Ambessa Medarda is a woman to be feared. She has led conquests and armies. She has slain legendary beasts. She has made grave sacrifices in pursuit of glory during her ascent up the ranks. And for this she was rewarded: She entered the realm of death and was granted a [...]
by Damla September was a month for big and exciting names when it comes to publishing. Dan Brown's latest book in the thrilling Robert Langdon series, The Secret of Secrets, has hit the shelves after a long hiatus. Ian McEwan has also released a new book this month, called What [...]
by Damla and Naomi Unless you have been living in a strict digital detox and have avoided all social media platforms in the last month (honestly, that sounds rather blissful, no judgement), then you have most likely heard that Taylor Swift has announced her 12th album, The Life of A Showgirl, [...]
Aside from the fact that they are brothers, Peter and Ivan Koubek seem to have little in common. Peter is a Dublin lawyer in his thirties – successful, competent and apparently unassailable. Ivan is a twenty-two-year-old competitive chess player. He has always seen himself as socially awkward, a loner, the [...]
by Damla The shortlist for the 2025 Booker Prizes has been announced this week, highlighting six books among an impressive collection. This year's selection revolves around themes of family: what can bring them together, and what can break them apart. Among the many critically acclaimed nominees is a previous Booker Prize [...]
The riveting first-person narrative of a young man who grows to be the most notorious magician his world has ever seen. From his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, to years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter [...]
Alice Law has sacrificed everything to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world—until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault. Grimes is now in Hell, and [...]
In the nineties, six teenagers disappeared into a fantasy role-playing game. Only five returned. Nearly thirty years later, these broken adults are dragged back to discover the game isn’t finished with them yet. Kieron Gillen (The Wicked + the Divine) and Stephanie Hans (We Called Them Giants)’s award-winning, critical hit [...]
By Else A couple of months ago, the ABC started to sell books at our local reading club Prose Posse. They have meetings about once a month at different locations in Amsterdam. In October they will even have a meeting at the ABC Amsterdam. We make a fun selection of [...]
In Memoriam: Derk Sauer On July 31, 2025, we heard that Derk Sauer, founder of The Moscow Times, died. This brought memories of our participation in the 1997 Moscow Book Fair (read our blog post about it here). We ran a small ad in The Moscow Times announcing that the American [...]
