Publications

Since 2007, I have contributed literary reviews, literature and culture articles, and blog posts to a variety of online and print publications including The L Magazine (a biweekly local NYC magazine), Three Percent (literature in translation), The Reykjavík Grapevine, Iceland Review (both English-language publications in Iceland),  The Second Pass (reviews of both forthcoming and previously published literature and nonfiction), Reviewing the Evidence (crime and mystery fiction), and Gently Read Literature (essays and criticism of contemporary poetry and literature). These reviews are archived on this blog along with links to the articles on the original sites, when they are available. A complete list of my published articles and reviews is below.

My reviews primarily focus on international crime fiction and literature in (English) translation–particularly from Nordic countries, and more particularly, from Iceland and Denmark. However, I enjoy reading widely and spontaneously and am also interested in children’s and young adult novels, contemporary North American fiction, short stories, and various modes of genre fiction.

I currently live in Reykjavík, Iceland and am available to contribute freelance reviews and articles to American and/or European publications and websites: contact me at ethandthorn@gmail.com.

Fiction / Narrative Non-Fiction  (Creative Publications)

2013

• “Why I Want to Go to Housewife School,” BlogHer, April 11, 2013. http://goo.gl/AXBni
• “Onwards with the Butter!” Remedy Quarterly, Issue No. 12: Risk. March 21, 2012. http://goo.gl/Np2r1
• “Finding Home: Unpacking My Library in Iceland,” BlogHer, February 22, 2013. http://goo.gl/H2asL

2012

• Participant in GalleyCat‘s 2012 Literary Remix Contest, contributing a rewritten, re-styled page of the Victorian vampire novel Varney the Vampire. (Page titled “Western Union Varnegram.” Whole remixed book published December 19, 2012, and made available for free download via Smashwords, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/266802)

Articles / Published Blog Posts (Non-Book Reviews)

2013

• “Speed Dating at Café Lingua: Putting a Face to the Many Languages and Cultures of Reykjavík.” The Reykjavík Grapevine, issue 2, February 1, 2013. (http://goo.gl/j3uwQ)

2012

• “PEN World Voices 2012: Stalking the Exotic Author at the Westbeth Literary Safari.” The L Magazine, May 8, 2012. http://goo.gl/zZm2C
• “PEN World Voices 2012: Daniel Kehlmann is Famous.” The L Magazine, May 4, 2012. http://goo.gl/EF2y8
• “PEN World Voices 2012: Eugène Nicole Loves Proust and Lila Azam Zanganeh Loves Nabokov.” The L Magazine, May 4, 2012. http://goo.gl/VGvb8
• “Why This Book Should Win the Best Translated Book Award: Buzz Aldrin, What Happened to You in All the Confusion? by Johan Harstad.” Three Percent, March 29, 2012. http://goo.gl/NCbxT

2011

• “PEN World Voices Festival: Meet Ludovic Debeurme and Kjersti Annesdatter Skomsvold.” The L Magazine, April 27, 2011. http://goo.gl/uHzpH
• “PEN World Voices: ‘There’s Just Too Many Books.’ The L Magazine, April 28, 2011. http://goo.gl/pwm1d
• “PEN World Voices: New Fiction and Apartment Envy in Westbeth.” The L Magazine, May 2, 2011. http://goo.gl/Jg7M7

2010

• Review of Män som hatar kvinnor (American title: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), dir. Niels Arden Oplev, March 2010. The L Magazine, March 17, 2010.  http://goo.gl/cBdxR

2009

• “Why Scandinavians Really Write the Best Crime Fiction.” The L Magazine, July 17, 2009. http://goo.gl/BPJB1

Book Reviews

2013

• Review of LoveStar by Andri Snær Magnason, trans. Victoria Cribb. Three Percent, April 11, 2013. http://goo.gl/3Rv49
• Review of Reply to a Letter from Helga by Bergsveinn Birgisson, trans. Philip Roughton. The Reykjavík Grapevine, March 1, 2013. http://goo.gl/l0bw0

2012

• Review of The Greenhouse by Audur Ava Ólafsdottir, trans. Brian FitzGibbon. Iceland Review, December 10, 2012. http://goo.gl/1uJoO
• Review of Fish in the Sky by Fridrik Erlings, in a translation by the author. The Reykjavík Grapevine, December 7, 2012. http://goo.gl/dDU7G
• Review of It’s Fine By Me by Per Petterson, translated by Don Bartlett. Three Percent, October 16, 2012. http://goo.gl/sZi7I
• Review of The Canvas by Benjamin Stein, translated by Brian Zumhagen. The L Magazine, October 10, 2012. http://goo.gl/xTEQW
• Review of The Brummstein by Peter Adolphsen, translated by Charlotte Barslund. Three Percent. May 23, 2012. http://goo.gl/H4iB2
• Review of The Hitman’s Guide to Housecleaning, by Hallgrímur Helgason. Three Percent. May 21, 2012. http://goo.gl/xS9KA
• Review of Copenhagen Noir, edited by Bo Tao Michaëlis, trans. Mark Kline (one Swedish translation by Lone Thygesen Blecher). Three Percent. May 7, 2012. http://goo.gl/o5dIr
• Review of Amsterdam Stories by Nescio, Trans. Damion Searls. The L Magazine. March 28, 2012. http://goo.gl/MibaJ
• Review of Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz. Reviewing the Evidence. March 17, 2012. http://goo.gl/W8do3
• Review of The Hitman’s Guide to Housecleaning, by Hallgrímur Helgason. The L Magazine. March 14, 2012. http://goo.gl/kZikK
• Review of Call Me Princess, by Sara Blaedel, trans. Erik J. Macki and Tara F. Chance. Reviewing the Evidence. January 22, 2012. http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/review.html?id=9068

2011

• Review of The Greenhouse, by Audur Ava Ólafsdottir, trans. Brian FitzGibbon. Three Percent, December 5, 2011. http://www.rochester.edu/College/translation/threepercent/index.php?id=3739
• Review of Karaoke Culture, by Dubravka Ugresic, trans. David Williams. The L Magazine, November 23, 2011. http://www.thelmagazine.com/newyork/this-is-your-brain-on-tabbed-browsing/Content?oid=2195140
• Review of Mr. Fox, by Helen Oyeyemi. The Second Pass, November 11, 2011. http://thesecondpass.com/?p=7919
• Review of Night Watch, by Sergei Lukyanenko, trans. Andrew Bromfield. Reviewing the Evidence, October 29, 2011. http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/review.html?id=8982
• Review of Headhunters, by Jo Nesbø, Trans. Don Bartlett. Reviewing the Evidence, October 15, 2011. http://reviewingtheevidence.com/review.html?id=8970
• “Crime is Culture.” Review of Happy Birthday, Turk!, More Beer, One Man, One Murder, and Kismet, by Jakob Arjouni, trans. Anselm Hollo; Anthea Bell. The L Magazine, August 17, 2011. http://www.thelmagazine.com/newyork/crime-is-culture/Content?oid=2170919
• Review of The Bayou Trilogy: Under the Bright Lights, Muscle for the Wing, and The Ones Your Do, by Daniel Woodrell. Reviewing the Evidence, August 6, 2011. http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/review.html?id=8891
• Review of Frozen Assets, by Quentin Bates. Reviewing the Evidence, March 26, 2011. http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/review.html?id=8776
• Review of The Girl with the Green Raincoat, by Laura Lippman. Reviewing the Evidence, March 12, 2011. http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/review.html?id=8761
• Review of Fair Play, by Tove Jansson, trans. Thomas Teal. Three Percent, March 7, 2011. http://www.rochester.edu/College/translation/threepercent/index.php?id=3128
• Review of Real Murders, by Charlaine Harris. Reviewing the Evidence, January 29, 2011. http://reviewingtheevidence.com/review.html?id=8708

2010

• Review of Great House, by Nicole Krauss. The Second Pass, December 6, 2010. http://thesecondpass.com/?p=6904
• Review of The Ambassador, by Bragi Ólafsson, trans. Lytton Smith. The Second Pass, October 29, 2010. http://thesecondpass.com/?p=6748
• Review of The Shadow Woman, by Åke Edwardson, trans. Per Carlsson. Reviewing the Evidence, October 2010. http://reviewingtheevidence.com/review.html?id=8612
• Review of A Novel Bookstore, by Laurence Cossé, trans. Alison Anderson. Three Percent, September 30, 2010. http://www.rochester.edu/College/translation/threepercent/index.php?id=2880
• Review of I Curse the River of Time, by Per Petterson, trans. Charlotte Barslund. The L Magazine, August 18, 2010. http://www.thelmagazine.com/newyork/life-aint-easy-i-curse-the-river-of-time/Content?oid=1715776
• Review of The Ice Princess, by Camilla Läckberg, trans. Steven T. Murray. Reviewing the Evidence, July 17, 2010. http://reviewingtheevidence.com/review.html?id=8522
• Review of Heartbreak Tango by Manuel Puig, trans. Suzanne Jill Levine. Three Percent, June 25, 2010. http://www.rochester.edu/College/translation/threepercent/index.php?id=2742
• Review of Maid of Murder by Amanda Flower. Reviewing the Evidence, June 19, 2010. http://reviewingtheevidence.com/review.html?id=8488
• Review of Purge by Sofi Oksanen, trans. Lola Rogers. Three Percent, June 18, 2010. http://www.rochester.edu/College/translation/threepercent/index.php?id=2729
• Review of Purge by Sofi Oksanen, trans. Lola Rogers. The L Magazine, June 9, 2010. http://www.thelmagazine.com/newyork/sofi-oksanens-dark-materials/Content?oid=1640634
• Review of Siamese by Stig Sæterbakken, trans. Stokes Schwartz. Three Percent, April 8, 2010. http://www.rochester.edu/College/translation/threepercent/index.php?id=2637
• Review of The Devil’s Star by Jo Nesbø, trans. Don Bartlett. Reviewing the Evidence, March 13, 2010. http://reviewingtheevidence.com/review.html?id=8400
• “Leave Them Kids Alone,” Review of Stolen Spring and The Missing Bureaucrat by Hans Scherfig, trans. Frank Hugus. The Second Pass, February 18, 2010. http://thesecondpass.com/?p=4640
• Review of Tales from a Finnish Tupa, adapted by James Cloyd Bowman and Margery Bianco, trans. Aili Kolehmainen. Three Percent, February 5, 2010. http://www.rochester.edu/College/translation/threepercent/index.php?id=2480
• Review of The True Deceiver, by Tove Jansson, trans. Thomas Teal. The L Magazine, February 3, 2010. http://www.thelmagazine.com/newyork/the-true-deceiver-suspicious-minds-in-finland/Content?oid=1528514
• Review of Plants Don’t Drink Coffee, by Unai Elloriaga, trans. Amaia Gabantxo. Three Percent, January 4, 2010. http://www.rochester.edu/College/translation/threepercent/index.php?id=2424

2009

• Review of Box 21, by Anders Roslund and Börge Hellström, trans. uncredited. Reviewing the Evidence, November 2009. http://reviewingtheevidence.com/review.html?id=8262
  
• “Father Knows Best?” Review of A Friend of the Family, by Lauren Grodstein. The Second Pass, November 3, 2009. http://thesecondpass.com/?p=3373
  
• Review of The Gates, by John Connolly. Reviewing the Evidence, October 2009. http://reviewingtheevidence.com/review.html?id=8222
• Review of The Seducer, The Conqueror, and The Discoverer (The Wergeland Trilogy), by Jan Kjærstad, trans. Barbara J. Haveland. The L Magazine, September 30, 2009. http://www.thelmagazine.com/newyork/the-wergeland-trilogy-the-seducer-the-conqueror-and-the-discoverer/Content?oid=1299514
  
• Review of The Uninvited, by Timothy Wynne-Jones. Reviewing the Evidence, September 2009. http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/review.html?id=8187
  
• Review of Beauty Salon, by Mario Bellatin, trans. Kurt Hollander. Three Percent, August 14, 2009. http://www.rochester.edu/College/translation/threepercent/index.php?id=2150
  
• Review of The Twin, by Gerbrand Bakker, trans. David Colmer. Three Percent, June 19, 2009. http://www.rochester.edu/College/translation/threepercent/index.php?id=2033
  
• Review of My Soul to Take: A Novel of Iceland, by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, trans. Bernard Scudder and Anna Yates. Reviewing the Evidence, June 2009. http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/review.html?id=8099
  
• Review of Death Was in the Picture, by Linda L. Richards. Reviewing the Evidence, May 2009. http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/review.html?id=8036
  
• Review of Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned, by Wells Tower. The L Magazine, April 15, 2009. http://www.thelmagazine.com/newyork/everything-ravaged-everything-burned-by-wells-tower/Content?oid=1147135
  
• Review of Doghead, by Morten Ramsland, trans. Tiina Nunnally. Three Percent, April 13, 2009. http://www.rochester.edu/College/translation/threepercent/index.php?id=1841
  
• Review of The Dakota Cipher, by William Dietrich. Reviewing the Evidence, March 2009. http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/review.html?id=7969
  
• Review of Machine, by Peter Adolphsen, trans. Charlotte Barslund. Three Percent, February 10, 2009.  http://www.rochester.edu/College/translation/threepercent/index.php?id=1678
  
• Review of Savage Season, by Joe R. Lansdale. Reviewing the Evidence, February 2009. http://reviewingtheevidence.com/review.html?id=7935

2008

• Review of The Taker and Other Stories, by Rubem Fonseca, trans. Clifford Landers. The L Magazine, December 10 – 23, 2008.
• Review of The Tsar’s Dwarf, by Peter H. Fogtdal, trans. Tiina Nunnally. Three Percent, November 20, 2008. http://www.rochester.edu/College/translation/threepercent/index.php?id=1428
  
• Review of The Pets, by Bragi Ólafsson, trans. Janice Balfour. The L Magazine, October 22 – 28, 2008. http://thelmagazine.com/6/30/bookpage/book2.cfm?ctype=2
  
• Review of The Great Weaver from Kashmir, by Halldór Laxness, trans. Philip Roughton. Three Percent, October 10, 2008. http://www.rochester.edu/College/translation/threepercent/index.php?id=1316
  
• Review of House Lights, by Leah Hager Cohen. Gently Read Literature, October, 2008. http://gentlyread.wordpress.com/2008/10/01
  
• Review of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson, trans. Reg Keeland. The L Magazine, September 17 – September 23, 2008. http://www.thelmagazine.com/newyork/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo/Content?oid=1142503
  
• “Something Rotten in the Welfare State,” review of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson, trans. Reg Keeland. Three Percent, September 16, 2008. http://www.rochester.edu/College/translation/threepercent/index.php?id=1255
  
• Review of Hotel Crystal, by Olivier Rolin, trans. Jane Kuntz. The L Magazine, May 21, 2008. http://www.thelmagazine.com/newyork/hotel-crystal/Content?oid=1140012
  
• Review of The Miracle Letters of T. Rimberg, by Geoff Herbach. The L Magazine,
  April 16 – April 23, 2008.
• Review of You Must Be This Happy to Enter, by Elizabeth Crane. The L Magazine, January 30, 2008. http://www.thelmagazine.com/newyork/you-must-be-this-happy-to-enter/Content?oid=1139418

2007

• Review of The Quiet Girl, by Peter Høeg, trans. Nadia Christensen. The L Magazine, November 7 – 20, 2007. http://www.thelmagazine.com/newyork/the-quiet-girl/Content?oid=1139169
  
• Review of Voices, by Arnaldur Indriðason, trans. Bernard Scudder. The L Magazine, September 25 – October 9, 2007. http://www.thelmagazine.com/newyork/voices-a-thriller/Content?oid=1138942
  
• Review of The Exception, by Christian Jungersen, trans. Nan A. Talese. The L Magazine, July 4 – 17, 2007. http://www.thelmagazine.com/newyork/the-exception/Content?oid=1138480