The Mookse and the Gripes discussion

David wrote: "Charco is running a 40% off sale that ends on Sunday. Bundles not included.

Any backlist titles I should pick up? I already have Harwicz and Fuks."

Now that's what I call a discount, thanks for spotting! I will certainly get Fish Soup.

For those undecided I can recommend Brickmakers, A Perfect Cemetery and The Distance Between Us

Charco is already one of the more affordable because their shipping costs are lower than most. Charco is available on B&N as well, but who can resist a 40% off sale!?

So who has the special limited edition of Catching Fire where page 121 jumps to page 179.

Mine is one of them.

I am 150 miles away from my copy but I am looking forward to finding out when I get home.

Sounds like a collectors item for the bibliophiles.

I don’t know whether to be disappointed but my copy has all the pages in the right order.

This feels like the start of a Calvino story...

Late notice but Daniel Hahn is talking about the latest Charco book and his translation diary on Friday 1pm ET and 6pm UK time in a free online event

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/catching-...

In related news apparently the total number of misprinted translation diaries was less than 30. So very rare indeed. Has to be worth something in book collector world if stamp collectors are any guide - anyone want a flawed copy?

For the collectors, I have a flawed copy too.

I would love a flawed copy.

It’s yours if you want it, Wendy.

I do! I’ll message you. Thank you!

The books arrived today, David. Thank you!
Where is the misprint?

page 121 jumps to page 179

Thanks, Paul.

If you have a misprinted copy. Which is unlikely statistically.

She has my unlikely misprint.

I do, thank you, David. It’s nice to have 1/30 misprints, but when I want to read it I’ll have to buy the corrected copy.

Ah sorry forgot that, which was very kind of you to send David

Incidentally Wendy still no sign of the special edition of Books of Jacob.

Maybe they didn’t get enough preorders? I’ve seen no ads for it on social media for quite awhile.

“To celebrate WIT Month we are offering 20% off ALL translated titles by women authors for the next two weeks

Ends midnight UK time, 8th Aug”

https://charcopress.com/bookstore/

Just starting Charco Press's latest

In the original it won the Premio de novela Elisa Mújica, a relatively new Colombian book prize.

But what grabbed my attention was that a key criteria of that prize is that books must be less than 300 pages. Good to see that the ban long books from prizes campaign is catching on internationally.

The Forgery? I’m reading that now. Glory was doing nothing for me so I’m reading a #WIT title.

Salt Crystals.

You’re reading an ARC then.

He’s not - I have my copy

Have mine too

Me too.

The book gets quite into the politics of San Andres

That was supposed to be a question, not a declaration, but I see the website has it for preorder and said it will be published in Sept.
The story doesn’t appeal to me.

Has anyone ordered or read Jennifer Croft’s Homesick? I see you did, Paul.

I have a copy of the Croft but I am a bit behind on my subscription books due to other reading commitments. I am taking it on holiday with me. But I am also taking my camera on holiday so I don’t expect to have much time for reading!

Yes I have read Homesick. Was well done although not really my thing.

Salt Crystals is interesting.

And great to read a book where an islander who rides a bike on the hilly terrain is automatically nicknamed Nairo. Wonder if the original Colombian had the gloss in the English version explaining why.

Appropriately - allegedly - the “Nairo” character is also fond of drugs, although marijuana not tramadol.

And if that makes no sense to anyone - Google is your friend - that’s appropriate for the book, as in part it is about someone returning to her home island but realising she no longer understands all the cultural references and local characters (which she calls the island’s noosphere, although not sure that is quite the right term).

Loving the length of their latest novel - about 8,000 words I think (the Spanish original was 8,044 including the title and dedication, and I don't think they've had to cut too much to make it the right length in English).

I’m sure you’ll like fum d’estampa’s latest offering. Jacobé & Fineta has a grand total of 51 pages

I enjoyed it but it’s a long short story and should have been published as part of a collection. I did not see it at all as a perfectly distilled novel like Assembly or Claire Keegan’s work.

I don’t know if would work as part of a collection as it is so personal, but yes it definitely is a bit short even by my standards. Still much rather that than 80,000 words though.

2023 line up is out

Eight books, including some incredible debuts in English such as Sebastián Martínez Daniell (Argentina) and Giovanna Rivero (Bolivia), new voices in our catalogue such as Ana Paula Maia (Brazil) and Martín Kohan (Argentina). And on top of that, new works by Charco faves Renato Cisneros (Peru) and Margarita García Robayo (Colombia), as well as a new novel by International Booker shortlisted Claudia Piñeiro, and a brand new translation of Mexican legend Margo Glantz.

Anyone subscribing pre Dec 20th gets a free chocolate bar!

I'll add links at some point

You Shall Leave Your Land by Renato Cisneros (translated by Fionn Petch)

Two Sherpas by Sebastián Martínez Daniell (translated by Jennifer croft)

The Remains by Margo Glantz (translated by Ellen Jones)

Of Cattle and Men by Ana Paula Maia (translated by Zöe Perry)

Fresh Dirt From the Grave by Giovanna Rivero (translated by Isabel Adey)

A Little Luck by Claudia Piñeiro (translated by Frances Riddle)

Confession by Martín Kohan (translated by Daniel Hahn)

Delivery by Margarita García Robayo (translated by Megan McDowell)

https://mailchi.mp/674790d647e7/charc...

that looks extremely appealing....

The newest book, Two Sherpas is fascinating - anyone else read it?

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

That does sound good! I love that the Sherpa points out that they have made that ascent and descent numerous times and are biologically able to function at high altitudes far better than low altitude dwellers.

His point is the opposite in a way. They are humans like the tourist climbers not a different species like a mule or yak. But the tourist climbers just take what they do for granted even though their lives are at much more danger. The documentary I watched after the film showed how the tourists cross the most dangerous part of the ascent twice - once coming up and once coming down - whereas a Sherpa guide can cross it 20-30 times in the same expedition, carrying equipment up and down the mountain.

Actually Sherpas are better able to function at high altitudes. They obviously are not a different species, but they have abilities most humans don’t.

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsand...

I will be ordering this book.

It’s unfortunate that the link about Sherpa’s abilities ends with goatsand… after saying sherpas are not a different species!

Wow. That article smacks of racism. Poorly done, NPR.

Does it? Some things are inherited and genetic: sickle cell anemia, a certain type of breast cancer that impacts Ashkenazi Jewish women.

I guess saying extraordinary abilities instead of extraordinary people would have been better, but the people who have lived at extremely high altitudes have developed abilities that we who don’t live to better harness oxygen. They didn’t say that all Sherpas should do that type of work or that Sherpas are only equipped for that kind of work, only that the Sherpas have a generic advantage when it comes to high altitude living and functioning.

It’s the way it is discussed. Like they are exotic creatures.

I didn’t read it like that. They were talking about a small community of people that have an extraordinary ability and how they might be able to apply what they learned to medicine.
I don’t agree with your take on the article, but I do agree that it’s always better to be mindful and diligent in discussions of genetics.

Either way, it looks like Charco is off to a good start in 2023.

Hi! New here…Paul, I finished Two Sherpas a few days ago, really enjoyed it and loved the structure of it but agreed with your thoughts on the old Sherpa’s backstory.