Karol's Reading Around the World Challenge Comments OK

[Karol]

39/80 completed

The object of this challenge is to read books that take place in 80 different countries of the world, of your choosing, starting with your home country. During your journey you would have to visit countries within the following 8 regions: North America, the Caribbean, South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania/Australia.

North America:
- Belize: The Layover, by Lacie Waldon, 2/22/2023, 3/5 stars
- Canada: Valencia and Valentine, by Suzy Krause, 2/15/2024, 4/5 stars
- Mexico: The Xibalba Murders, by Lyn Hamilton, 5/6/2021, 4/5 stars
- United States: Zoo Nebraska: The Dismantling of an American Dream, by Carson Vaughan, 1/27/2021, 4/5 stars

The Caribbean:
- Cuba: The Price of Paradise, by Susana López Rubio, 3/18/2023, 4/5 stars
- Jamaica: Pirate Queens: The Lives of Anne Bonny & Mary Read, by Rebecca Alexandra Simon, 11/22/2022, 2/5 stars

South America:
- Chile: The Moai Murders, by Lyn Hamilton, 2/18/2022, 4/5 stars
- Columbia: 3 Seconds in Bogotá: The gripping true story of two backpackers who fell into the hands of the Colombian underworld., by Mark Playne, 5/18/2023, 3/5 stars
- Ecuador: Galapagos Gone, by Zelda White, 1/21/2022, 3/5 stars
- Peru: The Bridge of San Luis Rey, by Thornton Wilder, 2/3/2021, 5/5 stars
- Venezuela: Elisha's Bones, by Don Hoesel, 4/18/2021, 4/5 stars

Europe:
- England: The Old Silent, by Martha Grimes, 2/14/2021, 4/5 stars
- France: A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, 7/11/2021, 4/5 stars
- Germany: The Glassblower, by Petra Durst-Benning, 8/31/2021, 3/5 stars
- Greece: The House by the River, by Lena Manta, 8/3/2023, 1/5 stars
- Hungary: The Magyar Venus, by Lyn Hamilton, 2/4/2022, 4/5 stars
- Iceland: Iced Out in Iceland, by Zelda White, 1/15/2022, 4/5 stars
- Ireland: The Celtic Riddle, by Lyn Hamilton, 10/1/2021, 4/5 stars
- Italy: The Marriage Portrait, by Maggie O'Farrell, 1/16/2023, 4/5 stars
- Malta: The Maltese Goddess, by Lyn Hamilton, 5/10/2021, 4/5 stars
-Norway: The Marvelous Misadventures of Ingrid Winter, by Janne S. Drangsholt, 7/14/2024, 4/5 stars
- Poland: Poland, by James A. Michener, 2/24/2024, 5/5 stars
- Portugal: The Tenth Island: Finding Joy, Beauty, and Unexpected Love in the Azores, by Diana Marcum, 1/27/2024, 3/5 stars
- Russia: War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy, 4/8/2022, 5/5 stars
- Scotland: The Orkney Scroll, by Lyn Hamilton, 2/25/2022, 4/5 stars
- Sweden: The Man Who Played with Fire: Stieg Larsson's Lost Files and the Hunt for an Assassin, by Jan Stocklassa, 8/18/2022, 3/5 stars
- Turkey: Without a Country, by Ayşe Kulin, 1/16/2024, 5/5 stars


Africa:
Kenya: The Knowledge, by Martha Grimes, 1/19/2024, 5/5 stars
Nigeria: Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, 6/7/2024, 3/5 stars
Tunisia: The African Quest, by Lyn Hamilton, 10/7/2021, 4/5 stars


The Middle East:
Iraq: The 8:55 to Baghdad, by Andrew Eames, 4/15/2022, 4/5 stars

Asia:
- China: Life, by Lu Yao, 10/18/2021, 4/5 stars
- India: An Eye at the Top of the World: The Terrifying Legacy of the Cold War's Most Daring C.I.A. Operation, by Pete Takeda, 6/18/2024, 3 stars
- Japan: The Great Passage, by Shion Miura, 7/15/2023, 5/5 stars
- Thailand: The Thai Amulet, by Lyn Hamilton, 1/25/2022, 4/5 stars


Oceania/Australia
- Australia: Homecoming, by Kate Morton, 3/11/2024, 2/5 stars
- Fiji: A Disappearance in Fiji, by Nilima Rao, 7/10/2024, 5/5 stars
-Marshall Islands: Counting on You, by Lisa Bork, 6/13/2023, 4/5 stars
- New Zealand: Not the Faintest Trace, by Wendy M. Wilson, 1/2/2022, 4/5 stars

[Karol]

I've made some significant progress in this challenge thanks to two series that travel all over the world, The Virginia Holmes series by Zelda White, and the Archeological Mystery series by Lyn Hamilton. I liked the books by Lyn Hamilton much more, but both series have been entertaining. Now I am reading War and Peace so it will be a lot more work to list a book for Russia.

[Karol]

Finally got one that takes place in the Middle East, and what an interesting book it was: The 8:55 to Baghdad, by Andrew Eames. If you happen to be an Agatha Christie fan, it is a fascinating look at the places in Syria and Iraq where she spend much of the 2nd half of her life.

[Karol]

It's been nearly a year since I've read a book that will help me complete this challenge. That's a little depressing . . . maybe I can branch out a bit more this year.

The Marriage Portrait takes place in Renaissance Italy, mostly in 1560-1561. For me, I loved the author's skillful use of language to paint a mood and her character development. Unfortunately, her novel intentionally strays from actual history and I do hate when authors rewrite the history in historical fiction. But overall I really enjoyed this novel.

[Karol]

I'm progressing along, but my list is quite European. This isn't intentional - I'm reading "whatever" I come across and log it if I haven't already "been in" that country since I started the challenge.

I think in 2024 I'll get serious about trying to complete this challenge, and focus on getting more books from other regions - especially Africa, Asia, and Oceania.

[Karol]

Mid-year 2023 update (I started this challenge in 2021):

So far this year, I've only read 5 books for this challenge. They have taken place in Belize, Cuba, Columbia, Italy, and the Marshall Islands. In total, I've read 27 of 80 books in the challenge.

Basically, I'm paying attention to the countries as I read for other challenges and try to skinny down my "to read" list. I think I will make a point of stepping things up next year so I can complete this challenge in 2024.

[Karol]

I am a little embarrassed that my challenge so far is so European-centric. I'm hoping to round that out a bit - but of my 3 books for this challenge so far this year, 2 are from European countries.


Without a Country, by Ayşe Kulin, finished 1/16/2024, 5/5 stars

This is very well written historical fiction covering 4 generations of a family after the 1st generation need to fled their German homeland in the 1930's. The patriarch and matriarch of the family were Jewish and found their way to a promising life in Turkey.

In Turkey, however, they were not entirely safe from anti-semitism but the generations did carve out meaningful and full lives there. I can't say much more without giving things away.

The story covered mostly the lives of the patriarch and matriarch and then the "daughter" of each new generation. It was interesting to see how these women coped with their times. Definitely a sweeping story with very individualistic characters and an interesting but often sad slice of life.




The Knowledge, by Martha Grimes, finished 1/19/2024, 5/5 stars

I loved in this book all the things I love about Martha Grimes: the way she poses and solves a mystery, the characters she has developed, and in particular the way she writes about very intelligent children.

This book was unique in the series, as it took me all the way to Nairobi, Kenya.

In this book, the author brings in a lot of things amongst Richard Jury and Melrose Plant's social circle that I found funny or touched my emotions in other ways because of how these characters have interacted and evolved over the prior 23 books. I still think this is a great stand-alone novel but I can't help thinking that it would be more enjoyable to someone familiar with the series than with a person reading the author for the first time.




The Tenth Island: Finding Joy, Beauty, and Unexpected Love in the Azores, by Diana Marcum, finished 1/26/2024, 3/5 stars

Several trips to the Azores are described in this enjoyable book. What interested me most was how the author saw changes to this remote society on each visit. Some of the things that made the society unique on her first visit changed - but the depth of the culture remained. Also portrayed was the angst between those who stayed and those who left for a better life but returned to visit - and this angst seemed to match the author's feelings about where she belonged.

[Alondra, Moderator Schmoderator]

Karol wrote: "I am a little embarrassed that my challenge so far is so European-centric. I'm hoping to round that out a bit - but of my 3 books for this challenge so far this year, 2 are from European countries...."

To me, if you like certain genre's; it may be hard to find in other countries, outside of Europe.

So, it has been very hard finding mysteries, thrillers, and horror. So many countries are in turmoil or just rebuilding; and most of the writing is political, historical or literature. Just my lowly opinion though.

[Karol]

Alondra wrote: "To me, if you like certain genre's; it may be hard to find in other countries, outside of Europe.
"

I think you've hit the nail on the head, Alondra. I did find a very old cozy mystery series - actually it was given to me by my mother who had received it from the third person who had read the series! It was written by Lyn Hamilton who died relatively young and only had time to write 11 books. The main character was an archeologist whose studies took her all around the world. So that was great! But in general, I'm finding mostly U.S. or European locations in my favorite genre to be sure.

[Karol]

Yet another European country:

Poland, by James A. Michener, finished 2/24/2024, 5/5 stars

Long but interesting and insightful historical fiction. I understand the history of Poland a little better after reading this masterful book by James Michener.

[Alondra, Moderator Schmoderator]

Karol wrote: "Alondra wrote: "To me, if you like certain genre's; it may be hard to find in other countries, outside of Europe.
"

I think you've hit the nail on the head, Alondra. I did find a very old cozy mys..."

I will definitely look into her work.

I have been updating the countries with new listings of mystery, horror, fantasy, chick-lit; etc. I have really gotten lucky with a few sites.

Continued good luck with your challenge!

[Karol]

Alondra wrote: "I have been updating the countries with new listings of mystery, horror, fantasy, chick-lit; etc. I have really gotten lucky with a few sites.

Continued good luck with your challenge!"

Thanks, Alondra. I will check out that information!

[Karol]

Finished one from Africa/Nigeria: Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe

I was surprised that this book is a bit of a classic - I had not heard of it until recently. I liked it and feel that it was worthwhile to read. However, I found it a bit stark. I might have liked more context, or for the author to have provided a bit more nuanced understanding of some of the characters.

[Karol]

Finished one from Iran: The Stationery Shop, by Marjan Kamali

This book is rich in description and emotion. The story takes place in Iran in 1953, when Prime Minister Mossadegh is overthrown by a coup, replacing his leadership with the Shah.

The main character is caught up in ways she cannot understand at the time.

I enjoyed this book from many angles - but especially how a very significant event in history impacted the lives of all the characters in many and surprising ways.

4 stars

[Karol]

A Disappearance in Fiji, by Nilima Rao

I knew absolutely nothing about Fiji, and the first chapter in the book made me wonder about the ethnicity of the characters, or more specifically why there was a lack of acceptance of the main character (a police sargeant from India) and his fellow Fijian officers. This led me towards a little online research - and so I learned more about the nature of the conflict back in the 1910's when this novel takes place. The author's end notes about the history of Fiji were very helpful as well.

After jumping that hurdle, I ended up thoroughly enjoying the book! I found it fascinating and quite engaging. I loved the main character. The setting was intriguing. The historical aspect of the book was quite surprising to me and seeing how things played out in this story evern moreso.

After having read the book, I was pleased to see in the book jacket that the author intends this to be the first book in a series and that book #2 in underway. I will be looking for it.

5 stars

[Karol]

The Marvelous Misadventures of Ingrid Winter, by Janne S. Drangsholt

So many Goodreads reviewers seem to hate this book. But I loved it!

It was very funny, about a neurotic working mother with whom I could relate maybe a bit too much. Every day life was chaotic for her . . . and then there was a business trip where the objective didn't seem entirely clear.

The book takes place in Norway, and was translated from Norwegian into English. Perhaps, one would have to live in Norway and/or be able to read it in the original language to more thoroughly enjoy it. The author made several references to Pippi Longstocking and I thought that if Pippi was an adult this could be her. Several references to the movie Bladerunner as well.

I don't know - I just found it so charming and funny and I really did laugh out loud several times throughout. I've gotta say . . . I loved the business trip to Russia best of all.

4 stars