Around the World discussion

On a new literary journey? Share a bit about what you’re reading - title of the book, author, which part of the world it’s set in or maybe where the author is from. How are you enjoying it (or not!) so far.

This discussion thread is a great resource for ideas for our reading journeys!

My ears are in Venice, Italy with Through a Glass, Darkly by Donna Leon - it’s the 15th book in the Commissario Brunetti series.

I also started The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill - nonfiction. I’m in Tehran, Iran. Maybe I’ll travel to other countries?

I’m in India/Pakistan just before partition with The Night Diary. A young Hindu girl writes letters to her deceased Muslim mother, trying to articulate the fear and confusion of what’s happening around her as the realisation dawns that her family will have to leave their home.

I'm currently reading Home Fire for Pakistan, although at the moment it is very much UK/USA based. Let's see where I end up :)

Even if I need to rethink this later, I have wanted to read this for years after studying and performing Antigone in year 10 drama.

Rusalka wrote: "I'm currently reading Home Fire for Pakistan, although at the moment it is very much UK/USA based. Let's see where I end up :)

Even if I need to rethink this later, I have wanted t..."

I gave this one 5 stars, Rusalka when I read it five years, but I can’t for the life of me remember the book at all! Unusual for me for a 5-star read. I must be getting old!🤣 Hope you get to Pakistan/india soon.

I’m in Venice, Italy with The Girl of His Dreams and in Suriname with The Cost of Sugar.

I’m in New Caledonia with Miss Benson's Beetle. So far, so good.

Tonight I started reading The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty by Sebastian Barry, which is set in Ireland. My copy is an audio book and the narration by Aiden Kelly is excellent.

I’m in Lisbon with Night Train to Lisbon by Swiss author, Pascal Mercier, translated from German; in Canada with Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery, and in the Pacific Coast Trail with Cheryl Strayed’s Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. Night Train is luminous and wonderful; too soon to tell about Emily (but I have high hopes), and Cheryl Strayed is a liar. So overall an interesting mix.

I just found this group and I am excited to travel through stories with all of you. Appropriately, I happen to be reading The Four Winds which is set in Texas during the Dust Bowl, and since I am currently living in Texas, I shall begin my journey right here! I can't wait to take off from my home base and land in a new and intriguing location!

I'm in Liberia with Once Upon The Time in Liberia. A collection of humorous short stories, but boy does it need serious copy editing!

Dani wrote: "I just found this group and I am excited to travel through stories with all of you. Appropriately, I happen to be reading The Four Winds which is set in Texas during the Dust Bowl, ..."

Welcome to the group Dani and great starting point for your journey around the world! Hope it’s a good one.

I’m in Uzbekistan with The White Mosque, nonfiction by Sofia Samatar. I’m enjoying listening to the audiobook narrated by the author.

I'm in Japan with The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories (edited by Jay Rubin, introduction by Haruki Murakami).

I'm in India with the very likable Inspector Chopra and his brand new elephant Ganesha with The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra

I’m in Sweden with Wolf Pack (highly anticipated audiobook edition!), in Syria to resume my long walk with The Map of Salt and Stars and also in Ukraine with The Thin Blue-Yellow Line Between Love and Hate: A war diary from Ukraine. I’m planning to take my time with this last one, which is a fundraiser to help the Ukrainian war effort, written/compiled by a Ukrainian author better known for his sci-fi/fantasy novels. It covers the first 100 days of the current war.

Dani wrote: "I just found this group and I am excited to travel through stories with all of you. Appropriately, I happen to be reading The Four Winds which is set in Texas during the Dust Bowl, ..."

Adding to my TBR list. I was raised in Texas and my oldest was born in El Paso where I see is your home.

I am in Minnesota where I live, reading stories and recipes from Minnesotans in Land of 10,000 Plates: Stories and Recipes from Minnesota .

Andrea wrote: "I’m in Sweden with Wolf Pack (highly anticipated audiobook edition!), in Syria to resume my long walk with The Map of Salt and Stars and also in Ukraine with [book:T..."

Andrea, I'm not familiar with the series of which Wolf Pack is #5. Have you read others? Do you have a favorite?

Carol wrote: "Andrea, I'm not familiar with the series of which Wolf Pack is #5. Have you read others? Do you have a favorite?..."

Oh yes, I've read the entire series in audiobook format as soon as I could get my hands on each instalment. It's one of my current favourite crime series. The books are really good in their own right, but Swedish narrator Maya Lindh really makes the series. I'd highly recommend reading them in order as the character development of Tuva in particular, and the recurring townsfolk characters to some extent, is important. I've enjoyed all of them (clearly) but I would say #2 was a little weaker (albeit set inside the local liquorice factory, which kind of makes up for it) and #4 was a little more demented/scary. Fabulous sense of place, too.

Andrea wrote: "Carol wrote: "Andrea, I'm not familiar with the series of which Wolf Pack is #5. Have you read others? Do you have a favorite?..."

Oh yes, I've read the entire series in audiobook format as soon a..."

Sold. Thanks so much for this extra guidance, Andrea.

Andrea wrote: "Carol wrote: "Andrea, I'm not familiar with the series of which Wolf Pack is #5. Have you read others? Do you have a favorite?..."

Oh yes, I've read the entire series in audiobook format as soon a..."
I will check my library. Thanks for the information.

I’m in Vanuatu with Boxed Wine at Sunset and enjoying it immensely. It’s about a couple volunteering with the Peace Corps for two years in Vanuatu in the early 2000s.

Lilisa wrote: "I’m in Vanuatu with Boxed Wine at Sunset and enjoying it immensely. It’s about a couple volunteering with the Peace Corps for two years in Vanuatu in the early 2000s."

That sounds fun - I might try to track it down to read myself.

I’m (unexpectedly) in Israel with Black Foam: A Novel. It’s a newly translated novel by an Eritrean author, which I thought would take me to parts of Northern Africa that I hadn’t visited before. Instead it’s taken me down this rabbit-hole, learning about the Jewish Ethiopians airlifted to the homeland. Lots of research to do…

Andrea wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "I’m in Vanuatu with Boxed Wine at Sunset and enjoying it immensely. It’s about a couple volunteering with the Peace Corps for two years in Vanuatu in the early 2000s...."

I hope you find a copy! It’s literally the author’s journal - she’s done a wonderful job with her descriptions and she’s made it very interesting with all the details. Great sense of place and culture and what life is really like there. Humorous writing too as she and her husband adapt. I’m half way into the book.

I've finished my trip to Liberia and am taking a side journey to Germany with The Reader. My goal this year is to read what I have and The Reader is a free book library item (I will return it when finished). Then it's back to Africa with A Gazelle Ate My Homework. As for the Western Sahara, I'm reading this: https://theculturetrip.com/africa/wes... Translated from the Spanish from a collection of short stories by Bahia Mahmud Awah.

Lilisa wrote: "Andrea wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "I’m in Vanuatu with Boxed Wine at Sunset and enjoying it immensely. It’s about a couple volunteering with the Peace Corps for two years in Vanuatu in t..."

I agree! This one sounds fun!

My journey has been interesting! Since I started where I live, in Texas, then jumped down to El Salvador to read Solito: A Memoir and now I am traveling with this young boy north through Guatemala and now we're in Mexico. This journey doesn't end in Texas, I believe we're taking a left into California. Next book I'm jumping across the ocean from CA to Japan with Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Café

Dani wrote: "My journey has been interesting! Since I started where I live, in Texas, then jumped down to El Salvador to read Solito: A Memoir and now I am traveling with this young boy north th..."

Dani - both books sound very interesting - added to my TBR list! Looks like Before the Coffee Gets Cold is the first in the series - my library has all three - yah!

Yrinsyde wrote: "I've finished my trip to Liberia and am taking a side journey to Germany with The Reader. My goal this year is to read what I have and The Reader is a free book library item (I will return it when ..."

Thanks for the link Yrinsyde - checking it out!

I'm in London with The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer and in Japan (mostly 20th century) with The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories, edited and some translated by Jay Rubin.

Carol wrote: "I'm in London with The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer and in Japan (mostly 20th century) with The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories, edited an..."

Carol - TBD sounds “shivery!”

I'm now alternatively in Ivory Coast and the USA with A Gazelle Ate My Homework. I'm almost half way and am really enjoying it. I recommend it! Also, I accidentally ordered 2 copies (whoops) of The Kaffir of Karthala so if anyone in Australia would like a free copy, please let me know.

Yrinsyde wrote: "I'm now alternatively in Ivory Coast and the USA with A Gazelle Ate My Homework. I'm almost half way and am really enjoying it. I recommend it! Also, I accidentally ordered 2 copies (whoops) of The..."

Lol! Andrea, Rusalka or any other Aussie take you up on your offer yet?

If no one else has put their hand up, I would love to have this book.
Thanks.

Lilisa wrote: "Carol wrote: "I'm in London with The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer and in Japan (mostly 20th century) with [book:The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories|363495..."

I thought it was quite good. It’s a serial killer story, but the protagonist is a tv journalist who also is the primary caregiver for her dad. He has dementia. Bauer landed pacing, characterization and her reveals impeccably.

Trish L wrote: "If no one else has put their hand up, I would love to have this book.
Thanks."

No one has yet, so you're in luck! You can email me your address to yrinsyde AT gmail.com and I'll pop it in the post. :)

Thank you. I have emailed you.

I’m in India with Independence: A Novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.

I’m also in India, but with The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters!

Andrea - I’ve not read her books. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts. I’m assuming you’re in Amritsar and I’m in Calcutta - that’s 2,012 km or 1,250 miles apart! We’ll have to meet somewhere in the middle! 😊The Golden Temple is beautiful and there’s a lovely air of reverence that permeates the place.

Lilisa wrote: "Andrea - I’ve not read her books. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts. I’m assuming you’re in Amritsar and I’m in Calcutta - that’s 2,012 km or 1,250 miles apart! We’ll have to meet somewhere i..."

Just in Delhi at the moment, but heading to Amritsar soon! This is my second by this author - previously enjoyed Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, so I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while.

Andrea wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Andrea - I’ve not read her books. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts. I’m assuming you’re in Amritsar and I’m in Calcutta - that’s 2,012 km or 1,250 miles apart! We’ll have to m..."

I will have to check it out then. My library has it, I listened to part of the audio sample. I think I will do the audio - adding to my TBR!

I thought I was going to just be reading my home city (Melbourne, Australia) in Invented Lives, but I’m pleasantly surprised to find that I’m half there and half in the USSR. One of the main characters is a young Jewish woman from Leningrad who took the opportunity to emigrate while the rules for Soviet Jews were a little more relaxed in the mid 80s. But her decision to relocate to Australia was made on a whim, after a chance meeting with a mosaicist. I’m really enjoying it so far. I have read a bit about the Soviet Jews before (Beside Myself), but that was more Odessa and Moscow, from memory.

I’m back on my Long Walk and have arrived in Turkiye with Three Daughters of Eve after a last-minute substitution. I think this is the first time I’ve read Elif Shafak and I’m happy with my choice so far.

Great you’re enjoying Three Daughters of Eve, Andrea - hope it stays that way. I’ve read quite a few of Elif Shafak’s books and enjoyed them.

I really need to pick up something by her, as I am yet to hear any of you say something other than raving reviews!

I'm just finishing up in Beirut in Lebanon with An Unnecessary Woman.

It's a bit of a love story to the city through the memories of the protagonist along with all the books she has read and the music she has listened too.

I just finished it for the second time. If you want to read about the world try this real life, 6-year journey around the world. It is a great read.
"Around the World on a Dime and a Prayer."

It's free on kindle and a buck otherwise.

https://www.amazon.com/Around-World-D...