Read Around Europe Challenge
Read at least one book by an author from each country in Europe.
Best books from Europe (2851)
771.
The Last Day of a Condemned Man by Victor Hugo EN
FranceDescription:
Deeply shocking in its time, "The Last Day of a Condemned Man" is a profound and moving tale and a vital work of social commentary. A man vilified by society and condemned to death for his crime wakes every morning knowing that this day might be his last. With the hope for release his only comfort, he spends his hours recounting his life and the time before his imprisonment. But as the hours pass, he knows that he is powerless to change his fate. He must follow the path so many have trod before him--the path that leads to the guillotine.
772.
L'étrangère by Valérie Toranian FR
Description:
"Elle tricote. Je sors mon carnet. - Raconte-moi précisément ce qui s'est passé dans les convois... - Plus tard... Je rêve de recueillir cette histoire qui est aussi la mienne et elle s'y oppose comme une gamine butée. - Quand plus tard ? - Quand tu auras eu ton bébé". Aravni garde farouchement le silence sur son passé. Sa petite-fille, Valérie, aimerait pourtant qu'elle lui raconte son histoire, l'Arménie, Alep, Constantinople et Marseille. Dans ce récit qui traverse le siècle, elle écrit le roman de la vie, ou plutôt des vies d'Aravni : de la toute jeune fille fuyant le génocide arménien en ... continue
773.
Harold and Maude by Colin Higgins EN
Description:
Nineteen-year-old Harold Chasen is obsessed with death. He fakes suicides to shock his self-obsessed mother, drives a hearse, and attends funerals of complete strangers. Seventy-nine-year-old Maude Chardin, on the other hand, adores life. She liberates trees from city sidewalks and transplants them to the forest, paints smiles on the faces of church statues, and "borrows" cars to remind their owners that life is fleeting—here today, gone tomorrow! A chance meeting between the two turns into a madcap, whirlwind romance, and Harold learns that life is worth living, and how to play the banjo. Har... continue
774.
Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief by Maurice Leblanc EN
Description:
The inspiration for the new Netflix series, Lupin, starring Omar Sy A curated collection of the very best adventures of Arsène Lupin, France’s most famous gentleman thief The poor and the innocent have nothing to fear from Lupin; often they profit from his spontaneous generosity. The rich and powerful, and the detective who tries to spoil his fun, however, must beware. They are the target of Lupin’s mischief. With plans that frequently evolve into elaborate plots, Lupin is a gentleman burglar turned detective, and the most entertaining criminal genius in literature. These stories – the best of... continue
775.
Life, a User's Manual by Georges Perec EN
Description:
Represents an exploration of the relationship between imagination and reality as seen through the eyes of the dying Serge Valene, an inhabitant of a large Parisian apartment block.
777.
Beyond the Door or No Return by David Diop EN
Description:
FINALIST FOR THE 2023 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR TRANSLATED FICTION 'Stunningly realized... A spellbinding novel' MAAZA MENGISTE, Booker Prize–shortlisted author of The Shadow King 'Diop has opened a new way of thinking about the eighteenth century and its hideous cruelties' ABDULRAZAK GURNAH, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 'A compelling romantic adventure... Through an act of remembrance, Diop seeks to build a repository of lives and histories lost to the slave trade' FINANCIAL TIMES __________ The captivating new novel from David Diop, winner of the International Booker Prize Paris, 18... continue
778.
The Three Evangelists by Fred Vargas EN
Description:
Sophia Siméonidis, A Greek Opera Singer, Wakes Up One Morning To Discover That A Tree Has Appeared Overnight In The Garden Of Her Paris House. Intrigued And Unnerved, She Turns To Her Neighbours: Vandoosler, An Ex-Cop Fired From The Police For Having Helped A Murderer To Escape, And Three Impecunious Historians, Mathias, Marc And Lucien - The Three Evangelists. They Agree - Both Because They Need The Money And Out Of Sheer Curiosity - To Dig Around The Tree And See If Something Has Been Buried There. They Find Nothing But Soil. A Few Weeks Later, Sophia Disappears And Nobody Worries Too Much U... continue
779.
The Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas EN
Description:
“Wildly imaginative.”—The New York Times “Adamsberg is a terrific creation and his team of misfits a joy to watch in action.”—Peter Robinson, New York Times bestselling author of the Inspector Banks series When blue chalk circles begin to appear on the pavement in neighborhoods around Paris, Commissaire Adamsberg is alone in thinking that they are far from amusing. As he studies each new circle and the increasingly bizarre objects they contain - empty beer cans, four trombones, a pigeon's foot, a doll's head - he senses the cruelty that lies within whoever is responsible. And when a circle is ... continue
780.
Kids Run the Show by Delphine de Vigan EN
Description:
A cautionary tale for a world in which social media has shattered the boundaries of intimacy. The first time that Mélanie met Clara, she was stunned by Clara's sense of authority, and for her part, Clara was struck by Mélanie's pink, glittery nails, which shimmered in the dark. "She looks like a child," thought the first. "She looks like a doll," pondered the second. These two women, both of the same generation and exposed to the same forms of media throughout their lives, could not be more different in adulthood. Mélanie is a social media superstar, broadcasting her children's daily lives on ... continue