Around the World discussion

Self imposed rules are the best to break :P But completely understand.

Lisa (Harmonybites) wrote: "Just completed my 52 books for the year with a book set in New Zealand by Maori Witi Ihimaera. I liked it, but I have to admit I loved the film based on it a lot more. Full review linked below:

ht..."

Congratulations on completing your 52 books - that is quite the accomplishment! Well done!

Jan wrote: "Congratulations on completing your 52 books - that is quite the accomplishment! Well done! "

Thanks--life threw me some curve balls these last few months and I didn't think I would make it--so I'm chuffed I did. Now, if I'm going to make the overall challenge for the year with little more than a week to go I don't know...

Had a foot in the U.S. and a foot in India with Biting through the Skin: An Indian Kitchen in America's Heartland. My review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... Disappointing, particularly since the concept had so much potential.

Lilisa wrote: "Had a foot in the U.S. and a foot in India with Biting through the Skin: An Indian Kitchen in America's Heartland. My review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... D..."

Agreed, completely unmemorable.

Jenny wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Had a foot in the U.S. and a foot in India with Biting through the Skin: An Indian Kitchen in America's Heartland. My review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/sh..."

Yeah Jenny, I was really looking forward to it with great anticipation - the approach seemed like a great one but it fell rather flat. I wonder why it has a 4+ rating.

Lilisa wrote: "Jenny wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Had a foot in the U.S. and a foot in India with Biting through the Skin: An Indian Kitchen in America's Heartland. My review here: https://www.goodreads..."
I think because it was on netgalley and most reviewers who get it for free think they have to rate books high. They don't!

Jenny wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Jenny wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Had a foot in the U.S. and a foot in India with Biting through the Skin: An Indian Kitchen in America's Heartland. My review here: https:..."

Aha, bet NetGalley would hate me as a reviewer! :-) or do they factor into the mix - or are they just the facilitator, for lack of a better term, and it's just the author that obviously would care? Not sure how NetGalley works.

Well people get galleys from NetGalley or the publisher through programs like FirstReads. I think most people put pressure on themselves to be overly positive, where the publisher would say they aren't asking for that (because that would be illegal!). The book is rather recent so I always assume. Or maybe people who don't like it just don't review it. THere's that.

Jenny wrote: "Well people get galleys from NetGalley or the publisher through programs like FirstReads. I think most people put pressure on themselves to be overly positive, where the publisher would say they a..."

Thanks for enlightening me - and makes sense. Will be interesting to see how other readers rate it over the next few months.

I have been to Iceland... reading Arnaldur Indridason's Strange Shores. Loved it. Here is my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Judy wrote: "CONGRATULATIONS LISA on finishing your challenge!"

Thank you!

Judy wrote: "!!!Merry Christmas everyone!!!"

Back at ya! :-)

I have finished a handful of books since I'm on vacation with no family in town, woohoo!

Another one for Turkey:
The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak. My review is here, but I have to say I've already been subjected to one very negative comment that insulted my intelligence, expressing "disappointment" that I dared to like the book. I suspect this person may be one of the many attempting to discount Shafak because she writes about Sufism. Hard to know. I deleted the comment.

Estonia:
Everything is Wonderful: Memories of a Collective Farm in Estonia (read through NetGalley, comes out officially March 2014) - This memoir takes a fresh look at fieldwork the author did in the early 1990s, with a bunch more history and context thrown in there. I learned a lot about Estonia! My review is here

Vietnam
The Frangipani Hotel (read through NetGalley, this title comes out in April 2014)
Short stories that combine a very modern Vietnam with ghost stories and scary scenarios. I liked this very much, and my review is here!

I finally finished up The Ten Thousand Things by Maria Dermoût. My review is here. It is Indonesia by way of a Dutch author, who is scarcely translated into English. I feel fortunate that NYRB brought this one back!

This is also a fairly short read at 208 pages, if you're looking for a quicker book.

I started this challenge in 2012, thanks to Jenny's website, but covered only 40 countries, as I always do lots of different challenges at the same time.
I enjoyed it so much I decided to finish it this year, I guess I didn't realize I could join this list also this year.
anyway, I did my 52 countries now, you can see my list and links to reviews here. I need to put together reviews for several by Dorothy Gilman. So glad I discovered Mrs Pollifax, thanks to this challenge, it's really neat how each story is in a different country, with lots of details on the geography and history of the country.
here is my link:
http://wordsandpeace.com/2012/01/04/a...
I will keep reading foreign literature, as usual, but outside this challenge. I have started a challenge to cover all the States of the US. fun too!

Emma, are you a member of the group doing the USA? Some of us tried starting one last year but most of us got stuck in this challenge so I know I didn't devote much time to it. I certainly have a bookshelf with a book from each state, just sitting there waiting for me.....

Back to Turkey with two books of letters from women, two outsider perspectives of Turkey from two different centuries.

One is a travel writing classic from 1716 - The Turkish Embassy Letters. This was an interesting take on Turkey, but more than that, a very interesting inside look at the daily life of the incredibly wealthy of the 18th century. My review is here.

Following that, Yes, I Would...: An American Woman's Letters to Turkey by Katharine Branning - modeled after the first, written in 2010. Katharine, a librarian and traveler, writes TO Lady Mary of the first set of novels, to applaud some of her experiences and to correct her in others. I learned a lot about an outsider view of Turkey this way, but it was a little forced at times. My review is here.

Was in Shanghai and San Francisco with The Valley of Amazement. My review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... I have come to the sad conclusion that Amy Tan doesnt't speak to me like she obviously does to other readers.

The Rock of Tanios for Lebanon.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Siege for Albania
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

People Of The Pear Tree for Singapore
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and partial review of what will probably be my book of the year:
We, the Drowned for Denmark
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...