#readingthamericas2023 #argentina Turning the masculine gaucho stereotype on its head, this love song to the pampas tells of Martín Fierro‘s wife and her traveling companions. The myth of Empire as progress clashes with our characters traveling back to a better time within a traditional Indigenous culture. Gender roles are fluid, mushrooms abound, and sexual encounters are described with modern detail. Booker International short list

#readaroundtheworld #seychelles I‘m not a fan of short stories but this was so much better than Seychelles Idyll I was delighted. Many of the vignettes are simply the author reminiscing about some of the events, lore and characters on the islands where he lived for 20 years. The islands themselves with their beautiful and dangerous lagoons are the main character. The stories were uneven but I did learn a lot about the culture and history.

#ReadAroundTheWorld #Seychelles Written by a London policeman who was seconded to the then Crown Colony of the Seychelles right before their independence. It is supposed to be fiction but it is written as if it was notes taken on his trip: beautiful beaches, odd characters, mating giant turtles, and many British career civil servants with much drinking. I think I better find another option for the month. Has anyone else found anything good?

#readingtheamericas2023 #nicaragua Rushdie visits Nicaragua in 1986 when the FLSN are still idealistic after their election victory in 1979 but fighting a civil war with the Contra insurgents. He admits to only capturing a moment in time but the personal insights he brings to that moment are well presented.

#readingtheamericas2023 #grenada. Difficult read as all the dialogue is in Creole and the Revolution and US invasion is told through the voice of individuals experiencing it in the confusion of the moment. Hard to completely connect with the characters but nevertheless an interesting read.

#readaroundtheworld #Scotland The streets and housing schemes of Glasgow are once again the setting forStuart‘s second novel about a young man finding a place for himself with an alcoholic mother, a capable older sister and a violent older brother. The detailed descriptions, the realistic secondary characters and the tension of the plot combine to enhance the love story amidst extreme violence.

#readingtheamericas2023. #uruguay Not the poetic, multi-voice brilliance of Memory of Fire but nevertheless an interesting history of the whole world through small vignettes of key people. Like all history, this one comes with a point of view. We hear about the enslaved as well as the enslavers, we hear about South and Central America, not just Europe and North America. Plus, who knew, the history of the world is full of women.

I thought I should read an indigenous author for the US prompt for #ReadingtheAmericas2023 Erdrich is a Chippewa from Minneapolis and owns a bookstore. Our MC works in Louise‘s fictional bookstore and struggles with her own sense of self and with a ghost. The story takes place in the early days of the pandemic when we were all a bit haunted. The sentence of the title is both a grammatical language construct and a time of incarceration.

#Readingtheamericas2023 #Mexico I have not read many Mexican authors but the ones I have read tend to make the peasants and tenant farmers the heroes of the revolutionary story. Here we have a story about owners holding onto their land. Truly the book is a touch slow, a touch too sentimental, a bit too much magical realism with sentient bees. However, there is a fully realized female character and a simple reading style that I loved.

#Readintheamericas2023 #puertorico A love story to a city and a woman that could never be held onto. The author captures both the love and bitter despair as he walks the streets of San Juan. The argument about authors from Spain not being the center of Hispanic literature unbalances the ending but otherwise I thought it unique and worthy as it captured the in between and confused state of Puerto Rico while giving me a lusty love story.

#ReadingtheAmericas2023 #Barbados An example of how different a reading versus listening experience can be. The beautifully lyrical accents of the narrators creates a light mood but the content is not at all light. The stories reflect sex trafficking, domestic abuse, and broken homes. The voices are often of children or innocents and their naïveté really caused a chill. An interesting book to be able to hear the warmth and feel the chill.

#ReadingtheAmericas2023 #Jamaica James‘ debut novel illustrating the extremes of religious fervor in Jamaica in 1957. The good versus evil paradigm significantly shifted here with some obeah and magical realism thrown in. The writing holds up though. It is violent and graphic so it didn‘t go well with my holiday spirit but better to end the year with this than begin a year with it. My first #ReadingtheAmericas2023

#ReadAroundTheWorld #Fiji The author delivers a detailed and personal look at both the military coup of 1987 and of his growing up in Fiji. Although in-depth, I hungered for some broader background as I didn‘t have the basics of life in Fiji. I did learn a huge amount including their Melanesia ethnicity (not Polynesian), tribal cannibalism, and the political polarization between the Indian and Indigenous people. Plus all about Kava.

#readaroundtheworld #armenia The son of the Main Character, is the author of this book taking us from his mother‘s deportation and exile from her Armenian home in Azizya through multiple refugee camps to her eventual betrothal in Greece. Along the way she loses her parents and siblings to massacres and despair. Written in a straight forward style with little emotional overtone it is nevertheless an important book about the Armenia diaspora.

#readaroundtheworld #belize Another debut novel from Belize, but this one parallels the breaking free of the colony from Britain with a coming of age story of a young Creole girl learning to stand on her own. Hurricanes feature in this one also. I suspect that one can not learn about Belize without learning about hurricanes.

#readaroundtheworld #belize The first novel in a detective series, the author had not yet found his feet. Some great history lessons, some interesting characters but the telling was too chunky, the dialogue too thin. Great dip into the highly mixed population and cultures though.

#catherbuddyread #whartonbuddyread After reading Wharton it is cleansing to read Cather again. Her descriptions, her faith in her flawed characters, and her eloquent prose add up to something purer than Wharton. This was not my favorite Cather but I still really appreciated it. One more Cather to go as I joined the buddyread late. And back to Wharton and her cruel, greedy, broken but oh so delightful to read about characters.

#whartonbuddyread I now see what you meant about Patchett having already written the sequel to Custom of the Country. Character driven family saga but also a particular insight into how economic motivators cause wedges between people, how the inability to communicate effectively is a communication nevertheless and how an author can dress someone up in a role, keep them largely offstage and yet have them be the pivot point of the book.

#ReadAroundTheWorld #Tonga I thought this book was about the author‘s travels to Tonga. Well yes, however the author is an ethnographer and this is an in-depth 30 year ethnographic case study on how globalization is impacting traditional Tongan culture. Fascinating. I learned a huge amount BUT it was slow going with many discussions about the changing nature of ethnography as well. Phew. Of the 220,000 Tongans in the world 50% live overseas.

Here is another option for The Gray Boy by Van Dyke - although I guess it is more of a gray dog…he at least looks more lost in a way that Paul could identify with.

#readaroundtheworld #italy Catching up on a classic for this month‘s selection. Historical fiction from the 1860‘s that wonderfully captures the thoughts and emotions of a feudal prince who is watching his world collapse under the pressures of capitalism and the unification of the nation/states into one Italy. Although it is a prince whose mind we dwell in, the book also captures the quiet despair of anyone who loves life and yet must give it up

#alphabetgame #letterd Not my favorite book but when I was young it opened doors for me about what a book could be and what strange places a book could take you.

#readaroundtheworld #china A short fiction from a female author and faithful believer in Communist China that takes place at the time of Deng Xiaoping‘s launch of economic reforms. The book argues for a more understanding behavioral approach to helping workers increase production. It also argues that love and companionship are as important as love of party. Well illustrates confusion during the cultural transformation and the plight of women.

An autobiography of an award winning journalist‘s coming of age in Liberia before the country descended into the chaos of civil war. In mere months, a country with solid infrastructure and tax base but with historically approved class and racial distinctions between the haves and have nots, lost all stability. The author‘s family flees to the US where they are mere faceless refugees without funds. Very well written and fascinating history lesson

#readaroundtheworld #liberia I was in need of a break from classic literature so I picked this crime fiction from a first time author from Liberia. She uses the framework of the genre well and messes a bit with the gender stereotypes. The main protagonist is a bit all over the place but the secondary characters are quite good. Overall, a fun read, if a bit “canned”. As this was set in South Africa it probably doesn‘t count for Liberia.

#czechrepublic #readaroundtheworld Set during the Prague Spring and subsequent Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia, this lightly plotted tale of love and betrayal, delves into the meaning we bring to life. Free, light, and easy but with little meaning compared to weight. The writing also walks the tightrope of light easy wit, eager sex and moments of crushing despair. Kundera talks to the reader thru the fourth wall and directly to me.

#readaroundtheworld #czechrepublic This novella takes place near the German/Czech border at the end of WWII. Hrabal uses the simple language of fables to combine absurd yet touchingly human situations with the ghastliness and horrors of war. The Nazi are held accountable as are the average German citizens but young lovers, trains and pigeons round out this glimpse of Czech life.

#readaroundtheworld #solomonislands Although not fantastic literature and unfortunately not written by an islander, I did find this Solomon Island detective noir in the tropics to be a delightful read. The plot includes a Catholic nun, a native Sargent holy man and a host of natives and ex-pats ruled by forces that do not strictly align with western logic. There is action, sex and the required number of twists and turns that the genre demands.

#comorosislands #readaroundtheworld An account of a journalist‘s investigations into the coups and assassin attacks on the presidents of the islands in the 70‘s and 80‘s. Frightening look at the role of white mercenaries in the affairs of a small tropical country know for its perfume ingredient exports. Easy reading, but our journalist found many witnesses, all of who are unreliable, so the book is a bit of a Comoros Rashomon.

#readaroundtheworld #comoroislands I was looking for the recommended Fish Caught in Time and found this by the same author about the Comoro Islands, in case anyone is looking for a book for next month.

#readaroundtheworld #cameroon The stress and irritability that exudes from the main character due to cultural pressures really permeates this small book. Our MC Banda struggles with self doubt as he attempts to navigate village traditions versus urban expectations and white colonial capitalist corruption. This does not make him an enjoyable character, which is probably the point. His “younger sister” and ailing mother are good though.

#readaroundtheworld #trinidad&tobago Thanks to @sprainedbrain I found this beginning book for 2022 readaroundtheworld. Up until then my reading had been slow slow. This was a rich world of relationships in a found family. I also could not help but cry.

#czechrepublic A sad and amusing devotional to the love of the written word, Hantá has been compacting waste paper and rescuing select literary and artistic treasures from the compactor, for 35 years. “Not until we are totally crushed do we show what we are made of”. An excellent way for this reader to celebrate the start of the new year.

#readaroundtheworld #malta A rather old fashioned tale of a parish priest serving the poor on Malta during WWII. He struggles with his faith while caring for a resilient people being crushed by the Italian/German siege against the Bristish base there. Speaking to them about the island‘s varied history of wars and sieges from the Phoenicians, Romans, and Turks up to the horrors of aerial bombing, I learned a huge amount about Malta history. ⬇️

#readaroundtheworld #brunei Two interwoven stories, one 6 generations in the past or 6 generations in the future about Nabau - a terrifying snake god and it‘s relationship with the divine kings of Brunei. The second story takes place in more modern times and seems less about good and evil and more about desire, obsession and belonging. As the two stories become one, the frightening fairy tale quality of the first takes over the second.

#readaroundtheworld An interesting although somewhat uneven collage of a young woman ostracized from her village, a chef attempting to break the power of the white colonial administrators and a teacher. Their stories are told with separate focus but they do overlap. The book illuminates the individual struggles under colonial powers when existing cultures are fragmented. Rather a modern telling.

A book of poetry by feminist poet Yasmina Nuny who was born in Portugal but raised in Africa. She has called herself a Guinea-Bissau poet. The rhythms of the poems call out for reading aloud. The spoken word sings of her experience as a woman in this world. A quick read for #readaroundtheworld #guinea-bissau

I just picked up The Limited Editions Club edition of The House of Mirth from my local library. It comes in a box with a very elaborate cover and many color plates. It is number 1384. I am almost afraid to touch it. #whartonbuddyread

#readaroundtheworld #sanmarino San Marino? James Bent, an amusing English archeologist, gives those of us attempting to read something from every country in the world, a book to learn about this rocky stronghold of democracy. Although written when historical writing was largely a long list of names and dates, nevertheless there are moments when it is quite readable with stories of evil popes, plotting usurpers of power and a benign Napoleon.

@Graywacke @Lcsmcat I read this in three days because I simply could not put it down. Seeing the Sand Hills, the Cliff Dwellings, Chicago, and The Met while watching Thea with her faults and fissures, grow into her artistic passions, was such a joy. So different from Wharton‘s Odo. With many more Cather to go, this, Death Comes and My Mortal Enemy are my favorites so far. I have found all your comments from the buddy read. Thank you

I loved this multi-layered story about a brilliant young girl, Gifty, born in Ghana and raised in Alabama. It is a story about addiction, grief, loneliness and mental illness but the writing is so pure and clear that I did not get tangled in the horrors but rather fully engaged in Gifty‘s life and her search for answers from both God and Science. I thought at first the ending was too pat but upon reflection it was the perfect ray of light.

#readaroundtheworld #bolivia Not a stunning intro to SouthAmerican lit but I did get a interesting tour of La Paz dives, bars and bordellos as the MC always lets the reader know what street he is on. I also learned some history. Did you know Bolivia lost their Pacific ports to Chile in a war? The character interaction was not bad but the narrative and plot were pretty pedestrian. 👟 👟

Take one completely unreliable author narrator who is on a book tour, and mix with alcohol, painful memories of growing up black in NC, irritatingly silly satire and heart breaking moments of racial injustice, and you get this small cyclone of a book. The humor/pathos balance did not always work for me. I found the love story annoying. However, it gets an A+ for unique presentation, nimble writing and final delivery.

Tight, clipped, allegorical tale set in the aftermath of civil war in an unnamed country. Two men are sent to pave a road that will unite the nation. The two are polar opposites and represent two different approaches to both their job and to life itself. Eggers manages to build tension and reframe post colonial struggles but he does leave many a question unanswered. Nevertheless definitely a pick.

#readaroundtheworld #Bolivia I am having trouble finding anything translated into English for Bolivia. What are you going to read? Sangre Dulce was recommended but it is short stories. I would prefer a longer form if possible but it is at least available. Oh, also this little fellow was not so sweet - out in the rain without Momma today.

#readaroundtheworld #ghana This police murder mystery provided me with a rich cultural background to Ghana. I learned about both urban and rural living there including the push and pull of traditional beliefs again modern western ones. The mystery was okay although many of the characters were a bit flat. However I loved all the names such as: Jesus Is Lord Chop House or My Savior Barber Shop, or In God We Trust Motors…

With apologies to @rockpools this is a war story that takes place 60 years after the war. Narrative non-fiction that speaks to the need for closure for MIA families. I did get some Palau flavor such as it is a matrilineal society but largely the book read to me of two huge foreign nations fighting over and destroying a tiny island culture. #readaroundtheworld #palau

#Bahrain #ReadAroundtheWorld I actually read Who Shot Ahmed? by Elizabeth Dickinson which is a well reported investigation into the circumstances surrounding the unsuccessful Arab Spring uprising in Bahrain. It is only 127 pages and available on Kindle. It clearly describes the Sunni / Shi‘ite split and historical background within the context of one young man‘s death. I am looking to read another book from Bahrain if I can find one.

#readaroundtheworld #newzealand A people of the land and sea narrate stories about their place in this world as if sharing around a fire. Thru the repetition and overlap of multiple voices we learn a dark and sad tale of fighting against the development of their land, and the struggle not to lose their young to anger and fear. I enjoyed being with these characters. As Grace writes from within her Maori culture, I was only a brief visitor.

#readaroundtheworld #newzealand Taking place during the 1860‘s gold rush in NZ, this story is an unfolding of relationships with each other, with the land and of course with the gold. The Maori character Pare, is the least well drawn but the colonists are nuanced. Well worth the read. Picture is from the Otago gold fields at that time. Brutal conditions with rats and greed fighting it out.