Leanne's Around the World in 80 Books challenge

[Leanne]

This challenge sounds like a good one, let's see how far I get and how long it takes me! :-)

[Leanne]

1. MOROCCO- The Storyteller of Casablanca by Fiona Valpy **
2. USA- We Begin at the End by Chris Whittaker ****
3. FRANCE - The Alice Network by Kate Quinn *****
4. ENGLAND- Night Music by JoJo Moyes ****
5. CHINA - Miss Chopsticks by Xinran **
6. NEW ZEALAND - The Other Girl by C D Major ****

[Tania]

Good luck. Are you doing the 80 books or going for gold and the 240 books?

[Leanne]

Thanks Tania, I'm just going to do the 80 books- I think even that will be a stretch!

[Rachel]

Hi Leanne - I started in April 2018 and have only got to 38 countries so slow going for me -requires some dedication....

[Tania]

Rachel wrote: "Hi Leanne - I started in April 2018 and have only got to 38 countries so slow going for me -requires some dedication...."

Isn't that the true, I started 2014 but am at 145 books, yes going the distance.

[Leanne]

Hi does anybody know how I get the world map onto my thread so I can begin to log the books I've read for this challenge on to it?

[Kate, Moderator]

Hi Leanne, if you click on the link to someone elses map it will take you to the web page to create your own then you can copy & paste your link into a post here for it to show up. If you bookmark your map you should be able to go back and update it as you progress through the challenge.

[Leanne]

Hi Kate, thank you :-)

[Leanne]

7. IRELAND - The American Girl by Rachael English ***

[Leanne]

Leanne's Around The World in 80 Books Challenge

[Leanne]

My map is looking a bit bare at the moment! I may try to do continent by continent, if only to make it look a bit fuller...

[Kate, Moderator]

Nice map Leanne!
You'll be surprised, once you get Canada, Russia and Australia it'll start looking full! Get a couple for South America too.
I seem to remember Africa took a bit of effort!

[Leanne]

8. SCOTLAND - The Metal Heart by Caroline Lea ***

[Leanne]

9. INDIA- Unfinished by Priyanka Chopra Jonas ****

[Leanne]

10. SPAIN- The Sisterhood by Helen Bryan.

I actually gave up on this one at 47%. However as I've read nearly half I think it can be allowed...

[Leanne]

11. AUSTRIA- The Huntressby Kate Quinn *****

Not solely set in Austria however, Austria is key to the story

[Leanne]

Leanne's Around The World in 80 Books Challenge

[Leanne]

12. ITALY - The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith *****

[Liz, Moderator]

Good choice, Leanne!

[Leanne]

I loved it Liz! Just made a start on the second one!

[Leanne]

13. AFGHANISTAN - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini *****

[Leanne]

14. NIGERIA - Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ****

I really enjoyed this book, and especially learning about the history of the war in Nigeria which I previously knew nothing about.
Can anyone recommend any books of a similar nature, that are set in other African countries?

[Liz, Moderator]

Leanne wrote: "Can anyone recommend any books of a similar nature, that are set in other African countries?..."

So glad to hear you enjoyed Half of a Yellow Sun, I thought it was great too.

I've been meaning to reply for a while, but wanted to wait until I was back on my desktop, so I could include links...

Other books set in Africa, in a similar vein, that will also help you with your around the world:

Somalia - The Orchard of Lost Souls
Sierra Leone - The Memory of Love
Uganda - All Our Names
Democratic Republic of Congo - The Poisonwood Bible
Ethiopia - Cutting for Stone

I hope you like them too!

[Liz, Moderator]

Oh, and one more - a memoir:

Zimbabwe: Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood - alternately entertaining and jaw-dropping!

[Leanne]

Liz, thank you for the recommendations. I got The Poisonwood Bible out of the library only to then realise it's 500+ pages which, to be quite honest, put me off!
Instead I read Circling the Sun which is a fictional account of the life of Beryl Markham, set in Kenya, so that gave me another African country at least!

[Leanne]

Going to try Cutting for Stone next, I think!

[Liz, Moderator]

Leanne wrote: "Liz, thank you for the recommendations. I got The Poisonwood Bible out of the library only to then realise it's 500+ pages which, to be quite honest, put me off! ..."

Don't let its size put you off - embrace the brick! It's an excellent book.

[Leanne]

15. KENYA - Circling the Sun by Paula McLain ***

16. GERMANY- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak ***** This has been my absolute favourite book of 2024!

[Liz, Moderator]

Excellent progress:)

[Leanne]

17. MAURITIUS - An Impossible Return by Caroline Laurent *** A good book and enjoyed getting to know the history of the island.

18. PAKISTAN -We Are Displaced by Malala Yousafzai *** Another good book, different from what I would usually read but very eye opening.

[Leanne]

Anyone else having trouble posting their map? Unless it's just me.....

[Tania]

last time I tried it wouldn't work

[Leanne]

19. SYRIA- The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Leferi *****

[Leanne]

20. JAPAN - Geisha of Gion by Mineko Iwasaki *** The memoir of a successful geisha in 1960's Japan. Provides an interesting insight into this particular area of Japanese culture, although it can get quite dull in places.

21. KOREA - If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha ** Only 2 stars as I found this just okay.

[Leanne]

22. VIETNAM - The Women by Kristin Hannah ***** Every single book I read by this author, I enjoy massively! This one was excellent and very deserving of all the great reviews it has been getting!

[Leanne]

23. AUSTRALIA - The Dry by Jane Harper ****

24. CHILE - A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende ****

I'll be staying in South America for a while longer as my next country is Brazil :-)

[Liz, Moderator]

I have The Dry on my to-read list. Glad to see you enjoyed it.

[Leanne]

It was excellent! Hope you also enjoy it, when you get around to it.

[Leanne]

25. BRAZIL - The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley ****
The first of a series, which I hope to read all 8 books in 2025. This one was a good start.

[Kate, Moderator]

Well done Leanne, you've moved on nicely with the challenge this year. Glad you enjoyed your Brazil book. The only danger of continuing a series is you won't get any more countries!

[Leanne]

Thanks Kate, the next one in the series is partly set in Norway so that will be another country I haven't got!

[Leanne]

26. NORWAY - The Storm Sister by Lucinda Riley ***
27. TURKEY - The Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak ***