My Greek Books
Hello there! It’s My Greek Books time! It’s a new month and time to share what I’ve been reading. Keep going to learn about a novel by a Greek author, another by a PhilHellene author, and a poetry chapbook by a Greek-American poet. Let’s go!
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Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy
Berkley (June 28, 2005)
About the author
Known as one of Ireland’s most beloved and recognizable writers, Maeve Binchy was an Irish author, playwright, columnist, and speaker. In addition to novels, she also wrote short stories. Her books have been translated into 37 languages, and worldwide sales of her books have exceeded 40 million copies. She passed away in 2012 at the age of 73.
About the book
On a Greek island, tourists from different countries dine at a hilltop taverna. Their quiet evening is shattered when they witness a tragedy at the harbor. The shared experience makes unlikely friends of strangers. As the days pass, they continue to cross paths. As they get to know each other, they realize each has come to the island to leave a secret past behind. But what are they all running from? Even the taverna owner and the local expat who befriend them have their own skeletons.
As the friendships grow, they learn each other’s secrets and view their lives through new eyes. They’ve fallen in love with the island, so will they return home to confront their pasts and move on, or stay? You’ll have to read it to find out!
My Greek Books review
I’ve had this book for a long time and it fell between the bookshelves. Fate must have led me to its hiding place, so I could read the book in that moment. I enjoyed following the lives of each character and how they worked through their challenges and helped each other. Maeve Binchy must have traveled to Greece, as you can feel it. A Night of Rain and Stars is a heartwarming tale of fate and friendship ignited by the magic of Greece.
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Displaced Dolls and Oviducts by Marigo J. Stathis
Finishing Line Press, August 18, 2023
About the author
Greek-American Poet Marigo J. Stathis has lived in multiple places in the US and abroad, but these days, she calls Baltimore, MD home. By day, she is a scientist. Marigo also writes flash nonfiction, essays, op-eds, song lyrics, fiction, and scholarly articles. Displaced Dolls and Oviducts is her first poetry collection. I put her in the Poet Spotlight in April. Read it here.
About the book
This collection of 28 poems draws on mythology, history, and outdated mores, to reveal the struggles of today’s women.
My Greek Books review
Displaced Dolls and Oviducts is daring and reflective as it unveils the frustrations and challenges–the realities of modern women. Marigo J. Stathis gives words to our thoughts and feelings, tackling topics like family, grief, self-discovery, trauma, and aging, weaving them into a must-read collection. In spite of the challenges, she reveals a feminine celebration of life.
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Niki by Christos Chomenidis translated by Patricia Felisa Barbieto
Other Press NY (June 13, 2023)
About the author
Athens-born Christos Chomenidis has written several novels. He’s also the host of a nationally broadcast radio show. He’s written scripts for film and TV and writes a column for Ta Nea, Greece’s largest newspaper. Νiki is the recipient of the 2021 European Book Prize. His books have been translated into numerous languages.
Patricia Felisa Barbeito is Professor of American Literatures at the Rhode Island School of Design and a translator of modern Greek fiction and poetry. Patricia’s translation of Amanda Michalopoulou’s God’s Wife (Dalkey Archive Press, 2019) was short-listed for the 2020 National Translation Award. Her translation of The Interrogation by Elias Maglinis (University of Birmingham, 2013) garnered the 2013 Modern Greek Studies Association’s Constantinides Memorial Translation Prize. Several of her shorter translations have appeared in PEN/America, Asymptote, Words Without orders, Catapult, InTranslation, and Exchanges.
About the book
Niki Armaos, born in 1938 to the deputy secretary general of the Greek communist party and his activist wife, recounts her life story. Looking back after her death, she sheds new light and gives context to her experiences growing up. Through her parents’ arrests and exile, living through the Italian and German invasions and the Nazi occupation, then the Greek Civil War, she’s often caught between the values of her family members, who reside on different sides of the political spectrum. Through her memories, we experience modern Greek history from Asia Minor through Greece, Egypt, Russia, and more.
My Greek books review
Niki is a course in Greek history from the late 19th century into the middle of the 20th. You’ll marvel at her resilience, laugh and cry with her, grow with her, as she navigates hardships, her parents’ exile, going into hiding with them, and more. I’m sad I missed his recent Chicago event, which I’m sure led to fascinating discussion. Christos Chomenidis crafted a tale that deftly integrates history, politics, and the ups and downs of human existence.
My Greek Books—June 2024 Edition
Well, that’s it for this month. Now you have three new books to add to your list. Summer is here, so it’s time to tackle that Summer Reading List! My Greek Books is taking a short break and will return in August. Until then, Happy Reading!
Read more:
My Greek Books—June 2023 Reads
My Greek Books—June 2022 Reads
