Around the World discussion
Personal Lists 2011-2013
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Mikki's Books
Hey Mikki,I've already snagged a title from your list. My Uncle Napoleon sounds great. Never heard of it.
Ooooh, fun, anothe list to look through! :0)
omg omg omg i've only looked at your africa selection so far but i just wanna say i can't believe i haven't read Nervous Conditions yet, but after reading Boy Next Door, i feel like i shouldn't put it off much longer so i think i'll make that my Zim selection. ALSO wanna say that i *loved* Purple Hibiscus (nigeria) and They Poured Fire (sudan).... :D
Where are those bibs? A lot of drooling going on.
Anne wrote: "Where are those bibs? A lot of drooling going on."yeah, gimme!
Thanks Judy! Making this list was so much fun but it just made me realize how many books are out there that I haven't read and that got me going a bit frantic...hence the number of pages per book. They help to keep me reeled in!Anne, snag away because I'm about to start visiting everyone else's lists now and I'm sure that I'll be doing the same. And I agree, My Uncle Napoleon sounds like a really fun read. Anything that starts out with a declarative of "“God forbid, I've fallen in love with Layli!” , is OK by me!
Marieke, I'm soooo looking forward to some of those African reads. The only thing saving me is that they're not here or I would definitely have a peeking problem going on. :D
I'll definitely be needing a bib as I start perusing the lists or I might short out my laptop!
Mikki wrote: " I'll definitely be needing a bib as I start perusing the lists or I might short out my laptop! "Hahahahahaha. Good one, Mikki. Can we put that on a t-shirt?
Some wonderful books here Mikki. Not allI'm interested in are in my library system but I'll look for a couple. I liked the sound of As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams: Recollections of a Woman in 11th-Century Japan.
Mikki wrote: "Absolutely! Safety First!"That just cracks me up.
Chrissie wrote: "Ooooh, fun, another list to look through! :0)"Chrissie, How did I miss you the other day??? I just need to edit in order to add a few titles I snagged from Anne's list especially since you give the two thumbs up! I'll be visiting you later...be ready!
Sue, it does sound good, doesn't it. Looking forward to seeing your reads.
Anne wrote: "Mikki wrote: "Absolutely! Safety First!"That just cracks me up."
:D
Judy wrote: "Yeah, think how much fun it would be if it weren't. (Seriously, I'm kidding.)":D
Update: Since I am too lazy to renumber my books each time I uncover a jewel from someone else's shelf, I will just compile a "Borrowed" section at the bottom of my list.
Mikki wrote: "Update: Since I am too lazy to renumber my books each time I uncover a jewel from someone else's shelf, I will just compile a "Borrowed" section at the bottom of my list."I know what you mean Mikki. I created an "addendum" so I wouldn't have to add new countries onto the list after I hit my 52. I have a feeling now that the Addendum will yield at least a few of my must reads. (And I still have many books to add to all parts of the list)
Sue, yes, that's the way I'll add the books for now and then later I'll narrow things down to the "real" list. Otherwise, I'll constantly be rearranging it! And I know what you mean about needing to add books to different parts--I'm really light in my Middle- Eastern Selections.
Yes. I have some definitely want to read books and others I'm not certain of and some I may not be able to get. That's why I've started looking some up at the library system now and adding it to the tags if they are available. As Judy and I (somewhat jokingly) have been saying, leftovers will work well for 2013. So I'm not planning on eliminating anything from my list, just removing those I read or those I decide not to read or don't like.
You have some books that I have read and enjoyed - such as the Door by Magda Szabo. It is short and wonderful. But I also lovedTHE STORYTELLER: MEMORY, SECRETS, MAGIC AND LIES. Here is my review of that: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... I liked it so much I have Kasztner's Train on my list. The thing is that I have been reading marvellous books set in many different countries since I joined GR in 2007. You might try looking through my country shelves, clicking on those books with three to five stars. But these is just my views. I like memoirs and historical fiction. I like humor interspersed in rough episodes. I am not into fluff. I really also stay away from short stories. The minute I get interested, they end. BTW you might try Babette's Feast by Dinesen. Same author which you have above. Have you seen the movie? The book is quite different. OK, here is my spoiler free review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/.... You see, I gave it three stars even though it was wonderful, simply because it was a novella. I, personally, need more.
Sue wrote: "Yes. I have some definitely want to read books and others I'm not certain of and some I may not be able to get. That's why I've started looking some up at the library system now and adding it to th..."Me neither. The books that don't get read in 2012 will still be of interest to me in 2013! I will most likely just cave and fit the new titles discovered on other members' lists onto my own; If it's necessary to add countries...so be it! :)
Sue, I notice that you are a night owl like me! Anne too!
Chrissie wrote: "You have some books that I have read and enjoyed - such as the Door by Magda Szabo. It is short and wonderful. But I also lovedTHE STORYTELLER: MEMORY, SECRETS, MAGIC AND LIES. Here ..."Chrissie, I am really looking forward to reading the door. I've had to move it from my bedroom so that I won't be tempted to start it early. Everyone I know that has read [Book: The Door] speaks highly of it.
I have never read [Book: Babette's Feast] but have seen the movie and liked it quite a lot. I'll check out your reviews on the other two titles and see if I need to add. It doesn't end does it?
Yes Mikki, I'm up all hours. The better to keep track of All going on at Goodreads and to read.
HA! Yes, I'm an insomniac and read late into the night. Good to know that there's another--we'll be the After Midnight Marauders!
Mikki wrote: "Sue wrote: "Yes. I have some definitely want to read books and others I'm not certain of and some I may not be able to get. That's why I've started looking some up at the library system now and add..."I'm not a night owl by choice. But when I'm up I like to check up on my friend on GR.
Mikki, I finally added you to the master lists! I love all the short story selections you have on your list, because that will be a nice change of pace I bet (plus they might be shorter than a novel!)
Thanks, Jenny, for adding my books and also for taking on the job of creating and updating the master list. It's really helpful.When making my list, I was really trying to come up with different reading options so that I didn't "burn-out" on novels. So on some countries there may be a novella and a book of shorts because I intend on reading both. The page counts are there to help me set some sort of realistic parameters!
Mikki and Jenny, that's why I added some mysteries to my list from a variety of countries. I almost always find them quicker and more effortless reads, no matter what the page count is. And I enjoy them. So I can use them when I see fit. Thankfully for me there so many from around the world being translated into English now. I can even add more should the need arise.
Thanks, Barry! I'll definitely let you know when/if I get to those titles so that we can discuss. I gave myself options for most countries because I just can't decide...As for the organization? Don't be shy Barry, call it by its true name...OCD. :D
Judy wrote: "As for the organization? Don't be shy Barry, call it by its true name...OCD. :D
LOL!"
Ha! Indeed. See? OCD can be beautiful.
My personal reading problem is ADD.
Marieke wrote: "My personal reading problem is ADD." LOL. I have the same problem.
excellent Janice. I'll amend that with ...oh no another book I must buy or does the library have it or is it too long to read from the library-itis.
haha! i buy regular books, e-books, and audio books, i work at a library and borrow their books and then i go to my public library and borrow those. 8)
I am so glad to see that I am in such good company, not well in the head...but still good nonetheless!
Mikki wrote: "I am so glad to see that I am in such good company, not well in the head...but still good nonetheless!"Sing along with me...
They're coming to take me away ha ha he he
To the funny farm where life is gay...
And now I'm channeling Popeye...I yam what I yam!
Um, I'm beginning to think straitjackets for some members instead of bibs.
Anne wrote: "Um, I'm beginning to think straitjackets for some members instead of bibs."Perhaps we're setting the goals a bit high!?! Is the stress hitting? Maybe a good book will help :-)
Anne wrote: "Um, I'm beginning to think straitjackets for some members instead of bibs."Ahahahah! Perhaps both, no?
Sue wrote: "Perhaps we're setting the goals a bit high!?! Is the stress hitting? Maybe a good book will help :-)
Yes, Sue, so can you imagine what things will be like in December???
as long as the straitjackets come with cool slogans and such i say gimme.
Marieke, yours is easy. It comes with a bird on it. Ha ha. (only select members in this group know why - it's up to you to decide if you want to share that information)
That's perfect--straight jacket with a bird on it...cuckoo...cuckoo...cuckooo
"That's perfect--straight jacket with a bird on it...cuckoo...cuckoo...cuckooo" LOL. That's perfect! Now all it needs is a bird on it.
Well, okay. Fine...put a bird on it.You can see here, starting at message 36:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/6...
OK, that is funny :-) Put.A.Bird.On.It.
Well, I think I'll be relaxing with a good book then (she says playfully, or was that sarcastically).
Judy wrote: "Question: Where did you find all these books, especially the African ones? Some nice stuff here. You have a nice combo of historical fiction, memoirs, short stories, poetry and novellas. Did you al..."Thanks, Judy! Yes, a lot was already on my TBR and books owned. I keep a file on my computer of book titles and authors that I read about in reviews or magazines and then refer to it when looking for ideas. My Amazon wish list is growing so large that I'm sure it will one day crash their site. But for 52, I really tried to mix up the reading material in order not to lose steam mid-way. I love short stories and find that they are a nice break between novels. Poetry too--sort of clears your head. The novellas were chosen so that I could read more than one book per country if I chose.
Hi Jenny, Just wanted to note that for India I'm listed twice for A Fine Balance where one should be listed as [Book: Family Matters]. Although I'll be reading [Book: A Fine Balance] with the group, maybe someone else might like it.
Judy wrote: "Headlines: Avid Reader Crashes AmazonSo true. I find a lot of good recommendations there, especially combing through reviews.
Around the World
Books mentioned in this topic
The Tongue's Blood Does Not Run Dry (other topics)The Harafish (other topics)
Woman at Point Zero (other topics)
Wisteria: Poems From The Swamp Country (other topics)
The Radiance of the King (other topics)
More...
Hi Everyone, For 2013 I'm going to focus more on non-fiction--biographies, autobiographical or slightly veiled works depicting political, cultural and social conditions of past or present. I've left most of my 2012 reading goals in place as I plan to continue with those as well and have made note if they've been read. I'll be adding books as I go since, for me, one book inevitably leads to another and so this will always be a work in progress. Happy Travels!
AFRICA
Algeria
The Tongue's Blood Does Not Run Dry: Algerian Stories-- Assia Djebar (stories 220 pgs)
Egypt
The Harafish -– Naguib Mahfouz (novel 416 pgs)
Woman at Point Zero -- Nawal El Saadawi (novella 112 pgs)
Ghana
WISTERIA: POEMS FROM THE SWAMP COUNTRY-- Kwame Dawes (poetry 96 pgs)
Guinea
The Radiance of the King -- Camara Laye (novel 288 pgs)
Kenya
One Day I Will Write About This Place: A Memoir -- Binyavanga Wainaina (memoir 272 pgs)
Morroco
This Blinding Absence of Light -- Tahar Ben Jelloun (novel 208 pgs)
Nigeria
The Palm-Wine Drinkard -- Amos Tutuola (novella 125 pgs)
Sudan
They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan -– (Memoir 334 pgs)
Season of Migration to the North, and, The Wedding of Zein -- Tayeb Salih (novel 184 pgs) (Read in 2012)
The Wedding of Zein and Other Sudanese Stories -– Tayeb Salih (stories 128 pgs) (Read in 2012)
Zimbabwe
Nervous Conditions -- Tsitsi Dangarembga (novel 224 pgs) (Read in 2012)
The Boy Next Door -- Irene Sabatini (novel 416 pgs)
THE AMERICAS
North America, Latin America
and the Caribbean
The Caribbean
Cuba
Lost Steps -- Alejo Carpentier (novel 296 pgs)
Waiting for Snow in Havana: Confessions of a Cuban Boy -– Carlos Eire (memoir 400 pgs)
Dominican Republic
In the Time of the Butterflies -– Julia Alvarez (novel 325 pgs)
Jamaica
The True History of Paradise -- Margaret Cezair-Thompson (novel 352 pgs)
Central America
Honduras
The She-Devil in the Mirror -- Horacio Castellanos Moya (Novella 160 pgs)
Senselessness -- Horacio Castellanos Moya (novella 142 pgs)
South America
Argentina
The Library at Night -- Alberto Manguel (memoir 373 pgs)
The Invention of Morel -- Adolfo Bioy Casares (novella 106 pgs) (Read in 2012)
Blow-Up and Other Stories -- Julio Cortazar (stories 288 pgs)
Ficciones -- Jorge Luis Borges (novel 180 pgs)
The Aleph and Other Stories – Jorges Borges (novel 224 pgs)
Brazil
Dom Casmurro-- Machado de Assis (novel 263 pgs)
The Hour of the Star – Clarice Lispector (novella 96 pgs)
Stream Of Life -- Clarice Lispector (novella 79 pgs)
Chile
The Obscene Bird of Night -- Jose Donoso (novel 438 pgs)
Last Evenings on Earth -- Roberto Bolano (novel 256 pgs)
Colombia
Chronicle of a Death Foretold -- Gabriel Garcia Marquez (novella 120 pgs) (Read in 2012)
Peru
A World for Julius: A Novel -- Alfredo Bryce Echenique (novel 450)
The House of the Spirits -- Isabel Allende (novel 448 pgs)
Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter: A Novel--Mario Vargas Llosa (novel 384 pgs)
The Bad Girl -- Mario Vargas Llosa (novel 276 pgs)
North America
Canada
Someone Knows My Name: A Novel -- Lawrence Hill (novel 486 pgs)
United States
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
The Yellow Wall-Paper, Herland, and Selected Writings -- Charlotte Perkins Gilman (stories 320 pgs)
ASIA
China
[Book: The King of Trees Three Novellas] -- Ah Cheng (stories 272 pgs)
[Book: Love in a Fallen City] -- Eileen Chang (stories 320 pgs) (Read in 2012)
[Book: Dialogues in Paradise] – Can Xue (stories 173 pgs)
India
[Book: A Fine Balance] – Rohinton Mistry (novel 624 pgs)
[Book: Midnight's Children] -- Salman Rushdie (novel 448 pgs)
[Book: Family Matters] -- Rohinton Mistry (novel 448 pgs)
Japan
[Book: The Woman In The Dunes] -- Kobo Abe (novel 256 pgs)
[Book: Palm-of-the-Hand Stories] -- Yasunari Kawabata (stories 280 pgs) (Read in 2012)
[Book: Snow Country] -- Yasunari Kawabata (novel 192 pgs)
[Book: Black Rain] -- Masuji Ibuse (novel 304 pgs)
[Book: Kokoro] – Natsume Soseki (stories 248 pgs)
[Book: Spring Snow] -- Yukio Mishima (novel 400 pgs)
[Book: As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams] – Sarashina (autobiography 176 pgs)
Korea
[Book: This Is Paradise!] -- Hyok Kang (memoir 224 pgs)
[Book: Ten Thousand Lives] -- Ko Un (Poetry 300 pgs)
Taiwan
[Book: The Butcher's Wife and Other Stories] -- Li Ang (stories 245 pgs)
Vietnam
[Book: Paradise of the Blind] -- Duong Thu Huong
(novel 272 pgs)
[Book: Beyond Illusions] -- Duong Thu Huong (novel 247 pgs)
EUROPE
Austria
The World of Yesterday – Stefan Zweig (autobiography 455 pgs)
Belgium
The Angel Maker --Stefan Brijs (novel 352 pgs]
Dirty Snow – Georges Simenon (novel 246 pgs)
Croatia
On the Edge of Reason -- Miroslav krleza (novel 182 pgs)
Czech Republic
The Joke -- Milan Kundera (novel 323 pgs)
How I Came to Know Fish – Ota Pavel (novella 150 pgs)
Too Loud a Solitude -- Bohumil Hrabal (novella 112 pgs)
Denmark
Niels Lyhne – Jens Peter Jacobsen (novel 152 pgs)
Winter's Tales – Karen Blixen (stories 313 pgs)
Finland
Purge -- – Sofi Oksanen (novel 320 pgs)
The Summer Book -- Tove Jannson (novel 160 pgs)
France
Papillon -- Henri Charrier (autobiography 576 pgs)
Bel-Ami -- Guy de Maupassant (novel 416 pgs)
Zazie in the Metro -– Raymond Queneau (novel 176 pgs)
Germany
Irretrievable – Theodor Fontane (novel 288 pgs)
The Wall Jumper: A Berlin Story -- Peter Schneider (novel 144 pgs)
The Sorrows of Young Werther -- Robert Walser (stories)
Berlin Stories -- Robert Walser (stories) (Read in 2012)
The Berlin Stories: The Last of Mr. Norris and Goodbye to Berlin
Greece
Zorba the Greek -- Nikos Kazantzakis (novel 335 pgs)
Hungary
The Melancholy of Resistance -- László Krasznahorkai (novel 320 pgs)
The Door – Magda Szabo (novel 272 pgs)
Fatelessness -- Imre Kertesz (novel 262 pgs)
Ireland
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne – Brian Moore (novel 240 pgs)
Italy
If on a Winter's Night a Traveler -- Italo Calvino (novel 296 pgs) (Read in 2012)
Survival In Auschwitz – Primo Levi (memoir 187 pgs)
The Periodic Table – Primo Levi (memoir 241 pgs)
Netherlands
A Posthumous Confession – Marcellus Emants (novel 208)
NorwayThe Ten Thousand Things -- Maria Dermount (novel 296 pgs)
Norway
The Ice Palace -- Tarjei Vesaas (novel 176 pgs)
The Faster I Walk, The Smaller I Am -- Kjersti Annesdatter Skomsvold (novella 112 pgs)
Poland
House of Day, House of Night -- Olga Tokarczuk (novel 304 pgs)
The Street of Crocodiles and other stories -- Bruno Shulz (novel 160 pgs)
Portugal
The Gospel According to Jesus Christ -- Jose Saramago (novel 341 pgs)
The Book of Disquiet -- Fernando Pessoa (novel 544 pgs)
Tales and More Tales from Mountain – Miguel Torga (short stories 224 pages)
Russia
[Book: Soul and Other Stories] -- Andrei Platanov (stories 288 pgs)
The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin's Russia
The Master and Margarita -- Mikhail Bulgakov (novel 372 pgs) (Read in 2012)
Speak, Memory -- Vladimir Nabokov (memoir 268 pages)
Envy -- Yurri Karlovich Olesha (novella 128 pgs)
White Walls: Collected Stories -- Tatyana Tolstaya (stories 416 pgs)
Spain
Tomorrow in the Battle Think on Me -- Javier Marias (novel 320 pgs)
Three Plays: Blood Wedding, Yerma, The House of Bernarda Alba--Frederico Garcia Lorca (drama 192 pgs)
The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes – Anonymous (novel 128 pgs) (Read in 2012)
Sweden
The Dwarf -- Pär Lagerkvist (novel 228 pgs)
Popular Music from Vittula -- Mikael Niemi (novel 240 pgs)
Switzerland
Moravagine -- Blaise Cendrars Novel 256 pgs)
Turkey
Memed, My Hawk -- Yasar Kemal (novel 360 pgs)
The Flea Palace -- Elif Shafak (novel 448 pgs)
Ukraine
The Twelve Chairs – Stephen Benatar (novel 263 pgs)
The Razor's Edge -- W. Somerset Maugham (novel 314 pgs)
The Narrow Corner -- W. Somerset Maugham (novel 224 pgs)
MIDDLE EAST
Iran
My Uncle Napoleon: A Novel-- Iraj Pezeshkzad (novel 528 pgs)
Iraq
Late For Tea At The Deer Palace: The Lost Dreams of My Iraqi Family –- Tamara Chalabi (memoir 352 pgs)
Israel
The Book of Intimate Grammar –- David Grossman (novel 352 pgs)
Syria
OCEANIA
Australia
Remembering Babylon -- David Malouf (novel 224 pgs) (Read in 2012)
New Zealand
Faces in the Water -- Janet Frame (novel 254 pgs) (Read in 2012)