Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme created by The Broke and the Bookish blog, and now hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl.
This week’s topic is: Books Set in Another Country (On My TBR)
I will be focusing on books set outside of the US (the country in which I live), as well as books set outside of the UK (since I happen to read a lot of books that take place here).
Here are some of the countries I can’t wait to explore in the pages of these books:
Australia: The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
I’m hoping to read this for the 1977 Club next month, but if that doesn’t happen, it would make for perfect summer reading. An epic family saga, a forbidden love story, and a cult classic set in the Australian Outback; The Thorn Birds seems to have a lot going for it.
Japan: The Makioka Sisters by Jun’ichirō Tanizaki
This novel about four sisters finding their way in 1930’s Japan, sounds like my cup of tea. It’s supposed to be a bittersweet portrayal of love, family, growing up, and the juxtaposition of tradition and modernity.
India: A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
Coming in at ~1474 pages, A Suitable Boy is quite the intimidating tome. It sounds a bit like an epic marriage plot novel- or even an Austen novel- set in Post-Colonial India. Apparently, the long-awaited sequel is set to be published later this year, so maybe I should pick this up sooner rather than later.
Spain and Morocco: The Time in Between by María Dueñas
I couldn’t get enough of the glamorous and riveting miniseries (on Netflix), and have been meaning to read the book ever since. The Time in Between is set in the lead up to WWII, and features a heroine who is a seamstress turned spy. It ticks so many of my favorite book boxes!
France: Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky
I can’t wait to discover Irène Némirovsky’s phenomenal writing, although I’m sure this will be a very emotional read.
Russia: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
I really enjoyed Rules of Civility, and have been wanting to pick up A Gentleman in Moscow for a while. It seems like a quiet, introspective novel, with rich characters and plenty of charm.
Egypt: Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody #1) by Elizabeth Peters
Who doesn’t enjoy a fun mystery, especially one featuring a rule-breaking heroine who is an intelligent Egyptologist?!? In fact, writing this makes me want to pick up this first book in the Amelia Peabody series immediately!
Italy: Florence in Ecstasy by Jessie Chaffee
This debut novel about a young American woman newly arrived in Florence, who is recovering from an eating disorder, is getting wonderful reviews. It sounds like an ideal blend of vivid writing, fun hijinks, and emotional depth. Plus, I do have a bit of a soft spot for stories of Americans traveling or living abroad.
Korea and Japan: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Pachinko has been getting a lot of buzz lately, and I have yet to see a bad review of this epic family drama. I look forward to being swept away in the story, and to learning about this aspect of twentieth-century history.
Nigeria: Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
I haven’t read any of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s fiction, a fact I need to change ASAP. Purple Hibiscus sounds like a richly written coming of age story that explores religion, politics, and family.
Have you read any of these? What books set in another country are on your TBR?
Dwell in Possibility 
Purple Hibiscus and Suite Francaise are absolutely stellar. Happy reading!
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Thanks, Laila- that’s great to hear!!
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I read The Thorn Birds years ago, and I really enjoyed it, though I do remember getting angry at the characters at different points! Amelia Peabody is also on my TBR. I’ve heard good things. Also, I recently learned that Elizabeth Peters is one of the names that Barbara Mertz writes under. I also enjoyed some of her books under the name Barbara Michaels, so that bodes well.
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I’m happy to hear you enjoyed The Thorn Birds! It sounds like there is some major DRAMA, so I’m sure it’s easy to get frustrated with the characters. I had no idea Elizabeth Peters was a pseudonym. I’ve only heard good things about the series as well. Hopefully we’ll both enjoy it!
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The only one I’ve read is A Gentleman in Moscow – he writes beautifully and there’s a lot of wit in it. Not as much depth as I expected, but an enjoyable read nevertheless…
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Good to know! I’ve been thinking it was bit deeper than it probably is too. I’ll save it for when I’m in the mood for a well-written, witty read.
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My mother-in-law gave me a copy of The Thorn Birds months ago and I keep meaning to read it, but it never seems to pop out at me. And I want to add The Time In Between and check out the miniseries!
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It definitely seems like the kind of read you have to be in the right mood for. It sounds like it can be A LOT in terms of both length and melodrama! The Time in Between miniseries is so well done. The locations, costumes, and acting are all wonderful. Hope you enjoy it!
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I love your recommendations! They all sound like my kind of read
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Thanks, Cam! I hope you’ll enjoy them if you pick them up!
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I love it when I find bloggers who’ve enjoyed so many of the same books. Makioka Sisters is on my upcoming Six Degrees of Separation post. Thorn Birds…well, I’m a child of the 70s–Swoon-city for that one! Great list. Thanks for dropping by my blog.
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Great minds- Makioka Sisters is also one of the links on my April #6degrees! I really want to track down a copy to read ASAP. And I’m glad to hear The Thorn Birds is so swoon-worthy!
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I loved both Suite Francaise and The Makioka Sisters, and I just finished rereading The Thorn Birds this week! I hadn’t read it since I was a teenager and I couldn’t wait to read it again for the 1977 club. It’s long but a very fast read.
I also want to read Pachinko, I read Free Food For Millionaires by the same author a few years ago and really liked it. I also want to read A Suitable Boy, maybe this summer — it’s so long! But I feel like I should actually read a book about India actually written by an Indian author.
I have a bunch of books set in other countries on the TBR pile — I want to read a lot books set in Asia for Asian Pacific Heritage month in May. I think I may actually need to write a blog post about this!
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Yay! I’m very glad to hear that about SF, TMS, and TTB. It’s especially good to know that The Thorn Birds is a quick, engrossing read in spite of its length. Maybe A Suitable Boy is similar in that respect! It sounds so very good, but as you say it is so long that it’s quite intimidating. I would love to read that blog post, Karen!
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I have a few of these books on my TBR! I really want to read Pachinko and The Makioka Sisters. They both sound so good! I love traveling to other places through books. I’m such a homebody that it’s one of the only ways I travel sometimes.
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Yes!! Armchair traveling is so wonderful, and one of the best parts of being a reader. The Makioka Sisters and Pachinko are definitely at the top of my TBR list as well.
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I’ve read Suite Francaise and Pachinko, which is excellent though a bit slow at times. I learned a lot about Japan and Korea by reading it. I haven’t read Purple Hibiscus but I love Chimamanda Ngozi Idichi (Americanah is fantastic).
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Americanah is definitely on my TBR list as well!
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Suite Francaise is amazing!! Hope you enjoy it 🌟 and I always get such good recommendations from your blog!!
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Thanks so much, Rachel; I’m very happy to hear that!
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