Read a book from each country in Europe.

[sonjadog]

I was just reading an article about someone who had a goal to read one book from each country in the world and it has inspired me to start my own project to read a book from each country in Europe.

I want to read a novel or a biography or something along those lines and it must be set on the country with an author from the country.

So, do you have a favourite author from your country? Do you have a book recommendation?

I'm thankful for all suggestions, even if you aren't from the country the book is from.

Try Suite Francaise by Irene Nemerovsky (sp?) - a really interesting read about fleeing occupied France though sadly unfinished :(

From France I love Marcel Pagnol's books,especially Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources collectively known as L'eau des Collines. They won't be to everyone's tastes though.

I want to do this myself now.

Odessey from Greece

Milan kundera - the unbearable lightness of bonking being - set in Czech republic by a Czech author.

The Henning mankell wallender series are Swedish and set in Sweden iirc.

There was a book about a hare I read which was Finnish by a Finnish author.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, Sweden.

Brilliant idea, will read with interest :)

I don't have much to offer on this - I keep coming up with kids' books.

Sophie's World, or The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder from Norway.

Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture by Apostolos Doxiadis from Greece.

Lithuania - Between Shade of Grey by Ruta Sepetys. Amazing, tells of deportations to Siberia post WW2. Although I think the author is American it is based on her family's true story (as far as I can remember).

Hmm there aren't many books written by Moldovans and certainly not ones translated into English.

The closest you can get is probably Playing the Moldovan's At Tennis by Tony Hawkes who has kind of become an honorary Moldovan for his continued interest in the country.

Requiem for a Spanish Peasant.

it's wonderful.

Or The Shadow of the Wind by Zafon.

Requiem is wonderful though.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Requiem_for_a_Spanish_Peasant

Great suggestions so far! Thanks!

This is going to be a pretty hopeless post, but there's a book by a Spanish author set in turn of the (last) century Barcelona - Juan something Zafon, I think, and the book is Shadow of the Wind (I think!)

There's Kate Mosse 's trilogy set around Carcassone, and how about Child 44 ( Tom Rob Smith) for Russia?

I seem to remember that Middlesex by Geoffrey Eugenidies was set partly in Greece..... Or it maybe another book if his. Sadly I left that one in a hotel room so never got round to finishing it!

Ooh there's a good one called Burying the Typewriter by Carmen Bugan from Romania which is all about growing up under Ceaucescu.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin. Greece

Room With A View- Italy

Doctor Zhivago- Russia.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova covers quite a few European countries, notably Hungary, although the author is American. Not sure if that counts, but it's a good read anyway!

Don't read The Island or The Return by Victoria Hislop.

The Island is OK, but the Return is a pile o'shite.

Cheating a bit, but Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson covers a lot of Europe.

I am lookinjg up belgian authors but not many of them have been translated to English.

It's a children's book but When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is one of my favourite books of all time. Actually I didn't realise until I looked it up just now but it's autobiographical - the author was born German but had to leave because of Nazi persecution and now lives in Britain where she has been most of her life.

The year of the hare by arto paasilinna is the Finnish one. Lovely book.

Loads of Irish authors, Maeve Binchy, Marian Keyes, Frank McCourt.

Does anyone have a good Latvian one? I recently found a few kid/nursery rhyme books which I was given by my birth mother, but no adult ones.

Agatha Christie's Poirot and of course Tin Tin for Belgium. I have to admit, never read them myself.

Agree with Requiem for a Spanish peasant. We did it at Uni, poignant story.