Wales

Bonnie says, "I've been to Wales, via book. After completing A String in the Harp by Nancy Bond, I spent the next couple of hours googling images of mid-Wales and Borth, the book's setting. That's how good it was. Read my review of the book on my blog."

Fifteen-year-old Jen had stayed home in America when her father, brother, and sister moved to Wales for a year, after the unexpected death of their mother. When she joins them in December for a holiday visit, Jen discovers a distracted father, a sullen brother, and a young sister who misses her terribly. Peter, the middle child, finds an ancient harp key that somehow tunes in to scenes from the life of the legendary sixth-century Welch bard, Taliesin. Strangely, Peter isn't the only one to experience that earlier century; people around him -- including neighbors -- see lights and hear fighting, too.

Australia

Amy said, "Hi Bonnie, Don't know if you are still running this challenge, but I just read a new book for Australia: The Voices by Susan Elderkin. Here is the link to my review."

In the remote, blood red dust of the Australian bush, thirteen-year-old Billy Saint turns to the stark landscape and mesmerizing spirits of the native Aborigines for the companionship he lacks at home. When he is befriended by Maisie, an enigmatic Aboriginal girl who has "sung him up," he slowly comes to realize that he is meddling with powers far beyond his control. Ten years later, Billy lies in a hospital bed, recovering from gruesome wounds of mysterious origin. Shifting between his hospital stay and the childhood that led him there, The Voices unfolds into a haunting exploration of the relationship between a white man, the land he loves, and the native spirits of the country struggling to be heard before they are lost forever.
__________

Thanks, Amy. Yes, I hope to continue this challenge a bit longer. Maybe this will explain my long absence from this blog. To everyone, please re-submit any book suggestions you've made that I failed to get posted.
Thanks,
~~~ Bonnie

Finland

Wendy said, "An excellent (and quick) read for Finland is Let The Northern Lights Erase Your Name, by Vendela Vida. The book introduces readers to the Sami culture and the haunting and desolate landscape of Lapland. Here is my review."

On the day of her father's funeral, twenty-eight-year-old Clarissa Iver­ton discovers that he wasn't her biological father after all. Her mother disappeared fourteen years earlier, and her fiancé has just revealed a life-changing secret to her. Alone and adrift, Clarissa travels to mystical Lapland, where she believes she'll meet her real father. There, at a hotel made of ice, Clarissa is confronted with the truth about her mother's his­tory, and must make a decision about how—and where—to live the rest of her life.

Italy

Amy said, "Here is another one for Italy for you: I'm Not Scared by Niccolò Ammaniti. The link to my review is here."

“Stop all this talk about monsters, Michele. Monsters don’t exist. It’s men you should be afraid of, not monsters.” A sweltering heat wave hits a tiny village in Southern Italy, sending the adults to seek shelter, while their children bicycle freely throughout the countryside, playing games and getting into trouble. On a dare, nine-year-old Michele Amitrano enters an old, abandoned farmhouse, where he stumbles upon a secret so terrible that he can’t tell anybody. As the truth emerges, Michele learns that the horror in the creepy old house is closer to home than he ever imagined. A widely acclaimed international bestseller, I’m Not Scared is a spine-tingling novel that combines a coming of age narrative with a satisfying, enthralling story of suspense.

Korea

Amy said, "I have a new book for you and I noticed you don't have this country yet: Korea. Here is the link to my review."

One Thousand Chestnut Trees by Mira Stout is subtitled "A Novel of Korea." Uncle Hong-do arrives in Vermont from Korea to see the sister he has never met, a concert violinist long settled in the West. His colorful visit turns his teenage niece's world upside down, disrupting Anna's cozy existence with his eccentric customs, forcing into it a fresh and intriguing tang of Korea. Then, too soon, he returns to Seoul. Years later, Anna, now an artist in Manhattan, finds herself in a state of Bohemian malaise -- unhappy, aimless, uninspired, and mired in routine. She seeks to fill the void with an expedition to Korea, retracing her mother's journey in an effort "to see my family undie." Her departure stirs up vivid, shocking memories for her mother, of her gilded childhood, and of her noble clan's fall from power. Long ago, her grandfather commanded his own private armies and owned vast estates across the country from north to south. In defiance of centuries of barbarous invasions -- by the Japanese, Manchus, and finally the Communists -- he built a temple high in the mountains and planted one thousand chestnut trees to shield it from view. Generations later, his trees call back his great-granddaughter Anna, who sets out with Uncle Hong-do to find the hidden temple and excavate from history the remains of her family's legacy.

Egypt

Kailana said, "Another good Egypt book is Nefertiti by Michelle Moran." And Marg said, "Any of the Amelia Peabody historical mysteries [are good ones for Egypt] as well."

Nefertiti and her younger sister, Mutnodjmet, have been raised in a powerful family that has provided wives to the rulers of Egypt for centuries. Ambitious, charismatic, and beautiful, Nefertiti is destined to marry Amunhotep, an unstable young pharaoh. It is hoped that her strong personality will temper the young ruler’s heretical desire to forsake Egypt’s ancient gods. From the moment of her arrival in Thebes, Nefertiti is beloved by the people but fails to see that powerful priests are plotting against her husband’s rule. The only person brave enough to warn the queen is her younger sister, yet remaining loyal to Nefertiti will force Mutnodjmet into a dangerous political game; one that could cost her everything she holds dear. Nefertiti by Michelle Moran is told from the point of view of her younger sister, Mutnodjmet.

Tomb of the Golden Bird by Elizabeth Peters, is the latest of the Amelia Peabody series. Convinced that the tomb of the little-known king Tutankhamon lies somewhere in the Valley of the Kings, Egyptologist Radcliffe Emerson and his wife, Amelia Peabody, seem to have hit a wall. Emerson has tried desperately to persuade Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter to relinquish their digging rights. But Emerson's trickery has backfired, and his insistent interest in the site has made his rivals all the more determined to keep the Emerson clan away. The family returns to Luxor and watches from the sidelines as Carter and Carnarvon "discover" King Tut's tomb. But before their own excavation can get underway, Emerson and his son, Ramses, find themselves lured into a trap by a strange group of villains demanding "Where is he?" The Emersons embark on a quest to uncover who "he" is and why "he" must be found, only to discover the answer is uncomfortably close to home. Now Amelia must find a way to protect her family -- and perhaps even her would-be nemesis -- from the forces that will stop at nothing to succeed in the nefarious plot that threatens the peace of the entire region.

Egypt

Sharon suggests The Red Tent by Anita Diamat which is set partially in Egypt.

Her name is Dinah. In Chapter 34 of the Book of Genesis, Dinah's tale is a brief and violent detour in the familiar narrative about her father, Jacob, and his dozen sons. This novel, told in Dinah's voice, gives a new view of biblical women. It begins with the story of her mothers — Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah — the four wives of Jacob. They love Dinah and give her gifts that sustain her through a hard-working youth, a calling to midwifery, and a new home in a foreign land.

Brazil

R-Lo said, "I've just read and reviewed Machado de Assis' great 1899 novel Dom Casmurro for my Book around the World selection for Brazil. My review is here for anyone interested."

Like other great nineteenth century novels -- The Scarlet Letter, Anna Karenina, Madame Bovary -- Machado de Assis's Dom Casmurro explores the themes of marriage and adultery. But what distinguishes Machado's novel, and what makes it such a delightful discovery for English-speaking readers, is its eccentric and wildly unpredictable narrative style. As he recounts the events of his life from the vantage of a lonely old age, the narrator Bento continually interrupts his story to reflect on the writing of it. But the novel is more than a performance of stylistic acrobatics. It is an ironic critique of Catholicism, in which God appears as a kind of divine accountant whose ledgers may be balanced in devious as well as pious ways. It is also a story about love and its obstacles, about deception and self-deception, and about the failure of memory to make life's beginning fit neatly into its end.

List of countries

I have no idea who decides -- or how anyone decides -- what makes a country. I have, however, found an interesting list of countries. Presumably, it's a list of all the countries in the world. It intrigues me to see that down at the very bottom are links to two that don't fit anywhere in the alphabetical listing, maybe because one isn't a country at all and the other because the compiler of this list (the CIA) doesn't recognize the other as an "official" country for political reasons.

We could ask ourselves: "When is a country NOT a country?" Which still leaves us with the basic question: "When IS a country a country?"

Now I wonder if there has been a book published about every country on this list. How many countries have you read about so far? Check in, everyone! Give us an update on your progress.

New Zealand

Jill said, "Another excellent New Zealand book was The Colour by Rose Tremain (here is my review)."

Newlyweds Joseph and Harriet Blackstone emigrate from England to New Zealand, along with Joseph's mother Lilian, in search of new beginnings and prosperity. But the harsh land near Christchurch where they settle threatens to destroy them almost before they begin. When Joseph finds gold in a creek bed, he hides the discovery from both his wife and mother, and becomes obsessed with the riches awaiting him deep in the earth. Abandoning his farm and family, he sets off alone for the new goldfields over the Southern Alps, a moral wilderness where many others, under the seductive dreams of the "colour," rush to their destinies and doom.

Harriet bravely decides to pursue her own journey towards an uncertain future. But nothing has prepared her for what happens when she too arrives at the gold diggings. Amid squalor and confusion, burning heat and icy flood, Harriet Blackstone comes face to face with the true cost of desire.