Around the World discussion
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2012-2024 Discussions
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Where in the World Have You Been?!?! (Book Finished and Review Linked)
After a quick trip back to the States, I found myself in Malaysia with Evening Is the Whole Day. Have you ever found yourself with a book you didn't enjoy and so tried to plow through over 200 pages in one day? I did that here and am grateful to leave this dreadful country. Here's my review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/.... Now I'm off to Turkey with Birds Without Wings. Hopefully I will enjoy my stay here much more!
I've just finished walking across Central Afghanistan--starting just weeks after the Fall of the Taliban in Rory Stewart's The Places in Between. At first I thought this was fairly routine and not giving me much more than I had read and seen before--but it grew on me, especially after the first third or so. Proceeding on foot across a country for 21 months gave him--and thus his readers--an invaluable on the ground view of the country. Parts of this were heart-breaking. After all, this is a land that had been at war at that time for almost 25 years. Particularly wrenching was reading of the destruction of priceless history. And, well, and I don't consider myself a huge animal lover compared to many--but I found the description of how dogs in particularly were treated hard to read at times.
Here's my review:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
I finished hiding out in the woods of Novogrudek in Belarus with The Bielski Brothers last Tuesday. I had some time to spend before going to Russia so I looked around for closer countries to visit. I'm now in Lithuania with Pan Tadeusz (free on the Kindle and it is also a film!) and I will be travelling to Lativa (The Dogs of Riga - a police procedural) and Estonia (a vampire bodice-ripper) next.
Sue wrote: "I've now finished Samarkand, set i n Persia/Iran in medieval times and then around the turn of the 20th century. Very interesting, well-written historical fiction based on Omar Khayy..."Very interesting review, Sue. I checked if the book has been translated in Dutch and I immediately ordered a copy at my second hand book store. I've got by mail yesterday. Can't wait to start.
Sylvia wrote: "Sue wrote: "I've now finished Samarkand, set i n Persia/Iran in medieval times and then around the turn of the 20th century. Very interesting, well-written historical fiction based o..."Let me know what you think as you read it Sylvia.
I read The Violin of Auschwitz: A Novela few days ago. Here is my review:http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
I liked it with a couple of reservations.
I have departed from Hawaii upon the completion of Unfamiliar Fishes (here is my brief review -- http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...). And now, I am (rather predictably) heading back to the UK with The Anglophile which is an extremely light and fluffy read and I should be finished with it in no time flat. I'm not sure where I'm headed after that one -- possibly Venice depending on if the library has my copy of The Midwife of Venice available by the time I finish my current book.
After a short hiatus from reading, I finally left Cuba with Havana Real (review and comparison to Anthony Bourdain's episode on Cuba on my blog). Currently I'm making an unplanned stop in Ireland with The Whipping Club.
I posted my review of The Good Doctor by Damon Galgut and move on... the review is here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Ok, another detour, this time to Austria. I just finished The Piano Teacher by Elfriede Jelinek. My review is at http://bethslistlove.wordpress.com/20... . This is a disturbing but fascinating read. Don't try it if you are squeamish about sexuality or very disturbed families, but I found the writing brilliant. And I have jettisoned my Fiji book. It just didn't feel worth the time. Will have to get another obscure Oceania island read.
Vicky wrote: "Finally, I have written my review of [Book:The Poisonwood Bible|7246]."I've read your review and added the book as to-read. Last year I read Congo . It's non-fiction written by a journalist and starting at the discovery of the country by Stanley. Unfortunately it isn't translated in English yet.
I just finished T.E. Lawrence's memoirs of the Arab peninsula and Middle east: Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph. It was well-written, but really dense.
I have left the UK and The Anglophile (here is my short review -- http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...). I thought I was headed to Venice, but instead have ended up in France with Queen Defiant: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Although Eleanor of Aquitaine is generally associated w/ the Plantagenets, this book focuses on her first marriage to Louis VII so the story takes place in France, though I think by the end she does end up in England. I'm barely started on the book, but it is probably a bit along the lines of a Phillipa Gregory book, so pretty easy going.
Just visited Mexico with Luis Alberto Urrea and The Hummingbird's Daughter: A Novel. Loved it! Liked it so much, in fact, that I think I'll probably go back to Mexico with Urrea again. The imagery was fantastic and intertwining of languages I really enjoyed. Highly Recommend it!
I was just (almost) in Burma with The Piano Tuner. Almost, because the protagonist hadn't gotten there when I dropped him mid-book. The novel is about a middle aged piano tuner sent by the British war office to Burma to repair and tune a grand piano for an eccentric army surgeon considered a key man. What defeated me--and why I'm therefore reviewing this despite not finishing it to warn those who might be considering putting it on their list, is style issues.This is modern literary fiction. There are authors within that genre I love such as Atwood and Chabon, but Mason isn't destined to be one of them. There wasn't a strong omniscient voice, but lots of head hoping, sudden switches from past to present tense, and then not a couple of dozen pages quotation marks were dropped. So, bottom line, if that sort of style is one you revel in, go for it. If you like more traditional narratives, this might be one you might want to avoid.
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Made a quick trip to Belgium with Heldere hemel. This book was a free gift during the Bookpromotion week 2012 in the Netherlands. I wrote a short review , because at this moment the book is only available in Dutch
Harmonybites wrote: "I was just (almost) in Burma with The Piano Tuner. Almost, because the protagonist hadn't gotten there when I dropped him mid-book. The novel is about a middle aged piano tuner sent by..."It's a pity you didn't finish the novel. It shows much power in the latter part. While I agree that Mason's writing and the structure have some weaknesses, I also feel that it is fair to acknowledge that he has no intention to be a "modern" writer - the topic of the book doesn't need it - and in fact at times is written more in the style of an earlier century. Also, it was a debut novel written by a scientist who felt strongly about he himself experienced in Burma.
Friederike wrote: "I also feel that it is fair to acknowledge that he has no intention to be a "modern" writer - the topic of the book doesn't need it - and in fact at times is written more in the style of an earlier century."Lack of quotation marks to denote dialogue, sudden inexplicable switches from past to present tense, head-hoping without a strong omniscient. These aren't techniques you'll find in George Eliot, Charles Dickens or Thomas Hardy. People who like to avoid this kind of style might appreciate knowing what they'd encounter.
And that's what Goodreads is all about eh? Different tastes. If it was only that I was bored and found the pacing too slow, your telling me it gets better from there might be reason to go back and give the novel another chance. But when the style itself is grating on you, that's not really something developments later in the book can make up for.
I can leave People of the Book and Bosnia and travel on. I liked this book and share my review. Where I'm heading next I don't know. I still have to finish my journeys in The Iliad Greece and The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth by Day Egypte. I'm also involved in a spy-detective story in Secretum Italy and the history of the Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin in Ukraine
Here's the review for my pick for Thailand: A Nail Through the Heart: A Novel of Bangkok; not for everyone and very disturbing in partshttp://www.epinions.com/review/Book_A...
Osho wrote: "Beth, for Fiji you might try Epeli Hau'ofa: Tales of the Tikongs."Read that one last year! Otherwise I'd be all over it. I liked it.
Just finally finished Nicholas Nickleby Here is my review. I liked it ok, but it was a little long to slog through. Definitely decided to count it for the challenge after all that work, so I'm switching my England read. http://bethslistlove.wordpress.com/20...
Took a quick side trip from my break in Switzerland, and stop off in Japan with In the Miso Soup. Gruesome ride. My review is here.
I ended up taking a detour from my intended country and ended up in the United Kingdom reading The Enemy by Charlie Higson. Great book! Review can be found here.
Just left Ireland with The Sea by John Banville, which I definitely recommend. Here is the link to my review: http://bethslistlove.wordpress.com/20...
I followed Teju Cole from Nigeria to NYC and back. My review is here http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Judy wrote: "I've left Cuba and Our Man in Havana. I loved it and will read more Graham Greene. Here is my review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/..." I had to read it years ago, when I was in college. It was an abridge version especially written for those who aren't native speakers of English. I remember I liked it, but I have to re-read to recall the plot.
I'm back from my quick trip to Turkey with De Brug. It was a short trip, but a nice one. I wrote a review and recommend this book if you want to know real quick something about Turkey and its history. The book is available in several languages even in Turkish (not yet in GR)
Gaeta1 wrote: "Done with South Korea and Please Look After Mom. I don't know if I have time to write a proper GR review, but my advice is--just don't do it. My tags say it all."Good to know. I had this one on my list as a possibility, but based on your reaction to it, I think I won't hurry to get to it any time soon (if ever)! Thanks for the heads up!
I agree with that Wendy and Gaeta, but on the other hand, I did like the use of symbolism and the intersection between old and new Korean culture.
What got to me was the use of the 'hungry ghost,' that haunts family members after death, and is a very intregral part of ancestor worship, something that is still very alive in Korean culture.
Gaeta1 wrote: "Done with South Korea and Please Look After Mom. I don't know if I have time to write a proper GR review, but my advice is--just don't do it. My tags say it all."Darn. I was looking forward to reading that.
I may still give it a try at some point since we all like different books and the cultural aspects that Rebecca mentions are interesting.
I've decided to rad The Stranger for Algeria and it was an interesting read though I didn't really learn much about the country.Review "The Stranger"
That was different with The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency I highly recommend this book for Botswana.
Review No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency"
Just finished The Wayfinders, which I really enjoyed. I found the writing in places to be too sparse, to require the reader to make connections that weren't quite worked out well enough, but it is, essentially, a transcript of a spoken lecture and much of what I found a bit disorientating can be attributed to that fact. I loved the book. Will be reading it again.http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
My readings these days are reshaping my life in ways that are both exciting and scary.
My readings these days are reshaping my life in ways that are both exciting and scary. I'll second that. Many interesting connections exist in the world. I recently provided a consultation to some military personnel and when we were out to dinner, someone raised the issue of female soldiers' difficulty carrying arms on long marches. Because of my around-the-world reading, I was able to cite evidence from accounts of African child soldiers that the AK-47 is sufficiently portable for children so it should be fine for women, "And you can fire it even partially-stripped." Not words I ever thought would come out of my mouth.
Osho wrote: "My readings these days are reshaping my life in ways that are both exciting and scary. I'll second that. Many interesting connections exist in the world. I recently provided a consultation to some ..."Isn't it great that reading books you didn't know they might take your interest could do this to your life. What was the reaction on what you said?
Osho wrote: "My readings these days are reshaping my life in ways that are both exciting and scary. I'll second that. Many interesting connections exist in the world. I recently provided a consultation to some ..."What a great story, Osho! I appreciate your comment about connections: reading has played a significant role in how I develop my own world view and explore issues or concepts that are on my mind. Amazing what paths our readings lead us to!
Sharon wrote: "Osho wrote: "My readings these days are reshaping my life in ways that are both exciting and scary. I'll second that. Many interesting connections exist in the world. I recently provided a consulta..."I totally agree. It definitely broadens your perspective when you read about other cultures and other countries. Reading is awesome :-) (said the book dork!)
Sharon wrote: "Just finished The Wayfinders, which I really enjoyed. I found the writing in places to be too sparse, to require the reader to make connections that weren't quite worked out well eno..."What I'm also noticing and enjoying are the ever-widening connections I'm making here at Goodreads through this group and reading everyone's reviews. I'm enjoying so many new sources of books and reviews and adding to my huge TBR.
The military folks nodded and agreed, and the conversation moved on, with my credibility intact.
Judy wrote: "Sue wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Just finished The Wayfinders, which I really enjoyed. I found the writing in places to be too sparse, to require the reader to make connections that weren'..."Yes, that too!
Judy wrote: "Sue wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Just finished The Wayfinders, which I really enjoyed. I found the writing in places to be too sparse, to require the reader to make connections that weren'..."Yes, definitely new friends too.
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China is both an epic and a memoir, telling how three generations of women experienced life in twentieth-century CHINA. my review
Asmah wrote: "Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China is both an epic and a memoir, telling how three generations of women experienced life in twentieth-century CHINA. my review"I second Judy's congrats, Asmah. I haven't been reading much this week or I'd be there with you. Hopefully I'll join you shortly.
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Around the World
Books mentioned in this topic
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True: A Novel (other topics)
Secretum (other topics)
Secretum (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Eduardo Galeano (other topics)Coleridge Cook (other topics)
Tomas Tranströmer (other topics)
Gloria Whelan (other topics)
Michael Morpurgo (other topics)
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my review