Five Great Books Set Outside the UK and USA

Let's face it: when you're from the UK or the USA, you're pretty lucky in how much fiction, and non-fiction, is set in  or  is about your country. It's not hard to find settings you can relate to on a personal, nostalgic level, as well as all the people who inhabit those familiar spaces.

One thing I really enjoy, however, is when I come across books that aren't set in these typical places, especially if they're set on a completely different continent. My reading habits still have a lot of broadening to do, I still find myself reading mainly books set in the UK or the USA written by white authors from the UK or the USA, but I'm constantly trying to read more books set in places that are completely foreign to me in all the best ways. So today I thought I'd share five books with you that aren't set in the UK or the USA and, if you haven't already, hopefully you'll want to read them, too! (I've also just realised that all five of these books are debut novels...)

Stay With Me by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀

The novel I've read most recently from this selection, Adébáyọ̀'s debut was released earlier this year and was one of my most anticipated releases of 2017. I loved it. Set in Nigeria, where the author is from, the story follows a married couple desperate for a child whose relationship begins to unravel when a second wife is brought into the family. It's fantastic, so worth reading, and I'd recommend it for fans of Celeste Ng's Everything I Never Told You.

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

Set in Amsterdam, this book was EVERYWHERE when it was released a few years ago. As much as I love historical fiction I was wary to pick this one up at first because I was worried it had been over-hyped, but when I read it I thoroughly enjoyed it. 17th century Amsterdam came to life for me in this book and Jessie Burton writes exquisitely. A three-part adaptation of The Miniaturist is coming to the BBC later this year, so now's a great time to read it if you haven't already!

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

This is such a good book to pick up during winter, Kent captures the barren yet beautiful Icelandic landscape wonderfully, but as this book is a novelisation of the final days of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, the last woman to be executed in Iceland in the 19th century, it'll probably make you cry. I'm actually going to Iceland in December, so I might have to give this one a re-read.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

If sci-fi retellings of fairy tales aren't something that interests you then I don't understand you these books aren't for you, but personally I love this series - it's so fun! One thing I also really love about it, though, is that none of the books are set in either the UK or the USA (the final book, Winter, is set on the moon!) with Cinder being set in a futuristic version of China, in New Beijing to be exact. I have lots of other books set in Asia on my TBR, and if you have any recommendations I'd love to hear them!

Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

If a month goes by where I haven't mentioned this book on my blog, assume I'm ill. I think you all know by now that this is one of my favourite novels and its originality is a huge part of that. Not only is this book set in Mexico City, but it focuses on witchcraft in the 1980s where our protagonist, Meche, learns to cast spells with her vinyl records. How can you not want to read that?

Have you read any of these? What are some of your favourite books set outside the UK and USA?

Fandon Mashup | We Will Rock You

Fandom Mashup is an original featured created and hosted by the lovely Micheline @ Lunar Rainbows Reviews. Each week she proposes a unique fictional scenario and then invites you to build a dream team of five fictional characters from five different fandoms to help you to complete the task. Make sure you check out Micheline's blog for more info!

I've been meaning to join in with this for ages now but because I tend to be so lazy on a Sunday I forget about it, but this week I remembered! (Just in time). Thanks for creating this fun feature, Micheline!

This week's scenario: You find yourself in ancient Rome lined up to become a Gladiator. Woah.  The one upside is that you get to pick your own team to train you up for the task. Who do you pick?

(I don't know about you, but whenever I think of gladiators I think of that Pepsi advert with Beyonce, P!nk and Britney Spears...)

Finnick Odair

Finnick is essentially a futuristic gladiator, right? He even uses similar weaponry. Not only that but he already knows how to coach people to help them use their own skills and he knows how to appeal to the crowd, too, because your survival could all be down to how popular you are with the crowds in Ancient Rome. Just like the Tributes in Panem, Ancient Rome's gladiators were celebrities, too.

Wolf

Lunar Chronicles - Wolf © Laura Hollingsworth

Scarlet first sees Wolf fighting and the guy's pretty brutal - he's been biologically altered into a killing machine - so I think he could teach me how to fight dirty, which I'd definitely need to do if I wanted to win.

Éowyn

Any woman who can take down the Witch King of Angmar is a worthy teacher in my book, plus Éowyn is probably my favourite character from The Lord of the Rings and I feel as though she doesn't get as much love as she should. This woman is the ultimate warrior princess, and the inspiration for so many others.

Xena

Speaking of warrior princesses, I'm pretty sure there's nothing about gladiatorial combat this woman couldn't teach me. If Xena spends her days fighting evil, I'm sure she can spare some time to teach me how to kick someone else's butt.

Wonder Woman

If Wonder Woman can't teach me how to win a fight (or at least survive one) then I don't know who can. She's the original feminist superhero and I'd want her on my team. Plus if I'm not doing so well, hopefully she and Xena will step in and defend me...

Who would you choose?

Pokemon Go Book Tag

I have to be honest, I was always more of a Digimon girl than a Pokemon girl, but I was certainly in on the hype when Pokemon first became big in the UK. I think Pokemon Go's such a clever idea and, yes, I do have it on my phone, too - it's surprisingly fun!

This tag was created by Aentee @ Read at Midnight, and after seeing Deanna @ Deanna Writes do it I couldn't resist giving it a go myself.

That's such a hard question. I've always been surrounded by books; my parents read to me every night from a very young age, particularly my dad, so I don't think I could single out one book that made me love reading. Some of my earliest memories, however, are of having The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Rainbow Fish and Fantastic Mr. Fox read to me, so I suppose it'd be any one of those!

It has to be Harry Potter. I grew up as part of the Harry Potter Generation, and the series will forever be very dear to me.

Probably The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. I have a copy and I'd really like to read it at some point, but everyone loves this series so I'm both worried that I'll be the one person in the world who doesn't like it while also feeling like it can wait longer for my attention than other books on my shelves that aren't as well known.

Lauren Oliver's Delirium falls into the YA dystopian category, but it does it well. When The Hunger Games set dystopian fiction as the next trend in YA quite a lot of rubbish was published, but Delirium's great!

I've heard such good things about Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, but it's so huge it even has footnotes! It intimidates the hell out of me, but I'm determined to read it one day...

The last book I can remember sacrificing sleep for is Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. I just had to know what happened.

Quite a few. Cinder and Kai from The Lunar Chronicles; Meche and Sebastian from Signal to Noise; Saba and Jack from Blood Red Road; Sue and Maud from Fingersmith; Sephy and Callum from Noughts & Crosses; Sabriel and Touchstone from The Old Kingdom; Maia and Csethiro from The Goblin Emperor... Like I said, quite a few.

I have to go with Moira Young's Blood Red Road, which was just so much fun to read. I started reading it one night a couple of years ago when I couldn't sleep, and ended up staying up until four in the morning. Oops.

I don't have an answer for this one because I think everything has to come to an end eventually. I know that's a really boring answer, but I'd much rather see something end brilliantly than drag on until it becomes crap.

I had to read Louis Sachar's Holes in school, and when we were first given it my thought was 'how is reading a book about a bunch of guys digging holes going to be interesting?' but Holes is so much more than that. By this point I'd say that Holes is pretty much a modern classic within children's fiction and I loved every second of reading it.

Probably Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, which I guess is a lot less hyped now. I've been meaning to read it for years and still haven't got to it, but I love Greece and Greek mythology and I'd like to at least read the first book and see if I'm interested in the rest of the series soon.

I love beautiful books, but I'm not usually one for collector's editions. That being said, I do think this exclusive edition of The BFG is beautiful.

I'm really looking forward to Audrey Coulthurt's debut, Of Fire and Stars, about a princess who's betrothed to another kingdom's prince and ends up falling in love with his sister.

I will buy pretty much anything that has Silvia Moreno-Garcia's name on it. I adored her debut, Signal to Noise, and loved her second novel Certain Dark Things. Whatever she brings out next, I'll be buying it.

I've been impatiently anticipating Becky Chambers' A Closed and Common Orbit for months and months. I loved The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet so much and I can't wait to get my hands on Chambers' second novel.

If you'd like to give this a try then consider yourself tagged!

Review | Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

Stars Above

by Marissa Meyer

My Rating: 

The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories—and secrets—that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realize their destinies?

With nine stories—five of which have never before been published—and an exclusive never-before-seen excerpt from Marissa Meyer’s upcoming novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.

I think you all know by now how much I love The Lunar Chronicles, so when the series finally came to an end I was thrilled to know I'd have one last chance to see these characters in this short story collection. Some of the stories I'd already read, but there were several others that were completely new to me and there was something so warm and comforting about finding myself once again in the company of characters I love and a world I know.

I've been a bit down recently, and ended up in a horrid reading slump, and I think this book is the one that pulled me out of it. Cinder is one of my favourite YA heroines, though I do love Scarlet, Cress and Winter, too, so reading about her is always a joy, as was reading about the other characters. In this collection we're given the chance to read a story about Michelle Benoit, Scarlet's grandmother, as well as stories about Cress's childhood and Cinder and Kai's meeting from Kai's point of view. There's even a very fun story that takes place after Winter which was such a joy to read.

I didn't fall head over heels in love with this collection like I thought I would. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it and I'm so pleased it managed to pull me from my reading slump, but I felt like Marissa Meyer's writing wasn't as strong in this collection as it is in her novels. Personally I think Meyer is a better storyteller than a writer; like all writers she'll constantly be improving, and she's by no means a bad writer in the slightest, but I think her stories and her characters are more impressive than the way in which she writes them. That doesn't bother me - I'm generally much more interested in story than writing style anyway, though every now and then an author like Jessie Burton comes along who excels in both - but this was the first time I noticed it, particularly in the first story which felt a little too slow for a character as lively as Michelle.

I do think Meyer has a real talent for dialogue, though. I love the way her characters interact, particularly when they're joking; it's not easy to write humour, but Meyer has a knack for it.

Ultimately Stars Above is a really fun collection. My favourite story is probably 'Glitches' - like I said, I am a big Cinder fan - but 'Something Old, Something New' is a very close second. If you're a fan of The Lunar Chronicles then this book will make a lovely addition to your collection, and if you're not? I recommend you pick up a copy of Cinder!

Top Ten Tuesday | A Whole New World

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Top Ten Historical Settings You Love/ Ten Historical Settings You'd Love To See or Top Futuristic Books You Love/Ten Futuristic Societies I'd Love To Read in Books', but instead of talking about generic settings this week I'm going to talk about some books, five historical fiction and five sci-fi, in which the world building is amazing.

Historical Fiction

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton: I still can't quite believe this is Burton's debut because it's one of the most stunningly written books I've ever read. Set in 17th century Amsterdam, Burton fills each page with sumptuous detail and lyrical prose. So worth reading!

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent: Set in 19th century Iceland, Hannah Kent's debut novel is the perfect novel for the winter because the bitter cold oozes from the pages. This is also a book that'll break your heart in two. Just so you know.

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks: Year of Wonders is the novelisation of a true event in which a village called Eyam in Derbyshire closed itself off to the world when its residents began to succumb to the plague, in hopes of preventing the spread of the disease. The village itself almost becomes a character in this novel, and Brooks describes the isolation wonderfully.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: I didn't love this novel as much as I'd hoped I would, but there's no denying that Morgenstern's circus is wonderfully fantastical. I want to go to the Night Circus, too.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: What I love about this novel is that the setting's unusual. So many historical fiction books set during the Second World War are set in Britain, France or America, so it was so refreshing to read a book set in Germany during the war which painted Germans fairly. It's good to remember that the vast majority of the German and Austrian population hated Hitler more than anyone else did.

Science Fiction

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: I love dystopian fiction that could be a fathomable reality, and in my opinion Collins succeeded with this trilogy. If we were to broadcast a show like The Hunger Games you can guarantee people would watch it, and that's what makes these books so terrifying.

Feed by Mira Grant: Ah Feed, my love. What I love about Feed is that it's a post-post-apocalyptic novel. Zombies exist but not every single society in the world has collapsed. Grant's world building is so well thought out and thorough. I just love this book!

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers: I think I'd marry this book if I could. It includes so many things that I'm passionate about and Chambers' world building is astounding. Read this!

Delirium by Lauren Oliver: We all know by now how much of a trainwreck Requiem was, but I thought Delirium was a beautifully written YA dystopia - in all honesty I wish it had been a standalone. When I first heard it was set in a world without love I thought it was going to be really cheesy, but Lauren Oliver has put a lot of thought into what a world without love would really mean and it's so bleak. Wonderful novel, just pretend the latter two don't exist.

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer: Obviously this series was going to be on the list. I love it and I love Marissa Meyer's futuristic universe. No more need be said.

What did you talk about this week?

My Most Anticipated Releases of 2016!

Okay so I already talked about some of my anticipated releases this year in one of my Top Ten Tuesday posts, but I'm not usually the kind of reader that has ten books I desperately want to read. Today I'm going to talk about the select few 2016 releases that I am dying to get my hands on right this very second. There are six in total, and I want all of them now.

The Muse by Jessie Burton

In at number six is Jessie Burton's second novel. I finally read her debut, The Miniaturist, last year and I thought it was exquisite, so I can't wait to see what her second novel is like. Mostly I'm just looking forward to more of her gorgeous writing style.

As I Descended by Robin Talley

At number five it's Robin Talley's third novel, As I Descended; a modern day lesbian retelling of Macbeth, which just so happens to be my favourite Shakespeare play. When I made the decision to number these (it was so much easier to put these in an order than my top three books of last year) I surprised myself when I realised Talley wasn't higher on the list. I think she's a brilliant voice in YA and I loved her debut, Lies We Tell Ourselves, but unfortunately I didn't like her second novel, What We Left Behind, all that much, so I'm hoping her third novel is much better!

Unicorn Tracks by Julia Ember

More LGBT+ YA at number four, and the only debut on my list. I've been eagerly anticipating this book ever since I first stumbled across it; I'm a little bit obsessed with unicorns so I'm really looking forward to reading this. 

A Tyranny of Petticoats ed. by Jessica Spotswood

Another dash of historical fiction on my list at number three with an anthology I'm so excited for. These are all historical fiction stories with leading ladies, featuring authors such as Marissa Meyer, Robin Talley, and Elizabeth Wein. I've already preordered this one and I can't wait!

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

Yet another short story collection at number two, and another one I've already preordered. I love The Lunar Chronicles and I can't wait to complete my collection with this book, even though it's going to be difficult to say goodbye to these characters.

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

We're finishing how we began: with a second novel. At number one, my most anticipated read of 2016, it's Silvia Moreno-Garcia's new novel, Certain Dark Things. Unless you happened to shut your eyes every time you clicked on my blog last year then you'll know I adored Moreno-Garcia's debut, Signal to Noise, and I've been keeping an eye on her to see what she'll release next. It's been a while since I last read a vampire book, and this sounds so good. I can't wait to sink my teeth into it (hurr hurr hurr). Needless to say I've preordered this one, but I have to wait until October before I can read it. How will I cope?






Which books are you most looking forward to this year?

Monthly Wrap-Up | November 2015

November was a fairly mixed month for me. I can't believe it's December already!

Bitch Planet, Vol.1: Extraordinary Machine

by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro

Demon Road

by Derek Landy

Winter

by Marissa Meyer

A Guinea Pig Pride & Prejudice

by Jane Austen and Alex Goodwin

Sky Goddesses of Dryden, Vols. I-IV

by Laura Konrad and Danielle Evert

Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked: Sex, Morality, and the Evolution of a Fairy Tale

by Catherine Orenstein

Copperhead, Vol.2

by Jay Faerber, Scott Godlewski and Ron Riley

Disturbance
by Ivy Alvarez

The Falconer
by Elizabeth May

The Grownup
by Gillian Fynn

The Only Woman in the Room: Why Science is still a Boys' Club
by Eileen Pollack

I read ten books in October, and somehow I managed to read eleven in November. Don't ask me how! The Lunar Chronicles finally came to an end with the arrival of my most anticipated release of this year, Winter, and I ended up reading a lot of good books this month - there were no books I didn't like, which is always nice!

My sister, brother-in-law and I went to see Mockingjay Part 2 together in November, and I enjoyed it! I really like what Francis Lawrence has done with the series, and given how sceptical I was about Mockingjay being divided into two I actually think it was done really well and the cast were superb. As with all adaptations there were parts of it that I didn't like as much as others, but as a whole I think it was a very good adaptation!

I was pleasantly surprised by a new period drama in November. Whenever I see the word 'Frankenstein' in the title of a drama I'm immediately wary - there has never been a decent adaptation of Frankenstein - but The Frankenstein Chronicles isn't an adaptation of the book, in fact one of the characters is Mary Shelley, played by the wonderful Anna Maxwell Martin.

The Frankenstein Chronicles is set around nine years after the publication of Frankenstein, and children, sewn together from various body parts, are being found dumped around London. At a time when science and religion are constantly butting heads, it's up to John Marlott, played by Sean Bean, to find out who's committing these monstrosities before all of London discovers what's happening.

If you're in the UK it's on ITV Encore on Wednesday nights t 9pm, and Thursday nights at 10pm. Those of you outside the UK, I have no idea if the drama's already out there or if it's going to be, but if you have the chance to watch it then do - it's surprisingly good!

Winter

by Marissa Meyer

Demon Road

by Derek Landy

The Falconer

by Elizabeth May

The Grownup

by Gillian Flynn

The Only Woman in the Room: Why Science is still a Boys' Club

by Eileen Pollack

Sci-Fi Month | Is Alien Gothic?

Book vs. Adaptation | Carrie by Stephen King

Sci-Fi Month | Do the Undead Breathe New Life into our Classics?

Film Recommendations for Austen Fans

Adult Fiction for YA Readers

November has been a month of highs and lows for me. Earlier in the month my sister and I went to see Imagine Dragons in Cardiff, and they were amazing. I bought tickets for us for my sister's birthday, so we'd been waiting to go and see them since February.

They were so good live and they put on an excellent show - I definitely want to see them again in future, and I'm glad my sister liked her birthday present. It was nice to spend an evening with her; she's ten years older than me, so she's married and has two daughters of her own, so I don't get her all to myself that often.

Throughout November I took part in Rinn @ Rinn Reads' Sci-Fi Month. I didn't read as much as I hoped I would, but I wrote a couple of blog posts I really enjoyed writing and I managed to get a couple of reviews up. I even took a picture of my Lunar Chronicles books on Instagram, and it ended up getting used in an article on Bustle!

November was also my last month at work as my contract came to an end. I was hired as an Administration and Marketing Assistant at the independent publishers, Seren Books, for a year to help organise the centenary celebrations of WW2 writer, Alun Lewis.

My colleagues and I went for lunch and they got me a lovely card and some unicorn-themed gifts; I think of everything it's the other people at Seren I'm going to miss most. I really enjoyed my year in publishing - I basically ended up single-handedly updating the blog, which I really enjoyed doing - and I spent a lot of November applying for new jobs.

I ended up getting an interview for a writing job that I really wanted in the city I went to university, where I still have a lot of friends, but unfortunately I didn't get the job and I'm pretty bummed about it. So right now I'm feeling a little down and a little lost, but I'm sure I'll feel more optimistic when I've stopped feeling sorry for myself. For now, though, I'm going to allow myself a couple of days to just be sad.

Vlora @ Reviews and Cake talked about Why She Doesn't Go to the Library

Jamie @ The Perpetual Page-Turner talked about her Insecurities Then Vs. Now

Kaja @ Of Dragons and Hearts talked about giving authors Second Chances

Amanda @ Of Spectacles and Books talked about Cinderella and the Marginalized

What did you get up to in November?