Around the World discussion

Barry, (((HUGS)))

For me, second to reading about different cultures comes talking about such books.

I hope I'm understanding the purpose of this thread in that it is not restricted to our lists. If so, I'm in Rome right now with Cleopatra's Daughter. I'm also in Canada (literally and figuratively) with The Tenderness of Wolves.

I like that you are in both Rome and Canada. However, traveling with books doesn't start until 2012. Right now we are all preparing lists, and discussing books for the list.

Janice, have you joined? Or are you still thinking?

Yes, I joined. You can't leave comments unless you are a member. :)

Anne wrote: "I like that you are in both Rome and Canada. However, traveling with books doesn't start until 2012. Right now we are all preparing lists, and discussing books for the list."

Ahhh.. I understand. I thought that maybe there'd be one current thread. LOL!

Janice, this is the thread where members will leave links to their reviews of the books they have read. Then the book discussions can occur under those reviews.

I am an eager beaver. I'm from Canada afterall. :)

I just thought I would explain the purpose of the thread! Nice you joined.

Thanks Chrissie for the welcome and the explanation. :)

I'm from the USA. I visited Somalia by way of Switzerland this summer (school was in Switzerland, and we had a visiting author from Somalia (Nurrudin Farah)). He was interesting, but we read sample chapters, so maybe I'll completely finish one of his books someday. I like some of his books more than others, mainly I like the ones with a female protagonist. He's skilled w/writing female characters.

I dunno--by my people's calendar, the new year starts this month!

I was thinking rosh hashana, but hey, close enough :)

Sho wrote: "I dunno--by my people's calendar, the new year starts this month!"

Let's do it! I might just start this on September 15, my birthday. I didn't actually start reading world lit on Sept. 1 like I said I would.

In anticipation of Rosh Hashana....

Cyprus: Place of Refuge: A History of the Jews in Cyprus

Guam (unincorporated U.S. territory): A Taste of Guam

Several of you have The Last Station on your lists. I just completed it so I decided to post my review here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Ver interesting.

Ivory Coast: Abongui My People Cote D'Ivoire My Country America My Home: The Ethno-history of a Small African Kingdom

I just love this idea. Right now I'm in Cambodia reading First They Killed My Father. I'll post my complete list once I get it together:)

Marshall Islands: Traditional Medicine of the Marshall Islands: The Women, the Plants, the Treatments

At the moment I'm both in Bosnia with How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone and in Afghanistan with Wenn Katzen Menschen werden. The first is a novel written in German, Sasa Stanisic's second language, and it's stunning how masterful it's written. It's about the war in Yugoslavia and the interruption it meant for the child Aleksandar who had to become a different person in Germany and in the second part goes back to his homeland to make a connection between these two parts of his self. It's heart-rendering, funny, quirky - everyone should read this, really....It makes me wanna pack my backpack and go see the river Drina.....Spojmay Zariab is a female writer from Afghanistan, unfortunately this collection of short stories is the only writing of her available in German and none seems to have been published in English. As she's living in France now, more books are available in French, so for those of you more fluent in this language - go check her out. Her writing is very clear, simple, bitter-sweet and written from the perspective of a woman and mother. Zariab is not an optimist, her children aren't innocent, but prone to cruelty and egotism right from birth and her stories are quite shocking sometimes, but so far the read has been worth-while. Afghan society is well portrayed and also Persian literature plays an important role as she's well familiar with it as a Dari teacher.

Julia,
Glad you are loving How the Soldier Repairs the Gramaphone. That's on my list for next year. After hearing your report I'm not sure that I can wait that long.

Hi Barry,
yes, German is my native tongue as I'm Austrian so not much merit in reading best and fastest in this language. English has always been my first love (in languages :-) ), but I also read Spanish well and Italian without big problems, even though not at the same speed. I used to read in French and Portuguese from time to time as well, but I keep getting lazier as I need a dictionary and have to concentrate a lot in order not to lose thread in these languages.... Still, I think that reading is the best way of improving one's style and vocabulary in a foreign language, especially if one is an avid reader. It doesn't help a lot in speaking, though, even when I could read French quite fluenty, my understanding of the spoken language didn't improve as I didn't do any talking with French people....

Anne, I'm finishing How the Soldier Repairs the Gramaphone today and I don't want to let go. Stanisic is an incredibly gifted writer, even though I haven't been in Bosnia, I feel nostalgia. I also think it's sentimental in the best way and some of the episodes are funny and light as well which makes it a very balanced read for me.
I know many Bosnians living here in Austria and I remember the time we suddenly couldn't go to Yugoslavia for holiday any longer because a war had broken out, a reality my brother and I couldn't really grasp as we had spent so many gorgeous summers swimming in the Adria and experiencing the hospitality of so many different people (Serbs, Croatians, etc. - and it never seemed to matter to anyone). Even though of course we were in no way affected like the people living this horrible war, I feel that this event was one of the most important in my childhood as the unbelievable cruelties on the TV were taking place only a couple of hours away.

Julia,
Okay, you've convinced me that How the Soldier.... is a priority. I've been wanting to read it for a while and I think I will get to it very soon given your enthusiasm. The best books, for me, are those that I don't want to finish. I tend to miss characters in such books.

On a more somber note, it must have been horrible watching the place you loved in your childhood suddenly turn into a war zone. I imagine it must have been quite traumatic to see and hear about the violence between people that had been your hosts and friends.

Anne wrote: "Julia,
Okay, you've convinced me that How the Soldier.... is a priority. I've been wanting to read it for a while and I think I will get to it very soon given your enthusiasm. The best books, for..."

Anne, I really hope you'll like it as much as I did...I always tend to feel responsible if I recommend books to others and then they don't love them as much as I did. Sasa Stanisic is only two years younger than I am and somehow I feel a really deep connection about his book because it refers to lots of incidences I remember the same way he does - I think that the younger we are, the more impressionable. Now sometimes, I'm really shocked by how easily I can switch off the news on hunger, war and environmental catastrophes and just go back to my everyday life. Of course, it's a necessity, but sometimes I'm feeling ashamed of this ever-growing capacity.....The war in Yugoslavia somehow brought killing so close - the Iraq, Africa - these are places somehow "faaaaar away", but a place where one has been and which is only a couple of hours ago is so much more real in a kind of way.

Julia, I agree with you that having lived or spent lengthy time in a given country will clearly enhance your appreciation of a book set in that country. Even visiting a country helps. This is one of the delights of living in Europe.

I gave How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone five stars too! I think many of us get nervous when we recommend a book by writing a positive review. We can never know how others will ract to that book. We all come to a book with different experiences, likes and dislikes. You just want the others to enjoy the book as much as you did yourself.

Julia, I've been wanting to get to this book for a while, so don't worry about having recommended it. I just might try to get to it sooner than later because of your enthusiasm.

I'm sure with the distances so close in Europe and with Yugoslavia (your childhood playground) at war it is and was all the more necessary to tune out the news in order to get through your own day. If you keep thinking about the atrocities and people getting killed you won't be able to think about anything else. I'm sure if there were anything you could do while watching the news about wars you would do it - but what can you do in the moment from Austria? I understand that feeling of helplessness. I lived in Israel for two years. When I left I couldn't listen to the news for a very long time because the ongoing Intifada was so painful for me - it seemed never-ending and I felt helpless to do anything to stop it.

On a smaller scale, living in NYC, people walk fast and don't look at each other. There's way too much stimulation. It's just not possible to take it all in. That can look like people are detached (which they are in a way), but if a stranger stops a New Yorker on the street and asks for directions, for instance, that NYer will do everything s/he can to assist that stranger. That's been my experience, anyway.

I have a copy of How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone on the shelf--maybe now is the time to read it.

Sho, I liked "How the soldier" very much. And I just finished A Guide to the Birds of East Africa. It WAS fun, as you said it would be.

Anne wrote: "Julia, I've been wanting to get to this book for a while, so don't worry about having recommended it. I just might try to get to it sooner than later because of your enthusiasm.

I'm sure with ..."
Anne, I really agree with what you say on how people also sometimes have to be attached as otherwise there would be just way too much stimulation. What would doctors do if they weren't able to develop that kind of detachment from their patients after a while? Still, I always feel that it is a thin line between necessary distance and plain carelessness. Your example of New Yorkers is really nice - good you've made such good experiences there. I've never been anywhere in the US, but I think it's quite similar even here in much smaller cities. There are only two places in the world where I've been actually approached by people asking me if I needed help with directions: in Dublin and in Ukraine. The Irish are just the loveliest and most open-minded people I've ever met, even more so than my beloved Spanish, and in Ukraine I was really impressed how people tried to help us on trains and busses when they realized we were quite lost because of not speaking any Ukrainian or Russian. Most Ukrainians I've met didn't speak anything else, but there were still quite a number of strangers walking with us or giving us signs when to get off even though we were troublesome foreigners for them with whom they couldn't communicate well. I found that really admirable and enjoyed travelling there so much for because of these experiences......

Julia wrote: "Anne wrote: "Julia, I've been wanting to get to this book for a while, so don't worry about having recommended it. I just might try to get to it sooner than later because of your enthusiasm.

..."

I've had very similar experiences when traveling in Europe. I've never been to Ireland, the Ukraine (or Austria), but almost every other European country and people have always been very friendly. Of course, some people are friendlier than others. Some people have wanted to chat and get to know more about me and America; others have given me their phone number in case I ever needed help. Traveling in Germany with my mother who is fluent (it's her native tongue) , we met many people who went out of their way to be friendly and helpful. Something brings out out the niceness in people when they see visitors in their country. Not quite sure why that is.

I'm in Japan - Hiroshima to be exact, with Hiroshima in the Morning. Disturbing, to state the obvious, but with additional themes of the writer's own family upheaval, marriage issues and travel. Its keeping my interest so far... will report back.

Judy wrote: "Glad you are enjoying Japan, Kristen. :-) I'm having Troubles in Ireland. (Just kidding.)"

Haha, Judy - that looks like a good one - adding it to my 400+ to-read list!

Julia wrote: "At the moment I'm both in Bosnia with How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone and in Afghanistan with Wenn Katzen Menschen werden. The first is a novel written in Germ..."

Julia, my husband is from Bosnia, emigrated when he was 8. He has alot of family and the wars hit home. We lived in Serbia for 3.5 years (work related) and saw first hand the consequences of those wars. Do you know if he wrote the books in English? Or in Serbian? Don't know how to read German :)

Mira wrote: "Julia wrote: "At the moment I'm both in Bosnia with How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone and in Afghanistan with Wenn Katzen Menschen werden. The first is a novel w..."

Hi Mira,
that's really interesting - I know lots of people around my age who are first generation here in Austria. My best friend's ex-boyfriend came to Austria from Bosnia at the age of eleven with only some supermarket bags into which the family had stuffed their "important" belongings...Traumatizing, for sure....A taxi driver brought them a long way and they found him out after the war to "pay" in a symbolic way - most probably he saved their lives and there's not really a way to reciproce.

How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone was written in German, but it has been translated to many languages, English among them, of course... Do you speak Serbian/Serbocroation? I've studied a little bit for holiday use, but it's a long way from being able to read anything or even maintain a halfway-decent conversation. I remember getting irritated looks from the waiter when I ordered "lazy wine" instead of "white wine".....

I'm in Texas, so like hey y'all! I recommend Home Before Morning it's an excellent memoir, about an army nurse from California that was sent to Vietnam. It has a strong emotional message and I cried before reaching chapter 2. I picked it for a summer collage class and loved it. It's very descriptive though and I don't suggest it if your squeamish about bloody scenes.

I have just finished 36 Views of Mount Fuji: On Finding Myself in Japan. I t is about Japanese culture. You get to know these people on a personal level. It also deals with how you determine where you fit in if you feel at home in several countries, since you have lived in each of them for many years. Here is my spoiler free review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/.... I believe that could be many of you interestied in this book. It is et primarily in Japan. Gaeta recommended it to me, and I am very glad she did. 4 stars!

I have too many books to read for Japan, so it is good I read this in 2011.

Oh, and it isn"t just about Japanese culture, but I explain that in my review.

From the Land of the Moonis on my list for Italy next year. It set primarily in Sardinia, and also parts in Milan and Genoa. It is a novella in length. I enjoyed the prose. I enjoyed the themes covered: art, love, sex, craziness truth and imagination..... Here is my spoiler free review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Papua New Guinea: In Papua New Guinea

Not on my list, but could work for yours:

Poland: The Bagel: A Cultural History

Scotland: Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland and The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides

Could be used for China:

Kosher Chinese: Living, Teaching, and Eating with China's Other Billion

I'm just wrapping up The Foremost Good Fortune, which is a memoir about an American woman who moves to Beijing with her two boys, age 4 and 6, when her husband takes a job in China. The writing is excellent and you get a real feel for what China is like today (it takes place from 2008 - 2010). I highly recommend it:-)

I'm from New Zealand, but live in Singapore (well, until the end of 2012).

Marita wrote: "I'm from New Zealand, but live in Singapore (well, until the end of 2012)."

You must have some interesting experiences, Marita!

Suzanne wrote: "Marita wrote: "I'm from New Zealand, but live in Singapore (well, until the end of 2012)."

You must have some interesting experiences, Marita!"

I suppose I have some :)

Read the first book on my list In Pale Battalions. Loved it. Here is my 5-star review.
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Barry wrote: "here, Darrell, use this link instead: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

if you click where it says My Review on your review, you'll go to a page that is only that review - the other l..."

Thanks. I'll get the hang of it sooner or later. One down, 51 to go!

Judy wrote: "Congrats on finishing your first book, Darrell! Glad it was one you enjoyed so much, too."

Thanks. I'm a big Robert Goddard fan and he didn't disappoint.

Judy wrote: "I wouldn't put Mistress of the Art of Death totally out of your mind. The author does an excellent job of depicting England in the Middle Ages. She also has an excellent knowledge of c..."

Thanks for the tip. It's sitting on my shelf and won't go away. You're right, good Middle Ages books are hard to find. Loved Kristin Lavransdatter, so maybe this is similar.

I'd love to see you read KL. It's long and an old classic. Wonder what you'd think of it.

Re: Kristin Lavransdatter

I would recommend reading an edition translated by Tiina Nunnally. The book is available as three separate titles on Kindle - but the translator is different and I was NOT pleased with the lines. i could see that words were improperly translated, since Swedish and Norwegian are so similar. I have read other translations by Nunnally and they were excellent.