Literary blogs and websites.

It might be due to her ancient Greek background, but Peirene struggles with a lot of websites and blogs: too loud, too much information or indeed too little relevant information, too chaotic. Here are some blogs/websites she enjoys.

A Common Reader

Tom Cunliffe is a blogger who enjoys reading books in translation and specializes in European literature (although not exclusively). The perfect match for Peirene. His reviews are detailed and well structured and give great insight into the books discussed.
www.acommonreader.org

Cornflower

If you want to give a present - and hopefully you're thinking of a book - but lack ideas, then you really should visit Karen Howlett's lit blog. Reviews and beautiful photos of cooking books (tried and tested), knitting books (tried and tester), literature and her blog includes a book group too. Better than any magazine you can buy.
www.cornflower.typepad.com

Dovegreyreader

A fantastic lit blog on all sorts of literature - new and old, indigenous and foreign. The German Irmgard Keun und the Brasilian Clarice Lispector among them! Witty, intelligent and honest. Peirene is in awe.
www.dovergreyreader.typepad.com

Eve's Alexandria

Five young bibliophile women who met at St Andrew's University write beautiful long, eloquent reviews that read better than many books out there.
evesalexandria.typepad.com

Farm Lane Books Blog

A book lover who loves completing lists of books (such as all winners of Booker, Pulitzer, Orange Prize). But best of all, she gives stars for the books she's read, and not all come out top.
www.farmlandbooks.co.uk

Lizzy's Literary Life

Lizzy is the first - and so far only blogger (March '10) who contacted Peirene because she was intrigued by Title No 3 "Portrait of the Mother." For this alone she deserves a special place. But not only that. Her reviews - not least on translated German fiction - are astute and I often find myself in agreement, such as on her view on Julia Franck's The Blind Sight of the Heart.
lizzysiddal.wordpress.com

Love German Books

The translator Katy Derbyshire has single-handedly taken it upon herself to blog in English about German books, translation issues and Berlin. Wonderfully informative, delightfully opinionated and very admirable!
lovergermanbooks.blogspot.com

New Books in German

The bi-annual English review magazine of new German, Austrian and Swiss books was originally intended for English publishers only. However, their revamped online version with detailed reports on each recommended book has turned into a veritable informative read.
www.new-books-in-german.com

no man's land

no man's land features first-ever translations of fiction and poetry by some of the finest writers working in German today. And under it's link page there is a fabulous extensive list of lit magazines specializing in translation (from all languages).
www.no-man-land.org

Ready Steady Book

The premier British literary website deserves every single world of praise it has ever received. "Serious writing about serious writing." Peirene is in seventh literary and philosophical heaven.
www.readystedaybook.com

Savidge Reads

Simon Savidge, London magazine editor, is a ferocious reader, who covers a lot of the must/should-read ones, from Stieg Larsson to Will Self, from Salman Rushdie to Herta Mueller.
savidgereads.wordpress.com

Stuck-in-a-book

Simon Thomas is a young, English doctorate student who writes witty, extremely perseptive reviews. And if he feels inpired enough, he delights you with great sketches of his own too. Fab!
www.stuck-in-a-book.co.uk

The Mookse and Gripes

I came across this litblog because it has a fab review of a wonderful contemporary German novella, Kevin Vennemann's Close to Jedenew. A beautifully clear website with extensive quotes from the reviewed titles.
www.mookseandgripes.com

Three Percent

Litblog might be a too flimsy word for this very classy review website of the University of Rochester. Thorough academic reviews of international literature by various authors, about 8 each month.
http://www.rochester.edu/College/translation/threepercent

Vulpes Libres

The Book Foxes are a group of writers, journalists, libarians, actors, wildlife painters and doglovers. They write insightful, interesting, daily reviews on a huge and fantastic range of books, from Brockes - a 17th century romantic German poet - to Cherie Blair's "Speaking about myself."
vulpeslibris.wordpress.com

Words without Borders

This monthly online magazine, featuring regularly new selections of contemporary world literature, is beautifully organised and provides many interesting articles.
www.wordswithoutborders.org