Around the World discussion

I'm at The Cat's Table traveling from Sri Lanka to England on a huge ocean liner called the 'Oronsay.' So far I'm enjoying the cruise.

Just left my home state of Georgia, USA with Cane and I am now in Newfoundland, Canada with The Shipping News. I have enjoyed both books so far.

Okay, I know it is a little lame to count your own country in an around the world challenge, BUT... I plan to travel the countries in consecutive order this year, and felt that starting from my home country and state would be quite appropriate. (Shhh, don't tell anyone but I counted it last year, too.)

1850's Victorian London with a historical thriller, The Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry.

I ditched Malaysia (The Garden of Evening Mists), I don't recommend that, talk about unbelievable! Review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I have moved on to Morocco with The Sheltering Sky.

I'm reading Blindness by Portuguese author Jose Saramago.

Just crossed the Arctic Circle from Canada into Russia. Going to be in Russia for a while with War and Peace.

Jenna, I can recommendThe Elephant's Journey by the same author. I listened to the audiobook......because lack of punctuation can drive me batty! I liked it very much.

Chrissie wrote: "Jenna, I can recommendThe Elephant's Journey by the same author. I listened to the audiobook......because lack of punctuation can drive me batty! I liked it very much."

Maybe listening to it on audiobook is the only way to read the book. The lack of punctuation was so distracting that I didn't enjoy the book at all. (I read it as an ebook.) I gave it 1 star as a result. If I hadn't been reading it for a challenge, I wouldn't have finished it.

I am reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen for my England selection and for a Classics reading challenge as well. This is one of the first books I put on my to-read shelf when I became a Goodreads member over a year ago and I was struggling to make it past the first 100 pages. thankfully, it just got interesting. let's hope the rest is worth the effort :), I hear it is.

Janice wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Jenna, I can recommendThe Elephant's Journey by the same author. I listened to the audiobook......because lack of punctuation can drive me batty! I liked it very much."

Maybe list..."

Janice, I am sure that if I had read it, rather than listened to it, it would have gotten many fewer stars!

I just left Spain and read The Shadow of the Windand loved it!

Tanya (mom's small victories) wrote: "I am reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen for my England selection and for a Classics reading challenge as well. This is one of the first books I put on my to-read shelf when I became a Goodr..."

Ah good ol' P&P. Hope you have an enjoyable first read Tanya. And when you're done, you should check out the BBC version. Colin Firth as Mr Darcy in a wet, white shirt... mmmm...

I'm starting out with Kadaverdoktoren (Danish title) by Lene Kaaberbøl

Rusalka wrote:Colin Firth as Mr Darcy in a wet, white shirt... mmmm...
i>
ha, ha, ha, I love that comment Rusalka. That's my favorite scene from any movie by far. When I'm having a bad day, I always know I can rely on good old Mr. Darcy when I get home :)

I've started with two books The Immortals of Meluha for India and The Book Thief for Germany.

Barbarac wrote: "Rusalka wrote:Colin Firth as Mr Darcy in a wet, white shirt... mmmm...
i>
ha, ha, ha, I love that comment Rusalka. That's my favorite scene from any movie by far. When I'm having a bad day, I a..."


I fully agree!! Always nice to watch again, and again, and again, and again.

i am going to have to check out the BBC movie!

After wrapping up some holdovers from last year(!) I'm beginning this year's journey with a Russian dystopia: We

Jenna wrote: "I'm reading Blindness by Portuguese author Jose Saramago."

And if you haven't read Cain and All the Names, they are great too. I read Blindness first, and it was by far the hardest I've read by him!

Finished a couple already (see the other thread) but am now reading 2666 by Roberto Bolaño (which I avoided all last year cause it is huge) for Chile and am liking it. Also listening to The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck for China.

Almost out of Russia with War and Peace and chipping away at The Tale of Genji. Trying to get some of these biggies out of the way before my vacation is over.

I am in Australia with The Thorn Birds, which I have just started. I am in love and may never leave Australia.

You do not want to be here today. 40 degrees here urgh(104F), most of the country is hotter, strong winds and lots of us is on fire. So usual summer really.

Hopefully it is more pleasant in the book Connie!

started Cutting for Stone and The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: My Family's Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World today. ( i always read 5 or 6 books at once because i have a super short attention span.)

i tend to stay in the eastern part of the world, so i am trying really hard to open horizons this year. i think of egypt as culturally middle eastern; ethiopia, not so much, but it is right nearly touching the middle east. so much for those horizons...

Lurk, TMITWSS is very good. Read that last year. Another good one for Egypt is Sipping from the Nile. Both are memoirs, but they are very different from each other. And "Cutting for Stone" too. I almost feel jealous of you for having these ahead of you.

Rusalka wrote: "You do not want to be here today. 40 degrees here urgh(104F), most of the country is hotter, strong winds and lots of us is on fire. So usual summer really.

Hopefully it is more pleasant in the bo..."

Sorry the temp is so dreadful now in Australia. I hope you are able to find a cool place inside and a cool drink. The book is just amazing! We have the delicious Father Ralph (oh yes) to keep us on our toes. *wink*
I must leave now and get back to my book...sorry! LOL

I just added another book last night on my Kindle so I could read in the dark (and so I wouldn't have to try to hold 2666 in one hand with my daughter asleep on one arm until I could get husband to move her to her bed). The book is for Israel: The Crisis of Zionism by Peter Beinart. It's very well argued and seems really easy to read compared to some of the dense literary things I tend to choose most of the time.

Chrissie wrote: "Lurk, TMITWSS is very good. Read that last year. Another good one for Egypt is Sipping from the Nile. Both are memoirs, but they are very different from each other. And "Cutting for Stone" too. I ..."

and i see you are reading the sheltering sky which i really liked. it is a sweet book.

I'm currently reading Wolf Totem which takes place in the Mongolian area of China and Wolf Hall which is about more human wolves in 16th century England. These are not new countries for me but very good books.

The Immortals of Meluha will be finished tomorrow. I've already ordered the second book of the trilogy which will arrive by the end of January I hope.

I'm on my way to Liberia in which I picked up on a whim at the library today.

Gaeta1 wrote: "Diane wrote: "Almost out of Russia with War and Peace and chipping away at The Tale of Genji. Trying to get some of these biggies out of the way before my vacation is over."

You did Genji, too? W..."

It wasn't what I was planning on reading for Japan, but I saw it taking valuable space on my overcrowded bookshelf and thought, why not? I am reading in geographical order this year and the book I had slated for Japan (Wind-up Bird Chronicle) was MIA and I needed to fill the gap so I could move forward. Genji is actually much better than I anticipated. It is hard to believe that was written a thousand years ago. It doesn't seem that old. Perhaps it's the translation.

Kimberly wrote: "I'm on my way to Liberia in which I picked up on a whim at the library today."

That is my Liberia pick, too.

Diane wrote: "Kimberly wrote: "I'm on my way to Liberia in which I picked up on a whim at the library today."

T..."

Did you read This Child Will Be Great: Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa's First Woman President last year? I'd be curious to know the connections between them.

Beth wrote: "Diane wrote: "Kimberly wrote: "I'm on my way to Liberia in which I picked up on a whim at the libr..."

No, I haven't. I would like to.

Beth wrote: "Diane wrote: "Kimberly wrote: "I'm on my way to Liberia in which I picked up on a whim at the libr..."

I have This Child Will Be Great: Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa's First Woman President on hold at the library. It looks very interesting.

I am wandering in the streets of Japan these days with Murakami's Kafka on the shore. Ejoying it completely !

In North Korea with Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West. Just left South Korea with Your Republic Is Calling You.

Rusalka wrote: "You do not want to be here today. 40 degrees here urgh(104F), most of the country is hotter, strong winds and lots of us is on fire. So usual summer really..." It was awful wasn't it Rusalka? We got 41c and it was still 34c in the house at midnight (we don't have aircon). It was too hot to read and anyway, we had the curtains and blinds down and the lights off, so no light to read by. Glad it is cooler now - 32c is pleasantly warm!

Diane wrote: "Just left South Korea with Your Republic Is Calling You." Wow - thanks for this post Diane - I've been looking for a Sth Korea book. I'm going there in June. What did you think of it?

Yrinsyde wrote: "Diane wrote: "Just left South Korea with Your Republic Is Calling You." Wow - thanks for this post Diane - I've been looking for a Sth Korea book. I'm going there in June. What did you think of it?"

I liked it. All the events take place within a 24 hour period. The protagonist is a North Korean spy who has been living in South Korea for the last 21 years and living an otherwise normal life until events unfold in the book.

Last year I read The Calligrapher's Daughter for South Korea and loved it.

Yrinsyde wrote: "Diane wrote: "Just left South Korea with Your Republic Is Calling You." Wow - thanks for this post Diane - I've been looking for a Sth Korea book. I'm going there in June. What did you think of it?"

I wouldn't recommend Your Republic Is Calling You if you are looking for a book about the culture. It is more about the political side of the culture rather than the type of culture that would appeal to a prospective traveler, if that makes any sense.

I'm in Tibet having tea with an abbot in Mandarin Gateby Eliot Pattison. The abbot is complaining to the protagonist that the Ministry of Religious Affairs has no requisition form for hope and faith.

Mandarin Gate is a mystery in a series about a former inspector from Beijing who has been exiled to Tibet. It's one of my favorite mystery series.

Shomeret wrote: "I'm in Tibet having tea with an abbot in Mandarin Gateby Eliot Pattison. The abbot is complaining to the protagonist that the Ministry of Religious Affairs has no requisition form for hope and fai..."

Another series to get to someday!

Yrinsyde wrote: "Rusalka wrote: "You do not want to be here today. 40 degrees here urgh(104F), most of the country is hotter, strong winds and lots of us is on fire. So usual summer really..." It was awful wasn't i..."

I can put up with the heat during the day, but not at night. I was feeling for you guys down in Melbourne and Tassie when I saw how hot it was at midnight. We had a thunderstorm through that cooled us down, but set off more fires with the lightning. Hope you get some reading done this week, when it eventually cools down (come on!).

From North Korea, I escaped into China with Empress Orchid, then into Tibet with Dalai Lama, My Son.

I am in South Africa with Patrick Flanery and his debut novel . Very engaging.

I'm in Ontario, Canada with Long Hot Summoning. I love it. Plus, I get to count it for the Read Across Canada, which is nice.

I've left Tibet. Today I was in an alternate steampunk Victorian England in a circus with rather terrifying mechanical spiders. It's an anthology called The Shadow Conspiracy: Tales of the Steam Age Vol. I. I liked the first two stories dealing centrally with some very interesting historical personages in our universe, but I'm not sure I like this story.

I'm in Sierra Leone in which I'll be done today.