2017 - Where in the world are you? (Currently reading)

[Claire]

I'm in Asanteland and Fanteland and Baltimore with Yaa Gyasi's excellent Homegoing. Reminds me a lot of reading Maryse Condé's masterpiece Segu, set in the Kingdom of Segu.

[Carol]

I'm in Pakistan (and New York) with Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist. It is excellent, and is taking the edge off an unpleasant airport experience, to say the least.

[Jennifer]

Carol wrote: "I'm in Pakistan (and New York) with Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist. It is excellent, and is taking the edge off an unpleasant airport experience, to say the..."

Ooh I read that last year. Good book! If you want to read more from Pakistani authors, then check out A Case of Exploding Mangoes.

[Claire]

Carol wrote: "I'm in Pakistan (and New York) with Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist. It is excellent, and is taking the edge off an unpleasant airport experience, to say the..."

I should really read this novel, he's an author I've wanted to read for a while, I have his latest Exit West, so I guess I'll be starting there. Look forward to your thoughts, hope you make it out of the airport soon! Enjoy your read in the meantime.

[Lilisa]

Jenniferdwalker wrote: "Lilisa, it's interesting and definitely highlights the complexity of the Asia vs Europe divide in the region. Also, I love it from a travel pov, as it takes place all across the region in Baku & Tb..."

Great - moving it up on my list!

[Lilisa]

Left South Africa where I learned about being Born a Crime - highly recommended, will write a review when I have time. Currently in U.S.'s Appalachia region with Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis and all over the Middle East and who knows where else, with Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes

[Carol]

Jenniferdwalker wrote: "Carol wrote: "I'm in Pakistan (and New York) with Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist. It is excellent, and is taking the edge off an unpleasant airport experien..."

Thanks for the rec, Jennifer. I do and am not familiar with Mangoes. Off to check it out now?

[Carol]

Claire wrote: "Carol wrote: "I'm in Pakistan (and New York) with Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist. It is excellent, and is taking the edge off an unpleasant airport experien..."

I'll be very interested to hear what you think, Claire. I loved How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, which I buddy read with a friend last year. It went in an entirely different direction than I anticipated.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Lilisa wrote: "Left South Africa where I learned about being Born a Crime - highly recommended, will write a review when I have time."

I just started this one in audio!

[Lilisa]

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Left South Africa where I learned about being Born a Crime - highly recommended, will write a review when I have time."

I just started this one in audio!"

Uuuhhhh Jenny, would love to hear your thoughts. Happy listening...

[Ellen]

I'm fairly new to this group, and may do the Around the World challenge next year. I'm currently reading The Handmaid's Tale, so in the Republic of Gilead...
Also hoping to soon get back to Sarajevo with People of the Book, Chile with The House of the Spirits, and Russia with Doctor Zhivago.

[Ellen]

Lilisa wrote: "Left South Africa where I learned about being Born a Crime - highly recommended, will write a review when I have time. Currently in U.S.'s Appalachia region with [book:Hillbilly Ele..."

I just read Hillbilly Elegy last month and loved it, both heartbreaking and heartwarming in parts. I have Born a Crime on my list too; bought it from Audible at the end of last year.

[Shomeret]

I'm in Canada with The Unquiet Dead by Ausma Zehanat Khan. This is the first in a mystery series with a Muslim protagonist. I originally skipped this book and read the second in the series. I was impressed with the second book, but still didn't intend to read this one until my F2F mystery group decided to read it. I can see now that skipping it was a mistake.

[Carol]

Shomeret wrote: "I'm in Canada with The Unquiet Dead by Ausma Zehanat Khan. This is the first in a mystery series with a Muslim protagonist. I originally skipped this book and read the second in the..."

I did the same thing -read book two and hadn't gotten back to book one. Worse, I checked book one out of the library and still didn't pick it up. Fixing that now.

[Carol]

I'm in Japan with In Praise of Shadows by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, a rare nonfiction read for me. It is sustaining me through hours 26-28 of this trip home, which is mighty heavy lifting.

[Andrew]

Hello , I've just joined the group although i am already doing an around the world challenge in another group.
I suspect it may take me a little time to find my way around the site but so far this year ive been to Germany , El Salvador , Scotland , and Bulgaria .
Im currently in USA with courtesy of Jenny and just arrived in post this week my next poss read is Yemen

I am really looking forward to the incentive of revisiting countries I've already visited,but any tips about navigating the site are welcome

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Hi Andrew, welcome! Some of the best stuff comes from old discussions of people looking for books from specific stuff. Most people start a thread with their goals and books to more easily keep track but it is not required.

[Lilisa]

Ellen wrote: "I'm fairly new to this group, and may do the Around the World challenge next year. I'm currently reading The Handmaid's Tale, so in the Republic of Gilead...
Also hoping to soon get b..."

Great list, Ellen. I loved People of the Book.

[Lilisa]

Ellen wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Left South Africa where I learned about being Born a Crime - highly recommended, will write a review when I have time. Currently in U.S.'s Appalachia region with [boo..."

Looks like we're in parallel worlds, Ellen! I'm not too far into [book:Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis|27161156] but liking it so far. Hope you enjoy Born a Crime - it was great for me.

[Lilisa]

Andrew wrote: "Hello , I've just joined the group although i am already doing an around the world challenge in another group.
I suspect it may take me a little time to find my way around the site but so far this..."

Hi Andrew - welcome! I echo Jenny's comments, particularly starting your own thread as we love to peer over each other's shoulders and "borrow" books! Enjoy your journey around the world with us!

[Andrew]

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "Hi Andrew, welcome! Some of the best stuff comes from old discussions of people looking for books from specific stuff. Most people start a thread with their goals and books to more easily keep trac..."

Thanks Jenny, so far there are some great recommendations that I've seen and some books ive read 'exploding mangoes' and 'segu' so im looking forward to exploring.

[Andrew]

Lilisa wrote: "Andrew wrote: "Hello , I've just joined the group although i am already doing an around the world challenge in another group.
I suspect it may take me a little time to find my way around the site ..."

Thanks lilisa, i have to say the reading community on line is very welcoming and informative , i hope i can add to and benefit from the information in the group- thanks again for the welcoming comments

[Carol]

Andrew wrote: "Hello , I've just joined the group although i am already doing an around the world challenge in another group.
I suspect it may take me a little time to find my way around the site but so far this..."

Andrew, this thread and its counterpart - where have you been --are two of my favorite sources of great books and ideas. If you do nothing but participate here and there as you choose, you'll feel at home in no time, I anticipate. Welcome.

[Andrew]

Carol wrote: "Andrew wrote: "Hello , I've just joined the group although i am already doing an around the world challenge in another group.
I suspect it may take me a little time to find my way around the site ..."

Thanks Carol, i only found the group after joining litsy and following reading envy, thank you so much for the welcome.

[Rusalka]

Ellen wrote: "I'm fairly new to this group, and may do the Around the World challenge next year. I'm currently reading The Handmaid's Tale, so in the Republic of Gilead...
Also hoping to soon get b..."

Sounds like you have a great reading list already for this year! Welcome!

[Rusalka]

Andrew wrote: "Hello , I've just joined the group although i am already doing an around the world challenge in another group.
I suspect it may take me a little time to find my way around the site but so far this..."

Welcome Andrew! Glad you found us through Jenny. Let us know if you have any questions at all.

What did you think of your El Salvador read? The She-Devil in the Mirror

[Andrew]

Rusalka wrote: "Andrew wrote: "Hello , I've just joined the group although i am already doing an around the world challenge in another group.
I suspect it may take me a little time to find my way around the site ..."
Thanks rusalka- it's an interesting read, told in first person it is the narrator reminiscing on her friend who has been murdered in the first chapter. In the end i wasn't sure- i found it a good depiction of a person disintegrating mentally against the backdrop of the civil war but it wasn't a narritively easy read. However i enjoy the challenge of fiction from other countries so was glad i read it.

[Rusalka]

Andrew wrote: "but it wasn't a narritively easy read. "

I completely agree with this. I was glad it was a short book, as although it was interesting learning about El Salvador, I wasn't a fan of the narrator.

[Val]

Andrew wrote: "Hello , I've just joined the group although i am already doing an around the world challenge in another group.
I suspect it may take me a little time to find my way around the site but so far this..."
I also read a book by Horacio Castellanos Moya for El Salvador, Senselessness. The narrator of this one is disintegrating too, but in a way which seemed understandable, or even inevitable, in the circumstances.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

At last I find myself in Nayomi Munaweera's Sri Lanka with Island of a Thousand Mirrors. I don't know what took me so long.

[Lilisa]

Andrea wrote: "At last I find myself in Nayomi Munaweera's Sri Lanka with Island of a Thousand Mirrors. I don't know what took me so long."

I hope you're enjoying it Andrea - it's one of my favorite books.

[Shomeret]

I'm in Saudi Arabia with The Dove's Necklace by Raja Alem who wrote it in Arabic. I am reading the English translation. This is a strange mystery taking place in Mecca narrated by the street where the body was found.

[Inna]

17th century England with The Leveller Revolution
A totally brilliant book on political organization of the Independents and the Sectarians. The way quotes from the period are used in the story works really well in creating a feel of the period. I read about half of the book by now and feel like I am there and then, reading contemporary press and worrying about the opposition activists in prison.

[Ellen]

I've wandered my way back to France with The Count of Monte Cristo, which I keep picking up and putting down as the whim strikes me. Have to reread chunks of it occasionally, but enjoying it overall and hoping to finish sometime this year.

[Lilisa]

I'm in Brazil with Snow Hunters and in India with A Long Way Home.

[Claire]

I'm on the beach in 1920's Cape Cod, with a bit of nature writing from Henry Beston The Outermost House: A Year of Life On The Great Beach of Cape Cod, nature writer who planned to stay 2 weeks and ended up staying a year observing the migration of seabirds and butterflies, the shifting sands of the dunes, the pull of the tides, the music of thumping waves and the constellations of an ever changing sky, resulting in this book, which has become something of a classic in nature writing, one of the inspirations of Rachel Carson in writing her classic masterpiece Under the Sea Wind, one of my favourites.

[Rusalka]

Ellen wrote: "I've wandered my way back to France with The Count of Monte Cristo, which I keep picking up and putting down as the whim strikes me. Have to reread chunks of it occasionally, but enjoyi..."

I am so intimidated by that one. I really want to pick it up though, as people rave about it. But... it's HUGE! Good on you for tackling it, and glad you're enjoying it.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Claire wrote: "I'm on the beach in 1920's Cape Cod, with a bit of nature writing from Henry Beston The Outermost House: A Year of Life On The Great Beach of Cape Cod, nature writer who planned to st..."
Ooh I read another book of a year on Cape Cod, but more domestic. My Own Cape Cod.

[Carol]

I've started In the Eye of the Sun by Ahdaf Soueif. It takes place in Egypt and England over several decades.

[Andrew]

Im currently in the Midlands of England with Wellcome prize longlisted The Tidal Zoneand so far it is really interesting story about how the sudden collapse of a 15 year old girl affects her father and family.

[Mansa]

I am somewhere in Cuba with My Early Years. I am currenty trying to understand what role the University days played in Castro' life.

[Shomeret]

I am currently in Spain but still reading the mystery The Dove's Necklace. It took most of the book to find out who the victim was. I still don't know who killed her.

[Claire]

I'm in Istanbul, Turkey with Elif Shafak's latest Three Daughters of Eve.

[Andrew]

I am now in the Gold coast of Africa having read two chapters of Homegoingand I am hooked so can't wait to finish work and get home to carry on reading!

[Shawn]

I'm in Mauritius with Eve Out of Her Ruins. I knew absolutely nothing about this book going in, except that Amanda Nelson of Book Riot tweeted several weeks ago that it was the first book that made her cry in 2017. Before I read much further, I'm going to have to look up Mauritius on a map! :-)

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Shawn wrote: "I'm in Mauritius with Eve Out of Her Ruins. I knew absolutely nothing about this book going in, except that Amanda Nelson of Book Riot tweeted several weeks ago that it was the firs..."
Some of us in the Newest Literary Fiction group are buddy reading this starting March 10....

Also I had Mauritian food in Portland and it was amazing, like a combo of my favorite cuisines!

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

Shawn wrote: "I'm in Mauritius with Eve Out of Her Ruins. I knew absolutely nothing about this book going in, except that Amanda Nelson of Book Riot tweeted several weeks ago that it was the firs..."

I like the sound of that one, but it seems to be difficult to get hold of in Australia for the time being.

[Shawn]

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "Shawn wrote: "I'm in Mauritius with Eve Out of Her Ruins. I knew absolutely nothing about this book going in, except that Amanda Nelson of Book Riot tweeted several weeks ago that i..."

Great – I'll check it out – you and I had already made a loosey-goosey arrangement to buddy-read it this month on Litsy too, right? :-) How does it feel when everybody wants a buddy-reading piece of you?

[Shawn]

As of today, I am also in Dorsetshire, UK with Swimming Lessons and in Suffolk, UK and Zambia with Midwinter. Midwinter is the most beautiful physical book I've had in my hands in a long, long while – and it's dustjacketless! :-)

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Shawn wrote: "Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "Shawn wrote: "I'm in Mauritius with Eve Out of Her Ruins. I knew absolutely nothing about this book going in, except that Amanda Nelson of Book Riot twe..."
Yes was it this one? Hehe just kidding. I just thought you might want more buddies.