Book buzz

A look at books in the news this week.

from the April 29, 2008 edition

THE TRANSLATOR: A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur

By Daoud Hari / Random House

"In his moving memoir, 'The Translator,' Daoud Hari illuminates the complexities of the conflict [in Darfur].... In its intimacy, quiet humor and compassion, 'The Translator' is more like a conversation with a friend than a call to action. "

– STEPHANIE HANSON, Los Angeles Times

The Library at night

By Alberto Manguel / Yale University Press

"Alberto Manguel's new book is a vivaciously erudite justification for society's inexorable efforts to collect, order and store information. Inspired by the library he built in his French home, he explores the myriad levels on which a library functions.... Book lovers will luxuriate in these earnest and impressively researched pages."

– CHRISTINE THOMAS, The Miami Herald

OLIVE KITTERIDGE

By Elizabeth Strout / Random House

"...Elizabeth Strout's fine new collection, 'Olive Kitteridge' ... isn't filled with what life takes out; rather, its pages hold what life puts in: experience, joy, grief, and the sometimes-painful journey to love. – JEAN BLISH SIERS, The Charlotte Observer