The Vegetarian by Han Kang

Before the nightmare, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary life. But when splintering, blood-soaked images start haunting her thoughts, Yeong-hye decides to purge her mind and renounce eating meat. In a country where societal mores are strictly obeyed, Yeong-hye's decision to embrace a more “plant-like” existence is a shocking act of subversion. And as her passive rebellion manifests in ever more extreme and frightening forms, scandal, abuse, and estrangement begin to send Yeong-hye spiraling deep into the spaces of her fantasy. In a complete metamorphosis of both mind and body, her now dangerous endeavor will take Yeong-hye—impossibly, ecstatically, tragically—far from her once-known self altogether.

A fascinating read about a very strange and tragic life.  It is translated from Korean and set in Korea.  From the glimpse of Korean culture, it doesn't make me want to visit Korea. 

A man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

At first sight Ove is almost certainly the grumpiest man you will ever meet. He thinks himself surrounded by idiots ... joggers, neighbours who can't reverse a trailer properly and shop assistants who talk in code. But isn't it rare, these days, to find such old-fashioned clarity of belief and deed?

The best book I have read in a long time. It made me laugh and cry.  Soooo good.

You gradually learn all about Ove, his childhood, how he met and married Sonja, the love of his life and the only person who ever understood him.  

The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo

Shots ring out at a Salvation Army Christmas concert in Oslo, leaving one of the singers dead in the street. The trail will lead Harry Hole, Oslo’s best investigator and worst civil servant, deep into the darkest corners of the city and, eventually, to Croatia. 

An assassin forged in the war-torn region has been brought to Oslo to settle an old debt. As the police circle in, the killer becomes increasingly desperate and the danger mounts for Harry and his colleagues.

A very entertaining read with a clever twist at the end I didn't see coming.

To The Sea by Christine Dibley

A dangerous yearning echoes through generations ...

On a clear summer's day, Detective Inspector Tony Vincent answers a call-out to an idyllic Tasmanian beach house. Surrounded by family and calm waters, seventeen-year-old Zoe Kennett has inexplicably vanished.

Four storytellers share their version of what has led to this moment, weaving tales which span centuries and continents. But Tony needs facts, not fiction: how will such fables lead him to Zoe and to the truth?

As Tony's investigation deepens, he is drawn into a world where myth and history blur, and where women who risk all for love must pay the price through every generation.

Not what I expected. Richer and more magical.

I loved recognising places in Tasmania. The interweaving of an Irish legend with a modern mystery was very well done.

This is a fabulous book.