The Next Best Book Club discussion

I'm new to Goodreads, and I keep returning to read about the books in this challenge. Everyone has listed lots of enticing books that I would love to read. Since it is late in the year to be joining this challenge, I'm going to start by listing the books I have read lately, and go on from there.

Region: North America
Country: United States
Alaska Into the Wild
California The Language of Flowers
Colorado Plain Song
Connecticut Little Pink House: A True Story of Defiance and Courage
Georgia Saving Ceecee Honeycutt
Idaho Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Illinois The Time Traveler's Wife
Kansas The Butterfly's Daughter
Kentucky Prodigal Summer
Maine Sea Room: A Novel
Maryland A Mercy
Massachusetts The Heretic's Daughter
Montana Montana 1948
Nebraska The Magician's Assistant
Mississippi The Help
New Mexico Ape House
New York Wish You Were Here
North Carolina Restless in Carolina
Texas Half Broke Horses
Vermont Rescue: A Novel
Virginia The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Wisconsin A Prayer for the Dying
Washington Susannah's Garden

23 States

Mexico Like Water for Chocolate

Region: Africa

Liberia The House at Sugar Beach
Sudan They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan

The book about Sudan was especially good since it was told by three young men who escaped the genocide in their country, and are now in the United States.

Nigeria Little Bee
Uganda The Making of The African Queen, or: How I went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and almost lost my mind
Zimbabwe Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood

Region: Caribbean

Dominica, West Indies Wide Sargasso Sea

Region: Oceania/Australia

Australia The Secret River
New Zealand Sole Survivor

Region: Europe

England Jane Eyre
France The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Germany The Reader
Guernsey The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Ireland Love and Summer
ItalyThe Wedding Officer: A Novel of Culinary Seduction
Serbia The Tiger's Wife
Sweden Astrid and Veronika
Lithuania Between Shades of Gray


Region: Middle East
Afghanistan A Cup of Friendship

Region: Asia

India The Jungle Book
Indonesia Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia
South Korea Please Look After Mom

7 Regions
24 Countries

Welcome to the challenge Connie!

Thanks, Diane. Thanks also for setting up the wonderful list of books by country.

Enjoy the challenge, Connie :)

Thanks for the encouragement, Ilona.

Welcome to the challenge Connie. I saw you put down a book on Lost Boys for Sudan. Interesting, I just started on a book about them as well (What is the What). I'm curious how that will turn out to be.

Corinna wrote: "Welcome to the challenge Connie. I saw you put down a book on Lost Boys for Sudan. Interesting, I just started on a book about them as well (What is the What). I'm curious how that will turn out to..."

Corinna, it was amazing that they survived since their villages were attacked when they were only about ten years old. I think what saved them was their intelligence, their endurance, and that they were used to living close to the land.

Corinna wrote: "Welcome to the challenge Connie. I saw you put down a book on Lost Boys for Sudan. Interesting, I just started on a book about them as well (What is the What). I'm curious how that will turn out to..."

I loved What is the What. The author came to philly to speak at a library event, because it was selected to be the "One Book" for that year. They have a children's book that is not as detailed, but tells the less graphic parts of the journey.

South Korea Please Look After Mom
This is the story of a family searching for their mother who has gone missing in a subway station in Seoul. It paints a picture of family life in both country and urban areas of Korea as they look back with memories of their strong mother.

Although I already read books for Massaachusetts and England, I would highly recommend The Postmistress, a fictional account of the London Blitz and a small Cape Cod town just prior to the involvement of the United States in World War II. The book has wonderful characters, especially Frankie Bard, a radio reporter.

Italy The Wedding Officer: A Novel of Culinary Seduction
Anthony Capella has written a sensous story involving wonderful food, and a romance between an Italian widow and a British army officer during World War II. Very entertaining.

Australia The Secret River
It's a wonderful book about the settlement of the country by convicts, and the conflicts over the land with the native Aborigines.

Afghanistan A Cup of Friendship

Nigeria Little Bee This is an extremely well-written book that I could not put down.

Connie - if you would like another book about Nigeria - Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away - I wasn't a fan of Little Bee, but this one is really good

Dee wrote: "Connie - if you would like another book about Nigeria - Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away - I wasn't a fan of Little Bee, but this one is really good"

Dee, thanks for the recommendation. I would like to read some books from South America in August. Are there any that you especially liked?

nothing yet - i'm struggling a bit on south america...lol! that's what i'm looking for right now - I think i'm going to try The Killer's Tears for Chile becuase it sounds intesting

North Carolina Restless in Carolina: A Novel. I won this as a Goodreads giveaway.

India The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story

Serbia The Tiger's Wife This book takes place in both Serbia and Croatia in the former Yugoslavia. It is a combination of folklore, superstition, and magical realism interwoven with events in the Balkans. The author is a wonderful storyteller.

Kansas The Butterfly's Daughter. This book takes place in Wisconsin, Illinois, Kansas, Texas, and Mexico. The story involves family relationships, coming of age decisions, and Mexican fables about the monarch butterflies that migrate from the northern USA to Mexico.

Vermont Rescue: A Novel

New Zealand Sole Survivor

I loved this book, and will look for more by Derek Hansen.

Idaho Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. This book was set in both Washington and Idaho. It's a very good book.

Uganda The Making of The African Queen, or: How I went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and almost lost my mind. This book was set in Uganda and the Belgium Congo.

South Africa The Prime Origins Guide to Exploring Kruger: Your Key to Unlocking Africa's Wildlife Treasure by Brett Hilton-Barber

Lithuania Between Shades of Gray

Zimbabwe Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood

California The Language of Flowers