2016 - Where in the world are you? (currently reading)

[Lilisa]

Share what book you're currently reading and which country (or countries) it's set in. Bon voyage!

[Lilisa]

Happy New Year everyone! To kick off 2016, I've started The Last Brother, which is set in Mauritius. It's only been on my TBR list since 2011 and it's my first read from Mauritius.

[Claire]

I'm in Norway on a ship bound for Turkey and Soviet Georgia with the Icelandic author Sjon's The Whispering Muse.

[Joy]

I'm currently finishing I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced set in Yemen and Swimming at Night which covers many countries like England, USA, Australia and Indonesia, but I'm counting it for England!

[Rusalka]

I'm in Japan with Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

[Diane]

I am in Germany with Memoirs of a Good-For-Nothing.

[Jayme]

I am off the south coast of Ireland with Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania.

[Tanya]

I'm in Mongolia with Wolf Totem. Not quite sure what I think yet, but I will definitly know much more about wolves by the time I finish.

[Val]

Tanya wrote: "I'm in Mongolia with Wolf Totem. Not quite sure what I think yet, but I will definitly know much more about wolves by the time I finish."
I thought that was one of the worst books I had ever read, it is set in China not Mongolia and if you care anything about animals you will hate it too, there is a lot of cruelty.

[Tanya]

Val wrote: "Tanya wrote: "I'm in Mongolia with Wolf Totem. Not quite sure what I think yet, but I will definitly know much more about wolves by the time I finish."
I thought that was one of the ..."
Hi Val - I know its China, but I tend to categorise on a fluid basis, and as its set in Inner Mongolia, and the main cultural aspects are Mongolian, and I don't have a book for Mongolia, its Mongolia to me :-)

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I've started the year off with Kissed By A Deer, which I have earmarked in my challenge for Himachal Pradesh, although it's going to be largely based in Tibet. At the moment I'm quickly skimming through the first chapters which I read as an Amazon sample only a few weeks back.

[Lilisa]

Andrea wrote: "I've started the year off with Kissed By A Deer, which I have earmarked in my challenge for Himachal Pradesh, although it's going to be largely based in Tibet. At the moment I'm qui..."

I'm curious, Andrea -- why have you earmarked the book for HP?

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

Lilisa wrote: "Andrea wrote: "I've started the year off with Kissed By A Deer, which I have earmarked in my challenge for Himachal Pradesh, although it's going to be largely based in Tibet. At the..."

Because she kind of starts off her journey of self-discovery by doing a volunteer stint in Dharamsala. It's not until after that she heads off to Tibet, and now that Tibet is 'China', it wouldn't fit into the theme of my challenge!

[Lilisa]

Andrea wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Andrea wrote: "I've started the year off with Kissed By A Deer, which I have earmarked in my challenge for Himachal Pradesh, although it's going to be largely based i..."

Are you doing a challenge for all the states in India then?

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

Lilisa wrote: "Are you doing a challenge for all the states in India then? ..."

That wasn't really the plan, but I guess it sounds like a good idea for a longer-term goal (over a few years).

[Lilisa]

Andrea wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Are you doing a challenge for all the states in India then? ..."

That wasn't really the plan, but I guess it sounds like a good idea for a longer-term goal (over a few years)."

:-)

[Melissa]

I'm in Lebanon right now -- reading Postcards from the Middle East: How Our Family Fell in Love with the Arab World.

[Melissa]

I am now in Liberia -- reading the memoir of Kent Brantly, the doctor who got Ebola -- Called for Life: How Loving Our Neighbor Led Us into the Heart of the Ebola Epidemic.

[Sara]

I am in Sudan & England with Minaret.

[Claire]

I'm in Haiti with Edwidge Danticat's Brother, I'm Dying

[Lilisa]

I'm listening to The Voyage of Their Life: The Story of the SS Derna and Its Passengers aboard the Derna. Final destination: Australia.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I'm in Nigeria, despite having been in Nigeria a lot with my reading, with Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor. It is science fiction in the sense that there are aliens coming out of the ocean, with shape-shifting abilities, but it is also very specifically set in Lagos. Some of the characters speak in Pidgin English, which isn't translated, so it definitely creates the feel of the place. There seems to be stuff so far about relationships, religion, etc.

[Tanya]

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I'm in Nigeria, despite having been in Nigeria a lot with my reading, with Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor. It is science fiction in the sense that there are aliens coming out of the ocean..."

This has been on my ipad for a while now - I'll be interested in your views.

[Melissa]

I'm heading off to France with Avenue of Spies: A True Story of Terror, Espionage, and One American Family's Heroic Resistance in Nazi-Occupied Paris. A dear friend just finished it and is anxiously awaiting a good discussion!

[Lilisa]

I'm in Turkey with Tea & Bee's Milk: Our Year in a Turkish Village, which was the second oldest book on my TBR list - since 2011!

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

Lilisa wrote: "I'm in Turkey with Tea & Bee's Milk: Our Year in a Turkish Village, which was the second oldest book on my TBR list - since 2011!"

What a coincidence - Amazon has been trying to entice me to buy that over the past few weeks. I've resisted so far.

[Sara]

I am in Cambodia with The King's Last Song.

[Lilisa]

Andrea wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "I'm in Turkey with Tea & Bee's Milk: Our Year in a Turkish Village, which was the second oldest book on my TBR list - since 2011!"

What a coincidence - Amazon has bee..."

:-) it's been on my list for a few years! I knocked off The Last Brother which had been the longest one there; Tea & Bee's Milk: Our Year in a Turkish Village was the next - hey knocking off two is not too shabby for the the first half of January! Haven't progressed much - work got in the way - but hope to read a bit more before the day ends here.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

Lilisa wrote: "I knocked off The Last Brother which had been the longest one there; Tea & Bee's Milk: Our Year in a Turkish Village was the next ..."

Well, The Last Brother went straight onto my TBR, so if Tea & Bee's Milk: Our Year in a Turkish Village is any good, I may just give in to Amazon and buy that too!

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Lilisa wrote: "Andrea wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "I'm in Turkey with Tea & Bee's Milk: Our Year in a Turkish Village, which was the second oldest book on my TBR list - since 2011!"

What a coincidence -..."

In my year of reading Turkey I never even came across this one!

[Joy]

I'm in Iceland now with The Flight of Gemma Hardy. So far so good!

[Josie]

I'm in Africa with The Grass is Singing by Doris Lessing
Rhodesia (now Republic of Zimbabwe)

[[deleted user]]

I'm back in the UK with Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans.

[Yrinsyde]

I'm starting my South China Sea trip in China with Beijing Coma. It will be a long ride!

[Rusalka]

Looking forward to your review. I just got this one as well.

[Shantelle]

I'm in between New York & Paris with Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris!

[Elizabeth]

I am in small town Saskatchewan Canada on Liberty Street

[Melissa]

I am alternating between Yemen with Behind the Veils of Yemen: How an American Woman Risked Her Life, Family, and Faith to Bring Jesus to Muslim Women and India with Behind the Veils of Yemen: How an American Woman Risked Her Life, Family, and Faith to Bring Jesus to Muslim Women.

Struggling a bit with the first one, but loving the second!

[Carol]

I am in Bethelehem, West Bank, with The Collaborator of Bethlehem by Matt Rees.

Very excited.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I'm in the Republic of South Sudan with There Is a Country: New Fiction from the New Nation of South Sudan. It is a slim volume and unfortunately all the authors are male, but an interesting capture of a moment in time so far.

[Lilisa]

I'm in Malaysia with The Gift of Rain - another that's been on my TBR list for a few years. 4 percent into it and I'm liking it so far.

[Lilisa]

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Andrea wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "I'm in Turkey with Tea & Bee's Milk: Our Year in a Turkish Village, which was the second oldest book on my TBR list - since 2011!"

What ..."

One of those books that hasn't been read much - was originally published in 2008 in print form. I'm guessing the print run was pretty small and I couldn't find a copy. The Kindle version came out in 2014 and, voila, I bought it - and glad I did.

[[deleted user]]

I'm in Japan, but on my way to Kuwait with The Hidden Light of Objects . So far, it's beautiful.

[Claire]

I'm in Canada with Lucy Moore's February. Totally gripped by it now, a woman loses her husband when an oil rig collapses at sea, past, present and forward in years, the narrative flows back and forth, loving it.

[Melissa]

I'm reading in England with Secrets of a Charmed Life

And I'm physically in Florida visiting my parents who have a beach side condo. I am from Minnesota where today the high will not get above zero, so I'm feeling rather pleased with my choice of dates for a weekend getaway. I hope to read close to a book a day for the next five days.

[Rusalka]

I'm currently reading Open City. I'm not sure if it fits my rules for my challenge yet, as the majority of it seems to be set in NYC. However, it's the experiences of a Nigerian immigrant, and a lot of flashbacks are in Nigeria, and it's suggesting that Brussels may also come into play more.

It's an interesting book. I wish I had visited NYC before reading it, as it strikes me as a bit of a love letter to the city, and I would probably benefit with a bit of nostalgia. It also so far has touches of The Catcher in the Rye but with a less annoying protagonist. I'll let you know how it goes.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Rusalka wrote: "I'm currently reading Open City. I'm not sure if it fits my rules for my challenge yet, as the majority of it seems to be set in NYC. However, it's the experiences of a Nigerian immi..."

Yeah it is mostly the city but his other book is all about going back to Nigeria after being away, very interesting. I don't know if I should call it his first or second book in your country because in the USA it was published second but first in Nigeria. Who knows about the rest of the world!

[Melissa]

I've just added Open City and his other books to my TBR list! Thanks!

[Yrinsyde]

Rusalka wrote: "Looking forward to your review. I just got this one as well." There have been some horrifying glimpses into what the Cultural Revolution in China set out to be. I don't know anything about it but from reading this, it seems like it was like some sort of status genocide. Only up to pg75 of 666 so far. Well written and am enjoying reading about the lust for intellectual stimulation.

[Yrinsyde]

Claire wrote: "I'm in Canada with Lucy Moore's February. ..." I read that a year or two ago. It was really good. Still on my Kindle!