On The Same Page discussion
Around the World Challenge
>
Bonnie's around the world in 80 books
date
newest »
newest »
Well 22 so far and this has been worked on a long time. I guess I tend to read mostly from the same countries.
Mod
Great job, Bonnie!! 🥳
26 now- I doubt I'll get any more (new) countries this year as I'm in process with several set in places already covered.
On The Same Page
Books mentioned in this topic
This Motherless Land (other topics)The Wind Knows My Name (other topics)
The Ragged Edge of Night (other topics)
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow (other topics)
Kaikeyi (other topics)
Ireland
The Guest List by Lucy Foley Creepy psychological thriller (4 stars) set on an almost deserted Island off the Irish coast.
England
Who Killed Miss Finch? A quirky whodunnit with a heart (Edward Crisp, #1) by Peter Boon Loved this fun mystery. 5 stars. Great setting and characters.
Wales
Moonheart by Charles de Lint Ancient Wales anyway- and also Canada, but I have a Canadian book already. An OK fantasy read, not as good as I had hoped.
Spain (or I think so, kind of a fantasy set on an island and in the ocean by a Spanish author, written in Spanish and translated. ) Lights on the Sea by Miquel Reina lovely 5 star fantasy read.
Transylvania (Romania)
Budapest (Hungary) : Dracula by Bram Stoker : A re-read for me, but from long ago. 4 stars.
Scotland
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy not really enjoyable to read, but very well written and interesting. 4 stars.
Netherlands : Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok Chinese culture but the setting was the Netherlands. 4 stars.
France: The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper. By Phaedra Patrick. Very good audible- not really set in France/Paris but a portion of the book was him thinking of and visiting there. 4 stars.
Greece: Circe, by Madeline Miller- fantasy, mythology. Good but dark read. 4 stars for me.
Sweden: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Germany: The Ragged Edge of Night excellent book set in Germany towards the end of WW-2
Russia:
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. A dark fairytale. Loved it, a 5 star read.
Austria
The Wind Knows my Name- audible- 2 settings and stories by Isabel Allende.
Italy
The Marriage Portrait- audible, set in 16th century. Intense and sad, but well written and a good ending.
North America:
USA
Missouri to Oregon (the overland trail) Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon an excellent historical novel with great characters, romance, plot, and important lessons
Mexico
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia I really enjoyed this one. Loved the main character and the nicer secondary ones. Very creepy and horrible atmosphere and monstrous characters to hate and fear too.
Canada
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
Not as linear as I like, but great characters and settings. Scenes you could visualize.
Latin America:
Caribbean:
Black Cake (by Charmaine Wilkerson) is set in an Un-named Caribbean Island. It is kind of reminding me of Nassau.
Chile-Long Petal of the Sea. Excellent historical fiction, also set in Spain, but I have one for Spain already.
Africa:
Nigeria
This Motherless Land excellent book about coming of age between cultures and family
Egypt
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot, #18) by Agatha Christie Read. I enjoyed this, and actually figured out the killer before the end. I do like Christie's better in play or movie version.
Middle East:
Iran: The Stationery Shop of Tehran by Marjan Kamali Not as good as I had hoped. Interesting setting and good cultural insights. 3 stars.
Asia:
Afghanistan: The Broken Circle A Memoir of Escaping Afghanistan by Enjeela Ahmadi-Miller I liked this book too much, and hearing the history of Afghanistan before during and after the Russian invasion from someone who was there, to rate it below 4 although I had some trouble with the simplicity of the writing and passages that seemed confused and more a dream than a reality. Then I learned it was ghost written- and that from the memories of a young child. That made sense to me and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Afghanistan, refugees, and civil wars.
Korea/South : The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See A great read. Characters to care about, a unique island setting, a historical timeline and place I'm interested in. 5 stars.
Hong Kong: The Painted Veil by W Maugham- a classic. Just started so will add ratings later.
China: Peach Blossom Spring- just started, but it's a story of a Chinese family escaping the Japanese during WW-II. Had a little trouble keeping the names straight in my mind- still having trouble with the places, but the story is very relatable.
India-Kaikeyi set in India long long ago and kind of a fantasy/fable. Started strong, but ran out of steam and I ended up mostly skimming the end.
Syria (Southwest Asia)
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow what an excellent book. Heartbreaking and hopeful. Magical and true. The story of very young adults (should still be children) living in a country they love, which is getting impossible and dangerous to live in.
Oceania/Australia:
New Zealand
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton - not for me. Written in a very odd style based on numbers and astrology and impossible to keep up with. 1 star and not really sure I can claim reading it as I read the beginning several times, skimmed the middle, read the end.
BoraBora (French Polynsesia)
Something in the Water- a thriller by Catherine Steadman- just starting
Australia- Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson, quirky murder mystery, loved it enough to grab another one up by the same author.