The Next Best Book Club discussion

This will be fun! Starting in USA

Reminder to me:
Region + Country + Title + Author

A - Antarctica, Australia, Antigua, Argentina, Austria, Algeria
B - Brazil, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia. Bangladesh
C - China, Columbia, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Congo
D - Dominican Republic, Dominica
E - Egypt, Ethiopia
F - France
G - Guatemala, Greece, Ghana
H - Hong Kong, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary
I - India, Ireland, Italy, Israel, Iran, Indonesia
J - Japan
K - Kenya, Kirabati
L - Lebanon, Lithuania
M - Mexico, Malayasia, Morocco, Mauritius
N - New Zealand, Nigeria, Nicaragua, Netherlands
O - Oman
P - Poland. Portugal, Puerto Rico, Philippines, Peru, Papua New Guinea, Panama
Q - Qatar
R - Russia, Rwanda
S - Scotland, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Seychelles, Singapore
T - Tasmania, Tibet, Turkey, Tahiti, Thailand
U - USA, Uganda
V - Vietnam, Vanuatu, Virgin Is., Venezuela
W - Wales
X - Xina (China), Xile (Chile)
Y - Yemen
Z - Zimbabwe, Zanzibar

Regions - 9
Countries - 80
ABC - 25 / (26)

Wow, what a great system! Mind if I copy?

Miss GP wrote: "Wow, what a great system! Mind if I copy?"

I don't mind at all.

I Loved 'Love in the time of Cholera'.
What are you planning to read from Russia? Or Armenia?

pjreads wrote: "


A
B
C - China, Columbia
D
E
F - France
G - Guatemala
H - Hong Kong
I - India, Ireland
J
K
L
M
N
O
P - Poland
Q
R
S - Scotland, Spain
T - Tasmania
U - USA
V
W
X
Y
Z

..."PJ, like Miss GP I like your system. Hope you don't mind if I copy it also? Karen

pjreads wrote: "Europe - 13

3. Ireland - Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes 16 SEP 3 stars
4. Scotland - The House on Fortune Street A Novel by Margot Livesey? I have sitting on my "read soon" shelf, but haven't gotten around to it. A friend highly recommended it, but this friend and I don't always agree on what's a good book! lol.

So what did you think? Should I read it, or look for another Italy book?

Also, I'm very impressed with the number of books you've read so far for this challenge. You are way ahead!

KarenLee wrote: "So what did you think? Should I read it, or look for another Italy book? ..."

Italy - Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
She did a good job in presenting the Middle Ages without too much contamination of attitudes/thinking from subsequent eras. Good story. I recommend it.

pjreads wrote: "Latin America - 12

7. Columbia - Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez 21 SEP 4 stars
12. Guatemala - [book:Silence On The Mountain Stories Of Terror..."

Oh no! I broke both my arms in a car accident while I was in college. No fun! Hope you are doing okay!

Diane wrote: ...

Oh no! I broke both my arms in a car accident while I was in college. No fun! Hope you are doing okay! ..."

I'm doing as okay as can be expected. It's really slowed down my reading since it's hard to find a comfortable position that lasts long enough to concentrate.

I wish you a speedy recovery!

Diane wrote: "I wish you a speedy recovery!"

Thank you. I hope the pain and discomfort goes away quickly. I know there's a lot of things I'll have to wait another 4 weeks to do.

Hey PJ, so you only thought "When A Crocodile Eats the Sun" was okay? I've been thinking about reading that; ran into the author while scuba diving recently and he seemed like a nice guy.

Alex wrote: "Hey PJ, so you only thought "When A Crocodile Eats the Sun" was okay? I've been thinking about reading that; ran into the author while scuba diving recently and he seemed like a nice guy."

Peter Godwin writes well, but I was disappointed in such a one-sided portrayal from a journalist. Instead, the book is written by a son who sees no faults in the "saintly" whites.

Ah, really? Weird. Ew. I had been under the impression he was more...uh, not like that.

Guess I'll keep this book on my TBR Later But Probably Never list. Thanks!

Alex wrote: "Ah, really? Weird. Ew. I had been under the impression he was more...uh, not like that.

Guess I'll keep this book on my TBR Later But Probably Never list. Thanks!"

Now that I've revisited this, I may not have judged fairly since I had expectations based on Godwin being a journalist. Perhaps the book has value for its insights into how people can assume blinders that let them oppress others while feeling they're the "good guys."

When you do read the book, let me know what you think.

Good point. If I ever get around to it, I'll let you know. :)

Antarctica - 1

21. Antarctica - White-Out by James Vance Marshall 17 OCT 4 stars

North America - 3

1. USA (home country) - Song Yet Sung by James McBride 15 SEP 4 stars
17. Canada - Writing with Intent Essays, Reviews, Personal Prose--1983-2005 by Margaret Atwood 15 OCT 5 stars
20. Mexico - Frida by Barbara Mujica 17 OCT 4 stars

Caribbean - 8

18. Haiti - Cathedral of the August Heat by Pierre Clitandre 15 OCT 4 stars
27. Dominican Republic - The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz 24 OCT 4 stars
34. Barbados - One Dangerous Lady A Novel by Jane Stanton Hitchcock 29 OCT 2 stars
41. Antigua - Mr.Potter by Jamaica Kincaid 5 NOV 3 stars
43. Puerto Rico - The Meaning of Consuelo A Novel by Judith Ortiz Cofer 6 NOV 3 stars
46. Dominica - Autobiography of My Mother by Jamaica Kincaid 13 NOV 4 stars
54. Virgin Is. - The Crimes of Jordan Wise A Novel by Bill Pronzini 30 NOV 3 stars
66. Cuba - Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia 31 JAN 4 stars

Oceania / Australia - 7

8. Tasmania* - English Passengers A Novel by Matthew Kneale 22 SEP 4 stars (*see rule #5)
23. Australia - Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living A Novel by Carrie Tiffany 19 OCT 2 stars
35. New Zealand - Come on Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All A New Zealand Story by Christina Thompson 29 OCT 2 stars
38. Kirabati - The Sex Lives of Cannibals Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost 1 NOV 3 stars
40. Vanuatu - Getting Stoned with Savages A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu by J. Maarten Troost 2 NOV 2-3 stars
57. Tahiti - Frangipani A Novel by Célestine Hitiura Vaite 11 DEC 5 stars
67. Papua New Guinea - The White Mary: A Novel by Kira Salak 2 FEB 1 star

Europe - 15

3. Ireland - Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes 16 SEP 3 stars
4. Scotland - The House on Fortune Street A Novel by Margot Livesey 16 SEP 3 stars
9. France - The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery 22 SEP 4 stars
10. Poland - In America A Novel by Susan Sontag 24 SEP 4 stars
11. Spain - The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón 25 SEP 4 stars
13. Italy - Pope Joan A Novel by Donna Woolfolk Cross 30 SEP 4 stars
15. Sweden - Popular Music from Vittula by Mikael Niemi 13 OCT 4 stars
16. Portugal - Alentejo Blue Fiction by Monica Ali 13 OCT 4 stars
28. Russia - Chagall A Biography by Jackie Wullschlager 25 OCT 3 stars
45. Wales - The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan 12 NOV 4 stars for writing / 3 stars for story
51. Lithuania - Vilnius Poker by Ričardas Gavelis 23 NOV 4 stars
61. Greece - Prospero's Daughters by Sally Stewart 3 JAN 2 stars
62. Austria - The Painted Kiss: A Novel by Elizabeth Hickey 10 JAN 3 stars
63. Hungary - Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts by Julian Rubinstein 19 JAN 3 stars
78. Netherlands - Conversation with Spinoza: A Cobweb Novel by Goce Smilevski 12 APR 2 stars

Middle East - 7

26. Yemen - Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday 22 OCT 2 stars
29. Oman - The Road to Ubar Finding the Atlantis of the Sands by Nicholas Clapp 25 OCT 3 stars
32. Lebanon - The Hakawati by Rabih Alameddine 27 OCT 4 stars
39. Qatar - Bedouins of Qatar by Klaus Ferdinand 1 NOV 3 stars
48. Turkey - Enlightenment by Maureen Freely 17 NOV 4 stars
52. Israel - Drawing in the Dust by Zoe Klein 25 NOV 5 stars
69. Iran - The Blood of Flowers: A Novel by Anita Amirrezvani 6 FEB 4 stars

Latin America - 12

7. Columbia - Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez 21 SEP 4 stars
12. Guatemala - Silence On The Mountain Stories Of Terror, Betrayal, And Forgetting In Guatemala by Daniel Wilkinson 28 SEP 3 stars
19. Brazil - Epitaph of a Small Winner by Machado de Assis 16 OCT 3 stars
42. Belize - The Baker's Boy by Barry Kitterman 6 NOV 4 stars
44. Argentina - Heaven of Drums by Ana Gloria Moya 11 NOV 5 stars
47. Bolivia - American Visa by Juan De Recacoechea 16 NOV 3 stars
50. Honduras Port Mungo by Patrick McGrath 22 NOV 3 stars
55. Chile - A Week in October by Elizabeth Subercaseaux 3 DEC 4 stars
64. Peru - The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder 29 JAN 5 stars
65. Nicaragua - The House of Paper by Carlos María Domínguez 30 JAN 3 stars
68. Venezuela - Swallowing Stones: A Novel by Lisa St. Aubin de Terán 4 FEB 4 stars
(This is the book I was reading on the treadmill when I fell and broke both my arms. It's a great book. I don't remember now why I didn't give it 5 stars.)
70. Panama - Crafting Gender: Women and Folk Art in Latin America and the Caribbean by Eli Bartra 6 FEB 4 stars

Asia - 12

2. India - Q & A by Vikas Swarup 15 SEP 3 stars
5. China - Waiting A Novel by Ha Jin 17 SEP 3 stars
6. Hong Kong - The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee 18 SEP 3 stars
24. Malayasia - Evening Is the Whole Day A Novel by Preeta Samarasan 21 OCT 3 stars
25. Japan - Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami 21 OCT 3 stars
31. Tibet - Red Poppies A Novel of Tibet by Alai 26 OCT 3 stars
36. Vietnam - The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien 29 OCT 4 stars
58. Singapore - The Red Thread A Chinese tale of love and fate in 1830s Singapore by Dawn Farnham 21 DEC 1 star
59. Philippines - Wisdom from a Rainforest The Spiritual Journey of an Anthropologist by Stuart A. Schlegel 28 DEC 3 stars
71. Indonesia - Map of the Invisible World by Tash Aw 26 MAR 4 stars
72. Thailand - Tales from Thailand: Folklore, Culture and History by Marian Davies Toth 26 MAR 3 stars
76. Bangladesh - A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam 11 APR 5 stars

Africa - 15

14. South Africa - Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton 30 SEP 5 Stars
22. Egypt - Nefertiti A Novel by Michelle Moran 18 OCT 3 stars
30. Zimbabwe - When a Crocodile Eats the Sun by Peter Godwin 26 OCT 3 stars
33. Rwanda - Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin 27 OCT 4 stars
37. Kenya - Wizard of the Crow A novel by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o 31 OCT 4 stars
49. Ethiopia - There Is No Me Without You One Woman's Odyssey to Rescue Africa's Children by Melissa Fay Greene 18 NOV 5 stars
53. Seychelles - The Edge of Eden by Helen Benedict 25 NOV 5 stars
56. Morocco - The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles 4 DEC 3 stars
60. Nigeria - Death and the King's Horseman by Wole Soyinka 1 JAN 5 stars
73. Uganda - Tropical Fish: Tales From Entebbe by Doreen Baingana 31 MAR 3 stars
74. Ghana (apparently Cape Corcos is an imaginary Caribbean island) - The Seasons of Beento Blackbird by Akosua Busia 2 APR 4 stars
75. Mauritius - Georges by Alexandre Dumas 4 APR 4 stars
77. Zanzibar - By the Sea by Abdulrazak Gurnah 12 APR 4 stars
79. The Magician's Wife by Brian Moore 14 APR 3 stars
80. Congo - The Witch Doctor's Wife by Tamar Myers 23 APR 3 stars

Woohoo! Congrats on reaching 80!

Amazing! :) I think I'm meandering around the World, possibly on a gondola or bicycle, heh, while you've taken the Concorde! Congrats!