UK Book Club discussion

This challenge sounds like a good one, let's see how far I get and how long it takes me! :-)

1. MOROCCO- The Storyteller of Casablanca by Fiona Valpy **
2. USA- We Begin at the End by Chris Whittaker ****
3. FRANCE - The Alice Network by Kate Quinn *****
4. ENGLAND- Night Music by JoJo Moyes ****
5. CHINA - Miss Chopsticks by Xinran **
6. NEW ZEALAND - The Other Girl by C D Major ****

Good luck. Are you doing the 80 books or going for gold and the 240 books?

Thanks Tania, I'm just going to do the 80 books- I think even that will be a stretch!

Hi Leanne - I started in April 2018 and have only got to 38 countries so slow going for me -requires some dedication....

Rachel wrote: "Hi Leanne - I started in April 2018 and have only got to 38 countries so slow going for me -requires some dedication...."

Isn't that the true, I started 2014 but am at 145 books, yes going the distance.

Hi does anybody know how I get the world map onto my thread so I can begin to log the books I've read for this challenge on to it?

Hi Leanne, if you click on the link to someone elses map it will take you to the web page to create your own then you can copy & paste your link into a post here for it to show up. If you bookmark your map you should be able to go back and update it as you progress through the challenge.

Hi Kate, thank you :-)

7. IRELAND - The American Girl by Rachael English ***

My map is looking a bit bare at the moment! I may try to do continent by continent, if only to make it look a bit fuller...

Nice map Leanne!
You'll be surprised, once you get Canada, Russia and Australia it'll start looking full! Get a couple for South America too.
I seem to remember Africa took a bit of effort!

8. SCOTLAND - The Metal Heart by Caroline Lea ***

9. INDIA- Unfinished by Priyanka Chopra Jonas ****

10. SPAIN- The Sisterhood by Helen Bryan.

I actually gave up on this one at 47%. However as I've read nearly half I think it can be allowed...

11. AUSTRIA- The Huntressby Kate Quinn *****

Not solely set in Austria however, Austria is key to the story

12. ITALY - The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith *****

Good choice, Leanne!

I loved it Liz! Just made a start on the second one!

13. AFGHANISTAN - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini *****

14. NIGERIA - Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ****

I really enjoyed this book, and especially learning about the history of the war in Nigeria which I previously knew nothing about.
Can anyone recommend any books of a similar nature, that are set in other African countries?

Leanne wrote: "Can anyone recommend any books of a similar nature, that are set in other African countries?..."

So glad to hear you enjoyed Half of a Yellow Sun, I thought it was great too.

I've been meaning to reply for a while, but wanted to wait until I was back on my desktop, so I could include links...

Other books set in Africa, in a similar vein, that will also help you with your around the world:

Somalia - The Orchard of Lost Souls
Sierra Leone - The Memory of Love
Uganda - All Our Names
Democratic Republic of Congo - The Poisonwood Bible
Ethiopia - Cutting for Stone

I hope you like them too!

Oh, and one more - a memoir:

Zimbabwe: Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood - alternately entertaining and jaw-dropping!

Liz, thank you for the recommendations. I got The Poisonwood Bible out of the library only to then realise it's 500+ pages which, to be quite honest, put me off!
Instead I read Circling the Sun which is a fictional account of the life of Beryl Markham, set in Kenya, so that gave me another African country at least!

Going to try Cutting for Stone next, I think!

Leanne wrote: "Liz, thank you for the recommendations. I got The Poisonwood Bible out of the library only to then realise it's 500+ pages which, to be quite honest, put me off! ..."

Don't let its size put you off - embrace the brick! It's an excellent book.

15. KENYA - Circling the Sun by Paula McLain ***

16. GERMANY- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak ***** This has been my absolute favourite book of 2024!

Excellent progress:)

17. MAURITIUS - An Impossible Return by Caroline Laurent *** A good book and enjoyed getting to know the history of the island.

18. PAKISTAN -We Are Displaced by Malala Yousafzai *** Another good book, different from what I would usually read but very eye opening.

Anyone else having trouble posting their map? Unless it's just me.....

last time I tried it wouldn't work

19. SYRIA- The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Leferi *****

20. JAPAN - Geisha of Gion by Mineko Iwasaki *** The memoir of a successful geisha in 1960's Japan. Provides an interesting insight into this particular area of Japanese culture, although it can get quite dull in places.

21. KOREA - If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha ** Only 2 stars as I found this just okay.

22. VIETNAM - The Women by Kristin Hannah ***** Every single book I read by this author, I enjoy massively! This one was excellent and very deserving of all the great reviews it has been getting!

23. AUSTRALIA - The Dry by Jane Harper ****

24. CHILE - A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende ****

I'll be staying in South America for a while longer as my next country is Brazil :-)

I have The Dry on my to-read list. Glad to see you enjoyed it.

It was excellent! Hope you also enjoy it, when you get around to it.

25. BRAZIL - The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley ****
The first of a series, which I hope to read all 8 books in 2025. This one was a good start.

Well done Leanne, you've moved on nicely with the challenge this year. Glad you enjoyed your Brazil book. The only danger of continuing a series is you won't get any more countries!

Thanks Kate, the next one in the series is partly set in Norway so that will be another country I haven't got!

26. NORWAY - The Storm Sister by Lucinda Riley ***
27. TURKEY - The Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak ***