Sometimes I have to remind myself to get a good book and read it. Often times I find that months have passed since I cracked the spine of a book and have substituted it with hours of online and magazine reading.

However, tonight at 7pm, online and book reading will be joined as one(kinda). Words Without Borders, the premier online magazine of international literature in translation, will be teaming up with Idlewild Books to launch a new monthly event series—First Thursdays—that couples renowned literary critics with translators to discuss international contemporary.

Tonight’s kickoff will feature a discussion about Amara Lakhous’s novel, ‘Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio’. In the book,”a small culturally mixed community living in an apartment building in the center of Rome is thrown into disarray when one of the neighbors is murdered.” Although I haven’t read it, the book seems to center on society’s general indifference and the self-centeredness that plagues todays culture. The discussion will be lead by the books’ translator, Ann Goldstein , and Michael F. Moore, Chair of the PEN Translation Committee.

Words Without Borders is a nonprofit organization that, “promotes international exchange through the translation, publication and active promotion of some of the world’s best writing.” To help you prep for this monthly event, Words Without Borders has also created a book club, including online discussions of each month’s book. 

Idlewild Books is located at 12 W 19th St.