my favourite books last year! So glad you're enjoying it.

Aww, thank you, Andrew:)

1) A Wreath for the Enemy by Pamela Frankau 2) Life and Death of Harriett Frean by May Sinclair 3) The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence 4) The Devastating Boys by Elizabeth Taylor 5) Old New York by Edith Wharton 6) The Skin Chairs by Barbara Comyns 7) Pilgrimage 1 by Dorothy Richardson

A new blog post today on some of my favourite Virago Modern Classics
readersretreat2017.wordpress.com/2026/03/08/s...

1) A Wreath for the Enemy by Pamela Frankau 2) Life and Death of Harriett Frean by May Sinclair 3) The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence 4) The Devastating Boys by Elizabeth Taylor 5) Old New York by Edith Wharton 6) The Skin Chairs by Barbara Comyns 7) Pilgrimage 1 by Dorothy Richardson

A new blog post today on some of my favourite Virago Modern Classics
readersretreat2017.wordpress.com/2026/03/08/s...

THE DESERTERS by Mathias Énard, translated by Charlotte Mandell. Published by New Directions.

Starting this today.

Ethel Mannin’s AN AMERICAN JOURNEY is being republished in May by Boiler House Press thanks to Brad Bigelow who is the force behind @neglectedbooks.com
There is a story here: Back in 2023, I had been posting photos from my trips on the Greyhound bus. Brad saw them & got in touch asking if I… (1)

BRUNO, a young magazine editor, seems to live a charmed life, until he discovers a growth on his neck - the first sign of incurable cancer. But his doctor offers him a unique opportunity: Bruno can choose to be 'frozen down' until medical science has developed a cure for his condition. He makes his decision, just after meeting and falling in love with an enigmatic ballet dancer. Decades later, he wakes up to find himself cured, but the world is now a very different place. Freezing technology is now ubiquitous, the pleasures of life have been subtly drained and society has started to fracture. Bruno must decide what he really wants from life and whether it's worth the cost. This dystopian Danish chiller from 1969 raises vital philosophical questions about ageing, death, the purpose of scientific progress and the meaning of life. TRANSLATED BY JOAN TATE

It does sound fascinating from the blurb...

Two books face up: 1) QUEEN by Birgitta Trotzig, translated from the Swedish by Saskia Vogel 2) FREEZING POINT by Anders Bodelsen, translated from the Danish by Joan Tate

Today's #bookmail, a couple of Scandinavian titles from the excellent Faber Editions.

For anyone who has read GREYHOUND & would like to read Ethel Mannin’s AN AMERICAN JOURNEY, which I discuss in my book, the wonderful people at @bhousepress.bsky.social are republishing it in May with an introduction by me. It’s a wonderful addition to the literature of the road.
#anamericanjourney

So looking forward to this!

Thank you, Clara:) Such a wonderful book.

This lovely review by @radzpandit.bsky.social reminded me how much I want to read Joanna Pocock’s Greyhound:

She Who Remains Though the International Booker Prize longlist contains a number of well-known names, it also features writers appearing in English for the first time. She Who Remains (translated by Izidora Angel)…

Another #InternationalBookerPrize2026 review, Rene Karabash's She Who Remains, translated by Izidora Angel and published by Peirene Press:
1streading.wordpress.com/2026/03/04/s...

The Wax Child – Olga Ravn (tr. Martin Aitken) Olga Ravn created a stir with the publication of her novella, The Employees, in 2020, which was subsequently shortlisted for the 2021 International Booker Prize. I’ve yet to read it, but the latest…

From the #BlogArchives, my post on THE WAX CHILD by Olga Ravn - a dark, haunting novella of witchcraft and witch hunts, power and misogyny, and how women are scapegoated. Translated by Martin Aitken and longlisted for the International Booker Prize.
readersretreat2017.wordpress.com/2025/11/21/t...

THE DIRECTOR by Daniel Kehlmann. Translated by Ross Benjamin.

"Director was, all in all, a strange profession. One was an artist, but created nothing, instead directing those who created something, arranging the work of others who, viewed in the cold light of day, were more capable than oneself."

Took me a long time to find a copy, but I was so excited when I did!

THE SKIN CHAIRS by Barbara Comyns. Virago Modern Classics.

The Wax Child Olga Ravn’s first novel to be translated into English, The Employees, is set in the 22nd century and features such science fiction staples as androids and spaceships; her second, My Work, is a more…

My first #InternationalBookerPrize2026 review is Olga Ravn's The Wax Child, translated by Martin Aitken:
1streading.wordpress.com/2026/03/01/t...

Reading Independent Publishers Month 2026 This page is to collect together all of the reviews of books published by Independent Publishers during #readindies month 2026! Please do let me know about your posts in the comments below and I wi…

February and Reading Independent Publishers Month #ReadIndies are over, but we should be reading and supporting independent presses all year round. If you want some ideas of what to read next, check out my page with a massive amount of links! kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/reading-inde...

BACKLIGHT by Pirkko Saisio. Translated from the Finnish by Mia Spangenberg. Penguin Modern Classics.

Today's #bookmail. BACKLIGHT by Pirkko Saisio, the second book in her Helsinki trilogy. Translated from the Finnish by Mia Spangenberg. I loved the first book, LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR, so looking forward to this one.

GREYHOUND by Joanna Pocock. Soft Skull Press.

My new blog post on the superb GREYHOUND by Joanna Pocock - a gripping portrayal of America seen through two Greyhound bus journeys across the country in 2006 and 2023.
readersretreat2017.wordpress.com/2026/02/27/g...

loved reading this, b/c I loved reading the book & this essay really captures that experience.