"Around The World" Reading Challenge!

[smilerbabeuk]

I have a question about this challenge, how do you define where an author is from? is it family history, place of birth or the place they have lived longest? for example Lisa See has lived in the USA almost her whole life, has obvious Chinese ancestry and writes predominantly about that country but was actually born in France. so where would I put her on my list??

 

this challenge has caught my imagination now and I plan to pursue it! I like having my horizons expanded and have chosen many books to achieve this. problem is, I'm rubbish at keeping track of what I have read and consequently can't go back and check where the authors are from. the ones on my map are the ones I am sure of, but I suspect I have read more than I realise.

[lexiepiper]

I have a question about this challenge, how do you define where an author is from? is it family history, place of birth or the place they have lived longest? for example Lisa See has lived in the USA almost her whole life, has obvious Chinese ancestry and writes predominantly about that country but was actually born in France. so where would I put her on my list??

 

this challenge has caught my imagination now and I plan to pursue it! I like having my horizons expanded and have chosen many books to achieve this. problem is, I'm rubbish at keeping track of what I have read and consequently can't go back and check where the authors are from. the ones on my map are the ones I am sure of, but I suspect I have read more than I realise.

 

With regards to deciding which country to define someone as, it's just down to personal choice, most people either do it as the country the author was born in, or the country they currently live in. But then of course there are people who do it by which country the book is set in, so it can be any of them or a mix of them all

 

Sucks about not knowing authors you've read in the past, all I can suggest is maybe when you do some research for each country a name will pop out at you and you'll remember reading something by them?

[smilerbabeuk]

Thanks for the response lexiepiper. I bought several books today from a second hand bookshop and confess to looking up author info as soon as I got them home! so hopefully I can add a few new countries soon.

I have been terrible with books in the past. I didn't keep track of authors or even titles very well. I remember plot lines and characters, but often I have never even looked at the authors name. I could list a lot more countries on my map if I could just go by where it is set, but authors birth places require paying attention! Thankfully, since I joined a book club in the summer I have become much more aware of what I am reading, and am consequently choosing books more carefully. I love the idea of this challenge, I love to have my horizons widened.

[Dreamcatcher]

A suggestion for Australia- The Rabbit Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington.

[Vixen]

Some suggestions for Turkey : The Forty Rules of Love - Elif Shafak, Honour - Elif Shafak

[Jeckyll]

I suggest for Spain: The Hive by Camilo José Cela

[emelee]

Darn it that Sweden already has 5 books listed. I could mention about 50 more.  

[Janet]

Feel free to mention some more. 

 

I've already done Sweden but that doesn't mean that I won't fancy trying another - and there are a few people doing this challenge who may not have done that country. 

[Needle]

I have a suggestion for Belgian books I don't know if you know about her, but Amelie Nothomb is a very famous Belgian author. She's always read in secondary school, and among her books, I'd suggest "Stupeur et tremblements"

 

So in short, I suggest you add Amelie Nothomb - Stupeur et tremblements for Belgium

[frankie]

I have a suggestion for Belgian books I don't know if you know about her, but Amelie Nothomb is a very famous Belgian author. She's always read in secondary school, and among her books, I'd suggest "Stupeur et tremblements"

 

So in short, I suggest you add Amelie Nothomb - Stupeur et tremblements for Belgium

 

I really like Nothomb's novels I think I've read 3 or 4 of them. My favorite is The Stranger Next Door  

[Needle]

I really like Nothomb's novels I think I've read 3 or 4 of them. My favorite is The Stranger Next Door

 

I personally love Antéchrista and Le Fait du Prince or The Prince's act for English readers if I'm not mistaken. Hygiène de l'assassin is also a great one I had to read all of these when I was in school but I enjoyed them so much that I kept them and still read them whenever I'm in a reading hump

[Kylie]

I came across this article that people who are doing this challenge might find interesting. A woman who read a book from every country around the world did a TED talk on her journey. The article includes maps, and if you click on the red pinpoint for each country, it shows which book she chose.

[Janet]

Thanks for the link.   This challenge has taken a back seat for me due to the English Counties challenge, but I've book-marked the page for when I come back to it!  

[VictorC4C]

There are better Brazilian books than these! I am still glad to be in the list though =]

 

Captains from the Sand - Jorge Amado. He takes you to the life of street boys with no mother nor father, definetly one of the best books I've ever read.

 

O Cortiço - Aluízio de Azevedo. An extreme naturalist, he shows in great matter how your surrondings shape you (in this book, the carachters). 

[karen.d]

Hi everyone! Just thought I would give you an update on how I'm getting on with the challenge. I have just had my first DNF. I got about 80 pages into 'Labyrinth' by Kate Mosse and had to give up. The idea was interesting, but the writing was too dull for me. It had far too much description and not enough dynamic sppech. Disappointing.

[Athena]

That's a shame . I haven't read Labyrinth but I think it's on my TBR.

[Dave Urwin Author]

I did something very similar to this and bought around six of the books from it ready to get going about a year ago but they are ALL still languishing in my 'yet to read' pile. I will update when I have actually started one, although some on the list I have read already. Khaled Hosseini is a superb writer and I've enjoyed everything of his I've read