May 2016 Book Haul, Part 2

TL;DR

Olive presents her May book haul, featuring historical fiction and nonfiction books, with a focus on Russia and Eastern Europe.

Transcript

Hi guys, Olive here. Here today to bring you part two of my May book haul. I'm going to be starting out with the historical fiction that has to do with Russia and Eastern Europe, then I'm going to move into general nonfiction, and conclude with nonfiction that deals with Russia and Eastern Europe. The first book I'd like to show you is The True Mem... Read More

Key Insights

• 📔 Olive's book haul consists of historical fiction and nonfiction books, with a focus on Russia and Eastern Europe.
• 🛻 There is a mix of books received from Steve at Open Letters Monthly and those Olive picked up herself.
• 📔 The nonfiction books cover a range of topics, including Jane Austen's life, Jane Austen fandom, seducers throughout history, the science behind smiles, and language learning in India.
• 🇷🇺 The memoirs offer personal experiences in Kosovo and delve into the history and authoritarian leadership of Russia.

Questions & Answers

Q: Can you provide an overview of the historical fiction books you mentioned in your book haul?

Sure! The historical fiction books include "The True Memoirs of Little K" by Adrienne Sharp, "Voroshilovgrad" by Serhiy Zhadan, "Forbidden Love in St. Petersburg" by Mishka Ben-David, and "The Madonnas of Leningrad" by Debra Dean. Each book explores different aspects of Russian and Eastern European history and culture.

Q: What can you tell us about the nonfiction books you mentioned?

The nonfiction books include "Jane Austen: A Life" by Claire Tomalin, "Among the Janeites: A Journey Through the World of Jane Austen Fandom" by Deborah Yaffe, "Swoon: Great Seducers and Why Women Love Them" by Betsy Prioleau, "Lip Service: Smiles in Life, Death, Trust, Lies, Work, Memory, Sex, and Politics" by Marianne LaFrance, and "Dreaming in Hindi: Coming Awake in Another Language" by Katherine Russell Rich. These books explore topics such as the life of Jane Austen, the phenomenon of Jane Austen fandom, the allure of great seducers, the science behind smiles, and the experience of learning a new language and culture.

Q: Can you give us more information about the memoirs you mentioned?

Certainly! The memoirs include "The Hemingway Book Club of Kosovo" by Paula Huntley, which is about a woman who starts a book club in Kosovo while her husband works on legal reform, and "Between East and West: The Origins of Modern Russia 862-1953" by R.D. Charques, which delves into the history and authoritarian leadership in Russia. These memoirs offer insight into personal experiences and the historical context of Kosovo and Russia.

Q: What are some notable nonfiction books related to Russia and Eastern Europe that you mentioned?

Some notable nonfiction books related to Russia and Eastern Europe include "The Ukrainian and Russian Notebooks: Life and Death under Soviet Rule" by Igort, which explores the assassination of a Russian journalist and the forced famine in Ukraine, "How Not to Network a Nation: The Uneasy History of the Soviet Internet" by Benjamin Peters, discussing the failure of the Soviet version of the internet, and "Black Wind, White Snow: The Rise of Russia's New Nationalism" by Charles Clover, which examines contemporary Russia's nationalism.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Olive shares her May book haul, starting with historical fiction set in Russia and Eastern Europe.

• She discusses various nonfiction books, including biographies and books about Jane Austen.

• Olive concludes with nonfiction books related to Russia and Eastern Europe, as well as memoirs set in Kosovo.