On A Break from the Nordics

I am not sure how to describe this video. It is a mix between wanting to change directions when it comes to my reading habits, wanting to experience more and being a bit fed up with my regional reads.
Anyway! Hope you are having a good day!
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Thank you for watching!

[@RDsLibrary]

I get what you mean about wanting something different from your everyday experience and yearning for a sense of the exotic. As a Brit, Nordics such as Fredrik Backman and Jo Nesbø fit the bill, offering stories in an unfamiliar setting that hold my attention and make me feel something, so I guess it's just a matter of geography. That said, reading something historical in any setting can make a pleasant change. As for Asia, Confessions by Kanae Minato, Convenienece Store Woman and Before the Coffee Gets Cold are books by Japanese authors that might interest you, though my personal experience was mixed compared with generally positive views. Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop is a heart-warming Korean story, and The Three Body Problem is a Chinese sci-fi with mind-blowing concepts but weak (IMO) characterisation. I found Afghanistan-set A Thousand Splendid Suns well written but incredibly bleak, but you may get something out of it. If you're open to Aussie-set stories, Jane Harper writes character-driven crime books set in the outback or sweltering desert of Australia. The Dry might be the best place to start. I hope somebody suggests something that grabs your interest.

[@becomingabookworm]

Thanks for all the suggestions! The fun thing about this list is that I have read a few of the books mentioned but I have not yet read any of Nesbøs books 😅 Welcome to the Hyunam seems like something that Bellonas on my TBR! Also love the cover art. Not read any of Muratas books but several of them are on my radar :)

[@Alan-wd7wv]

I'm currently reading Hotel Silence because of your recommendation and absolutely loving it. I've got about 60 pages to go and will read them tomorrow. I recommended to you a few weeks ago "A Little Luck" by Claudia Pineiro. Actually Hotel Silence is kind of similar, and I really think you would love A Little Luck.

[@becomingabookworm]

Nice! So happy you like it! Yes! I put it on my TBR. Since I am getting a good amount of recommendations, I have made a list and then Ill see how many of them I can find at a discount :) I don´t think i have read any Argentinia book before so that´s a plus!

[@patrickwheeler5701]

pan's labyrinth : del toro & funke Kiki's Delivery Service : eiko kadono

[@nancyberry3655]

Ok, let me throw these out there... Plot driven, not Norwegian, and you will be asking yourself What is going on here...Oh, and unreliable narrators (my fave): If On a Winter's Night a Traveler, Italy Calvino; and The Box Man, Kobo Abe. 😊

[@becomingabookworm]

Thanks! I’ll take a look. Abes name have been showing up now and then, maybe it’s a sign!

[@Alan-wd7wv]

Sorry, I disagree with this. Calvino and Abe are very experimental and not plot driven.

[@dominikakalkowska8753]

I recommend Small Country by Gaël Faye (set in Rwanda and Burundi), Mother of Strangers by Suad Amiry (set in Jaffa), The Iliac Crest by Cristina Rivera Garza (set in Mexico), The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar (set in Iran). For non-fiction To Catch a Dictator: The Pursuit and Trial of Hissène Habré by Reed Brody or The Last Colony: A Tale of Exile, Justice and Britain's Colonial Legacy by Philippe Sands

[@becomingabookworm]

Thanks for taking the time to give all these recommendations! I have looked at them briefly now. Would you say Mother of stranger has humour in it? Did not seem to be that kind of book but goodreads says it contains dark humour (which would be a plus). This was also a good reminder that I have been recommendeed The Iliac Crest earlier :)!

[@dominikakalkowska8753]

​@@becomingabookworm I guess it could be called a situational dark humour in Mother of Strangers, but not much of it.

[@becomingabookworm]

Okey, thanks!

[@patrickwheeler5701]

bullet train : kōtarō isaka

[@LunaciaBooks]

I wrote a lengthy comment here, but then it just wanished... Weird. I had a couple of recommendations for you, of plot driven Asian books. Iron Widow, by Xiran Jay Zaho. It's a fantasy/science fiction book, and a «reimagining of the rise of China’s first and only female Emperor Wu Zetian set in the nation of Huaxia, a futuristic reinterpretation of Medieval China.» Lots of plot! The other one is one I read several years ago, The Ghost Bride, by Yangsze Choo. It's set in colonial Malaysia, and heavily inspired by Chinese and Malaysian folklore.

[@becomingabookworm]

I feel like comments disappear all of the time.. Very frusterating at times.. Thanks for the suggestions! I am unfamiliar with both of these! Both look interesting and it´s kind of strange how little Chinese literature is being pushed out there but maybe that will change..

[@biankakoettlitz6979]

You have phases like everybody else , you come back to Norwegian books when the time is right or the mood hit you😀 Don't be so analytical, ask yourself:which topic do you want to read next. For me, one book leed to another , one author to the next. Don't worry, (be happy)😀

[@becomingabookworm]

It’s complicated but I will try 😅

[@Bryndisdaugtherofgunnar]

If you are interested in sci-fi, I csn recommend Red Rising by Pierce Brown. It is a series and each book is long, but it is fantastic and definitely not Nordic 😊

[@becomingabookworm]

Thanks! I have a friend that loves that book. I have not read that much sci-fi yet, but I will try it out more in the future :)

[@biankakoettlitz6979]

Litteraturtoget fra/med Kronprinsessa er i gang uggen, skal til Røros med blant annet en fransk forfatter, kanskje kan dette være din inspirasjonskilde, lykke til😀

[@becomingabookworm]

Takk for tips!:)

[@patrickwheeler5701]

how to train your dragon [1-12] : read by david tennant rivers of london [ben aaronovitch] [1-9] : read by kobna holdbrook-smith

[@becomingabookworm]

Thanks for the recommendations! Did not know that How to train your dragon were books at all. Love the movies. I have read the 3 first in rivers of London and liked them very much :) Will continue the series in a while.

[@patrickwheeler5701]

@@becomingabookworm there's gunna be a 'Special Agent Kimberly Reynolds' mini novel called 'winter's gifts' just after 'lies sleeping'