Top Ten Tuesday – MY TOP 10 FAVORITE READS SET OUTSIDE OF THE U.S.

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.  Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!

This week’s TTT topic is Top Ten Books That Take Place In Another Country.  I live in the U.S. and I love to read books that are set in other countries.  Not only is a great way to learn about other cultures, etc, but It also helps to somewhat satisfy my wanderlust because reading these books is like traveling without a passport.  That said, here are some of my favorite reads that have non-U.S. settings.

 

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MY TOP 10 FAVORITE READS SET OUTSIDE OF THE U.S.

 

1. ON THE JELLICOE ROAD by Melina Marchetta  (Set in AUSTRALIA)

 

 

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2. WARCROSS by Marie Lu (Set primarily in TOKYO, JAPAN)

 

 

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3.  HOMEGOING by Yaa Gyasi (Set primarily in AFRICA)

 

 

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4. MY LADY JANE by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, & Brodi Ashton (Set in ENGLAND)

 

 

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5.  ANGELS & DEMONS by Dan Brown (Set in ROME, ITALY, VATICAN CITY, & SWITZERLAND)

 

 

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6. HARRY POTTER SERIES by J. K. Rowling (SET IN LONDON/HOGWARTS)

 

 

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7. A TALE FOR THE TIME BEING by Ruth Ozeki (Set in TOKYO, JAPAN & BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA)

 

 

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8. THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak (Set in GERMANY)

 

 

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9. THE KITE RUNNER by Khaled Hosseini (Set primarily in AFGHANISTAN)

 

 

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10. ANNA KARENINA by Leo Tolstoy (Set primarily in RUSSIA)

 


 

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Question:  What are some of your favorite reads set outside of the U.S.?

44 replies
  1. Angela
    Angela says:

    Ooh, great list! Dan Brown’s books are so good, because I really feel like I’m learning a lot about the different locations the books take place in.

  2. ShootingStarsMag
    ShootingStarsMag says:

    I do really love books set outside of the U.S. Yay for The Book Thief! I feel like I read a lot of books set in Europe, so I want to expand that a bit more too. I do really like the book Penance by Kanae Minato – that’s based in Japan (the author is Japanese too) and I really want to read her other book, Confessions.

    -Lauren

  3. Greg Hill
    Greg Hill says:

    Japan would be awesome (loved Warcross!!!) and I always enjoy stories set in England or Australia.

    Switzerland and Italy I’d like to read more about…

  4. Kristen
    Kristen says:

    I have a lot of these books on my “To Read” list already, so I’m glad to see you enjoyed them enough to recommend them here. I hadn’t heard of Warcross before, though, and I’m adding it to my list. While it doesn’t necessarily sound like the kind of book I’d love, I thought the summary on Goodreads sounded interesting. I can always pick it up when I’m in the mood for something different.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I enjoyed Warcross a lot more than I was expecting to, so if you give it a try, I hope you have a similar experience. 🙂

  5. Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight
    Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight says:

    I didn’t even realize some of these were set in other countries! I’ve heard great things about Jellicoe Road and Warcross. The only ones I’ve read on your list though are HP and Kite Runner. But it is a lot of fun reading about books in other countries because it is like getting to travel there without leaving your home!

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      It really is and I’ve lost track of how many places I’ve added to my travel bucket list simply because I read about them in books.

  6. Joanne
    Joanne says:

    That’s a good mix of countries. Though I have to admit the only one I’ve read is Angels and Demons (though I preferred Brown’s Da Vinci Code and its trip through the art world). Yaa Gyassi’s book has long been on my TBR. Especially like the Jellicoe Road cover. Also thanks for stopping by my blog and happy reading week to you.

  7. Tânia @MyLovelySecret
    Tânia @MyLovelySecret says:

    I completely agree with you: books set in other countries help satisfy one’s wanderlust (at least, it helps me). There are so many places I want to visit and learn more about and through books I have a chance to learn a little bit about them and their culture. Books are too precious…

    I can’t believe I haven’t read Warcross yet.

    Happy readings Suzanne. 🙂

  8. sjhigbee
    sjhigbee says:

    This is a really great list – my contribution would be Necessity by Jo Walton, the first book in her Thessaly trilogy, which is set in Greece. Have a great Easter:)

  9. Literary Feline
    Literary Feline says:

    I love visiting other places via books too, both within my own country and in other countries. I likely won’t get to most of them in my life time–so thank goodness for books! I really enjoyed Angels and Demons and The Kite Runner as well. Oh, and Anna Karenina! I don’t know why I didn’t think of those. Great list, Suzanne!

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