Around the World in 80 Books discussion

A1 Scandinavian or Norse Author - P. Petterson Out Stealing Horses
A2 Adventure - E. Rice Burroughs Tarzan
A3 Desert, Ocean or Mountains - S. Tesson The Art of Patience: Seeking the Snow Leopard in Tibet
A4 Retelling - M. Atwood The Penelopiad
A5 Nature Theme - R. Macfarlane Underland: A Deep Time Journey

B1 Ancient History - S. Pressfield Gates of Fire
B2 Non-Fiction - J. Barnes The Man in the Red Coat
B3 Classic Literature - O. Wilde The Picture of Dorian Gray
B4 Translated from Russian - A. Čechov Uncle Vanya
B5 Translated from Arabic - N. Mahfouz Midaq Alley

C1 Vietnamese Author - Huy Thiêp Nguyên Crossing the River
C2 Fantasy - C. Dabos The Memory of Babel
C3 FREE - Asian American Author - M. Jacob The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing
C4 Humor - V. Nabokov Pnin
C5 Historical Fiction Set <1900 - Tariq Ali The Stone Woman: A Novel

D1 Translated from German - B. Schlink The Reader
D2 Horror - E. A. Poe The Masque of the Red Death
D3 Espionage - E. Ambler The Mask of Dimitrios
D4 Short Story Collection - D. Mueenuddin In Other Rooms, Other Wonders
D5 Based on a True Story - E. Carrère The Adversary: A True Story of Monstrous Deception

E1 Apocalyptic/Sci-Fi - F. Herbert Dune
E2 Set on or About the Silk Road - S. Wriggins Xuanzang: A Buddhist Pilgrim On The Silk Road
E3 Greek, Roman or Norse Mythology - M. Miller The Song of Achilles
E4 African Woman Author - Nawal El Saadawi Woman at Point Zero
E5 Food Theme - L. Esquivel Like Water for Chocolate

Books: 25/25

January
Fantasy: C. Dabos The Memory of Babel (The Mirror Visitor Quartet #3)
4⭐ My favourite of the three so far.

Nature theme: R. Macfarlane Underland: A Deep Time Journey
4⭐ A bit too wordy and technical sometimes but interesting and instructive nonetheless.

Espionage: E. Ambler The Mask of Dimitrios
3⭐ A nice read but I had higher expectations.

February
Apocalyptic/Sci-Fi: F. Herbert Dune
5⭐ A new favourite of mine. Why didn't I read it sooner?

Translated from Russian: A. Čechov Uncle Vanya
3⭐ A classic but I enjoyed The Seagull or The Cherry Orchard more.

March
Historical fiction set <1900: T. Ali The Stone Woman
2.5⭐ I only appreciated the quick glimpse at the decadent Turkish empire and its customs.

Vietnamese Author: Huy Thiêp Nguyên Crossing the River
3.5⭐Some vivid and folkloric short stories.

Retelling: M. Atwood The Penelopiad
3.5⭐ Sadly too short.

April
Translated from German: B. Schlink The Reader
3⭐An interesting and quick read; it didn't blow me away though.

May
FREE (Asian American Author): M. Jacob The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing
3⭐

June
Scandinavian or Norse Author: P. Petterson Out Stealing Horses
4⭐ A nice introspective novel with wonderful descriptions.

July
Non-fiction: J. Barnes The Man in the Red Coat
4⭐

Food theme: L. Esquivel Like Water for Chocolate
3.5⭐ A well written sad story.

Short Story Collection: D. Mueenuddin In Other Rooms, Other Wonders
3.5⭐ An insightful and poetic collection.

August
Translated from Arabic: N. Mahfouz Midaq Alley
3.5⭐ Loved the setting and the characters. Must read more of this author.

Based on a True Story: E. Carrère The Adversary: A True Story of Monstrous Deception
3⭐

Set on or about the Silk Road: S. Wriggins Xuanzang: A Buddhist Pilgrim On The Silk Road
3⭐ Interesting and detailed narration of Xuanzang journey. But it gets repetitive and boring towards the end.

October
African Woman Author: N. El Saadawi Woman at Point Zero
4⭐ Short but poignant.

Horror: E.A. Poe The Mask of the Red Death and Other Stories
3⭐ Creepy but not so much.

November
Adventure: E. Rice Burroughs Tarzan of the Apes
2⭐ I read the comic strip version: I didn't like it at all, maybe because I'm not 8 anymore.

Humor: V. Nabokov Pnin
4⭐ Totally enjoyed the subtly humorous side of Nabokov.

Classic Literature: O. Wilde The Picture of Dorian Gray
4.5⭐ A timeless classic.

December
Greek Mithology: M. Miller The Song of Achilles
3.5⭐ Pleasant and enjoyable.

Mountains: S. Tesson The Art of Patience: Seeking the Snow Leopard in Tibet
3⭐ Beautiful descriptions of animals and nature, the philosophical parts tend to be a bit tedious.

Ancient History: S. Pressfield Gates of Fire
I appreciated the Ancient Greece setting but the war theme is definitely not my cup of tea.