"Between Shades of Grey" Ruta Sepetys. It is interesting to reflect that, in contrast to the crimes of the Nazis, there is little popular culture on the horror of the Soviet gulags - at least in my experience. I feel I imbibed it in a vague and abstract way, without much in depth explanation or … Continue reading 13. Lithuania
Category: 1930s
11. Luxembourg
"Borderlands" - Roy Jacobsen. Translated: Don Bartlett and Dan Shaw. It would be very easy for a book to teach me something of Luxembourg, for I am afraid my only knowledge of the country comes from news reports on multinational tax avoidance and dodgy banking. Yet trying to find an English book on the place … Continue reading 11. Luxembourg
6. Portugal
"Perreira Maintains" - Antonio Tabucchi. Translated from the Italian by Patrick Creagh. I had intended to only pick authors who were from the country I was reading, however, not only is the author something of an expert on Portugal, this was recommended to me by a Portuguese friend whose taste I trust. It felt like … Continue reading 6. Portugal
5. Spain
"Books Burn Badly" - Manuel Rivas. Translated from Galician by Jonathan Dunne. I found this book by chance after browsing in Daunt's bookshop in Marylebone, London; the only place I know where books are divided by country and those with a geographic reading list can search for gems with little previous knowledge. It was a … Continue reading 5. Spain
The European Reader 