Around the World

message 1: by Lilisa (new)

Jan 01, 2025 07:15AM

Mod

Looking forward to seeing where everyone armchair travels in 2025 and maybe follow in your footsteps!

reply | flag

message 2: by Andrea, Slow but steady (new)

Jan 12, 2025 04:38PM

Mod

I was in Antarctica last week with Thaw - loved it!

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

reply | flag

message 3: by Yrinsyde (new)

Jan 13, 2025 01:50AM

I'm reading Revenge in Rubies by AM Stuart. This series is set in Singapore at the turn of last century. So far, it's enjoyable!

reply | flag

message 4: by Lilisa (new)

Jan 19, 2025 08:42AM

Mod

I was in South Korea with We Do Not Part by Han Kang. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I’ve also been to Ireland with Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan and to France with The Postcard by Anne Berest.

reply | flag

message 5: by Andrea, Slow but steady (new)

Jan 23, 2025 06:25PM

Mod

I was in Brittany, France with THE BAGUETTE MURDERS - good fun.

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

THE BAGUETTE MURDERS an absolutely gripping cozy murder mystery (Brittany Murder Mysteries Book 3) by Anne Penketh

reply | flag

message 6: by Diana (new)

Jan 28, 2025 05:23PM

I visited Japan with The Housekeeper and the Professor
My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

reply | flag

message 7: by Lilisa (new)

Jan 29, 2025 09:39PM

Mod

I was in Spain with the mystery thriller The Silence of the White City by Eva García Sáenz de Urturi. This was a good listen and definitely lining up the next book in the series. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

reply | flag

message 8: by Lilisa (new)

Feb 01, 2025 03:10PM

Mod

Was in Japan with Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino. I’ve been enjoying Keigo Higashino’s books. This is my sixth Keigo Higashino book from two series. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

reply | flag

message 9: by Andrea, Slow but steady (new)

Feb 01, 2025 07:26PM

Mod

My review for Ivory Bones: The Lewis Chessmen Murders (Iceland). I was conflicted about this one.

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

Ivory Bones The Lewis Chessmen Murders by Sara Winokur

reply | flag

message 10: by Lilisa (new)

Feb 05, 2025 07:17PM

Mod

Was in the U.K. And France with The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict. A bit of an average read - review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

reply | flag

message 11: by Andrea, Slow but steady (new)

Feb 08, 2025 07:20PM

Mod

I was in Northern Ireland with The Cold Cold Ground, which is the first book in the Detective Sean Duffy thriller series, set during The Troubles. The author grew up there and was a teen during the time this book is set, so I thought it felt really authentic. Another great series to sink my teeth into!

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

The Cold Cold Ground (The Sean Duffy Series Book 1) by Adrian McKinty

reply | flag

message 12: by Lilisa (new)

Feb 17, 2025 07:26AM

Mod

I’ve spent a bit of time in China recently with:

- River East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure. Review -https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... and

- Swimming to Freedom: My Untold Story of Escaping the Cultural Revolution by Kent Wong. Review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

reply | flag

message 13: by Lilisa (new)

Feb 22, 2025 03:35PM

Mod

Was in Jamaica with Sweetness in the Skin by Ishi Robinson. What a wonderful YA/coming of age book. This was a lovely listen! My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

reply | flag

message 14: by Lilisa (new)

Mar 06, 2025 09:24AM

Mod

Was in Palestine/Israel with The Human Scale by Lawrence Wright. Great sense of place and time. Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

reply | flag

message 15: by Andrea, Slow but steady (new)

Mar 06, 2025 06:46PM

Mod

I was in The Netherlands with The Safekeep. It was a good read, but I had hoped for more.

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

reply | flag

message 16: by Andrea, Slow but steady (new)

Mar 07, 2025 09:49PM

Mod

Over the past few days I've been on a remote Scottish island with The Wolf Tree. Fantastic, gothic crime fiction with an incredible sense of place (especially considering the author is Australian - must be a story there).

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

reply | flag

message 17: by Lilisa (new)

Mar 08, 2025 07:39AM

Mod

Andrea wrote: "Over the past few days I've been on a remote Scottish island with The Wolf Tree. Fantastic, gothic crime fiction with an incredible sense of place (especially considering the autho..."

Will have to check this one out!

reply | flag

message 18: by Rachel (new)

Mar 08, 2025 07:22PM

YEMEN

Of Mud and Honey by Roxana Trabulsi 2 Mar 2025 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

reply | flag

message 19: by Rachel (new)

Mar 08, 2025 08:25PM

COOK ISLANDS

Miss Ulysses from Puka-Puka: The Autobiography of a Sea Trader's Daughter by Florence (Johnny) Frisbie* 26 Feb 2025 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

reply | flag

message 20: by Rachel (new)

Mar 08, 2025 09:13PM

MALAYSIA

The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds (Malayan #1) by Selina Siak Chin Yoke

The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds by Selina Siak Chin Yoke* ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

reply | flag

message 21: by Lilisa (new)

Mar 16, 2025 01:50PM

Mod

I was in the U.K. and India with The Case of the Elusive Bombay Duck by Tarquin Hall - the sixth book in this fun detective series. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

reply | flag

message 22: by Lilisa (new)

Mar 16, 2025 03:06PM

Mod

I was in Russia with Patriot: A Memoir by Alexei Navalny. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

reply | flag

message 23: by Lilisa (new)

May 02, 2025 12:36PM

Mod

I was in Singapore with The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei. A good read from a debut novel. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

reply | flag

message 24: by Lilisa (new)

May 07, 2025 07:15PM

Mod

I was in Central Asia with Sovietistan: Travels in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Enjoyed the audiobook. Review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

reply | flag

message 25: by Yrinsyde (new)

May 08, 2025 12:23AM

Lilisa wrote: "I was in Singapore with ...

Have you read the Harriet Gordon mysteries by AM Stuart? They are set in Singapore and feature Australian expatriates. I've just read one, and it was really good! Planning on reading more.

reply | flag

message 26: by Lilisa (new)

May 08, 2025 07:07AM

Mod

Yrinsyde wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "I was in Singapore with ...

Have you read the Harriet Gordon mysteries by AM Stuart? They are set in Singapore and feature Australian expatriates. I've just read one, and it was rea..."

I haven’t, will have to check out the series. Thanks for the recommendation!

reply | flag

message 27: by Andrea, Slow but steady (new)

May 11, 2025 08:57PM

Mod

I was in Ireland and Italy with Ripeness, a new release from Sarah Moss. Both locations were rendered really well. Moss has been living in Ireland for the past few years, and she's chosen a handful of the most difficult Irish names for her local characters LOL. Anyway I really enjoyed it and gave it 5 stars.

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

reply | flag

message 28: by Rachel (new)

May 13, 2025 02:27AM

INDIA

The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal (India) 9 Apr 2025 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

reply | flag

message 29: by Rachel (new)

May 13, 2025 02:41AM

SOUTH AFRICA

Children of Sugarcane by Joanne Joseph* (South Africa) 7 Apr 2025 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

reply | flag

message 30: by Rachel (last edited May 13, 2025 06:14AM) (new)

May 13, 2025 06:14AM

WALES

A Welsh Witch: A Romance of Rough Places by Allen Raine* (Wales) 16 Mar 2025 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

reply | flag

message 31: by Andrea, Slow but steady (new)

May 21, 2025 08:46PM

Mod

I was in the Netherlands for the second time this year (and I have at least one more coming up!) with The Winter Dress. It's just the kind of historical fiction that I love, and also has a strong sense of place, which in this case is actually the small island of Texel.

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

reply | flag

message 32: by Andrea, Slow but steady (new)

May 22, 2025 11:38PM

Mod

I was in Japan with a newly-translated Covid novella called Someone to Watch Over You. I don't go out of my way to read pandemic literature, but this at least gave me something different.

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

Someone to Watch Over You by Kumi Kimura

reply | flag

message 33: by Yrinsyde (new)

May 23, 2025 01:16AM

I'm in India in the 70s with A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. Just a few page in and I'm already loving it! Just as well as it is a tome... lol.

Can't wait to get back to Africa.

reply | flag

message 34: by Andrea, Slow but steady (new)

May 23, 2025 01:56AM

Mod

Yrinsyde wrote: "I'm in India in the 70s with A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. Just a few page in and I'm already loving it! Just as well as it is a tome... lol. Can't wait to get back to Africa."

That's one of my favourites - such an epic!

reply | flag

message 35: by Lilisa (new)

Jun 02, 2025 07:19PM

Mod

I was in several countries in Asia and parts of the Middle East with Free Ride by Noraly Schoenmaker. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride! Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

reply | flag

message 36: by Lilisa (new)

Jun 02, 2025 07:21PM

Mod

Andrea wrote: "Yrinsyde wrote: "I'm in India in the 70s with A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. Just a few page in and I'm already loving it! Just as well as it is a tome... lol. Can't wait to get back to Africa...."

One of my all-time favorites too!

Also, Yrinsyde - I am now officially hooked on the Harriet Gordon series set in Singapore in the early 20th century. I'm on the second book. Thanks so much for recommended the series!

reply | flag

message 37: by Andrea, Slow but steady (new)

Jun 06, 2025 09:56PM

Mod

I've been in Zimbabwe the past few days, seeing the world through the eyes of an 11 year old girl in Little Stones. Well worth a read.

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

reply | flag

message 38: by Lilisa (new)

Jun 14, 2025 06:30PM

Mod

I was in the Sahara region, which encompasses 11 countries with Shifting Sands: A Human History of the Sahara by Judith Scheele.

A great read - review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

reply | flag

message 39: by Andrea, Slow but steady (new)

Jun 21, 2025 12:33AM

Mod

I was in France with French Windows; my first time reading Antoine Laurain. I thought this little corner of Paris was very nicely evoked.

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

reply | flag

message 40: by Rachel (new)

Jun 27, 2025 07:38AM

BURUNDI:

Small Country by Gaël Faye (Burundi) 1 Jun 2025 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

reply | flag

message 41: by Rachel (new)

Jun 27, 2025 08:19AM

TUVALU:

Where the Hell Is Tuvalu? by Philip Ells (Tuvalu) 16 May 2025 ⭐⭐⭐ my review

reply | flag

message 42: by Rachel (new)

Jun 27, 2025 04:43PM

The Creak on the Stairs (Forbidden Iceland, #1) by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir

The Creak on the Stairs by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir* (Iceland) 27 June 2025⭐⭐⭐⭐ my review

reply | flag

message 43: by Lilisa (new)

Jul 01, 2025 06:13AM

Mod

I was in Norway with nonfiction The Place of Tides by James Rebanks. Great sense of place and very interesting. I enjoyed it. Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

reply | flag

message 44: by Rachel (last edited Jul 06, 2025 01:41AM) (new)

Jul 06, 2025 01:40AM

TAJIKISTAN

The City Where Dreams Come True by Gulsifat Shakhidi* 6 Jul 2025 ⭐⭐⭐ my review

reply | flag

message 45: by Andrea, Slow but steady (new)

Jul 13, 2025 08:36PM

Mod

Iceland again - this time with Always Home, Always Homesick, a memoir by Australian author Hannah Kent. The audiobook was really something special, narrated by the author. This is bound to be one of my top reads of 2025.

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

Always Home, Always Homesick by Hannah Kent

reply | flag

message 46: by Andrea, Slow but steady (new)

Jul 21, 2025 12:15AM

Mod

I was in Sicily with The Montegiallo School of Swearing, which I absolutely loved.

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

The Montegiallo School of Swearing by Andrew HC McDonald

reply | flag

message 47: by Andrea, Slow but steady (new)

Jul 23, 2025 08:39PM

Mod

Last week I was all over the place with The Wild Beasts of Wuhan, but I guess I'd count it for China.

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

The Wild Beasts of Wuhan (Ava Lee, #3) by Ian Hamilton

reply | flag

message 48: by Lilisa (new)

Jul 24, 2025 06:07AM

Mod

Andrea wrote: "Last week I was all over the place with The Wild Beasts of Wuhan, but I guess I'd count it for China.

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

[bookcover:The Wild Beasts o..."

Nice review! Haha about Ava’s coffee habit 😊. I remember when I discovered this series years ago. I’ve read all, except the last one in the series, which I will at some point. I enjoyed her whirlwind travel and her style - entertaining!

reply | flag

message 49: by Andrea, Slow but steady (new)

Jul 25, 2025 04:14AM

Mod

Lilisa wrote: “Nice review! Haha about Ava’s coffee habit 😊. I remember when I discovered this series years ago. I’ve read all, except the last one in the series, which I will at some point..."

When I began the series, the books were not so easy to find in Australia, but now at least the Kindle editions are readily available.

reply | flag

message 50: by Lilisa (new)

Aug 11, 2025 06:20PM

Mod

Was in India with The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai - it’s long listed for the Booker Prize. Didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

reply | flag

Around the World discussion

Books mentioned in this topic

Authors mentioned in this topic