Around the World discussion

Afghanistan: The Places Inbetween by Rory Stewart

Algeria: Beau Geste by P.C. Wren

Angola: The Book of Chameleons by José Eduardo Agualusa

Australia: A True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey my review

Belize: Beka Lamb by Zee Edgell

Bolivia: The Bolivian Diary by Ernesto 'Che' Guevara my review

Brazil: The Lost City of Z by David Grann

Burma: The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh

Canada: Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald my review

Chile: The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende

China: Monkey by Wu Cheng'en

Colombia: Even Silence has an End by Ingrid Betancourt

Comoros: A Fish Caught in Time by Samantha Weinberg

Cuba: The Opposite House by Helen Oyeyemi my review

Czech Republic/Czechoslovakia: The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

Democratic Republic of Congo: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbera Kingsolver my review

Denmark: We The Drowned by Carsten Jensen

Dominican Republic: In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez or The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa

England: Posession by A.S. Byatt or The Crimson Petal and the White by Michael Faber

Ethiopia: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Vergese

Finland: The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna

France: Atomised by Michel Houllebecq

French Guiana: Papillon by Henri Charrière

Germany: All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque or The Tin Drum by Günter Grass

Ghana: The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born by Ayi Kwei Armah

Haiti: Tell it to my Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica by Zora Neale Hurston my review

Iceland: Independent People by Halldór Laxness

India: City of Djinns by William Dalrymple or The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

Indonesia/Netherlands: Femme Fatale: Love, Lies and the Unknown Life of Mata Hari by Pat Shipman

Ireland: The Sea by John Banville or Connemara: Listening to the Wind by Tim Robinson

Italy: In the Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

Jamaica: Small Island by Andrea Levy my review

Kenya: Unbowed by Wangari Maathai or Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen

Libya: Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Nigeria: Antihills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe or The Famished Road by Ben Okri

Norway: Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson

Pakistan: In the City By the Sea by Kamila Shamsie

Papua New Guinea: Throwim' Way Leg by Tim Flannery

Poland: The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom by Slavomir Rawicz

Puerto Rico: The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson

Russia: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov or Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Rwanda: We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families by Philip Gourevitch

Saudi Arabia: Arabian Sands by Wilfried Thesiger

Scotland: Island on the Edge of the World: The Story of St Kilda by Charles Maclean

Sierra Leone: A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

South Africa: Tsotsi by Athol Fugard

Spain: The Cathederal of the Sea by Ildefonso Falcones

Switzerland: The White Spider by Heinrich Harrer

Tibet: Leaving Mother Lake: A Girlhood at the Edge of the World by Yang Erche Namu

Togo: Do They Hear You When You Cry by Fauziya Kassindja

Trinidad and Tobago: A House for Mr Biswas by V.S. Naipaul

Uganda: The Last King of Scotland by Giles Foden

Ukraine: A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian by Marina Lewycka

USA: Beloved by Toni Morrison my review

Yemen: I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali and Delphine Minoui

Zimbabwe: The Grass is Singing by Doris Lessing

Some nice choices here! I'd recommend Possession over The Crimson Petal and the White; it's more interesting, not quite as vulgar, and better written.

Thanks Judy. I usually choose travel/pop.science over fiction, so I wanted to have a balance in my selection, plus a few classics that I've never read. And there are a couple that have been in residence on my book shelf for ages, just waiting for their chance.

@Rebecca, although I really want to read it, I'm not sure if I can count Posession under the rules anymore. I read The Children's Book earlier this year. I really enjoyed it, but A.S. Byatt isn't a new author to me.

"A True History of the Kelly Gang" (Carey) was good, keeping me always interested in what happens next. Recommended.

I have 39 books, so need to find another 13 to complete my list.

You do not have anything for China. Check out Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet. The Ginger Tree and The Pure Land are both good for Japan. That will help you with two.

Sky Burial is one of my favourite books. Definately worth reading if you haven't already. I've already read Wild Swans too.

I'm looking at more African books, and possibly others from Central America too.

Judy, absolutely, If one hasn't rad Wild Swans, it is a MUST read too.

Updated to add Algeria, Angola, Colombia, Haiti, Togo, Uganda, Ukraine and Yemen.

You are going to get a kick out of A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian! Well, I did. And I should read Betancourt's book - it has been on my GR shelves way too long.

Just a reminder that The Imprinted Life group has scheduled Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China (March 2012). It will be fun doing an intergroup reading, as some of the members here joined The Imprinted Life to do just that! Getting excited already.

Updated to include Indonesia, Pakistan, Poland and Tibet, plus a few alternative books for countries that I already had.

Great choices for the US. Good luck choosing just one.

You have some of my favourite books in there. The Master and Margarita is probably my top book of all times. I hope you enjoy it.

I finally updated your selections on the master list. I've read several by Michel Houellebecq, but hadn't heard of the book you picked by him. He's entertaining!

@Genia, I'm looking formward to that one, so will read it pretty soon. I saw that some people had it as a choice under Ukraine, but I thought that the setting was Moscow and the author was Russian. I hope I'm thining of the right book.

@Jenny, that's the title it was realeased in the UK with but the French title is Les particules élémentaires. Looking forward to this one too.

Bulgakov was burn in the Ukraine. Not much to it, though, as the Soviet Union is the setting, and the place of residence of the author.

Added another couple of alternatives, based on some bookshop finds. The Year of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa and Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.

I added these to the list. And Aha, The Elementary Particles is how I've seen the Houellebecq published in the states.

Jenny wrote: "I added these to the list. And Aha, The Elementary Particles is how I've seen the Houellebecq published in the states."

Strange that they chose to change the title for the UK, rather than just make a direct translation.

Good choices for England - I enjoyed both of them.

Some more choices. Beka Lamb by Zee Edgell for Belize and Monkey: Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en for China.

Got them, thanks!

A couple of last-minute substitutions! Swapping The Old Man and The Sea for Cuba for The Opposite House by Helen Oyeyemi, and adding The Bolivian Diary by Ernesto 'Che' Guevara for Bolivia.

And my challenge has started!

Started reading The Opposite House by Helen Oyeyemi on 22nd December.

Starfish, you started? Have you read her other book, [Book: The Icarus Girl]? Happy Travels.

No, but I think that I would go back to it after the challenge. Enjoying her writing.

My review for The Opposite House by Helen Oyeyemi.

My review for Small Island by Andrea Levy

My review for The Bolivian Diary by Che Guevara

I found a new book for a new country! I'm adding A Fish Caught in Time by Samantha Weinberg to my list as a pick for the Comoros.

My review for Tell it to My Horse by Zora Neale Hurston

My review for Beloved by Toni Morrison

My review for The Poisonwood Bible by Barbera Kingsolver.

My word! I'm currently 7 books behind target. Where did all the time go?

My review for True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey

My review for Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald.