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Sssnoo’s TBR Takedown 2019 challenge
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You have incorporated a lot of hard to find countries. I loved Dom Casmurro, Mema, and The Old Man Who Read Love Stories.
Glad you enjoyed them. The first 12 on the list are all the equator countries. I wanted to read them this year. Uganda I already read (Kintu - fantastic) and I have read Kenya but want to add a couple more as I once lived there. Have my 50 states planned as well. I also do the around the year in 52 books. I read a lot this year - hope I can keep it up.
Sandra wrote: "Glad you enjoyed them. The first 12 on the list are all the equator countries. I wanted to read them this year. Uganda I already read (Kintu - fantastic) and I have read Kenya but want to add a cou..."I wish you much success with your 2019 reading!
Book # 10 from Kenya - Who Will Catch Us As We Fall finished! My review:I both enjoyed and learned from this book. It focusses on the challenges facing Kenya and Nairobi specificaly as they relate to corruption, wealth disparity and conflicts between ethnic groups. It is written by an ethnic Asian Kenyan woman and that perspective is identifiable in the book. I once lived near Nairobi and I recognized the city from many perspectives. I was not part of the expat community but integrated into a native Kenyan and cross cultural/tribal work group while I was there. Coming from the US where I was familiar with white/black racism I remember clearly the shock I felt seeing that there were equally strong biases across groups that would be indestinguishable in my native country. This awakening/awareness has impacted me to this day. From that background it is not surprising that I found this book facinating, remotely familiar, frustrating and promising. Kenya is complicated. This book is exemplary of why I read.
Book # 9 Kenya One Day I Will Write About This Place: A MemoirI struggled with this book at the beginning but ended up feeling like had just finished a relarkable, original piece of literature. While a narrative of the author’s life, the style is unlike any book I have read. At times it reads like a free association related to a place, time or experience. Full of similes and metaphores the book feels lyrical, poetic or songlike at times. It actually reminded me at times of Billy Joel’s “I didn’t start the fire”. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eFTLKWw.... If you read a lot and are atracted to original styles and international literature you will likely enjoy this book. I lived in Kenya for a while, and this book both felt familiar and also expanded my understanding of the last decades of Kenyan history. It also gave me a peak into the mind of a man consumed by words and writing. This author had to write. His experiences growing up and in early adulthood describe an experience only a person destined to use words for his life spring could endure. By the time I finished this book I understood I had just experienced a masterpiece.
After I wrote the above I was drawn to find out more about Binyavanga Wainaina. I felt there was a piece or pieces missing from his book. After watching this recent Tedex talk he gave I understood and respect him even more. Time has noted this man as one of the 100 most influential. Yes. He is.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z5uAoBu...
4 pointsBook #17 : The Last Summer of Reason
My review posted on my read page:
‘Will there be another spring”? The closing words of this haunting novel by Algerian author Tahar Djaout. Written some time between 1990 and 1992 the manuscript was found after Djaout was assassinated by Islamists. He chronicals the rise of religious fundamentalim in Algieria through the eyes of a book seller. We Westerners think we know about Islamist societies, but this novel so precisely describes how such a transformation can happen, the consequences and the death blow to the soul that occurs. The book is so much more striking because it is a essay and premonition on the author’s own assassination. Originally written in French the language as it translated into English is so descriptive a reader feels emersed in the transformation of Algiers. I don’t have the words to even begin to describe a book where every sentence is so meticulously written I can close my eyes and feel transported.
Don’t just think of this a book about Islamists - it inimately describes how any despotic ruler or regime can devour a country before its citizens even recognize what is occuring. And book/art censoring and burning always accompanies these transitions.
Whew. I have a meaty non-fiction tome this month - heading to Nauru. This will take some discipline to finish.
April book completed - 6 points to date. Book #5 (oops, should have been 4): Nauru Offshore: Behind the Wire on Manus and Nauru
This is a niche book. Because it is such a specific topic that only a limited audience will pursue in the depth provided by this book it doesn’t really matter if I found it a 1 or 5 star book. To me it was LONG. Why did I read it? I am working on a challenge to read a book from every country in the world. This year I am tackling every equatorial country and Nauru is equatorial and the smallest country in the world. I was envisioning a Pacific island paradise - Not so. Nauru seems to be more akin to an abandoned phosphate mine; an island Australia has contracted with to detain asylum seekers landing on their shores. As an American it was a compelling read as it describes Australian policies and their consequences that seem remarkably parallel to our recent detention policies of refugees seeking asylum on our borders. Basically, Australia’s off-shoring policy seems ineffective, unbelievably expensive, cruel, inhumane and disastrous to those affected by it - and that includes the workers pushed to uphold these horrific policies and detention centers.
Book 5 read so 9 points now.I have Seen the Moon - Nauru.
I won’t give this book a star rating. It is better to describe the book and let potential readers decide if they want to hear what the author has to say. I read this memoir of a Salvation Army contract worker at the Nauru offshore detention center after reading a 400+ page nonfiction book giving a chronological and scathing report on this Australian refugee policy. It was helpful to read the more personal, human experiences together this worker. She describes her transformative experience in a journal-like style. She doesn’t proclaim herself to be an author and now one should read this book expecting more than an ordinary woman’s journaling. I applaud her for sharing her thoughts and allowing her vulnerability to show. At times though I was frustrated to read about her efforts to stay sane (her words), her weeks of respite, her accommodations etc without really acknowledging the stark contrast of her life on Nauru with the detained. I think she did “get” it but I found her t hard to appreciate a comment about the hardships of having to share a bathroom with nine women when the detainees (who are not criminals by any stretch of the law or imagination, but vulnerable refugees) live in tents with horrible bathroom accommodations. The author availed herself of twice weekly private psychiatrist sessions to help process her experiences - while the detainees did nothing t have the same access to mental health care despite having experiences a log or several log orders more challenging.
I won’t throw stones as my own country has its own issues with immigration and refugee policies. The author is clear she doesn’t agree with what Australia is doing. She was constructed by confidentiality agreements she signed. I take this book for what it is and appreciate the insures into one workers experience. I wish a detainee could also publish a memoir...
12 points total June book read #22: São Tome: Journey to the Abyss--Portugal's Stolen Children, a novel that goes back to the Spanish Inquisition and the expulsion of Jews. Sao Tome is also set in this time, starting in Portugal. Jewish children in Portugal were kidnapped from there families and sent to Sao Tome to work the sugar cane fields. I never knew. Set in the late 1400’s just after Christopher Columbus’ journey to the Americas, and at the beginning of Europe’s presence in West Africa the book covers in accurate and disturbing detail the origins of the slave trade. The detail in the book is not for the faint of heart - disease, torture, war, intrigue, duplicity and more are covered. This lends the book a disturbingly realistic view into the period. So much historical fiction covers the same old territory0 WWII and the US Civil War must make up 75% of historical fiction. I thoroughly enjoy and appreciate authors that dive into periods little is written about. I have read fiction and nonfiction on the slave trade, but little about the very early years. Understanding that Europe’s desire for sugar, the growth of that market in parallel with the expansion of cane growth in the New World and the eventual realization that slaves earned 10:1 more money by weight compared to sugar is laid out by this book in a compelling story format. There is so much more in this richly detailed novel. If you enjoy historical fiction and can take a realistic depiction of the brutal reality of the times then you will likely enjoy this book and learn from it.
Interstingly I read this book in parallel with The Lost Girls of Paris and found that book insipid compared to Sao Tome.
16 points total. My July Book was Mema from Gabon. My review:
This is a short novel I read for my around the world tour and, specifically, my “read the equator” goal for the year. From a cultural perspective the book was a 4 plus stars as it took me deep into the familial and cultural forces in Gabonese society. This is why I am reading the world. From a pure novel/story perspective there wasn’t much there though. Much more could have been done with the plot.
4 points added for August. Total 20.My #3 book read this month was Dom Casmurro from Brazil. My review as posted on my personal page is as follows:
Dom Casmurro is a literary classic from Brazil. It is written in a lyrical style laced with metaphors - beautiful, evocative, poetic metaphors. The voice is unique, Dom Casmurro speaks directly to the reader as if telling a confidence. This is effective, pulling the reader in like a coconspirator. The suspense of the story builds throughout the novel. I felt the tension and suspense build as innuendo and subtle statements started to reveal the crux of the tragedy. For this I give the book a high rating. Also, as historical and cultural literature I felt immersed in 19th century Brazil. A good choice for my around the world challenge.
I found the Kindle translation, though, extremely poor. There were so many clear mistakes and typo’s that they became distracting. I have a very high tolerance for such mistakes, so if they exceeded my standard many others would be driven to distraction. An entire paragraph was even left untranslated - it was still in Portuguese. The book felt like it was sent through Google translator. The novel was set in the 1860’s and 70’s yet the word car was used to describe transportation. I assumed this was for carriage but it struck me every time. Even the type setting was distracting as contractions would break after the apostrophe onto two lines. I don’t know if other editions of the English version are available, I would hope so for such a classic novel.
Still working on September, but will finish this week. Next up -#14 Liberia - She Would Be King. I have wanted to read this book all year so am glad it was finally picked.
Sandra wrote: "Still working on September, but will finish this week. Next up -#14 Liberia - She Would Be King. I have wanted to read this book all year so am glad it was finally picked."
I'm interested to hear what you think of this. It is not on my takedown list but in on my wish list at the library.
I finished my September book The Orchard of Lost Souls for 5 points, total 25.My review as copied from my profile:
Haunting. The Orchard of Lost Souls weaves together stories universal to all women: family, love, motherhood, friendship and layers them into the tragic horrific history of the Somali civil war. When the book ended I audibly gasped and cried. Historical fiction is a favorite genre of mine, but is dominated by European and American themes. My pursuit of reading a book from every country in the world has brought to view the conflicts, struggles and histories of a much wider swath of humanity. I am struck, not surprised though, by the universal themes and conflicts. I am edified by learning the details of regions rarely depicted in our news feeds. This book, by an exiled Somali woman, is written with prose that had me often stop and reread sentences just for the artistry and beauty of the language. In places this book describes the normal (and often dysfunctional as lives are0 day to day lives of the protagonists. Then, the descriptions of the brutality and trauma of war are layered on top. This is how war is - an insidious and also abrupt disruption of normal.
October book 14 completed for 5 more points. 30 total. She Would Be King
I found this book interesting for several reasons. First, it covers in a fictional format, the genesis of the Liberian sate. I knew only a little about this history. The author chose a mythical style. It was reported or classified as magical realism and I actually do not like this genre. I typically run away screaming. But I wanted to read this book - it was part of a challenge to read books from countries on the equator. So I read it. The magic was incorporated well - it felt more like a creation myth than an hallucination which is how I often perceive MR. I appreciated the way the cultures making up modern Liberia were described and integrated into the story. Native tribes from the region, returning Americans and Jamaicans. This was a well done novel and a good addition to an African author reading list.
35 points total now with November’s book, Tales From The Town Of Widows: And Chronicles Fom The Land Of Men, from Columbia completed. My review:
Tales from the Town of Widows is a remarkable, though provoking novel. Some literary experts call it magical realism a la Gabriel Garcia Marquez, but I challenge that. I don’t particularly like magical realism, or much of that genre anyway. Tome it evokes dream-like hallucinatory scenes or perturbations on reality that I just find confusing. To me this book reads more like a fantasy dystopian novel set in an era of destructive civil war. The tales describe the process of coping with the post apocalyptic world. In this case it is one town not a planet, but the effect of the guerrillas taking all men is apocalyptic to the remaining women.
I was enthralled by the book’s structure, as well. Each chapter has a distinct fable or story to tell and the point of view changes. In between each chapter is a short snippet from the make perspective, either guerrilla, paramilitary or national army - some male perspective. This added complexity and interest to the novel and allowed the reader to stay connected in a detached way to the outside world beyond Mariquita. I thought this structure was perfect.
The book has a better than usual list of questions at the back. Book clubs will appreciate this and I strongly recommend clubs to consider this book. A great novel, lots of thought provoking ideas to discuss and a theme to plan a dinner party around.
Last book completed and 40 points total. Loved this challenge and am ready for next year. For my Dec book I read Beneath the Lion's Gaze and found it excellent historical fiction. I don’t know why I haven’t gotten to this book previously, but her new book is going to the top of my list. My full review is under my profile sssnoo reads
Around the World in 80 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Beneath the Lion's Gaze (other topics)Tales from the Town of Widows: And Chronicles from the Land of Men (other topics)
The Orchard of Lost Souls (other topics)
She Would Be King (other topics)
She Would Be King (other topics)
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Now that the year is over I will work on finishing the rest of the list.
1. Equador: The Old Man Who Read Love Stories
2. ❌Columbia: Tales From The Town Of Widows: And Chronicles Fom The Land Of Men
3. ❌Brazil: Dom Casmurro
4. ❌Nauru: I Have Seen the Moon: Reflections on Nauru
5. ❌Nauru: Offshore: Behind the wire on Manus and Nauru
6. Kiribati: Food of Ghosts. Swap with Ukraine Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster
7. Kiribati: Tales of Kiribati / Iango Mai Kiribati. Swap with Sierra Leone The Memory of Love
8. ❌Somalia: The Orchard of Lost Souls
9. ❌Kenya: One Day I Will Write About This Place: A Memoir
10. ❌Kenya: Who Will Catch Us As We Fall
11. Congo, Republic of: The Fire of Origins
12. ❌Gabon: Mema
13. The Netherlands: The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen. Swap with Yeman The Monk of Mokha
14. ❌ Liberia: She Would Be King
15. Austria: The Winter Soldier
16. Australia: The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village Swap with Arctic (Canada) Kabloona
17. ❌Algeria: The Last Summer of Reason[book:
18. Scotland: The Last Pearl Fisher of Scotland
19. Iran: The Moon Daughter
20. Burma: The Art of Hearing Heartbeats. Swap with Western Samoa Leaves of the Banyan Tree
21. ❌Malaysia: The Night Tiger
22. ❌Nigeria: Stay with Me. Swap with São Tome: Journey to the Abyss--Portugal's Stolen Children
23. ❌Ethiopia: Beneath the Lion's Gaze
24. Mali: Segu