2018 - Where in the world are you? (Currently reading)

[Shomeret]

I'm in post-WWII Australia with Burning Fields by Alli Sinclair. The protagonist is independent and regrets returning to the family farm after she'd spent the war in the Women's Army Service.

[Leslie]

Just read another fun children's book about the history of Ireland. Heads up - this one includes the beheading and pickling of an Irishman as well as mention of cannibalism during the famine. It's a terrific review for an adult. Not sure what age I'd start with, but you could try to read ahead and cover up a few parts. It's very cute, concise and thorough.

The Story of Ireland by Richard Brassey

[Leslie]

Today was a fun day for me. I read a children's book based in Tennessee, USA, Flossie and the Fox by Patricia C. McKissack. Then I read one set in Paris after the terrorist attacks called You Will Not Have My Hate by Antoine Leiris. Then, a terrific, highly recommend third one by an international best selling Japanese writer (no real location, but we can place this in Japan) called The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami. Fun, fun, fun last read.

[Carol]

I'm in Canada with The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence, and the U.S. with The Shakespeare Requirement by Julie Schumacher. I'm enjoying both immensely.

[Leslie]

Finished Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett - Ireland

[Carol]

I’m in the US (New Orleans) with Eye of the Cricket by James Sallis.

[Lilisa]

I'm in Turkey with Without a Country and still in the U.K. with The Pillars of the Earth.

[Leslie]

Just wrapped up Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel (2006) which takes place in Ireland and New York.

[Leslie]

Just finished an interesting article in The New Yorker magazine about Japan, Letter from Tokyo A Theory of Relativity by Elif Batuman.

[Carol]

Leslie wrote: "Just finished an interesting article in The New Yorker magazine about Japan, Letter from Tokyo A Theory of Relativity by Elif Batuman."

Very interesting!


I’m in several countries in Southeast Asia with an arc of A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, edited by Ellen Oh. It is a collection of retelling of folk tales from various countries. The retellings are YA in style and complexity, and most are not really in my wheelhouse; however, each is followed by the applicable author’s short background essay identifying the source folk tale. I’m loving the author essays.

[Leslie]

Carol, that sounds interesting. I just read a short story in The New Yorker magazine, The Boundary by Jhumpa Lahiri. I'm sure it's a piece of a larger work she's working on. This one was translated from Italian, which is interesting. She never reveals location. It honestly sounds more like USA than Italy.

[Shomeret]

I'm currently in Baghdad with Shaherazade's Daughters by Sameena K. Mughal. This is a collection of recent tales with a background similar to the traditional 1001 Nights tales. These new tales are Islamic and feminist with a focus on strong woman characters. Each story takes place in a different Islamic country. The previous story took place in Yemen.

[Leslie]

I just finished a terrific children's book, Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet (2011), about the history of the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, New York city, USA.

[Leslie]

Yesterday I spent the day in Medieval France, England and the Middle East with Eleanor of Aquitaine: The Queen Who Rode Off to Battle by Ann Kramer. It was background reading for a bok club selection that isn't available yet in our library. Although it was a children's book, it was terrific! My library has the best children's books. Today I'm back to adult reads with more of the same, The Knights Templar: The History and Myths of the Legendary Military Order by Sean Martin.

[Lilisa]

Leslie wrote: "Yesterday I spent the day in Medieval France, England and the Middle East with Eleanor of Aquitaine: The Queen Who Rode Off to Battle by Ann Kramer. It was background r..."

Nice range of books you're reading, Leslie!

[Leslie]

Thank you. I'm waiting for a library book for a Nonfiction group on the Plantagenets and meanwhile I'm reading Eleanor of Aquitaine, terrific, and The Knights Templar, very interesting, then today started another that my Catholic group locally read in my absence that is also in the same time period but in Norway, The Wreath by Sigrid Undset which I am really enjoying.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I've just arrived in Finland, with Secret Passages in a Hillside Town. First thing I did was research how to pronounce Jyväskylä, where the story is set!

I'm not sure if this is a 'thing', but my first impression is that this book belongs to the opposite of Scandi-noir - something like Scandi-charm - where Fredrik Backman is probably the best-known author to English-language readers.

[Rusalka]

My TBR list is groaning in protest!

[Leslie]

No kidding! It's read one, add twenty To Read. Ha! Ha!

[Shomeret]

I'm in 18th century Tibet with The White Mirror by Elsa Hart, the second in the Li Du mystery series. Li Du is now in exile and is traveling with a caravan to Lhasa. I'm interested in books that take place in Tibet and I need to catch up with this series.

[Carol]

Shomeret wrote: "I'm in 18th century Tibet with The White Mirror by Elsa Hart, the second in the Li Du mystery series. Li Du is now in exile and is traveling with a caravan to Lhasa. I'm interested ..."

Are you enjoying it as much as the first in the series? I DNF’d it once, but early on and I’d check it out again with the slightest positive recommendation.

[Shomeret]

Carol wrote: "Shomeret wrote: "I'm in 18th century Tibet with The White Mirror by Elsa Hart, the second in the Li Du mystery series. Li Du is now in exile and is traveling with a caravan to Lhasa..."

Hamza the storyteller is as entertaining as always, but I admit that it is slow paced.

[Carol]

Shomeret wrote: "Carol wrote: "Shomeret wrote: "I'm in 18th century Tibet with The White Mirror by Elsa Hart, the second in the Li Du mystery series. Li Du is now in exile and is traveling with a ca..."

Thanks, Shomeret.

[Leslie]

I just finished reading a beautiful translation of Gilgamesh: A Verse Narrative by Herbert Mason. This is from just one of the twelve tablets, but was very moving. (Mesopotamia, now Iraq)

[Leslie]

Had so much fun this morning reading this poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. (In the ocean surrounded by ice)

[Shomeret]

Carol wrote: "Shomeret wrote: "Carol wrote: "Shomeret wrote: "I'm in 18th century Tibet with The White Mirror by Elsa Hart, the second in the Li Du mystery series. Li Du is now in exile and is tr..."

I now think The White Mirror is outstanding if you want to learn about the history of the Dalai Lama and Tibet. It's also causing me to think about tulkus--the concept that Tibetan Lamas are a single individual reincarnated for centuries.

[Carol]

Shomeret wrote: "Carol wrote: "Shomeret wrote: "Carol wrote: "Shomeret wrote: "I'm in 18th century Tibet with The White Mirror by Elsa Hart, the second in the Li Du mystery series. Li Du is now in e..."

That's great news. I'll take another run at it.

[Carol]

I'm in 15th Century Russia with Laurus by Evgenij Vodolazkin. I am a fan thus far (25%).

[Leslie]

Our library is Rockin' in our Summer Reading program so we have music books everywhere. :-) This morning I read about two famous USA musicians, When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson by Pam Muñoz Ryan and When Bob Met Woody: The Story of the Young Bob Dylan by Gary Golio. They are children's books, but both were quite fun and now I've added Woody Guthrie's autobiography, Bound for Glory to my reading list as well as Dave Van Ronk's, The Mayor of MacDougal Street 2013 edition : A Memoir.i

[Carol]

I'm in Norway with an arc for The Ice Swimmer by Kjell Ola Dahl. It's my first Dahl, and it took me a little to get into, but I'm enjoying it now, at the 23% mark.

[Leslie]

I just finished a terrific short story by Canadian author, Alice Munro. Runaway first appeared in The New Yorker magazine in 2003, and has since been expanded into a full story. I don't even know what to say about this psychological thriller. The writing was terrific, the story scary as hell!

[Carol]

I am in Mexico with Lawrence Osborne’s Only to Sleep: A Philip Marlowe Novel. It is fab.

[Leslie]

Yesterday, I read Salomé: A Tragedy in One Act by Oscar Wilde and I read John Smith "His Story of Pocahontas," William Bradford "The Pilgrims Land and Meet the Indians," and John James Audubon "Where the Mockingbird Dwells." (Middle East, USA).

And, I read a children's book called 14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy which was about the reaction of the Massai people of Kenya to the news of the September 11 attacks on NY city.

[Diane]

I am heading into the Venezuelan jungle with The Lost Steps by Alejo Carpentier.

[Lilisa]

Headed to Russia with The Romanov Empress and to Italy with Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome

[Carol]

I am back in Nigeria and the US with Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

[Lilisa]

Carol wrote: "I am back in Nigeria and the US with Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie."

I am there too with the same book! :-) I'm re-reading it - one of a handful of books I would consider re-reading! How are you faring so far?

[Diane]

I am in Antigua and Barbuda with Mr. Potter by Jamaica Kincaid.

[Carol]

Lilisa wrote: "Carol wrote: "I am back in Nigeria and the US with Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie."

I am there too with the same book! :-) I'm re-reading it - one of a handf..."

I like it. I’m not quite 20% in, but it took a little hit because I was reading it with a friend and she needed to take a break. As a result, I read 60 pages, stopped for 3 weeks and Ickes it up again last night. I am hoping to recapture the energy I had when I started.

[Lilisa]

Carol wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Carol wrote: "I am back in Nigeria and the US with Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie."

I am there too with the same book! :-) I'm re-reading it -..."

I am around the 250-ish mark. I hope you continue to enjoy it...

[Leslie]

The New Yorker magazine has an article about her that might interest you.


https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...

[Carol]

Leslie wrote: "The New Yorker magazine has an article about her that might interest you.


https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20..."

Thanks, Leslie. I heard about it last week, but lost the link. Now, I can enjoy it....

[Lilisa]

Thanks Leslie - great article about Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - I've lost count watching her Ted Talks, interviews, etc. She's brilliant and funny.

[Leslie]

You're welcome. I finally got to finish it this morning and really enjoyed it.

[Diane]

In Cuba with Three Trapped Tigers by Guillermo Cabrera Infante.

[Christelle]

As can be expected with Isabel Allende, I had the chance to travel briefly to Latin America (Guatemala and Chile) on this easy summer read. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I'm in 1930s Shanghai with The Jade Lily - so glamorous!

[Lilisa]

Andrea wrote: "I'm in 1930s Shanghai with The Jade Lily - so glamorous!"

Sounds interesting, Andrea - waiting for your review :-). Have you read Shanghai Diary by Ursula Bacon - nonfiction same time period - 1930s - really good.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

Lilisa wrote: "Andrea wrote: "I'm in 1930s Shanghai with The Jade Lily - so glamorous!"

Sounds interesting, Andrea - waiting for your review :-). Have you read Shanghai Diary by [au..."

No, I haven’t, but I will! The characters in my book have just spent the afternoon in that version of Shanghai, but seemed relieved to jump on the trolley car to get back to the relative comforts of Frenchtown. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Bacon’s book featured in Manning’s research for her novel.

[Diane]

In Denmark with The Murder of Halland by Pia Juul.