I am unsure if I am remembering two books mushed together or one book in total but this is what I have so far.
Illustrated, somewhat dark-covered middle-grade novel available in a U.S. school library around 2015. A boy lives with his father or grandfather, who has exhausted the family’s savings publishing a memoir or novel that fails to sell. Facing the loss of their home, the boy enters a Millionaire-style television quiz show. A magical voice in his head converses with him and supplies answers. Earlier, the boy and a girl get jobs together at a bakery. They eat enchanted bread that makes each eater fall in love with the first person they see. The girl’s mother previously ate the same bread, fell for a stranger, and abandoned the family.

Any help would be appreciated. I know for certain it is not Just Add Magic or Jenny’s Ear.

This was over 25 years ago, I found it in the childrens section of my local library, loved it so much and failed to return it on time..I remember being dazzled by the illustrations.

Things I can remember:

• Fairytale for kids or maybe older children?
• Not a rhyming story, more like classically told
• Potentially from the 1980s or 1990s
• Lush illustrations, highly detailed with lots of color
• Art style was more realistic than cartoony or exaggerated-- my brain wants to say it was very similar to Alphonse Mucha and Art Nouveau
• Book cover was the mermaid half in and out of the water to the prince above her (he might have been in a boat?) she is holding a hand mirror
• It's not a straight up little mermaid retelling
• A hand mirror factors into the story- the prince tries to lure the mermaid out with a mirror and maybe a comb and potentially a third gift?

Li esse livro provavelmente em 2016. É sobre um diplomata que desaparece mas a filha não aceita e vai atrás. Me lembro que ela vai mudando de país pela Europa, provavelmente no leste europeu. A capa era no estilo passaporte, vinho com um brasão dourado. O nome era uma palavra só e teve uma sequência que a capa era azul marinho. Tem anos que procuro esse livro porque emprestei e não lembro o nome. O livro termina quando a menina encontra o pai.

Eng:

I probably read this book in 2016. It's about a diplomat who disappears, but his daughter doesn't accept it and goes looking for him. I remember she moves from country to country in Europe, probably in Eastern Europe. The cover was passport-style, burgundy with a gold coat of arms. The title was a single word, and there was a sequel where the cover was navy blue. I've been looking for this book for years because I lent it out and don't remember the title. The book ends when the girl finds her father.

Would be so happy to find this book.

Greetings! I've been after some of Friederich Lustig's works for a while.

Lustig was an Estonian monk who lived in Myanmar and published translations of Burmese poetry. I'd like to very much to read them since I really love Burmese poetry and translations are rare.

His Wikipedia page lists his works as follows:

"Burmese Classical Poems (1967, some say 1966), A Glimpse of Contemporary Burmese Poetry (1968), Burmese Poems through the Ages (1969), and the collection of his own poems, Fluttering Leaves: a collection of 60 poems (1970)."

While "Burmese Classical Poems" can be found easily through the internet archive, his other poetry translations are nowhere to be found.

Both his translations and the original poems are very beauiful, and it would be a pity for them to be lost.