International book thread

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Night-owl May 2020 12:14pm, 21 May 2020 33,818 posts	0 Night-owl Do we really need another book thread? Well I'm starting one anyway. It may be a solo thread. But here goes I have long decided to try and read books that aren't from UK/USA authors. Because I imagine I'm like a lot of people this is where the majority of my books read come from But I know you are avid readers so may have many suggestions so let's put this out there. I'm in no hurry to read them all, I have other reading targets book group books, every year of my life, my to be read pile and so on Some countries will be easy to acquire it will however have to be books translated in English So here goes. I shall reply in what I've done so far but only list the first book I've read for that country
Night-owl May 2020 12:27pm, 21 May 2020 33,819 posts	0 Night-owl Countries read so far. (Since 2014) Sweden The man on the Balcony - Maj Sjwall/Per Wahll Ireland A Greyhound of a Girl - Roddy Doyle Canada Vigilante - Claude Bouchard Iceland Snowbound - Ragnar Jonasson Russia Cancer Ward - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Norway The History of Bees - Maja Lynde Belgium A Maigret Christmas and other Stories - Georges Simenon Nigeria Americanah - Ngozi Adiche Japan The Travelling Cat Chronicles - Hiro Arikawa Italy (currently reading) The Whisperer - Donato Carrisi So 10 countries including current one. OK
becca7 May 2020 11:03pm, 21 May 2020 8,041 posts	0 becca7 That's a good list. I do tend to read mostly UK and US stuff, thinking about it, and stuff that was originally written in English. Margaret Atwood, JM Coetzee. I had a spate of Scandinoir. I enjoyed Americanah and stuff by some other modern African writers. I find it harder to get on with Indian literature but enjoyed The White Tiger on the second time I tried to read it. Now I think about it, most international books I've read have been graphic novels.
Raemond May 2020 11:11pm, 21 May 2020 5,214 posts	0 Raemond Ohhhhh I like this. I'd have to think a bit more to be sure of what I've read already, but I've definitely got a few for Japan and China. How would you count Nabakov, as he was Russian but his most famous works were written in English while living in America?
WA May 2020 11:33pm, 21 May 2020 6,856 posts	0 WA Good thread Colombia Love in the time of cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez. (Honestly, don't bother) Russia The Shooting Party - Anton Chekhov Anna Karenina- Leo Tolstoy Canada Pretty much anything by Margaret Atwood. Currently reading The Heart Goes Last I love the Martin Beck series but have only listened to them as audiobooks.
mrs shanksi May 2020 11:48pm, 21 May 2020 10,629 posts	0 mrs shanksi Great idea for a thread! I love a foreign book. I often read books from the countries I travel to. My most recent ones are: Italy The Terracotta Dog - Andrea Camilleri Ireland A Man with one of those Faces - Caimh McDonnell Nigeria Rosewater - Tade Thompson India The Strange Disappearance of a Bollywood Star - Vaseem Khan Australia The Dry - Jane Harper Iceland Burial Rites - Hannah Kent Norway The Thirst - Jo Nesbo China The Three-Body Problem - Liu Cixin Malaysia The Gift of Rain - Tan Twan Eng Sweden The Girl who Lived Twice - David Lagerkrantz Cuba Telex from Cuba - Rachel Kushner Zambia The Old Drift - Namwali Serpell Spain The Angel's Game - Carlos Ruiz Zafron Russia War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy Singapore Rich People Problems - Kevin Kwan Germany The Reader - Bernhard Schlink Austria The Piano Teacher - Elfriede Jelinek Denmark Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow - Peter Hoeg Chile The House of the Spirits - Isabelle Allende Canada Still Life - Louise Penny
mrs shanksi May 2020 11:50pm, 21 May 2020 10,630 posts	0 mrs shanksi Those aren't necessarily my favourites from the countries, just most recent. I must go to bed, speak more tomorrow.
mrs shanksi May 2020 11:51pm, 21 May 2020 10,631 posts	0 mrs shanksi I've also read Love in the Time of Cholera but I think One Hundred years of Solitude was better
mrs shanksi May 2020 12:02am, 22 May 2020 10,632 posts	0 mrs shanksi Can I change my Iceland book please? Just remembered that wasn't written in Icelandic. Iceland Trap - Lilja Sigurdottir
Night-owl May 2020 10:14am, 22 May 2020 33,825 posts	0 Night-owl Ooh thanks for the replies. Raymond I'm not sure I suppose it's a personal choice and one I've wrestled with myself. Some good ideas there WA I do love the Martin Beck series read the first 5 if I've counted right working my way through the series