Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme started by @Lauren’s Page Turners but is currently hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog. This meme is quite easy to follow – just randomly pick a book from your to-be-read list and explain why you want to read it. It is that simple.

This week’s book:

She Who Remains by Rene Karabash

Blurb from Goodreads

High in the Accursed Mountains, in a village ruled by the ancient laws of the Kanun, Bekja escapes an arranged marriage by becoming a sworn virgin, renouncing her womanhood to live as a man. Her decision sets off a brutal chain of events, destroying her family and separating her from the one she loves the most. Years later, as Bekija – now Matija – tells their story to a visiting journalist, long-buried truths come to light, along with the realisation of all that might have been.

Why I Want To Read It

Happy Monday, everyone! Just like that, we are nearly through the fourth month of the year. How time flies! As always, time takes its natural course, ever flowing forward, sans regard for any of us. It does not wait for anyone. As such, I hope the year is going—and will continue to go—well for everyone. I hope the year will be kind to you all. Things are still erratic, whether at work or geopolitics. I sure hope the tension in the Middle East will start to de-escalate. I hope that peace will gradually be restored. Meanwhile, here in the Philippines, the stifling summer heat is making its presence felt. The dryspell has been quite alarming, and there seems to be no end in sight. It is even getting more heated and intense. Anyway, I hope everyone has had a good start to the workweek. I hope everyone is in a place of comfort. The new week beckons with hope and fresh starts. I hope it flows in everyone’s favor. Wishing you continued success and happiness.

I know—not many people get excited about Mondays (though I’m sure a few are out there). I, too, am not exactly a fan. I hope that as the week moves forward, you slowly gain a semblance of momentum. I hope that everyone’s workweek will go smoothly. More importantly, I hope everyone is doing well—mentally, emotionally, and physically. After spending the first two months of the year reading works of Latin American and Caribbean writers, I commenced a journey across the European continent in March. It took me some time to decide where to land next, but in the end, I chose to read European writers, since most of the books on my 2026 reading challenge list are by European authors. I have extended this journey to April because I still have several European literary works on my reading challenges. Extending this journey to May is also a foregone conclusion.

For this week’s Goodreads Monday update, I am featuring yet another book I first encountered through this year’s International Booker Prize. Rene Karabash’s She Who Remains is among the thirteen books longlisted for the prestigious prize. While it was not among the first works to pique my interest, it eventually caught my interest. This was especially true when it was shortlisted for the prestigious prize. Besides, my venture into Bulgarian literature is rather limited. I have read only one work by a Bulgarian writer. Interestingly, it was an International Booker Prize-winning book, Georgi Gospodinov’s Time Shelter. Meanwhile, this is my first time encountering his countrywoman, Rene Karabash (Рене Карабаш). I just learned today that it is the pseudonym used by Irena Ivanova Further, apart from being a writer, she works as an actress; she is actually an award-winning actress.

In 2018, Karabsh published her debut novel, Остайница (Ostaynitsa); she made her literary debut in 2014 with Хлъбоци и пеперуди (Hips and Butterflies), a poetry collection. Her novel was eventually published in English as She Who Remains. The novel whas quite an interesting premise. Wanting to portray the violence of patriarchal society, she researched for about two years about sworn virgins in Albania. Apparently, a sworn virgin is a traditional gender variant in certain Balkan cultures. One of her main sources was highly heralded Albanian writer Ismail Kadare’s Broken April. All of these make me look forward to reading the book. Thankfully, I was able to secure a copy of the book through an online bookseller. I can’t wait to read the book. How about you, fellow readers? How was your Monday? What books have you recently added to your reading list? Drop your thoughts in the comments. For now—happy Monday, and as always, happy reading!