Charlie Coombe & Tina Kover Translator Interview In this translator interview for BookBlast Diary, Charlie Coombe and Tina Kover talk language, literature, inspiration, success and more. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Charlie Coombe (CC): I have been a translator for eighteen years, and a…

Not your usual book club read! Imagine being in the shoes of those in the dinghy in November 2021 when 27 drowned? Join us 6pm Monday 9 February @hatchards to discuss SMALL BOAT by Vincent Delecroix with translator Helen Stevenson #bookclub #shortlist #internationalbookerprize

Earliest Stories 1880-1882, Anton Chekhov (eds) Rosamund Bartlett, Elena Michajlowska Review Anton Chekhov’s short stories are staples of English literature degrees and creative writing courses alike, routinely held up as an example of “show, don’t tell.” Revered as a master of psychological…

Who’s responsible for migrants drowning in the Channel? The author of Small Boat compels us to imagine ourselves being in the dinghy then the freezing sea…. Join us & @helenstevenson.bsky.social @hoperoadpublish.bsky.social 6pm Mon 9 February @hatchards.bsky.social Tickets via linktr.ee/bookblast

Do join us if you can for our next #TranslationBookClub hosted by @bookblast.org's Georgia de Chamberet (9th Feb) to discuss Vincent Delecroix's International Booker Prize-shortlisted #SmallBoat translated by Helen Stevenson and published by @hoperoadpublish.bsky.social - all welcome!

Based on a real event, Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix is written through the POV of a French coastguard employee who let migrants sink in a dinghy in the Channel - 27 died. Join us at our book club 6pm Monday 9 Feb @hatchardspiccadilly to discuss this brief, powerful novel tickets via link in bio

Reading Around the World Top 5 Books of the Month Greetings readers! Here are Our Top 5 Books of the Month from around the world to kick off the new year, to refresh perspectives and remind us why cultural literacy isn’t a luxury, but a necessity. Palestine Minus One: Stories from the Eve of the…

BookBlast Book Club, Hatchards, Spring 2026 News The BookBlast® Translation Book Club meets in person at 6pm on the second Monday of each month at Hatchards, Piccadilly, to discuss engaging, well-written fiction in translation from the past decade, offering thought-provoking reads that illuminate…

Far translated by Charlotte Coombe, is a dark, satirical, very Spanish love story with echoes of Claudia Piñeiro and JG Ballard,” Sam Jones, The Guardian Check out the BookBlast Diary review of FAR by Rosa Ribas @foundryeditions.bsky.social Join our book club 6pm Mon 12 Jan @hatchards to discuss it

Far Rosa Ribas Review “The novel Far by Rosa Ribas – called Lejos in Spanish – translated by Charlotte Coombe, is a dark, satirical and very Spanish love story with echoes of Claudia Piñeiro and JG Ballard,” Sam Jones, The Guardian A visit to the abandoned “Manhattan of La Mancha” south of Madrid…

“He wanted to forget not only what he’d done, but above all the person he was when he did it and the reasons he’d become so corrupt.” A man hides in a remote unfinished Spanish housing development. Join us 6pm Mon 12/1 @Hatchards to discover what happens linktr.ee/bookblast

Yesss! Bring on the spirit of 2026 🥳👍🙏

Here’s to hoping……

Warmest wishes to you all for a joyous Christmas and a successful 2026 from Georgia and Team BookBlast

Updated Post: Last Evenings with Teresa by Juan Marsé Review bookblast.org/blog/last-ev...

Outrageous 😡

Lookie here folks, good books to be snapped up! 😉📚👏

Updated Post: Last Evenings with Teresa by Juan Marsé Review bookblast.org/blog/last-ev...

Updated Post: Last Evenings with Teresa by Juan Marsé Review bookblast.org/blog/last-af...

Last Evenings with Teresa by Juan Marsé is an engrossing read imbued with literary sophistication and emotional force bookblast.org/blog/last-ev...

Yes indeed …. masterful, erudite yet an easy read …. It is not necessary to be a student of French lit or a scholar of any kind to appreciate Zombie Proust

At Istros Books seasonal shindig, Ludovic Bruckstein’s son spoke about how his father’s novellas capture the subtle, insidious rise of totalitarianism & prejudice in ordinary lives, shattering harmonious living between communities. An illuminating read in our age of increasingly ‘normalised’ cruelty

An inspiring wide-ranging discussion was had about Roque Larraquy’s weird funny fabulous novel at our book club on Monday at Hatchards with heavyweight translator of contemporary French and Spanish literature Frank Wynne @terribleman.com in attendance.

New Post: Summer at Mount Asama Masashi Matsuie Review bookblast.org/blog/summer-...

Wakey wakey! The Climate Emergency is real & happening right now! A major call to action was just held led by scientists, the military, economists, loads of British MP’s & others, outlining the full catastrophe if solutions not done. Plse listen up & spread the word! www.youtube.com/live/D_qEWSG...

For sure! Give our brains and eyes a rest and get connected like we once did back in the day! Leaving yr phone (with its chips ‘n’ systems) at home means tracking is not possible 😉 Tho a specialised bag can block all wireless signals (cellular, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) from reaching your phone am told

The National Telepathy by Roque Larraquy, skilfully translated by @terribleman.com is an extraordinary, disturbing darkly funny read perfect for our age of Horror Politics! Join us at our book club Mon 8 December 6pm to discuss it & enjoy a festive drink or two on the house www.linktr.ee/bookblast

Updated Post: All the Lights Clemens Meyer Review bookblast.org/blog/all-the...

The National Telepathy Roque Larraquy Review The National Telepathy by Roque Larraquy, skilfully translated by Frank Wynne, is an extraordinary, disturbing, metaphoric read. A satire of scientific racism; a critique of colonialism and its mindset, the novel questions to what extent so-called…

Andrey Kurkov in conversation with Tim Judah. Three Years on Fire. Daunt Books Notting Hill 6.30pm. Sold Out. Superb

The beautiful bleakness, no exit despair & unflinchingly direct, harsh, claustrophobic East German realities illuminated by Clemens Meyer in All the Lights make for compulsive reading. Published by @andotherstories.bsky.social bookblast.org/blog/all-the...

Three Years on Fire Andrey Kurkov Review Andrey Kurkov is widely regarded as the most internationally visible Ukrainian writer of his generation, bridging Ukrainian, Russian-language and Western literary worlds without losing cultural specificity. He challenges Western assumptions and humanises a…

Oh oh oh … all the lonely people connecting with chat bots …anthropomorphising … tech is driving such a wedge between us humans …. not how it was supposed to be once upon a time 😵‍💫

Our Top 5 Books of the Month From Around the World Greetings readers! Here are Our Top 5 Books of the Month from around the world to keep your mind sharp, your perspective fresh and to remind us all why cultural literacy matters more than ever. The Ogre’s Daughter, Catherine Bardon Tr. Tina Kover…

One to read for sure 📚👏

Political leadership today in many, albeit not all, countries & continents?!🤔😵‍💫🥹

Murder most foul! 🤬😭🙏

Could be fun?! 😉🙃

Join us at our book club Mon 8 Dec 6pm Hatchards Piccadilly to discuss dark, disturbing yet hilarious tale: The National Telepathy by Roque Larraquy - director of Argentina’s first undergraduate degree in creative writing - out with @charcopress Tr. Frank Wynne tinyurl.com/3369zs7s

Et voila ladies & gentlemen, this year’s winner… 🥳👏

Sounds wonderfully surreal, must read! 💙📚

Intriguing….🤔👍

Machine translation can be useful for mundane or technical texts, but it falls short when applied to creative works & literature. The results are monotonous, with one-dimensional characters, awkward or repetitive word choices and inaccuracies galore 😫😵‍💫

Important that disillusioned writers of good fiction remember this! Much as writing a good novel is the hardest thing to achieve.

A pleasure 😉

One for your TBR pile folks! A clever, many-layered read by award-winning novelist @nicholasblincoe.bsky.social 💙📚

We’re discussing Oliver Norek’s The Winter Warriors at our book club on Monday at 6pm @hatchards.bsky.social Piccadilly. Got your tickets yet? Come & share your thoughts about this very fine writer with good company over a glass of wine! Tickets > linktr.ee/bookblast

Another one for the TBR pile 👍

Chilling to say the least! #Truth #Ethics #InnerStrength #Heart #CriticalThinking #Humanity

Hahhhh 🙃