2013 Where in the World are you?!? (Currently Reading)

[Barbara]

Lilisa wrote: "Barbara wrote: "Hey Lilisa
I read The Dinner when it first came out because of all the hype.
I think it was too much hype for the book...the book was a little flat. Reminded me a lot of Who's Afra..."

Here's mine

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

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Well I'm almost 100 pages in and I'm not seeing Gone Girl (which is why I picked it up) as much as Nicholson Baker, the books where the entire thing takes place on an escalator ride or while feeding a baby a bottle.

[Vizara]

Barbara wrote: "I am in Cambodia with In The Shadow of the Banyan.
So far so good.
I like the author's detailing of the surroundings. You can feel like you are there."

I also enjoyed this book a lot.

[Lilisa]

Vizara wrote: "Barbara wrote: "I am in Cambodia with In The Shadow of the Banyan.
So far so good.
I like the author's detailing of the surroundings. You can feel like you are there."

I also enjoyed this book a ..."

Barbara and Vizara - I enjoyed In the Shadow of the Banyan also. I didn't write a review since I read it last year before I joined this group. I gave it 4 stars.

[Rusalka]

I've run away to Finland with The Summer Book. Really enjoying the feel of the book so far.

[Barbarac]

I'm in Nigeria with Things Fall Apart.

[Lilisa]

I'm also in Nigeria with Half of a Yellow Sun - a good read so far.

[Chrissie]

Barbarac, that book has been on my shelves for ages. It is what everybody says one MUST read. How are you reacting to it?

[Barbarac]

Chrissie wrote: "Barbarac, that book has been on my shelves for ages. It is what everybody says one MUST read. How are you reacting to it?"

Chrissie, I just finished it, with my very short review here http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
It wasn't my favorite read about Africa but enjoyable.

[Chrissie]

Thanks for the review, Barbarac. It is the book everyone says must be read for Africa, but I have yet to do it. These "should-read-books" are not always that fantastic..... It is named as such in Americanah too.

[Janice]

I'm in Russia dancing with Rudolf Nureyev, Dancer.

[Chrissie]

Oh, YAY, Janice you are reading a Colum McCann!!!!!! I have his latest on my Ipod.

[Janice]

I finished it, Chrissie and it was quite interesting. I will read more of McCann.

[Chrissie]

McCann never writes books with light topics, and they are always gritty. I am glad you liked him, Janice, but I guess he is not a real favorite for you.

[Rusalka]

I'm trying to read The Garden of Evening Mists by the end of tomorrow for another group's challenge. It's beautiful writing so far.

I'm only slowly plodding through it though due to a busy week at work, a past long weekend (too many things happening), and my little brother springing incredibly early drives to the airport on me last minute. So a good reading session with a large coffee and a couple of chickens may be in order for my Saturday morning.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Rusalka wrote: "I'm trying to read The Garden of Evening Mists by the end of tomorrow for another group's challenge. It's beautiful writing so far.

I'm only slowly plodding through it though due to a busy week a..."

I liked that book!

[Janice]

Chrissie wrote: "McCann never writes books with light topics, and they are always gritty. I am glad you liked him, Janice, but I guess he is not a real favorite for you."

I don't think I've read enough of his work to say he's a favourite or not. I quite enjoyed his writing style and I will definitely read another of his books down the road. I just have so many other books that need to be read that I'm not sure when that will be.

[Chrissie]

Janice wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "McCann never writes books with light topics, and they are always gritty. I am glad you liked him, Janice, but I guess he is not a real favorite for you."

I don't think I've read e..."

Glad to hear that, Janice. They do often flip around between different points of view and times and places. Lots of attention is demanded!

[Gill]

I returned last week (in real life!) from a week in Turkey,including three days in Istanbul. So I have now returned there to join Orhan Pamuk in Istanbul: Memories and the City

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Gill wrote: "I returned last week (in real life!) from a week in Turkey,including three days in Istanbul. So I have now returned there to join Orhan Pamuk in Istanbul: Memories and the City"
I have that one to listen to.

[Lilisa]

Gill wrote: "I returned last week (in real life!) from a week in Turkey,including three days in Istanbul. So I have now returned there to join Orhan Pamuk in Istanbul: Memories and the City"

Gill - did you experience any of the protests? Hope things get resolved there soon - loved Istanbul - was there last September; however, had a hard time with Pamuk's Istanbul. Hope you fare better than me!

[Gill]

I think the place I liked best was Ephesus. We got there early in the morning before there were too many other groups. I really liked Istanbul itself and if I get the chance would like to go back for a few more days.

Our hotel was only 100 metres from Taksim Square, which was interesting. It gave a new slant on the phrase "holiday photos"! The protesters were fine and didn't feel at all dangerous. It was the police with their tear gas etc that were very scary.

I'm enjoying reading Istanbul: Memories and the City so far. I readThe Museum of Innocence previously and liked it (despite its obsessions), but I think I'd like it more if I read it now, having visited Istanbul

[Lilisa]

Gill wrote: "I think the place I liked best was Ephesus. We got there early in the morning before there were too many other groups. I really liked Istanbul itself and if I get the chance would like to go back f..."

Read the The Museum of Innocence as well and obsession is a good word. I read it a few years ago. Have you read Portrait of a Turkish Family? I enjoyed it.

[Gill]

No I haven't. Thanks for the suggestion, Lilisa. I'll look out for it.

[Chrissie]

Gil, Portrait of a Turkish Family is super, super good!!!!

[Gill]

Chrissie wrote: "Gil, Portrait of a Turkish Family is super, super good!!!!"

It's on my kindle now. Looking forward to it!

[Chrissie]

Gill wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Gil, Portrait of a Turkish Family is super, super good!!!!"

It's on my kindle now. Looking forward to it!"

The year I read it, it was my favorite book of that year.

[Lilisa]

Gill wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Gil, Portrait of a Turkish Family is super, super good!!!!"

It's on my kindle now. Looking forward to it!"

Gil - great! It's very different from Pamuk's books, so it'll be interesting to hear your perspective.

Chrissie - ha, one we both enjoyed!

[Chrissie]

Lilisa wrote: "Gill wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Gil, Portrait of a Turkish Family is super, super good!!!!"

It's on my kindle now. Looking forward to it!"

Gil - great! It's very different from Pamuk's books, so it..."

Yup!

[Jane(Pixie)]

I am traveling in inner space, 'Quiet' is the read right now. In real life I just traveled half way around the world. Also, resently enjoyed 'Beautiful Ruins'. I can recommend both these reads. posting from New Rochelle, New York

[Chrissie]

Just finished TransAtlantic. McCann can do no wrong. I loved it. Predominantly set in Ireland.
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Will now continue with Edmund Morris' trilogy on Teddy Roosevelt. I loved The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. Will now read the second Theodore Rex, about his presidency. :0)

[[deleted user]]

I just replaced Bangladesh with The Good Muslim after learning that the previous author I had was actually Indian. I'm doing fill in/mop up now and hope to acquire a better book for Palau soon. I have about 5 books by authors from various non-state islands and territories to add in as well.

[Lilisa]

In Italy with the fast-paced Inferno by Dan Brown.

[Lilisa]

So back to being in a pickle. Just when I was ready to get back to Birds Without Wings again, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena became available. So I'm back to reading the newer book - so straddling two books again. But I'm experimenting and reading and listening to Birds as I also got the audiobook book for it so I can also listen while driving!

[Vizara]

I'm heading towards Chechniya withA Constellation of Vital Phenomena

[Ava Catherine]

I have been sailing through India and into the Indian Ocean in Sea of Poppies, and I am continuing my voyage with River of Smoke.
I am visiting Prince Edward Island, Canada, with Anne of Green Gables, and I have just left the Pacific Islands in the clutches of The Persimmon Tree.

[Julie]

I was globe trotting through the US and the UK with Carole King in " A Natural Woman"

[Shomeret]

I have been in the U.S. recently which is staying home for me, so I don't mention it here. But I am now reading Welcoming the Undesirables: Brazil and the Jewish Questionby Jeffrey Lesser who definitely isn't a lesser writer or thinker. I'm learning a great deal about Brazil from the 1920's-1940's in the introduction. His comparisons between the way Jewish immigrants were viewed with the way Japanese immigrants were viewed are very interesting. I'm going to want to read his more recent book on Japanese Brazilians too.

[Lilisa]

I'm in France with delightful Sacré Bleu: A Comedy d'Art.

[Friederike]

I am in Botswana with Detective Kubu (Michael Stanley)

[Shomeret]

@Gaeta--There is also Jeffrey Lesser's more recent book on Japanese Brazilians--A Discontented Diaspora: Japanese Brazilians and the Meanings of Ethnic Militancy, 1960-1980

[Terri R]

Lilisa wrote: "I'm in France with delightful Sacré Bleu: A Comedy d'Art."

Hi Lilisa. Are you reading this as a "real" book? This is on my to-read list but I have not seen it in hard copy. The cover is really cool, are there other pix inside or is it all words? I usually get Kindle version of books without pix ...

[Lilisa]

Terri wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "I'm in France with delightful Sacré Bleu: A Comedy d'Art."

Hi Lilisa. Are you reading this as a "real" book? This is on my to-read list but I have not seen it in hard copy. The cov..."

Terri - yes, I am. It was published in 2012 by Harper Collins. The cover is cool and as you probably saw - it's blue! And yes, it has photos of various artists' paintings with interesting captions :-). I don't know if the Kindle version has the paintings but it seems like it's part of the book so hopefully it does, although I'm not sure how you'd check. Maybe someone else has read the Kindle version and can shed some light. BTW, I am enjoying it so far - about 50 pages into it.

[Lilisa]

And by the way Terri, the type color in Sacré Bleu: A Comedy d'Art is set in BLUE, not the usual black text.

[Shomeret]

I am in Dahomey (Benin)withWives of the Leopard: Gender, Politics, and Culture in the Kingdom of Dahomeyby Edna G. Bay. I am learning about how Dahomeans reacted to Richard Francis Burton when he was the British Consul of the Bight of Benin. Apparently, he was no great fan of West Africans. They felt similarly toward him. He is best known for his translation of One Thousand And One Arabian Nights, Vol. 1 Of 16

[Janice]

I'm in Fiji, reading Fiji: A Novel. I'm about 15% in and find it amateurish. I'll see how it develops. At least it should be a quick read.

[Rusalka]

Janice wrote: "I'm in Fiji, reading Fiji: A Novel. I'm about 15% in and find it amateurish. I'll see how it develops. At least it should be a quick read."

I was surprised when i saw you were reading that. There haven't been glowing reviews about it in this group.

[Chrissie]

Janice wrote: "I'm in Fiji, reading Fiji: A Novel. I'm about 15% in and find it amateurish. I'll see how it develops. At least it should be a quick read."

It is totally terrible. I gulped when I saw you were reading it.

[Janice]

I saw the negative reviews too, but I had already bought the book.

From what I've read so far, it doesn't make a lot of sense. I have to wonder about the agenda of the authors. I thought this was supposed to be historical fiction, but doesn't meet the definition other than it was set in the mid 1800's. Instead, it looks like hysterical fiction. If I read one more sentence about the natives' "hairstyles" (is that what they were called? Hairstyles? In 1850?) or one more dream about fornication, I may throw my iPad across the room.

At the very least, this book will give me something to rant about.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I suspected she had bought it as part of her collection at the start, but even so, we all have different impressions of books. I think it's a bit strange to express surprise that someone else would decide to read a book that others haven't liked! We all have different taste, what if she liked it?