Books from Latvia
12 popular latvian books
Travel the world without leaving your chair.
The target of the Read Around The World Challenge is to read at least one book written by an author from each and every country in the world.
All books that are listed here as part of the "Read Around Europe Challenge" were written by authors from Latvia.
Find a great book for the next part of your reading journey around the world from this book list. The following popular books have been recommended so far.
2.
Description:
Jacob Bird lives in Riga with his father. Jacob loves maps like his dad, and is fascinated by the legend which warns that no one must say `Riga is ready' or the river will flood the town, tall ships will sail down the main street, and the city will have to start all over again. One day Jacob mutters the fateful words. But all that happens is he is sent to live for the summer with his grumpy cousin Mimi and Uncle Eagle, because his dad is too busy to look after him. But strange things are afoot in the run-down Maskatchaka district of Riga, where Jacob now has to live. Evil Skylar Scraper's sche... continue
3.
Description:
Doom 94 is Jonevs' debut novel, published first as Jelgava 94 in Latvia in 2013 and was quickly proved to be a big hit and bestseller. Translated into 11 languages already, it is here for the first time in English. The story is set in the 1990s in the Latvian city of Jelgava and looks at the burgeoning craze during this decade for the alternative culture of heavy metal music. Jonevs takes the reader deep inside the world of music, combining the intimate diary of a youngster trying to find himself by joining a subculture, as well as a skilful, detailed, and almost documentary-like depiction of ... continue
4.
Description:
Told more or less in reverse chronological order, High Tide is the story of Ieva, her dead lover, her imprisoned husband and the way their youthful decisions dramatically impacted the rest of their lives. Taking place over three decades, High Tide functions as a sort of psychological mystery, with the full scope of Ieva's personal situation and the relationship between the three main characters only becoming clear at the end of the novel. One of Latvia's most notable young writers, Abele is a fresh voice in European fiction, her prose is direct, evocative and exceptionally beautiful.
5.
Description:
Originally written in 1967 and not released in its uncensored form until 2003, Bels's infamous novel, Insomnia (translated from the Latvian, Bezmiegs) concerns the taboo subject of the Latvian Legion, and the atmosphere of inertia and paralysis in Soviet-era Latvia. The story is told through the thoughts and emotions of the main character, portrayed as an outwardly apathetic man and typical of Bels's characters in the 1960s and 1970s--a period marked by powerlessness and stagnation amongst ordinary people. The protagonist lives by a principle of non-involvement, content with the small material... continue
6.
Leche materna by Nora Ikstena ES
Description:
La novela nos sitúa en Letonia, tres generaciones de mujeres, en un período que va desde el fin de la Segunda Guerra Mundial y el inicio de la caída de la Unión Soviética; los capítulos son narrados, alternativamente, por hija y nieta.
Un recorrido muy interesante e instructivo sobre la vida y peripecias de esta familia, que podrían ilustrar en alguna medida, la de la sociedad letona. Se destaca especialmente cómo cada uno de los personajes hace frente y define su vida en las circunstancias que les toca vivir, en particular el fenó... continue
8.
Natasha and Other Stories by David Bezmozgis EN
Description:
National Bestseller Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year New York Times Notable Book of the Year Winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book (Canada and Caribbean Region) Winner of the Canadian Jewish Book Award, Fiction Category Winner of the Toronto Book Award Winner of the Jewish Quarterly Wingate Literary Prize for Fiction Winner of the Danuta Gleed Literary Award Finalist for the Governor General’s Award for Fiction Finalist for CBC’s Canada Reads Finalist for the Guardian First Book Award Finalist for the Borders Books and Music 2004 Original Voices Award Finalist for t... continue
9.
Soviet Milk by Nora Ikstena EN
Description:
The central character in the story tries to follow her calling as a doctor. But then the state steps in. She is deprived first of her professional future, then of her identity and finally of her relationship with her daughter
10.
The Cat King of Havana by Tom Crosshill EN
Description:
Lolcats. Salsa dancing. Unrequited love. Tom Crosshill's smart and witty debut teen novel treads a colorful coming-of-age journey from New York City to Havana that will appeal to fans of books by Matthew Quick and Junot Díaz. When Rick Gutiérrez—known as "That Cat Guy" at school—gets dumped on his sixteenth birthday for uploading cat videos from his bedroom instead of experiencing the real world, he realizes it's time for a change. So Rick joins a salsa class . . . because of a girl, of course. Ana Cabrera is smart, friendly, and smooth on the dance floor. He might be half Cuban, but Rick danc... continue