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Scribe Publications

Scribe is an independent Australian book-publishing company, founded by Henry Rosenbloom in 1976.

16/01/2025

Very exciting to see two Scribe books among the excellent titles on the 2025 longlist!

VLADIVOSTOK CIRCUS by Elisa Shua Dusapin (translated by Aneesa Abbas Higgins) and FIRE EXIT by Morgan Talty which is out in Australia next month!

Congratulations to all the longlisted authors and translators.

13/01/2025

‘Awoke merges a folklorist tale with a strong, contemporary eye. It’s a striking story of destiny, hope and self-realisation … A modern classic, sure to thrill fans of Chinua Achebe and Chigozie Obioma.’
—OkayAfrica

‘Deeply committed to class and the clash of tradition with modernity, The Liquid Eye of a Moon is a … stoic coming-of-age story without any of Holden Caulfield’s phony fussing.’
—Lithub

Nigerian author Uchenna Awoke’s debut novel tells the story of fifteen-year-old Dimkpa, who dreams of the day his father will be made village head. He will return to school and maybe even go on to university; his mother will no longer have to break her back foraging wild food to sell at market; they will have the money to build a fine tomb for his aunt Okike; and his family’s status as ohu ma, the lowest Igbo caste, won’t matter anymore. But when his father is passed over for a younger man, breaking tradition, Dimkpa realises that he must make his own fate.

Journeying from his small village in rural Nigeria, to Lagos, Awka, and home again, Dimkpa learns that no money is easy money, that superstition runs deep, that knowledge is power, and that sometimes it is better to live in the present than always be chasing a future just out of reach.

THE LIQUID EYE OF A MOON is out now.

🔗 scribepublications.com.au/books-authors/books/the-liquid-eye-of-a-moon

09/01/2025

It’s 1989, and in a small town on the Austria–Hungary border, nobody talks about the war; the older residents pretend not to remember, and the younger ones are too busy making plans to leave. The walls are thin, the curtains twitch, there is a face at every window, and everyone knows what they are not supposed to say.

But as thousands of East German refugees mass at the border, it seems that the past is knocking on Darkenbloom’s door.

Still, though, nobody talks about the war.

Until a mysterious visitor shows up asking questions.

Until townspeople start receiving threatening letters and even disappearing.

Until a body is found.

‘A novel of great ambition and achievement.’
—The Sunday Times

‘truly one of the great European novels of our time, one that sets standards for how fiction can treat history.’
—Daniel Kehlmann, author of Tyll

DARKENBLOOM by Eva Menasse (translated by Charlotte Collins) is a sweeping novel of exiled counts, Nazis-turned-Soviet-enforcers, secret marriages, mislabelled graves, remembrance, guilt, and the devastating power of silence.

🔗 scribepublications.com.au/darkenbloom

07/01/2025

New year, new books!

We’re back in 2025 with four January titles: a compassionate and no-nonsense look at the loneliness epidemic, a dazzling biography of April Ashley, and acclaimed novels from Austria and Nigeria.

🔗 THE JOY OF CONNECTIONS by Dr Ruth K Westheimer isn’t just a guidebook for overcoming loneliness: it’s a vital kick in the pants we all need to start seeking — and finding — deep and lasting human connections.

🌕 THE LIQUID EYE OF A MOON by is a poignant and at times hilarious debut novel by Nigerian writer Uchenna Awoke, a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of a hidden and dangerous contemporary caste system.

🕵️ DARKENBLOOM by Eva Menasse (translated by Charlotte Collins) is a sweeping novel of exiled counts, Nazis-turned-Soviet-enforcers, secret marriages, mislabelled graves, remembrance, guilt, and the devastating power of silence, by one of Austria’s most significant contemporary writers.

💃 BONJOUR, MADEMOISELLE! by Jacqueline Kent and Tom Roberts is the glittering story of April Ashley, model and trans pioneer, and the divorce case which gripped 1960s Britain and defined transgender rights for a generation.

Find out more about the books here: scribepublications.com.au/blog/january-new-releases-2025

And Australian and NZ residents can win one of our January new releases over on Instagram: instagram.com/scribepub/

20/12/2024

What a year! In 2024, we published 60 books. We had the pleasure of working with authors and translators from all around the world, creating some of the most innovative and exciting stories in international fiction. We also published incredibly moving and thought-provoking works from local authors, from political takedowns to introspective memoirs. ⁠
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For some time to recharge before we do it all again, the Scribe office will be closed from tomorrow until Monday 6 January, and then we’ll be back in full swing for the new year.⁠ Online orders placed during this time will be fulfilled upon our return.⁠
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We have a schedule full of seriously good books again next year, and we’re excited to share them with you on our return. Make sure to check out our 2025 catalogue: scribepublications.com.au/catalogue
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Until next year, happy reading and happy holidays! 📚️

16/12/2024

We're so excited to reveal the stunning new cover for KATARAINA by Becky Manawatu, featuring artwork by Raukawa Kiri!⁠
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The much-awaited follow-up to the award-winning international bestseller Auē.⁠
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In Auē, eight-year-old Ārama was taken by his brother, Taukiri, to live with Kat and Stu at the farm in Kaikōura, setting in train the tragedy that unfolded. Ārama’s aunty Kat was at the centre of events, but, silenced by abuse, her voice was absent from the story.⁠
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In Kataraina, Kat and her whānau take over the telling. As one, they return to her childhood and the time when she first began to feel the greenness of the swamp in her veins — the swamp that holds her tears and the tears of her tīpuna; the swamp on the land owned by Stu that has been growing since the girl shot the man.⁠
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Unflinching in its portrayal of the darkness, tender in its harnessing of the hope that future generations represent, Kataraina is a stunning novel that confirms Becky Manawatu as one of the most talented and powerful writers working in Aotearoa/New Zealand today.⁠
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🗓️🌏 Publishing in April 2025⁠
🎨 Cover design adapted by Laura Thomas from artwork by Raukawa Kiri
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🔗 Pre-order: scribepublications.com.au/kataraina

10/12/2024

Scribe’s 2024 gift guide is here, and to celebrate, we’re doing one last giveaway! 📚🔥❤️⁠
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At Scribe, we’re (unsurprisingly) big believers that books make the perfect holiday gift. With so many diverse books published every year, you’ll be able to find something even your most eclectic loved one will enjoy.

Check out our full gift guide here: scribepublications.com.au/2024-gift-guide
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🎉 For your chance to win one of these books*⁠
↠ Comment below with your favourite Scribe title of the year,⁠
↠ Tag a friend, and⁠
↠ Make sure you‘re following !⁠
⁠
*Giveaway is open to Australian & NZ residents only.⁠
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Three lucky winners will receive a book of their choice from our gift guide. Entries close soon! Friday 13 December.⁠
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Happy reading, and best of luck!

02/12/2024

Our final monthly giveaway 📚⚡️ We have an extra copy of Enchantment by Birds, alongside early copies and ARCs of some of our most anticipated 2025 releases! ⁠
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💐 THE KNOWING by Madeleine Ryan (publishing Feb 2025) is a whimsical, abstract, and introspective day in the life of a woman who goes to work as usual while dreaming of more. ⁠
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🌕 THE LIQUID EYE OF A MOON by Uchenna Awoke (publishing Jan 2025), described as a Nigerian Catcher in the Rye, is a masterful debut that breaks the silence about a hidden and dangerous contemporary caste system.⁠
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🌊 TIME TOGETHER by Luke Horton (publishing March 2025) is a novel about different kinds of love, different kinds of loneliness, and the way spending time together can bring out the best and worst in each other.⁠
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🔥 FIRE EXIT by Morgan Talty (publishing Feb 2025) is a masterful and unforgettable story of family, legacy, bloodlines, culture, and inheritance, and what, if anything, we owe one another.⁠
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🦜 ENCHANTMENT BY BIRDS by Russell McGregor is both a history of the hobby and a love letter to birdwatchers everywhere and the enchantment they innately seek in everyday life. ⁠
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🎉 For your chance to win one of these books*⁠
↠ Leave a comment telling us which book you'd like and why,⁠
↠ Tag a friend, and⁠
↠ Make sure you‘re following !⁠
⁠
*Giveaway is open to Australian & NZ residents only.⁠
⁠
Entries close quickly! Friday 6 December. ⁠
⁠
Happy reading, and best of luck!

25/11/2024

We are thrilled to announce we're publishing THE NIGHTS ARE QUIET IN TEHRAN by Shida Bazyar, translated by Ruth Martin.

1979. Behsad, a young communist revolutionary, fights with his friends for a new order after the Shah’s expulsion. He tells of sparking hope, of clandestine political actions, and of how he finds the love of his life in the courageous, intelligent Nahid.

1989. Nahid lives her new life in West Germany with Behsad. With their young children, they spend hour after hour in front of the radio, hoping for news from others who went into hiding after the mullahs came to power.

1999. Laleh returns to Iran with her mother, Nahid. Between beauty rituals and family secrets, she gets to know a Tehran that hardly matches her childhood memories.

2009. Laleh’s brother Mo is more concerned with a friend’s heartbreak than with student demonstrations in Germany. But then the Green Revolution breaks out in Iran and turns the world upside down …

A topical, moving novel about revolution, oppression, resistance, and the absolute desire for freedom.

🗓️🌏 Publishing in June 2025
🎨 Cover design adapted by Laura Thomas
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🔗 Pre-order: scribepublications.com.au/the-nights-are-quiet-in-tehran/

11/11/2024

MELBOURNE GHOST SIGNS is a beguiling photographic collection of the faded signs and half-hidden logos of Melbourne, revealing the historic tales — big and small — of this ever-changing city, adapted from the iconic instagram account by Sean Reynolds.

From the gold-rush years to the Swinging Sixties, from Robur Tea to Tarax soft drinks, this city can never settle. In a process of continual renewal, old buildings are incorporated into new, both uncovering and obscuring snippets of history. Ghost signs provide hints to our common heritage, ready to be picked up by the keen eye and quick shutter.

Sean Reynolds, a transplanted American, first became fascinated by these old signs while walking in Yarraville and Footscray with his young daughter during their daily lockdown outings. He loved the hand-painted letters, the intricate glasswork, and the old factories marketing brands he’d never heard of before: big names like Uncle Tobys and Four’n Twenty, but also smaller ones, no less important, like ‘Miss Watson’s Motor Garage’ or the ‘St Kilda Coffee Palace’.

Join him in a tour of fascinating photos — sometimes nostalgic, sometimes gaudy — and the stories behind them — variously delightful, heroic, and tragic. Find the cities behind the city you thought you knew, one ghost sign at a time.

Available now at all good bookshops.

09/11/2024

Happy ! 🎉

At Scribe, we've been publishing narrative and literary nonfiction on important topics for decades. Here is just a small glimpse at recent nonfiction titles we've published. We believe strongly in the importance of sharing knowledge through literature and in highlighting some of the most incredible writers in nonfiction today.

📚 Q: What nonfiction book are you reading this November?

06/11/2024

This is the story of an Australian man’s hunt for those fragments and his family’s debt to an act of literary vandalism.

One hundred years ago, Gabriel Wells, a New York bookseller, committed a crime against history. He broke up the world’s greatest book, the Gutenberg Bible, and sold it off in individual pages.

Was the break-up a sacrilege or a canny deal? New Yorkers were divided. For every frown of disapproval, there was a lick of the lips. It was the Roaring Twenties, the Gatsby era of fabulous wealth. Tycoons were in a feeding frenzy to acquire items that would demonstrate their refinement. Wells marketed the pages as ‘Noble Fragments’, they sold like hot cakes, and he died a rich man.

Half a century later, Sydney journalist Michael Visontay stumbled upon a mysterious legal document that linked Wells to his own family. He became obsessed by the Gutenberg’s invisible imprint on his life, and set out to track down the pages of the broken bible.

Part detective story and part memoir, Noble Fragments is an expedition into the arcane world of book collectors and their eccentric passions, and a journey of discovery about how Wells’s gamble set off a chain of events that changed a family’s destiny.

Noble Fragments is available now in all good bookshops.

04/11/2024

‘It takes courage to write about vampires: they are the greatest of monsters, but also the most trivialised. Marina Yuszczuk manages to bring hers to life in this intimate take on the genre, which also weaves together grief, the history of Buenos Aires, and the voracity of desire.’
MARIANA ENRIQUEZ, AUTHOR OF OUR SHARE OF NIGHT

THIRST by Marina Yuszczuk (translated by Heather Cleary) is set across two different time periods, where two women confront fear, loneliness, mortality, and a haunting yearning that will not let them rest. A breakout, genre-blurring novel from one of the most exciting new voices of Latin America’s feminist Gothic.

In the nineteenth century, a vampire arrives from Europe to the coast of Buenos Aires, on the run from the Church. She must adapt, intermingle with humans, and, most importantly, be discreet.

In present-day Buenos Aires, a woman finds herself at an impasse as she grapples with her mother’s terminal illness and her own relationship with motherhood. When she first encounters the vampire in a cemetery, something ignites within the two women — and they cross a threshold from which there’s no turning back.

With echoes of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and written in the vein of feminist Gothic writers like Shirley Jackson, Daphne du Maurier, and Carmen Maria Machado, Thirst plays with the boundaries of genre while exploring the limits of female agency, the consuming power of desire, and the fragile vitality of even the most immortal of creatures.

Thirst is available now in all good bookshops.

31/10/2024

We are so excited to reveal the stunning cover for MONSTERLAND by Nicholas Jubber!⁠ 🧛🏻‍♀️
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Monsters, in all their terrifying glory, have preoccupied humans since we began telling stories. But where did these stories come from?

In Monsterland, award-winning author Nicholas Jubber goes on a journey to discover more about the monsters we’ve invented, lurking in the dark and the wild places of the earth — giants, dragons, ogres, zombies, ghosts, demons — all with one thing in common: their ability to terrify.

His far-ranging adventure takes him across the world. He sits on the thrones of giants in Cornwall, visits the shrine of a beheaded ogre near Kyoto, travels to an eighteenth-century Balkan vampire’s forest dwelling, and paddles among the shapeshifters of the Louisiana bayous. On his travels, he discovers that the stories of the people and places that birthed them are just as fascinating as the creatures themselves.

Artfully written, Monsterland is a fascinating interrogation into why we need these monsters and what they can tell us about ourselves — how they bind communities together as much as they cruelly cast away outsiders.

🗓️⁠🇬🇧 Publishing in April 2025⁠
🗓️🇦🇺 Publishing in June 2025⁠
🎨 Cover design by Joe McLaren
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🔗 Pre-order: scribepublications.com.au/monsterland

29/10/2024

This November, we’re excited to share six incredibly diverse titles: introspective vampire fiction, a photographic history of Melbourne told through iconic ghost signs, a history of and love letter to birdwatching, the riveting story of a family’s history tied to scattered pages of a lost book, a compilation of the year’s wittiest political commentary cartoons, and a powerful and moving compilation of human connection told through therapy sessions with clients.

🩸 THIRST by Marina Yuszczuk (translated by Heather Cleary) is a breakout genre-blurring debut from the Latin American author that depicts female vampires and their sexuality at their fiercest. It’s introspective, scary, q***r, and incredibly transportive.

👻 MELBOURNE GHOST SIGNS by Sean Reynolds is his work on the Instagram account brought to life in a stunning photographic compilation, telling parts of Melbourne’s forgotten history through these faded signs.

🦜 ENCHANTMENT BY BIRDS by Russell McGregor is both a history of the hobby and a love letter to birdwatchers everywhere and the enchantment they innately seek in everyday life.

📜 NOBLE FRAGMENTS is the part detective story and part memoir by Michael Visontay. It's the intertwined story of one man’s family history and a New York bookseller who broke up a Gutenberg Bible.
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✏️ BEST AUSTRALIAN POLITICAL CARTOONS 2024 edited by Russ Radcliffe is the compilation of work by some of the year’s most wry and astute political cartoonists, including Matt Golding, Fiona Katauskas, Mark Knight, and more. ⁠
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💝 HOUR OF THE HEART (publishing 29 Nov) by Irvin D. Yalom is a collection of deeply moving personal stories, capturing Dr Yalom’s one-off sessions with actual patients in a powerfully authentic depiction of what human connection can be.⁠

🎉 For your chance to win one of our November releases*⁠
↠ Leave a comment telling us which book you'd like and why,⁠
↠ Tag a friend, and⁠
↠ Make sure you‘re following our page.
⁠
*Giveaway is open to Australian & NZ residents only.⁠
⁠
Entries close Friday 15 November. ⁠
⁠
Happy reading, and best of luck!

25/10/2024

BARK! is the must-have guide to addressing anxious, fearful, or reactive behaviours in your dog through positive reinforcement, from certified dog trainer and animal behaviourist Zazie Todd.

Is your dog showing signs of fear, anxiety, or reactivity, such as biting, food guarding, shyness, or aggressive barking? You’re not alone. Close to 75% of dogs struggle with fear-based behaviours, and require our support and understanding to feel safe and secure.

In Bark!, Zazie Todd provides solutions for these behaviours. Decoding the latest canine science, she shows readers how to address the root cause of your dog’s fears, with expert advice and practical tips on how to tackle common canine fears, manage a dog’s natural fear responses, create safe havens for your dog and more.

Compassionate, practical, and rooted in science, Bark! helps dog owners understand the many factors that might be causing fear within your dog, and how you can help them lead a safe and happy life.

Available now in all good bookshops.

23/10/2024

OPUS by Gareth Gore is a thrilling exposé recounting how members of Opus Dei — a secretive, ultra-conservative Catholic sect — pushed its radical agenda within the Church and around the globe, using billions of dollars siphoned from one of the world’s largest banks.

For over half a century, Banco Popular was one of the most profitable banks in the world — until one day, in 2017, when the Spanish bank suddenly collapsed overnight. When investigative journalist Gareth Gore was dispatched to report on the story, he expected to find yet another case of unbridled capitalist ambition gone wrong. Instead, he uncovered decades of deception that hid one of the most brazen cases of corporate pillaging in history, perpetrated by a group of men sworn to celibacy and self-flagellation who had secretly controlled Popular and abused their positions there to help spread Opus Dei to every corner of the world.

Documenting Opus Dei’s secret history for the first time, and drawing on unparalleled access to bank records and exclusive interviews with whistle-blowers, this thrilling work of investigative storytelling raises important questions about the dark forces that shape our society.

Available now in all good bookshops.

Address

18-20 Edward Street
Brunswick, VIC
3056

Telephone

03 9388 8780

Website

http://www.scribepublications.com.au/

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Revealing. . . MANNY AND THE BABY by Varaidzo 🎺⁠ ⁠ A character-driven debut by a literary rising star, this novel explores family, Black-British identity, and legacy.⁠ ⁠ ‘MANNY AND THE BABY is the culmination of six years of research and interest, and toys with the question: what do we lose when we don’t pass on our history?’ — Varaidzo ⁠ 🗓️ Publishing in June 2024⁠ 🎨 Cover designed by Jodi Hunt ⁠ 🔗 Pre-orders: scribepublications.com.au/manny-and-the-baby

Coming soon: MATER 2–10 by Hwang Sok-yong (trans. Sora Kim-Russell and Youngjae Josephine Bae) 🚂 MATER 2–10 moves like a locomotive, demonstrating both Hwang Sok-yong’s powers as a writer and the beauty of the long novel. Centred on a family of rail workers, this novel vividly depicts the lives of workers and common folk, starting from the Japanese colonial era, continuing through Liberation, and right up to the twenty-first century, rendering a history of modern Korea in elegant prose. A true voice of a generation, Hwang shows again why he is unmatched when it comes to depicting the grief of a divided nation and bringing to life the cultural identity and trials and tribulations of the Korean people. A masterpiece thirty years in the making. ✍️ HWANG SOK-YONG is arguably Korea’s most renowned author. In 1993, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for an unauthorised trip to the North to promote exchange between artists in the two Koreas. Five years later, he was released on a special pardon by the new president. He has been awarded Korea’s highest literary prizes, he has been shortlisted for the Prix Femina Etranger and was awarded the Emile Guimet Prize for Asian Literature for his book ‘At Dusk’. Publishing: 🇦🇺 30 May (scribepublications.com.au/mater-2-10) 🇺🇸 13 June (scribepublications.com/books-authors/books/mater-2-10-9781957363318) #Mater2-10 #HwangSokYong

Revealing. . . NO SEASON BUT THE SUMMER by Matilda Leyser A sumptuous novel about mothers, daughters, and finding your own agency, it takes a classic myth and turns it on its head, asking what will happen when our oldest stories fail us, when all the rules have changed. A retelling of the Persephone myth in light of climate change, this novel is perfect for readers of Madeleine Miller, Maria Dahvana Headley, and Rumaan Alam. 🗓️ Publishing in July 2023 🎨 Cover designed by Jo Thomson 🔗 Find out more at scribepublications.com.au/no-season-but-the-summer

Have you seen the 2023 International Booker longlist yet? Here’s your reminder — and a look back at some of Scribe’s nominees from past years 📚️⁠🏆️ ⁠ Books featured:⁠ » The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischvili (trans. Charlotte Collins and Ruth Martin) » Tram 83 by Fiston Mwanza Mujila (trans. Roland Glasser) » At Dusk by Hwang Sok-yong (trans. Sora Kim-Russell) » Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung (trans. Anton Hur)⁠ » The Death of Murat Idrissi by Tommy Wieringa (trans. Sam Garrett) » A System So Magnificent it is Blinding by Amanda Svensson (trans. Nichola Smalley) ⁠ #bookreels #bookstagramreels #bookstagram #scribepub #bookaesthetics #booktok #bookerprize #internationalbooker #wit #translatedfiction

Scribe is delighted to be participating in the Open Book Internship again in 2023, and we look forward to welcoming the selected applicant to our team. The Open Book Internship aims to foster cultural diversity within the Australian publishing industry. Applications are strongly encouraged from people from a range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. While the internship is an entry-level position, Open Book does not equate this with youth or inexperience, and there is no upper age limit for applicants. The 2023 program will offer three paid placements in Sydney and Melbourne. Of the internships, one is an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander identified role. Applications are now open! Find out more about Open Book and apply for a placement at openbookinternship.org

Did you know that only around 30% of books translated into English are by women? More women in translation, please! Part 3 of our International Women’s Day series — books by women in translation 📚️⁠ Books featured:⁠ » Winter in Sokcho by @ElisaShuaDusapin (trans. Aneesa Abbas Higgins) » Blue Hunger by @ViolaDiGrado (trans. Jamie Richards) » Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung (@pirx_kosmopilot; trans. @AntonHur)⁠ » What I'd Rather Not Think About by @JentePosthuma (trans. Sarah Timmer Harvey, @sarahssighs) ⁠ #bookreels #bookstagramreels #bookstagram #scribepub #debutauthor #bookaesthetics #iwd #booktok #internationalwomensday #wit

Part 2 of our International Women’s Day series — books by women, celebrating some of our recent debut authors 📚️⁠ ⁠ Books featured:⁠ » Auē by Becky Manawatu » Bad Cree by Jessica Johns (@jessicastellaa) » Taking Sides by Sherine Tadros (@sherinetad, @takingsidesmemoir) » The Dream Builders by Oindrila Mukherjee (@oindrilamukherjee1) #booktok #bookreels #bookstagramreels #bookstagram #scribepub #debutauthor #bookaesthetics