Blog anniversary: 10 years of book blogging
Today is the 10th anniversary of my blog, Book Around the Corner, and it’s been ten wonderful years of reading, of interacting with avid readers and of shamelessly promoting Romain Gary. For ten years now, I’ve shared my reading journey with you and taken you to literary escapades, Quais du Polar and to the theatre. I’ve met other bloggers in real life and made new friends.
Blogging has changed in the last decade but I don’t mind. My goal was to have a literary salon open to the world, meet readers from other countries and think about the books I read. That’s what I have, so, I’m happy with what Book Around the Corner has become.
When I started this blog, writing in English was a double hurdle. First hurdle: writing. I’m an Excel-spreadsheeter, not a writer. Second hurdle: in English. A big, daunting one but I was determined to shrug off all the errors I would make. Reaching out to readers in other countries was worth the ridicule of grammar mistakes, misspellings and weird syntax. I had to learn small literary things, like how to write book titles (yep, no capital letters in those in French). Then there’s the question: in which English am I supposed to write? I’ve settled on American English for all my posts except the ones about a Canadian, Australian or British book. Then I switch to the local spelling.
I like to think that my English has improved over the years, I sure read faster than I used to.
I also try to bring a French touch to my corner of the English-speaking blogosphere. As the years went by, I incorporated French words in my blogging, like billet or libraire. I’ve updated my About Page to inform newcomers of these little quirks.
Ten years of new authors
Fellow bloggers expanded my reading horizon. I discovered lots of new writers, some I would never have found simply by browsing display tables in French bookstores. I had never read Hungarian or Australian literature before. I didn’t know much about classic Noir literature either. I couldn’t name all the authors I read thanks to fellow bloggers. Jim Thompson, Sam Selvon, Barbara Pym, Duane Swierczynski, Dezső Kosztolányi, Stephen Orr are only examples. There are a lot more, some I haven’t read but encountered through other bloggers reviews.
Ten years among the cozy Book Blogging Community
It’s also been ten years of wonderful interactions with readers all over the world. I love being part of the book-blogging community. I try to participate to readalongs, literary events and sometimes memes.
Special hello to Guy, Max, Lisa, Marina Sofia, Bill, Tom, Vishy, Bénédicte, Madame Bibilophile, Andrew, Kaggsy, Simon, Karen, Nino, Jacqui, Susanna, Sue, Tony, Helen and Scott and all commenters on the blog. Thank you for your time and messages. Interactions through comments are the salt of book blogging and I enjoy them.
Thank you to regular readers who click on the Like button frequently but don’t necessarily comment. Special thanks to Erik (Perpetually Past Due), Kim (By Hook of By Book), Melissa, Carl, One Book More, Sandomina, Paula Bardell-Hedley (Thanks for the systematic RT of my billets, too), Desiree B Silvage, Bereaved and Being A Single Parent (special hugs to you), Shalini, Cathy, Bookmaniac and my sister-in-law, S.
Welcome to new followers and don’t hesitate to leave messages, I love them and always answer.
I wish I had more time to read your blogs and interact with you in your own literary salons but alas, my reading and blogging time are limited.
Ten years of shameless promotion of my favorite writer, Romain Gary.
I think ALL of my followers have heard of Romain Gary now. A few of you gave him a chance.
Susanna from A Bag Full of Stories mentions Life Before Us in her post Authors I Discovered Thanks to the Bookish Community.
Lisa didn’t like The Kites in its new American translation by Miranda Richmond-Mouillot and James Henderson recommends The Roots of Heaven for its passion for freedom and dignity.
Vishy fell in love with Promise at Dawn and Guy didn’t start with the easiest Gary to love, Your Ticket Is No Longer Valid.
Tony, from Tony’s Book World read White Dog and found it excellent. Another review for Promise at Dawn, this time by Grant at 1streading’s Blog. Jacqui also thoroughly enjoyed Promise at Dawn and hopes to read more by Gary.
Are there any new Gary lovers that I’m not aware of?
Ten years of sharing my love for literature.
If you’ve ever picked a book after reading one of my billets, please let me know which one it was in the comments. I’m curious and that’s probably the most rewarding part of book blogging. If I bring new readers to a writer I like, I’m happy. In the end, it’s all about the books and the promotion of literature.
Thanks again for reading and for your time.
I wish you the best in these social distancing times. At least, blogging and reading are hobbies that are compatible with this crisis. Meanwhile, we’re going to enjoy the anniversary cake baked by my daughter and her friend.
Cheers and warm hugs to everyone!
Emma
PS: About the first photo: my son created the setting and took the picture. Gary, Proust, a TBR, an absorbed reader and a few Gallmeister. I guess he knows me well. 🙂
Happy blogoversary!
Your son is a talented photographer:)
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Thank you! And many thanks for all the comments and recommendations.
The photo is great and the bakers did a very good job too.
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Congratulations, Emma!
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Thanks!
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Happy anniversary! You have become one of my favourite book bloggers, and I was so happy that I got to meet you in real life! You certainly got me hooked on Romain Gary. I only wish I’d listened to you earlier when I could have got my local libraire to order the whole backlist.
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Aw, thank you! We sure did have a lot of fun at Quais du Polar. I hope we’ll find a way to see each other again.
I am sure that some independant bookstores from https://www.chez-mon-libraire.fr/ would love to send you books by Gary in the UK.
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Congratulations Emma. Your English is impressive – and I’m particularly impressed that you change your spelling for us Aussies if you review us. That’s above and beyond the call of duty, but I love it.
I was intrigued by (and loved) your comment about book titles: “how to write book titles (yep, no capital letters in those in French)”. I rather guessed some, many, all Europeans do it that way from a journal I index (a volunteer job) which includes articles written by Europeans – probably mostly French but I just can’t recollect now whether they all are – and they write titles like that.
But now, here’s the thing, the Anglo-American cataloguing rules which were, in my day, followed by English speaking cataloguers around the world (and maybe by others?) use your “sentence case” format for titles. Indeed that format is laid down I believe in the International Standard for Bibliogaphic Description (ISBD). I’m not sure whether you have noticed, but that is how I do my book titles – even though at school I learnt the capitalisation approach most English speakers use.
I see that APA Style uses Capital case within text, and Sentence case in reference lists! Hmmm…
Anyhow, I am very glad to have met you via blogging, and wish I had more time to read more of your posts.
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Thanks!
I know nothing about rules in the book world, I just observer how things are done. I noticed that titles have no capital letters in French books, except sometimes the first word. I haven’t figured out why and when to do that.
I’ve also noticed that book titles are not written in the same direction on English books and French books. So, browsing through my bookshelves is like a tennis match for bookworm: head on the right, head on the left…
I’m glad we met through blogging too and also wish I had more time to read other blogs.
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Sentence case, which I think most Europeans do, capitalise the first word and any proper nouns … so, Ada Cambridge’s book would be The three Miss Kings, Albert Camus’ La peste or The plague, or Helen Garner’s Joe Cinque’s consolation.
Observing how things are done is a good approach!
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Yay! Congratulations on making it to double figures! May you have many more years of blogging ahead of you. Enjoy your cake — it looks amazing! 😊🥳🎂
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Thanks! I hope so too.
It’s a very entertaining hobby and quite nice in these lockdown times.
The cake was great, the girls are good bakers. 🙂
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Congratulations Emma – what a milestone!! Well done! I always enjoy reading your posts, even if I don’t always comment and I love to hear your thoughts on books. I *will* read one of the Romain Gary books I own – I promise! Your son and daughter (and her friend!) are very talented and I bet that cake will be yummy. I’m so with you about the book blogging community. It’s a lovely one and I enjoy so much interacting. Here’s to the next ten years!
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Thanks!
I’m looking forward to reading your review of your first Gary. Which ones do you have?
The cake is great, they spent a whole afternoon making it, it’s nice. It kept them occupied since they can’t go out.
And my son had fun staging and taking the picture.
We are a lovely and civilized community. I feel like we get the best of what technology can provide.
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I have Promise at Dawn and Hissing Tales! 😀 And yes – the bookish interweb is the best!
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Hissing Tales? What’s the French title of this one?
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Um, I don’t know… It’s a short story collection and when I can find where I’ve put it I’ll try to let you know….
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It’s Les oiseaux vont mourir au Pérou. I didn’t know that title. You have it from a second-hand bookstore or a charity shop?
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Sorry, belatedly catching up here! Yes, both of my Garys are charity shop finds – and both I think are book club editions from way back when. Most interesting!
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Happy Blogiversary, Emma! This is so wonderful! Congratulations on 10 years of blogging! I love all your posts and your book recommendations! I love saying ‘billet’ now 🙂 My favourite recommendations of yours are Romain Gary’s Promise at Dawn and Philippe Delerm’s ‘The Small Pleasures of Life’ 🙂 I want to read Gabriel Tallent’s ‘My Absolute Darling’ soon. I also love all your posts on literary events and theatre. Thanks so much for all the wonderful posts and the wonderful literary conversations! Looking forward to more in the future!
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Thanks Vishy! And thank you for RK Narayan, I still have books by him to read and I know they’re going to be good.
True, The Small Pleasures of Life is a great book, one to recommend during lockdown, btw.
I’m afraid My Absolute Darling won’t be such a pleasant journey but it’s an excellent book, even if it’s dark.
Thanks for dropping by regularly, leaving enthusiastic comments. Let’s keep doing this in the coming years, yes, I’d love that.
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I am glad you enjoyed R.K.Narayan, Emma 🙂 I remember you reading The Dark Room. I remember one more French word that you introduced to us, a word that I love, ‘bouquiniste’ 🙂 It is such a beautiful word and such a beautiful idea which expresses a love for books.
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Congratulations Emma! ten years is an amazing achievement. I really enjoy your blog and I now have two Romain Gary in the TBR thanks to you – The Kites and The Ski Bum, which I will hopefully get to soon…
Wishing you another wonderful 10 years ahead!
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Thanks!
I’ve read The Ski Bum and Adieu Gary Cooper, English and French versions of the same book. Strangely, they’re not identical or more precisely exact translations.
I love Jess and Lenny, the characters.
The Kites is not a historical novel per se, even if it’s set during WWII. Historical accuracy is not his aim, it’s…well, I’ll let you discover this on your own. 🙂
Thanks for the frequent comments and exchanges, they’re truly appreciated. Let’s keep the show running! 🙂
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Many congratulations, Emma. Here’s to the next ten!
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Thank you!
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Happy Blog Birthday! 10 years! I’m very pleased for you that you’ve found your happy corner in the blogosphere. And it sounds as if, despite them being non-readers, your children are happy to get involved too: nice-looking cake (hello Mafalda!) and great photo, too.
Thanks to you I have discovered Bryce Echenique, and of course Gabrielle Roy, and Philippe Claudel’s Monsieur Linh (still on the to-be-borrowed list). And I’m pretty sure Wallace Stegner’s Crossing to Safety is on that same list because of you… I might also read Orhan Pamuk’s Snow in July, if I can get hold of a copy by then…
Gary: I haven’t read him in a while, but Les Cerfs Volants is one of my favourite teenager reading memories, and I joined you to celebrate Gary’s centenary in 2014, with Education Européenne (my most-read blog post, strangely enough).
Wishing you another 10 years of happy reading, writing, theatre-going and other literary escapades!
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Thanks! Yes, they got involved with a lot of enthusiasm. This cake took a whole afternoon to make. Isn’t Mafalda lovely with her blue hair?
I’m happy you liked the books you picked on my blog. Crossing to Safety is wonderful, another blogger has read it after my post and he liked it a lot too.
It will be lovely if you can join us to read Snow in July. It was a bestseller, you should be able to find it at this wonderful library of yours. I’m amazed at the books you can find there.
I think that all French readers have read a Gary at some point. I re-read Les Cerfs-volants when it came out in English and I think I understood it even better now. His books age well.
I love Adieu Gary Cooper too.
Let’s hope that we’ll soon be able to do literary escapades. The theatre is closed until September. I hope they’ll recover from this crisis.
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Congratulations, ten years is brilliant, a labour of love indeed, I love reading your posts and I have La promesse de l’aube here to read, lent to me by my neighbour, I know it’s going to be great, it’s just 450 pages in French requires a deep breath! I look forward to becoming a fan.
Bonne Continuation Emma!
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Thanks!
I hope you’ll enjoy La Promesse de l’aube. It’s such a wonderful introduction to Gary’s writing, his vision of the world and his sense of humor.
I understand why you are relunctant to embark on a 450 pages book in French. It’s the same for me with long English books.
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Happy Anniversary, Emma!
Congratulations on having such a productive blog on good literary reviews.
And I loved the photo, with a book by Romain Gary. I really enjoyed The life before us. Touching!
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Thank you!
I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed Life Before Us. It’s Gary in a nutshell, always thinking out of the box and looking at life with lucidity, a good sense of humor and an unusual angle.
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Congratulations!
I just reread the Wikipedia entry for Romain Gary. What an unusual life!
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Thanks!
The Wikipedia page in English is not as complete as the one in French.
If you’re interested in his incredible life, David Bellos wrot his bio: Romain Gary, A Tall Story.
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Congratulations, Emma.
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Thanks!
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Félicitation pour ces dix années de blogs, pour nous inviter à découvrir plein de merveilles …. Je te souhaite de continuer de nombreuses années
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Merci beaucoup.
J’espère continuer longtemps encore, j’y prends beaucoup de plaisir.
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Hi! New reader, and blogger! Happy ten years! Ça m’emballe de découvrir de vieux blogues encore bien en vie – j’avais peur d’avoir manqué le bateau!
That Mafalda fondant! Your daughter and friend are very sweet,
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Welcome aboard!
A lot of book bloggers I follow started before me. We’re almost all still there, sharing about books and discovering each other’s literary interests.
That cake occupied them a whole afternoon, it’s beautiful (and good!)
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That’s amazing! I’ll be going through your blogroll then!
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Have fun! You’ll discover wonderful bloggers and great writers. I learnt a lot of new things in ten years.
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Joyeux anniversaire Emma. I’m looking forward to the next 10 years of your blog. I love the fact you bring a little French touch to your commentaries. Long may the billets continue to drop into my in box 🙂
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Thanks Karen.
I try to bring a bit of the French perspective, I think that my last attempts where about Poirot’s French and my puzzlement about British cooking in B. Pym.
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Very impressive. I know I’ve told you this before, but you are among the very best book reviewers on the internet, and you’re not even writing in your native language. Unbelievable.
Thanks again, of course, for all of your help with various things over the years. I urge people to visit Lyon, when visiting is again possible – the city has many attractions, one of which is that you might get to meet Emma.
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Hi Tom and thanks for your lovely message.
I hope you’ll be able to visit Lyon again soon, it might not be in 2020 with how things are going but maybe next year.
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Congratulations!! The cake looks delicious!
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Thanks and yes, the cake was delicious.
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Congratulations, Emma! It’s been a joy to read your blog!!
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Thank you Melissa.
You might not be so positive when you see my billet about Suetonius in a few days. 🙂
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You’ve made your corner of the blogosphere one of the loveliest to visit. Thank you for all the work you’ve done and do, insights, and honesty in voicing your thoughts. I think the most recent discovery thanks to you is Catherine Helen Spence – added to the TBR though not yet read. Congratulations from an ocean and continent away! (Beautiful cake and photo too!)
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Thanks for your nice comment.
I’m a bit irreverent in my approach sometimes but I think that honesty is a must on a blog like mine. Readers are interested in a personal voice, otherwise, they’d read blurbs, Wikipedia and professional reviews.
I hope you’ll enjoy CH Spence, I had a lovely reading time with Mr Hogarth’s Will. She’s a writer I never would have known without the Australian bloggers.
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Joyeux Anniversaire, Emma! I think you’ve been a tremendous ambassador for the work of Romain Gary over the years. Thanks for encouraging me to read him (and for linking to my post, very kind). Wishing you many more years of blogging. That cake looks lovely, btw – beautifully done.
(Funnily enough, it’s actually my 6th anniversary today. I just realised yesterday. How quickly time flies…)
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Thanks, Jacqui and congratulations on your blog’s anniversary too!
Do you get what you hoped for from your blogging? I still do.
I hope I helped a few reader discover Romain Gary over the years. And other writers too.
The cake and the picture were homemade with a lot of dedication to both.
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Happy Anniversary, Emma! I always enjoy your billets, which tick all the book blogging boxes of giving me a clear picture of the book, making some interesting observations, and being entertaining. I love the humour and insight you bring to reading and blogging. And I think it’s great that you decided to celebrate the anniversary by seeing how many times you could mention Romain Gary in one post 😉 Here’s to many more years!
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Thanks for your nice comment, Andrew.
And Go Romain Gary! 🙂
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10 years…. its hard to believe. Anyway congrats. I read and often don’t comment. Just the way I am.
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Hi Guy. You, Max and Lisa were my first readers and these 10 years flew out quickly. Thanks for still being here.
I picked a lot of reading ideas on your blog, I’m happy you’re still blogging too. (even if sometimes, I read your review long after everyone and post late comments)
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Happy Anniversary Emma. A wonderful billet, a word that made its entry into my own lingo. Picked up a book after reading your billet? Plenty. I can remember Betty, Doctor Glass, I’m sure there’s a Djian there and another we read together, Incidences if my memory is correct, a book about a libraire, La Cote 400 by Divry? Can’t remember. Crossing to Safety. I don’t think I told you about me reading them after your billets. There’s a Delphine de Vigan as well. More to come for sure. There’s still Lettres à une inconnue that I will be reading soon. Bonnes lectures toujours !
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Thanks, Nino. I guess all my frequent readers know the word “billet” now.
I’m glad if you found new writers here, to me, that’s really the best of book blogging.
Let’s keep in touch and share about our readings in the years to come.
Bonnes lectures à toi aussi.
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Félicitations et joyeux anniversaire ! Beau parcours ! Mes 10 ans approchent aussi, en septembre
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Merci! J’ai l’impression que nous sommes tout un groupe à avoir des blogs qui ont entre 8 et 12/13 ans.
C’est chouette de voir que la communauté perdure.
Cela me fait penser que je ne reçois plus tes posts dans mon mail, je me demande si WP ne m’a pas désabonnée. Ça m’est arrivée plusieurs fois.
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Oh, what fun: I just LOVE your cake. And the care with which you’ve fashioned your post to commemorate the occasion. My BIP is ten years old this year, too, but I hope it’s not looking in this direction, or it’ll be feeling quite left out, as I didn’t throw it a party and indeed, upon reflection, it should have had at least a cupcake if not a proper feast! Here’s to many more years of bookish talk and sharing. I’ve just discovered your little corner, but I look forward to reading more about your reading!
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Thanks! The cake was a wonderful surprise from my daugther and her friend.
Welcome to Book Around the Corner, I hope you’ll discover new books here and that you’ll enjoy reading about my literary adventures. 🙂
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Congratulations!
As you know, I’ve almost no time at the moment. Yours is one of the few blogs I still try to find time to read. Like Guy I don’t always comment (time…), but I do always read.
Love both the photo and the cake.
I’ve read lots of books due to you, the trick is remembering which specifically. One that came back is Phillippe Besson’s In the Absence of Men. Another, more recent, is Jake Hinkson’s No Tomorrow (I’ve not written about it yet, but I definitely liked it).
Any thoughts on your favourite books of the past decade? What stands out from over the years?
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Thanks and thank you again for spending some of your rare free time reading my billets. I’m truly honoured, I know how precious free time is.
Photo and cake: both children (teenager and young adult I should say) expressed their creativity and I was happy to do this anniversary with them.
I’m glad you enjoyed No Tomorrow. And I’ve just recommended In the Absence of Men to Madame Bibilophile.
Favourite books of the past decade? Tough question. Let’s see what’s on top of my mind, books I found stunning or still love to recommend:
– Skylark, it was my first Hungarian book and I’ve read a few after that, Thank you for it,
– Exit Ghost by P. Roth,
– Company by Max Barry, still chuckling just thinking about it
– My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent,
– The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson. I owe Guy for this one.
– L’homme accidentel by Philippe Besson. Not available in English. My first Besson, before In the Absence of Men.
– Going to Meet the Man by James Baldwin. I love Baldwin.
– On the Holloway Road by Andrew Blackman, on the absurdity of road trips in Europe and the discovery that you could interact with writers through blogs
– any book by Duane Swierczynski, (I still can’t spell his name
– Swimming Without Getting Wet by Carlos Salem. Story of a serial killer who gets an assignment in a nudist camp. No concealed carry possible and I had a lot of fun with this suspensful book.
– The Hands by Stephen Orr. I think you’d like it too.
– Fateless by Imre Kertész
– The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth
– Consequences by Philippe Djian. French Noir disguised in literary fiction.
– Hunger by Knut Hamsun, just after seeing its theatre version.
– Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
– The Trembling of a Leaf by Somerset Maugham
– Underground Time by Delphine de Vigan
And this year, I’ve read at least two books in the stunning category : Fly Fishing in America by Richard Brautigan and The Power of the Dog by Thomas Savage.
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Thanks for that list. Interesting.
I’m reading Baldwin’s Going to Meet the Man at the moment, though slowly and spacing out the stories. Hugely, hugely impressed. That’s one I got from you so thank you.
Interested too to see the Dijan on there. I have that, but unfortunately it’s inaccessible as it’s in storage in the attic pending our house move (which was suspended due to Covid…). I knew I got it due to your review, but I’d forgotten you rated it quite that highly.
The Seth I’ve bought, again thanks to your review, and I’ll definitely check out that Maugham given how much else by him I’ve now read. Will look at the de Vigan again too, which I think I’d decided against.
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I’m really happy that you’re reading Going to Meet the Man and are enjoying it. It’s impressive, isn’t it? Very acute observation of people and society.
I love Philippe Djian and I think you’d like him too. Literary fiction with a Noir edge, short books, short and precise sentences. It seems to be your kind of books.
I didn’t expect to love the Seth so much but I did.
This was my first Maugham and I also loved Cakes and Ale.
This de Vigan describes perfectly the toxic side of some workplace. It’s a very accurate description of the French corporate world.
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Happy Anniversary, Emma!
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Thank you!
(Sorry for the slow answer, I rescued your comment from the spam bin)
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wow, 10 years ☺️ congratulations
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Thank you and welcome to Book Around the Corner!
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Congratulations, Emma. That’s an awesome achievement.
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Sorry for the slow answer, I rescued your comment from the spam box.
Thanks for your message and let’s see how long I’ll keep blogging! 🙂
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I know I left an earlier comment but I just remembered that you had a cake to celebrate. It’s given me an idea – my anniversary is in two weeks from now and I might just have to have cake. Sadly I’d have to make it myself because of lockdown.
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It’s a homemade cake too. It was during lockdown #1.
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