Around the World in 80 Books discussion

I'm new here, but this looks fun!
For starters:
1. Keeper of Lost Causes (1st Department Q novel) by Jussi Adler-Olsen. Denmark. Jan 9.

a few more I've already read this year:

2. Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (Rowling), England, Jan 6.
3. Ghost Bride, by Yangsze Choo, Malaysia, Jan 4
4. Night Film by Marisha Pessl, USA, Jan 1 (home country)

Welcome to the challenge, Amy! You'e already read some books that I really want to read.

5. Love and Math by Edward Frenkel, Russia, Jan 11.

Okay, I don't know if this one counts, but the author recounts his youth in Russia and I learned a lot about the academic system there, and anti-Semitism even in the 1980s (somehow I thought they outgrew that as we did!), and what he went through to get an education. Also why there are so many great Russian mathematicians from that time. So I'm adding it here. Let me know if it's inappropriate.

Angie wrote: "5. Love and Math by Edward Frenkel, Russia, Jan 11.

Okay, I don't know if this one counts, but the author recounts his youth in Russia and I learned a lot about the academic system there, and ant..."

Yes, it definitely counts!

6. Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier, Netherlands, Jan 12

Groupread for Jan!

7. Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Spain, Jan 14

8. The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri, India, Jan 21

9. The World Until Yesterday, by Jared Diamond, Papua New Guinea, Feb 5
10. Purge, by Sofi Oksanen, Estonia, Feb 8
11. Junkyard Planet: travels in the billion-dollar trash trade, by Adam Minter, China, Feb 11.

This last one doesn't exactly fit the mold of most books on this list (and I also read Shanghai Girls by Lisa See this month for China, and there will be others this year), but I learned a LOT about China, and Chinese industry, and globalization, and the Chinese economy in this book. The author has lived in China for 10 years and knows his stuff. I feel like I traveled to tokay's China more than if I had read a novel set there, so I'm counting it, even though I have other China books...

Of course, I'm new here, so let me know if this doesn't really fit the challenge.

12. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, by Milan Kundera, Czech Republic (Prague), March 11.
13. Chronicle of a Death Foretold, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Colombia, March 11.

14. Pepperpot: Best New Stories from the Caribbean. Various authors, various Caribbean settings, but several from Trinidad & Tobago, so that's how I'm counting it (TT). March 12.

15. Yo! by Julia Alvarez. Dominican Republic, March 31

16. Samarkand, by Amin Maalouf, Iran, April 6.

I saw this on the poll for books for Iran this month. I read Reading Lolita in Tehran a few years ago, so I wanted to read a different Iran book this month. I'm so glad I did. This is quite possibly the best historical fiction I've ever read. I learned a great deal about the history of Persia around 1100 (Oman Khayyam) and around 1900. I heartily recommend this to others interested in that region!

17. The Scapegoat, by Daniel Pennac, France, April 13.

A very unusual mystery novel from an unusual author, published 1985. The English edition was a little hard to find, but I'm glad I tracked it down.

Just trying to figure out how to get my map in here. I'll keep updating it.

18. Americanah, by Chimamanda Adiche. Nigeria, April 17.

19. Radiance of Tomorrow, by Ishmael Beah. Sierra Leone, April 19.

20. An Unnecessary Woman, by Rabih Alameddine. Lebanon, April 20.

Wow, I'm on a roll with some really great books for this challenge! I feel very lucky.

Angie wrote: "20. An Unnecessary Woman, by Rabih Alameddine. Lebanon, April 20.

Wow, I'm on a roll with some really great books for this challenge! I feel very lucky."

Looks like you have a good list so far! Which books are your favourites? I'm looking for inspiration :)

I'd go with An Unnecessary Woman for inspiration. It's a lot like Elegance of the Hedgehog except WAY more uplifting (does that count as a spoiler?). Friendship in the face of suffering and isolation.
I also really like Keeper of Lost Causes , if you're in the mood for a mystery. And I'm crazy about Zafon's novels, although Shadow of the Wind is still my favorite.

21. The Essential Rumi. Turkey, April 28.

Poetry doesn't really have a setting, but Rumi's poetry is rich with the culture of the Middle East, and it's definitely a book not of this place and time. We typically think of him as Persian, which is fair, and we think of Persia as Iran, so I've seen Rumi listed under Iran in this group. But Rumi did most of his living and all of his writing in Konya, Turkey. Persia, of course, was much bigger than the present-day Iran.

5. , A Constellation of Vital PhenomenaRussia again. May 1

I won't advance the # of countries for this one, but 2004 Chechnya felt so different from the 1980s Moscow I read about in by other Russia book on the list, I felt like I needed to add an entry for this excellent book.

22. Kilometer 99: A Novel, El Salvador. May 11.

Great location book. Plot could be improved. But it brought El Salvador alive for me.

23. Cutting for Stone Ethiopia. May 11.

Whew! This is a thick one, but I made it through and I'm very glad to have read it. Group read for May.

24. The Poisonwood Bible, Democratic Republic of the Congo, May 17.

I feel like everyone and their sister has already read this book, but I'm finally one of them. What do you know, it really is a good book.

And with country #24, I'm officially qualified as a tourist, I think. Onward!

25. Ghana Must Go, Ghana, May 22.

26. Reverberations from Fukushima: 50 Japanese Poets Speak Out, Japan, May 24.

Really great poetry. Really hard read, full of rage and powerlessness at the Fukushima disaster.

Angie, you can count Chechnya as it's own country if you want to.

Diane wrote: "Angie, you can count Chechnya as it's own country if you want to."

Hi Diane. Great, thanks! You might want to correct the readerboard, though, when you get a chance. That puts me at 27 countries, not 37.

28. The Pearl that Broke Its Shell, by Nadia Hashimi. Afghanistan, May 28.

29. The Blind Man's Garden by Nadeem Aslam. Pakistan, June 8.

The setting goes back and forth between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the primary purpose is to characterize the early years of our post-9/11 war in that region. I guess I didn't know that going in, thought there would be more character-centered aspects. Glad I read it, but not exactly enjoyable.

30. The Invention of Exile: A Novel by Vanessa Manko. Mexico, June 17.

31. Coconut by Kopano Matlwa. South Africa, June 27.

32. Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges. Argentina, June 28.

33. The Sojourn by Andrew Krivak. Austria, June 29.

Actually I'm having trouble pinning a country on this one.
Main character is born in US in 1899
then grows up in Pastvina, a Slovak town where Slovak is spoken in homes but the official language is Hungarian, since they're in the Austria-Hungarian empire. Villagers say they live in Hungary. But Pastvina is in modern-day Czech Republic.

Then our guy goes to war in WWI, fighting in Austria against the Italians, where the bulk of the book takes place.

So I'd like to count it as Austria for the war action, since I already have a Czech Republic book and also because this was pre-Czech Republic anyway. I didn't see this book on our master list, so dissenting views welcome.

34. A History of Silence: a memoir by Lloyd Jones. New Zealand, July 8.

A beautiful memoir occasioned by the 2011 earthquake in Christchurch.

35. The Rise & Fall of Great Powers by Tom Rachman. Thailand, July 10.

Simultaneously tells 3 stories from different decades of Tooly's life in 3 different countries: US (NY), UK (Wales), and Thailand.

36. No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam by Reza Aslan. Saudi Arabia, July 14.

The story of Islam for those of us in the West. A very readable introduction.

37. Georges by Alexandre Dumas. Mauritius, July 17.

38. War of the Whales: A True Story by Joshua Horwitz. Bahamas, July 22.

39. A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell. Italy, July 26.

40. The Last Kings of Sark: A Novel by Rosa Rankin-Gee. Sark (Channel Islands), May 6.

Okay, this is an unabashed effort to get another point/country. But I noticed that someone counted the Channel Islands for Guernsey, so I thought I might see if this one counts. This book was a little weird -- not sure I'd recommend it to everyone, but the first 2/3 of it takes place on Sark (last 1/3 or so in Paris).

41. Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden. Canada, August 7.

Fantastic story about a Cree family in northern Canada and the events set in motion by the disappearance of a young woman and her lover.

42. The Barbary FigsRachid Boudjedra. Algeria, August 10.

43. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Germany, August 11.

44. Swans Are Fat Too by Michelle Granas. Poland, August 15.

45. The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson. Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), August 17.

46. When Swan Lake Comes to Sarajevo: The Story of the Mostar Sinfonietta. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sept 3.

47. Henna House by Nomi Eve. Yemen, Sept 11.

48. Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan. Samoa, Sept 16.

I actually picked this book to get Belgium on my country list, since it mentions Belgium in the summary blurb. But only about the first 20 pages are in Belgium. Much of the book takes place in France, the UK, and the US. But since they end up in Samoa, and at least we hear more about that country than Belgium, I'll put it down for Samoa.
Anyway, it was a good but not great read.