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

[Lilisa]

I'm in Argentina, France and Italy with What We Become: A Novel byArturo Pérez-Reverte.

[Claire]

I'm in Rihata, a fictitious African state in Maryse Condé's A Season in Rihata

[Suzanne]

I'm in the Dakotas (I know, not a foreign country!), reading The Heart of Everything That Is: The Untold Story of Red Cloud, An American Legend and it is fantastic! Even more exciting is the fact that I moved to western North Dakota a few weeks ago and am now within driving distance of the historical sites mentioned in the book. Such a fascinating story and really non-politicized, which is refreshing.

[Shomeret]

I am in the alternate Jewish kingdom of Khazaria which still exists in 1942 in this timeline. The novel is The Book of Esther and I've been wanting to read this ever since I learned of its existence. It's about a Khazar Joan of Arc fighting the Nazis.

[Diane]

I am in Argentina with Santa Evita by Tomás Eloy Martínez.

[Lilisa]

I'm in Turkey with Bliss and in Costa Rica with Happier Than a Billionaire: Quitting My Job, Moving to Costa Rica, and Living the Zero Hour Work Week.

[Carol]

I am in the Soviet Union with Gorky Park, 1910 Egypt with The Mamur Zapt and the Donkey-vous, and Saudi Arabia with The Dove's Necklace: A Novel.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I'm somewhere in India with Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. Struggling to see what all the fuss is about so far, but it's only a very short book.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Andrea wrote: "I'm somewhere in India with Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. Struggling to see what all the fuss is about so far, but it's only a very short book."

I felt like this seemed like a Paolo Coelho book, definitely not what I was expecting.

[Claire]

I'm in Romania with The Fox Was Ever the Hunter by Nobel Prize winning author Herta Muller.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I felt like this seemed like a Paolo Coelho book, definitely not what I was expecting. ..."

My exact same thought!

[Shomeret]

Andrea wrote: "Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I felt like this seemed like a Paolo Coelho book, definitely not what I was expecting. ..."

My exact same thought!"

Actually, Paolo Coelho has been writing like Hermann Hesse. Hesse's novels were what college students in the 1970's read when they wanted to be considered sophisticated and philosophical.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

Now I'm treating myself to a trip to the Sundarbans with one of my favourite authors, in The Hungry Tide.

[Carol]

Andrea wrote: "Now I'm treating myself to a trip to the Sundarbans with one of my favourite authors, in The Hungry Tide."

This novel looks amazing. Can't wait to read your review.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Shomeret wrote: "Actually, Paolo Coelho has been writing like Hermann Hesse. Hesse's novels were what college students in the 1970's read when they wanted to be considered sophisticated and philosophical. .."

AHA. Well not having read Hesse otherwise I was expecting something other than that style. It was disappointing but I'm just not a fan of that whole style.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I'm in (on?) Bali, Indonesia with what I think will end up a thriller, Black Water by Louise Doughty.

[Claire]

I'm in Beirut, Lebanon with Rabih Alameddine's An Unnecessary Woman.

[Diane]

I am in Egypt with Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz.

[Lilisa]

I'm in India listening to The White Tiger, which won the Man Booker Prize in 2008.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

Lilisa wrote: "I'm in India listening to The White Tiger, which won the Man Booker Prize in 2008."

I've got that one pencilled in for Sept, too.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I'm in Russia/Ukraine/France with Memories: From Moscow to the Black Sea by Teffi, basically a 1918 refugee tale. I'm really enjoying it, never heard of Teffi although apparently she was quite famous in Russia during her lifetime.

[Shomeret]

I'm in alternate Congo in the late 19th century. In this universe King Leopold of Belgium sold half the Belgian Congo to the Fabian Society, an organization of British socialists. The Fabians are assisting former slaves from the U.S. to settle in their part of the Congo. The book is Everfair by Nisi Shawl and I'm reading a Net Galley.

[Lilisa]

Andrea wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "I'm in India listening to The White Tiger, which won the Man Booker Prize in 2008."

I've got that one pencilled in for Sept, too."

I'm enjoying it - hope you do too.

[Pauline]

Spent a bit of time in North Korea, China, and South Korea with In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom

[Val]

Lilisa wrote: "I'm in India listening to The White Tiger, which won the Man Booker Prize in 2008."
I read it at the time and liked it a lot, then went on to read all his other books. I have the newest, Selection Day, on pre-order, which is something I don't do for many authors.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I'm in Bhutan with A Field Guide to Happiness: What I Learned in Bhutan about Living, Loving, and Waking Up by Linda Leaming, her follow-up to Married to Bhutan. It's a quick read and I'm enjoying it very much, although it is veering more towards self-help than memoir. There are enough anecdotes about life in Bhutan to keep me satisfied, and I'm learning a bit, too.

[Lilisa]

Val wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "I'm in India listening to The White Tiger, which won the Man Booker Prize in 2008."
I read it at the time and liked it a lot, then went on to read all his other books...."

This was my first Aravind Adiga book and really enjoyed it - a 5-star. I'm going to have to check out his other books. For some reason every time i read the summary, it never grabbed me until my brother-in-law urged me to read it. He loved it. Well, I finally did, and he was right! :-) Which one do you think I should read next, Val? I'd be interested to hear how you like his latest when you read it.

[Shomeret]

I'm in Japan in the 1960's with A Room Where the Star-Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard: A Novel in Three Parts by Levy Hideo who is the first non-Asian American to write in Japanese. This book has been translated into English.

[Carol]

Shomeret wrote: "I'm in Japan in the 1960's with A Room Where the Star-Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard: A Novel in Three Parts by Levy Hideo who is the first non-Asian American to write in Japanese...."

Thoughts so far?

[Shomeret]

A Room Where the Star-Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard: A Novel in Three Parts is about the teenage son of an American diplomat in Yokohama. It starts off dealing with his feelings that he has no identity. He's liminal, but he doesn't perceive himself as liminal. Being a bridge is another way of perceiving liminality. This is accepting your liminality and constructing a positive identity based on it. I think the trouble is that he was brought up to be conformist by his mother in the U.S. and he doesn't know how to be conformist in Japan.

[Val]

Lilisa wrote: "Which one do you think I should read next, Val? I'd be interested to hear how you like his latest when you read it."
Try Last Man in Tower Lilisa. It is partly about the people who live in an apartment block and partly about corrupt property development.
The new one is partly about cricket, which is not a subject I am particularly interested in, but he is an author who can write about anything he likes as far as I'm concerned. I ordered it in April and it will arrive on my kindle on 8th September.

[Lilisa]

Val wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Which one do you think I should read next, Val? I'd be interested to hear how you like his latest when you read it."
Try Last Man in Tower Lilisa. It is partly about ..."

Thanks Val. It's going on my TBR list as my next Adiga read.

[Diane]

In Iraq with The Corpse Washer by Sinan Antoon.

[Shomeret]

I am in Canada investigating the murder of an undercover agent in a terrorist cell with The Language of Secrets, the second in a mystery series in which the detective is Islamic.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I'm in Russia with A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.

[Lilisa]

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "

I'm in Russia with A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles."

Oohh, how is it, Jenny?

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Lilisa wrote: "Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "

I'm in Russia with A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles."

Oohh, how is it, Jenny?"

A bit... lighter than I expected but easy reading. The first section feels like Russian Eloise.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I am hot on Lilisa's heels, reading The White Tiger. Also my first Aravind Adiga - he's quite funny.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I'm in Pakistan, or more specifically the province of Sindh, with Alice Albinia's Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River. It's been on my wishlist for ages, but being very detailed non-fiction, it's taking me a lot of concentration and time to get through.

[Lilisa]

I'm in the U.S. during the Civil War listening to My Name is Mary Sutter.

[Carol]

I'm in contemporary Denmark and 1939 Ukraine with Death of a Nightingale by Lene Kaaberbøl. It's very good, if necessarily bleak.

[Yrinsyde]

I'm currently in the Philippines with The Breath of Night by Michael Arditti. I'm really really enjoying it!! A super political thriller. And it is sad in a way too because the political situation hasn't changed one jot.

[Lilisa]

I'm in Egypt listening to Nefertiti and somewhere in the air between Germany and the U.S. on the Hindenburg with Flight of Dreams.

[Pauline]

Just finished Prisoner of Night and Fog a YA book set in Germany right before WW2 as Hitler was starting to gain power before becoming chancellor. 4 stars

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I'm back in Delhi, expecting a fairly light read with Sideways on a Scooter: Life and Love in India.

[Carol]

I'm in Switzerland with The Pledge by Friedrich Dürrenmatt and it's excellent (she says, on page 10).

[Val]

Carol wrote: "I'm in Switzerland with The Pledge by Friedrich Dürrenmatt and it's excellent (she says, on page 10)."
I have a copy of that book, but have not got around to reading it yet. I hope it continues to be excellent, Carol.

[Carol]

You want to read it, plus it's quite quick,at be three -four hours investment. I'm hoping to write a real review this weekend, but reality is beginning to sink in re the aspirational nature of my todo list.

[Val]

I have been supporting my local, closure-threatened library this year and managed to do it a bit too thoroughly last month, so that I now have several books due back in the next week. It means that reading the ones I own gets deferred, but I will get to it soon.

[Carol]

I feel your pain. I probably only get to read 25% of what I check out, and that's after renewing multiple times per novel. Alas. I'm also far less disciplined than you and many of my friends when it comes to my reading choices.