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Giveaways
One of the favorite days of past years is our day of giveaways! You host the giveaway on your own site and link it up here for all our participants to come and visit. Don’t forget to give Armchair BEA a little love when advertising, but you can choose your own guidelines and deadlines.
Here is my giveaway. If you win, you can choose any of these 4 historical novels. Click on the entry form right below the description of each book.
- Equal of the Sun, by Anita Amirrezvani – hardcover, brand new condition
- The Third Son, by Julie Wu – paperback, ARC, brand new condition
- Gracianna, by Trini Amador – hardcover, brand new condition, signed by the author to my name
- Meadowlark, by Dawn Wink – paperback, brand new condition, signed by the author to my name
Entry-Form
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Beyond the Borders
It’s time to step outside your comfort zone, outside your borders, or outside of your own country or culture. Tell us about the books that transported you to a different world, taught you about a different culture, and/or helped you step into the shoes of someone different from you. What impacted you the most about this book? What books would you recommend to others who are ready or not ready to step over the line? In essence, let’s start the conversation about diversity and keep it going!
I read a lot of books set in different countries or written by non American authors. As I’m French, I’m going to refrain here from books set in France! Here are some really good ones I read recently:
Baudelaire’s Revenge, by Bob van Laerhoven
ok, it IS set in France, in 1870! BUT this is the only book translated from the Dutch that I have read for many years. AND it REALLY was beyond my comfort zone. I kept reading it, because it is actually super well written and because I received it for review (scheduled for June 12), but boy it was so gruesome, black, creepy, quite tough for me.
Timbuctoo, by Tahir Shah
This was a cool historical novel, based on the original narrative of Robert Adams published in London in 1816. Robert Adams claimed he went to Timbuctoo (Mali) and was a white slave there. Fascinating. Quite an eye opener on the colonist period and mindset.
Tokyo Fiancée, by Nathalie Nothomb
Nothomb is a super famous Belgian author, writing in French. She was born in Japan. This novel integrates some of her experience in Japan. I enjoy a lot Japanese literature. I was interesting to see how a Belgian would do with the Japanese culture, and it did feel often like reading real Japanese literature. Highly recommended – upcoming review!
St Bartholomew’s Man, by Mary Delorme
This was a fascinating historial novel based in Italy and England, recounting the beginnings of St Bartholomew’s hospital in London, of which I really knew nothing before.
ADDITION:
As I have mentioned this a few times in comments, I might as well add it here. This is not recent, but a few years ago I did this most amazing reading experience: reading a book connected with 52 different countries. See here the list of the books I read for each of these countries.
Words And Peace 
Is the giveaway international?
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if you click on the form you can see: ‘Open to residents of the U.S. 18+’. and then it asks for the State you live in
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Great foreign titles that you listed there! St. Bartholomew’s Man and Baudelaire’s Revenge sound especially interesting, will check them out on GR. I love books set in a different country and/or originally written in another language, the storytelling is unique and fascinating 🙂
Last fiction novel I read that was set in a different country was Rachel Joyce’s The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (set in England) 🙂
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yes, its really cool to experience a different way of writing. Ah, Joyce’s book is on my list to read this year for my TBR challenge, about time!
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I rarely read outside fantasy settings. I am trying to expand this with a personal challenge called Around the World in 80 books.
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this is so cool! and with a twist with the Nobel. I did the 52 countries reading challenge, my #43 at least was a Nobel for Portugal. great book, which is actually not too far from your favorite genre! see: https://wordsandpeace.com/2012/01/04/around-the-world-in-52-books/
Another blogger focuses on the Nobels: http://readnobels.blogspot.com/
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I am reading a book that takes place in ancient Egypt.
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and the title is…? I went to your blog, but there’s no widget showing what you are currently reading, I’m curious!
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I love reading translated fiction, so I’ll definitely check out some of your recommendations! Books by non-American authors can be so different, they make for some really fun reading 🙂
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I know we are on the same wave length on this! so fascinating indeed
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I just finished reading We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo last week and that book has been amazing!
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I keep running into this one, need to try, thanks!
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I haven’t read any of those. The last novel set elsewhere I read, I believe was Ink by Amanda Sun.
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thanks, am going to look into this one
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I read alot of “escapist” fiction – fantasy, romance, paranormal. As for set in other countries the last ones I can think of would be the early Outlander books set in Britain and Tatiana de Rosnay’s A Secret Kept which released after Sarah’s Key.
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I need to try Outlander! thanks for the recommendations
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Ugh. I read so many books, it’s hard to remember. I suppose I could consider the most recent is one I’m currently reading: Someone Else’s Skin by Sarah Hilary. It’s set in England.
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had not heard about this one, will look, thanks
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