Around the World discussion
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2012-2024 Discussions
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Where in the World Are You?!?! (Currently Reading)
Rusalka wrote: "Diane wrote: "That sounds like a recommendation then. Not quite as good still sounds better than a lot of recommendations I get ;)"
The overall reviews for the book are lackluster, but I liked it. It is about a daughter who wanted to find out what went wrong with her parent's relationship. It follows the story of two people who were very much in love but became estranged due to a misunderstanding. The ending is both happy and sad at the same time, if that makes sense. It was a nice departure from all the completely depressing books I have read of late.
Diane wrote: "The overall reviews for the book are lackluste..."
Oh I completely understand.
Without being to flippant about the topic (I realise it was an amazingly important and horrific period, as well as events around the world. Enough of a disclaimer?) if I read just one more article/review about Nazis... So I have added it to my "to read" list.
I like this group exactly for this reason.
Oh I completely understand.
Without being to flippant about the topic (I realise it was an amazingly important and horrific period, as well as events around the world. Enough of a disclaimer?) if I read just one more article/review about Nazis... So I have added it to my "to read" list.
I like this group exactly for this reason.
I'm currently in England reading The House at Sea's End. There's a character in the book named Fitzherbert. Every time I read his name I think of Renee Zellweger in Brigit Jones Diary.
Janice wrote: "I'm currently in England reading The House at Sea's End. There's a character in the book named Fitzherbert. Every time I read his name I think of Renee Zellweger in Brigit Jones Diary."I really love Griffiths' series, Janice, and I'm looking forward to her latest which I believe is coming very soon.
Is that book 4, A Room Full of Bones. If so, it's available on audible.com for $7.95 - 48 hour sale. What did you think of the one The House at Sea's End? It's kind of bland. I saw one review that said this wasn't up to par to her other books. Maybe I need to go back and read the first books in the series.
Judy wrote: "Where do you find these books, Sue? It sounds interesting."I may have picked this one up from seeing someone else's list or from other reading. I'm really not sure where I first heard of In The Sea There Are Crocodiles: Based On The True Story Of Enaiatollah Akbari. It may have been through MENA group since we discuss books from throughout the Middle East.
I'm traveling through the history of Afghanistan: A Short History of Its People and Politics . I'm halfway and hope to finish it in the weekend.
Janice wrote: "Is that book 4, A Room Full of Bones. If so, it's available on audible.com for $7.95 - 48 hour sale. What did you think of the one The House at Sea's End? It's kind of bland. I saw one review ..."
I liked it because of the character development from the prior books as much as the mystery. Perhaps there wouldn't have been as much there if you are new to the series. I find that a lot of the appeal is the characterizations (actually true in most of the series I like) as much as the plot. It would probably be good to start at the first book.
I am Juniper Kentucky with Mable and Bertie Fisher in The Sisters by Nancy Jensen. I have only just started, so not sure how I feel about this book.
I have always wanted to read that but I wanted to read it while doing one of those recreation trips.
I've left Cambodia and I'm preparing to return to Japan for the umpteenth time, but this time it's a book about the Ainu. It's sad that it won't count for this challenge.
Still in hanging out in Barbados with The Polished Hoe (I think I'll be there quite a while) but I am also taking a side trip to Chechnya with The Oath by Chechen author Khassan Baiev. Baiev writes about growing up in Chechnya and his experiences as a physician during the Chechen conflict.
I'm going to start listening to 11/22/63 this afternoon after I play with fabric. I originally had Honolulu as my US pick, but what is more US than JFK, even if it is alternative history?
Just arrived in Guadeloupe to unravel the life and death of Francis Sancher with Crossing the Mangrove
Gaeta1 wrote: "Diane wrote: "Still in hanging out in Barbados with The Polished Hoe (I think I'll be there quite a while) but I am also taking a side trip to Chechnya with The Oath by Chechen author Khassan Baiev..."So far, it's just okay. It includes a lot of insight into the Barbadian culture, which I have enjoyed, but the story line itself has yet to grab my attention. It is also quite long - about 500 pages.
Would The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway count towards my Other Countries list if I'm an American? haha
Has any one been reading Purge. I'm reading this for Estonia. It's fascinating. I started yesterday and I couldn't put the book away. I probably will finish it tomorrow. Highly recommended.
Janice wrote: "I'm going to start listening to 11/22/63 this afternoon after I play with fabric. I originally had Honolulu as my US pick, but what is more US than JFK, even if it is alternative history?" I read Little Women for US, but I certainly will read 11/22/63. My sister gave my the book as a gift. We're both interested in JFK - remembering what we did when we heard that he was shot - and we love Stephen King.
I just finished the book, and thought it was pretty good, but not brilliant. I did not use it for my US pick (I used an Edith Wharton for that), just read it on the side, and it's good sci-fi, a notch above the average stuff, but some of the points of the book irked me somewhat.Granted, though, for a monster of almost 900 pages, it went by incredibly fast.
Sylvia wrote: "Has any one been reading Purge. I'm reading this for Estonia. It's fascinating. I started yesterday and I couldn't put the book away. I probably will finish it tomorrow. Highly recommended."
Yup, loved it :) Glad to see I'm not alone.
I'm currently trying to power through (as much as one can through 670pp) The Lacuna for Mexico.
Yup, loved it :) Glad to see I'm not alone.
I'm currently trying to power through (as much as one can through 670pp) The Lacuna for Mexico.
Sylvia wrote: "Has any one been reading Purge. I'm reading this for Estonia. It's fascinating. I started yesterday and I couldn't put the book away. I probably will finish it tomorrow. Highly recommended."I've just started it this morning, so good to hear a positive impression.
I can't get out of Guernsey because I am determined to finish this book where nothing much happens (The Book of Ebenezer le Page). But to break it up, I decided to also start in on Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time, which I got from NetGalley.
Barbarac wrote: "Puhdistus does sound good. I'm adding it to my list too.""Purge" in English, this is one of the most interesting books I've ever read. I want to reread it in fact. Highly recommended.
Based on Chrissie's rave review, I'm in Trinidad, giving The White Woman on the Green Bicycle: A Novel a try. So far, very good.
Jenny wrote: "I can't get out of Guernsey because I am determined to finish this book where nothing much happens (The Book of Ebenezer le Page). But to break it up, I decided to also start in on Turn Right at M..."Jenny, good to know that about The Book of Ebenezer le Page. I have that as a possible.
Jenny wrote: "Gaeta, I agree about the accents! <3"I think it would be easier for me to listen than to read "the accents" in The White Woman on the Green Bicycle. I just read an excerpt with the dialect. That's always hard for me and I get impatient. I don't know why, but Audble's samples haven't been working for me for a while.
I can't get Audible's samples to work on my iPad, in case that is where you're trying from. Anne, I do think that in most books like that, you get into a groove of reading the dialects. I thought From Harvey River: A Memoir of My Mother and Her Island was even harder in that regard!
Anne wrote: "Jenny wrote: "Gaeta, I agree about the accents! I think it would be easier for me to listen than to read "the accents" in The White Woman on the Green Bicycle. I just read an excerpt with the d..."
I did this one as an audio and the accents were very cool - i don't think I would have liked this story if I'd had to 'read' the accents.
Gaeta1 wrote: "You mean Audible's samples aren't functioning for you? "Exactly. They used to work just fine for me.
Jenny wrote: "I can't get Audible's samples to work on my iPad, in case that is where you're trying from. Anne, I do think that in most books like that, you get into a groove of reading the dialects. I thoug..."
I'm using an Apple MacBook Pro. But since the samples were working before, it doesn't make sense to me why they aren't working now.
Tanya wrote: "Anne wrote: "Jenny wrote: "Gaeta, I agree about the accents! I think it would be easier for me to listen than to read "the accents" in The White Woman on the Green Bicycle. I just read an excer..."
Thanks, Tanya. I might give it a try.
Anne wrote: "Tanya wrote: "Anne wrote: "Jenny wrote: "Gaeta, I agree about the accents! I've enjoyed audiobooks where the narrator had Caribbean accents...but recently I listened to one supposedly taking place in Italy and the narrator put on a fake Italian accent for all the characters. It really made me grind my teeth through the whole book :)
It was a romance, disguised under an "adventure in the Alps" description. I couldn't finish it at all...Lair of the Lion
Gaeta1 wrote: "which book? I had to stop Wolf Totem: A Novel because the accents were so bad."It's too bad the audio version was bad, the description of the book sounds great. Maybe you'll have to read the rest of it on paper.
I am now four books behind: I blame the sunshine and perfect bike riding weather, and that fact that I've been distracted by reading that is quite unrelated to this challenge! I just finished Liquid Jade: The Story of Tea from East to West, and am still reading 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created (which has ironically enough, just brought me to China so I seem to be hanging out in Asia quite a bit lately).
I'm also reading A Clash of Kings, (I'm reading it at the same time as one of my relatives and we are discussing it as we go along, which is quite fun). Given that it is set in a totally fictional world, it is not for this challenge.
Alas, I'm busy with countries I've already read. I'll return to this challenge with Togo by mid-June, but for now it's all work related books on HIV in sub-Saharan Africa or escapist YA F&SF.
I'm currently in the U.S. (non-challenge)with a book of essays on members of Native American tribes of African descent. But I expect to be in Ghana and rejoining this challenge some time during the upcoming week.
I headed over to New Zealand with some trepidation. After some of the comments from people about The Bone People, and the thickness of the book, I wasn't sure I wanted to read it.So far, I'm quite intrigued by it.
I'm STILL in Barbados with The Polished Hoe. The book is begging me to abandon it, but I'm going to power through since I am 300 pages in. I have kept my sanity by making a number of side trips, a couple of which I have completed since beginning 'Hoe'. I have been really enjoying island hopping to the Bahamas with The Day is So Long and the Wages So Small: Music on a Summer Island. I am also periodically venturing to Albania with The Successor.
Gaeta1 wrote: "Yes, I'm waiting for your review. I liked the beginning better than the end, for sure."Oh! That doesn't bode well. I'll keep you posted.
Gaeta1 wrote: "Diane wrote: "I'm STILL in Barbados with The Polished Hoe. The book is begging me to abandon it, but I'm going to power through since I am 300 pages in. I have kept my sanity by making a number o..."lol. Last year I read
No Man in the House by Cecil Foster. It was pretty good.
I've just picked up Riders of the Pale Horse to read for Chechnya. I thought had read good reviews on GR, but I don't see them anymore.
I'm currently reading 2 Africa books, The White Rhino Hotel: A Novel and All Things Must Fight to Live: Stories of War and Deliverance in Congo. One takes place during colonial times in Kenya, the other during the extremely violent 90s in Congo. And I'm so glad I'm reading them together because they show the cause and effect of some of the events that have occurred through Africa for the last couple of centuries.
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That sounds like a recommendation then. Not quite as good still sounds better than a lot of recommendations I get ;)