Around the World in 80 Books discussion

Sometimes I lie by Alice Feeney

Currently reading Ironfire: An Epic Novel of Love and War by David Ball. Set in 16th-century Malta, Algiers, and I presume will include Constantinople too though I'm still in its early chapters.

Doing a lot of international reading now: Human Acts by Kang Han (or Han Kang) of Korea, Murphy by Samuel Beckett (Ireland), The War of the End of the World by Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru) and just started Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger (Germany). When I finish Human Acts, probably tomorrow, I'll start Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe (Nigeria).
I usually read four books at a time.

I'm currently reading Here Comes the Sun and You People

I read too many books at once, and always a few that would be relevant in this group, so I’ll trot them out slowly.

I’m currently reading Timothy M. Aluko’s One Man One Matchet, a very sharp novel of pre-independence Nigerian village politics. I really like the Heinemann African Writers series, and pick up volumes whenever I can,

The Japanese novelist Morio Kita (1927-2011) acknowledged the inspiration of Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family for his massive family saga The House of Nire (765 pages in the paperback edition; the translation originally took up two hardcovers). Even early on, that affinity is obvious, but Kita’s tone is more dryly humorous. Another novel about the decline of a prominent family that Kita might have known is The Story of the Stone (aka The Dream of the Red Chamber).

I am reading Pyre by Perumal Murugan, translated by Aniruddhan Vasudevan.

I love getting this window into rural and small town life in 1980s India.

The language of the book is quietly lyrical. I am reading an English translation, and evidently that is a quality of the original book as well:
https://scroll.in/article/812852/how-...

Timothy M. Aluko’s One Man One Matchet (1964) is a very sharp novel of pre-independence Nigerian village politics. Aluko had been a civil administrator, so he knew whereof he spoke. He also was a trained engineer - not the most usual background for a novelist.

Aluko purposefully only reveals the year, 1949, well into the book. So there was 11 years yet to go before independence, which I am sure felt like a LONG time in the living of it. The characters in the novel who are most anxious to throw off the British yoke will not be satisfied anytime soon, and that knowledge really affects one’s reading of the second half of the book.

“Matchet”, by the way, is a variant form of “machete”.

I really like the Heinemann African Writers series, and pick up volumes whenever I can.

Midway through Emilia Pardo Bazán’s brilliant 1886 novel The House of Ulloa, a member of the decayed Galician landed gentry and his new bride visit an even grander and more decrepit family and mansion, and when the bride is offered seating in the alarming-looking drawing room, the worm- and insect-eaten ceremonial chair crumbles to dust beneath her.

Now this is the power of fiction in a nutshell. You should have heard my intake of breath. I might add that Spanish fiction of the 19th and early 20th Centuries, so neglected in the English-speaking world, abounds in moments of such force.

I have a bit of a problem now, though. Pardo Bazán wrote a sequel to this novel, Mother Nature (La madre naturaleza), which was translated and published by Bucknell University Press in 2010. There is no paperback or ebook. The list price of the hardcover is $114.00. Amazon has it new for $85.65; the cheapest price in the used book market appears to be $71.70.

Now I ask you, is this kind of punitive pricing any way to treat lovers of literature? I could see Bucknell slapping a $35.00 or even $45.00 price on the hardcover, with a paperback at 2/3 of that, but $114.00 is just ridiculous.

I am eager to read the sequel, but at these prices I simply don’t have access to it, and living outside the US, inter-library loan is not an option. I wish my reading in Spanish were up to tackling the original text, which I could have at a reasonable price, but I’m not quite that advanced.

Ah well, I guess the book just goes on my long “Challenges to Obtain” list.

This is for the third time probably. I've been reading "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" by Milan Kundera.

I am currently reading:
Citizens of the World

And it takes you around the world!

I’m reading Manon Lescault by Abbé Prévost. I often thought I should read this book when listening to Puccini’s eponymous opera. So now I am…

I'm reading 'Birds, Beasts and Relatives' by Gerald Durrell. It is very funny and the prose is surprisingly good...

I’m reading The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak

It’s been a very slow year for reading. Today I started Dana Stabenow’s A Cold Day for Murder. It is of course set in Alaska, USA. I’ve enjoyed the first chapter. So far so good :)

It's been extremely slow reading for me this year. After reading Science of Societal Safety: Living at Times of Risks and Disasters by Seiji Abe, et. al., a book published in 2018 in Japanese and translated into English the next year; I'm now reading both The Victory Season: The End of World War II and the Birth of Baseball's Golden Age, by Robert Weintraub, which takes the reader to 1940s Europe and to 1946 United States; and Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions (1884) by Edwin A. Abbott (1838-1926).

Jim

Starting with a new author for me Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller

Reading a thriller by an author I've never read before. About 2/3 of the way through, not a bad read but not something to make me continue the series.

The Kill Artist

I discovered Daniel Silva a couple of years ago. I’ve really enjoyed the ones I’ve read. Started somewhere in the middle of the series.

i am listening to We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families / Philip Gourevitch.
its a nonfiction about Rwanda genocide . Very hard read.

I count my literary travel only in countries that published the book or the writer is from that country ( and that are not US and Britain) so this book is not in my around the world list . Maybe need to create a parallel list that include this kind of book and books like the poison bible ( currently put them as American books).

Slowly reading Gabriela, Clove, and Cinnamon\ jorge Amado
#Brazil

First, I LOVE this concept! Thank you to the creators of this group-- what a fantastic idea of making a challenge about reading books about places all over the world! I think I subconsciously look for books from different places all the time as a way to learn about other cultures and histories in my reading, so what a perfect excuse!

I just finished reading three books that might be of interest to world travellers-- 1) The Joy Luck Club-- mostly set in America but continues back and forth through various places in China. 2) The Alchemist-- begins in Andalusia, Spain and as the boy travels to find his treasure, he goes through parts of Africa like Tangiers, until he crosses the desert to Egypt to get to the pyramids. 3) Lastly, The Thorn Birds-- starts in New Zealand and travels to sheep country Northern Australia, but there are characters that live in the Vatican in Italy, and the book ends with the last generation in London, England. Definitely a trip about the world in these three for those interested! The Joy Luck Club and The Thorn Birds are family sagas and the Alchemist is adventure and philosophy of what it means to seek your goals, maybe even your wanderlust! Happy Reading!

Tweedledum wrote: "I’m reading The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak"

That's my next read!! How is it?

Wabisabigio wrote: "Tweedledum wrote: "I’m reading The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak"

That's my next read!! How is it?"

I loved the fig tree narratives but I think there should be more of that.

I just finished 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' and now I'm jumping into 'Goodbye Eleanor.

I'm currently reading "When the Moon Hatched" :)

i'm reading Mademoiselle from Armentières , a WW1 historical romance set in Europe.

I'm also planning to pick up If You Could See the Sun again

"Hey everyone! For my India pick, I read ‘Deewar Mein Ek Khidki Rahti Thi’ by Vinod Kumar Shukla—a Sahitya Akademi winner that blends everyday life with magical realism. It follows a couple finding hope through a window that ‘lives.’ I loved its simplicity and depth, so I made a 7-minute review on my channel: [https://youtu.be/j8g_TeE0Yl4]. What’s your favorite book from India? Any Hindi literature fans here?"

Just finished The Answers Lie in Africa: Can you bury the past?. It's a riveting blend of history, mystery, and adventure. Fiona Truscott’s journey through Africa to uncover her great-grandfather’s past is rich in suspense, atmosphere, and revelation. Perfect for fans of historical thrillers with heart, heritage, and high stakes. Unputdownable and unforgettable.

Well, at the moment I'm reading Resurrection Man by Eoin McNamee; that is to say, I will be reading it for a long duration, because it is very boring and not all that great, but I still feel obligated to finish it. Until the next time I pick it up, I'm reading Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. Then I'll return to McNamee.. probably just for another 40 pages.

I'm currently re-reading my own novel, War in Our Hearts – The Scent of a Burned Future, as I prepare for a few reader discussions.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

It tells the story of a boy named Diyar, who escapes war in the Middle East and slowly realizes how much the world around him – especially the West – chooses silence over justice.

The book explores themes of displacement, trauma, and political betrayal – and is inspired by real refugee experiences.

With everything happening in Palestine and Gaza right now, the story feels more relevant than ever. It asks hard questions about complicity, global power, and what it means to survive without a homeland.

I’d love to know what others are reading that speaks to global conflict, migration, or emotional survival.

What’s the most powerful book you’ve read recently that took you to a difficult place?

Right now I’m diving into a mix of practical and transformational stuff. I just started revisiting some of the exercises from Reading Genius—it’s not a typical book, more like a brain training method for reading and focus. I found it after feeling like I was reading a ton but retaining very little.

It’s really helping me slow down and speed up, if that makes sense—like, seeing the big picture faster but also absorbing more. Definitely not your average how-to-read book. More like a reset for how your brain approaches reading.

If anyone’s curious, this is what I’m using: https://readinggenius.com

Would love to hear what others are reading that’s shifted your thinking or helped you learn better.

I'm diving into The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk this month—finally getting around to it! It’s dense but powerful in how it unpacks trauma’s effect on the body and brain. Also mixing it up with Fourth Wing for a dose of fantasy fun. For anyone looking to read faster and retain more, I’ve been exploring Reading Genius®—super helpful for deep comprehension. What’s everyone else into this July?