Reader Rayna

Hello and welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by Jana of That Artsy Reader Girl!

Today’s topic is all about books about or set in places that are on our bucket list. I don’t know about you, but I definitely want to travel to various parts of the world and see what there is in store there. From the culture to the environments, the people and the creatures, I want to experience so much that the world has to offer, and though I haven’t read any of the books on this list (except one), these are the ones I found that I think best fit each location that I chose for my list:

Click on a book cover to go to its Goodreads page!

Japan

I’ve wanted to go to Japan since I was a teenager. I’ve been into anime for most of my life, have been fascinated by the culture, have wanted to explore the beautiful country, and meet the people. This would be an absolute dream to go to one day, though I’m not sure when it’ll happen.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami – I feel like this is an extremely well known novel from a Japanese author who is known for writing strange science fiction works set in Japan, and this is no exception. A woman enters a parallel existence after noticing discrepancies in the world around her, while also following a ghostwriter who becomes so caught up in his work that his normally placid life begins to unravel.

This work seems like a quintessential read, in a way, and one that definitely piques my interest. The sheer thickness of it, however, does intimidate me a bit, especially since it’s translated and some things can be lost or misconstrued in translation.

Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura – This book sounds both haunting and charming all at once as six kids go into a mirror realm to escape their realities, and though they enter what seems like a puzzle, there are dire consequences if they don’t follow the rules. As they unravel the secrets of this castle, they also unravel the secrets of each other.

When I was searching for a second read, I could have very easily chosen a manga as I’ve read my decent share over the years, but I wanted to search for a novel as I feel like there are so many interesting translated works that I want to read, and this is definitely one of them. The premise sounds a lot more haunting then what the reviews are saying, and so you can definitely say I’m intrigued to check this one out.

(Plus the cover reminds me of Silent Hill f, which I recently watched a full playthrough of and bought myself, so that did factor in a bit lol)

Ireland

Ireland seems like an incredibly beautiful land with so much history and folklore surrounding it that it definitely makes me want to visit. I’d mostly be going for the sights, but I’d love to hear the tales of the spirits of the land, and see what I can feel for myself while I’m there (respectfully, of course).

The Children of Gods and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless – One perspective follows a young widow with a young son who has kept her magic secret for as long as she could, as she is from an immortal race and she hides from another immortal race who hunts her kind, while the other perspective follows another woman of the other immortal race with the gift of healing and agrees to spy on a would-be king to prevent a war. All I know is that this is also full of feminine rage, which yes, pump it into my veins and give it to me, thank you.

Wild Irish Heart by Tricia O’Malley – This romance book sounds like pure fun and filled with angst, mystery, and heart. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what I was going to pick for the second book, but this one just sounded really cute so I had to include it. It sounds a bit paranormal, but it definitely sounds like there’s a romance at the heart of it, which is what drew me in the most.

Scotland

Scotland, much like Ireland, seems like an incredibly beautiful country full of deep lore and myths, a rich culture, and fine people. I’d love to visit one day and explore what there is to see there.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon – A time traveling British wife goes back in time and falls in love with a Scotsman, what could possibly go wrong? That’s honestly what I know of this book and series and that’s all I need to know, because how could I not include this on the list for Scotland? I don’t know whether it’s the most accurate or not in terms of language, historical accuracy, etc., but romance and entertainment factor are definitely there.

A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross – A young man leaves the isle of Cadence to study music on the mainland until girls start disappearing from the isle, and so he goes back to help and uncover the mystery surrounding the disappearances. There are enchantments that float along the wind and rivers and grasses and roots of the island, where the spirits listen and answer to those they deem fit with a song in their soul. This book, from what I heard, has very lyrical writing (appropriately), and that it really pulls you into the story. From my research it is based on Scotland, so I’m including it in the list here!

Egypt

I’ve been long fascinated by ancient Egypt since I was a kid, thanks to The Mummy franchise, naturally. Though, I will say, the ancient history, aside from the movies, is incredibly rich and fascinating, and the modern day Egypt is also incredibly complex and modern that the two clash so jarringly! However, I would still love to go there and see the ancient sites while also getting to know the people and the culture.

The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty – I will never not be talking about this series where we follow Nahri, a young woman who learns that she isn’t who she thought she was and is whisked away across the deserts and seas to a land in which she didn’t know existed; a young man who’s a prince second in line for the throne, but he’s a scholar, and wants to help the people, not rule over them the way his father does; and a djinn man who has a dark past and a penance to pay.

This story has my whole heart, and starts off in Egypt, though it does move away from it and eventually comes back to it, then away again. The whole region near the Red Sea sounds so beautiful the way it’s described here, even though it’s a mystical city, that I can’t help but picture it and want to visit it.

The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem – A lost heir to a crown strikes a bargain with her greatest enemy and finds herself embroiled in a game that could leave her kingdom, and herself, scorched and in ashes forever.

I’ve wanted to read this book since it came out and still haven’t gotten to it, but I have both books, so I don’t have an excuse anymore lol I think that this story is one we’ve read before, but usually in the more Euro-centered aspect of storytelling, and never really a more Egyptian-inspired one.

South Korea

As a fan of k-pop, how could I not include this on the list? I think that the language is fascinating, as are the people, the culture has so much history, and more. I wasn’t entirely sure where to pick for my last location as I have a few more places on my list, but this was the first one that came to mind and I thought of some books for.

The God and the Gumiho by Sophie Kim – This book sounds like it’d just be a lot of fun, with trickery and potential romance, mixed with some mythology woven into the story. I find that these kinds of stories can be hits or misses, but it’s one I would try out, for sure.

Under the Oak Tree Vol. One by Suji Kim – This is an extremely popular web comic that’s made it’s way into novel form about a noble woman set to marry a duke, but her family ends up falling into scandal and so she is forced to marry a knight. Though there is much tension between the two, he goes off to war and comes back a hero, and when he comes back, he cannot stop his longing for her, and she cannot stop her passion igniting for him either.

It sounds romantic and dramatic, right up my alley lol I haven’t started this yet, though a friend of mine loves this story so much and has been begging me for a long time to read it, I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. I will, though!

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And that’s it for this week’s TTT! It’s a fun one for sure, but also one that gives me envy to those who can travel around a lot lol I hope anyone who does, though, has safe travels and enjoys their time wherever they go!

What’s one of the places you want to go on your bucket list? What book is associated with it? Let me know in the comments!