Around the World in 80 Books discussion
Random Travel Challenge
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Pepita's randoms 2018 - 2023
2. Philippines The Blue by Lucy Clarke 12/3/2018...not a lot of the Philippines as mostly out at sea and a bit in New Zealand so will keep looking for something with more of the location.3. Uganda My Driver by Maggie Gee 18/3/2018...really enjoyed this book which had a fun farcical element but also very vivid picture of many aspects of Uganda.
4. Togo Almost Sleeping My Way to Timbuktu by Sihle Khumalo 24/3/2018... very readable travel writing; only touched briefly in Togo but all I could get my hands on. Could equally be used for Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso or Benin
5. Angola A General Theory of Oblivion by José Eduardo Agualusa 28/3/2018
What an amazing set of books! Thanks for sharing!
7. Tunisia Barbarian Spring by Jonas Lüscher 12/4/2018 ....have also used this book in the 2018 Popsugar Challenge for the prompt "Book with the ugliest cover"...it's not a book I would have picked up out of interest (I often judge a book by its cover!), however it was an interesting read.
8. Serbia Cornflower Blue: A Case for Milena Lukin by Christian Schünemann and Jelena Volic 18/4/2018......two authors named on title page of book.
9. Panama The Tailor of Panama by John le Carré 26/4/201810. Ghana Gold of Our Fathers by Kwei Quartey 2/5/2018
12 countries chosen at random for 2019Micronesia*
Singapore*
Mauritius*
Ukraine*
Panama*
Jordan*
Oman*
Malawi*
Belarus*
Papua New Guinea*
Indonesia*
Belize*
3. Mauritius My Love Must Wait by Ernestine Hill 27/4/2019..... most amazing account of Matthew Flinders explorations and mapping of Australia; also, importantly for this challenge, the 7 years he spent as a prisoner on Mauritius and the subsequent compromise of his life's work. These wasted years so sad for a man of such brilliance and integrity....
4. Ukraine The Child Thief by Dan Smith 7/6/2019 ... I was hesitant to try this as the potential subject matter indicated by the title worried me but it turned out to be quite absorbing for a different reason and very readable.5. Papua New Guinea Papua by Peter Watt 9/6/2019.... Australian version of Wilbur Smith style of writing.
6. Indonesia A Bali Conspiracy Most Foul by Shamini Flint 20/6/20197. Belize After the Storm by Jane Lythell 3/7/2019....only a very brief part of this book set in Belize....a starting port/point for a sailing adventure
8. Belarus A Family Madness by Thomas Keneally 21/7/2019
9. Jordan The Confusion of Languages by Siobhan Fallon 2/8/2019...really well constructed... unfolded beautifully...
10. Oman Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi 5/10/2019...very strong illustration of family and culture in Oman
11. Malawi All Things Strange and Wonderful by Dr. Reb 25/12/2019..... loved this account of a two year stint by a veterinarian working for the Peace Corps in Malawi. 12. Panama Missing by Sue Whiting 26/12/2019
I did it! I have rearranged my numbering and titles as I discovered I had left out my Indonesian book, a good old murder mystery....my favourites. Thought I was going to miss the mark as I was struggling to find something new to read set in Panama as it was also in my 2018 random selection but finally discovered a Young Adult novel which I enjoyed and it was a quick read too so made the deadline!
12 random countries for 2020South Korea*
Grenada*
Cameroon*
Guatemala*
Kiribati - failed to find a book for this destination although I have read one previously..
Monaco*
Spain*
Moldova*
Ethiopia*
Marshall Islands*
Costa Rica*
Kenya*
1. South Korea The Kinship of Secrets by Eugenia Kim... this was a delightful story about a family separated through immigration and war and a reunion that was complicated by extended family ties.
2. Kenya Only We Know by Karen Perry...crosses between Kenya and Ireland from childhood incident to consequences as adults.
3. Spain The Other Half of Augusta Hope by Joanna Glen 2/5/2020...�. also UK and a little in Burundi .4. Grenada Sugar Money by Jane Harris 7/5/2020....starts in Martinique and ends in UK but the bulk of the story is set in Grenada.
5. Monaco Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor 20/5/2020.....and as you might expect also set in France and a little in UK.6. Guatemala In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende 21/5/2020...�.also Chile and New York, USA.
7. Costa Rica Love Her Madly by M. Elizabeth Lee 22/5/2020...…â¶Ä� only a brief part of this book takes place in Costa Rica but it is a significant part of the plot.
9. Marshall Islands The Toll by Neal Shusterman 16/11/2020.......futuristic setting but definitely Marshall Islands and more specifically Kwajalein Atoll
10. Moldova Silencer by Andy McNab28/11/2020..... this only has a sketchy few chapters set in Moldova and, like all McNab stories, plenty of action in those chapters....11. Ethiopia Cry Wolf by Wilbur Smith13/12/2020
Finished the year one short of my random destinations....I was reading The Age of Islands: In Search of New and Disappearing Islands by Alastair Bonnett in the hope that it would cover Kiribati and while it did get a mention (on just one page) I could not in all consciousness claim it ......it was, nevertheless, informative reading and quite fascinating in it's global exploration of the 'comings' and 'goings' of many islands around the world.
12 random countries for 2021....
Burkina Faso*
Norway*
Ethiopia*
Sri Lanka*
Angola*
Vietnam...(not this year)
Italy*
United Kingdom*
Syria*
Moldova*
Cuba*
Lesotho....(not this year)
1. Angola Saudade by Suneeta Peres da Costa 16/1/20212. Burkina Faso American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson 31/1/2021
3.Norway Hunger by Knut Hamsun 5/2/20214. United Kingdom The Godmothers by Monica McInerney 9/4/2021
5. Cuba Havana Storm by Clive Cussler 26/6/2021
6. Syria Syria's Secret Library: The True Story of How A Besieged Syrian Town Found Hope by Mike Thomson 13/8/2021
7. Moldova A Wartime Marriage by Mary Jane Staples 8/9/2021..... this was a bit of a stretch although it did start in Moldova and was about a Moldovian Princess.....8. Ethiopia The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste 5/12/2021
9. Italy The Three Secret Cities by Matthew Reilly 23/12/2021... like all Reilly's books it jumps around the world a bit but there were some significant scenes in Italy...and I am running out of time for this challenge!
10. Sri Lanka The Tea Planter's Wife by Dinah Jefferies 31/12/2021Well...I am a bit short of my twelve random countries this year ....missed Vietnam and Lesotho... had difficulty finding something for Lesotho and I had intended to read Saigon: An Epic Novel of Vietnam by Anthony Grey but the copy I have is a paperback (smallish writing) and I kept putting off the 750 pages of squinting until I ran out of time.....perhaps next year?!
12 random countries for 2022
Cameroon*
Georgia*
Slovakia*
Bolivia
Costa Rica*
Liechtenstein*
Serbia*
Mexico*
Albania*
Saint Lucia
Micronesia
Norway*
....didn't manage to find titles for Saint Lucia, Bolivia and Micronesia...so 3 short of the 12 for this year
2. Mexico American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins 13/6/2022.....a very grueling story to read, but compelling to the end
3. Serbia The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose 21/6/2022....while not strictly set in Serbia the story revolves around the art and life of Marina Abramovic including her early years in Serbia, and her parents involvement as Yugoslavian partisans in WW 2....
4. Slovakia And Then You're Dead by Dan Latus 27/6/2022.... a bit tenuous for Slovakia as it only took us briefly to that country also briefly to Ukraine..
6. Liechtenstein Ludmila & the Lonely by Paul Gallico ....two novellas and only Ludmila set in Liechtenstein...but I enjoyed both 27/7/2022
8. Georgia Red Station by Adrian Magson 25/10/20229. Costa Rica The Secret Path by Karen Swan 31/10/2022
12 countries for 2023
Georgia*
Tanzania*
Vanuatu*
Kuwait*
Lesotho...not this year
Maldives*
Romania*
Germany*
Paraguay*
Iceland*
Rwanda*
Azerbaijan...not this year
....falling short again this year as I failed to find titles for Lesotho and Azerbaijan......
Vanuatu Beyond The Palm Trees: A compilation of real stories from idyllic places in the South Pacific and the triumphs and tragedies faced there... by Robyn Harbour 3/3/2023
Around the World in 80 Books
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Uganda*
Fiji *
Panama*
Togo*
Tunisia*
Philippines*
Mongolia*
Serbia*
Ghana*
Angola*