Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Time for a little armchair travelling! Unless you live in a tropical location, in which case, lucky you! You can go for a tropical location here on Earth or for one in a fantasy setting or one in outer space. The choice is yours!

Some lists for your perusal:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...

ATY Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

What will you be reading? What are your recommendations for tropical books?

The Tropics are defined as the region between the Tropic of Cancer (about 23° N latitude), and the Tropic of Capricorn (about 23°S latitude). *Think of 2023 to remember 0 ° to 23° North or South. You can google any location to get it's latitude. E.g. Mumbai (Bombay) latitude = 19°
Malaysia latitude = 4°
Columbia latitude = 4°

For a list of countries, see the comment section of the ATY listopia:

MAJOR TROPICAL REGIONS:
South-East Asia
Amazon Rainforest (and parts of Central and South America)
Equatorial Africa - See message 4 on the ATY listopia
Caribbean Islands
Hawaiian Islands
Southern India,
Northern Australia.

SOUTHEAST ASIA
Fiction
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Nonfiction
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
Speculative Fiction of Southeast Asia
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Indonesia:
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/indo...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

SOUTH/CENTRAL AMERICA
Amazon Rainforest
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
Central America
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/hawaii

CARIBBEAN ISLANDS
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6...

AFRICA - Caution - some of these books might not fit. The Northern and Southern most areas of the continent aren't tropical.
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...

Adventure travel lists - South America, Africa.
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

Romance lists
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7... https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...

I plan to read about the Tropical Rainforests or Galapagos Island.

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
The Mapmaker's Wife: A True Tale of Love, Murder, and Survival in the Amazon
The Lost City of the Monkey God

Galapagos: The Islands That Changed the World

I was looking for a adventurous travel book when this prompt was voted in. I'm also open to recommendations for newer books that focus on the environment. My nephew is teaching me about the importance of the rainforests, and the dangers of deforestation. I can use one for the water prompt and one for the Tropics.

Here's a listopia for books set in South America near the Amazon Rainforests.

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...

I'm going to read The Disaster Tourist.

The People in the Trees, House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City, The Poisonwood Bible and Build Your House Around My Body all have a tropical setting and are interesting reads.

My top choices right now:
The Garden of Evening Mists (Malaysia)
Wide Sargasso Sea (Caribbean) fits multiple
Half of a Yellow Sun (Nigeria Africa) fits multiple prompts
Sea of Poppies (India) fits multiple prompts
The God of Small Things (Kerala India)
Breath, Eyes, Memory (Haiti, NYC) - bonus read
This Is Paradise: Stories -Hawaii
The Ten Thousand Things (Indonesia, SE Asia)
The Windup Girl (Thailand, SE Asia)
For the Amazon, maybe Lost City of Z or Tale of the Shaman's Apprentice.

Recommendations:
The Night Tiger - Malaya/Malaysia, SE Asia
Euphoria - Papua New Guinea, SE Asia
The Poisonwood Bible - Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa
The Girl with the Louding Voice - Nigeria, Africa
The Unhoneymooners - Hawaii (partly) - Romance
The Widows of Malabar Hill - Bombay India - Mystery
Added:
The Hungry Tide
The Garden of Evening Mists
Eat, Pray, Love - half fits

I need to get Midnight's Children read (and I wanted to read a Rushdie after we ended up with nothing on the list for banned books or threatened authors) and it fits here, so that's my selection.

Considering these:
Gods of Jade and Shadow - Silvia Moreno-Garcia (southern Mexico)
The Night Tiger - Yangsze Choo (Malaysia)
Fruit of the Drunken Tree - Ingrid Rojas Contreras (Colombia)
In the Time of the Butterflies - Julia Alvarez (Dominican Republic)
The Unhoneymooners - Christina Lauren (Hawaii)
Sharks in the Time of Saviors - Kawai Strong Washburn (Hawaii)

I recommend:
Claire of the Sea Light - Edwidge Danticat (Haiti)
Next Year in Havana - Chanel Cleeton (Cuba)
The Coroner's Lunch - Colin Cotterill (Laos)
Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 - Simon Winchester (off the coast of Java)

Tree Girl by Bolivian author Ben Mikaelsen is set in Guatemala in the 1980s and is the fictionalised account of a teenager who survives the massacres which caused the tragic death of tens of thousands of Indigenous Guatemalans. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review

Right now I’m reading The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh, set on islands off the coast of India. (Latitude 21 degrees N). It’s not what I expected, but so far I like it. One of the characters is a female marine biologist. It fits the Water related prompts in 2022 and 2023, women in STEM, tropics, and the India rejected prompt.

I’m planning to read the classic A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes.

Amy (Other Amy) wrote: "I need to get Midnight's Children read (and I wanted to read a Rushdie after we ended up with nothing on the list for banned books or threatened authors) and it fits here, so that's my..."

It is well worth your time. I was surprised to learn that it was Rushdie's first book. It won the Booker Prize, then it won the Best of the Booker and the Booker of Booker's.

I either re-read The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling or try one of these out:

A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

I was kinda hoping that People We Meet on Vacation would fit here. But it takes place in Palm Springs, California and says it isn't tropical.

My top choices at the moment are either Euphoria (Papua New Guinea) or The People in the Trees (Micronesia).

I would recommend:
The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng, which is set in Malaysia. The climate and landscape of Malaysia is particularly important to the story, so I think it would make a good choice.

So Long a Letter by Mariama Ba is set in Senegal. It's a beautiful book, though there's no particular emphasis on the tropical climate.

About half of The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert is set in Tahiti. It's another one where nature and the climate plays an important role in the story.

I am planning on reading either Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras (Colombia), or I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala by Rigoberta Menchu (Guatemala).

I struggled with finding a book for this prompt. What exactly is tropical? Does that mean the book needs to take place in a jungle? At least that was my first thought. The one that kept circling around in my mind.

After looking up countries that are in the tropics and cross referencing books on my TBR for the around-the-world challenge I landed on this one. Fruit of the Drunken Tree It takes place in Columbia. Most of it takes place in the city, but it does go to the mountainous regions outside of it too.

I am glad to mark this one off the list early in the year, so that I do not have to continue debating if a book set in a tropical country that has deserts in it counts as tropical.

I read Now You See Us, it is set in Singapore. It seems to be marketed as a mystery/thriller and while it has the aspects it seemed more like a cotemporary fiction.

I recently read Reckless Girls and while it wasn't a best read it was fun and easy - set at first in Hawaii and then in a nearby uninhabited island.

You're Invited is another good mystery thriller and it is set in Sri Lanka.

A more romance driven book I enjoyed but isn't that well rated is Last Tang Standing - set in Singapore.

I read The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh.

The book is set in the Sundarbans in the Bay of Bengal, where rivers, including the Ganges, meet the sea - an area of floods, mangrove forests, river dolphins and tigers. The landscape, history, culture and myths are beautifully evoked, and the characters interesting.

As one of the MC is a biologist studying the dolphins, this could also work as a book related to science and also a book by an author from the Asian diaspora.

I read My Hainan, the Island of Love. It’s set where I live, in Hainan, a tropical island in China 🏝️

I was trying to find something light so I went with A Beach House To Die For by KC Ames, a cozy mystery set in Costa Rica. Unfortunately, it was not very well written.

LeahS wrote: "I read The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh.

The book is set in the Sundarbans in the Bay of Bengal, where rivers, including the Ganges, meet the sea - an area of floods, ma..."

I liked this book a lot. Its so different from other locations, and I almost felt like I was actually there.

I agree. I recommend the author's Ibis trilogy beginning with Sea of Poppies.

I read Heart Wreck described as taking place in the tropical paradise of Lanai Hawaii

For this I read A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry.

Appointment with Death 3.5 stars.

I read The Garden of Evening Mists. 5 stars.

For this prompt, I read:
Chasing Giants: In Search of the World's Largest Freshwater Fish by Zeb Hogan - 4* - My Review

It is set in tropical environments of Brazil, Guyana, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

Is The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley (Brazil setting) a book that counts?

From what I read, the characters coming to Brazil were complaining about the heat.

Can anyone please help?

I read The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian, set in what is now Tanzania in the 1960's. 5 stars.

For this prompt, I read Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman. Most of this contemporary, suspenseful novel was set in London, but there was a pivotal plot point set in Bora Bora, located in French Polynesia.

For round 1 I read Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah. It's an award winner set in Equatorial Africa. (The Tropics are centered on the equator).

For round 2 I read The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng. It's set in the mountains of Malaysia. It really has a tropical feel. I loved it.

Dana wrote: "Is The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley (Brazil setting) a book that counts?

From what I read, the characters coming to Brazil were complaining about the heat.

Can anyone please help?"


Yes Dana, this book works. The Tropics are between 23 degree South and 23 degrees North (for 2023). Most of Brazil fits I think. The latitude of Rio de Janiero is 22.908333 South. So it just makes it.

Did you like the book? I've had it for years, but I haven't read it yet.

I read How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue set in a fictional town most likely in Cameroon.

I'd recommend:
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

NPR just did a story on Caribbean literature which had some ideas"

https://www.npr.org/2023/06/17/118263...

Pamela wrote: "NPR just did a story on Caribbean literature which had some ideas"


Thanks Pamela, this is a great article. Some of the books fit the tropical settings I love, and others fit the immigration theme I’m reading this month.

I’m going to take a closer look at When We Were Birds, Here Comes the Sun byNicole Y. Dennis-Benn, The God of Good Looks, Hungry Ghosts, How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House

#ReadCaribbean: Novels to Get Lost in this Summer
Hungry Ghosts by Kevin Jared Hosein A socially conscious literary thriller set in 1940s Trinidad, this debut captures the beauty and danger of the island. Hosein's theatrical reading rocked the house at the 2023 Calabash Literary festival in May.

When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo Magical realism meets the realities of contemporary Caribbean life in this widely acclaimed crowd favorite and 2023 Bocas Prize winner for fiction. A stunning, poetic debut about love and death.

Fire Rush by Jacqueline Crooks A reggae infused novel set in London in the 1980s about a young woman's awakening set against a dynamic and volatile Jamaican music scene.

Popisho by Leone Ross ("This One Sky Day" in the UK). A surreal, magical realist novel with a strong sense of humor, Popisho takes place in a fictional but familiar Caribbean archipelago marked by beauty and chaos — broken politics set off by a stunning natural landscape, mystery and mischief.

A Million Aunties by Alecia McKenzie In this beautifully crafted novel, a grief-stricken artist, seeking solace and renewal in the wake of tragedy, discovers family, friendship, and community visiting his mother's homeland of Jamaica.

The Island of Forgetting by Jasmine Sealy A Greek myth inspired, multigenerational saga about a family who run a beachfront hotel in Barbados.

Immigration topics:
If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery Nominated for the Pen Faulkner Award for fiction and longlisted for the National Book Award, this captivating and conversation-starting set of interconnected short stories about a Jamaican-American family in Miami is a critical favorite and crowd pleaser due in part to its finely calibrated blend of pathos and humor.

The Islands by Dionne Irving. This PEN/Faulkner longlisted short story collection explores the vicissitudes of Jamaican diaspora life and identity in settings from North America to Europe to Panama.

How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones. A mid-20th century-set literary thriller about the dark underbelly of paradise, shortlisted for the UK Women's Prize in 2021.

Monster in the Middle by Tiphanie Yanique. A sweeping and lyrically written saga about how intergenerational inheritance shapes who and how we love, set in the mainland U.S. and the Virgin Islands.

Looking to use Tai Pan by James Clavell for this category. Would it fit? TIA

Carolyn Rutigliano wrote: "Looking to use Tai Pan by James Clavell for this category. Would it fit? TIA"

Yes it fits! It’s set in Hong Kong which is within the tropical ring around the planet. The latitude is 22 degrees north. Anything between 0 and 23 degrees works.

NancyJ wrote: "Carolyn Rutigliano wrote: "Looking to use Tai Pan by James Clavell for this category. Would it fit? TIA"

Yes it fits! It’s set in Hong Kong which is within the tropical ring around the planet. The..."

Thank you!

I just read Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat. This was her debut novel, set 2/3 in the Caribbean. It also fits the immigration prompt that didn’t get in, and BIPOC author

I read Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Y. Dennis-Benn, which is set in Jamaica.
Despite the cheerful title, it was quite a heavy book (TW for rape / sexual assault and child abuse). One of the key elements in the story is that the area where the MCs live and grew up is about to be bulldozed for a new hotel resort and sports complex, which is something that has happened to a lot of impoverished communities in Jamaica, and it was interesting to read about it from the perspective of the people who live there. The author is herself Jamaican.

Aimee wrote: "I read Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Y. Dennis-Benn, which is set in Jamaica.
Despite the cheerful title, it was quite a heavy book (TW for rape / sexual assault an..."

Aimee, thanks for the warnings. I just downloaded this one from the library.

I am reading Parson Harding's Daughter by Caroline Harvey and can recommend The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh.

I read If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery. Worth the accolades.

Hawaii ...


Her Last Flight – Beatriz Williams – 3.5***
This work of historical fiction was clearly influenced by the real saga of Amelia Earhart, though it is NOT her story. Although I’ve come to dislike the dual timeline so popular in historical fiction, Williams handles it very well in this case. And it did serve to heighten interest and intrigue. I couldn’t help but try to fit the puzzle together, but I was as surprised as Janey to learn the full truth of the story.
LINK to my full review

Jungle by Patrick Roberts.

A non-fiction book summed up by its subtitle: How tropical forests shaped world history - and us.

Really interesting, and challenging at the end. A look at tropical forests from pre-history to the present day, taking in dinosaurs, indigenous use, colonialism exploitation, and climate change.

What will you be reading?
I read The House Without a Key by Earl Derr Biggers This is set in Honolulu

NancyJ wrote: "Dana wrote: "Is The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley (Brazil setting) a book that counts?

From what I read, the characters coming to Brazil were complaining about the heat.

Can anyo..."

Hey Nancy,

Sorry for the very late response!
I definitely think it's worth your time.

I'm not normally a fan of historical fiction, and this one was really amazing! 4.5 stars.

You should give it a go.

I will be reading Where Earth meets Sky by Annie Murray. I can recomend A Town like Alice by Neville Shute and Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

I read Wide Sargasso Sea. I recommend it to fans of Jane Eyre. It also fits 23 sea, novella, and 3 centuries.

I read The Ghost Bride for the ghost prompt, and it also fits tropical.