Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

This week we're focusing on the mediterranean! This includes any of the countries bordering the Mediterranean sea and the two island nations located in it. For a full list of countries, click here. You can either read a book set in one of these locations or written by author from one.

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Suggestions:
Goodreads: Popular Mediterranean Books

Croatia
Goodreads: Popular Croatia Books

Egypt:
Cairo Scene: 6 Most Important Books Set in Egypt
BookBub: 15 Historical Fiction Novels Set in Ancient Egypt
The New Yorker: An Egyptian Fiction Reading List
Goodreads: Books Set in Egypt

France
Frenchly: 7 Modern French Authors That You Should Know About
Sight Seeker's Delight: 12 Best French Authors of All Time
goop: 13 Great Books Set in France
Goodreads: Popular Books Set In France
Owlcation: The Best Books Set in France
Buzzfeed: 40 Books That Will Make You Want To Visit France
Solo Sophie: 25 Breathtaking Books About France You Simply Must Read!
Read it Forward: 28 Books Set in France
BookBub: 20 Historical Fiction Books Set in France

Israel
Goodreads: Books Set in Israel
Forward: If You Want To Understand Israel, Read Its Literature
Culture Trip: 7 Must-Read Books By Israeli Authors

Italy
Goodreads: Notable Novels by Italian Authors
Goodreads: Books Set in Italy
Kate Forsyth: Best 25 Books Set in Italy

Spain
Goodreads: Popular Spanish Authors Books
Goodreads: Book Set in Spain
The Female Scriblerian: 10 Best Books Set in Spain

Syria
Goodreads: Books Set in Syria
Culture Trip: 10 Syrian Authors You Should Know
Signature Reads: This Side of Syria: Best Books to Understand the Syrian Experience
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Optional questions:
- What are you reading for this category?
- Does the setting or author fulfill the prompt?
- Which country are you using?

* For the sake of time, I have provided suggestions for a select number of the Mediterranean countries. The full list is linked above.

I am finally going to finish the Neapolitan books and read The Story of the Lost Child.

I'll probably spend more time perusing the lists above, but what I have now are:

* Circe
* Death on the Nile
* The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
* The Iliad

I would like to find a book set somewhere like Israel or Croatia. Anyone read something from one of those countries that you would recommend?

I have had this book on my TBR for like 4 years I will be so happy to check it off into the READ pile!

Beautiful Ruins

I will most likely read a book that I own for this prompt.
Set in Italy: Foucault's Pendulum or The Island.

I'm going to either read the first 10 books I added to my TBR or remove them from it. The Gray Notebook by Joseph Pla, from Spain, is #4 on my TBR.

Backups are:
Clea - Lawrence Durrell (Egypt)
Eugénie Grandet - Balzac (France)

I think I'll do Call Me By Your Name , which is set in Italy. I loved the movie so I want to see what the book is like

When the prompt for an unusual narrator was being discussed I became intrigued by My Name Is Red. Since the book is set in Turkey I can use it here instead.

I had more options for this topic on my TBR than I realized!

-The World of the End by Ofir Touche Gafla (Israeli author)
-The Supernatural Enhancements by Edgar Cantero (Spanish author)
-Miss Ex-Yugoslavia: A Memoir (I'm counting this because Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina are all Mediterranean countries and are all ex-Yugoslavia)
-The Nightingale (set in France)

Angie wrote: "I would like to find a book set somewhere like Israel or Croatia."

I am planning to read Girl at War by Sara Nović, which is set (at least partially) in Croatia.

Other Croatia books on my TBR List:
The Hired Man by Aminatta Forna
The First Rule of Swimming by Courtney Angela Brkic
The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht

I have these books on my radar:
The Divine Comedy
If on a Winter's Night a Traveler
Dora Bruder or something else Patrick Modiano
and books by Georges Perec

But there are many more.

The New Yorker article about Egypt has The Complete Persepolis listed, but it's my understanding that the entire book is set in Iran? Thoughts?

Serendipity wrote: "When the prompt for an unusual narrator was being discussed I became intrigued by My Name Is Red. Since the book is set in Turkey I can use it here instead."

I loved My Name is Red and am a big fan of most of Pamuk's novels. I may read his new book The Red-Haired Woman: A Novel or Exodus as choices for this prompt but they both also work for other prompts so I am still looking for options.

Emily wrote: "The New Yorker article about Egypt has The Complete Persepolis listed, but it's my understanding that the entire book is set in Iran? Thoughts?"

yes, that is not in Egypt. She starts out in Iran and then briefly lives in Europe somewhere (I can't remember now - maybe Germany?)

dalex wrote: "Angie wrote: "I would like to find a book set somewhere like Israel or Croatia."

I am planning to read Girl at War by Sara Nović, which is set (at least partially)..."

Thanks! I've heard of the first one you mentioned but not the others. I'll look them up.

I went BONKERS with this category, I have an entire spreadsheet tab devoted to it - I listed 23 Mediterranean countries (going in clockwise order around the sea, because of course) and I found at least one book related to each country, ideally written by an author from that country AND set in that country, but sometimes it was just setting. Then I went through and listed the books I most wanted to read, without regard to how well they fit my constraints. Then I admitted to myself that really I just want to go back to the Elizabeth Peters series that I USED to read religiously, but dropped back when my kids were born (has it really been 15 years since I read these??? that can't be!), so tops on my list:
Children of the Storm by Elizabeth Peters (set in Egypt)

And backup plans:
Shadow of the Rock (mystery set in Gibraltar)
The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax (mystery set in Albania - I have NEVER read a Mrs Pollifax book! how can this be??)
The Collaborator of Bethlehem (mystery set in Palestine)
The Tremor of Forgery (Highsmith thriller set in Tunisia)

I'm not being terribly diverse, all of the authors are American or English.

i think about Santorini Sunsets by Anita Hughes - greece island

Finding You by Jo watson - also set in Santorini Greece

Seven Days of Friday by Alex A. king - greece

The Blue Between Sky and Water - Susan Abulhawa (Gaza/isreal)

Seriously, I just wrote a longish comment recommending books set by the Mediterranean itself, and it got lost..psshhh.
Now you'll just get the titles:
Ukulele-Jam by Alen Mešković (Adriatic Sea)
Donna Leon's Commisario Brunetti series (Venice)
Cathedral of the Sea by Ildefonso Falcones (Barcelona, haven't read this, so secondhand recommendation by trusted people)

Emily wrote: "The New Yorker article about Egypt has The Complete Persepolis listed, but it's my understanding that the entire book is set in Iran? Thoughts?"

I just finished reading it. It takes place in Iran and Austria. The only reason I can think of that they would say Egypt is if maybe one of her relatives or a family friend took refuge there, but then it would have just been mentioned in passing. Its a GREAT book though if you can find someplace to put it (? the Not a Book category?)

Tracy wrote: "Emily wrote: "The New Yorker article about Egypt has The Complete Persepolis listed, but it's my understanding that the entire book is set in Iran? Thoughts?"

I just finished reading..."

Thanks! I have it on my 40 Before 40 list, so I will get to it eventually... I'm struggling with this prompt, so I was hoping I could slot it in here, but alas.

I'm going to read the next book in the Neapolitan novels series:

The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante

I have yet to start the Neapolitan novels even though they have been on my TBR for a long time. So I am going to use this prompt to give me the push Imapparently need and read My Brilliant Friend.

I'm leaning towards Syria for this prompt, I have the audiobook of The Map of Salt and Stars already and I'm also interested in The Morning They Came for Us: Dispatches from Syria.

I am really interested in reading a book set in Greece, specifically a nice easy fiction read about life/culture in Greece. Nothing to heavy - something like a summer read (can be heartwarming, humorous, etc.) Any recommendations?

Ugh. I don't know why I struggled with this so hard.

I chose People of the Book off my bookshelf which takes place in Sarajevo/Boznia & Herzegovina. As a back up option, I may use My Family and Other Animals (Greece), which was on my original plan this year, but I didn't get to, or Beautiful Ruins which takes place in Italy.

Beautiful Ruins is a good, easy read! (In case you need a good, easy read next year)

Emily wrote: "Beautiful Ruins is a good, easy read! (In case you need a good, easy read next year)"

I need all the good easy reads. Thats my plan for next year.

Tracy wrote: "Ugh. I don't know why I struggled with this so hard.

I chose People of the Book off my bookshelf which takes place in Sarajevo/Boznia & Herzegovina. As a back up option, I may use [..."

Loved People of the Book!

I'm looking at either Circe (if I don't get to it this year), The Iliad, or The Talented Mr. Ripley.

How does The Talented Mr. Ripley fit this prompt? I have it on my to read list, but I haven't picked a prompt for it yet!

Emily wrote: "How does The Talented Mr. Ripley fit this prompt? I have it on my to read list, but I haven't picked a prompt for it yet!"

It's set in Italy (I believe on the coast).

Corfu: My Family and Other Animals, Gerald Durrell

I'm going to read The Time in Between by Maria Duenas, who is from Spain.

Hi all, this is my first post in this group so please bear with me! I'm Aleksandra, I will be doing the challenge next year, well, hopefully, anyway. I come from Slovenia and I am so happy for this choice as I will be picking one of our authors. I hope that's all right! I will be posting my list in the following days (I am still creating it), however I would like to ask you forgiveness as, due to my visual impairment, I struggle with including all the links making it look nice and neat. I might just copy and paste the titles, is that all right? Anyway, I know I am posting in a wrong topic, I simply had to tune in as I love the fact I can read a book in my native language! :*

I'm going to Italy with my pick, both in terms of the setting and the author's nationality, with Answer Me.

I will read either Death in Cyprus or The Mummy Case

I think I'll read A Bite-Sized History of France: Delicious, Gastronomic Tales of Revolution, War, and Enlightenment for this one. It's been on my TBR so just another one to cross off the list!

Does anyone have any YA suggestions please??

Catherine wrote: "I think I'll read A Bite-Sized History of France: Delicious, Gastronomic Tales of Revolution, War, and Enlightenment for this one. It's been on my TBR so just another one to cross o..."

I really want to get to this next year as well! I told myself I can't use France for this prompt though since I read so many books set there and I'm doing Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly for food prompt so I need to find somewhere to fit it in if I can.

I just hauled this book recently and can't wait to start this series. I'm going with an Italian book called My brilliant friend by Elana Ferrante

I think I will read a non-fiction book for this option. I just received an ARC of Spies of No Country: Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel. It fits a few prompts but this might be the best choice! I hope to read it in Jan/Feb before its pub date of Mach 5.

I read Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman and it is a gorgeously written book set in summer in Italy.

And it has made the 4 month wait for my Italy trip almost unbearably long!

Azrah wrote: "Does anyone have any YA suggestions please??"

I loved this book: Anna and the French Kiss which takes place in Paris.

Here is a link to a list of YA books set in Italy: YA Books Set in Italy

At the moment I think I'm doing The Colors of Cold: A New Story from The Age of Ice.

What are you reading for this category?
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
- Does the setting or author fulfill the prompt?
Setting
- Which country are you using?
France

For this week, I'll be working my way through The Histories of Herodotus. The Ancient Greek storyteller who collected stories from all over the Mediterranean and pretty much invented history as we know it. He is known as both the Father of History and the Father of Lies for his decision to only pass on the sexiest version of the stories he could find.

I am using The Silent Patient because the author is from Greece. Does that count? Most people are using this book as a psychological thriller but I read several of those a year so I figured this could slip in here.

Reagan wrote: "I am using The Silent Patient because the author is from Greece. Does that count? Most people are using this book as a psychological thriller but I read several of those a year so I..."

I didn't realize the author was from Greece! The book is set in the UK, right?

Emily wrote: "Reagan wrote: "I am using The Silent Patient because the author is from Greece. Does that count? Most people are using this book as a psychological thriller but I read several of th..."

Yes the book is set in the UK but Alex Michaelides is Greek.

It seems he is from Cyprus (depending on how you define these things) but it doesn't change the fact that he is from a mediterranean country - so go for it :)