Monday, March 26, 2018

*Top Ten Tuesday* Books that Take Place in Another Country


Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Joood - Hooligan of Platypire reviews bossed me into doing this, so I guess this is a thing I do now. 

This weeks theme is books that take place in another country. This topic would have been so much easier for me if it had come up in 2017, when I was living in Germany (except maybe that would have made it harder because it would have opened up ALL the books set in the US which do make up the bulk of my reading material). But now I'm back in the states, so I'll have to focus on books set elsewhere. So here we go.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - Sure, most of this book takes place in space and on other worlds, but it starts in England (and if the other worlds don't count as another country that's hardly fair too.)

I Know I Am, But What Are You by Samantha Bee - This memoir mostly takes place in Canada, because Samantha Bee is Canadian. It totally counts.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty - Set in Australia, although the vibe could probably totally be California or Florida.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor - Mostly set in Prague, Czech Republic, although there are some scenes in other countries (one of which is the US I think), but the bulk of the story does take place outside of the US.

Artemis by Andy Weir - Alright, so this one takes place on the moon, but the moon city is under the control of an African nation (Kenya I think, but I don't remember now) which basically makes it part of Africa if you ask me.

It Takes Death to Reach a Star by Stu Jones and Gareth Worthington - This dystopian novel mostly takes place in Siberia, with a bit of time spent in outer space. It was a proofread and is currently available for pre-order, but I highly recommend it.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - Set in Germany during WWII (couldn't have used this one while living in Germany.)

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor - This book is set in Nigeria, and has a bit of a Harry Potter feeling to the story.

Honorable Mentions

A House for Happy Mothers by Amulya Malladi - This book only half counts because it's only half set in India and the other half is in California.

Cooking for Picasso by Camille Aubray - While I feel like the bulk of this story takes place in France, New York plays a significant part in setting as well, so I'm not fully counting it.

A Very Mer-Merry Holiday by Ginna Moran - This book is mostly set in Australia, but I've included it in the honorable mentions section because I already had Australia in my main list (and I was really trying to not have duplicate countries.)

Now I'm not going to sit here and tell you those are my actual Top Ten Books set in other countries, because that would probably be a lie, but trying to sift through all the books I've read and then rank the ones set in other countries to come up with a legitimate top ten is not on my list of fun activities to do, so instead, I've given you my ten (eleven) most recent reads set in countries that are not the US.

So what about you? What are some of your favorite books set in other countries? - Katie

*If you're stopping by from the linkup, please be sure to drop a link to your post below so I can see your recommendations.*

14 comments:

  1. I like your Hitchhiker's Guide pick. And yay for australia- loved Big Little Lies! Prague is a city I'd love to see.

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    1. I'm ashamed of myself for not making it to Prague when we were living in Germany...So I'm going to have to try and talk my husband into getting a job in Europe again after the kids move out of the house (so I have much more freedom for traveling.)

      Thanks for stopping by. - Katie

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  2. Lovely list!

    Here's my link: https://wp.me/p6C2DX-1zZ

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  3. I love that you included other worlds. Yes I agree, they must count! I loved Akata Witch and it made my list as well but I really need to read the sequel.

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    1. It's only fair, because they are certainly not the United States. LOL. I need to get my hands on the sequel to Akata Witch too, at some point. - Katie

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  4. I've not read any of these so I'll have to look them up. Nice list! Here is my Top Ten Tuesday

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    1. I hope you find at least one that piques your interest. Thanks for stopping by. - Katie

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  5. Daughter of Smoke and Bone was on my list this week too!
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2018/03/27/top-ten-tuesday-152/

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    1. It's such a good book and would be hard not to include if you'd read it, I think. Thanks for stopping by. - Katie

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  6. I have read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (excellent) and Daughter of Smoke and Bone (liked it). Big Little Lies sounds interesting!!
    https://justmeandmyblogreviews.blogspot.com/2018/03/top-ten-tuesday-10-books-that-take.html

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    1. Big Little Lies is so good. I almost finished it before my book club meeting in fact. Thanks for stopping by. - Katie

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  7. Nice list! I am yet to read any of these books but Big Little Lies is definitely in my list. And I want to visit Prague.. some day :)

    My TTT: http://flippingthruthepages.com/2018/03/ten-books-that-take-place-in-another-country/

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  8. Great choices! I love The Hitchhiker's Guide and Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I was too busy to take part in this TTT but it would have been easy as I live in the UK so I could have just picked a lot of books set in the US.

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