#readaroundtheworld #jamaica A near allegorical telling of the people‘s lives in a low down neighborhood of Kingston and their desire to fly free. The tale travels back and forth in time as we learn about Ma Taffy, her daughter by upbringing but not birth Gina and Gina‘s son Kaia. The author almost teases with young adult fare and then turns around and slaps us for falling for that. I learned a lot about Rastafarian and Bobo Shanti beliefs.

#ReadingtheAmericas2023 #Stkitt If desperate to find a St Kitt and Nevis book, this children‘s book which takes less than an hour to read, might do. A boy, a girl and a monkey find themselves time traveling to a key historical moment for St Kitt. With their help they change history. The British win instead of the French. Strange way to teach history to children though, but with goggle‘s help I learned a bit.

#readingtheamericas2023 #honduras What starts out as an allegorical tale of western man‘s relationship to nature slowly turns into a psychological thriller. The narrator is a young teenaged boy and his relationship with his egotistic father careens from worship to loathing as the father‘s hubris brings destruction to his family and as nature does what she does best - surprise!

#readaroundtheworld #egypt A story of multiple romances and a murder told through the eyes of 4 separate character‘s narrations. Mahfouz, the Nobel Prize winning author, manages to give us a lens into these characters lives while reflecting the romance and betrayals of the Egyptian Revolution. However, Zohra, the strong willed and beautiful young woman who is at the center of the plot does not get her own narration. Alexandria sounds wonderful

#readingtheamericas2023 #canada Wonderful character study of a young orphan who struggles to build a life for herself of her own design. The main character becomes a mother and a writer and the nature of storytelling in both these roles provides rich layers on top of her simple outer life, her deep inner life and her complicated loves. Plus she lives by a river that flows in two directions.

#Guadeloupe #ReadingtheAmericas2023 I should have started with a different book by Condé as her latest and last book is a parody of the life of Jesus who is born a bastard in Guadeloupe. I did not have the background for it either in her voice or humor. The telling comes very much from the verbal story sharing tradition and there are persistent sneers at history and religion written by colonials but it was slow and pointless to my ears.

#readingtheamericas2023 #colombia This memoir recounts the author‘s traumatic childhood in Colombia. It captures a totally non western perspective on her family‘s interactions with ghosts, water spirits, and being able to foresee the future. Coming from a long line of healers, our magical realism is simply realism to this author. All people and places have their stories and this is a unique and powerful perspective on their ability to heal.

#readaroundtheworld #democraticrepublicofthecongo After reading my last Congo book I really wanted to learn more of the history of that region. This non-fiction well researched book provides great information about the atrocities the Belgian king and his henchmen visited upon the people of the Congo River watershed and the brave journalists and advocates who fought to make it known to the world. To paraphrase Kurtz: “the horror, the horror”

#readaroundtheworld #democraticrepublicofthecongo #zaire A short novel that starts as a relationship between a prostitute and a high level minister in the government and ever so slowly reveals itself as something more. Both our main characters have ties to their tribal culture and both believe that certain acts must be done to free themselves from uncertainty. Ultimately a metaphor for a country struggling with self determination.

#readaroundtheworld #turkmemistan Not badly done graphically and it did have some insights but I was put off by the author gently mocking the Turkmenistans for their assumptions about Americans. It was humorous and I am sure that they did believe all Americans were rich and routinely got into gun fights but nevertheless…

#readaroundtheworld #turkmenistan I found this graphic novel for Turkmenistan. It looks interesting.

#Readingtheamericas2023 #monserrat A bit of a cheat given this is a YA adaptation of the original autobiography but it is what the library delivered. I will go back and look for the original to read. Meanwhile this was quite impactful as a first hand narrative of the horrors of slavery. Only partially taking place on Montserrat but there are very few books about Monserrat..

#readingtheamericas2023 #haiti Although the ghost of Haitian hardships permeates this short book, the story is a story of mother / daughter relationships. The pain of one generation is handed down to the next. The love of one generation gives strength to the generations that follow. Still, one generation‘s memories become the weight that the next generation must carry.

#readaroundtheworld #grenada I read a book about contemporary Grenada history not long ago so looked for a book that was less historical. This selection was a long slow read with little driving plot but I fell into it and enjoyed the family interactions. Pynter is a boy born blind who regains his sight and participates in the country‘s revolt. However, what captivated me was his relationship with his father, mother, aunts, twin and nephew.

#anguilla #readingtheamericas2023

#martinique #readingtheamericas2023 Remarkable story of an island people and how they came to build a small place of their own, a shantytown named after the fuel tanks. It is the memories, writings and narrated stories as told to an urban planner by a woman of incredible strength. Translated from French but full of Creole dialect. A rambling, messy wonderful book.

#Guyana #readaroundtheworld #readingtheamericas2023 A prose poem of no western logic. An indigenous woman who was abused by her master, kills him before fleeing. It is only one of his deaths. A boat, crewed by dead men who struggle to grasp life, chases after her. Our narrator is the dreamer. Our captain is a metaphor for colonial exploitation. The images are of the wilds of 16th century Guyana. I didn‘t understand it but it was still good.

#Ecuador #readaroundthewotld #readingtheamericas2023 Set in the time of the first cacao bonanza of the early 1900‘s in Ecuador, this murder mystery has our main character disguised as a man to find the killer. It was difficult to credit that she could pull that off given her character but it was an entertaining read. Plus as a chocolate lover I find anything to do with chocolate is appreciated.

#readingtheamericas2023 #DominicanRepublic Fictionalized account of four sisters who tell their story of growing up under Trujillo‘s ruthless dictatorship. The tale begins with the one surviving sister reflecting back on their relationship with their parents and each other. The pace quickens when they speak of their husbands, their fears, their children, surviving in prison and standing up for freedom. “The Butterflies” still evoke 👇

#Readingtheamericas2023 #aruba Beautiful, smart prostitute with heart of gold and the men (on Aruba) who loved her. Slow and at 490 pages seemingly endless. I skipped over sex scenes and it was still endless. Some of the characters well drawn, some two dimensional. The good thing was it really did give me a look at Aruba. The bad thing was it felt like a waste of time. Ah well, on to Ecuador..

#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.