Many reviews include spoilers!

The Cat by George Simenon (trans: Bernard Frechtman)

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Schachnovelle by Stefan Zweig

I tried translating the first page of this book into English and it made me realise the beauty and complexity of Zweig's writing style. I found it very engaging and an interesting way in which to portray war.

The Melanchony of Resistance by László Krasznahorkai (trans: George Szirtes)

Currently reading. Enthralled by the writing style and characterization so far.

Agua Viva by Clarice Lispector (esp trans: Elena Losada eng trans: Stefan Tobler)

I find Agua Viva difficult to talk about because I found it difficult to read and because it is one of my favourite books. I'm not sure how to distill my abstract feelings about this abstract book into words beyond saying that I love it.

Giovanni's room by James Baldwin

I adore Baldwin's prose and his ability to translate emotions into text; he can truly capture the human experience in a deep and beautiful way. Reading this book, I was forced to reflect on my own identity and how I experience the world. However, I can't emotionally connect with characters who are misogynistic cheaters, so I don't think this text affected me as much as it did other people. (A lot of people do not like when I say this, so I will add that no, I don't think this says anything about the author or that authors shouldn't write immoral characters, it just affects my ability to feel empathy for them because I'm autistic). I will definitely read more books by Baldwin.

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (trans: Ginny Tapley Takemori)

I loved the concept of this book, but unfortunately not the execution. I wish that it had pushed her desire to be nothing but a convenience store worker further, perhaps going for a surrealistic horror style as she completely loses all sense of identity beyond the shop. In the end though, nothing really changed from the beginning to the end of the book, she just became a bit more certain in her identity as a convenience store worker. There was simply a brief interlude with her relationship, and outside of that there was little plot. It was at least an easy read and nice to read a book with a character who seemed to be aroace and autistic.