Cecilturtle's world tour

I'll start with what I have so far:

Afghanistan:
1. The Kite Runner by Kahled Hosseini
2. Mille Soleils splendides by Kahled Hosseini
3. Le Libraire de Kaboul by Asne Seierstad
4. Les Cavaliers by Joseph Kessel
5. Born Under a Million Shadows by Andrea Busfield

Albania:
1. The Unexpected Mrs Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman

Algeria:
1. Comment réussir un bon petit couscous by Fellag
2. Les mots pour le dire by Marie Cardinal
3. Ce que le jour doit à la nuit by Yasmina Khadra
4. La Voyeuse interdite by Nina Bouraoui
5. Le voile du silence by Djura

Argentina:
1. Pertubations atmosphériques by Rivka Galchen
2. Journal d'un lecteur by Alberto Manguel
3. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

Australia:
1. Australian Short Stories collected work
2. Murder on a Midsummer Night by Kerry Greenwood
3. The Bat by Jo Nesbo
4. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
5. Little Big Lies by Liane Moriarty

Austria (visited):
1. Vienna 1900 by Arthur Schnitzler
2. Le roman de Sissi by André Besson
3.La Part de l'autre by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt
4. Quand souffle le vent du nord by Daniel Glattauer
5. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Azerbaijan:
1. Bakou, derniers jours by Olivier Rolin

Bangladesh:
1. Psychopompe by Amélie Nothomb

Barbados:
1. Moi, Tituba sorcière by Maryse Condé

Belarus:
1. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

Belgium (visited):
1. La rêveuse d'Ostende by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt
2. Les vacances d'un serial killer by Nadine Monfils
3. Mémé Cornemuse Goes to Hollywood by Nadine Monfils
4. Dibbouks by Irène Kaufer
5. Manger Bambi by Caroline de Mulder

Bhutan:
1.Histoires en couleurs by Kunzang Choden

Bolivia:
1. Marching Powder by Thomas McFadden and Rusty Young

Bosnia and Herzegovina:
1. The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
2. L'Homme qui tua Getúlio Vargas by Jo Soares

Botswana:
1. Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
2. No Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Brazil:
1. Élémentaire, ma chère Sarah by Jo Soares
2. The Testament by John Grisham
3. Saltimbanques by Sergio Kokis
4. A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh
5. Là où les tigres sont chez eux by Jean-Marie Blas de Roblès

Cameroon:
1. Le Petit Soldat de l'empire by Guy Georgy

Canada (my adopted country!):
1. Sacré Blues by Taras Grescoe
2. Cantique des plaines by Nancy Huston
3. Jade Peony by Wayson Choy
4. Petite Poule d'eau by Gabrielle Roy and
5. Island: The Complete Stories by Alistair MacLeod

Chad:
1. Les racines du ciel by Romain Gary

Chile:
1. Le Vieux qui lisait des romans d'amour by Luis Sepulveda
2. La Maison aux esprits by Isabel Allende

China:
1. Wild Swans by Jung Chang
2. Quand la Chine s'éveillera by Alain Peyrefitte
3. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
4. Impératrice Orchidée by Anchee Min
5. The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan

Colombia:
1. L'Amour au temps du choléra by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
2. The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman by Louis de Bernières

Congo (DRC):
1. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
2. GM by Alan Porter
3. Premier sang by Amélie Nothomb

Costa Rica:
1. Unfaithful Mind by Marion Gibson

Côte d'Ivoire:
1. Azizah de Niamkoko by Henri Crouzat (I'm not sure about this one - it may be in neighbouring Benin)

Cuba (visited):
1. Douleur du dollar by Zoe Valdes
2. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
3. Notre agent à la Havane by Graham Greene

Cyprus:
1. Petits meurtres au bord de l'eau by Didier Quella-Guyot
2. L'Homme qui voulait changer de vie by Antoine Filissiadis
3. Le Murder Club du jeudi by Richard Osman

Czech Republic:
1. La Plaisanterie by Milan Kundera
2. Better You Go Home by Scott Driscoll
3. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon

Denmark (visited):
1. Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg
2. Six degrés de liberté by Nicolas Dickner
3. Dossier 64 par Jussi Adler-Olsen

Dominica:
1. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

Dominican Republic (visited):
1. The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
2. This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
3. La fête au bouc by Mario Vargas Llosa

Ecuador:
1. J'aimerais tant que tu sois là by Jodi Picoult

Egypt:
1. Guardian of the Flame by T.L Higley
2.Akhenaton by Gilbert Sinoué
3. L'immeuble Yacoubian by Alaa Al Aswany
4. Miramar by Naguib Mahfouz
5. Monsieur or the Prince of Darkness by Lawrence Durell

oooh Island: The complete stories looks really good. I might have to track that down even though I have already filled up Canada!

Ethiopia:
1. Opération Rimbaud by Jacques Godbout

Fiji:
1. La Frousse autour du monde by Bruno Blanchet

Finland:
1. Boucle d'or by Mika Waltari
2. Petits suicides entre amis by Arto Paasilinna
3. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
4. L'Incolore Tsukuru Tazaki et ses années de pèlerinage by Haruki Murakami

France (my home country!):
1. Culture Shock! France by Sally Adamsom Taylor
2. 26 Gorgeous Hikes on the Côte d'Azur by Florence Chatzigianis
3. Toujours Plus! by François de Closets
4. L'âme de la France by Max Gallo
5. Les français aussi ont un accent by Jean-Benoît Nadeau

French Guiana:
1. On Work by Alain de Botton

Gabon:
1. A l'orée de la forêt vierge by Albert Schweitzer

Ghana:
1. Half Asleep in Frog Pyjamas by Tom Robbins

Germany (visited):
1. Effi Briest by Theodore Fontane
2. Les Bruddenbrook by Thomas Mann
3 German Stories/Deutsche Erzählungen by Harry Steinhauer
4. Le sang des Koenigsmark by Juliette Benzoni
5. Une amitié absolue by John LeCarré

Greece (visited):
1. La Guerre de Pétros by Alki Zei
2. Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy
3.La Bouboulina by Michel de Grèce
4. The Magus by John Fowles
5. Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

Grenada:
1. La fille qui rêvait d'un bidon d'essence et d'une allumette by Stieg Larsson

Guatemala:
1.Looptail by Bruce Poon Tip

Haïti (visited):
1. Le goût des jeunes filles by Dany Laferrière
2. L'Assassinat d'Yvon Toussaint by Yvon Toussaint
3. L'île sous la mer par Isabel Allende
4. Lovelie D'Haïti par Sylvain Meunier
5. Les Villages de Dieu par Emmelie Prophète

Honduras:
1. The Bishop's Man by Linden MacIntyre

Hungary (visited):
1. J'ai quinze ans et je ne veux pas mourir by Christine Arnothy
2. Le secret de Wilhelm Storitz by Jules Verne
3. L'Homme qui partit en fumée by Mary Sjöwall and Per Wahloöö

Iceland:
1. Rosa Candida by Audur Ava Olafsdottir
2. La défense Fischer by Pierre-Emmanuel Scherrer
3. Temps glaciaires by Fred Vargas
4. The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
5. Hiver arctique by Arnaldur Indridason

India:
1. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
2. Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
3. The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
4.Nectar in the Sieve by Kamala Markandaya
5. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

Indonesia:
1. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
2. Homo Erectus by Tonino Benacquista
3. J'ai dû rêver trop fort by Michel Bussi

Iraq:
1. Papa Sartre by Ali Bader
2. They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie
3. Meurtre en Mésopotamie by Agatha Christie
4. The Fire Gospel by Michel Faber

Iran:
1. Jamais sans ma fille by Betty Mahmoody
2. Reading Lolita in Teheran by Azar Nafisi
3. Un jardin à Téhéran by Shusha Guppy
4. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
5. Désorientale by Négar Djavani

Ireland:
1. Les cendres d'Angela by Frank McCourt
2. Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Binchy
3. Irish Girls About Town anthology edited by Maeve Binchy
4. Dubliners by James Joyce
5. Normal People by Sally Rooney

Israel:
1. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
2. Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins
3. J'apprends l'hébreu by Denis Lachaud
4. Le garçon qui voulait dormir by Aharon Appelfeld
5. Dawn by Elie Wiesel

Italy (visited):
1. The Leopard by Giuseppe Di Lampedusa
2. Le boîteux de Varsovie by Juliette de Benzoni
3. Pompéi by Robert Harris
4. Un été en toscane by Elizabeth Adler
5. Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes

Jamaica:
1. The Nine Lives of Charlotte Taylor by Sally Armstrong
2. Rule of the Bone by Russell Banks

Japan (visited):
1. From the Japanese: A Journalist in the Empire of the Resigned by Catherine Bergman
2. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
3. Stupeur et tremblements by Amélie Nothomb
4. Tsubaki by Aki Shimazaki
5. Pays de neige by Yasunari Kawabata

Jordan:
1. Au nom de mes enfants by Soheir Khashoggi

Kenya (visited):
1. Vent africain by Christine Arnothy
2. Out of Africa by Karen Blixen
3. Les neiges du Kilimandjaro by Ernest Hemingway
4. La constance du jardinier by John LeCarré
5. Le Lion by Joseph Kessel

Laos:
1. Journal d'une enfant survivante by May Kham

Lebanon:
1. Le rocher de Tanios by Amin Maalouf
2. La mémoire des cèdres by Jacqueline Massabki
3. Yallah, Bye by Joseph Safieddine

Liberia:
1. Allah n'est pas obligé by Ahmadou Kourouma

Libya:
1. Le cinquième cavalier by Dominique Lapierre et Larry Collins
2. L'ombre de Thot by Michael Peinkofer
3. The Exchange by John Grisham

Lithuania:
1. La Promesse de l'aube by Romain Gary

Luxemburg:
1. Abducted by Tikiri Herath

Malaysia:
1. Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel
2. Old Filth by Jane Gardam

Mali:
1. Les pieds sales by Edem Awumey

Malta:
1. What We Did on our Holiday by John Harding
2. Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain

Mauritius:
1. Le bal du dodo by Geneviève Dormann

Mauritania:
1. Katiba by Jean-Christophe Rufin

Mexico (visited):
1. 2666 by Roberto Bolano
2. El ultimo lector by David Toscana
3. The Night of the Iguana by Tennessee Williams
4. The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
5. The Mercury Fountain by Eliza Factor

Monaco (visited):
1. Un été à Saint-Tropez by Elizabeth Adler
2. Tout a commencé à Monte-Carlo by Elizabeth Adler
3. Mémoires d'un tricheur by Sacha Guitry

Mongolia:
1. Le Désert du Gobi by Magali Schneider

Morocco (visited):
1. L'enfant de sable by Tahar Ben Jelloun
2. La rive africaine by Rodrigo Rey Rosa
3. Les noces fabuleuses du Polonais by Fouad Laroui
4. Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
5. Le pays des autres by Leïla Slimani

Mozambique:
1. Dans la nuit mozambique by Laurent Gaudé

Myanmar:
1. The Cider House Rules by John Irving

Nepal:
1. Histoires jamais entendues dans une maison de thé au Népal by Sherpa Yeh-Peh

Netherlands (visited):
1. Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
2. Clara et la pénombre by José Carlos Somoza
3. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
4. The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
5. Quand tu écouteras cette chanson by Lola Lafon

New Zealand:
1. The Garden Party and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield
2. The Colour by Rose Tremain

Nicaragua:
1. La Forêt des Mânes by Jean-Christophe Grangé

Nigeria:
1. Onitsha by Jean-Marie Gustave LeClézio
2. 419 by Will Ferguson
3. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
4. Notes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi

North Korea:
1. Le vieux qui ne voulait pas fêter son anniversaire by Jonas Jonasson

Norway:
1. Growth of the Soil by Knut Hamsum
2. Olav Audunssoen by Sigrid Undset
3. Any Time At All by Joyce Marshall
4. Rouge-Gorge by Jo Nesbø
5. Rue Sans-souci by Jo Nesbø

Pakistan:
1. State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny
2. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Palestine:
1. Light Behind the Darkness by Raouf Omar
2. Qui a tué Arlozoroff? by Tobie Nathan

Panama:
1. The Tailor of Panama by John LeCarré

Papua New Guinea:
1. Mister Pip by Llyod Jones

Paraguay:
1. H(A)PPY by Nicola Barker

Peru (visited):
1. The Book of Human Skin by Michelle Lovric
2. Le Libraire de la rue Poliveau by Pierre-Robert Leclerq
3. Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates by Tom Robbins
4. Les oiseaux vont au Pérou pour mourir by Romain Gary

Philippines:
1. La guerre d'hiver by Philip Teir

Poland:
1. Polococktail Party by Dorota Maslowska
2. L'étoile bleue by Juliette Benzoni
3. The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
4. Ces enfants d'ailleurs by Arlette Cousture

Portugual (visited):
1. L'année de la mort de Ricardo Reis by José Saramago
2. The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel

Puerto Rico:
1. America's Dream by Esmeralda Santiago

Romania:
1. Nadirs by Herta Müller
2. Le train de Bucarest by Michel Rouan
3. Deadline by Adina Rosetti
4. Night by Elie Weisel

Russia:
1. Death of a Past Life by Robert N. Reincke
2. Nouvelles de Pétersbourg by Nicolas Gogol
3. Le testament français by Andreï Makine
4. Le docteur Jivago by Boris Pasternak
5. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoi

Rwanda:
1. Un dimanche à la piscine à Kigali by Gil Courtemanche
2. Inside by Alix Ohlin

Senegal:
1. Trois femmes puissantes by Marie NDiaye
2. La nuit de l'Imoko by Boubacar Boris Diop
3. The Story of French by Jean-Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow
4. Les Imposteurs by John Grisham

Serbia:
1. Un lieu incertain by Fred Vargas

Sierra Leone:
1. The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill

Singapore:
1. Miss Seetoh in the World by Catherine Lim

Slovakia:
1. The Piper on the Mountain by Ellis Peters
2. Siren of the Waters by Michael Genelin

Slovenia:
1. Veronika décide de mourir by Paolo Coehlo

South Africa:
1. Aurores sudafricaines by Corinne Moutout
2. God's Spies edited by Alberto Manguel
3. None to Accompany Me by Nadine Gordimer

South Korea:
1. L'Empire des lumières by Young-ha Kim
2. The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble

Spain (visited):
1. Le maître d'escrime by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
2. Zorro by Isabel Allende
3. L'Ombre du vent by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
4. The Sun also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
5. Carmen et treize autres nouvelles by Prosper Mérimée

Sri Lanka:
1. Generation A by Douglas Coupland
2. The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje

Sudan:
1. The Translator by Daoud Hari
2. L'équation africaine by Yasmina Khadra
3. The Swimming Pool Library by Alan Hollinghurst

Sweden:
1. Profondeurs by Henning Mankell
2. Les hommes qui n'aimaient pas les femmes by Stieg Larsson
3. The Dwarf by Pär Lagerkvist
4. Roseanna by MS Jöwall and P Wahlöö
5. The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler

Switzerland:
1. Pilgrim by Timothy Findley
2. Farinet ou la fausse monnaie by Charles F. Ramuz
3. Maigret voyage by Georges Simenon
4. Belle du Seigneur by Albert Cohen
5. Un garçon parfait by Alain Claude Sulzer

Syria:
1. What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad

Tajikistan:
1. Le Ravissement de Britney Spears by Jean Rolin

Tanzania:
1. The African Queen by C. S. Forester
2.The Girl Who Crossed the Line by Tikiri Herath

Thailand:
1. The Lotus Keeper by K.R. Dial
2. Les cafards by Jo Nesbø
3. Lame de fond by Cécilia Dutter

Trinidad:
1. Literary Occasions by V.S. Naipaul

Tunisia (visited):
1. Korsakov by Éric Fottorino

Turkey:
1. La maison du silence by Orhan Pamuk
2. Neige by Orhan Pamuk
3. Lait noir by Elif Shafak
4. Un avion sans elle by Michel Bussi
5. La Conspiration by Maggie Hall

Ukraine:
1. Tout est illuminé by Jonathan Safran Foer
2. The Hare with the Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal

United Arab Emirates:
1. Solarsystem by Laurent Schweizer

United Kingdom (visited):
1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
2. The Victoria Reader anthology
3. Modern British Short Stories anthology
4. Hard Times by Charles Dickens
5. A Question of Blood by Ian Rankin

United States (visited):
1. Pentimento by Lillian Hellman
2. Un été dans l'Ouest by Philippe Labro
3.The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
4. Short and Tall Tales by Lilan Jackson Braun
5. Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Vanuatu:
1. The Happy Isles of Oceania by Paul Theroux

Vietnam:
1. Ru by Kim Thuy
2.Sur place by Kim Doan
3. Mort en fraude by Jean Hougron
4. The Sentimentalists by Johanna Skibsrud
5. L'Amant by Marguerite Duras

Yemen:
1. Partie de pêche au Yémen by Paul Torday

Zimbabwe:
1. The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing

I have added two countries to my list:
Honduras - it's a bit of a stretch since most of the book is set in Canada. The main character in The Bishop's Man by Linden MacIntyre, however, has flashbacks to a two year mission in Honduras. He describes the political situation and his friendships there in the little town of Tegucigalpa.

The other is Azerbaijan with Bakou, derniers jours. Journalist Olivier Rolin describes his trip there, the sights, culture, literature, history. It's a fascinating, rich read. This can also qualify for Turkestan since he spends several days crossing through the country.

I have added Liberia to my list: a powerful and heart wrenching book, Allah n'est pas obligé by Ahmadou Kourouma, about child-soldiers in a politically torn country. This book is also set in Guinea and Sierra Leone. A tough read, but well-worth it.

I have added my last entry for Brazil : Là où les tigres sont chez eux by Jean-Marie Blas de Roblès. This is an excellent book into Brazil's complexity : from its corrupt politicians to primitive tribes, from its modern cities to its favelas, from its beaches to its jungles - it explores all sorts of facets of its society. A long but worthwhile read.

I have a second entry for Haiti: L'Assassinat d'Yvon Toussaint by Yvon Toussaint : a Belgian journalist discovers he has a namesake in Haiti, a doctor and senator who was murdered in 1999. He decides to investigate and discovers a country rich in traditions, high in drama, poor in wealth, mysterious in religion and contradictory in politics. A mix of fiction and reality, it is a unique and powerful story.

I've added my first entry for the Congo, a classic: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. A deep, dark adventure to be sure!

I've added to Vietnam: The Sentimentalists by Johanna Skibsrud, the story of a Vietnam War veteran and an October 21-22 1967 incident in Quang-Tri.

I've just come back from Turkey with a fascinating debate on motherhood and its contradictions in modern society, with Lait noir by Elif Shafak.

This sounds like a book to tell my wife about. She recently finished Maternal Desire which she really enjoyed.

I've gone from Sweden with Roseanna by Sjöwall and Wahlöo. I enjoyed this classic murder mystery so much, that I've added another of the Martin Beck series to my reading list.

I've also just finished The Trade Mission by Pyper in the heart of the Brazilian jungle. Since I've already read my five for Brazil, this one doesn't count, but I mention it because it's got tribes, Colombian kidnappers, seedy Brazilians, fantastic descriptions of the jungle and a beautiful glimpse into Manaus, an inland town at the edge of the jungle.

Just back from a trip in Budapest, Hungary via Stockholm in L'homme qui partit en fumée by mystery writers Sjöwall and Wahlöö. Interesting to see such recent history (the Cold War and the Iron Curtain) seems so quaint now. Although Budapest in the 60s is very similar of my recollection of Budapest in the 90s!

I've added to New Zealand with The Colour by Rose Tremain, a historical novel set during the 1860s gold rush. It includes some marvelous descriptions of the scenery and harshness the pioneers had to live.
I'm up to 174 in my challenge...

Ahh, shifting borders... I guess this is where the reader has a little bit of flexibility! I've just finished The History of Love by Nicole Krauss in which her main character grows up in Slonim, which before WWII was in Poland, but which is now in Belarus. Because the book mentions this (and because I'm not likely to read again about Belarus for a while), I decided to add this book under Belarus, rather than Poland.
To note: there are also some scenes in Chile and Israel.

I'm just back from Yemen after reading a thought-provoking book on science, religion, faith, politics and love, all wrapped with a bit of humour. Partie de pêche au Yémen by Paul Torday (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen) is a terrific little book, which has some fantastic descriptions of the Haraz mountains: definitely inspiring.

I've added two titles: The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver for Mexico and Mister Pip by Llyod Jones for a brand new country - Papua New Guinea!

Any Time At All by Joyce Marshall is a collection of short stories, most of which are set in Quebec. Kristiansen, however, is set in Lapland, Northern Norway, and tells the tale of the disappearing lifestyle and language of the Lapp. I've added the book under Norway.

A new country: Argentina with Pertubations atmosphériques by Canadian born Rivka Galchen. Half of the book is set in Buenos Aires with a couple of scenes in Patagonia where I had never imagined glaciers... but after looking at a map, makes sense! The things you discover when traveling for free in books :-)

I've added two more countries: Slovakia in the Cold War with The Piper on the Mountain by Ellis Peters and Singapore with Miss Seetoh in the World by Catherine Lim, recommended by a friend who lives there.

I'm back from Central and South America in La Forêt des Mânes by Jean-Christophe Grangé where the main character travels to Nicaragua, Guatemala and Argentina. There are some great descriptions of the forest. I'm putting this one down for Nicaragua.
I'm also reading for the second time on Finland in Petits suicides entre amis by Arto Paasilinna

I've traveled a bit: first to Switzerland with Maigret voyage then to Indonesia Homo Erectus where the characters are caught in a typhoon.

I have my last title for Afghanistan : Born Under a Million Shadows which happens mostly in Kabul with a few scenes in Jalalabad

Just back from a tour in Europe in Clara et la pénombre in which the characters travel to Madrid, Münich, London, Vienna, but I'm putting it down for Holland since there is a good tour of Amsterdam, Delft, The Hague and even Woerden.

I have added a new country: Monaco - I'm sure I've been there before, but it's so small it's easy to forget! The characters go for a drive to Monte Carlo in Un été à Saint-Tropez.

A new country: South Korea with an excellent espionage novel L'Empire des lumières by Young-ha Kim. Great descriptions of Seoul and cultural differences between North and South Korea.

I have a second book for Argentina. In A Reader's Journal (which I read in French Le journal d'un lecteur), Alberto Manguel talks at length about his boyhood in Argentina and growing up in Buenos Aires. He also mentions in passing vacations in Uruguay. A delightful read.

Just back from Mali, and the Empire of Songhay, in Les pieds sales by Togolese-Canadian Edem Awumey. The story actually travels throughout the Sahel, from Senegal to the Sudan although most of the action takes place in Paris.

I've been travelling around the Caribbean, first in Guadeloupe (but that doesn't really count since it's France) with La Belle Créole and then Jamaica and Dominica with Wide Sargasso Sea. I'll count it for Dominica since it's such a small island and I'm unlikely to return to it!

Back from Slovakia in Les Jeunes Filles et la mort by Michael Genelin (Siren of the Waters is the English title). This book would also qualify from France and Ukraine.

I'm back from two islands, Malta and Ceylon in Testament of Youth and The Cat's Table, respectively.

I have put in my last entry for Mexico: The Mercury Fountain by Eliza Factor which mostly happens in Texas but right at the border of Mexico from which several characters originate.

I've just been back from my first trip to Serbia in Un lieu incertain by Vargas.

After Japan, I'm back from Laos and Thailand in Journal d'une enfant survivante. Next up on the map the Sudan in L'Équation africaine.

I'm back from Israel in J'apprends l'hébreu by Denis Lachaud. In that book I also traveled to Norway and Germany.

I've traveled to Geneva, Switzerland in Belle du Seigneur by Albert Cohen (could also count for Agay in the South of France). I'm off the Caribbean in Haiti (the old colony of Saint-Domingue) and Cuba in L'Île sous la mer by Isabel Allende.

I'm adding a new country : Mozambique with Dans la nuit mozambique by Laurent Gaudé. It would also work for Mali.

Just back from the little island of Grenada in La fille qui rêvait d'un bidon d'essence et d'une allumette (Millenium Series)

I have my two last books for Israel : le garçon qui voulait dormir, a look at early colonialisation after the war and Light behind the darkness an account from an Israelite and Palestinian who become great friends in Ottawa Canada and recount their stories.

I have my last entry for Austria where Hemingway spent his winters in The Paris Wife.

Back from the North Sea in Belgium with Les vacances d'un serial killer by Nadine Monfils; very dark humour, but I loved the language with spatters of Flemish.

I'm just back from Burma and Thailand in The Lotus Keeper by KR Dial. They're two new countries for me, but I'll pick Thailand.

I have my last book for Sweden with The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler, a dark tale about hypnotherapy gone wrong.

I have an astonishingly poor collection of Australia, but I was able to add a delightful cozy murder with Murder on a Midsummer Night by Kerry Greenwood which happens in St Kilda and Melbourne.

My second stint in Dominican Republic with the same author, Junot Daiz: This is How You Lose Her.

I read one of the Phryne Fisher mysteries earlier this year. I found it fun but a little heavy on talking about costumes and fabric. I did see that the Australian Broadcasting Commission has turned some of the books into 1 hour television shows. They are showing them in BC on the Knowledge network. Perhaps TVO might pick them up as well.

Traveling to Nigeria with 419, a gripping cyberthriller.

I'm back from the seedy underbelly of Bangkok, Thailand in Les cafards by Norwegian author Jo Nesbø.

In some exotic locations: Sudan as one of the characters recounts his adventures in The Swimming Pool Library. I'm currently in Bhutan with Histoires en couleurs by Kunzang Kunzang Choden.

I just finished a beautiful book partially set in Tunisia at the eve of its independance from France. The descriptions are wonderfully haunting. Korsakov by Eric Fottorino

I've just finished a jaunt in Myanmar (Burma) in The Cider House Rules by John Irving, when Wally's plane get shot down and lands in the Burmese jungle.

I've come back from Iceland in Rosa Candida - although most of the book is in an unnamed country in the South, it often refers to the characters' home country of Iceland. A beautiful book.

I also traveled to North Korea in Le vieux qui ne voulait pas fêter son anniversaire - the old man travels most everywhere, from Sweden, his home country, to Russia, USA, North Korea, China and Bali. I picked NK to start two new countries ;-)

I've travelled a bit : Australia in The Bat, Cyprus in Petits meurtres au bord de l'eau and I'm currently in Dominican Republic in La fête au bouc

I'm finishing a stint in Tajikistan in Le Ravissement de Britney Spears in which an ex-KGB agent is sent to Los Angeles to defer a kidnapping plot against Britney Spears. After his failed mission, he sent to some outback post in Tajikistan. Both bizarre and hilarious.

I'm back from a short stint in war-torn Rwanda in Inside by Alix Ohlin. No matter how prepared I am to read about the atrocities that happened there, it's still always a shock.

I have my last entry for Vietnam : L'Amant by Marguerite Duras. A hauntingly beautiful book.

I'm still in Asia, back in Thailand for my third entry, in Lame de fond by Cécilia Dutter, which is set during the 2004 tsunami.

I was in Iran with the heart-breaking Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.

I also added Costa Rica where Marion Gibson describes a holiday in Unfaithful Mind.

I have a second entry for Cyprus with L'Homme qui voulait changer de vie by Antoine Filissiadis. The book was terrible, but there were some nice descriptions of Paphos.

Back from Turkey in Un avion sans elle.

I have my last title for Greece: Wedding Night par Sophie Kinsella, a fun light read which always garantees a good laugh!

I'm back from my first trip to Jamaica in The Nine Lives of Charlotte Taylor by Sally Armstrong, where a young British woman leaves her native England to settle first in Jamaica and then in Canada.

I have two new countries: Tout est illuminé by Jonathan Safran Foer for Ukraine and Les racines du ciel by Romain Gary for Chad, in Africa.

I have my third book for Poland in The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult where one of the characters recounts her youth in Lodz during the Second World War

I'm back in Romania for my third book: Deadline by Adina Rosetti which is interesting for its look at Romanian culture and history as well as Romania's adaptation to the modern world.

I'm modifying my original post. It turns out that Wilno, today Vilnius, is in Lithuania. So: I'm still in Eastern Europe but have a first for Lithuania with La Promesse de l'aube by Romain Gary, an autobiography of Gary's exodus from Russia to France via Lithuania (back then, Poland - geography can get sketchy - see my remarks for The History of Love) where he spent a good part of his childhood.

Re: Lithuania - you might also enjoy 'The Issa Valley' by Czeslaw Milosz, about the author's childhood in a remote part of this country. I've just read my first Estonian book - 'Spring (Kevade)' by Oskar Luts; lovely story but was hard to get a copy.
NB: Have you any idea why I can't get touchstones to work in my 'lifetime' global reading challenge? (the 2014 only page is fine). I tried dividing list up like you have, in case one long list is too much for it, but still no joy...

Happy reading!

Thanks for the suggestion, starbox.

No idea for the touchstones - I usually try a couple of refreshes when they don't work, but that's hardly scientific... you can probably get help on this forum: http://www.librarything.fr/groups/sitetalk

If you want to try an unknown part of France, I recommend Ne lâche pas ma main by Michel Bussi, based on the island of La Réunion in the Indian Ocean - great read!

Many thanks for the recommendation. Never enough time to read everything I want to!

I have second entry for the Czech Republic, Better You Go Home by Scott Driscoll. Not my favourite read, but it gives a really good feel for life there during the Cold War.

Added a fourth entry for Norway with the detective novel Sorgenfri starring Harry Hole, Jo Nesbø's well-known character, set in Oslo.

Although most of the action happens in a mythical Western African country, Bengara (Sénégal?), GM by Alan Porter also takes the reader to Zaire in the early 1990s, today the Democratic Republic of Congo.

I've got my last entry with Norway: Rouge-Gorge by Jo Nesbø, the third book in the Harry Hole Series.

Well done! After a recent holiday in Sri Lanka, I've just finished a couple of Project Gutenberg freebies by explorers of Ceylon. I probably wouldn't have found them massively interesting if I hadn't been there though...

#90 - that must have been a fascinating trip! I admit to never having been in Asia - books are all I have to go by!

I've just come back from Iceland in La défense Fischer by Pierre-Emmanuel Scherrer. I didn't know that Bobby Fischer had become an honorary Islander after his fall-out with the United-States. A fascinating look at a man whose life was a series of contradictions.

I have a second book for Senegal: La nuit de l'Imoko by Boubacar Boris Diop, a series of short stories (greatly autobiographical) where the author describes the political and social landscape in Senegal and particularly in Saint-Louis, his hometown.

I'm back from Finland with my third book, The Summer Book by Tove Jansson which was just lovely and very reminiscent to Canadian summers at the cottage.

That's a lovely book!

I'm reading a fascinating biographical account of a prison in La Paz, Bolivia, in Marching Powder by Thomas McFadden and Rusty Young. It also talks briefly about its surroundings in the city, the country and its relationship with neighboring Peru and Chile.

I finished the delightful and funny story The Rosie Project set in Melbourne, Australia. Now I'm off to Lagos in Nigera with Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Here is my fourth book for Haiti: Lovelie D'Haïti par Sylvain Meunier about a young girl sent from her homeland to Canada. A heart-wrenching story about immigration, racism and sexual abuse.

I'm on my fourth book in Romania with Night by Elie Wiesel. It's one of those tricky choices: the book is actually set in Transylvania which was in Romania before and after WWII but in Hungary during. The book clearly talks of Hungary, but well, really it's Romania which is what I'll pick for my purposes (but was happy to learn about)!

I have my last book for Israel with Dawn by Elie Wiesel, where a young Jewish soldier finds himself the executioner of an English soldier.

Back from Iceland in Temps glaciaires by Vargas: her commissaire Adamsberg goes to the small island of Grimsey to investigate the legend of the afturganga. Loved it!

I also did a little in the United Arab Emirates in Solarsystem by Laurent Schweizer. Thoroughly disliked the book, and not very descriptive of Abu Dhabi, but since I'm not likely to be back soon, I put it down as a first title.

I have a third book for both Belgium and Argentina. In Mémé Cornemuse Goes to Hollywood by Monfils, an old lady goes on a killer rampage in the hopes of marrying Jean-Claude Van Damme. In Freedom by Franzen, a young man hopes to get rich by selling military part bought cheap in Argentina... neither stories are very moral...

Hi, I've also just read a 'first' for UAE (In a Fertile desert) - short stories, but pretty uninspiring.

Incidentally, since starting this whole global challenge I'm finding it increasingly addictive - keep ordering obscure books from library! Sometimes you end up reading utter drivel just because it's about a remote land - but equally I've discovered fabulous writers I'd never have heard of otherwise (currently reading the FANTASTIC Spanish La Regenta which I'd recommend to anyone who loves Victorian classics (dramatic and hilarious at same time.)

I'm the same way, starbox!
Today, I finish my last entry for China with The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan, mostly set in Shanghai. Tan is a great storyteller, but the book should have been shortened...

Back from a quick tour in Malaysia in Station Eleven where one of the characters gets stranded.

Ah, another good reason for me to read Station Eleven!

I've definitely been traveling the world, lately. I've finished The Tailor of Panama where I discovered the Canal, but also Panama City and the inside country.
I'm now reading The Interestings where one of the characters lives in Iceland (although, admittedly, trips to Iceland are scarce).

Well done! i've had a couple of failures lately: given up halfway on both Camara Laye's The Radiance of the King (Guinea) - very Kafka-esque and not me; also Multatuli's Max Havelaar (Indonesia) which just got very boring. But am currently reading Transit of Venus - enjoyable travelogue of S Pacific..

I'm just back from Denmark in Six degrés de liberté by Nicolas Dickner in which a young computer science genius and his Canadian friend find a way to outfit industrial containers to travel the world on their own terms. A lovely, poetic novel which rethinks the way we view borders.

I have a new one for Palestine - it is partially set in Tel Aviv before the creation of Israel: Qui a tué Arlozoroff? by Tobie Nathan. Throughly enjoyed it as the love story between a Sionist Jew and... Magda Goebbels before her marriage.

I'm ddep in Africa with a collection of short stories Les noces fabuleuses du Polonais by Fouad Laroui, set in Morocco, and Murambi, le livre des ossements by Boubacar Boris Diop set in Rwanda during the genocide.

Although it's a quick incursion, I've gone to the Philippines for the first time in a Finnish novel, La guerre d'hiver by Philip Teir

I'm in the middle of Portugal with The High Mountains of Portugal: there are lovely descriptions of the interior country which I knew nothing about. It is also the home of the Iberian rhinoceros (now extinct), which was, for me, a discovery.

I have a fourth book for Finland, L'Incolore Tsukuru Tazaki et ses années de pèlerinage by Haruki Murakami, in which the main character goes to Hämeenlinna to visit an old friend. There are lovely scenes which describe rural Finland in the summer.

I'm in Botswana for the first time in Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult, where a researcher conducts her postdoc work on elephants - a great thriller with lots of fascinating facts about elephants!

I have my last book for Switzerland with Un garçon parfait by Alain Claude Sulzer, a very moving tale about a young man who falls in love with another... it doesn't end well...

I've gotten another book for Jamaica, Rule of the Bone by Russell Banks. A very original turning of age novel which looks at how a young punk turned to introspection to grow up.

I've added my last one for Iran with Désorientale by Négar Djavani about a young lesbian who discovers her sexuality in France (because homosexuality doesn't exist in Iran) and L'Ombre de Toth where the characters travel from England to Egypt to the Libyan desert in search of sacred texts.

I've decided to revive this thread after an absence of a few years! Yey tro traveling world-wide in 2022 ;)

I've added a third and fourth entry to Nigeria: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and Notes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi

I've updated my list with my 2021 travelings, which include two new countries:
Luxemburg with Abducted by Tikiri Herath
Mauritania with Katiba by Jean-Christophe Rufin

I've finished The Story of French by Canadian authors, Jean-Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow. I traveled all over the world with this one, and chose Senegal for its passages on colonization, independance and language evolution in that country.

>118 Cecilturtle: I discovered The Global Challenge at the end of last year and started a thread. I am in awe of all the reading you have done from so many countries! Your thread will be a good resource when I get stuck trying to find something to read.

P.S. I have been wondering where to slot Jean-Christophe Rufin. I see you chose Mauritania?

>122 labfs39: Thanks! This has been over MANY years and sometimes, a book just touches on the country, I'll be honest!

Yes Katiba is set mostly in Mauritania and France but I think there are minor countries too (Algeria and Morocco, I think)... in the end, it's your list - you get to pick!

I've finished The Happy Isles of Oceania by Paul Theroux which covers pretty much all the archipelagos in the Pacific so it can count for a few countries! I've decided to add it to a new country for me: Vanuatu.

I'm back from Barbados with Moi, Tituba sorcière, the fictionalized biography of real-life enslaved Tituba who was tried at the Salem Witch Trials, after her master brought her from Bridgetown to Massachusetts. It's been translated to English and I definitely recommend the read.

This is my first entry for Barbados.

>125 Cecilturtle: That sounds interesting. I haven't read anything for Barbados yet either.

I've added Syria to my list with What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad since it's about Syrian migrants.

>127 Cecilturtle: Congrats on adding a new country to your list!

This is my first book for Pakistan State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny, a fun fast-paced international espionage thiller.

I've added my second book in Botswana, The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. I definitely recommend it if you have not yet read it!

I've decided to add Dibbouks by Irène Kaufer to Belgium since it is where the story starts and ends.

I'm adding my third book for Indonesia with J'ai dû rêver trop fort by Michel Bussi where two lovers meet for one last time before their lives change forever.

I have a third book for the Netherlands in The Goldfinch which features a painting from the Dutch master Fabritius.

I have my third entry for None to Accompany Me by Nadine Gordimer. It was a tough chew - Gordimer is very political and some references were a bit obscure to me. However, it's certainly enlightening on this period (post-Apartheid) where the birthing of a nation is in many ways reflected in the women of the book, especially the mothers.

I have my third book for the Democratic Republic of Congo with Premier sang by Amélie Nothomb which in part describes the biggest hostage situation of the 20th century in Stanleyville, now Kinsagani. The author's father was one of the hostages and prime negotiators as Consul of Belgium.

>135 Cecilturtle: The author's father was one of the hostages and prime negotiators as Consul of Belgium. That sounds interesting.

>136 labfs39: yes - apparently her Dad wrote a book about his experience, Dans Stanleyville by Patrick Nothomb. It's just part of Premier sang which also looks at his youth, but I did learn about an important piece of history.

I'm finishing The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon: the first section is in Prague so I'll be counting this as my third for the Czech Republic. The rest is in NYC. It's a great read which I highly recommend.

>138 Cecilturtle: Good to know. I have it on my shelves, but haven't read it yet.

I'm starting my year by adding my last book for Iceland: Hiver arctique by Arnaldur Indridason.

My Morocco thread is full, but if you have a chance, La civilisation, ma Mère!... by Driss Chraïbi (Mother Comes of Age), I highly recommend it! It's a wonderful parallel between Morocco under French colonialism, and Morocco as an independent nation, as well as the emancipation of women. Short but brilliant!

I have my last title for Haiti in Les Villages de Dieu by Emmelie Prophète where Cécé, the narrator, describes the gang violence and poverty in a fictional neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince. It's both a clinical description and heart-rendering description of the people who live and die there.

I just finished H(A)PPY by Nicola Barker, book that talks a lot about Paraguay and its Guarani population. The book itself is sci-fi but it gave historical facts about Paraguay's history and the Paraguayan composer and musician Augustín Barrios Mangoré. Super fascinating overall.

My second book for Pakistan: Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Relin.

I have my last book for Australia with Little Big Lies by Liane Moriarty. I was skeptical because it's such a bit hit, but I loved it: funny, smart, brave and raising awareness on such a tough and important topic. All around brilliant.

>145 Cecilturtle: It's always nice to be surprised when a megahit turns out to actually be good! ;-)

>146 labfs39: totally :))

I have my first book for Zimbabwe in The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing.

I've decided to add Les Imposteurs by John Grisham to my list in Sénégal. The final chapters give a good description of Dakar and Saint-Louis.

Mémoires d'un tricheur by Sacha Guitry is a great little book that provides insight into Monaco's history and mores. While it does concentrate on the casino, there is a chapter dedicated to life in Monaco which is really quite interesting.

I'm back from my first trip to Ecuador, in J'aimerais tant que tu sois là by Jodi Picoult. A tourist finds herself stranded in the Galapagos during the pandemic with no luggage and no Internet connection. It's not my favourite Picoult but I enjoyed the exotic landscapes and the way of life during the pandemic. A great way to discover the island of Isabela.

I've been mostly hanging around familiar countries, but I now have my fourth, for Poland, Ces enfants d'ailleurs by Arlette Cousture.
The first part is set in Krakow at the onset of World War II, a disturbing account of how families were ripped from their homes and families. The second part is set in Canada (Québec and Manitoba) and becomes a disappointing series of events which end in melodrama. It's too bad because the premise and first 300 pages were interesting (yes, it's much too long a book!)

I have a second book for South Korea about Royal Korea in the 18th century, the story of Lady Hong in The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble.
What I liked: the insight into a fraught period of Korea's history and unique structure of the book
What I disliked: the plodding, almost pedantic, style of the author.

I'm adding La Conspiration by Maggie Hall as my fifth and last entry for Turkey. It's an international espionage novel where several scenes take place in Istanbul, including the famous Saint-Sophie Mosque.

I have my first book for Nepal, Histoires jamais entendues dans une maison de thé au Népal by Sherpa Yeh-Peh, a series of short stories recounting myths, traditional and modern-day lifestyles, and age-old stories.
I was disappointed to realize that the author's name is a nom de plume, likely for a French writer. It smacks a bit of cultural appropriation... what do you think? It's too bad because the collection is really lovely.

I added The Fire Gospel by Michel Faber to my list under Iraq, where Theo, specialist in Armenian finds the Fifth Gospel hidden in a museum in Mossul.

In Quand tu écouteras cette chanson, the author Lola Lafon spends a night in the Anne Frank Museum. It is the very moving account of Anne Frank's days as they are known from her diary, of Lafon's experience as the daughter of Jewish survivors, and the many emotions and reflections that come up during that unique night.
This is my last entry for the Netherlands.

I have a third book for Denmark with Dossier 64 by Jussi Adler-Olsen which is based on historical fact: in the 1920s and 1930s undesirable women underwent forced sterilization in a state-sanctioned eugenics program Up until the 1960s others were sent to one of Denmark's many islands, Sprogø, where they lived in terrible conditions.

>158 Cecilturtle: I saw an article about that a few days ago but did not read past the headline because the topic is so horrible. But I plan to read this series one day and then I will learn more about it.

>159 MissBrangwen: It's pretty terrible. Denmark was far from the only country to do this. I read Le bal des folles (the Mad Women's Bal) by Victoria Mas, which described the same treatment of women in France. It was a convenient way of getting rid of inconvenient women.

Although the bulk of the book is set in England, the first chapters in Old Filth's short childhood were in Malaysia.

I have my first book for Bangladesh: Psychopompe by Amélie Nothomb.

Daughter of diplomats, Nothomb lived all over Asia, including Japan, China, Laos and Bangladesh. This last country is the most important in the book, where a life-defining event takes place; Nothomb was 13. I won't get into spoilers but the book is both difficult and magnificent, a homage to survival, writing and... birds.
Bangladesh is described as a wild and extremely poor country. It is the view of a young outsider, but still gives glimpses into its geography, people and culture.