Around the World discussion

I was just in Kenya with Joy Adamson, in her book, Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds. Because Adamson was born and raised in Austria, I'm counting it for that country rather than Kenya, since I already read Markham's memoir for that. Markham's memoir is more lyrical, but Adamson is a wonderful portrait of Elsa the lioness and her relationship with the Adamsons. Fuller review linked below:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I finished The Winthrop Woman
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/..., but I have already other books for the US, so not part of this challenge!

and

BOOK 9: for Germany, 3 stars

City of Women
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

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Will now start the audiobook The Rape of Nanking for China and
and the DTB The Endless Steppe: Growing Up in Siberia

I went to China a lot last year, but I went back again with the Sword and Laser group, since they picked Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was. It read as very Chinese, but I think the author is American. My review is here.

BOOK 10: Completed 18/2, 4 stars, set in Russia
The Endless Steppe: Growing Up in Siberia.
An excellent book for young adults! It is an autobiographical account of the author's childhood in Siberia during WW2!
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

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Will start another book about the Jewish experience. Tightrope: Six Centuries of a Jewish Dynasty is about the Backenroth family. This too is not fiction, but a real family, followed from the Middle Ages to the present. I don't really know the setting yet. The family starts in Bavaria, Germany, and then moves to Galicia, today the border area between Poland and Ukraine.

Chrissie wrote: "BOOK 10: Completed 18/2, 4 stars, set in Russia
The Endless Steppe: Growing Up in Siberia.
An excellent book for young adults! It is an autobiographical account of the author's childhood in Siberia..."

The new book sounds cool. Looking forward to your review.

Beth, it does look good doesn't it? I bought it when it came out in 2008, and only now am I getting around to reading it! Have you heard of Mosaic: A Chronicle of Five Generations? That is very good too, but the focus is a bit different

I just posted my review of Pounamu Pounamu by Witi Ihimaera. I learned about Maori culture from this anthology. My review is at http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/.... I expect to read more by this author.

Glad you enjoyed Pounamu Pounamu as well Shomeret.

I finished Wolves of the Crescent Moon over a week ago. I have been mulling. Much, much, MUCH better Saudi read than Girls of Riyadh, but not the happiest of topics. Hmmm... Still mulling

http://rusalkii.blogspot.com.au/2013/...

Chrissie wrote: "Beth, it does look good doesn't it? I bought it when it came out in 2008, and only now am I getting around to reading it! Have you heard of Mosaic: A Chronicle of Five Generations? That is very goo..."

THERE ARE TOO MANY GOOD BOOKS! Sorry, momentary panic. How will I ever read them all? Seriously.

Just left Japan with An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro. Review: http://bethslistlove.wordpress.com/20...

Beth, you have company here at GR! Your sentiments are similar to many.

Ishiguro, why doesn't he work very well for me?! Always I feel it is about cultures other than the Japanese really.

Everybody should read or listen to Anna Fields' narration ofThe Rape of Nanking.
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... Obviously set in China!

For pure fun I will now start This Side of Brightness. So far I have loved everything by Colum McCann. Can this guy disappoint? I don't think so. Another book set in the US, so I will not count it for the challenge! I don't care; I just have to read another by the author.

I have been in Canada, Newfoundland to be precise... with Lisa Moore's February. Here is my review. http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I was on the beaches of Normandy through Cornelius Ryan's account of D-Day (counting it for Germany). Very vivid account that both gives you a sense of the huge scale and stakes of the invasion and of the stories of many of the individual soldiers on both sides. Full review linked below:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Really needed something escapist today so I zipped through A Conspiracy of Alchemists which I had received through NetGalley. It goes from Paris to Oxford to Vienna to Istanbul, with steam-powered everything including steamy paranormal romance, and a female pilot in an age where women still can't vote. It was just the ticket! (My slightly longer review is here.

Friedericke, is February more about family relationship or romance, if you had to choose one?

Just leaving Haiti with The Kingdom of This World, which was great!

Review is here: http://bethslistlove.wordpress.com/20...

Beth, that book I must add!

Just finished What Is the What - the audio book version though, BBC Audiobooks narrated by Dion Graham. A great read - amazing and engrossing. My review here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I absolutely love Colum McCann's writing. I highly recommend This Side of Brightness, but for the right reader. It will not fit everybody.
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... This is not counted for the challenge since I have already read one for the US.

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Now I will start Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity. What will I think? This will not be for the challenge either because I have read one for India.

I book-traveled to France & loved it! Here's my review of Blame It On Paris (non-fiction, romantic memoir) http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Blame It on Paris

Chrissie wrote: "I absolutely love Colum McCann's writing. I highly recommend This Side of Brightness, but for the right reader. It will not fit everybody.
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... ..."

Chrissie - It will be an experience. I hope you enjoy it!

Lilisa, I am wondering if the Afterwards is in the audiobook. I am going to see if I can listen to that first. It is supposed to talk about Boo's methods. I am looking forward to it!

I made a quick visit to the garden of Monet in Giverny in France with Ik houd van de tuin van Monet. Review at http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Judy, following the advice of several I have skipped ahead to the last chapter narrated by Boo herself, where she speaks about her methods and the purpose of the book. I agree, it is good to listen to this first. then I went back to the beginning.

I just left Amsterdam in the wake of a mystery involving a Vermeer painting with Girl in Hyacinth Blue. Loved it! My review is here:
http://coldread.wordpress.com/2013/02...

I've finished Ru, set in Vietnam and Canada and my review is here http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/.... I recommend this as a different sort od memoir, classified as fictionalized.

I completed Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity. It well complements Colum McCann's This Side of Brightness. I recommend both if you want to read about the homeless and most destitute be they in NYC or in Mumbai.

My review of the former: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

This was not for the challenge since I have already read one for India!

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Now I will read another by Ernest Hemingway: For Whom the Bell Tolls. I like Hemingway's simple strong lines. I will read this for the challenge, setting Spain.

Chrissie - pleased to see you enjoyed Behind the Beautiful Forevers - glad you were able to keep track of all the characters. I would not have been able to. I had to continue leafing back in the book to keep them all on track. I did like the book. I have a hard time concentrating on audiobooks. What is the What was my first try after eons and I really had to focus but i think I'm going to try and hone my listening skills. Hats off to you. Loved your review!

Lilisa, I have poor vision so I have made a huge effort to succeed with audiobooks. What helps me is to make written notes. I cannot do other things while I listen. I have to rewind. I have to pay very close attention in the beginning so I know exactly who is who. It is kind of an art that takes practice, but some people catch on quicker than others. Another trick I have is to repeat the words in my head if I find my mind wandering. Actually if the narrator speaks too slowly it is easier to get side tracked. The problem is that I like THINKING about what is said and then I have to rewind.

Chrissie - ah, you have developed a great strategy then. Re: thinking, besides that as well, I have a short attention span for listening :-) or for that matter everything! so rewinding for me was often, but I found it was hard to get back to the exact spot I wanted to. However, I intend to try more audiobooks - I loved the narrator in What's the What - I discovered the narrator adds yet another dimension to a book.

Lilisa, What Is the What is not available for me here in Belgium. :0(

Chrissie wrote: "Lilisa, What Is the What is not available for me here in Belgium. :0("

That's too bad Chrissie - hopefully soon. I think you would enjoy it - lots of food for thought there.

Lilisa, not the end of the world I still have too much to read.

Took off from India, crossed the pacific, rescued in Mexico.

Here is my review of Life of Pi, my read for India.

Chrissie wrote: "Lilisa, n t the end of the world I still have too much to read."

:-)

I was in Australia with Bruce Chatwin in The Songlines--the picture of the Aborigines and their "songlines" were intriguing, but I found Chatwin rather frustrating and problematic. Full review linked below:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Completed Tightrope: Six Centuries of a Jewish Dynasty
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
It is a family history about a Jewish family living near Lvov, now in the Ukraine.

Moving on to River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze. I am determined to read the books I have purchased, or at least most of them. Some I cannot figure out why I ever bought them, but this one is one of the few remaining that looks really good! I have already read a book for China, so this is not for the challenge.

Just visited Turkey again with Birds Without Wings. My review is here. It definitely made me mourn for the Ottoman Empire of the past.

Jenny, that you liked it means a lot to me. When you really love a book it is upsetting when other don't.

Put me in the Birds Without Wings fan column. It was one of my favorite books from last year!

WanderShopper wrote: "Put me in the Birds Without Wings fan column. It was one of my favorite books from last year!"

When I read this book and reviewed it some read it and did NOT like it. I was terribly upset, although I kept my mouth shut. YAY for those who love this book.

I finished For Whom the Bell Tolls.
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... Do yourself a favor. Pick another book by Hemingway. May I suggest A Farewell to Armsinstead?!
Hemingway uses special "literary techniques" in "For whom the Bell Tolls" that rather than enhancing the reading experience detract from it. The ending is totally soppy. What remains undeniably true though is that Hemingway can draw a scene so you see, hear, smell and feel it in your pores. Some dislike the macho behavior of his characters, but this doesn't bother me. I see it as typical of the times, and Pilar is the best character of this novel. She is a strong, intelligent,no-nonsense woman! The gimmicks and the ending totally destroy this book. The setting is of course Spain!

Now I will start The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. I am very skeptical that I will enjoy this. I am afraid I will find it preachy, and I hate books about illnesses. I am reading this for a friend b/c she still believes I will love it. I hope so! The narration of the audiobook is said to be excellent, so that is what I have chosen.

Chrissie wrote: "WanderShopper wrote: "Put me in the Birds Without Wings fan column. It was one of my favorite books from last year!"

When I read this book and reviewed it some read it and did NOT like it. I was t..."

Chrissie ~ I liked it so much it started me reading all of Louis de Bernières's books. I just have a couple to go.

WanderShopper wrote: "It started me reading all of Louis de Bernières's books."

Which is your favorite?

I'm not sure, Chrissie. Do you always love your first the most? That's true with a lot of things and would be Birds Without Wings for me. But I really loved how absurd The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts was so that one is in the running too!

WanderShopper wrote: "I'm not sure, Chrissie. Do you always love your first the most? That's true with a lot of things and would be Birds Without Wings for me. But I really loved how absurd The War of Don Emmanuel's Net..."

Well, if I don't like the first book I rarely continue, though I can think of several author where it was NOT the first book that I liked best. I will check out the one you named. Thank you.

I've spent time in New England, moving from Brown University to Cape Cod to New York, with a side trip to Mother Theresa's mission in Calcutta, with The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides. Not that impressed, especially after loving his other works.
My review.

I read Captain Corelli's then started Don Emmanuel. I could not get in to it at all. I felt like I was reading a completely different author. Maybe I should pick it up again, now I have realised it is still on my shelf and my friend borrowed it off his Dad for me to read... bugger. I'll be at a wedding with him (both the Dad and the friend - other son's wedding) in November, I have that much time to read it it seems...