Around the World discussion
Personal Lists 2011-2013
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Telynor's books (at least thinking about them)
Here are some suggestions:Turkey: Portrait of a Turkish Family For review pls see recommended boos.
Poland: Two Babushkas My revies: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Egypt: Aunt Safiyya and the Monastery: A Novel.I haven't read this so it is just a suggestion. Amitav Ghosh has written a book that is set in Egypt called The Circle of Reason. He is a good writer. I believe his earliers books are better than his more recent ones.
Argentina: If I could get my hands on it I would read In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin, but he is English. Also I want to read: Santa Evita
New Zealand: I want to try the writing of Rose Tremain so I am interested in The Colour
Denmark: To Siberia, but the author is Norwegian. I loved the book, even more than Out Stealing Horses which takes place on the Norwegian / Swedish border.
Israel: I have To the End of the Land on my list, because it has had a lot of acclaim and is pretty recent. I may change my mind because it is about war, not my favorite subject.Egypt: I love the Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell, starting with Justine. Durrell isn't Egyptian himself, if that matters to you, but the way he writes about Alexandria is stunning, and the story is interesting, with the mysterious character of Justine.
Turkey: If you like cyberpunk at all, I enjoyed The Dervish House by Ian MacDonald (he is not Turkish), set in the near future of Istanbul. I'm planning on reading something by Orhan Pamuk for my Turkey pick, simply because I never have.
Argentina: I've never read him, but am excited to read Borges for this pick. I'm going with Labyrinths
Rebecca, you are welcome to check my shelves. I have many listed under Israel and Poland. My shelves are ordered my country.
Rebecca, I will read View from the Eye of the Storm: Terror and Reason in the Middle East for Israel. I too have all my books shelved by countries, so you can look around. I have been doing this since I started at GR in 2007. There are lots to choose from, and you can see which books I have loved by the stars visible.
Israel: I have a list about a mile long. Unfortunately, several of them are not translated. Ask Anne, we've encountered this problem before.New Zealand: I haven't read this book, but it came recommended by a writer I fervently adore (Mary Doria Russel, as a point of fact) it's called Season of the Jew - and it is not about Jews.
Rebecca, may I ask why your books are listed as Telynor's books and anot Rebecca"s? I am just curious!Genia, have tou read Mary Doria Russell's Doc: A Novel. I have been considering that. I loved Thread of Grace and enjoyed Dreamers of the Day. I haven't read the Sparrow books. So why did she like Season of the Jew: A Novel? What, is it a satire on warfare, drawing a similarity between the expulsion of the Jews from Europe and the Maori from New Zealand?
Chrissie wrote: "Rebecca, may I ask why your books are listed as Telynor's books and anot Rebecca"s? I am just curious!Genia, have tou read Mary Doria Russell's Doc: A Novel. I have ..."
Telynor is one of my nom-du-guerre's out there on the web. And since it was late and I was tired (but I did not want to lose my train of thought), I set this up without typing in Becky or Rebecca as I should have done...
Very interested as well in that book that Ms. Russell recommended.
I was just so curious...... thanks for explaing, Becky!
Yes, I've read Doc. It's gotten a four-star rating. As for her recommendations, she has quite a few of them; you can read about them here:http://www.marydoriarussell.net/about...
I loved A Soldier of the Great War and all the other books by Helprin that I have read.
I can't say I enjoyed Children of God much, though I didn't hate it. It was weird, and too pat. Dreamers of the Day was the one I found truly disappointing, but Thread of Grace and Doc are excellent, so there's that. Thread of Grace in my opinion is better than The Sparrow, and Doc is almost as good. A Soldier of the great War was a good book, beautifully written.
I rWinter's Tale. Finally I dumped it! Doc I thought I would read. Just give me a little more time please. Nice you got it on sale, Gaeta.
Helprin's writing was absolutelyt fabulous in Soldier of the Great War. That is why I was so disappointed by the next one I picked up by him. If yopu see that an author is capable of exceptional prose, you demand it of them in everything else you read by them. Well, I do.
Rebecca wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Rebecca, may I ask why your books are listed as Telynor's books and anot Rebecca"s? I am just curious!Genia, have tou read Mary Doria Russell's [book:Doc: A Novel|..."
You can change the title of your thread, if you would prefer it to show as Becky's List or Rebecca's List.
I remember swooning over Omar Sharif, decades ago! The music and the snowy scenes. What a film.
Well, I've decided on a few more books:Canada:
Anne of the Island by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Iran:
The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani
A lot of the reason why I am picking the books out that are on my list is the simple fact that I already have a copy -- either in Nook or dead tree format. I really need to start wading through my backlog of books on Mt. TBR, and this challenge seemed to be a fairly painless way of getting there. My only rule is that I haven't read the book before, or that I read it so long ago that it doesn't matter. That said, I found my pick for France:
Claude & Camille: A Novel of Monet
Two suggestions from Peru and Brazil. Mario Vargas Llosa: Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter
Jorge Amado: Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands
I went through my TBR list first and selected what I could fit into the challenge. I've decided that those cannot be swapped out for something I don't own. Then I went through my wishlist. Those I can swap out if I find something better, or opportunity presents itself.
Becky, I added Louisa to my list today.The setting is Israel. Check it out and see if you might like it. I liked the sample.Asmah, I would like to read "Dona Flor" too!
I have read "Claude and Camille" and I have mixed feelings about it. Parts I liked, parts annoyed me.
Janice, I did it the same way as you: first I added the books I own from my shelf "to-read soon" and then I added books from my "wish-lists". Finally I am adusting by going through all the books listed on my country shelves. The last step takes forever.
Machado de Assis wrote two memorable novels that stick in my memory...The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas and even more so (especially) Dom Casmurro
Chrissie, have you read Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland? It is a wonderful book, as is The Forest Lover, and either one would make great choices for our lists. I've read (and reviewed) them, so they're ineligible for me.
Recent additions:
Love in the Time of Cholera for Colombia.
And two more books for Korea:
The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong: The Autobiographical Writings of a Crown Princess of Eighteenth-Century Korea and The Red Queen.
Becky, no I have not read those two by Vreeland, but several others by the author.Love in the Time of Cholera was in my opinion more fun than One Hundred Years of Solitude. Enjoy!
I might read The Bonesetter's Daughter. The Joy Luck Club was okay.
Asmah wrote: "I might read The Bonesetter's Daughter. The Joy Luck Club was okay."I really enjoyed The Kitchen God's Wife, which was far better than TJLC.
Amy Tan is one of my favorite authors. I loved all of her books.
My copy of Mosaic: A Chronicle of Five Generationsarrived in the mail today, so now I won't have to play hunt the book.If anyone is looking for a great book about the Mongols, try this one:
Until the Sun Falls
Becky, so you too want to read Mosaic! Me too! I wonder if others plan on reading it too?! That would be fun.
Judy, everything and nearly anything is fair game for me. Albeit, I'm not a huge fan of YA novels, I get bored with them very quickly.I've added Come on Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All: A New Zealand Story to my list. So I have something for New Zealand now.
For those wanting something about Wales, I heartily recommend Sharon Kay Penman's Here be Dragons, Falls the Shadow, and The Reckoning. They just don't get any better than this.
Becky, I have Here be Dragons. I hope I can read The one for New Zealand looks good too. I have it set for Kindle-watch. Many older books are not available on Kindle. But most newer ones are :0)
Jen wrote: "How about Naguib Mahfouz's Palace Walk for Egypt?"I have that on my shelf but haven't ever read it. I should add it to my list, because it wormed its way onto my Around the World shelf at home. :)
Jen wrote: "How about Naguib Mahfouz's Palace Walk for Egypt?"My two cents about Palace Walk is that it is excellent. I liked the entire trilogy, but this was the best of the three.
Queen Hereafter: A Novel of Margaret of Scotland is my pick for Scotland, and I am trying to decide between Palace Walk or HOREMHEB: The Forgotten Pharaoh for Egypt.
Updating the list with a few that I've pinched from other lists:The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love for Cuba
Heirs of the Fisherman: Behind the Scenes of Papal Death and Succession for Vatican City
The Cat's Table for Sri Lanka
Slowly but surely I am getting there.
Rebecca, gosh the reviews are so different for this added book. I am unsure what to think!
I rather like Fraser's writing, so I am looking forward to it.
Still more books:A Town Like Alice for Australia
Palace Walk for Egypt
The Annotated Emma for England
The House by the Fjord for Norway
Rebecca, what else have you read by this author and do you recommend any poarticular book? I am interested in WW2 Burma. I have you read The Forgotten Highlander? It is excellent. Maybe I should add this to the reccommended file for Burma.
ReThere are huge similarities between Norway and Sweden so this mlight feel cozy. becca, I am also going to test the House on the Fjord. I am drawn to the fact that Norway's landscape and traditions are well depicted. There are large similarities between Norway and Sweden, so this book might transport me home for a suick visit. Nice! Thanks for the tip.
I've read some of his very satirical Flashman novels, which are not at all politically correct, nor too serious, but great fun to tear through.
Around the World
Books mentioned in this topic
The Palace of Dreams (other topics)A Town Like Alice (other topics)
Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands (other topics)
The Bielski Brothers: The True Story of Three Men Who Defied the Nazis, Built a Village in the Forest, and Saved 1,200 Jews (other topics)
Quartered Safe Out Here: A Harrowing Tale of World War II (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Mary Doria Russell (other topics)Mary Doria Russell (other topics)
Mark Helprin (other topics)
Mary Doria Russell (other topics)
Sharon Kay Penman (other topics)
More...
Albania: The Palace of Dreams by Ismail Kadare
Australia: A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
Argentina:
Brazil: * Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands by Jorge Amado
Belarus: * The Bielski Brothers: The True Story of Three Men Who Defied the Nazis, Built a Village in the Forest, and Saved 1,200 Jews by Peter Duffy
Burma: Quartered Safe Out There: A Harrowing Tale of World War II by George MacDonald Fraser
Canada: * Anne of the Island by Lucy Maud Montgomery
China (PRC): *
The Red Chamberby Pauline ChenColombia: * Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Cuba: *
Our Man in Havanaby Graham GreeneCzechoslovakia: *
HHhH: A Novelby Laurent BinetDenmark: * The Royal Physician's Visit by Per Olov Enquist
Dominican Republic: * Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa
Egypt: Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz
England:
The Annotated Emmaby Jane Austen and David M. ShapardFrance: * Claude & Camille: A Novel of Monet by Stephanie Cowell
Guatemala: *
All Roads Lead to Austen: A Yearlong Journey with Janeby Anne Elizabeth SmithHungary: * Csardas by Diane Pearson
India: * Midnight's Children by Salman Rusdie
Iran: * The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani
Ireland: * Grania by Morgan Llywelyn
Israel: Exodus by Leon Uris
Italy: The Deadly Sisterhood: Eight Princesses of the Italian Renaissance by Leonie Freida
Japan: *
Shizuko's Daughterby Kyoko MoriKorea: *
The Calligrapher's Daughterby Eugenia KimMalaysia: *
Sweet Offeringsby Chan Ling YapMexico: *
Last Train from Cuernavacaby Lucia St. Clair RobsonMongolia: * The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire by Jack Weatherfield
Nepal: *
The Snow Leopard by Peter MatthienssenNew Zealand: *
Come on Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All: A New Zealand Story by Christina ThompsonNorway: The House by the Fjord by Rosalind Laker
Poland: * Mosaic: A Chronicle of Five Generations by Diane Armstrong
Romania:
Russia: *
A Razor Wrapped in Silkby R.N. MorrisScotland: Queen Hereafter: A Novel of Margaret of Scotland by Susan Frazier
Spain: *
Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castileby Julia FoxSri Lanka: * The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje
Thailand:
A Nail Through the Heart: A Novel of Bangkokby Thomas HallinanTurkey: * Portrait of a Turkish Family by Irfan Orga
United States: * Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck
Vietnam: *
The Quiet Americanby Graham GreeneVatican City: Heirs of the Fisherman: Behind the Scenes of Papal Death and Succession by John-Peter Pham
Wales: The Reckoning by Sharon Kay Penman
If anyone has any suggestions for other countries, I'd love to hear them. An asterix means that I have a copy. A strike through means that it's been read and reviewed.