Around the World discussion

OK Let's hope I do this right. This is my first adding of topic anywhere. And Jenny, I took some books from your list. To compile my list, I used authors place of birth. Will use country setting as a second criteria.

Angola: The Book of Chameleons
Argentina: The Invention of Morel
Australia: The Spare Room
Austria: The Lotus Eaters
Bangladesh: Brick Lane
Belgium: The Angel Maker
Bosnia: The Lazarus Project
Brazil: The Witch of Portobello
Canada: The Day the Falls Stood Still
Chile: The Postman
China: The Russian Concubine
Colombia: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Croatia: Sorry
Czech Republic: The Trial
Denmark: The Boy in the Suitcase
Egypt: The Map of Love
England: The Bookshop
Finland: The Year of the Hare
France: Candide
Germany: The Hangman's Daughter
Greece: The Last Temptation of Christ
Hungary: Casanova in Bolzano
Iceland: The Blue Fox
India: The Inheritance of Loss
Iran: Reading Lolita in Tehran
Ireland: The Gathering
Israel: Black Box
Italy: The City of Falling Angels
Jamaica: It Begins with Tears
Japan: Kafka on the Shore
Mexico: The Hummingbird's Daughter
Netherlands: The Assault
New Zealand: Mister Pip
Nicaragua: The Scroll of Seduction
Norway: Hodejegerne - Headhunters by Jo Nesbo
Pakistan: The Wish Maker
Peru: Inés of My Soul
Poland: The Manuscript Found in Saragossa
Portugal: The Stone Raft
Romania: The Appointment: A Novel
Russia: The Idiot
Serbia: Last Love in Constantinople: A Tarot Novel for Divination
South Africa: Season of the Witch
Spain: The Moses Expedition
Sweden: Unwanted: A Novel
Switzerland: Night Train to Lisbon
Turkey: My Name Is Red
Ukraine: Suite Française
Vietnam: The Tapestries
Wales: Girl in a Blue Dress
Zimbabwe: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

List subject to change in case I can't find a book or come across another that catches my interest.

Now if I knew how to strikeout books when I'm done reading them, help?

Yes it does Judy. Thank you!

Night Train to Lisbon is one of my favourites books! I hope you'll like it :-)
I'm planning on reading Reading Lolita in Tehran too - maybe we can discuss it?

Louise wrote: "Night Train to Lisbon is one of my favourites books! I hope you'll like it :-)
I'm planning on reading Reading Lolita in Tehran too - maybe we can discuss it?"

Thanks Louise! Love to discuss, that would be great!

#1 - Finished The Russian Concubine

Took me forever to get through this book. I had read the first 8 chapters and was stuck. Just didn't want to pick it up. I finally assigned myself 50 pages a night, so I could finish it. I called it my homework assignments. When my kids did their homework, I read 50 pages. The reason I wanted to finish this book is, besides numerous reading challenges I gave myself, it is my book club book. The book had been recommended me to by a few friends, and they all said it was "really good". I guess our definitions of "really good" vary. The book takes place in China between the two world wars and I was hoping for more history. It skimmed the historical aspects. The book was a romance. I skimmed most of the second half and I do believe I still got the gist of the book. The prologue starts off great. Lydia (main character) and her family are shepherded off a train leaving Russian during the Russian Revolution. Chapter 1, Lydia and her mother are in China as refugees. Where is the father from the prologue? Turns out this book is the middle book of a three book series. So tells me a friend. Great! I hate that! No wonder I felt disconnected. Anyway, the book wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, yet it wasn't as good as I had hoped.

I give it 2.5 stars.

Recommendation: Beach Read

#2 - Finished The Inheritance of Loss

It was OK. I didn't connect with the book. The book couldn't hold my interest. Again, I had to make myself finish it. I even tried the audio to finish it faster. That just made things worse. Audio was worse than the book. I heard such good things about this book, but I didn't see it (or read it). Maybe I wasn't in the right state of mind for it.

2.5 stars

#3 - Finished The Spare Room

A moving novel about a woman who cares for a friend with cancer for three weeks. Nicola has cancer and has come to Melbourne for three weeks of alternative medicine treatments. She is staying with Helen. This is a short but moving story told from Helen's point of view, her feelings toward her friend, the sickness, the alternate treatments and Nicola's attitude. It's a story that explains the caregiver's feelings, trials and tribulations in caring for a terminal friend. It says all those things that many of us feel but are ashamed to admit.

3.5 stars

#4 - Finished Candide

I enjoyed this book. I found myself chuckling at times. Voltaire does a great job satirizing pure optimism, the hypocrisy of religion, useless philosophical speculation and corruption of money. Even though the book was written in 1759, Voltaire's satire applies to today.

4 stars

#5 - Finished Hodejegerne - Headhunters by Jo Nesbo

3.5 stars

"Headhunters" is not part of Nesbo's detective series which feature a detective named Harry something or other (idk) and that is why I chose to read it. This was a good mystery. It had twists, surprises, action but a little too much detail in some areas where it dragged for me. Without giving anything away, the book is about Roger Brown, a corporate headhunter who ends up going head to head with Clas Greve, a military militia headhunter. Definitely recommend this book and am now going to try his detective series.

#6 - Finished Unwanted: A Novel

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

3.5 Stars

#7 Finished The Boy in the Suitcase

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

3 stars

#8 The City of Falling Angels

3.5 stars

This book was May's book club selection and I enjoyed it. I had not read Berendt's previous book so I had nothing to compare it. Except for the short vacation I took in Venice back in '04. The year after the book ends. I liked Berendt's writing style, his story telling. I enjoyed learning about Venice and the famous people, known and not so well known, living in Venice, associated with Venice or influenced by Venice. It helped that I had visited the city so I understood the geography and had even visited some of the places in the book.

Definitely recommend.

#9 Sorry

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

This was my original book for Croatia. I changed when I couldn't find the book but I found it this weekend at HPB so I switched back. The author was born in Croatia even though he drew up in Germany and the book takes place in Germany.

#10 The Bookshop

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

#11 The Witch Of Portobello

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

#12 The Idiot

#13 The Day the Falls Stood Still

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

#14 The Hangman's Daughter

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