October Challenge - Exotic Location!

[Mish]

Geoff wrote: "Finished Stranded by Emily Barr. Seven people stranded on an uninhabited island. Very good read. 4 stars."

Good going Geoff. Are you going read another one for this challenge or move on to something else?

[Jenn]

Finished my 9th book...Lirael by Garth Nix...half way through my 10th book City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

[B the BookAddict]

Mish wrote: "Bette wrote: "I finished my book for the challenge - Foreign Bodies by Cynthia Ozick: set in Italy (delicious), Florida and then back to LA.

It is a modern retelling of Henry James's story The Amb..."

Thanks, Mish, and welcome back!

[Mish]

Jennifer wrote: "Finished my 9th book...Lirael by Garth Nix...half way through my 10th book City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare"

Lirael by Garth Nix & City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

Well done Jennifer. What did you think of Lirael?

[Mish]

Bette wrote: "Mish wrote: "Bette wrote: "I finished my book for the challenge - Foreign Bodies by Cynthia Ozick: set in Italy (delicious), Florida and then back to LA.

It is a modern retelling of Henry James's ..."

Thanks Bette, it's good to be back :)

[Mish]

Geoff wrote: "Mish wrote: "Good going Geoff. Are you going read another one for this challenge or move..."

I'll be moving on. I've already read 3 desert island books this year: "Robinson Crusoe", "Swiss Family ..."

Yeah a change is good :)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Jennifer wrote: "Finished my 9th book...Lirael by Garth Nix...half way through my 10th book City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare"

Jennifer are you in the right thread with this post? Should it have been for the Spring Challenge? Fantastic reading though:)

[Andrea]

I finished Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter today. The reviews on ABC Book Club last week were somewhat divided, but I didn't let that put me off. All the threads came together and all the characters played a part in making that happen. I loved the sections set on the Ligurian coast in the 1960s, as I visited the Cinque Terre last year.

Now I think I will move on to The Harmony Silk Factory by Tash Aw. This one is set in Malaysia (where I am going next month!). I began reading it a while back but it didn't really grab me, so I'm hoping for better progress this time around.

[Marianne]

Finished ★★★★★ my review : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... and now I've started the first book in the trilogy (again)
just a little sample:
"All these sounds seemed to be subsumed by the hum of the many Range Rovers, and Land Rovers, jeeps and Mitsubishis with which Kuwisha was blessed, travelling each day like animals to a watering hole, their bewildering range of acronyms emblazoned on their frames as they moved slowly through the morning traffic, hooting their frustration while signalling their importance."

[Marianne]

A bit more:
"Pearson relished the prospect of real rain - not the grey, miserable precipitation of Europe. In Africa the elements seemed to be orchestrated by an Almighty conductor who marshalled wind, thunder and shafts of lightning, bringing them together in a glorious release of plump drops of water that hit Kuwisha's dry earth like tiny grenades which exploded in puffs of dust."

[Jackmeister]

I finished my challenge book, by Ron Base set on Sanibel Island Florida, an unlikely Detective type story, I enjoyed it and am now going to read the other two in the series next.

[Heather]

I finished my challenge book
and I'm still woring out how to rate this. I don't think that it's well written - I think that it could have been a bit more emotional but maybe then it would have been just too hard to read but there is so much covered in the story.
Definately dark.

[Janine]

I have finished my book for this challenge based in Iceland
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent 4*

[Marianne]

My third book for this challenge ★★★★★ my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..., now on to the third in the trilogy

[Patricia]

Michele wrote: "I have put it down for the moment, not sure if I will bother finishing it. I am up to page 140, so I think you are a bit further along than me ..."
Do you think you're going to pick it up again?
I hate not finishing things, so I am still hanging in there, but I am skipping through the parts that aren't related to the main story.
I even made it through the bits about 14yo boys' first sexual experiences (ick)

[Michele]

Patricia wrote: "Michele wrote: "I have put it down for the moment, not sure if I will bother finishing it. I am up to page 140, so I think you are a bit further along than me ..."
Do you think you're going to pick..."

At this stage I don't think I will pick it back up again, though I will be interested to hear your final thoughts. I don't like to leave a book unfinished but I just think of all the books in my tbr pile that I could be reading and enjoying to waste time on one that is not holding my attention.

[Patricia]

Michele wrote: "I just think of all the books in my tbr pile that I could be reading and enjoying to waste time on one that is not holding my attention.
..."

I know, that's totally logical and I do agree - but in practice I find it hard to do!
Probably because my parents always made me finish things I started...lol

Here's a question though, if you only half read/listen to a book, you you mark it as 'finished' here? or leave it in the 'currently reading' stage forever?

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Patricia wrote: "Michele wrote: "I just think of all the books in my tbr pile that I could be reading and enjoying to waste time on one that is not holding my attention.
..."

I know, that's totally logical and I ..."

I have made a shelf called "did not finish" if that helps Patricia:)

[Michele]

Same Brenda, I shelve it under didn't finish

[Kadi]

Marianne wrote: "A bit more:
"Pearson relished the prospect of real rain - not the grey, miserable precipitation of Europe. In Africa the elements seemed to be orchestrated by an Almighty conductor who marshalled w..."

That book sounds interesting Marianne.

I am up to book no 2. Soul of a Lion: One Woman's Quest to Rescue Africa's Wildlife Refugees I am really liking it so far (even if I am still only up to chapter 2!). The Cambodian Book of the Dead was ok. I gave it 3 stars. The story was up and down and I couldn't get right stuck into the story.

[Andrea]

I managed to make it through to the end of The Harmony Silk Factory, but it really didn't make an impression on me. I guess there was some sense of Malaysia, but neither the characters nor the plot are likely to stick in my brain.

Time to move on. I think I'll delve into Burial Rites and see what all the fuss is about.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Andrea wrote: "Time to move on. I think I'll delve into Burial Rites and see what all the fuss is about..."

I hope you enjoy it Andrea. I really did:)

[Patricia]

I managed to finish!! Yay.
Cutting for Stone
2 stars.
Does America count as an exotic location for Aussies?

I've gone for the cheery The Fault in Our Stars as my next book. I'm guessing the lack of tears in Cutting for Stone will be more than made up for by this one.

[Marianne]

Finished the third of the Kuwisha Trilogy my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... gave it ★★★★ only because there were quite a few inconsistencies between this book and the previous two and that went against my OCD brain (like didn't he check what he wrote in the 1st 2 before writing this one?) Characters, story etc all good, liked it but those little things niggled.

[Marianne]

Patricia wrote: "I managed to finish!! Yay.
Cutting for Stone
2 stars.
Does America count as an exotic location for Aussies?

I've gone for the cheery The Fault in Our Stars as my next book. I'm guessing the lack o..."
Interested to know what you think of this one..... if you want tears,
will do it!!!

[Patricia]

Marianne wrote: "Interested to know what you think of this one..... if you want tears..."

I have bought that one and it's been sitting in my Kindle app for about 6 months, but I haven't got around to reading it yet. Since I discovered the ease of listening to audiobooks (and therefore being able to do more than one thing at a time) they have taken over and actual "sitting down reading" has taken a back seat.
I really want to read The Light Between Oceans though, maybe I'll investigate the audio version, sometimes they are a bit cheaper if you buy the Kindle version first.

[Michele]

Patricia wrote: "I managed to finish!! Yay.
Cutting for Stone
2 stars.
Does America count as an exotic location for Aussies?

I've gone for the cheery The Fault in Our Stars as my next book. I'm guessing the lack o..."

Well done for actually finishing it Patricia :) But with you giving it only 2 stars I don't think I will bother

[Dale]

My book for this October challenge that I am reading isThe Girl Under the Olive Tree. Leah Fleming Set in Athens and then mostly Crete during 2001 and early 1940s

[Elaine]

Dale wrote: "My book for this October challenge that I am reading isThe Girl Under the Olive Tree. Leah Fleming Set in Athens and then mostly Crete during 2001 and early 1940s"

That sounds good Dale.I might have to have a closer look at it. Being of Greek origin and my husband's family from Crete it's of interest to me.

[Dale]

I tend not to read books about war situations very often but this is well done, Elaine, as it doesn't dwell on the horrors of war for long without flipping back to 2001. I've learned a lot from reading it. Crete and its colours sounds gorgeous. Would love to visit.

[Liza]

Andrea wrote: "I managed to make it through to the end of The Harmony Silk Factory, but it really didn't make an impression on me. I guess there was some sense of Malaysia, but neither the characters nor the plot..."

Now isn't Burial Rites the most talked about book everywhere these days?

[Sharon]

Finished reading Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay for this challenge and I LOVED IT.

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

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Well done Sharon:)

[Sharon]

Thank you Brenda. So pleased I did this challenge :)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

That's great:)

[Andrea]

Liza wrote: "Andrea wrote: "I managed to make it through to the end of The Harmony Silk Factory, but it really didn't make an impression on me. I guess there was some sense of Malaysia, but neither the characte..."

It sure is! About 1/3 of the way in, I can see why. It's quite absorbing.

[Chris]

Finished my book for this challenge. Like Water for Chocolate 3★

[Kadi]

Brenda wrote: "Karen wrote: "Just returned from the library, Red Poppies it is!"

Red Poppies: A Novel of Tibet :)

And only two days (and a bit) till we can start our new exotic lifestyles;)"

What did you think of this? It looks interesting.

I loved Soul of a Lion: One Woman's Quest to Rescue Africa's Wildlife Refugees. While it was hard to read in parts I just loved the concept of the story. I am even suggesting that as one of my eco-holidays my friend and are thinking of doing.

Now I'm reading about Africa again. I started Elephant Dance

[Amber]

The exotic locations in The Narrow Road To The Deep North include Siam (Thailand) and Japan, but it wasn't a pleasant read unfortunately. It has the most horrific descriptions of a POW camp I have ever read. The writing was brilliant all the way through, but somehow it was a tedious slog. ★★★

[Liam || Books 'n Beards]

Temple finished for this challenge. God I miss reading Matthew Reilly books.

[Sally906]

I have finished reading And the Mountains echoed by Khaled Hosseini which was my exotic location challenge book.

[Marianne]

Thought I'd finished with this challenge, then found the next book in the pile was set in Kenya ★★★★ and a half star that I can't figure out how to do.... here's my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Andrea]

Finished last night - adored it ★★★★★.

That's 3 exotic locations for this challenge, and I'm done till next month.

[Nicola]

Finished my exotci location
Fordlandia / Greg Grandin

Was a very interesting read. 4 stars.....
Delved into the 'murky' world of Henry Ford setting up his version of America in the middle of the Amazon in an attempt to become self sufficient in rubber production for his empire.

[Mish]

Andrea wrote: "Finished last night - adored it ★★★★★.

That's 3 exotic locations for this challenge, and I'm done till next month."

Great job Andrea :)

[Kadi]

Andrea wrote: "Finished last night - adored it ★★★★★.

That's 3 exotic locations for this challenge, and I'm done till next month."

Yay! Well done. I have also finished my 3 books before the end of the month (a new record for me!). I finished Elephant Dance tonight. I gave it ★★★. I'm a bit fussy with my wildlife books, it has to have more about the wildlife rather than the author's life story. This one, was probably half of each.

[Dale]

I'm on another exotic location. Spain again in but then the last one was also in Barcelona so I seem to be in a Spanish mood.

[Marianne]

Just finished audiobook ★★★★★ set, of course in Botswana, here's my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Nicola]

Thought I'd add this one as well as it is set in Transylvannia!
Wildwood Dancing / Juliet Marillier

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Liam wrote: "Temple finished for this challenge. God I miss reading Matthew Reilly books."

Liam if you love Matthew Reilly you might enjoy The Chimera Vector by Aussie Nathan M. Farrugia. I have recently finished it and thoroughly enjoyed it.