English books from Europe
Recommended English books (1858)
Travel the world without leaving your chair.
If you speak English here are some English books from Europe for the next part of the "Read Around The World Challenge".
1801.
When Passion Reigned: Sex & the Victorians by Patricia Anderson EN
Country: Europe / 
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Description:
In this witty and colorful book debunking the myth of Victorian prudery, Anderson argues that far from being the prudes of modern legend, the Victorians were avidly engaged in the erotic side of life. 40 illustrations.
1802.
When Pumpkins Blossomed by Dragoslav Mihailović EN
SerbiaDescription:
Ljuba comes of age after World War II, in a Belgrade suburb where the workingman's diversions are minimal. (“The greatest thing in Dusanovac at that time was beating up somebody for no special reason, just for fun.”) He runs with a gang of young thugs whose idea of outdoor sport is rape, then graduates from hoodlumism to boxing and a respectable job. Of the several kinds of misfortune that eventually befall Ljuba and his family some are primeval tragedy and some are a part of the system.
1803.
When the Doves Disappeared by Sofi Oksanen EN
FinlandDescription:
1941: In Communist-ruled, war-ravaged Estonia, two men have deserted the Red Army - Roland, a fiercely principled freedom fighter, and his slippery cousin Edgar. When the Germans arrive, Roland goes into hiding, while Edgar abandons his unhappy wife, Juudit, and takes on a new identity as a loyal supporter of the Nazi regime. 1963: Estonia is again under Communist control, independence even further out of reach behind the Iron Curtain. Edgar is now a Soviet apparatchik, desperate to hide the secrets of his past life and stay close to those in power. But his fate remains entangled with Roland's... continue
1804.
When the Whales Leave by Yuri Rytkheu EN
RussiaDescription:
Nau cannot remember a time when she was not one with the world around her: with the fast breeze, the green grass, the high clouds, and the endless blue sky. But her greatest joy is to descend from her little spit of land to the sea, where the whales gather each morning, gaily spouting rainbows. Then, one day, she finds a man in the mist where a whale should be: Reu, who has taken human form out of his Great Love for her. Together they become parents first to two whales, and then to mankind. Their children grow up, Reu passes on, and still Nau lives. But with each new generation, the old woman'... continue
1805.
When we cease to understand the world by Benjamin Labatut EN
Country: Europe / 
Netherlands
Netherlands
Description:
SELECTED FOR BARACK OBAMA'S SUMMER READING LIST 'A monstrous and brilliant book' Philip Pullman 'Wholly mesmerising and revelatory... Completely fascinating' William Boyd Sometimes discovery brings destruction When We Cease to Understand the World shows us great minds striking out into dangerous, uncharted terrain. Fritz Haber, Alexander Grothendieck, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrödinger: these are among the luminaries into whose troubled lives we are thrust as they grapple with the most profound questions of existence. They have strokes of unparalleled genius, they alienate friends and lovers... continue
1806.
Where Dogs Bark with Their Tails : A Novel by Estelle-Sarah Bulle EN
FranceDescription:
The tales of one family and their larger-than-many-lives sister, Antoine, weaves together the vibrant, epic story of Guadaloupe and its diaspora. A young woman born in the suburbs of Paris--whose skin color and memories of occasional childhood visits alone connect her to her father's native Guadeloupe--yearns to understand her lineage and her métis identity. Upon her request, her old aunt Antoine, the eccentric and indomitable family matriarch, unveils the history of the Ezechiel clan, and with it, that of the island over the course of the twentieth century. In a spirited account, punctuated b... continue
Ireland1808.
Where You Come From by Saša Stanišić EN
Country: Europe / 
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Description:
In August, 1992, a boy and his mother flee the war in Yugoslavia and arrive in Germany. Six months later, the boy’s father joins them, bringing a brown suitcase, insomnia, and a scar on his thigh. Saša Stanišic’s Where You Come From is a novel about this family, whose world is uprooted and remade by war: their history, their life before the conflict, and the years that followed their escape as they created a new life in a new country. Blending autofiction, fable, and choose-your-own-adventure, Where You Come From is set in a village where only thirteen people remain, in lost and made-up memori... continue
1809.
Whisperwood by Alex Woodroe EN
RomaniaDescription:
When curious nomad Anna hears about Whisperwood, a town that's not on any maps, that nobody goes to, and nobody comes from, she sees an opportunity to hide from her violent witch-hunting ex. But not everything is peaceful in the isolated community. A vanishing town, a gruesome funeral rite, an emergency field surgery--these surprises and more test Anna's resolve. Prevented from leaving the frontier settlement by folk magic she doesn't understand, Anna lends helping hands everywhere she can, but quickly finds that investigating the forest too closely could end up being the last thing she does. ... continue
1810.
White Hunger by Aki Ollikainen EN
Description:
1867: The year of the great famine in Finland. Mirja, a farmer's wife from the north, and her two young children set off on foot through the snow. Their goal: St Petersburg - a place which, rumours suggest, enjoys bread in plenty. However others are also heading south - everyone equally desperate to survive.