Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Our first poll of the year with 4 winners!

Top:
A book relating to fire
A book connected to something mentioned in the Do Re Mi song
A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists
A translated novel from Asia

Bottom:
A book published by an independent publisher
A children's book that is somehow related to a book you are reading this year
A book that includes a challenge to the health of the planet

Polarizing:
A book recommended to you on the website https://meetnewbooks.com/
A book considered children's literature

The next round of suggestions will open around 8 am CDT on Tuesday, September 17.

That's sped us on a bit. Not a bad result but sorry that we have a translated 'novel' rather than translated 'book'.

I’m happy with these. I think I upvoted all the winners but translated from Asia which I downvoted given the translated prompt in the 10 year anniversary.

The bottom and polarising see mixed for me including upvotes, downvotes and neutrals.

Wow! Four this week! Happy with the winners although I didn't vote for all of them.

Three of my four upvotes made it to the top - my best voting round so far!

Woo,four results! I think I voted for all of these, and if not it was because I ran out of votes. I'll probably use the fire prompt for a djinn related book.

3 out of 4 isn't bad at all. Thrilled for the first three. Might skip the Asian book.

oooh, 4 top! And I think I upvoted all of them? Even if I didn't, some very exciting results here.

Great! Two I voted for and two neutrals I'm happy with. And a nice jump forward!

Not thrilled about the translated option, but it will probably push me to finally tackle The Three Body Problem. Good results week!

Super happy for fire! Super unhappy for Do Re Mi (just because that cursed song will be stuck in my head!). As for the prompt, I have lots of books with deer on the cover.

I can work with these. Regarding the musical scales, I might interpret "do" as dough, either in baking or as money. "Me" could also include a book by author who shares my name. The only note that doesn't help much is "la".

La could be an epistolary novel, people writing notes.

Can I just ask ... is it really so weird for the English native speakers here to read a book in translation? I notice that almost every challenge contains a promptinvolving translated books, and there's always people who seem to be opposed to it (I'm speaking generally here; I do realize that your comments in this thread may be about "novel" (rather than "book") or the limiting factor "from Asia" rather than the mere fact that it is a translated book).

Asking as a German, for whom it has always been completely normal to read both original German books and books translated from another language. Not only English, although of course a lot of what is considered Western literature was, in fact, originally written in English, from Shakespeare to the Brontë sisters and Agatha Christie to “Twilight.” (It is beside the point whether you still prefer the original; I also try to read the original if I speak the language, but that would be kind of difficult with Murakami.)

And asking as a translator who is fully aware that there are really bad translations out there, but those are usually not produced by professional translators^^

Is it a general wariness toward translations (a fear of too much getting lost in translation) or just a general feeling of "there's more than enough books available that were originally written in English, so why resort to one that went through a translation process first"? Is it so alien to American readers that you need reading challenges to remind you that there are books from other languages/cultures?

I don't mean to be aggressive. I know that you guys in this group are an open-minded bunch who are actively working to broaden their horizons through this reading challenge! It's just so weird to me that something as basic as "A translated book" or "A book written by a woman" even merits a challenge category of its own – see what I mean?

Jennifer W wrote: "La could be an epistolary novel, people writing notes."

Or a book about music.

Conny wrote: "Can I just ask ... is it really so weird for the English native speakers here to read a book in translation? I notice that almost every challenge contains a promptinvolving translated books, and th..."

From a UK perspective, we have a lot less choice in translated works because publishers go "there's more than enough books available that were originally written in English" so why pay for a translator. When I spoke to a publisher about the dearth of SFF in translation, they said it was partly lack of demand, but also translators are paid the same whether or not the book sells well, when the author will be on royalty based remuneration. So translated works are just a bigger risk.

I do try and support translated SFF when I see it, and read other genres here and there, but to be clear it's not a dislike of translations that stops me reading more. It's just about what's available for me as someone who only reads in English.

I can only speak for my experience as an American, but I know that it’s hard for translated books to get the marketing and publicity in America that English books do. I typically end up reading a couple translated books a year without trying, but I’m always excited for the push to look for new ones that the prompts provide. And I like that this one has the Asian specificity, as those are even more unlikely to make their way here into the popular books read.

Connie,

I was looking at this topic earlier in the year and only around 3% of books published in the US are translations.

https://www.rochester.edu/College/tra...

here was another site I found that talks about just women translators
https://www.womenintranslation.org/faq

I personally up voted the prompt because I like books originally published in Japan, and some of the other prompts I had upvote for the books to fit didn't make the top.

Wow! I actually upvoted all of those four! But I also upvoted Independent publisher and a book that includes a challenge to the health of the planet.
My favourite was the butterfly/moth-prompt though.

Conny wrote: "Can I just ask ... is it really so weird for the English native speakers here to read a book in translation? I notice that almost every challenge contains a promptinvolving translated books, and th..."

I think that its the cultural differences that make translated novels, especially those from Asia, difficult. In addition to following the plot, there is the added challenge of deciphering what is culturally appropriate behavior for the setting. Also the vocabulary such as lift for elevator, ring for a phone call, etc. can be confusing if the context clues aren't clear. I still don't know what Agatha Christie's 'sponge bag' is and that's English (just not American English)

However, I don't mind this prompt even though I didn't upvote it. My library *finally* acquired an epub of The Nakano Thrift Shop that I have been requesting.

Conny wrote: "Can I just ask ... is it really so weird for the English native speakers here to read a book in translation? I notice that almost every challenge contains a promptinvolving translated books, and th..."

What Ellie said applies to US also. And for readers who rely on getting books through their local library, the selection of translated works is often extremely limited except the "most important" ones (which may not be of interest to me). I enjoy translated books but it does take extra effort to find something I want to read.

Conny wrote: "Can I just ask ... is it really so weird for the English native speakers here to read a book in translation? I notice that almost every challenge contains a promptinvolving translated books, and th..."

I agree with you Conny, I've wondered the same several times. It's as if it's so natural that everyone should read the British and American books - even you and I who are from other countries - and that it's so awkward to read authors from the rest of the world. Coming from countries like Germany and Sweden (and Norway, Spain, Holland etc) it's so natural to read both books from our own countries and translated books from many countries, not only the books by English and French authors but I react like you do, it seems as if reading translated books in the US and England is something really strange.
🤷
There are so many brilliant literary pieces they will miss!

Thank you, Ellie, Emily, Jullian, Jette, Kelly for clearing that up (and Nike for supporting my point) – I should have guessed it would be an availability issue rather than an interest/acceptance issue! Of course, you can have all the interest and motivation you want if publishers aren't playing along :( :(

Jette, I had to laugh out loud at your "sponge bag" comment because I remember when I first read Christie at 13 or so (German translation at the time, of course), the translator actually translated that literally and left me just as bewildered as you :D I think the term "sponge bag" actually still exists in the UK (?) whereas "Schwammbeutel" has never been common in German – not even at a time when daily showers were unheard of and people either took full-on baths or used sponges or washcloths to clean up^^

Jette wrote: "I think that its the cultural differences that make translated novels, especially those from Asia, difficult. In addition to following the plot, there is the added challenge of deciphering what is culturally appropriate behavior for the setting. Also the vocabulary such as lift for elevator, ring for a phone call, etc. can be confusing if the context clues aren't clear."

What you're describing is a huge part of Translation Studies and one of the reasons there is such a thing as professional translators in the first place ;)

I think I upvoted three out of four of those. I'm really, really, really bored of the "books we love" prompt, as it just keeps coming back in various challenges I do, such as ATY 2023, so I'm afraid I always downvote it.

Jette, a "sponge bag" is a toiletries bag such as you would use to pack your toiletries in for a trip :)

LOL. Obviously a sponge bag is a bag that you put sponges in! Most Brits would just call it a washbag or cosmetics bag these days though.

Re translated books, I agree with Ellie and Emily that there are so many books published in English that translations tend to be a poor relation. In the UK, the current exception seems to be Japanese books which have been popular over here for some time.

It's also true that, as a left-over from empire, and because of people travelling to Europe and the States for further education, quite a bit of world literature is actually written in English originally. If I wanted a book by an Indian author, I could easily find one without having to read a translation.

Having said that, in 2023 I read European authors for ATY and only had to buy ten books - the rest I obtained from the library system - they weren't always in my local library, but I could order them in. Libraries here are under a lot of financial pressure, and many of the books were older ones - they must be looking to buy popular books in English simply for financial reasons.

Demetra wrote: "Not thrilled about the translated option, but it will probably push me to finally tackle The Three Body Problem. Good results week!"

I thought of that series too! I read The Three-Body Problem and there are two more. I liked it, but it’s hard core sci-fi so it was more challenging than some of my reading. Japanese books seem to be much lighter. Asia is huge, so I’ll look for books from other countries too. I have a lot of books from Indian authors, but they tend to be written in English to begin with.

I read What You Are Looking For Is in the Library this year and it was SO DELIGHTFUL.

The average American reads 12 books a year. Given how few translated books are given huge marketing campaigns, how many of those are likely to be translations? A person who fancies themselves particularly literate & worldly has perhaps read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle & can pat themselves on the back for having read a Japanese translation, & a person with a more classical bent has perhaps at some point powered through a Dostoevsky or, more likely, Kafka (The Metamorphosis is short!), but most Americans who read are sticking to the bestsellers, which are almost all originally in English (occasional exceptions like The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing happen). I read somewhere that 42% of American college graduates never read a book again once they finish school. My own boyfriend told me recently that he doesn't think he's actually fully read more than thirty books in his entire life, & he's 48 years old. (Obviously a mutual love of reading is not what brought us together.)

As for a group like this, where people obviously do read, who knows? Maybe some people are reluctant to read translations because it is associated with literary fiction, & as we've seen from previous convos here, a lot of people have negative associations with literary fiction. Some ppl (like me) voted down this particular translation prompt bc there's already a translated literature prompt on the anniversary list. I also voted it down because I vote down most prompts that I consider "gimmes," & I know that I will be reading plenty of translated literature next year anyway--I always do. I appreciate that this prompt will be a challenge for some, but I tend to vote selfishly; I vote for what excites me or feels like it will challenge me specifically.

To make a long story short, I can only speak for the U.S. because that's where I am, but here, the average person doesn't read much at all, let alone translations (into English).

Emily wrote: "I read What You Are Looking For Is in the Library this year and it was SO DELIGHTFUL."

This is the book I want to read next year and why I up voted the prompt. Glad to hear you enjoyed the book.

Conny wrote: "Can I just ask ... is it really so weird for the English native speakers here to read a book in translation? I notice that almost every challenge contains a promptinvolving translated books, and th..."

I think we actually voted for TWO translated books for 2025 if you count the anniversary books ( which I do count). I loved the Warwick Women in Translation prompt my first or second year here. Proportionally, translated books are a small portion of the total market, so it takes more effort to find books that fit a person’s particular tastes. Maybe that’s why it’s a popular challenge topic. People like being “rewarded” for putting in that extra effort and taking a risk on something unfamiliar.

I’m fascinated by the translation process. I read The Extinction of Irena Rey this year, and I was wondering if that process was typical. The story was pure fantasy, but the process seemed interesting. It seems like an enormously difficult job, first to translate the meaning, and then try to emulate the writer’s style to create a tone similar to the original. I imagine that humor must be particularly hard to translate.

Nike wrote: "Wow! I actually upvoted all of those four! But I also upvoted Independent publisher and a book that includes a challenge to the health of the planet.
My favourite was the butterfly/moth-prompt tho..."

I wanted the butterfly and planet prompts too. We only have a few weeks left and I really want more books related to science, the environment, ecosystems, nature, and the way everything works together. Butterflies and mushrooms are a part of that.

RE translated books. I read them very rarely because (1) I have to actively seek them out because they don't get the attention that non-translated books do and (2) a large percentage of the ones I have read I didn't enjoy primarily because it always felt like they were lacking "something" (though I can't explain fully what seemed to be missing).

How many times now has the NPR list made the AtY list?

NancyJ wrote: "Nike wrote: "Wow! I actually upvoted all of those four! But I also upvoted Independent publisher and a book that includes a challenge to the health of the planet.
My favourite was the butterfly/mo..."

I agree totally, we have to fight for this.

How sad that there isn't a market for translated books in England and US. Maybe it's the same thing when it comes to immigrants from those two countries. All other immigrants are pushed to learn Swedish (or whatever language is spoken in the country) but people from US and England and Ireland seldome speaks Swedish even if they've lived here fifty years or more. They understand it but don't speak it because they don't need to. Most people understand what they are saying anyway so they lack incentive.

Well, maybe it's not exactly the same mechanism behind this but I also guess (maybe I'm wrong here) that you don't have to learn a second or third language in school?

Here in Sweden we start learning English in fourth grade I believe, we started in third grade when I was a child. And from seventh grade we are able to start learning a third language which most pupils do. Earlier that was French and German but the last twenty years or so there has been a tremendous change in interest and most choose to study Spanish. In high-school - well in the big cities only - one can also start learning Russian or Japanese and Chinese. My youngest son has learned Japanese.

Conny - I guess the situation is similar in Germany right?

NancyJ wrote: "It seems like an enormously difficult job, first to translate the meaning, and then try to emulate the writer’s style to create a tone similar to the original...."

My son worked for a decade or so, translating books from German to English for a small publishing house. Yes, it's very difficult. It takes so much more than a technical familiarity with the language; you have to know what idioms are used in what situations and what the intention of the authors are throughout their work. Every once in awhile when I'm reading a translated book I'm stopped in my tracks by something the translator misinterpreted - translating literally rather than understanding what was being said and translating appropriately. Since the books my son were translating were agricultural or environmental nonfiction, he spent a good deal of time in the basement of our big university library with a German to English agricultural dictionary! Even his German friends couldn't help with some of the very specialized technical terms. He was so relieved when the German authors were happy with his work.

I don't mean to be condescending! I'm sorry if it sounds like that! I just mean that since English is a worldwide language maybe your school system doesn't "need" to give you these alternatives but that leads to you missing out of those possibilities that learning other languages and also studying the culture from other regions of the world will provide?

LeahS wrote: "Re translated books, I agree with Ellie and Emily that there are so many books published in English that translations tend to be a poor relation. In the UK, the current exception seems to be Japanese books which have been popular over here for some time."

Japanese books in translation now seem to be coming up pretty regularly in the amazon.co.uk monthly deals lists, and the ones I've read have been really enjoyable.

Most of the ones showing up in the deals are either crime novels, books involving cats, books and some magical realism. There also seem to be some where you have a setting, and there are four or six connected "short" stories based on that setting, like Before the Coffee Gets Cold, which have an element of mystery or revisiting the past.

Emily wrote: "I read What You Are Looking For Is in the Library this year and it was SO DELIGHTFUL."

Yep, that's on my TBR list, too.

Nadine in NY wrote: "How many times now has the NPR list made the AtY list?"

This is what I found

2019: 36. A book featured on an NPR Best Books of the Year list
2022: 17. A book from NPR's Book Concierge
2023: 41. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists
2025: A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists

Nike wrote: "I don't mean to be condescending! I'm sorry if it sounds like that! I just mean that since English is a worldwide language maybe your school system doesn't "need" to give you these alternatives but..."

Couldn't agree more. I love the feeling I get from translated works of how people think and feel in other countries. I wish more Americans sought out and read translated works regularly and that they were taught in primary and secondary schools, not just universities.

Nike wrote: "Here in Sweden we start learning English in fourth grade I believe, we started in third grade when I was a child. And from seventh grade we are able to start learning a third language which most pupils do. Earlier that was French and German but the last twenty years or so there has been a tremendous change in interest and most choose to study Spanish. In high-school - well in the big cities only - one can also start learning Russian or Japanese and Chinese. My youngest son has learned Japanese.

Conny - I guess the situation is similar in Germany right?

Absolutely. The first foreign language (usually English) starts around third grade these days, and later on you will start a second foreign language (mandatory in higher secondary school, optional if you're not shooting for a diploma that will allow you to go to university). It used to be Latin or French (or English, in case you were in the former GDR/East Germany, where your first foreign language would have been Russian), but Spanish is also becoming increasingly common. Ancient Greek is still taught, too (high school with a humanist orientation). And then there are options to learn other languages, too, but usually as elective subjects or (extracurricular) work groups.
Bilingual creche/kindergarten is also a thing in Germany, and that could be anything, from Spanish to Mandarin.

People in Germany tend to get very haughty about translations, by the way (at least from the English). As I said, I am a translator myself, and the discussions I've had with people loudly declaring that they "only read the original" and "always watch their shows in the original version" because "the translation/dubbing is SOOOO terrible" are the worst. (Curiously, apparently only translations from the English are terrible. They have no problem reading German translations of their favorite manga or Tolstoi or The Three-Body Problem. Apparently translators who work with Japanese, Russian, or Chinese are inherently more talented than us mere mortals dealing with English. Sarcasm over.)
These are the same people that gawk at me like I'm a goddess when they find out that I'm also a conference interpreter. Even though the underlying skill set is the same, the general opinion seems to be "anyone can be a translator and the result it always going to be bad" and "omigod I could never be a (simultaneous) interpreter, that is so amazing!"

Dixie wrote: "It takes so much more than a technical familiarity with the language; you have to know what idioms are used in what situations and what the intention of the authors are throughout their work. Every once in awhile when I'm reading a translated book I'm stopped in my tracks by something the translator misinterpreted - translating literally rather than understanding what was being said and translating appropriately.

Again, yes, that is the reason why you can actually study to be a translator. It is SO not enough to simply know two languages (although it helps^^).

Translation is a real skill, and sadly under threat now from AI.

We are very poor at teaching foreign languages, so people don't get familiarity with foreign authors.

The other exception here as regards books in translation is Scandi-Noir, which became popular after TV series such as Wallander and The Killing . My husband reads a lot of that, and has just finished a series by Tove Alsterdal, but he wouldn't actually go out to read a translated book.

Nike wrote: "Well, maybe it's not exactly the same mechanism behind this but I also guess (maybe I'm wrong here) that you don't have to learn a second or third language in school?..."

When I was at school we had to learn German or French but not until we were in secondary school, so quite late to be forming the sort of pathways that make you good at picking up multiple languages. I only remember a few phrases of German now, since I never used it outside of school.

I know that Welsh schools now start teaching Welsh from a young age, so maybe Welsh kids are better at their third languages when they start learning.

Jette wrote: "I still don't know what Agatha Christie's 'sponge bag' is "

I think it must be a swear word in Cat because I said it out loud and my cat Asha ran out of the room.

I upvoted all of these except fire so I'm happy. I have a few Japanese detective novels that I need an excuse to read. It is a shame that it's only novels though. I had loads of Japanese books on my read list but almost all of them are manga.

I got interested in translations several years ago. I took an online Chinese lit class which exposed me to some authors I had never heard of. Then I got interested in the Are You Well Read in World Lit? List and added tons of books to my TBR. Plus, now I follow different book awards, which include translations. If it wasn’t for GR and this group in particular, I would be a much different reader! Last year I read 16 translated books and 17 this year. I agree there is a problem with access. Some I find at my library but others I’ve bought at a local used/new book store or requested through my library’s ILL program. There’s also a problem with not being familiar with authors and titles. You either know what you’re looking for or you stumble across something.