You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

I'm tired of authors, promoters, and people with vested interests joining the group just to push their book. It clearly states in the introductions that we do not allow promotions. Apparently they don't read. So I deleted the thread for recommendations. Hopefully this thread will be hidden enough to still serve the members but discourage spam.

This thread is to be used by established members to either recommend, or request recommendations. Keep your recommendations/requests in this thread. Don't start a new thread for every recommendation/request.

Any recommendation from someone promoting a book for marketing purposes will be deleted.

*polishes her Banhammer*

How's this for a banhammer -

Well, I am going to kick us off in our new, shiny thread.

I have my five random countries for the year that I rolled in December, but I have not gophered for them at all and I realised it's mid-Feb.

So, any and all recommendations gratefully received for a book set in or written by an author who is associated (born, lives, etc) in the following five countries you have read and liked. Or even just know of:

Czechia
Brunei
Colombia
Slovenia
Kiribati

Some of these are obviously going to be much easier than others...

For Solvenia Dormice & Moonshine: Falling for Slovenia by Sam Baldwin. It's a nonfiction travel/memoir about two English brothers who discover a 300 year old cabin in the mountains of Slovenia. When Sam has a a brutual breakup he escapes to the cabin and well never leaves.
It's a love song to Slovenia. And on a personal note, we went to Slovenia last May and I would move there in a heart beat.

Rusalka wrote: "Some of these are obviously going to be much easier than others..."

It doesn't look like any of them will be easy pickings.

For Columbia there is One Hundred Years of Solitude or Love in the Time of Cholera by the same author. I haven't read either. I only thought of them because my face-to-face book club I reading Love in the Time of Cholera next year.

I agree with Janice; wish I could help. Kristie's suggestions look good though!

I'm looking for a book over 500 pp that felt like a much shorter book.

Pluses: gothic, atmospheric, humor, a heartwarming aspect, a love story off to the side

Minuses: war, violence, gore, anything really disturbing

I'm thinking about Fingersmith for this. I love Sarah Waters but haven't read that one yet. I've heard good things tho so anything in that vein would be great!

I love the atmospheric aspects of Sarah Waters' work. She can totally immerse you in a time and place.

A really good, non-gory ghost story would be perfect. It doesn't have to be humorous or have any/all of the pluses - mainly I'm trying to avoid the minuses lol.

Thx in advance for any suggestions.

I really enjoyed Daughter of the Forest which is the first book in an series based on Celtic mythology. The author, Juliet Marillier, is one of my favourite authors.

I scrolled through my past 3 years of reads. I have read several books over 500 pages, but it seems I either didn't really care for them or I don't think they fit your preferences very well. I did enjoy The Space Between, but I noted in my review that it took me a little while to get really invested in the story.

I second Janice's rec. Well, I haven't read that particular one, but I LOVE Marillier. I have read several of her series.

Katrisa wrote: "I second Janice's rec. Well, I haven't read that particular one, but I LOVE Marillier. I have read several of her series."

I started her Bridei Chronicles last year for the annual challenge. I have books 2 & 3 planned with this.

Thank you all, I’ll check those out!

For anyone who’s read Fingersmith, do you think that would also work?

I remember being surprised at the depth and unexpectedness of the direction it took. There's a lot I don't remember about it. I should do a reread. It is gothic and atmospheric. It deals with the underbelly of Victorian life.

Waters does gothic and atmospheric really well. Thx Janice. Mood is everything so who knows what happens but I have a few more possibilities…

Has anyone read either or both of these and can recommend or steer away from?

The Sea by John Banville

Milkman by Anna Burns

I’m looking for an Irish book that also works for the annual challenge. I don’t know if they may be too literary for my mood or not. I’m thinking the second one may be a bit more fast-paced and takes place in the 70s in Northern Ireland, which is a time period I’m interested in. The first one may be more introspective, looking back at one’s life after a spouse passes away.

Bianca’s review of Milkman has me v interested in this now, so I’ll include it:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...