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  • [ August 28, 2026 ] Surface Olivier Norek Review Fiction
  • [ August 26, 2026 ] Reading Around the World Top 5 Books of the Month Reading Lists
  • [ August 26, 2026 ] Bridging the Gender Divide: Warwick Prize for Women in Translation Spotlight Spotlight on Publishing
  • [ August 25, 2026 ] Red River Somnath Batabyal Review Fiction
  • [ August 20, 2026 ] Maureen Freely Translator, Novelist & Advocate Interview Interviews
  • [ August 17, 2026 ] The Aquatics Osvalde Lewat Review Fiction
  • [ July 29, 2026 ] The Bureau of Unknown Fates Gaëlle Nohant Review Fiction
  • [ July 26, 2026 ] Reading Around the World Top 5 Books of the Month Reading Lists
  • [ July 12, 2026 ] My Dreadful Body Egana Djabbarova Review Fiction
  • [ July 9, 2026 ] Ever Land by Amy Abdelnoor Review Fiction
Homejapanese literature

japanese literature

Japanese literature blends the delicate and the daring, from Murasaki Shikibu’s Tale of Genji to modern icons like Haruki Murakami, Sayaka Murata, Mieko Kawakami, Hiroko Oyamada, Yūko Tsushima and Risa Wataya. Once shaped by isolation, Japan’s storytelling now defines global culture — spanning postwar classics by Yukio Mishima and Kenzaburō Ōe to today’s worldwide boom in novels and manga.

Reading Around the World Top 5 Books of the Month BookBlast
Reading Lists

Reading Around the World Top 5 Books of the Month

August 26, 2026 Georgia de Chamberet 0
This month’s top 5 books range across history, art and human survival; moving across continents, eras and genres. From minute-by-minute reckonings with a political crisis and a chilling first-hand account of the extremes of tyranny, […]
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Spotlight on Publishing

East Asian Literature Leads the Way Taiwan, Korea & Japan Spotlight

February 25, 2026 Georgia de Chamberet Comments Off on East Asian Literature Leads the Way Taiwan, Korea & Japan Spotlight
East Asian literature is redefining the global canon. While the United States slides into a form of governance that resembles authoritarian farce — tariffs yoyoing up and down, economic policy underpinned by punishment, leadership reduced […]
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Top 5 Books to Read

Reading Around the World Top 5 Books of the Month

January 15, 2026 Georgia de Chamberet Comments Off on 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 […]
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Fiction

Summer at Mount Asama Masashi Matsuie Review

December 8, 2025 Guest Contributor Comments Off on Summer at Mount Asama Masashi Matsuie Review
Summer at Mount Asama by Masashi Matsuie is a novel that comes together through its attention to minutiae. Whether describing the sound of a Kogera bird or the angle of a chair leg, Masashi Matsuie’s […]
bookblast top five reads roundup november 2025
Top 5 Books to Read

Reading Around the World Top 5 Books of the Month

November 18, 2025 Georgia de Chamberet Comments Off on 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 keep your mind sharp, your perspective fresh and to remind us all why cultural literacy matters more than ever. […]
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Top 5 Books to Read

Reading Around the World Top 5 Books of the Month

October 17, 2025 Georgia de Chamberet Comments Off on Reading Around the World Top 5 Books of the Month
We’re relaunching Our Top 5 Books of the Month from around the world for curious readers looking for something a little different. We recommend a selection of books new in translation, listed alphabetically by author, […]
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Children & YA

Children’s Books by Megumi Iwasa & Mayakovsky, Mandelstam, Kharms Review

September 1, 2017 Georgia de Chamberet Comments Off on Children’s Books by Megumi Iwasa & Mayakovsky, Mandelstam, Kharms Review
Children’s Books for kids of all ages are showcased by The Children’s Bookshow and featured by BookBlast. Here is a selection of some of the leading titles by the authors on tour this year Little […]
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Interviews

Cathy Hirano Translator Interview

September 1, 2017 Georgia de Chamberet Comments Off on Cathy Hirano Translator Interview
BookBlast interview with Cathy Hirano, translator from Japanese Cathy Hirano, tell us a little bit about yourself. I grew up in Canada and came to Japan when I was 20 without knowing any Japanese. After […]

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Looking for an unputdownable crime read? Look no f Looking for an unputdownable crime read? Look no further! 
Surface by Olivier Norek translated by Nick Caistor is the ultimate police procedural due out with @openborderspress 
In her review for BookBlast Diary, Emily Unwin breaks down why this thriller delivers on every front:
- Deep suspense & clever twists
- High-stakes crimes & misdemeanours 
- A lead detective you’ll root for
As @emily.unwin puts it, genre writing requires a pact with the reader and @NorekOlivier delivers a perfectly packaged, gripping story from start to finish. One for your TBR pile that's for sure! 
Read her full review via link in bio
Women in Translation Month may be ending, but grea Women in Translation Month may be ending, but great literature is timeless. Whose world will you step into next?
We’re thrilled to be collaborating with Maureen Freely and her team @elifgulez.writer spotlighting @warwickprizewomenintranslation The annual prize celebrates the finest full-length book written by a woman translated into English, published in the UK or Ireland. All literary genres are welcomed: novels, poetry, creative non-fiction, graphic novels, children’s or YA fiction, short story collections, novellas and plays.
Established in 2017, the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation champions and propels international women’s voices from the periphery into mainstream cultural conversations.
‘We’ve come a long way with the championing of world literature over the past decade... In the same period, however, we’ve noticed that it is markedly more difficult for women to make it into English translation. This prize offers us an opportunity to welcome in the voices and perspectives we’ve missed thus far,’ Maureen Freely, BookBlast Diary - read the full feature on our website. 
🔗 Click the link in bio to browse & buy the Women in Translation Prize collection on Bookshop.org
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BookBlast® is a human-curated, independent-spirited, non-profit literary media hub and Community Interest Company (CIC) dedicated to championing international literature in translation and celebrating cross-cultural exchange.

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