In my pre-book blogging days, I will freely admit I paid no attention to publishers whatsoever. I just read, looked for my next book, read, looked for my next book... rinse and repeat. I don't regret it. Reading, and reading and blogging about what you read, are very different.
As a blogger, I have become much more conscious of publishers, imprints, and independent publishers v. The Big Six. At BEA, this was further reinforced, and one publisher's booth to which I kept returning was Europa. At BEA, the New York Review of Books and Europa stood out in terms of their iconic, consistently well-designed covers. Plus, Europa publishes translations - books we don't traditionally see in the States! This is something to be excited about, so I'm pleased to join in The Europa Challenge, a celebration of the publisher.
Thus far, I just finished my first Europa book, An Accident in August by Laurence Cossé (watch for the review this week). In addition to that, here are the other books I either have lined up or plan to line up for the challenge to meet the Europa Ami level:
You Deserve Nothing by Alexander Maksik (I always use this phrase because I think people overuse the word "deserve" so it hooked me with the title alone)
The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine by Alina Bronsky (talk about HOT! this one has made its rounds around the blogosphere)
A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cossé
Everything Happens Today by Jesse Browner
Check out Europa's site. See any titles (or covers) that interest you?
jenn aka the picky girl
