Around the World discussion

Share what book you've read - did you enjoy it or not and why, but no spoilers please! We'd love a link to your review to learn more about your thoughts. Hopefully you'll enjoy some great reads in 2016 traveling around the world!

I finished Daughter Of Earth And Water: A Biography Of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley I started it at the end of December. I really, really enjoyed it. Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Not counting it for this challenge, but if anyone is interested in biographies - it would count for a U.K. travel.

I started in the USA in my around the world tour. I just finished Stars Over Sunset Boulevard and I highly recommend it!

You can find my review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I just finished Lebanon -- Postcards from the Middle East: How Our Family Fell in Love with the Arab World

Five Stars: My review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I've just finished Liberia with Called for Life: How Loving Our Neighbor Led Us into the Heart of the Ebola Epidemic.

Three very conflicted stars. My review can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished The Last Brother - it left a lasting impression... My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Lilisa wrote: "Finished The Last Brother - it left a lasting impression... My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

Thanks for the review -- I just added the book to my TBR list!

Melissa wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Finished The Last Brother - it left a lasting impression... My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

Thanks for the review -- I just added the book..."

When you do read it, I hope you'll think it was well worth your time!

Finished Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor, an alien first-contact science fiction novel set in present day Lagos (Nigeria) and the aliens are coming from the sea. I loved it! I didn't need another Nigerian book but what the heck. My review is here, with a lot more detail.

I finished Kissed By A Deer last night and have given it 3★

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

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "Finished Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor, an alien first-contact science fiction novel set in present day Lagos (Nigeria) and the aliens are coming from the sea. I loved it! I didn't need another Nigerian book but what the heck.

I don't need another Nigerian book either, but that is on my to be read eventually list.

Finished Tea & Bee's Milk: Our Year in a Turkish Village - a delightful and informative experience of life in Turkey for a year. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Lilisa wrote: "Finished Tea & Bee's Milk: Our Year in a Turkish Village - a delightful and informative experience of life in Turkey for a year. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show......"

Nice review! OK, next time Amazon waves it under my nose, I will buy it.

Andrea wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Finished Tea & Bee's Milk: Our Year in a Turkish Village - a delightful and informative experience of life in Turkey for a year. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/r..."

:-) I had to end up buying it on Kindle to read it, which is why it took me so long to get to it. It's not readily available elsewhere nor in libraries. I'm glad I did buy it. This is a book I'll read again.

Just finished Avenue of Spies: A True Story of Terror, Espionage, and One American Family's Heroic Resistance in Nazi-Occupied Paris for France. I struggled with it due to a shocking lack of WWII knowledge. My review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I also finished Man's Search for Meaning for Germany. I loved it -- the review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I recently left Yemen -- Behind the Veils of Yemen: How an American Woman Risked Her Life, Family, and Faith to Bring Jesus to Muslim Women

It was okay -- for a limited audience. You can see my review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I just left India with Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity

I loved this book so much. The people whose lives Boo shared with me in this book will stay with me for a long time. My review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I've been in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) with The grass is singing by Doris Lessing which I enjoyed very much.
HERE is the link to my review.

I've just left England with Secrets of a Charmed Life. Excellent book -- I handed it off to my mother this afternoon and from all appearances, she will not be sleeping until the book is done! I had a similar experience with the book.

Review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I've been so busy reading, I'm late coming back to this site, so I have three books and three countries I've visited:

The Orchid House set in Thailand/England my review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Russian Concubine set in China my review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss set in Austria (but a little bit in France and Japan also) my review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Wonderful reading experience with The Gift of Rain set in Penang, Malaysia. Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Not so great experience with The Korean Word For Butterfly, set in South Korea - unfortunately, not worth spending my time on a review.

Lilisa wrote: "Wonderful reading experience with The Gift of Rain set in Penang, Malaysia. Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Not so great experience with The Korean Wor..."</i>

Great review of [book:The Gift of Rain, Lilisa! I just added to my TBR list. It's amazing how that list just grows and grows...

Suzanne wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Wonderful reading experience with The Gift of Rain set in Penang, Malaysia. Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Not so great experience with [book..."

:-)

Just left Papua New Guinea with Euphoria by Lily King Here's my review!

And now just finished up in Saudi Arabia with a great murder mystery by Zoë Ferraris in City of Veils.
Review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I just finished Palestine -- The Collaborator of Bethlehem, which was excellent.

Four Stars: My review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Guys, there's a young adult fantasy fiction book set in Singapore and it's awesome.

I just finished The Oddfits by Tiffany Tsao. Review here - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I read The Paris Architect most recently. It was an easy read and gave an uncommon perspective in Holocaust fiction. It's told from the viewpoint of a Parisian Architect during 1943 (so when Germany had occupied France) designing hiding places for Jews.

I have also read The Girl in the Spider's Web. This one is in Sweden. It's the fourth in the Millenium Series. The book itself was okay, but I felt like David Langcrantz butchered the series. The first three books are by Stieg Larsson. Unfortunately he passed away about a decade ago.

I went to Sweden again with Kristina: The Girl King, Sweden, 1638. These are great books if you want a quick read. The Princess Diary series takes place all over the world. Two are in Africa, many in Europe, three (maybe four) in Asian countries, two in South America, and then one in North America.

Courtney wrote: "I read The Paris Architect most recently. It was an easy read and gave an uncommon perspective in Holocaust fiction. It's told from the viewpoint of a Parisian Architect during 1943..."

Thanks Courtney - The Paris Architect has been on my list for a long time. I agree with you regarding Millenium series - I liked The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo the best.

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "Finished Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor, an alien first-contact science fiction novel set in present day Lagos (Nigeria) and the aliens are coming from the sea. I loved it! I didn't need ..."

I enjoyed this one as well. It was so refreshing to have aliens land in Nigeria, instead of the US!

I just finished Sasa Stanisic's How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone, set mostly in Bosnia. What a ride! I loved it. My review is here: http://mybookstrings.com/2016/01/29/h...
(I hope it's ok to link to reviews on my blog....)

I was in the Dominican Republic with The Feast of the Goat - it was intense and sometimes too complicated than it needed to be, set during Rafael Trujillo's rule. Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

My Book Strings wrote: "Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "Finished Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor, an alien first-contact science fiction novel set in present day Lagos (Nigeria) and the aliens are coming from the se..."

I just found out that the author will be in my town this summer, super excited to meet her!

I was in Laos with Thirty-Three Teeth and enjoyed it greatly.

Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I was aboard the ship - the Derna - en route from Europe to the New World - Australia/New Zealand and stayed there...My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I was in old Shanghai, China with Kazuo Ishiguro's excellent When We Were Orphans. My review is here: https://coldread.wordpress.com/2016/0...
I also took a trip to World War II France with All the Light We Cannot See. I loved this book so much! My review is here: https://coldread.wordpress.com/2016/0...

I was in Chile. Just finished Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende, which sadly, I didn't really enjoy!

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

Was in Cyprus with Bitter Lemons. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Also took a quick trip through Hong Kong, Borneo, the Netherlands and Canada with The Two Sisters of Borneo. Fun and fast paced ! My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I've been in The Caribbean with Archipelago by Monique Roffey (her 3rd novel) which overall I enjoyed.

I was in Sri Lanka with What Lies Between Us by Nayomi Munaweera.

Claire wrote: "I was in Sri Lanka with What Lies Between Us by Nayomi Munaweera."

Great review, Claire! Can't wait to read it too.

Lilisa wrote: "Claire wrote: "I was in Sri Lanka with What Lies Between Us by Nayomi Munaweera."

Great review, Claire! Can't wait to read it too."

Thanks Lilisa, I'm looking forward to reading her previous novel soon too, I've just ordered it, Island of a Thousand Mirrors.

Yesterday I finished Sugar in the Blood: A Family's Story of Slavery and Empire by Andrea Stuart, set in Barbados. There is quite a bit there about Haiti and Jamaica too. If you haven't ever read about slavery in the Caribbean, start here! My review is here.

On a roll - I finished A Small Place. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Also finished listening to The Book of Unknown Americans. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Claire wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Claire wrote: "I was in Sri Lanka with What Lies Between Us by Nayomi Munaweera."

Great review, Claire! Can't wait to read it too."

Thanks Lilisa, I'm looking forward to reading he..."

:-) so hope you enjoy this one too.

Well lets see:

I was in England, France, and America in A Discovery of Witches with a small little stop in Scotland (maybe a chapter).

Then with Shadow of Night we went to London and France in 1590 and then Prague in 1591 as well. Other journeys include modern day America and modern day France.

With The Book of Life I was back in Modern day America, France, and England. There were short stops in Venice, Italy and Chelm, Poland.


The above three books are all apart of the All Soul's Triology.

Courtney wrote: "Well lets see:

I was in England, France, and America in A Discovery of Witches with a small little stop in Scotland (maybe a chapter).

Then with Shadow of Night we..."

Nice going Courtney! I've read the first two and enjoyed them, particularly A Discovery of Witches. I have yet to read the third one, although I've had it for a while. Which one was your favorite out of the three?

That's really hard to say. The first time I read the books it was The Book of Life.


However, after rereading them I'm equally tied between the first two. What I like about I the first is the introduction into this world and the first explorations of Diana's and Matthew's relationship. But Shadow of Night does such a good job exploring Diana as she grows into her powers and begins the stages of motherhood. Plus I liked how Deborah Harkness showed real relationship problems and not just problems that would only occur between a vampire/ witch.


I just found out she's starting a new series, but with the same characters. The first book is "The Serpents Mirror" and should be published next year. I think it's exploring Matthews past with Diana as the narrator(or something like that).

Sounds like you like them all equally :-) thanks for the info re: her new series - will have to keep an eye out for it - sounds interesting.

I was in China (in 1708) with Jade Dragon Mountain by Elsa Hart, and enjoyed it immensely. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...