Around the World in 80 Books discussion

I found this group and this sounded really fun challenge and of course I love lists. And I'm also doing 1001 books list, so it's a plus to that list as well.

The first book will be really hard, if you need to start from the country you live in.. 'cause I live in Finland and I really don't read Finnish authors. But I decided to read The Unknown Soldier 'cause it's a classic as well..

ps. if this in wrong place, let me know

Annina wrote: "I found this group and this sounded really fun challenge and of course I love lists. And I'm also doing 1001 books list, so it's a plus to that list as well.

The first book will be really hard, ..."

Annina, for the 1001 challenge you don't need to start in your home country. Just the "Around the World in 80 books" challenge.

Thanks Diane.. I totally forgot that, but I read it anyway and I'm now starting from Finland.

Countries: 11
Books: 18
Regions: 1

Europe:

1. Finland: The Unknown Soldier by Väinö Linna

2. Sweden: Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell

3. Norway: Hunger by Knut Hamsun

4. UK: Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh

5. Ireland: The Gathering by Anne Enright

6. UK: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

7. UK: A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

8. UK: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

9. Netherlands: Rituals by Cees Nooteboom

10. France: Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

11. France: Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

12. Germany: The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

13. Germany: Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood

14. Monaco: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

15. Italy: A Room with a View by E.M. Forster

16. Italy: Death in Venice by Thomas Mann

17. Italy: The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

18. Greece: Z by Vassilis Vassilikos

8. UK: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

next country will be Netherlands..

9. Netherlands: Rituals by Cees Nooteboom

Next: France

10. France: Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

Finally I finished it! It was so long but very good!

11. France: Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Next country will be Germany

12. Germany: The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

It was mainly about WW II and concentration camps, not really about Germany as a country, but I liked it a lot.

Next story will also happend in Germany.

I've read The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. At the time I thought his writing seemed distant. I want to reread the novel. I'm sure my problem with it was my fault.

13. Germany: Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood

This was also mainly about people who lived in Berlin. Not so much about Berlin, but good book anyway.

14. Monaco: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

The story happens mainly in England, but the couple meets in Monaco. I choose Monaco to this challenge, 'cause there's not too many 1001 books translated into Finnish, which happens in Monaco.

Next country: Italy!

FINALLY SOME PROGRESS!! (I haven't read almost anything in weeks. I don't know what's wrong.. maybe it's the spring that effects.)

15. Italy: A Room with a View by E.M. Forster

The book starts in Italy, Florence (which I love). Lucy is in vacation with her cousin in Florence and meets a guy and something happens. Then in part 2, she's back in England and things happens again. Not the best book ever.

16. Italy: Death in Venice by Thomas Mann

17. Italy: The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

Next country: Greece

18. Greece: Z by Vassilis Vassilikos

It was very interesting story about murder of Member of Greece Parliament.

There's lots of people and in some point I was little bit confused who was who and what he did.

Next country: Turkey

Countries: 13
Books: 20
Regions: 2

19. Turkey: Snow by Orhan Pamuk

20. Israel: Black Box by Amos Oz

19. Turkey: Snow by Orhan Pamuk

At first it started like a love story between a man and a woman. Then happened stuff, and it became more like a speech about religion and politics. And the end was really annoying part. And I think it was little bit too long.

Next country: Israel

20. Israel: Black Box by Amos Oz

Countries: 25
Books: 36
Regions: 3


21. India: Life of Pi by Yann Martel

22. India: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

23. India: The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Salman Rushdie

24. Mongolia: Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino

25. China: Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang

26. China: Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard

27. Japan: Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto

28. Japan: A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro

29. Japan: Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

30. Cambodia: The Vice Consul by Marguerite Duras

31. Vietnam: The Quiet American by Graham Greene

32. Malaysia: A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute

33. Thailand: Platform by Michel Houellebecq

34. Indonesia: The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells

35. Australia: A Town Like Alice Nevil Shute

36.New Zealand: The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield

21. India: Life of Pi by Yann Martel

It seems that I haven't made any progress with this in months. Let's hope that this book gives me some energy to keep on going.

Life of Pi was very interesting and I decided to take India from this book. There's also Canada and mentions about Mexico, but cause the story starts in India, it seemed the right choice.

22. India: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

I didn't like this book at all. Very boring and I was thinking why it is at the list..

And it seems that in some reason, my maps doesn't work. Or I can't see my maps..

23. India: The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Salman Rushdie

Good book, but some reason it was really hard to read and it took ages for me to finish. Not sure if I be reading another Rushdie in a while. I need to take a break from him, but definitely will be reading something from him again, after the break.

Annina wrote: "India: The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Salman Rushdie

Good book, but some reason it was really hard to read and it took ages for me to finish. Not sure if I be reading ano..."

I know what you mean. I felt that way with Midnight's Children.

24. Mongolia: Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino

Not really my kind of book, but it was short and I read it in couple days. Easy way to make progress in this challenge.


Next one is China, which is one of my favorite countries to read.

I agree with you- not my kind of book.

25. China: Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang

Story about 3 women who struggled through Mao's era in China.

I liked this one very much. It was very interesting and I haven't read too much about China's history. I might need to pick more books 'cause that Mao era seems to be very interesting period of time.

26. China: Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard

This was a book about Jim, who lives in the middle of WW II in China near Shanghai. Very interesting, but not really my kind of book. Very short read though.

After China.. I'm heading towards Japan, which will also be an interesting country to read about, cause it's such a different culture.

27. Japan: Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto

Very short and quick read from the list. So it was very easy check.

It's more about this girl and her life around food and kitchen, than Japan the country.

28. Japan: A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro

This was a weird book. It's a story about a woman and her daughter, but it didn't have ending. Very odd indeed.

29. Japan: Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

I liked this a lot although the story was little bit sad. It has very interesting description of geisha world and Japan culture.

It happens in Kioto, Japan before and after World War II. There's really small chapter taking part in New York.

30. Cambodia: The Vice Consul by Marguerite Duras

This is short and very weird book. It happens at first in Laos and then in Calcutta, India.

Not really my kind of book.

31. Vietnam : The Quiet American by Graham Greene

This wasn't either my favorite book.

It set's in Vietnam war, and it's basically little confusing story about old man, young man and vietnamese woman.

32. Malaysia: A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute

The story takes places in UK (London), Malaysia and Australia.

33. Thailand: Platform by Michel Houellebecq

This weird story takes places in Thailand, France and Cuba. They live in Paris, France. But they take a vacation in Thailand and Cuba.

34. Indonesia: The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells

It's old horror story, but it's quite short, so easy way to make progress in challenges.

Next country will be Finally Australia..

35. Australia: A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute

36. New Zealand: The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield


Not my kind of book, but it's quite an easy read, cause it consist short stories.

Countries: 33
Books: 49
Regions: 5

37. Chile: The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

38. Argentina: Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig

39. Brazil: The War of the End of the World by Mario Vargas Llosa

40. Colombia: Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez

41. Dominican Republic: The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa

42. Cuba: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

43. Mexico: The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene

44. USA: On the Road by Jack Kerouac

45. USA: Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates

46. USA: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

47. USA: What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt

48. USA: The Shining by Stephen King

49. CANADA: The Shipping News by Annie Proulx

37. Chile: The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

It took me for ages to read this book. The story started slowly, so I had a feeling that I won't be finishing it. But it did get better at the end.

Allende doesn't say anywhere in the story, which country this story happens, but I read somewhere that people has decided that it's Chile, where she's from.

38. Argentina: Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig

This was an odd story about 2 men, who were in prison. So there's no Argentina at all. These 2 men spends time in prison and eats, tells stories about movies and sleeps. But it was quick and easy read.

39. Brazil: The War of the End of the World by Mario Vargas Llosa

Not really my kind of book. For some reason, I forgot all the characters and got really confused about them.

And I'm not a fan of war-literature, so it was really hard read.

40. Colombia: Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez

Finally making some progress with this. I'm half away there..

This was very good book.. although I hate when all the names are almost the same. And in this book those names were. So it took me a long time for realize which is the woman and which is the man.

Also very long chapters made it quite heavy and hard read.

41. Dominican Republic: The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa

42. Cuba: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

43. Mexico: The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene

44. USA: On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Making slow progress.

Don't know if I liked this, cause it took me a long time to get used to the style who it was written. But they sure did travel around USA, which is good thing for this challenge.

45. Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates

I liked this a lot. I don't know much about Marilyn Monroe (just that who she is..) so I don't know how much of this was based on the true story.
It was quite long read, but I didn't mind, cause the story was so good/interesting.

46. USA: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey