South Asian VBB

Another virtual bookbox hosted by ApoloniaX  , to get a few books moving before May.  The idea is that all books must be about, set in or written by South Asian authors.  For this box, ApoloniaX has chosen the SAARC countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan (its latest member).   I hope that a couple of Olympic Challenge books will be added.
Click on this book to find the journal entries:Unaccustomed Earth

I was first up and have picked:
Lakshmi Holmström (ed.): The Inner Courtyard. Stories by Indian Women put in by ApoloniaX

Manju Kapur: Home  put in by ApoloniaX
ApoloniaX  sent me the list a second time and I have chosen   Interpreter of Maladies  added by   Dancesports

I have put in 3 books, one I had here in Portugal (TBR):
Shyam Selvadurai: Funny Boy Sri Lankan author - picked by Annimanni

and two that I had already read which arrived in a bookbox:
The English Patient  by a Sri Lankan author and picked by Dancesports
Julia Gregson: East of the Sun set in India, I added this as an extra with a view to choosing another book later on.  Picked by Tsjara

Another book registered by me was added by ApoloniaX  , Vikas Swarup: Q and A .

Oceania and Islands Bookbox

Another box on my doorstep, Soffitta1's 6th Bookbox (Oceania and Island theme)! I am just busy having a look at the books, a pretty good mix has returned. This was a bit of an experiment, I had read a couple of Australian books, but they didn't fit into any of my bookboxes, so decided to make a new one! The idea was that the books should be written by a writer from Oceania (e.g. Australia) or an island (e.g. Cuba), set in or with a main character from either of these two. I intend to send this out again in the summer.

Stormchild
Mediterranean Island: Knowledge of Angels
Jamaica: Small Island
Japan: Goodbye Tsugumi
Sri Lanka: The English Patient
Mirage
Australia: The Loveday Revenge
Stark
Requiem for a Wren
Cuba: Cuban Heels
Haiti: Kingdom of This World
Caymen Islands: So, You Want to Live on an Island...

African Box Returns Home

Great news! Soffitta1's 3rd Bookbox (Africa Theme) arrived on my doorstep a few days ago. A good mix of books, with various countries represented. I am hoping that this will help with my Olympic Challenge. The plan right now is to send this out in the summer, giving me plenty of time to read books to go in the next round.

SOUTH AFRICA Age of Iron
The Conservationist
SENEGAL SO LONG A LETTER
NIGERIA The Famished Road
The Other Hand
UGANDA The Last King of Scotland
KENYA Bill Bryson African Diary
EAST AFRICA Green Hills of Africa (Arrow Classic)
EGYPT The English Patient- audio cassettes
SAHARA The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream
Sahara
VARIOUS COUNTRIES The View from Africa (Granta: The Magazine of New Writing)

Asia-themed Bookbox: Round 6

This has to be my most popular box, six rounds! Soffitta1's 2nd U.K. Bookbox (Asia Theme) has changed over the rounds, becoming more varied with each one. As usual, my books come from local charity shops, Mount TBR and Bookmooch. As with my other boxes, this has really focussed my mind on reading some of the books I have had for a while, though the mountain still seems to grow faster than I can read!

VARIOUS The Years of Rice and Salt
HONG KONG The Piano Teacher , Gweilo: Memories of a Hong Kong Childhood
INDIA The God of Small Things, Heat and Dust
INDONESIA Mister Pip
SOUTH KOREA Fox Girl
NEPAL & INDIA Tea for Two
VIETNAM Backpack
CHINA Peony in Love
JAPAN House of the Sleeping Beauties and Other Stories (Japan's Modern Writers) , The Tale of Murasaki
TIBET Namma: A Tibetan Love Story
PERSIA The Rubaiyat (Dover Thrift)

Africa-themed Bookbox Round 2

Been a busy few days reading up the last books to go in the box, round two of Soffitta1's 3rd Bookbox (Africa Theme)
I was asked to do another round of this, happy to oblige! This was also good for Mount TBR, as had gathered quite a few African books on there.

SOUTH AFRICA Gem Squash Tokoloshe
EGYPT The Cairo Diary
KENYA From the Ngong Hills (Penguin 60s S)
NIGERIA The Famished Road
SAHARA The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream
ZIMBABWE An Elegy for Easterly
SUDAN Four Feathers
ZAIRE The Poisonwood Bible

Travel books:
Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town
The Shadow of the Sun (Penguin Celebrations)

Fictional Africa:
The Woman and the Ape
Scoop: A Novel About Journalists (Penguin Modern Classics) (diff. ed.)

Oceania and Islands Bookbox

I have decided to try a new box, this time with an Oceania and Islands theme. The idea is that all off the books have to take place on an island or be written by an islander. Bit of an experiment, but we'll see how Soffitta1's 6th Bookbox (Oceania and Island theme) goes.

Contents:
Japan The Last Concubine
Papua New Guinea / New Zealand Mister Pip
Australia Theft: A Love Story
Java The Flamboya Tree: Memories of a Family's War-time Courage
Haiti Masters of the Dew (Caribbean Writers Series)
Run Nathaniel's Nutmeg: How One Man's Courage Changed the Course of History
Australia / Sumatra A Town Like Alice
Trinidad The Mystic Masseur
Samoa Something of Samoa (Penguin 60s)
Sri Lanka Reef
Dominican Republic Dead Man in Paradise
Sri Lanka Anil's Ghost
Papua New Guinea Four Corners: A Journey into the Heart of Papua New Guinea

Film Bookbox (Round 2)

I had only been planning to send out a couple of boxes, but then I realised I had enough for another film round. I have tried to vary the contents, some thrillers, a horror, period dramas as well as more recent films.

Contents:
Last Orders
Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder (Penguin Classics)
The Color Purple
Enemy at the Gates (Classic military)
Death on the Nile (The Christie Collection)
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Sweeney Todd or The String of Pearls
I Capture the Castle (Red Fox Older Fiction)
Sahara
No Country for Old Men
The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Atonement
Circle of Friends
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
My Sister's Keeper
Gladiator - A hero will rise

Intercultural Virtual Bookbox

I saw this posted in the Bookcrossing forum and decided this would be perfect for me. Intercultural Virtual Bookbox ROUND 2 – travelling organised by ApoloniaX .
The idea is that the books in the box are to do with two (or more) cultures interacting, e.g. an immigrant talking about their life in their new country. The twist to the box is that the titles are not given, just the countries and the title's first and last letters. It is great that it is an international,virtual box as that means you don't have to fork out so much money in postage.

I had a look at the box and went for the following to help me with my Olympic Challenge. Can't wait to see what they are like!

UK, Canada, Kenya & Guyana: "T...y"
Ethiopia & USA: "C...n"
UK & Crete: "H...s"

Film Bookbox

After ordering a couple of book sets from the.bookpeople.co.uk, I ended up with a few film themed books that I either had or wasn't interested in reading. I decided to set up Soffitta1's 5th Bookbox - Film Theme

Quite a few of the books are also on the 1001 list as well, so hopefully people will enjoy the box.

Contents: The Pianist: The Extraordinary Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-45 (Read a Great Movie) a duplicate copy and an excellent film.
Breakfast at Tiffany's (dif. cover) A fab film, and I have a second copy of the book.
The English Patient got this off www.bookmooch.com for the box
Q and A recently made into Slumdog Millionaire
The Great Gatsby 1001 book and classic film with Robert Redford
Archangel
The Postman Always Rings Twice (Read a Great Movie)
Goldfinger (Penguin Modern Classics)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Penguin Modern Classics)
Starter for Ten
Shawshank RedemptionA book of 4 stories including three which have been filmed Apt Pupil, Stand by Me and Shawshank Redemption
The African Queen
Presumed Innocent Harrison Ford Film
Fingersmith A great book from one of my favourite authors.
The Devil Wears Prada
The Hours
A Clockwork Orange (Penguin Modern Classics) I have a duplicate copy to read.
Gladiator - A hero will rise This book was sent to me by Sterile to go in the box, but I forgot to add it. Sorry!
Snow Falling on Cedars

Asian Bookbox Round 5

Decided to send this one out again on the request of a previous participant. So, Soffitta1's 2nd U.K. Bookbox (Asia Theme) is on its fifth round! I managed to get a wide variety of books, especially as I am trying to complete the Olympic challenge.
In the box:
Salam Pax: The Baghdad Blog Iraq
Behind the Wall: Journey Through China A great book about China
Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 A historical book about the global effects of the eruption
The Piano Tuner Burma
Kowloon Tong: A Novel Hong Kong setting for a novel by the travel writer
Slow Boats to China
Barbed Wire & Babushkas: A River Odyssey Across Siberia
From Heaven Lake : Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibet
The Sandglass Sri Lanka
Ten Thousand Lovers Israel
My Name is Red Turkey
Birthday Stories: Selected and Introduced by Haruki Murakami
Siam or the Woman Who Shot a Man: A Novel
The Harmony Silk Factory Malaysia

British Mysteries, Crime and Thrillers Bookbox

British Mysteries, Crime and Thrillers Bookbox set up by Fellraven

who has taken part in my Asia-themed bookbox a couple of times. The idea was to include British authors only in the box.

Taken out:
Beauty Story, read and released in London
for Mum:
Saviour's Gate, Nest of Vipers and Adam and Eve and Pinch Me.

Added:
Arabesk
The White Russian a great book
The Leader
Killing the Shadows
Hornet Flight

Latin American Bookbox

Soffitta1's 4th Bookbox (Latin America Theme) arrived back just before Christmas with some great books. Tubereader, who had the box last, exchanged all the books I had put in that they were left in the box. Thanks! People tried really hard to get lots of different books, from all over. My wee brother has already informed me which books he wants to take travelling in Latin America.

The Old Patagonian Express: By Train Through the Americas - one of my favourite authors
Inca Kola: A Traveller's Tale of Peru
Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands
Senor Vivo and the Coca Lord
The Fragrance of Guava (Faber Caribbean)
Innocent Erendira (Picador Books)
Jaguars and Electric Eels (Penguin Great Journeys) Will be great for the Olympic Challenge.
Meet Me Under the Ombu Tree
Masters of the Dew (Caribbean Writers Series)Memories of My Melancholy Whores
The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream passing on to my NSS
Portrait in Sepia
The Notebooks of Don Rigoberto
Daughter of Fortune

Asia-themed Bookbox Round 4

This arrived back a couple of weeks ago, but have only just got back to register the books.
A really good mixture, though a fair number of my own came back. It will be good to read some more varied books, especially ones from central Asia.

To the Navel of the World: Yaks and Unheroic Travels in Nepal and Tibet
The Bookseller of Kabul - a book I have read, but have a friend who'll love it.
Forget You Had a Daughter: Doing Time in the Bangkok Hilton - Sandra Gregory's Story
Ali and Nino: A Love Story - read this one straight off, when I saw it recommended.
The People's Act of Love
The Dancer from Khiva: One Muslim Woman's Quest for Freedom
Dancing in Cambodia, at Large in Burma - very excited, love this author
Danziger's Travels: Beyond Forbidden Frontiers (Paladin Books)
The Virgin Soldiers

Latin America Bookbox

With Soffitta1's 4th Bookbox (Latin America Theme), I hope to be introduced to new writers and also to share some of my favourite books with other readers. Latin America is a term which is argued over. The definition that I have gone with is any country in the Americas which speaks a Latin language or has historical connections with Latin countries. Examples include Mexico, French speaking Canada, the Chilean special territory of Easter Island and Cuba.

Bel Canto (Fictional Latin American country)
The Notebooks of Don Rigoberto (Peru)
The News from Paraguay
Like Water for Chocolate (Mexico)
The Penalty (taster) (South American Football)
City of the Beasts (set in the Amazon)
The Discovery of Chocolate: A Novel (Mexico)
Easter Island
Alive (Uruguayan rugby team)
The Zahir: A Novel of Obsession (Brazilian writer)
The Aguero Sisters (Cuba)
Dead Man in Paradise (Dominican Republic)
The Tortilla Curtain (diff. cover) (Mexican/American border)
The General in His Labyrinth (Penguin International Writers) (Bolivar)
The Power and the Glory (Mexico)
The Mermaid and the Drunks (Chile)
On Mexican Time: A New Life in San Miguel

Africa Bookbox

As my Asia-themed bookbox has done so well and introduced me to new authors, so thought I'd try and follow this with Soffitta1's 3rd Bookbox (Africa Theme) . Bit of a challenge at first as most of my books are set in South Africa, luckily http://www.bookmooch.com/, Mum and the local charity shops came to the rescue! One of the biggest problems has been finding books written by African authors, there seem to be a lot by journalists or travel writers.

East Africa: Last Orders at Harrods: An African Tale
Uganda: The Last King of Scotland
South Africa: Cry, the Beloved Country: A Story of Comfort in Desolation
Zanzibar: Trade Wind
German East Africa: Ghosts of Africa
South Africa: Bitter Fruit
Cape Town to Cairo: Swahili for the Broken-hearted
South East Africa: The Caliban Shore: The Fate of the Grosvenor Castaways
Nigeria: Purple Hibiscus (The Perennial Collection)
Kenya: Out of Africa (Essential Penguin)
Egypt: The Map of Love

Asia-themed Bookbox - round 4

Getting ready to send Soffitta1's 2nd U.K. Bookbox (Asia Theme) again, it has done well the last few times. This time there has been an added rule: no more than half the box from the big 3 - China, Japan and India. has started an interesting thread, to try and look for more books from more countries. I have managed to find a few good ones on http://www.bookmooch.com/ . This is also to stop the same authors doing the rounds, will see how it works. Another nice thing is that there are some newbies taking part.

For Tibet, with Love: A Beginner's Guide to Changing the World (caught)
Burma - Siam railway: The Railway Man (caught)
China: Peony in Love
Korea / Japan: A Gesture Life
Burmese Days
Singapore / Malaya: Tanamera (Coronet Books)
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Thailand: The Beach
The Philippines: Brownout on Breadfruit Boulevard
Iran: Reading "Lolita" in Tehran: A Memoir in Books (Stranger Than...) (caught)
Mongolia: In the Empire of Genghis Khan: A Journey Among Nomads
China:Waiting (Vintage East)
Siddhartha (Picador Books): Buddhism
Sri Lanka: Anil's Ghost (caught)

It Takes Two

Bookbox# 11 It Takes Two put together by lellie & MrRedhouse . Quite a few familiar faces on the list, which is always nice.

Sometimes the bookboxes can be a bit duff, so was happy to see 5 books that I was interested in as well as 2 more that I had read. There is something for everyone here, but 2 authors jumped out as I have read previous books of theirs. Thanks!

Taking out:
The Reading Group
The House of Sleep passed on to a friend
Burning Bright
In The Heart Of The Sea
Refusal Shoes passed on to a friend

Putting in:
Mourning Ruby
Secret Smile
A Complicated Kindness already caught
The Changeling already caught
The Whaleboat House already caught

Asia-themed Bookbox round 3

I have sent it this box out twice already and picked up some great books and new authors. It has already arrived at the first person. Here is the complete list of books:
White Teeth (Penguin Celebrations)
Sour Sweet (Abacus Books)
Inside Stories of the Forbidden City
The Lover (Flamingo) A duplicate copy of a great book
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
The Bonesetter's Daughter
Snow Falling on Cedars
The Glass Palace
Inheritance of Loss, The
A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers
Sister of My Heart
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China One of the best books I have ever read
Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee

Soffitta 1's First Bookbox

This returned home a few weeks ago after visiting 9 other bookcrossers. I had put a mixture in the box and a mixture certainly returned. Some I had heard of, and some new authors. Will be adding some to my suitcase when I next head away. I sent it out in July last year, so it took about 6 months to get home.
Connections (Excerpt)
Live Flesh
Soft Target
Command
Drink with the Devil
Ice Bound: One Woman's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole
Prizes
Secret Smile
A Perfect Evil
Three I have read, which I will release ASAP:
The Jester Dead Famous
Patriot Games
1 snaffled by Mum : After a Famous Victory

Return of the Asia-themed bookbox

This arrived a couple of weeks before Christmas, so was looking forward to rifling through it. Good selection of classics, a couple I have read, but have people to pass them on to.

Paperback Raita
The Far Pavilions
Shogun: A Novel of Japan
A Fine Balance
An Equal Music
Geisha
Bound Feet and Western Dress
Chinese Cinderella: The Secret Story of an Unwanted Daughter (Puffin Teenage Books)
Staying On
The Master of Rain
Plan to send it out again in Feb/March
Soffitta1's 2nd U.K. Bookbox (Asia Theme)