You know I love a novel set in another part of the world and if it’s a book in translation, well that’s a bonus. I recently received these books for review and wanted to share a bit about them.

The Package by Sebastian Fitzek; translated by Jamie Bulloch. Emma’s the one that got away. The only survivor of a serial killer. She gives up her job as a doctor in the local hospital and retreats from the world. It is better to stay at home. Quiet. Anonymous. Safe. No one can hurt her here. Fitzek is one of Germany’s bestselling authors. I’ve read one of his books before and do remember it was a page turner so I’m excited about this one.

The Foreign Girls by Sergio Olguin; translated by Miranda France. Two foreign girls are murdered after a high society party in Yacanto del Valle, northern Argentina. Their bodies are found in a field near sacrificial offerings, apparently from a black magic ritual. Verónica Rosenthal, an audacious, headstrong Buenos Aires journalist with a proclivity for sexual adventure, could never have imagined that her holiday would end with her two friends dead. Not trusting the local police, she decides to investigate for herself.

My Grandmother’s Braid by Alina Bronsky; translated by Tim Mohr. Max lives with his grandparents in a residential home for refugees in Germany. When his grandmother—a terrifying, stubborn matriarch and a former Russian primadonna—moved them from the Motherland it was in search of a better life. But she is not at all pleased with how things are run in Germany: the doctors and teachers are incompetent, the food is toxic, and the Germans are generally untrustworthy.

I have also read Alina Bronsky before and her book, Broken Glass Park, was one of my favorite reads back in 2010 so I have high expectations of this one.

And, while I’ve been staying away from thrillers these past several months, I’m excited to explore the two included in this stack.

Let me know if you’ve heard of these and if you’d be interested in them. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and more book talk soon.

This weekend I started a new book so I thought it was time for another post for, First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday Intros. Thank you to Yvonne, from Socrates’ Book Reviews who hosts this meme. As a reminder this is your chance to post a bit from a book that you are reading or planning to read.

“Maud simply wanted to live in Paris, with or without a husband, preferably without. While careful not to let her thoughts show on her severe and slightly disdainful golden face, Maud had a secret desire to escape all forms of control. That was her abiding wish. The future was unclear to her, but she knew that it did not contain her mother, or her mother’s plans, of which she was fully aware. Rigidly supervised as she was, she longed fo freedom.”

Incidents in the Rue Langier by Anita Brookner

From the dust jacket: Brookner tells of Maud Gonthier, a demure and serious young woman from Dijon, who is introduced to desire by the fascinating, rich David Tyler. They meet one summer at her aunt’s comfortable country home; the innocent Maud falls instantly and passionately in love. She follows Tyler to Paris, and when he abruptly disappears, Maud is left with his friend Edward to pick up the pieces of her life.

I have really enjoyed other Brookner books. Many of her main characters face issues of balancing family obligations versus a longing for a different life and women who have been disappointed in love. And, while that may not sound very joyful, I feel like as the reader you really get to know the characters and understand their longings.

Other books of hers I’ve read are: Hotel du Lac, The Rules of Engagement, Leaving Home and The Debut. And, I probably have at least three or four other titles by her on my shelves.

Anyway, what about you, have you read this author or would this book capture your attention? Would love to hear your thoughts.