2021 - Where in the World Have You Been? (Book Read and Review Linked)

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I was in the USA with Delicious!, from my food list. I had a nice time there.

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

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

In April, I read a few more books for my Europe 2021 focus:

The Girl from the Channel Islands by Jenny Lecoat is a historical fiction novel that will have mass appeal, but I really appreciated that the author is actually from there and interviewed Jewish people who also lived there so it feels more realistic. My review is here. And yes, I'm counting Jersey as its own place since it's so far from it's "country" of origin.

A Catalan poet wrote a novel of sorts that I didn't really enjoy but it made me curious about her poetry - it's Permafrost by Eva Baltasar and my review is here. And I've read plenty from Spain, this was just an eARC I thought looked interesting.

I wish I could remember who recommended this to me but after I put out a plea for more books to help me understand The Balkan Wars, someone recommended Safe Area Goražde: The War in Eastern Bosnia, 1992-1995 by Joe Socco. It is graphic (meaning visual) and focuses on the war and aftermath in one Bosnian city. Very good and adds one more angle. If you like variety in your around the world reading, adding graphic novels or graphic memoirs is a good strategy. But also, dead bodies may not be something you want to see portrayed in imagery, so you have to decide. My review is here.

From Archipelago Press, I read If You Kept a Record of Sins by Andrea Bajani, translated from the Italian. But it's set in Romania, where the narrator has gone to deal with his mother's death. It's the second novel I've read set in Romania but not written by Romanians, which feels weird (plus I had someone chew me out in Instagram about the last one!) My review is here.

Outside of my Europe focus, I read a few more from Around the World (I should update here more often, apologies):

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a fantasy novel set in 1920s Mexico. If you like the mythology of that area, this is a fun one. My review.

The Actual True Story of Ahmed and Zarga is about the son of camel traders in Mauritania (the country near Mali, not the island country of Mauritius) - my review is here.

I've read a fair amount from Australia but the read the world challenge was focused on that area for April, so I went digging in the back log of the Stella Prize and found another author I'd never read - Inga Simpson. Understory: a life with trees is part memoir, part nature writing, about when she moved to the Sunshine Coast hinterlands and tried to run a writers retreat. It's a pretty slow burn but I know the area a bit so i found some interesting bits. Also it was read by the author in Hoopla.

The International Booker Prize was headed to its shortlist so I read a few from that - An Inventory of Losses is by a German author but might not exactly count as German for what it's trying to do. I then read At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop, a French writer - the book is about a Senegalese man fighting for the French in World War I. It is incredibly violent but written well, I was not surprised it made the shortlist. My review is here.

I subscribe to a few small presses and have been trying to read more books as they come. Nancy by Bruno Lloret is about a Chilean woman who is dying but then it goes back to her childhood, etc. It is written interestingly as far as the space on the page, the use of X's, the quotes from different religious texts, and I also noted the inclusion of LDS characters and Mormonism, which you really don't see a lot. My review is here.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I’ve been in Slovenia, including a side-trip to Egypt, with The Three Burials of Lotty Kneen - I loved it! A great tale that taught me a lot at the same time.

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

[Lilisa]

Was in Kazakhstan with Apples Are from Kazakhstan: The Land That Disappeared and enjoyed it a lot - there was so much great stuff on people, culture, food, history, human interest, humor - the works. The writing was well done too - the author handled the tough historical parts directly but sensitively. What I also appreciated was the energy and enthusiasm of a reborn nation as it struggled with the many challenges emerging from Soviet rule. This was a 4-star read.

I was also in Lebanon and Syria with The Arsonists' City - I struggled to make it a 3-star read - more like a 2.5. A bit disappointing as I’d expected more. I didn’t care for any of the characters in this book! I preferred the author’s Salt Houses to this one.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I'm afraid my trip to the Caribbean with The Mermaid of Black Conch didn't work out very well in the end. While the narration was entertaining and very enjoyable to listen to, I just couldn't retain any sense of the story (or most of the characters) in my brain. Many readers have loved it though, so perhaps a text edition is the way to go?

[Lilisa]

Was in Kenya with Unbowed - okay read; was in Hong Kong with The Borrowed - enjoyed it a lot - six great police detective stories with a common thread running through - THE smart brainy detective; and was in Turkey with Like a Sword Wound - okay read, but not wow enough to read the next in the series.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

Lilisa wrote: "Was in Kenya with Unbowed - okay read; was in Hong Kong with The Borrowed - enjoyed it a lot - six great police detective stories with a common thread running through ..."

The HK book looks good, but seems to have had an identity crisis! I know it’s not unusual to change the title for different markets, but that one has so many different names.

[Lilisa]

Andrea wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Was in Kenya with Unbowed - okay read; was in Hong Kong with The Borrowed - enjoyed it a lot - six great police detective stories with a common thread r..."

Lol, interesting, had not realized it’s been marketed under various titles. Be assured, Detective Kwan Chun-dok is unwavering in who he is and what he stands for - serving the people of Hong Kong!

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I loved my trip to Bangladesh (amongst others) with investigative journalist Casey Benedict in The Dead Line. Funnily enough, the location for the Bangladeshi action was the shipyards on the Bay of Bengal, which I have read about before (The Bones of Grace, a book I think of more often than I expect)! It's easy to see why though - such a unique and dramatic setting.

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

[Claire]

I've been in South Africa, reading two volumes of autobiography by Sindiwe Magona, who worked for the UN for 20 years and since her retirement has been writing children's books and novels and no doubt doing much else to contribute to her community. I really enjoyed reading about her life and highly recommend both books.

The first book To My Children's Children focuses on her life up to the age of 23, by which time she was pregnant with her third child and abandoned by her husband.

The second book, aptly titled Forced to Grow covers her life from 23 - 40, still living in South Africa under apartheid, determined to raise her level of education, work and care for her children, she ends up doing so much more.

I'm hoping she's working on a third volume!

My reviews here:
To My Children's Children
Forced to Grow

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I've been in Guinea and various other African countries, often on foot, with Little Brother: A Refugee's Odyssey. This book gives an inside look at the refugee experience in West/North Africa, and it's a quick read that packs a punch, but I suspect it may have been even more powerful in the original Basque.

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

[Karen]

I followed Carol Bee to Japan with Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami. So glad I did.I enjoyed the book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I've been in Italy with Still Life, which is likely to be my book of the year. Already looking forward to a re-read.

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

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I've been in UAE with Diving for Pearls. I thought it was a pretty good debut, but some readers will find the ending rather frustrating. It's the anti-advertisement for Dubai!

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

[Claire]

I've spent the week in the Pacific Islands, in the Polynesian Triangle reading the excellent nonfiction historical account by Christina Thompson of the regions Sea People: In Search of the Ancient Navigators of the Pacific

My review here

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Pays de la Loire with A Year at the Chateau

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

[Lilisa]

Was in the U.S. with Beautiful Country: A Memoir. Review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I've been walking in France and Italy with Two Steps Onward, a sequel to Two Steps Forward. This time I probably didn't get as strong a sense of being there as I did last time, but I still enjoyed it very much.

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

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I was in India, watching a romance unfold in contemporary (sans-COVID) Mumbai in The Rules of Arrangement. What really struck me about this novel was that it was about the middle class - often overlooked in Indian literature, in my experience.

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

[Lilisa]

Was in North and South Korea with Beasts of a Little Land. I really enjoyed it and kudos to author Juhea Kim for a great debut novel. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Lilisa]

Finished Madonna in a Fur Coat - set in Ankara, Turkey and Berlin, Germany - now on my favorites list. What a fantastic read. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

All My Mothers (set in London and Córdoba) is really something special. I'm counting it for Spain because the warmth and light that it brought to my winter reality was much appreciated.

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

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

Two middle grade books took me to India, but they couldn't have been more different. I found Ticket to India was trying so hard to teach me things that it was a real chore to read and I had to set it aside a few times. On the other hand, A Mystery at Lili Villa was pure entertainment and a joy to read.

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

[Carol]

I am in post-war, rural England with Isabel Colegate’s Winter Journey, which features two siblings 60+ years of age and a pastoral landscape I find to be perfect for August reading in the South (US).

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I took a little weekend break in Japan with The Shut Ins. It gave me a perspective of Japan that's very different from what I'm seeing during the Tokyo Olympics.

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

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

Catching up on some reviews today, for Russia, New Zealand and Nepal.

Tsarina gave me so much more than I expected - I predict I will have a lot more of Russia in my reading life for a while to come! https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

However, I need a little rest from New Zealand as I recover from The Nancys. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Ultimately I didn't get as much of Nepal as I'd wanted from Seasons of Flight. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Lilisa]

Was in Palestine with In My Mother's Footsteps: A Palestinian Refugee Returns Home. Great listen - my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Carol]

I was in 1926 Harlem with a debut mystery novel by Canadian author, Nekesa Afia: Dead Dead Girls. It was a 4-star read for me, but it's not for everyone, and especially likely not for hard-core mystery genre readers. I read a line in a WaPo review of another author and it reminded me of my reading experience with Afia, she "demonstrated a remarkable ability to employ the tropes of genre fiction while simultaneously subverting and decolonizing them."

My review is at:

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

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I was in North Macedonia/ ex-Yugoslavia with A Spare Life by Lidija Dimkovska, translated by Christina E. Kramer. I'd had it on my shelf for a while but a few challenges coalesced in Instagram - #exyulit and then the Read the World 21 focused on Balkans, plus my ongoing Europe 2021 project - I mean, I'm not sure I even knew there was a country named North Macedonia.

It's about twin sisters who are joined at the head, and it takes it from the 70s into almost the present. The twins are also kind of a symbol of Yugoslavia, which was interesting. I learned more about the particulars of Macedonian identity, the ongoing conflicts with Albanians, the division of people who are pro-Serb vs. not, etc.

My review is here but I didn't say much more... so much is revealed over the novel so I didn't want to give it away.

[Carol]

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I was in North Macedonia/ ex-Yugoslavia with A Spare Life by Lidija Dimkovska, translated by Christina E. Kramer. I'd had it on my shelf for a while but a few challenges coalesced i..."

I did not know that North Macedonia is a country, so score one for online ignorance eradication day.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Carol wrote: "I did not know that North Macedonia is a country, so score one for online ignorance eradication day. "
Honestly the geography of that region seems like a moving target. Reading literature from there gets really interesting because they are still in the mode of language change as countries separate and try to become more distinct. So there is always some discussion of "old" language vs. "new" - I can't imagine intentionally discarding your language but maybe we do this in smaller ways.

[Rusalka]

North Macedonia has only been named that since 2019. It was formerly Macedonia, but it and Greece had a bit of a tiff about that. So Greece used it's power to make Macedonia rename itself to North Macedonia.

Therefore confusing everyone except Greece.

I remember hearing about it at the time and realised that the Balkans are still sorting themselves out after the 90s. But as an outsider felt like poor Macedonia got the short end of the stick in this case.

[Carol]

Rusalka wrote: "North Macedonia has only been named that since 2019. It was formerly Macedonia, but it and Greece had a bit of a tiff about that. So Greece used it's power to make Macedonia rename itself to North ..."

This is sounding more familiar now. Thanks, Rusalka for the refresher and context.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I was in Nigeria again with Americanah. Another fantastic read from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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

[Rusalka]

Carol wrote: "This is sounding more familiar now. Thanks, Rusalka for the refresher and context."

No worries! The only thing working in European Studies for 5 years is good for: explaining weird geopolitical happenings!

[Lilisa]

Andrea wrote: "I was in Nigeria again with Americanah. Another fantastic read from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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

Glad you loved it Andrea! She’s one of my favorite authors. I’d recommend you read all of them, including her nonfiction :-) Most recently she penned an essay in three parts about her ongoing online feud with the author Akwaeke Emezi, whose first book I loved, the second not so much. Whether you agree with Adichi or Emezi, Adichi’s essay is absolutely brilliantly written - her use of language to express herself is just out of this world! Here’s the link:

https://www.chimamanda.com/news_items...

[Lilisa]

Rusalka wrote: "Carol wrote: "This is sounding more familiar now. Thanks, Rusalka for the refresher and context."

No worries! The only thing working in European Studies for 5 years is good for: explaining weird g..."

So difficult keeping up with moving borders - can you imagine the impacts on people’s lives, besides all the other ramifications?

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

Lilisa wrote: "Whether you agree with Adichi or Emezi, Adichi’s essay is absolutely brilliantly written - her use of language to express herself is just out of this world! ..."

😲 Wow! Sensationally nasty. If I had to pick a side…

[Lilisa]

Andrea wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Whether you agree with Adichi or Emezi, Adichi’s essay is absolutely brilliantly written - her use of language to express herself is just out of this world! ..."

😲 Wow! Sensationall..."

Lol!

[Carol]

I am #TeamAdichie . Quite the scathing essay, that.

[Lilisa]

Carol wrote: "I am #TeamAdichie . Quite the scathing essay, that."

Wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end!

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Unfortunately, from my perspective - when transphobia is a side, there is only one side. I've already parted with my Adichie collection. Sorry, no writer is good enough to excuse terrible behavior. If she and Emezi were co-workers, Emezi would have grounds for a very strong hostile work environment case - harassment, repeated, rising to the levels of pervasive and harmful. But because they merely occupy the same profession, Adichie thinks she can say whatever she wants no matter the harm it causes. I'm done.

[Lilisa]

I was in Spain with The Labyrinth of the Spirits - I found it the best of the quartet; definitely a labyrinth of a book and a tome at that. Like the way Zafon brings the setting and history into the story - lots of great descriptions and facts. Also, smart, quick-witted repartee among some of the characters. A solid 4 stars.

Was in Portugal with Pereira Maintains - another excellent read - set in 1938 under Antonio Salazar’s regime and during the Spanish Civil War when he sided with the Nationalists. It’s about the dilemma of the press and reporting the truth. Another book that is great for setting - great descriptions of places, people, life, etc. another 4-star read.

Was in India with The Secret Keeper of Jaipur - the second in the trilogy - historical fiction with a bit of mystery to be solved. I enjoyed the first book more - The Henna Artist - this one felt less deep but still an enjoyable read and the characters felt like old friends. A 3-star read.

[Claire]

I've been in Haiti reading the trilogy by Marie Vieux-Chauvet Love Anger, Madness


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

After a bit if a reading pause, I joined in late to WIT Month and read the wonderful by Brenda Lozano one I highly recommend if you enjoy plotless, thought provoking narratives that make you laugh. And have an interesting playlist.

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

[Claire]

I was in Zambia reading a multi generational cross genre epic The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell. It's quite a tome so I was pleased to read it in a Read Along with others.

It started off well, but flagged a bit towards the end, with so many generations and characters, it's inevitable that some become more compelling than others, but overall I enjoyed it.

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

Having just (belatedly) posted about the Booker Prize 2021 long list (the short list will be announced on Sept 14), I realised I had a copy of Canadian author Mary Lawson's A Town Called Solace set in small town Ontario. I read it this week and thought it was brilliantly conceived and written, though often misunderstood as a gentle, easy read.

I found it a subversive, quietly confronting novel that uplifts the anti-hero and pushes the more demanding, dramatic character(s) and storyline(s) to one side, while exploring issues of boundaries, trust and respect. Not sure it will make the shortlist but one I certainly recommend.

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

[Lilisa]

I was in Mauritius with Silent Winds, Dry Seas - I enjoyed this gem by debut author Vinod Busjeet, who’s in his 70s - kudos to him. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

Lilisa wrote: "I was in Mauritius with Silent Winds, Dry Seas - I enjoyed this gem by debut author Vinod Busjeet, who’s in his 70s - kudos to him. My review: https://www.goodread..."

That sounds really good - I'm going to keep an eye out for it (no longer available on NetGalley)

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

I've been all over the place, in both my reading and my enthusiasm for writing reviews. But one I managed to do is for a fairly topical read set in Afghanistan, The Night Letters. While it did take me to Kabul, there were some plotting issues that were hard for me to ignore. Stunning cover artwork.

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

[Lilisa]

Andrea wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "I was in Mauritius with Silent Winds, Dry Seas - I enjoyed this gem by debut author Vinod Busjeet, who’s in his 70s - kudos to him. My review: https..."

Too bad it’s not available anymore on NG. I think you might like it Andrea. There aren’t many books set in Mauritius so this was a good find.

[Andrea, Slow but steady]

The Hungry Ghost by H.S. Norup was a great middle grade Singapore adventure, as well as being a good introduction to customs and beliefs surrounding the Hungry Ghost Festival.

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