2020 - Where in the World Are You? (Currently Reading)

[Lilisa]

In Cuba with The Price of Paradise and in India with Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line.

[Carol]

I’m in South Carolina (US) with The Coyotes of Carthage, a debut by Steven Wright.

[Nadine in California]

Carol wrote: "I’m in South Carolina (US) with The Coyotes of Carthage, a debut by Steven Wright."

Thanks to you, Carol, I'm an hour into the audio and I love it :)

[Carol]

I’m in Nigeria, and soon Biafra, with Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

[Carol]

Nadine wrote: "Carol wrote: "I’m in South Carolina (US) with The Coyotes of Carthage, a debut by Steven Wright."

Thanks to you, Carol, I'm an hour into the audio and I love it :)"

What did you think of it, Nadine?

[V.ya]

I'm in Malaysia with The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo.

[Lilisa]

Carol wrote: "I’m in Nigeria, and soon Biafra, with Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie."

What do you think, Carol? (As she crosses her fingers and toes!)

[Lilisa]

In Malaysia doing a re-read - this time listening - to one of my fav books for a book group read/challenge - The Garden of Evening Mists, In India with Murder in Old Bombay, and in South Africa with A Story Like the Wind.

[Carol]

Lilisa wrote: "Carol wrote: "I’m in Nigeria, and soon Biafra, with Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie."

What do you think, Carol? (As she crosses her fingers and toes!)"

Big fan, at the halfway point. Also, I am newly, keenly aware of my ignorance of Nigeria’s history and am going down several side rabbit-holes to solve. So am grateful to Adichie for giving me the nudge to do so. Recommended.

[Carol]

Lilisa wrote: "In Malaysia doing a re-read - this time listening - to one of my fav books for a book group read/challenge - The Garden of Evening Mists, In India with [book:Murder in Old Bombay|49..."

I’m interested to hear what you think of Old Bombay. I was declined for an ARC and am not persuaded to buy it without a strong 4+ rating, notwithstanding my interest in the blurb, in principle.

[Nadine in California]

Carol wrote: "Nadine wrote: "Carol wrote: "I’m in South Carolina (US) with The Coyotes of Carthage, a debut by Steven Wright."

Thanks to you, Carol, I'm an hour into the audio ..."

I liked it a lot and gave it four stars, like you ;) I wasn't as bothered by the ending as some other readers were. Here's my review.

[Lilisa]

Carol wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Carol wrote: "I’m in Nigeria, and soon Biafra, with Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie."

What do you think, Carol? (As she crosses her fi..."

Oh good. I thought it was a great book. Besides Purple Hibiscus by Adichie, What Is the What is another great book if you’re looking to learn more about the Nigerian civil war.

[Lilisa]

Carol wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "In Malaysia doing a re-read - this time listening - to one of my fav books for a book group read/challenge - The Garden of Evening Mists, In India with [book:Murder i..."

Haven’t made much progress, but will be sure to keep you posted. Bleh on the ARC response. I am sweet on anything India - hoping it’s worthwhile.

[Carol]

Nadine wrote: "Carol wrote: "Nadine wrote: "Carol wrote: "I’m in South Carolina (US) with The Coyotes of Carthage, a debut by Steven Wright."

Thanks to you, Carol, I'm an hour i..."

I was an enthusiastic 5-star fan until that ending, which I hated. I"m still pissed off about it. But I couldn't drop him less than a star over it, notwithstanding my immediate reaction which was 5 to 1. : )

[Nadine in California]

Carol wrote: "I was an enthusiastic 5-star fan until that ending, which I hated..."

It was a disappointing no-ending, which at least is better than a bad ending - the ones that feel like the author wrote it in the cab on the way to the publisher. This felt more like 'times up, pencils down, bring your test to the front of the room.'
'

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I'm in Hong Kong with an Irish narrator in Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan. I really wish I hadn't seen the blurb/review comparing it to Normal People because it is so slow and dry and boring so far. Maybe the title is ironic?

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I'm in Hong Kong with an Irish narrator in Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan. I really wish I hadn't seen the blurb/review comparing it to Normal People because it is so slow and dry a..."

Hmmm, I’m on the fence about that one. I keep looking at it, but I’m wary. I’ll be interested to see what you think of it in the end.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I’m in Syria with The Stray Cats of Homs. I started reading it a couple of months ago, but the publication date was pushed back, and as I wasn’t really getting into it (TBH hadn’t given it much of a chance at that point) I was happy to set it aside. So far I’m about 1/3 through and having a much better experience this time - it’s really turned out to be quite a different book from what I expected.

[Rusalka]

I'm currently in Lesotho with She Plays with the Darkness. It's not quite a novel, not quite short stories. But a longer overarching look at two siblings over stories of their life I think.

I didn't know that Lesotho was so high up in the mountains and therefore snowy. In fact "is that it is the only independent state in the world that lies entirely above 1,000 metres (3,281 ft) in elevation." Thanks Wiki.

Definitely challenging my perspectives of "Africa", whatever that is.

[Nadine in California]

I'm in South Korea with If I Had Your Face. It's better than I was anticipating - it's about more than just plastic surgery.

[Karen]

I've spread myself thin: I'm in Croatia with Baba Yaga Laid an Egg by Dubravka Ugrešić and reading poetry from Iraq: Lean Against This Late Hour by Garous Abdolmalekian - one of my 2020 anticipated releases.

Still have books set in Nigeria on my nightstand: Freshwater and Girl.

The library has informed me that The Mercies and Tyll have arrived -- Norway and Germany, respectively.

August will be busy, and that is good as I have so much anxiety about the pandemic and elections here in the US, I need plenty to distract me.

[Sanne]

@Karen, I loved Tyll and Freshwater! Two very different books, but soooo well written! Enjoy your reading.


I'm currenty reading Chienne de Guerre: A Woman Reporter Behind the Lines of the War in Chechnya by Anne Nivat. It's the report of a French journalist who spend time as a reporter in Chechnya during the war in 1999. I've never read anything about this part of the world before, and the opening chapter is very gripping.

I'm trying to read more women writers in translation than usual this month, as it's Women in Translation Month. I've also got The Adventures of China Iron and a book by Maïssa Bey, ميساء باي* on my pile.

* (that particular book by Bey, Puisque Mon Coeur Est Mort isn't translated into English, I'm reading it in Dutch - but there's other work by her that's available in English like Do You Hear in the Mountains... and Other Stories)

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I’ve just started reading The Death of Vivek Oji (Nigeria) by Akwaeke Emezi. I hadn’t actually realised it was the same author who wrote Freshwater, which a few people were discussing here yesterday, until I opened the book.

[Lilisa]

Andrea wrote: "I’ve just started reading The Death of Vivek Oji (Nigeria) by Akwaeke Emezi. I hadn’t actually realised it was the same author who wrote Freshwater..."

Be interested in what you think, Andrea. Check out Freshwater when you get a chance - it is “good” interesting.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

Lilisa wrote: "Be interested in what you think, Andrea. Check out Freshwater when you get a chance - it is “good” interesting..."

I’ll probably be reviewing it today - just letting it settle and deciding whether or not to go the full 5 stars. Freshwater is now firmly on my TBR.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I’ve arrived in Wales with the latest from my gothic fiction list, Abigale Hall. We’ve got orphaned sisters, an uncaring aunt, a filthy old manor house with a mysterious owner, and an evil housekeeper ✅✅✅ The other notable thing is the time period. It seems to be immediately post-war (WWII), so there’s an interesting juxtaposition of old and new. Electricity alongside horse & carrriage in the countryside.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

My last read, Abigale Hall, was a rare DNF for me - it wasn’t giving me either the story or the location I was after.

Now I’m back in reliable France with The Mystery of Henri Pick, which is just as charming, quirky and unchallenging as I’d hoped.

[Sanne]

I'm 40 pages into Puisque Mon Coeur Est Mort by Maïssa Bey and I'm completely floored by the beautiful writing. It's about a woman who has lost her son in the dirty war in Algeria and it captures her emotions so perfectly as she writes these letters to her son about how she tries to continue her life. I think I found a new favorite writer!
I urge everyone who's interested, but only reads in English, to look up her other work that is available in English.

[Kay]

Mars : The Martian.

[Claire]

I'm in Guadeloupe reading the brilliant Crossing the Mangrove by Maryse Condé.

I've read a number of her works and really enjoyed them all, her essays Tales from the Heart: True Stories from My Childhood, historical fiction Segu, a novel of the grandmother she never knew Victoire: My Mother's Mother and a couple of others, but this feels different to all that came before, evoking the complex society of Rivière au Sel.

The death of an outsider brings everyone together at his wake, with each chapter told from one of their perspectives, we see the impact of this man and the underbelly of this society. It's brilliant and entertaining.

[Lilisa]

I’m in Mongolia with Bones of the Master: A Journey to Secret Mongolia.

[Carol]

I’m in Bangkok with The Glass Kingdom by Lawrence Osborne, and also upstate New York with The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James. Loving the first. Jury’s out on Sun Down.

[Carol]

Claire wrote: "I'm in Guadeloupe reading the brilliant Crossing the Mangrove by Maryse Condé.

I've read a number of her works and really enjoyed them all, her essays [book:Tales from the Heart: Tr..."

Sold. What a wonderful, compelling description.

[Claire]

Carol wrote: "Claire wrote: "I'm in Guadeloupe reading the brilliant Crossing the Mangrove by Maryse Condé.

I've read a number of her works and really enjoyed them all, her essays [book:Tales fro..."

Thanks Carol, it's a wonderful book, almost like a 'noir novel' in the way a death acts as a catalyst to dissecting an island society.

[Claire]

I'm now in the French speaking part of Canada with Catherine Leroux's The Party Wall.

[Carol]

I’m in mid-Century America, on a train heading to NYC, with Dorothy B. Hughes’ Dread Journey.

[Lilisa]

I’m in The Netherlands with Untrue till Death and in Southeast Asia with Spirits Abroad.

[Rusalka]

I started Eve out of Her Ruins tonight which is set in Mauritius, as a chicken was sitting on my lap in front of the fire and I didn't want to kick her off.

It's got some pretty heavy themes in there, but it's written very poetically. Sometimes song like, sometimes stream of consciousness, other times just pushing the narrative forward.

I read about 60pp of it before I realised I hadn't started dinner yet and it was getting late.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I’m in Jordan with Diana Abu-Jaber’s foodie memoir, The Language of Baklava.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Rusalka wrote: "I started Eve out of Her Ruins tonight which is set in Mauritius, as a chicken was sitting on my lap in front of the fire and I didn't want to kick her off.

It's got some pretty h..."

I still think about this book sometimes. She has another book out that I keep meaning to get to....

[Rusalka]

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I still think about this book sometimes. She has another book out that I keep meaning to get to....."

Oh I had no idea you read it! Look forward to reading your thoughts later. I was reading the back of the book today, and it suggests this book was her 10th so there may be a good back catalogue. Of course, depends on how many are translated...

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I’m in Sweden with Dark Pines, #1 in a crime series about a deaf print journalist. It’s been on my radar for a while, but I was encouraged to jump in after listening to the Sweden episode of the podcast Strong Sense of Place, where they discussed #3.

It puts me in mind of the Caleb Zelic series by Emma Viskic set in my hometown, where Caleb is a deaf private investigator. Whereas journo Tuva seems to rely on judicious use of her hearing aids (at least so far), Caleb is more of a by-the-seat-of-his-pants lip reader, which doesn’t always work out well for him.

[Yrinsyde]

Interesting! I've only read one book where one of the characters was deaf. It was a 'romance' and my sister and I laughed and rolled our eyes about it because the author wrote that the deaf character could hear whispers in her ear. Um, no! I'm hearing impaired, not yet deaf. I'd like to read those - I wonder if the authors are deaf or know deaf people?

[Kim]

Yrinsyde wrote: "Interesting! I've only read one book where one of the characters was deaf. It was a 'romance' and my sister and I laughed and rolled our eyes about it because the author wrote that the deaf charact..."

Emma Viskic was on a discussion panel at the "Write Around The Murray" Writers Festival yesterday, this is a link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chy40...

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

Yrinsyde wrote: "Interesting! I've only read one book where one of the characters was deaf. It was a 'romance' and my sister and I laughed and rolled our eyes about it because the author wrote that the deaf charact..."

I’ve listened to Emma Viskic interviewed on a number of podcasts (pretty sure Booktopia was one of them) and her research has been quite thorough by the sounds of it. She learned Auslan (Australian sign language - which Caleb reluctantly uses with those closest to him), and she seems to be fairly well connected to the world of the hearing impaired. So far I’ve only read Resurrection Bay, but it was good and I’ll continue the series.

I don’t know much about Will Dean’s background yet, other than he’s a British expat author, living in Sweden. I’m really enjoying Dark Pines so far.

[Claire]

I'm in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) reading Tsitsi Dangarembga's The Book of Not.

[Sanne]

Thanks for putting me on the path of Resurrection Bay! Sounds like an interesting one! I'm always on the lookout for new crime books to try out.

I'm currently in the former Soviet Union with Sie kam aus Mariupol (as of yet untranslated into English? Title translates as "She came from Mariupol"), which is a wonderful non-fiction book by a woman trying to find out who her mother and her mothers side of the family were - people she never knew anything about. Though it's probably a book that's going to put me off reading about 20th century Eastern Europe for a while. I had the same last year with another great book - Eastern European 20th century history is a lot to deal with.

I'm also in 19th century Myanmar with The Glass Palace. Very interesting to learn about the Burmese royal family and Burmese history in general in this page turner.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

Sanne wrote: "Thanks for putting me on the path of Resurrection Bay! Sounds like an interesting one! I'm always on the lookout for new crime books to try out. I'm currently in the former Soviet Union with [book..."

Oh The Glass Palace is one of my favourite novels of all time! It’s a book that I wish I could read for the first time, all over again (if you get what I mean). I will re-read it one day, but have to accept it won’t be the same experience.

[Carol]

*adds glass palace to my TBR*

I’m in (mostly) rural England with Rope’s End, Rogue’s End by E.C.R. Lorac, one of her Detective MacDonald mysteries. It’s precisely the palate-cleanser I needed.

[dianne b.]

Carol wrote: "*adds glass palace to my TBR*

I’m in (mostly) rural England with Rope’s End, Rogue’s End by E.C.R. Lorac, one of her Detective MacDonald mysteries. It’s precisely ..."

"palate-cleanser"...hmmm