I idly picked this up yesterday, thinking I’d read a few pages. Before I knew it, I was late for everything and had read half of it. Engrossingly slow-paced and peculiar. And just to make it even better, the translator is credited on the cover. This shouldn’t be so unusual that you notice it. It is lovely to see.

#Fredagsbog #Bookstodon #NameTheTranslator #Books

Blimey. That escalated slowly. And darkly and absurdly and grotesquely. In the good way.

’On Mastodon, you are the algorithm.’ Oh, ok. Dimitris Sotakis - ’if you liked’: Han Kang. Haruki Murakami. Karel Čapek. And, too clichédly obvious but also too appropriate not to add: Kafka.

#Books
#Bookstodon
#Fredagsbog

Dimitris Sotakis: also ’if you liked’ that amazing Chinese writer whose name refuses to come to mind. The harder I try to recall, the less I can. There was a story with a twist about one leaf clinging to a tree outside a dying woman's window. I remember a man feeling like a kangaroo going downstairs. I tried NoAI-DuckDuckGoing ’Contemporary Chinese short stories Lady Writer kangaroo stairs leaf tree I liked it'. Oddly, no luck. Finally I regret that I no longer shelve my books by author country.
Can Xue. That's the amazing Chinese writer whose name I could not recall. Based on the measly scraps of information I fed it, the internet search engine couldn't recall it for me. But in a fine example of 'On Mastodon, you are the algorithm', @MargaretD could. Tack og thanks! A well-read human reader thinking laterally beats all the algorithms.
@CiaraNi @MargaretD I would support a search engine that only put me in touch with people (actual humans only, obvs) who were most likely to know the answer to my question.
@Gaolaitch @MargaretD We're chatting on one! That's the Fediverse, in my experience. No question too niche, there is always someone who knows from actual experience and is happy to kindly share the answer.