"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Monday, July 18, 2016

TTT: Books Set Outside the USA

Hosted by The Broke and Bookish
Top Ten Tuesday: Books set outside the USA which I have recently read and recommend

West with the Night1. West with the Night by Beryl Markham, published in 1942, set in British East Africa, before Kenya was Kenya. I love, love this classic book and will gush about it for years I fear. The author was a British citizen but lived in Kenya most of her life.

The Bitter Side of Sweet2. The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan, published in 2016, set in Ivory Coast in West Africa. About the near slavery endured by workers in the cacao plantations. The author is a US citizen who has lived in many places around the world.

Razorhurst3. Razorhurst by Justine Larbalestier, published in 2015 in USA, set in Australia the Razorhurst area of Sydney in the 1930s. A fascinating look at a piece of history I never heard about before reading this book. The author is Australian.

Unbecoming4. Unbecoming by Jenny Downham, published in 2016 in the USA, set in the UK. The best LGBT book I've ever read which isn't really a LGBT book. Go figure. The author is British.

The Passion of Dolssa5. The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry, published in the 2016, set in the late 1200s in what is now Southern France. This is my favorite YA book so far this year.

Salt to the Sea6. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys, published in 2016, set during the last days of WWII in what was called West Prussia, which I think is Poland today.

Running the Rift7. Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron, pub. in 2012, about the Rwandan genocide. It won the Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaging literature.

The Last Leaves Falling8. Last Leaves Falling by Sarah Benwell, published in 2015, set in Japan about a boy dying from ALS and his attempts at living the life he wants.

The Shipping News9. The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx, published in 1993, set in Newfoundland, Canada. I love this quirky book. It has long been a favorite.

The Carnival at Bray10. The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley, published in 2014, set in Ireland, it has a historical feel to it since it is also set in the 1980s.

I will keep going since I am having so much fun...

A Tale for the Time Being11. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki, published in 2013, set half in British Columbia, Canada and and half in Japan. A unique and superbly written tale. The author is American-Canadian.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao12. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, published in 2007, set partially in Dominican Republic, this book is so good it won the Pulitzer Prize the year it was published. The author is Dominican-American

The Rosie Project (Don Tillman, #1)13. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion, published in 2013, set in Australia where the main character has Aspberger's syndrome. It is hilarious. The author is Australian.

A Time to Dance14. A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman, published in 2014, set in India, the main character struggles to learn to dance again after losing a leg. The author is Indian.

The Shadow of the Wind (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books,  #1)15. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, published in 2004, set in Spain. I am a big fan of this author. This is a very atmospheric book. The author is Spanish.

In Darkness16. In Darkness by Nick Lake, published in 2012, set in Haiti, tells the story of Haiti's history and events in modern times.

Like Water for Chocolate17. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, 1989, set in Mexico in the Magical Realism style, Weird but wonderful. The author is Mexican.

one more and I'll stop (but I could go on)

The Elegance of the Hedgehog18. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Murial Barbery. published in 2008, set in France, is a top ten book of mine but it is not light reading. The author is French.

28 comments:

  1. What a lovely collection of books! I've read 9, 11, a bit of 12 and 17, the best of the bunch being the Ozeki (have you read her others, which ARE set in America?).

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    1. No, I haven't read anything else by Ozeki, but I loved A TALE FOR THE TIME BEING. Loved it.

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  2. Wow, what an outstanding list!! Lots of great titles here. I've enjoyed many of them & love to read books set in far away places. You've got some of my recent favorites here, like Salt to the Sea and A Tale for the Time Being.

    Also, I'm glad to hear Unbecoming is so good! I have it waiting on my iPod and I also gave a copy to my 16- and 18-year old cousins. Can't wait to read it now!

    Sue

    2016 Big Book Summer Challenge

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    1. I really enjoyed UNBECOMING but I am not sure how teenagers will approach it. I hope your nieces enjoy it.

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  3. P.S. I was excited to see you left a link on my Big Book Challenge page - so glad you decided to join the fun! But your link was just to your home page here and not to a kick-off post...and I can't find a kick-off post - ?? You can delete the generic link and add one to your Big Book Summer kick-off post when you write one. Glad you are joining in!

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  4. The Shadow of the Wind! Will never ever get tired of that book. I've used it in a previous post last week as well. Salt to the sea is on my nighstand - can't wait to start reading. You've got a very nice selection here. Here's my TTT: http://marelithalkink.blogspot.co.za/2016/07/ten-books-set-in-south-africa.html

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    1. I've only read SHADOW OF THE WIND once but thought it so good.

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  5. Thanks for sharing so many books! I want to start reading more books that are set outside of the US so this is a great help! :D
    My Top Ten Tuesday!

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    1. I am always looking for books about other cultures, too.

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  6. Unbecoming looks amazing. I'll have to check it out!

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  7. Wow, great list! West With The Night sounds great, I'd love to read about Africa in the 40's. Razorhurst as well, and Passion of Dolssa. Anything 1200's and France has me interested. These are new to me so I will check them out- glad to discover these!

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  8. Wow, great list! West With The Night sounds great, I'd love to read about Africa in the 40's. Razorhurst as well, and Passion of Dolssa. Anything 1200's and France has me interested. These are new to me so I will check them out- glad to discover these!

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    1. You really went above and beyond with your list! I'm really interested in A Tale for the Time Being. I love the idea of a story being told across cultures.

      Liselle @ Lunch-Time Librarian

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  10. The Passion of Dolssa is a good one to me - I'll have to add it to my tbr!

    Check out my TTT.

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  11. I've heard some incredible things about Salt to the Sea, I must get to it soon! Great list this week.

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  12. Wow, you have a great list of books here. I've only heard of some them so I'm going to have to look the others up and them to my TBR, haha. Also, I had no idea The Rosie Project was set in Australia! Who knew. Thanks for the list!

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  13. The Elegance of the Hedgehog has popped up on so many lists! That might be a sign to find a copy and start reading. Great list :)

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    1. I loved, love this book but it isn't an easy read. I sat with a dictionary open as I read it. I had to look up a lot of words. The translator selected perfect and nuanced words which aren't used in common language. Exquisite.

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  14. Oh wow, great list. I am so interested in West with the Night, I have seen some really wonderful quotes from that book. I love that it is set in my country way before my time so I am definitely intrigued. Thanks for the list, alot of books to look for based on this.

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    1. I am a huge fan of Beryl Markham's writing. Here is my book review of West with the Night, if you would be so good as to read it I would be honored. West With the Night Review

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  15. Oh I so want to read Elegance of the Hedgehog! And I'm kind of ashamed I haven't read The Rosie Project since I'm Australian and all and it's pretty famous. xD haha. Omg and I definitely want to read Salt to the Sea sometime because I looooove books set around Prussia/Russia areas.
    Fabulous list. :D
    Thanks for stopping by @ Paper Fury!

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    1. The Rosie Project is very funny. I listened to the audiobook with my family and we all laughed our way through it.

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  16. Wonderful list! I have Salt to the Sea waiting for me in my large library pile. And I definitely need to check out The Passion of Dolssa.

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  17. Definitely enjoyed The Passion of Dolssa! Glad to see that it made your list too :) There are quite a few on here I'd like to read soon, especially Salt to the Sea and Last Leaves Falling! Great choices!

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