2016 - Where in the world have you been? (book finished and review linked)

[Lilisa]

Wow, just finished People of the Book - what an amazing book - 5 stars! It took me to several cities - primarily to Sarajevo, Vienna, Venice and Seville with short trips to London, Boston and Sydney. Review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Courtney]

I wasn't able to finish either book, but I was recently in Tasmania/ Australia with The World Beneath and in Ireland with An Illustrated History of Ireland from AD 400 to 1800.

I DNF'd "The World Beneath" due to telling me what the characters were like instead of showing and "An Illustrated History of Ireland" due to it being written in the 1800's.

Here are my reviews:

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

and

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

[Courtney]

I recently finish the St. Mary chronicles. It's about time travelling historians set in England. Over the course of 7 books and ~6 novellas, we saw a wide variety of places. Everything from Troy to Wales. My favorite places were Stonehenge in 2200 bce, the cretaceous period (location is unknown), the out of Africa migration in Saudi Arabia, and Wales in ~500 CE.

My review of all 7 books is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I finished Miss Timmins' School for Girls, set in Maharashtra (India), a few days ago.

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

[Carol]

I finished Kokoro by Sōseki Natsume and left Japan. It was a 5-star read for me, but it likely wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea.

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

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I've finished reading The Case of the Missing Servant - 3★

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

[Shomeret]

I was in Serbia, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, France and Germany with The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict dealing with Einstein's first wife. I think it was important for me to discover her. My review is at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Carol]

I was in Italy with Delia Ephron's Siracusa. It was a great read for me. I haven't yet written a review, but my initial perspective is expressed in a comment appended to my 4-star rating:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Eliane]

Melissa wrote: "I just finished Lebanon -- Postcards from the Middle East: How Our Family Fell in Love with the Arab World

Hello , I am from Lebanon and never heard of this book. Will add it to my to read list. If you ever decide to visit I'm ready to help :)

[Shomeret]

I have returned from Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany during WWII where I traveled withPoint of No Return by Martha Gellhorn. This is a novel originally published soon after WWII. It's very authentic and the ending is powerful.

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

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I read Broken Glass by Alain Mabanckou, a 21st century novel from the Congo! It was definitely interesting for a new look at Congo but somewhat difficult to read due to the style. Plus I think it is translated from the French. .

[Lilisa]

I was in the Vatican City with Conclave by Robert Harris. It was okay, not stellar which was a bit disappointing but still a decent read - I gave it three stars. I very much enjoyed two other books of his I've read - Pompeii and An Officer and a Spy.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I read Memoirs of an Arabian Princess from Zanzibar, an interesting look into 19th century harem life and the contrast between that and Europe (as the author moves to Germany and converts to Christianity, leaving her family and way of life behind.) My review is here.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

Last night I finally finished The Far Pavilions (India), after 2 months of fairly solid reading. Was it worth it? Probably not, but you never know until you try it. I gave it 2.5★

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

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I finally returned to The Neopolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante and was blown away, frankly, by the second book set in the Naples of the 50s and 60s- The Story of a New Name. This is truly a coming of age story, coming to the realization of the realities of adult life, married life, in a very difficult period in a violent place. Highly recommended, but start with the first novel. My review is here.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

Today I finished Beyond the Sky and the Earth: A Journey Into Bhutan, which I enjoyed very much.

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

[Courtney]

I just finished More Aboriginal Stories Of Australia. It was OK. I didn't know anything about Aboriginals and I understood it fine.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

And the final book for this year's challenge, Walking Towards Ourselves: Indian Women Tell Their Stories, got 3★ from me.

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

[Lilisa]

Was in Jamaica with Here Comes the Sun - a 3-star read for me.

[Andrew]

I was in Ireland with Maggie O'Farrell's latest This Must Be the Place- she is one of my favourite authors but there was something i didn't quite engage with in the story. I suspect it was the quite annoying characters as in her previous works, some of which have moved me a lot, i had great empathy with their stories. It is however a well written page turner and i would not try to disuade anyone from reading. my review I hopehttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show... .