Intermezzo by Sally Rooney 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 [...]
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 Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss 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 [...]
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang 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 [...]
Die by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans 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 [...]
by Else A couple of months ago, ABC started selling 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 books, either [...]
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 [...]
Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe. From New York Times bestselling writer Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Ex [...]
by Damla & Iris Ever needed a job recommendation so bad that you would walk through hell to get it? Alice Law has. Literally. R.F. Kuang’s greatly anticipated new book hits the shelves this coming Tuesday, on the 26th of August. Merging myth and magic, ambition and rivalry, the early reviews of [...]
The Guncle by Steven Rowley Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits, or when he heads home to Connecticut for the holidays. [...]
