Wanderlust Challenges discussion

Book Lists for Individual Continents & Countries

Below are links to another group's resources for book and authors from each country. They have done a wonderful job compiling them so I hope you make use of them!!!

Lists are from: Around the World in 80 Books
African Countries
Asian Countries
European Countries
Middle East (Includes Parts of Europe, Asia and Africa)
Pacific Islands and Australia
Latin American Countries
Mexico and Canada
US States

If you have read a book you loved from a particular country feel free to post the link here and I will add it under the appropriate continent.

African Countries

South Africa
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
The Housemaid's Daughter by Barbara Mutch
Devil's Peak by Deon Meyer

African Countries #2

Antarctica

Asian Countries

Istanbul
My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk

Asian Countries #2

Australia & Pacific Islands

Australia
The Exiles (The Australians Series) by William Stuart Long
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
A Drop in the Ocean by Jenni Ogden
Music From Standing Waves by Johanna Craven

New Zealand
The Colour by Rose Tremain
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

European Countries

Austria
Vienna Nocturne by Vivien Shotwell

Belgium
On Black Sisters Street by Chika Unigwe
When in Bruges by Nic Saint

England
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

France:
The Grape Series: My Grape Year: by Laura Bradbury

Iceland
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
Jar City by Arnaldur Indriðason (First in Series)
Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir (First in Series)
Frozen Assets by Quentin Bates (First in Series)
Frozen Out by Quentin Bates

Italy
Recipe for Life by Nicky Pellegrino
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

Norway
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
I'm Traveling Alone by Samuel Bjørk
Eva's Eye by Karin Fossum
The Last Pilgrim by Gard Sveen

Russia
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Sweden
The Ice Princess by Camilla Läckberg
The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler
Sun Storm by Åsa Larsson

European Countries #2

North American Countries

Canada
Ontario: Forty Words for Sorrow by Giles Blunt
Quebec: Still Life by Louise Penny (First in Series)

Mexico
The Xibalba Murders by Lyn Hamilton

USA/Mexico
The Butterfly's Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe

North American Countries #2

South American Countries

South American Countries #2

Thanks for the recommendations Dee! I will start our lists with them.

Iceland and an I author - two good things! The Inspector Erlendur series by Arnaldur Indriðason. I just finished Jar City which is listed as #3 but seems to be the first one translated into English. It stood well enough on its own. Definitely not a cozy series!

Thanks Karen - strange that #3 is the first translation. I will add it to the list.

I didn't love it particularly but maybe someone else will like it - and I think it's not on this list you've posted above:

Belgium: When in Bruges by Nic Saint

I'll add it to our list Rosa :)

I read On Black Sisters Street by Chika Unigwe this year as part of a challenge for Belgium. It involves women from Africa that are tricked into going to Belgium. Not an ice cream treat, but it touched me.

Appreciate the recommendation Kim! It sounds like an intersting book.

ASIA - Turkey
My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk
Set in 16th-century Instanbul, this is a murder mystery, an art history lesson, and a love story all in one.
LINK to my review

This looks like an interesting book BC. I'm fascinated with Istanbul.

NORTH AMERICA - Mexico

The Xibalba Murders by Lyn Hamilton
Number one in the Lara McClintoch Archeological Mystery series, takes our heroine from her home in Toronto to the Yucatan peninsula. I am a fan of magical realism, but Hamilton’s efforts seemed heavy-handed. All in all, it was a somewhat entertaining mystery … a bit more hard-hitting than most cozies, though Lara IS an amateur sleuth. I did enjoy learning a bit more about Mayan lore.
LINK to my review


NORTH AMERICA - USA & MEXICO
The Butterfly's Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe
Luz Avila sets out on a road trip to take her grandmother’s ashes back to her native village in Mexico, an area near the Monarch butterfly sanctuary. This was a chick-lit, road-trip, find-yourself kind of novel. I was intrigued by the link to the monarch butterfly migration, and by the main character’s journey from Milwaukee (where I currently live) to San Antonio (where I grew up) and on to Mexico.
LINK to my review

NORTH AMERICA - Honduras
The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston
NONfiction: A five-hundred-year-old legend. An ancient curse. A stunning medical mystery. And a pioneering journey into the unknown heart of the world’s densest jungle.
LINK to my review

EUROPE - Russia
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
I love the Count and the way he leads his life. He may be confined to the hotel, but his life is certainly *not* limited. This has an intricate plot, involving intrigue, misdirection, suspense, luck and a lot of courage and ingenuity.
LINK to my review

Europe - ENGLAND

The Cuckoo’s Calling – Robert Galbraith – 4****
Galbraith is the pseudonym of J K Rowling, and this book proves that she knows how to craft a compelling story. I really liked Strike as a lead character, but I really loved his assistant, Robin. These two make a great team. The plot is suitably complex, with plenty of red herrings to confuse and misdirect both Strike and the reader. I’ll definitely continue with this series.
LINK to my review


Europe - NORWAY
Beartown – Fredrik Backman – 4****
A character wonders: “what are principles worth, if you don’t win?”. That may be the essence of this novel, set in a small town where hockey is everything. This is definitely a departure from the kinds of novels that have made Backman an international literary star. No cranky old men or grandmothers who spin fantasy adventure tales here. But you will recognize Backman’s gift for drawing characters – good, bad, young, old, talented young people, and alcoholic has-beens.
LINK to my review

My first novel by Liane Moriarty: Das Geheimnis meines Mannes=The Husband's Secret was a revelation. It's a great genre mixture set in Australia (Melbourne & Sydney)

I really enjoy her books Agnieszka!

I'm a big Arnaldur Indridason who writes settings in Iceland - do you want all the names of his series or just that first one you already have? Jar City?

Just the first one Denise (I'll mark its a first in series).

Algonquin Bay, Ontario, Canada

Giles Blunt

First in Series: Forty Words for Sorrow

Montreal and Three Pines, Quebec, Canada

Louise Penny

First in Series: Still Life

another Iceland entry

Reykjavik, Iceland

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

First in series: Last Rituals

village of Hvalvík, Iceland and Reykjavik, Iceland

Quentin Bates

First in series: Frozen Assets
APA: Frozen Out

Italy My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

India The God of Small Things

Sweden The Ice Princess Camilla Lackberg and The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler
Sun Storm by Åsa Larsson

Norway I'm Traveling Alone by Samuel Bjørk
Eva's Eye by Karin Fossum
The Last Pilgrim by Gard Sveen

Denmark

South africa Devil's Peak by Deon Meyer

Thank you Denise and Claire for the recommendations. I have added them to the lists.