Amrchair travel: books set in other countries - any suggestions?

[Flaxbee]

I confess to being a mystery addict, and to venturing far beyond the "English tea-cozy" mystery. Anyone have any favorites set in France, or Russia (St. Petersburg is one of my favorite cities), Italy, wherever? Africa (I've read the Alexander McCall Smith ones), the Middle East, Asia, South America wherever?

Or, even books set in the US that develop a strong sense of place about them?

I've read Henning Mankell and of course, Stieg Larsson.

I've also read several of Iain Pears' art mysteries.

And many England-based books.

Looking for suggestions. The books don't have to be mysteries; any good book suggestion is appreciated. I just like to stay away from depressing-as-hell-the-human-condition-sucks books. Too much of that in the news; I want to escape when I read at night.

Thanks in advance for your favorites. :hi:

[OriginalGeek]

1. I came in to post Stieg

but I see you have that covered so I'm just gonna stick around hoping for recs in that vein. Loved his books and don't have a clue what else to read like that in a foreign country...

But since I mentioned the TV series in another thread, I gotta admit I love me some Sookie Stackhouse novels - Bon Temps Louisiana is pretty damn close to a foreign country...I'm not saying it's great literature (mainly because I'm not even close to qualified to make that assertion one way or another) BUT I swear I had a ton of fun reading them.

[Flaxbee]

5. thanks - I'm not a literature snob, so long as the book is well-written

I'm happy ... and if it allows me to be immersed in a different place and culture, that's fun for me, even if it's the US. I'll check out Sookie Stackhouse. :)

What book should I start with?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Mysteries by Arnauldur Indridason.

They are set in Reykjavik, Iceland, and are very dark, like Henning Mankell's books, only maybe even darker. They are very good.

[Flaxbee]

6. Great, I'll add them to my library list... what book would you recommend

first?

:hi:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. You could start with Jar City.

Then Silence of the Grave, Voices, The Draining Lake, and Hypothermia. I think that's in chronological order. There are a few more but these are the ones I've read.

[Chan790]

3. Paul Theroux writes the best travel books ever.

I want his job, he travels and writes books about it. And the books are awesome!!

[Flaxbee]

7. I read The Kingdom by the Sea and wasn't enthralled... but would like to try another

what do you recommend? :hi:

[Chan790]

17. I don't know that anybody liked "The Kingdom by The Sea"

It was poorly received by critics and fans alike. In some ways it lacks his key charms as a writer: his great descriptions of people and sights (his wonder as a tourist comes through in his writing.) and his charming sense of ironic misanthropy towards his adventures. The Great Railway Bazaar is considered to be his best non-fiction work, recounts a 4 month journey by train across Eurasia, from Paris to Osaka, Japan via the Middle East and India than back to Europe via the Trans-Siberian Railway.

I personally liked his African journey in Dark Star Safari better, recounting a journey from Cairo to Capetown. Africa just holds a certain interest for me.

[Flaxbee]

19. those both sound very good - I'll put them on my list

thanks, Chan790

[pokerfan]

4. Does it have to be fiction?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/books/review/book-review-lost-in-shangri-la-by-mitchell-zuckoff.html


(Margaret Hastings)

[Flaxbee]

8. have you read it? I saw Zuckoff interviewed on The Daily Show...

:hi:

[pokerfan]

9. Yeah

It's a page-turner. A very compelling story.

ETA a link to the Daily Show interview: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-june-22-2011/mitchell-zuckoff

[Xipe Totec]

11. Letters from Mexico

Hernan Cortes's Cartas de Relacion, written over a seven-year period to Charles V of Spain, provide an extraordinary narrative account of the conquest of Mexico from the founding of the coastal town of Veracruz until Cortes's journey to Honduras in 1525.

[Flaxbee]

14. thanks, XT

I'll check it out. :hi: Heading over to Amazon now...

[Brigid]

12. "Russka" by Edward Rutherford

Fascinating, if long, historical novel set in Russia. Lots of characters, family histories spanning generations -- I love this stuff! :)

[Flaxbee]

13. hm. I read his "London" and mostly liked it; hadn't realized he'd written about Russia

I've been to Russia many times; I'll have to pick up the book. Thanks! :hi:

[Brigid]

15. You've been to Russia?

You must tell us about it sometime. :)

[Flaxbee]

20. started going in 1999

also been to Kazakhstan.

My husband worked there for many years, starting in the 80s; he has many friends there still. :)

I've just been to St. Petersburg and Moscow, not into the countryside like my husband did. I think my husband went to most, if not all, of the former Soviet states.

[cbayer]

16. A Fine Balance - by Rohinton Mistry

Set in India and will transport you there. Not an easy read emotionally, but a great read nonetheless.

http://www.amazon.com/Fine-Balance-Rohinton-Mistry/dp/0375414819/ref=cm_lmf_tit_14

[Flaxbee]

21. it does sound like it cuold be tough in parts ... but worth it

when I'm in a very good frame of mind, I'll check it out of the library. :hi:

[applegrove]

26. You've just got to read afinebalance through until the end. It has such great lessons.

[applegrove]

25. That is such a great book.

[csziggy]

18. How about National Parks? Nevada Barr's series with Anna Pigeon

Are great mysteries and leave a very strong feeling for the parks each book is set in. The stories can be a little grim, though.

For light fare, I love Elizabeth Peters. Her Amelia Peabody series set in Egypt beginning in the 1890s and going through decades is simply fun. The Vicky Bliss and Jacqueline Kirby have some travel to various countries and places and are fun adventure/mysteries series.

A great site to find mysteries is Stop, You’re Killing Me!. You can look for books set in particular locations, times, with protagonists in certain jobs, and more ways. It's my favorite site for finding mysteries.

[Flaxbee]

22. I think I read one of her books set on a remote island in the Keys

(I think) - it was good, and I should check out more of her books.

I'll give Elizabeth Peters books a try. I thought I'd love them but the first go-round didn't captivate me, however, that was a decade ago and my tastes have changed.

That website looks great - and helpful! Thank you!

[csziggy]

23. Yes, there was one set on a fort in the Keys

It was not one of my favorites.

One nice thing about Stop You''re Killing Me is that they list the books in the correct series order. And if you are not into series, you can see which books are NOT part of a series.

Frankly, I like the earlier Nevada Barr books better than the later ones.

As for Elizabeth Peters, the Amanda Peabody books need a certain attitude. I enjoy Amanda, but I can see how many would not. Definitely start with the first one - you will understand the later ones better.

[cynannmarie]

24. loved "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese

Set mostly in Africa (Ethiopia and Eritrea) with some of it in India. Beautiful writing.