Around the World discussion

Let's celebrate and commiserate! What were your most and least favourite reads of 2024?

Personally, I feel like I've had a pretty good reading year. But that doesn't mean I don't have titles to offer on both sides of the conversation! In no order:-

Best
East Germany - Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall
Scotland - Rizzio
India - The God of Small Things
Sweden - The Oyster Diver's Secret
Nepal - The Sky Beneath Us

Worst
Japan - Butter
Tonga - Island Girl to Airline Pilot: A story of love, sacrifice and taking flight
Ivory Coast - The Bitter Side of Sweet
Iran - Daughters of Smoke and Fire
Oman - The Zanzibar Wife

I didn’t have as many favorites this year as I’ve had in the past, so it’s a lot easier this time around:

BEST:
Türkiye, Iraq, U.K.: There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak

Afghanistan: The Opium Prince by Jasmine Aimaq

Libya/U.K.: My Friends by Hisham Matar

France: A Waiter in Paris: Adventures in the Dark Heart of the City by Edward Chisholm

Central Asia: Akmaral by Judith Lindbergh


WORST:
U.K.: Weyward by Emilia Hart

Italy: The Stone Witch of Florence by Anna Rasche

Ouch Andrea, Daughters of Smoke and Fire by Ava Homa was one of my favorites when I read it in 2022!🤣

Lilisa wrote: "Ouch Andrea, Daughters of Smoke and Fire by Ava Homa was one of my favorites when I read it in 2022!🤣"

Yeah, I know, I’m sorry. The story was good, but I found the writing unable to be ignored.

Andrea wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Ouch Andrea, Daughters of Smoke and Fire by Ava Homa was one of my favorites when I read it in 2022!🤣"

Yeah, I know, I’m sorry. The story was good, ..."

lol, loved the writing too! I’m always intrigued by people’s “Best” and “Worst” lists - not everything’s for everybody- that’s the fun part, especially with books!

I always wait until the new year so I have finished all my reads.

Best:
One Hundred Years of Dirt - Australia - I usually do not count Aus as ATW but I got it randomly for my 5 countries, so will read it once for the challenge. It paid off
Broken Harbour - Ireland
HHhH - Czech Republic/Czechia - last read of the year

Worst
No 1 stars this year, but a couple of 2 stars
The Passport - Romania
The Final Passage - St Kitts and Nevis
The Wind Knows My Name - Chile but this was heavily shoehorned in due to the author's ethnicity.

I abandoned/paused a book. I am not sure if I will go back to it... I don't know if I was the problem or if it was. Anyway, it is Crystal Rain - Grenada