15 Best Translated Books of 2020 

I don't know how you will take this, but I have used your channel and website as my main resource this year for literature from around the world. I made it a personal project of mine at work (I'm a basic bookseller that specializes in children's literature) to order in more translated books. Tender is the Flesh has been picked up the most (maybe also Convenience Store Woman)! I'm excited to go to work tomorrow and see what titles from this video I can shortlist and share as well. Thank you!

breast and eggs is my best book this year too! I read it in Japanese since it’s my native language, I read the original novella first and read this long one back to back. The original novella is basically same as the book one in the novel, except it is written in very very strong Osaka dialect. I am Osakan myself and in about the same age group as Mieko Kawakami, and the vibrant rhythm of OUR language was sooooo powerful. It’s our generation’s Osaka dialect and it’s women’s voice and it was so liberating to read such a raw and honest story of women of our time in our language. I love you for choosing it as your best book this year, in my mind, you are my kindred spirit❤️

Your videos are so intelligent and articulated, but also so emotional and engaging and I am really thankful for your recommendations and reviews. Thank you! Strange Beasts of China has an amazing cover! I was really impressed about the way Tender is the Flesh handled the topics it obviously wanted the reader to think about. I found only the last third a bit weak and predictable and also a bit rushed. But I'm definitely interested in what she writes next. Unfortunately I'm not so sure that being a postman is still a chilled job nowadays...I'd love it still would be.

Just stumbled upon your fantastic channel. I love Japanese literature but you’ve opened my eyes to a lot more

New subscriber here, I just binged SO many of your videos today. I absolutely love your channel. It's such a great resource to find novels in translation, especially from Korean and Japanese, which I studied in university. I'm so glad I found your channel!

I’m currently reading Where the Wild Ladies Are and thoroughly enjoying the experience! Very happy to learn you thought so highly of it too 😊

I think your channel may be able to break me out of my non reading funk. This is such an interesting and varied list. I may pick up Hurricane Season because I have an unread copy and home and maybe I’m in the right aggrieved mood for it.

That Ayn Rand shirt is priceless. Xd Oh, boy. I read Tender is the Flesh and it's a very compelling but heavy read.

Thanks for these recommendations! My taste in translated fiction have been greatly influenced by you and they're all amazing!!! Merry Christmas and I'm looking forward to your other book recommendations this 2021!

sad that you’re one of the only channels i’ve seen discussing works in translation. these books sound so damn good

Starting to regret finding your channel, your enthusiasm about all these books is the ruin of my wish list (luckily I stopped insta buying, as that would kill my TBR)

Untold Night and Day has been on my wishlist for so long because i found the cover to be really stunning as well

Very glad I found you via Twitter, Willow-love your book reviews and the enthusiastic way you deliver them! 😊

Found your channel while browsing and I am enjoying your videos and cannot wait to read all the books you recommended. Thank you for sharing.

This list, that accent, Hurricane Season... I'd like to thank my last week old self for subscribing to this channel. P.S. Chor in Melchor is pronounced as in chore. 👍🏼

I started to watching your videos from the start that have your recommendations to put my Goodreads shelf :)

Picked up Strange Beasts of China on your recommendation and simply loved it ...it is so light in tone despite exploring some complex and challenging themes .....and with a slice of humour and so sharp ....thank you .....also read Tender is the Flesh ...gosh , really dark , so brutal and bleak but again I like the way it never takes the spotlight off the issues ... relentless ....

Frankly - I was despairing finding a coherent, interesting book channel. Your t-shirt gave me hope....I stayed for the whole list and I was revived by your thoughtful and interesting picks. Thank you for staying on point - one would think that would be a requirement, but apparently it's not on booktube. Subscribed.

This is brilliant! Thank you! I am excited about every single title mentioned.

I just found your channel and I’m so excited. You are offering exactly what I’ve been looking for. Thanks. And I appreciate your kind and respectful reviews. So well done.

What? These look great. Why have I not read these??? Fantastic list🥳🤓🥳

I have been enjoying world lit specially japanese ones and really enjoyed this vid, thanks for sharing!!!

I love how you speak about books, your love for them irradiates from you ! (and I just add like 6 books to my tbr lol) Take care! :))

tks, from Brazil !!!

Reading Breasts and Eggs now. Loving it, it's a page turner, can't put it down. Thanks Willow for the recommendation 😊.

Ya know I wanna read several books that were mentioned maybe cause of the language of the video. I love watch video and read in English, my 2d language.

Another Taiwanese book translated by Darryl Sterk that I really enjoyed is The Stolen Bicycle by Wu Ming-Yi.

oh no! I have just added 5-7 new books to my want to read list! >< I thought I'd try something other than my favorite Japanese literature but alas, I really want to read all of your top-5 books on this list.

12:55 imagining theyre talking about your book

You make me want to read every single book on this list 😅❤️ so not good, not good with my existing TBR

Please, make one too this year!

Yes Hurricane Season is a masterpiece!

Un-told NIght And Day sounds a bit like the anime, Perfect Blue, also about a singer-turned actress experiencing trauma, but, boy, is that Lynch-esque ride! Perception of time, indentity, a truly artistic piece. Catch this: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MJmK5SOeQBc.html I might give it a try. Also, I can see where you're coming from, having comented a lot on Murakami, although I myself am rather disappointed by him, especially by 1Q84, which dragged, felt purposeless and, Murakami-style, I lost the book in the end. Kafka On The Shore had a great entre but felt inconclusive in the end.

I totally agree with you on Earthlings. Many said its too disgusting or too disturbing but i think thats exactly how it should be and that it only works this way

Are you on Instagram, bro ?

Interesting that feminists would eschew the reading of a female author.