Around the World in 80 Books discussion

Working out my list, first time I've taken this challenge
1) The Interpreter Switzerland/Germany/Ukraine/Romania/Lithuania
2) Los herederos de la tierra Catalunya
3) Down and Out in Paris and London France
4) A Rose for Winter Spain
5) Las tinieblas de tu memoria negra Equatorial Guinea
6) A Grain of Wheat Kenya
7) Relato de un náufrago Colombia
8) The Shadow Girls Sweden/Spain
9) The Vegetarian South Korea
10) Translator Translated India
11) The Last King of Scotland Uganda
12) American Visa Bolivia
13) The Tiger and the Acrobat Siberia
14) Todos los fuegos el fuego Argentina
15) El hereje Spain
16) The Lady and the Unicorn Belgium/France
17) Los ejércitos Colombia
18) Sightseeing Thailand
19) Beijing Coma China
20) Transparent City Angola
21) Woman of the Ashes Mozambique
22) Washing Dishes in Hotel Paradise Uruguay
23) Poso Wells Ecuador
24) My Cat Yugoslavia Finland

The Interpreter 1 point
Countries visited: Switzerland/Germany/Ukraine/Romania/Lithuania
So my first read of the year for this challenge was a lingustic fantasy-cum-thriller by the Italian author Diego Marani. This is the third in a trilogy of novels about language and identity. I read the first New Finnish Grammar some years ago and have been meaning to read the other two ever since. The Interpreter is a more lighthearted romp that perhaps goes somewhat off track but if you are interested in how our mother tongue and the languages we may learn affect us you'll find it intriguing. The first book is very well worth a read. I've now got to read the missing link, book number 2 The Last of the Vostyachs.

A Grain of Wheat 1 point (total this year 2)
Country visited in February: Kenya

So I've finally got around to reading Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o's novel set on the verge of Kenya's independence in 1963, it's been on my TBR list since August 2017. It took me some time to get into this but when I did I was fully immersed in the narrative. It raises questions about loyalty and betrayal, love and friendship on a personal as well as a political level.

Translator Translated 2 points (total this year 4)
Country visited in March: India

When I put this on my TBR list on a friend's recommendation I hadn't realised it was so short. However it was a very good read but the overall message is an opportunity messed up, a recurring theme in Anita Desai's work.

Sightseeing 2 points (total this year 6)
Country visited in April: Thailand

An interesting collection of short stories, never having visited Thailand they gave me an insight into the lives of a number of different characters and a glimpse into aspects of Thai life and culture.

My Cat Yugoslavia 3 points (total this year 9)
Country visited in May: Finland (& Kosovo)

I enjoyed the two voices in this novel of adapting to life in Finland having fled Kosovo in the late 1990s, that of student Bekim who has become alienated from his family due to his father's violence and difficulty in moving to Finland and that of his mother Emine. Moving, surreal and ultimately hopeful for both of them.

This month I'm facing the longest read on my list (that's probably why it's been languishing on my TBR list since December 2016) Ildefonso Falcones' Los herederos de la tierra his sequel to Cathedral of the Sea.

Los herederos de la tierra 3 points (total this year 12)
Country visited in June: The (then) Kingdom of Aragon which included Barcelona

This is a long novel - just under 900 pages - and according to my Kobo I've spent 30 hours reading this. Nowhere near as good as his first book Cathedral of the Sea, too long and too disjointed, his characters are very two dimensional. I've enjoyed two other historical novels by Ildefonso Falcones but am now reluctant to read his latest offering.

El hereje 4 points (total so far this year 16)
Country visited in July: Spain with a voyage to the Spanish Netherlands and parts of Germany

This novel (translated into English as The Heretic) by Miguel Delibes written towards the end of his long literary career was an interesting read, quite hard work as a lot of the language used was beyond my Spanish vocabulary (but also it seems from other reviews several Spanish speakers read it with a dictionary to hand.) It follows the life of the fictional Cipriano Salcedo born on the same day in 1517 that Martin Luther nailed up his theses which lead to the reformation. Delibes goes into great detail about life in the countryside and the novel felt slow and too descriptive for me for long stretches. However the pace picks up towards the end when the protestant group in Valladolid is betrayed. The theme of the two Spains, the old, corrupt and controlling v. the new, enquiring and potentially subversive is explored. It also looks at how group cohesion and loyalty don't always last in extreme conditions. As the title suggests there is no happy ending.

So my August read was American Visa by Juan De Recacoechea set in La Paz, Bolivia about an ex school teacher trying to get a visa to go to Miami. Although the book was intriguing and painted a vivid picture of life there, both for the haves and have nots I found the attitude towards the indigenous Aymara community and to women disparaging. Still not entirely sure what to make of it.
4 more points (total this year 20)

Down and Out in Paris and London 5 points (total this year 25)
Country visited in September: France
I am a great admirer of George Orwell both his fiction and his more journalistic writing. The descriptions in this book of the squalor experienced by the very poor in both Paris and London are enough to set you itching.