Around the World in 80 Books discussion

1.Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch -Germany
2.These Violent Delights - China
3.America Is Not the Heart - USA
4.The Mountains Sing - Vietnam
5.Hold - Ghana
6.King Leopold's Ghost - Democratic Republic of Congo
7.Man Belong Mrs Queen: Adventures with the Philip Worshippers - Vanuatu
8.Things Fall Apart - Nigeria
9.We Need New Names - Rwanda
10. Devil-Devil - Solomon Islands
11. Annie John - Antigua and Barbuda
12.The Widows of Malabar Hill - India
13.The Blind Assassin - Canada
14.The Animals in That Country - Australia
15.Smilla's Sense of Snow - Denmark
16.Don't Look Now and Other Stories - Israel
17.Let the Right One In - Sweden
18.The Wrong End of the Telescope - Greece
19.The Huntress - Russia
20.Purity - Bolivia
21. The Idiot- Hungary
22.Grey Bees - Ukraine
23.The Golem and the Jinni - Syria
24.The Bridge of San Luis Rey - Peru

January #15

Smilla's Sense of Snow
Peter Høeg
Date Read: 17/01/22
Rating:⭐⭐⭐

Start of my review- It's a lot of effort for very little pay-off. It's a wonderfully convoluted story that involves, governments, drug cartels, mad scientists and lots of wealthy and/or connected people. It starts with a boy's death but ends with an international conspiracy. Sounds great but the execution was lacking for me on two essential fronts, the titular character and the writing style.

February #10
Devil-Devil
Graeme Kent
Date Read:28/02/22
Rating:⭐⭐⭐

Start of my full review- So I needed to read book set in the Solomon Islands. There are few books set in the Solomon Islands and even fewer available through my public library. Therefore by simple fact that it was available I read it. And though I didn't have high hopes, it was actually pretty decent. I'm not a massive mystery, especially cozy mystery, fan. I read one of those African Detective Ladies Agency or whatever books and hated it. It was dull. This had a tendency to veer in that direction but Kent was much better at using the landscape, history and culture. Not only did he deftly weave these elements in but the made them central. Our protagonist is trying to make his western education mesh with his cultural duties. As a police officer under colonial rule this is not always easy or legal to do.

March #23
The Golem and the Djinni
Helene Wecker

April #4
The King at the Edge of the World
Arthur Phillips

May #8
Things Fall Apart
Chinua Achebe
Date Read: 23/05/22
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

June #3
America Is Not the Heart
Elaine Castillo

August #14 (my #11 never materialised from the library)
The Animals in That Country
Laura Jean McKay
Date Read: 28/08/22
Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Start of my full review - I found Jean really hard to like. I liked how good she was with Kimberly, but even there she was selfish at times. I have no concept of what it's like to be addicted to a substance so badly that one becomes an embarrassment. I could empathise with Jean, but I so very badly wanted her to stop being a f*ck up. I so very much wanted her to get control of her life. But that is not the book Ms McKay wrote. So needless to say I dreaded every interaction between Jean and any human, which is pretty much the first third of the book.

Okay trying this again in 2023

1.America Is Not the Heart - USA
2.1Q84 - Japan
3.We Need New Names - Rwanda
4.Grey Bees - Ukraine
5.The Angels Die - Algeria
6.Purity - Bolivia
7. The Idiot- Hungary
8.The Widows of Malabar Hill - India
9.Splinters of Scarlet - Denmark
10.The Bridge of San Luis Rey - Peru
11.The Blind Assassin - Canada
12.Let the Right One In - Sweden
13.King Leopold's Ghost - Democratic Republic of Congo
14.The Magicians - Antarctica
15.Don't Look Now and Other Stories - Israel
16. Now Let's Dance - France
17.The Huntress - Russia
18.Gods of Jade and Shadow - Mexico
19.The Wrong End of the Telescope - Greece
20.Hold - Ghana
21.Man Belong Mrs Queen: Adventures with the Philip Worshippers - Vanuatu
22.Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch -Germany
23.These Violent Delights - China
24.The Golem and the Jinni - Syria

numbers
January: 12
February: 2
March: 1
April: 9
May: 18
June: 5
July: 20
August: 3

Unfortunately, I still have not read all of these! Let's do it in 2025
N Amer - USA, Canada, Mexico
S Amer -
Asia - Japan, India, Malaysia, Israel, China
Africa - Algeria, DRC, Malawi, Nigeria
Europe - Sweden, Ukraine, Netherlands, Denmark, France, Russia, Portugal
Pacific - Australia, Fiji, Antarctica

1.America Is Not the Heart - USA
2. Handling the Undead - Sweden
3. Strangers - Japan
4.Grey Bees - Ukraine
5.The Angels Die - Algeria
6. Carpentaria - Australia
7. The Miniaturist - Netherlands
8.The Widows of Malabar Hill - India
9.Splinters of Scarlet - Denmark
10. The Night Tiger - Malaysia
11. The Blind Assassin - Canada
12. A Disappearance in Fiji - Fiji
13.King Leopold's Ghost - Democratic Republic of Congo
14.The Magicians - Antarctica
15.Don't Look Now and Other Stories - Israel
16. The Mistletoe Bride & Other Haunting Tales- France
17. Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog - Russia
18. Velvet Was the Night- Mexico
19. Night Train to Lisbon - Portugal
20. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope - Malawi
21. South American country selection
22. Rosewater - Nigeria
23.These Violent Delights - China
24. South American Country selection

Keli,

It is good to see that you are interest in continuing this challenge. So far there are 3 of us interested in it. Sandra has bowed out for 2025. Let’s see over the next couple of days and see if we have some others interested in continuing it.

Linda

Keli,
Jacque T has selected number 4 for January so I am following her lead. I have enjoyed this challenge and want to keep going. Hope that helps you!
Linda

Sorry my notifications weren't on.

Glad you are still with us!

Linda

Summary so far:
2025 numbers
January: 4 - Grey Bees
February: 16 - The Mistletoe Bride
March: 1 - America is not the Heart
April: 24 - SA country
May: 11 - The Blind Assassin
June: 7 - The Minaturist
July: 18 - Velvet was the Night