Championing the wonders of translated fiction, one review at a time. Slightly older and more haggard than the photos suggest. Bitter at most things, really.https://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mqt74zi7h22iAnother Genji-themed post today, but with a twist - my review of Lynne K. Miyake's 'The Tale of Genji through Contemporary Manga', courtesy of Bloomsbury Publishing :) https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2026/07/17/the-tale-of-genji-through-contemporary-manga-by-lynne-k-miyake-review/17 Jul 2026 07:12 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqt74zi7h22ihttps://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mqjcnq2e522cAnother review from the Dalkey Archive Press and LTI Korea Library of Korean Literature today, as I take a look at Song Sokze's 'The Amusing Life' (translated by Se-Un Kim) - more than forty short pieces that examine the lighter side of life :) https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2026/07/13/the-amusing-life-by-song-sokze-review/13 Jul 2026 08:48 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqjcnq2e522chttps://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mqebzixlrc2jJust enjoyed a leisurely reread of Kamal Ben Hamada's 'La compagnie des Tripolitaines' (available from Peirene Press as 'Under The Tripoli Sky' in Adriana Hunter's translation).11 Jul 2026 08:53 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqebzixlrc2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mq7b3qvuc22iTime for a look at Chapter 29 of 'The Tale of Genji', 'Miyuki', in which we have a royal procession, a coming-of-age ceremony and a spot of daytime drinking with two old friends ;) https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2026/07/09/the-tale-of-genji-29-miyuki/09 Jul 2026 08:53 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq7b3qvuc22ihttps://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mq2cabjef22zAround a month ago, I enjoyed a leisurely reread of Anri Yasuda's excellent 'Beauty Matters: Modern Japanese Literature and the Question of Aesthetics, 1890-1930' (link to my review in the comments).07 Jul 2026 09:30 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq2cabjef22zhttps://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mpxw476txk2vNo pigeons were harmed during the writing of this book - Can Xue's 'The Enchanting Lives of Others' (translated by Annelise Finegan, courtesy of Yale University Press), a story of love and literature ;) https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2026/07/06/the-enchanting-lives-of-others-by-can-xue-review/06 Jul 2026 10:48 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpxw476txk2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mpqhtgod2c23Another evening spent perusing the latest copy of @ltikorea.bsky.social's Korean Literature Now magazine, with a focus on folk tales. Lots of enjoyable essays, reviews and original content.03 Jul 2026 11:44 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpqhtgod2c23https://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mpo2ewkip22lThe June monthly wrap-up post, with stats and links to all of last month's reviews (including the monthly pick...): https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2026/07/02/june-2026-wrap-up/02 Jul 2026 12:38 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpo2ewkip22lhttps://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mpny326lj22pJust enjoyed (to put it mildly) a rewatch of the film 'Shaolin Soccer', and if you've ever thought "I'd love to watch something that combines terrible dialogue, OTT kung fu sequences and a football match against an evil team on steroids", well... you know what to do ;)02 Jul 2026 11:57 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpny326lj22phttps://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mpioj4q2xk2vAlways nice when you shoot off a hopeful email, get no reply, and are then surprised by a book landing in your letterbox! Here's today's arrival, Lynne K. Miyake's 'The Tale of Genji through Contemporary Manga' (courtesy of Bloomsbury Australia), one I hope to get to before too long :)30 Jun 2026 09:22 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpioj4q2xk2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mpg66dopnc26My latest review looks at Sally O'Reilly's 'Hagtale' (courtesy of Scribe Publications), a two-strand novel that takes a new look at an old tale... https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2026/06/29/hagtale-by-sally-oreilly-review/29 Jun 2026 09:25 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpg66dopnc26https://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mp4af2fc322vSomething a little spooky for #TranslationThurs as I take a look at Ueda Akinari's 1776 collection of stories, 'Tales of Moonlight and Rain' (translated by Anthony H. Chambers, published by Columbia University Press): https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2026/06/25/tales-of-moonlight-and-rain-by-ueda-akinari-review/25 Jun 2026 10:38 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mp4af2fc322vhttps://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3moui7teo3s2oA fun tale about (wo)man's best friend - see my review of Virginia Woolf's 'Flush', two biographies in one, and a whole lot more :) https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2026/06/22/flush-by-virginia-woolf-review/22 Jun 2026 08:36 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3moui7teo3s2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3momuz63yoc2uGiven the focus on the World Cup, it's probably not the best time to be dropping 2K words on a Genji chapter, but if you're up for a look at Chapter 28, 'Nowaki', please come this way ;) https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2026/06/19/the-tale-of-genji-28-nowaki/19 Jun 2026 08:04 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3momuz63yoc2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3moczl6b3es2yMy latest review looks at this year's International Booker Prize winner, Yáng Shuāng-zǐ’s 'Taiwan Travelogue' (translated by Lin King, review copy courtesy of Scribe Publications), a book which is not entirely as it seems :) https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2026/06/15/taiwan-travelogue-by-yang-shuang-zi-review/15 Jun 2026 09:59 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3moczl6b3es2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mnz7xsh6ps23Just catching up on all the "Jane Austen is too hard for teens" drama on Twitter and was reminded of when my twelve-year-old daughter casually decided to check out 'Les Misérables' after watching the film... https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2019/12/07/les-miserables-by-victor-hugo-emilys-review/11 Jun 2026 12:27 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnz7xsh6ps23https://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mnyrhttnz22bNext week, Biblioasis are publishing the North American edition of Jón Kalman Stefánsson's 'The Heart of Man' (tr. Philip Roughton), and I've used the occasion as an excuse to reread, and reflect (at great length!) on the whole trilogy :) https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2026/06/11/jon-kalman-stefanssons-trilogy-about-the-boy-redux/11 Jun 2026 08:07 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnyrhttnz22bhttps://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mnrhrbebos2sMy latest review takes a look at Han Kang's 'Light and Thread' (tr. Maya West, e.yaewon & Paige Aniyah-Morris), a collection that brings the writer's Nobel Prize speech with a selection of other texts :) https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2026/06/08/light-and-thread-by-han-kang-review/08 Jun 2026 10:25 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnrhrbebos2shttps://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mnjrwbwux22jAfter a bit of a break, I'm back to my chapter-by-chapter Genji coverage today, with a post that's longer than the chapter it's reviewing! Join me (and Genji and Tamakazura) for Chapter 27, 'Kagaribi' ' :) https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2026/06/05/the-tale-of-genji-27-kagaribi/05 Jun 2026 09:06 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnjrwbwux22jhttps://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mn7uu22xik2wSomething a little more niche today on the blog as I take a look at Paul Gordon Schalow's 'A Poetics of Courtly Male Friendship in Heian Japan' (from @UHPRESSNEWS) - let's hear it for the boys ;) https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2026/06/01/a-poetics-of-courtly-male-friendship-in-heian-japan-by-paul-gordon-schalow-review/01 Jun 2026 10:31 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mn7uu22xik2whttps://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mn5bxjbto22iMy May Wrap-Up post - a summary of a rather lean month on the blog... https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2026/05/31/may-2026-wrap-up/31 May 2026 09:48 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mn5bxjbto22ihttps://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mmybkkyeas2qMy final review for the month is of Shūsaku Endō's early novel 'The Sea and Poison', (translated by Michael Gallagher, published by Pushkin Press) a book that examines a doctor's involvement with some very dark acts during the Second World War... https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2026/05/29/the-sea-and-poison-by-shusaku-endo-review/29 May 2026 09:57 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmybkkyeas2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mmoc3sbtbs2ySomething a little different for today's post as I take a deep dive into 'The Confucius Chronicles' (translated and edited by Wai-yee Li, courtesy of Columbia University Press): https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2026/05/25/the-confucius-chronicles-translated-and-edited-by-wai-yee-li-review/25 May 2026 10:40 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmoc3sbtbs2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mlaxnrgl2s2iSeven stories about space, the future and human nature - Kim Choyeop's 'If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light' (translated by Anton Hur, courtesy of MacLehose Press): https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2026/05/07/if-we-cannot-go-at-the-speed-of-light-by-kim-choyeop-review/07 May 2026 10:04 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlaxnrgl2s2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mkzoid3jr224Another football-themed post as I take a look at Nicholas M. Watanabe's 'The Beautiful Game?' (courtesy of Bloomsbury Australia), a series of essays about, well, the beautiful game ;) https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2026/05/04/the-beautiful-game-by-nicholas-m-watanabe-review/04 May 2026 12:31 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkzoid3jr224https://bsky.app/profile/tonysreadinglist.bsky.social/post/3mkucthex7222The April wrap-up post, with the usual stats and links to the month's reviews :) https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2026/05/02/april-2026-wrap-up/02 May 2026 09:19 +0000at://did:plc:imkteq37zael3ryfgnu3osfr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkucthex7222