Where in the World Are You?!?! (Currently Reading) Showing 701-750 of 1,227

[Anne]

Hattie wrote:
Andorra sounds like a good read."

It's a bit slow to get interesting, but it is a good read.

[Sylvia]

Hattie wrote: "Is he an emperor?"

He was. He's the one that build the Hadrian Wall in England. A stone border with fortress to keep out the savage tribe from the north of England.

He also traveled a lot through his empire. Visiting also the Low Country (Belgium and The Netherlands) and took care that lots of road works were done.

He did a lot for spreading cultural knowledge in the Roman Empire.

[Sylvia]

Genia wrote: "I am in Belgium (by way of Ancient Rome) with Memoirs of Hadrian. I never really liked Hadrian, so we'll see how this goes; the writing is good, though."

Thanks Genia for mentioning this book. I've added it to my to-read list.

[Suzanne]

I just finished Birds Without Wings and have now, sadly left Turkey. This book was so wonderful, I wish all the books on my list were this good! Here's my review:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Now I'm in Korea during the Japanese occupation during World War II with To Swim Across the World

[Rebecca]

I've read The World of the Shining Prince: Court Life in Ancient Japan, a great look at Heian Japan. Still slogging my way through The Snow Leopard; it's a great book, beautifully written, but also rather flat in spots.

[Shomeret]

I'm reading a memoir that takes place in New York's Spanish Harlem, but it's full of her grandmother's memories of Puerto Rico and Puerto Rican culture. I wish this could be my Puerto Rico book, but it's primarily a New York book.

[Mikki]

Shomeret wrote: "I'm reading a memoir that takes place in New York's Spanish Harlem, but it's full of her grandmother's memories of Puerto Rico and Puerto Rican culture. I wish this could be my Puerto Rico book, b..."

Shomeret, what's the title?

[Shomeret]

Mikki wrote: "Shomeret wrote: "I'm reading a memoir that takes place in New York's Spanish Harlem, but it's full of her grandmother's memories of Puerto Rico and Puerto Rican culture. I wish this could be my Pu..."

It's When the Spirits Dance Mambo: Growing Up Nuyorican in El Barrioby Marta Moreno Vega.
It's categorized as YA but I'm learning from it.

[Mikki]

Shomeret wrote: "It's categorized as YA but I'm learning from it..."

Sometimes those are best! Thanks, I've added it.

[Rebecca]

Gaeta1 -- it's a fairly dense book, and while it's interesting, the pace is glacial (pun intended). And when he gets Zen, he really gets Zen, and that's when I nod off.

[Yrinsyde]

Beth wrote: Try [book:Professor Martens' Departure..." Thanks Beth! I'll add this to my list! BTW I got a message from Bookmooch that my Russian read is in the post!!

[Tasha]

I'm currently in Japan reading Out and it's quite hard to read for me. Not because it's not interesting but it's somehow so intense and depressing while being strangely realistic.

[Vicky]

Sylvia wrote: ...A stone border with fortress to keep out the savage tribe from the north of England.

We prefer to call our country Scotland rather than North England! ;P

Sounds like an interesting read though.

[Sylvia]

Vicky wrote: "Sylvia wrote: ...A stone border with fortress to keep out the savage tribe from the north of England.

We prefer to call our country Scotland rather than North England! ;P

Sounds like an interesti..."

Apologies :) Do you agree with the term: north of Britain?

[Vicky]

As the wall runs from Carlisle to Wallsend in Newcastle, it isn't strictly the borderline, so there is a little bit of England to the north before you reach Scotland (or Caledonia as the Romans would have had it). And Scotland had its own wall, the Antonine Wall, that runs between the Forth and the Clyde to keep out us Highlanders from even further North.

[Sylvia]

Vicky wrote: "As the wall runs from Carlisle to Wallsend in Newcastle, it isn't strictly the borderline, so there is a little bit of England to the north before you reach Scotland (or Caledonia as the Romans wou..."

I have in Scotland several times, but never had the opportunity to visit one of them. I like Edinborough, there I bought a set of chess of the Lewis men. I've seen the real ones in the museum in Edinborough, and also in the British Museum which - is my opinion - should give back the other sets of the Lewis men.

[[deleted user]]

I've left Paraguay after Outcast But Not Forsaken: True Stories from a Paraguayan Leper Colony.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I haven't left Chile but I have a toe in Japan for The Cape and Other Stories from the Japanese Ghetto.

[Sharon]

I seem to be in a transglobal mood these days. At the end of last year, I read The Last of the Tribe: The Epic Quest to Save a Lone Man in the Amazon followed closely by 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. I read several works of fiction after that, but my thoughts keep going back to hunter/gatherer societies and how seriously we've misunderstood the complexity and richness of their cultures. So I went back. I just finished The Wayfinders and have just started 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created. I'm not sure that I'm really sticking strictly to the spirit of this challenge since neither books is set in any one particular country but examines several. How to categorize? At this point, labelling them "world-wide" seems to be working, but we'll see...

[Friederike]

I have left Africa/ the Rwanda/Congo/Kenya combo... and gone to Vietnam with Camilla Gibb. I like her The Beauty of Humanity Movement quite a bit.

[Mikki]

Jenny wrote: "I haven't left Chile but I have a toe in Japan for The Cape and Other Stories from the Japanese Ghetto."

How is it? I might be able to begin next week.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Mikki wrote: "Jenny wrote: "I haven't left Chile but I have a toe in Japan for The Cape and Other Stories from the Japanese Ghetto."

How is it? I might be able to begin next week."

The first story had a very disturbing ending. So far, different from what I'm used to reading from Japan, which is the point I think!

[Mikki]

Okay, but I like disturbing so that should be an interesting read.

Gaeta, should we look into Out? I see from the post above that you rate it highly.

[Mikki]

Gaeta1 wrote: "I am taking a break for a few days before I start the "scary book" of the year: The Tale of Genji. No way can I start that on vacation!"

Aack, I'm scared for you! Are you even able to lift it?

[Rebecca]

Gaeta, the Seidensticker (don't know if I spelled it right) is much more modern and readable than the Waley for the Genji.

[Sharon]

Gaeta1 wrote: "Sharon wrote: "I seem to be in a transglobal mood these days. At the end of last year, I read The Last of the Tribe: The Epic Quest to Save a Lone Man in the Amazon followed closely ..."

I have not read that, amazingly enough! I'll have to add it to my tbr list! Thanks, Gaeta.

[Beth]

New Zealand with Janet Frame's Faces In The Water.

[Friederike]

Gaeta1 wrote: "Guns--I could not have listened to that one, either. My husband wasn't too keen on it, either."

Not a book to listen to, I would think, rather (much) better to read...

[Friederike]

Left Vietnam and the Beauty of Humanity Movement and now moving to Pakistan with Peter Hobbs In the Orchard, the Swallows

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Leaving Chile and Japan for Sicily, mainly because I have a Sicilian Easter recipe I want to make! Reading Little Novels of Sicily

[Rebecca]

Finally getting into Last Train from Cuernavaca. Whew.

[Vicky]

Judy wrote: Which Diamond book are you talking about? I gave Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed 3 stars. I thought it had an excellent message, it was hard to put up with his constant re-capping.Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies I gave up listening to because it became so monotonous. It had an interesting premise, he just didn't keep my interest when he started elaborating on each subject.

I really enjoyed both those books; reading them they were almost as if a little lightbulb popped up over my head to say "of course, why didn't I think of that?". He made a documentary based on Guns... which was very good, you can find it here.

[Suzanne]

I'm currently in Morocco being held for ransom by a corsair in The Tenth Gift. I love this book! It's a perfect blend of historical fiction and mystery.

[Beth]

I'm using this for Iran, since it is where Lessing was born: Just started The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessingon audio. Loving it but won't be done for awhile since it is like 18 hours long and I don't listen to audio that much.

[Val]

I have left it late to join in, but have read (or finished reading) these books this year, so hope I can use those as part of my World Tour.
China - A Thousand Years of Good Prayers
USA - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Six Other Stories
Nigeria - The Famished Road

I think I might use a list of most populous countries to order my books in future:
China (see above)
India
USA (see above)
Indonesia
Brazil
Pakistan
Nigeria (see above)
Russia
Bangladesh
Japan - I am reading IQ84, so will post a link when I review it
Mexico
Philippines

[[deleted user]]

Welcome, Val.

[Sylvia]

Val wrote: "I have left it late to join in, but have read (or finished reading) these books this year, so hope I can use those as part of my World Tour.
China - A Thousand Years of Good Prayers
U..."

Welcome, Val. I also started later. It's no problem. Everybody can join.

[Sue]

Just left China and a great read with Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China. I'm going to put My Name is Red on the slow road for now while I fast track my Palestine book, Palestinian Walks: Forays into a Vanishing Landscape.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Starting We, an early Russian post-apocalyptic novel.

[Friederike]

I am still reading Peter Hobbs's In the Orchard, the Swallows that is set in northern Pakistan but it could be in other places too

[Sylvia]

As I have nearly finished The Iliad and Secretum I have already started with the De Citroenboom which is the translation in Dutch of The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East

[Yrinsyde]

I have started reading Pippi Longstocking for Sweden, and I am also reading Growth of the Soil for Norway and will start reading The Boy in the Suitcase for Denmark soon. The atmosphere in Scandinavia is so different from that in Eastern and Northern Europe!

[[deleted user]]

I'm in New York. I think it's 116th street. Might have the number address wrong. The book title is The Street by Ann Petry.

[Vicky]

I'm on The Island on the Edge of the World, which you might know as the St Kilda archipelago, off the west coast of Scotland.

I'd recommend the book to Jenny, as a cold weather island book, but mainly as I'm interested to see what bakery item she could rustle up in connection to it. Puffin pie?

[Suzanne]

I am currently in Africa, albeit in multiple countries as I'm reading two books simultaneously. The first, The Famished Road takes place in Nigeria, and the second, The Zanzibar Chest has me in war-torn Somalia at the moment. I am really enjoying reading from two different perspectives (the native and the ex-pat journalist). They compliment each other nicely!

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Vicky wrote: "I'm on [Book:The Island on the Edge of the World|6636843], which you might know as the St Kilda archipelago, off the west coast of Scotland.

I'd recommend the book to Jenny, as a cold weather island book, but mainly as I'm interested to see what bakery item she could rustle up in connection to it. Puffin pie? "

Ha! I had the same problem with my Faroe Islands book... no bread. Hardly any food. DEFINITELY no sugar, and no dessert. No fruit, even. I had to skip that 'opportunity.'

[Vicky]

Suzanne wrote: "The Famished Road takes place in Nigeria, ..."

I wish you luck with the Famished Road. I gave up in despair midway through and I'm still not back on speaking terms with it.

[Vicky]

Jenny wrote: Ha! I had the same problem with my Faroe Islands book... no bread. Hardly any food. DEFINITELY no sugar, and no dessert. No fruit, even. I had to skip that 'opportunity

Cheat it, by making a Danish pastry with a pickled herring on top.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Hahaha... Oh I can't WAIT to hit Denmark. And I'm saving Austria for the end....

[Suzanne]

Vicky wrote: "Suzanne wrote: "The Famished Road takes place in Nigeria, ..."

I wish you luck with the Famished Road. I gave up in despair midway through and I'm still not back on speaking terms w..."

I know what you mean. I wish I had read the comments comparing his writing to Salman Rushdie and Gabriel Garcia Marquez BEFORE I picked up this book. I would have avoided it then. I'm not finding it as unbearable as those two, but it won't be on my list of favorites...