Around the World in 80 Books discussion

1. Uzbekistan - A Carpet Ride to Khiva: Seven Years on the Silk Road by Christopher Aslan Alexander
2. Tajikistan - The Disobedient Wife by Annika Milisic-Stanley Read February 2020
3. Tibet - Sky Burial by Xinran
4. Kenya - Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen
5. Liberia - Journey Without Maps by Graham Greene
6. Cambodia - First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung
7. North Korea - A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa Read March 2020
8. Jamaica - Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
9. Sri Lanka - The Tea Planter's Wife by Dinah Jefferies Read January 2020
10. Kyrgyzstan - Jamilia by Chingiz Aytmatov
11. Colombia - One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
12. Faroe Islands - The Brahmadells by Jóanes Nielsen
13. Isle of Man - Safe House by Chris Ewan
14. Portugal - Blank Gaze by José Luís Peixoto
15. Kazakhstan - Apples Are from Kazakhstan: The Land That Disappeared by Christopher Robbins
16. Afghanistan - A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini Read May 2020
17. Albania - Chronicle in Stone by Ismail Kadare
18. Mali - The Book Smugglers of Timbuktu by Charlie English
19. Denmark - The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen
20. Pakistan - I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
21. Yemen - Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday Read April 2020
22. Chile - The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
23. Hungary - Iza's Ballad by Magda Szabó
24. Columbia - The Book of Emma Reyes by Emma Reyes

Finished reading January book, 9th on list:

Sri Lanka - The Tea Planter's Wife by Dinah Jefferies

I enjoyed reading this historical fiction novel is set in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in the 1920s to 1930s. The writing is very descriptive of the setting on the tea plantation and the general landscape. The social conditions in that era seemed to be well depicted, and was a very interesting read from that perspective. Though the storyline was engaging, it was difficult to relate to some of the characters.



Points: 1

Finished reading February book, 2nd on list.

Tajikistan - The Disobedient Wife by Annika Milisic-Stanley

This book describes life in Tajikistan through the experiences of both an expatriate and a local woman who works for her. I enjoyed reading about the culture of this country which seemed to me exotic but which I had very little knowledge of.



Points 2

Finished reading March book, 7th on list.

North Korea - A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa

This book is a very tragic personal memoir, in which the author describes his horrifying life. This includes ostracism in Japan due to his dual Japanese and Korean background, thirty-six years spent in North Korea from 1960-1996 and his escape back to Japan.



Points 4

Finished book for April - 21st on list

21. Yemen - Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday

A bit different from what I expected. An easy lighthearted perhaps satirical read, which at the same time addressed some deeper issues. It starts off in the highlands of Scotland and then progresses to Yemen. There are lovely descriptions of the changing landscape. Also references to cultural and religious issues.

Finished book for May - 16th on list

16. Afghanistan A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

A truly captivating story of two women, Mariam and Laila, following their lives through two generations of turbulence in Afghanistan.