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Janet's *very* long-term Around the World challenge


Janet

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I've been tempted into this! It will definitely broaden my reading, although it'll probably take me years to complete+.

If books are in colour then I've read them, if they're in black then they're 'intended' reads and subject to change. I'd already considered this a month or so ago and started a tentative list in word, due to the fact that I'd read one from Afghanistan and one from Germany.

UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED, the books are from the country the author was born in.


1 Afghanistan - A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini 10/10
2 Albania
3 Algeria
4 American Samoa
5 Andorra
6 Angola
7 Anguilla
8 Antigua and Barbuda
9 Argentina
10 Armenia
11 Aruba
12 Australia - The Book Thief by Markus Zusac 10/10
13 Austria - The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson 7/10
14 Azerbaijan
15 Bahamas
16 Bahrain
17 Bangladesh - Brick Lane by Monica Ali - 5/5
18 Barbados
19 Belarus
20 Belgium - Madame Verona Comes Down the Hill by Dimitri Verhulst - 4/5
21 Belize
22 Benin
23 Bermuda
24 Bhutan
25 Bolivia
26 Bosnia and Herzegovina
27 Botswana - The Screaming of the Innocent by Unity Dow - 10/10 - finished 04.09.11
28 Brazil - The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho - 8/10
29 British Virgin Islands
30 Brunei
31 Bulgaria
32 Burkina Faso
33 Burundi
34 Cambodia
35 Cameroon
36 Canada - No Time for Goodbye - Linwood Barclay - 8/10
37 Cape Verde
38 Cayman Islands
39 Central African Republic
40 Chad
41 Channel Islands - A Child's War by Molly Bihet -  2½/5 - finished 08.08.13
42 Chile - By Night in Chile - Roberto Bolaño - 5/10 - finished 01.08.11
43 China - Waiting by Ha Jin - 9/10 - finished 10.11.11

44 Colombia
45 Comoros
46 Congo Brazzaville
47 Congo Kinshasa
48 Costa Rica
49 Croatia
50 Cuba
51 Cyprus
52 Czech republic - Lovely Green Eyes by Arnošt Lustig - 6½/10
53 Denmark - Hitler's Canary by Sandi Toksvik - 8/10
54 Djibouti
55 Dominica - Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys - 4/5 - finished 28.03.18
56 Dominican Republic
57 East Timor
58 Ecuador
59 Egypt - Stones of Bobello by Edwar Al-Kharrat - 4/10 - finished 03.10.11
60 El Salvador
61 Equatorial Guinea
62 Eritrea
63 Estonia
64 Ethiopia - Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese - 4/5 - finished -01.12.14
65 Falkland Islands
66 Faroe Islands
67 Fiji
68 Finland
69 France - Candide or Optimism - Voltaire - 7/10
70 French Guiana
71 French Polynesia
72 Gabon
73 Gambia
74 Georgia
75 Germany - All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque - 9/10
76 Ghana - In a Free State - V S Naipaul - 4½/10
77 Gibraltar
78 Greece
79 Greenland - Greenland – Eskimo Folk-Tales - Knud Rasmussen – 3/5 - finished 16.08.13
80 Grenada
81 Guadeloupe
82 Guam
83 Guatemala
84 Guinea-Bissau
85 Guinee Conakry
86 Guyana - Kiskadee Girl - Maggie Harris - 3½/5 - finished 22.04.13
87 Haiti
88 Honduras
89 Hungary - The Door - Magda Szabó - 4/5 0 finished 13.08.12
90 Iceland - The House of Evidence by Viktor Arnar Ingólfsson - 4/5 - finished 29.03.13
91 India - A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry - 10/10
92 Indonesia
93 Iran - The Beginner's Guide to Acting English by Shappi Khorsandi - 10/10 - finished 12.09.11
94 Iraq
95 Ireland - The Sea - John Banville - 3/10
96 Israel - Scenes from Village Life - Amos Oz - 3½/5
97 Italy - I'm Not Scared by - Niccolò Ammaniti - 8/10
98 Ivory Coast
99 Jamaica
100 Japan - The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami - 7/10
101 Jordan
102 Kazakhstan
103 Kenya
104 Kiribati
105 Kuwait
106 Kyrgyzstan
107 Laos
108 Latvia
109 Lebanon - Somewhere, Home - Nada Awar Jarrar - 8/10 - finished 10.04.11
110 Lesotho - Green Mountain Doctor - Colin Smith - 4/5 - finished 06.04.14
111 Liberia
112 Libya
113 Liechtenstein
114 Lithuania
115 Luxembourg
116 Macedonia
117 Madagascar
118 Malawi - The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind - A Memoir - William Kamkwamba - 4/5 - finished 08.06.12
119 Malaysia
120 Maldives
121 Mali
122 Malta
123 Marshall Islands
124 Martinique
125 Mauritania
126 Mauritius
127 Mexico - Down the Rabbit Hole - Juan Pablo Villalobos - 3/5 - finished 12.08.13
128 Micronesia, Federated States of
129 Moldova
130 Monaco
131 Mongolia
132 Monserrat
133 Morocco
134 Mozambique
135 Myanmar
136 Namibia
137 Nauru
138 Nepal
139 Netherlands - The Hundred and Ninety-Nine Steps by Michel Faber - 10/10
140 Netherlands Antilles
141 New Caledonia
142 New Zealand - Mister Pip - Lloyd Jones - 9½/10
143 Nicaragua
144 Niger
145 Nigeria - The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives by Lola Shoneyin - 3/5 - finished 01.09.16
146 Niue
147 Norfolk Island
148 North Korea
149 Northern Mariana Islands
150 Norway - The Christmas Mystery - Jostein Gaarder - 7½/10
151 Oman
152 Pakistan - The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid - 8/10
153 Palau
154 Palestinian Authority
155 Panama
156 Papua New Guinea - Killer Twist (Ghostwriter Mystery #1) by C A Larmer - 2/5 - 25.03.13
157 Paraguay
158 Peru
159 Philippines
160 Pitcairn Islands
161 Poland
162 Portugal - The Elephant's Journey by José Saramago - 3/5 - 10.04.13
163 Puerto Rico
164 Qatar
165 Rarotonga & the Cook Islands
166 Reunion
167 Romania
168 Russia - Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov - 8/10 - 14.08.11
169 Rwanda
170 Saint Kitts and Nevis
171 Saint Lucia
172 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
173 San Marino
174 Sao Tome and Principe
175 Saudi Arabia
176 Senegal
177 Serbia and Montenegro - The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht - 4/5 - 28.03.12
178 Seychelles
179 Sierra Leone
180 Singapore
181 Slovakia
182 Slovenia
183 Solomon Islands
184 Somalia
185 South Africa - Bitter Fruit by Achmat Dangor - 3/5 - 22.03.12
186 South Korea - Please Look After Mother by Kyung-Sook Shin - 2½/5 - 06.07.17
187 Spain - The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafón - 4½/5 - 19.06.12
188 Sri Lanka - The Flower Boy - Karen Roberts - 8/10
189 Sudan
190 Suriname
191 Swaziland
192 Sweden - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson - 10/10
193 Switzerland - Heidi - Johanna Spyri - 7/10

194 Syria
195 Taiwan
196 Tajikistan
197 Tanzania
198 Thailand
199 Togo
200 Tonga
201 Trinidad and Tobago - In a Free State - V S Naipaul - 4½/10
202 Tunisia
203 Turkey
204 Turkmenistan
205 Turks and Caicos Islands
206 Tuvalu
207 Uganda
208 Ukraine
209 United Arab Emirates
210 United Kingdom - A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens - 10/10
211 United States - The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks - 7/10

212 Uruguay
213 Uzbekistan
214 Vanuatu
215 Vatican City
216 Venezuela
217 Western Sahara
218 Western Samoa
219 Vietnam
220 Virgin Islands
221 Yemen
222 Zambia - Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin - finished 07.08.13 - 4/5
223 Zimbabwe - The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam by Lauren Liebenberg - 10/10

53 Countries -  22.75%

+Assuming I finish it at all!

Purple = book read

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Suggestions for future reads

 

Albania -The Siege by Ismail Kadare

Algeria - The Attack by Yasmina Khadra / What the Day Owes the Night by Yasmina Khadra

Andorra - The teacher of Cheops by Albert Salvadó

Angola - The Book of Chameleons by Jose Eduardo Agualusa

Antigua and Barbuda - Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid

Argentina - The Paper House by Carlos Maria Dominguez / The Tango Singer by Tomas Eloy Martinez

Bangladesh - Brick Lane by Monica Ali completed

Belarus - The Shadow of the Sun: My African Life by Ryszard Kapuscinski

Barbados - Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord

Belgium - Madame Verona Comes Down the Hill by Dimitri Verhulst completed

Belize - Mangrove Roots Chronicles by Wanjiru Uhuru

Bhutan - The Circle of Karma: A Novel by Kunzang Choden

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Bridge Over The Drina by Ivo Andric

Bulgaria - The Voices of Marrakesh by Elias Canetti - note to self - book (obviously!) not set in Bulgaria – there are other options for this author so check settings

Cambodia - When Broken Glass Floats: Growing Up Under the Khmer Rouge by Chanrithy Him

Cameroon - Houseboy by Mr Ferdinand Oyono

Congo-Brazzavil​le - Little Boys Come from the Stars by Dongala Emmanuel Boundz

Cote d'Ivoire - Allah Is Not Obliged by Ahmadou Kourouma

Eritrea - My Fathers' Daughter by Hannah Pool /The Consequences of Loveby Sulaiman Addonia

Estonia - Brecht at Night by Mati Unt

Ethiopia - Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese

Faroe Islands - The Old Man and His Sons by Heðin Brú

Finland - Purge by Sofi Oksanen

Greece - Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis

Greenland - Eskimo Folk Tales by Knud Rasmussen (on Kindle)

Guyana - Kiskadee Girl by Maggie Harris / Whole of a Morning Sky by Grace Nichols

Guadeloupe -Crossing the Mangrove by Maryse Conde

Haiti - Love, Anger, Madness: A Haitian Triptych by Marie Vieux-Chauvet

Hungary - The Door by Magda Szabo - completed

Iceland - Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

Indonesia - Twilight in Djakarta by Mochtar Lubis

Israel - Let it be Morning: A Novel by Sayed Kashua

Jamaica - The Same Earth by Kei Miller

Jordan - Pillars of Salt by Fadia Faqir

Kenya - One Day I Will Write About This Place by Binyavanga Wainaina / The Challenge for Africa by Wangari Maathai

Kyrgyzstan - Jamilia by Chingiz Aitmatov / The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko

Malaysia - Evening Is the Whole Day by Preeta Samarasan / Inspector Singh Investigates: A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder by Shamini Flint

Malta - South From Granada (Penguin Modern Classics) by Gerald Brenan - note to self - book (obviously!) not set in Malta – check to see if other options for this author set in Malta

Martinique - Return to My Native Land (Bloodaxe Contemporary French Poets) by Aime Cesaire

Mexico - Sweet Like Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

Mozambique - Under the Frangipani by Mia Couto

Nepal - Buddha's Orphans by Samrat Upadhyay

Nigeria - A Time For New Dreams by Ben Okri / Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngoli Adichie / I Do Not Come to You by Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani

Peru - Eva Luna by Isabel Allende - (think I have The House of the Spirits by same author)

Portugal - The Elephant's Journey by Jose Saramago

Saudi Arabia – Girls of Riyadh byRajaa Alsanea /The Belt by Ahmed Abodehman

Senegal - Murambi, the Book of Bones by Boubacar Boris Diop / God's Bits of Wood by Sembene Ousmane

Serbia - The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht completed

Sierra Leone - A Long Way Gone: The True Story of a Child Soldier by Ishmael Beah / Bite of the Mango by Mariatu Kamara

Singapore - Foreign Bodies by Hwee Hwee Tan

Somalia - Black Mamba Boy by Nadifa Mohamed

South Africa - Bitter Fruit by Achmat Dangor completed

South Korea - The Bird by Oh Jung-hee / Our Twisted Hero by Yi Munyol / Fox Girl by Nora Okja Keller

Spain - The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon completed

Sudan - Minaret by Leila Aboulela / Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih/ Slave by Mende Nazer

Syria -A Hand Full of Stars by Rafik Schami

Togo - Do They Hear You When You Cry by Layli Miller Bashir

United Arab Emirates - From Rags to Riches: A Story of Abu Dhabi by Mohammed A. J. Al-Fahim

Various - Best European Fiction by Aleksandar Hemon

Vietnam - The Tapestries by Kien Nguyen / Vietnam - Night, Again - Contemporary Fiction from Vietnam

Yemen - I Am Nujood, Age10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali

Zambia - Eagle in the Sky or Hungry as the Sea by Wilbur Smith / A Cowrie of Hope by Binwell Sinyangwe

Edited by Janet
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Hey Janet, Glad to see you've taken the plunge!! Best of luck & maybe we can swap book suggestions/books once in a while, seeing as all of your countries are covered in my challenge!

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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I'm seriously thinking of dumping this challenge. The enormity of it means that I'm unlikely to ever finish it.

 

I think I'll keep up with my 'decade' one, which is achievable and enjoyable and look for a less challenging challenge than this! :)

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I'm seriously thinking of dumping this challenge. The enormity of it means that I'm unlikely to ever finish it.

 

I picked a slightly easier version. Well, my current one* is a Cheater's Version, according to my friend, but the one I'll do after that. I picked Winter Games! Less countries! *grin*

 

*see my blog

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I thought about dumping mine too, but then I thought, I don't have to dump it - I can just not actively pursue it. All I need to do is check the nationality of authors I read when I red them and update it as and when applicable...

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Janet, why let it get the best of you? Read what you want to read & every once in a while sneak in a challenge book. Who cares if it'll take years to complete? In order to get mine done in a year I'd have to read one book evey 2 days & that sure as h*** isn't happening! The way I see it, if it takes 10 years to complete, then it takes 10 years to complete - that's why it's a challenge! I think Kell's idea is good if you want a break from actively working on it, though & is somethig I can see myself employing when I get to the really obscure countries.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide, though!

Edited by Ceinwenn
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Oh, so sorry! I must have removed the link from my profile. I'm just so used to everyone having the link by now that... *feels silly* I'm very sorry. Here it is, in case you want to have a look. You're more than welcome to read the rest of it, of course!

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Ah, it's my turn to feel silly now because I didn't even think to check your profile! ;)

 

Thanks ii - I think I'll keep this open for a while (albeit probably on page 5 of this forum!) and see what happens, but the Winter Olympics look more likely so I'll probably aim to do those countries first and then see where it goes from there.

 

 

 

 

(O/T - Must just say, I'm not sure about the yellow bag at all, but I think you've probably got what it takes to carry something like that off - I'm not sure it would go with my normal ensemble of jeans and a t-shirt! And as for the yellow shoes... :):D )

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Ah, it's my turn to feel silly now because I didn't even think to check your profile! ;)

 

Thanks ii - I think I'll keep this open for a while (albeit probably on page 5 of this forum!) and see what happens, but the Winter Olympics look more likely so I'll probably aim to do those countries first and then see where it goes from there.

 

And the upside is that less far less of those obscure countries one's hardly ever heard of, let alone knows an author!

 

(O/T - Must just say, I'm not sure about the yellow bag at all, but I think you've probably got what it takes to carry something like that off - I'm not sure it would go with my normal ensemble of jeans and a t-shirt! And as for the yellow shoes... :):D )

 

I'm torn. I'd pair it with something simple like 70's jeans and a t-shirt, or maybe something rocker-like, like leaher trousers, ankle boots with skyhigh heel and a semi-shredded T-shirt... or... I don't know... a form-fitting pencil skirt and a crisp white dress shirt? So that the purse is the funk next to proper? I'm torn. Maybe I should just get it and admire it in my closet. Kind of keep it as my cheer-up charm. *laughs*

 

I love the yellow shoes! they're so out there. ... If those shock you, you should see the lace lace-up over-the-knee stiletto heel boots I've got! *cracks up* I never wear them outside, they're completely ridiculous. BF likes them, though. *dirty grin* I need more coffee...

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Janet just a bit more encouragement from me... don't give up, I think in a couple of years time when you look back at your list and see a few (many) more filled in you'll think with pride "I've read some books I wouldn't normally have picked up". Maybe there are a few more you can fill in now have you read any Coelho (Brazil), Garcia-Marquez (Columbia??), ROhinton Mistry / Aravind Adiga / Arundati Roy (India), Mgt Atwood (Canada)? Anyway good luck with it.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Finished The Flower Boy by Karen Roberts which is set in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), where the author was also born. 8/10

 

ETA: Snagging the map idea from Tracy in the hope that it might spur me on seeing it visually. :)

 

worldmap-2009-Mar-03-5countries-2.gif

5 Countries - 2%

Edited by Janet
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  • 4 weeks later...

Finished Black Rock by Amanda Smyth - set in Trinidad and Togago, which are so tiny they hardly show up on the map! :lol:

 

worldmap-2009-Mar-27-03-6countries-.gif

6 Countries - 2%

 

 

ETA: Having revised my 'rules' (i.e author's place of birth qualifies, not where the book is set), I've removed this from my list. :blush:

Edited by Janet
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