Reading Challenge Status - Around the World in 80 books

[darth_kittius]

I’m transferring over my progress for this multi-year reading challenge from my other LJ, so this is in progress and some links may go there. All update posts will be on this LJ.

I’m not doing too bad, but hope I can pick up steam this year. Plus some of the missing countries are ones I have read tons of books set there, so I’m not sure how I haven’t over the past 2 years - I’ll have to pay a bit more attention to setting when choosing books this year!




I’ve been eyeing Have Books, Will Travel’s Around the World in 80 Books Challenge since the beginning of the year [edit: 2013]. And I haven’t quite joined yet because I’ve been trying to figure out how to tweak the challenge rules to be most effective and relevant to me.

I think I’ve devised a workable plan. So here we go:

1. I have six years to complete my journey. My start date is January 1, 2013 and my end date will be December 31, 2019.
2. Since the goal is to learn about different countries, I’m going to only count the first book read set in each country. And the country counted is going to be the main book setting, not the book author. If a book is set in multiple countries, I’ll count the place where the majority of the action takes place. If I read “extra’s” from a country (like England or the US, where the majority of my reading takes place), I’ll not list them here - so make sure you watch my book reviews generally so you can see what else I’ve read! I’m only listing the first book read set in each place.
3. Both fiction and nonfiction will count.
4. Part of what has taken me so long is to try to figure out if I want to stipulate how I will define what counts as a country. (i.e. does Scotland count separate from England or is it only the UK? Or Palestine? Or historical countries that have since disappeared off the map?) And I’ve decided I’m not going to delineate a definition at the outset; I’m just going to use my common sense when reading and listing what I’ve read. Which I’m sure could get me into trouble if anyone wants to argue with me about my completion of the challenge; but, well, this is an individual reading challenge, so argue away!
5. I’ll use this as my tracking post, but also use a symbol on my yearly “books read” post also.
6. Since my mind just works this way, I’m going to use U.S. Department of State Geographic Regions to record my readings by region. I’m sure a normal person would use continent divisions.
7. Links will be to my review post (if I write one; I don’t for all books)

I like discussion - so please comment on the book review posts!

So, here we go!

Western Hemisphere (WHA)

1. USA (Maryland) - Every Day by David Levithan
   
2. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - A Cafecito Story: El Cuento del Cafecito by Julia Alvarez
   
3. CANADA - The Great Halifax Explosion: A World War I Story of Treachery, Tragedy, and Extraordinary Heroism by John U. Bacon.
   

Europe & Eurasia (EUR)

1. CROATIA (outside Vinkovci) - Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
   
2. FRANCE(Paris) - Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
   
3. ITALY (Siena) - The Daughter of Siena by Marina Fiorato
   
4. SCOTLAND (Aberdeen) - Broken Skin by Stuart MacBride
   
5. RUSSIA (Siberia) - Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
   
6. TURKEY (Istanbul) - Siro by David Ignatius
   
7. SPAIN (Guzman) - The Telling Room: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge, and the World's Greatest Piece of Cheese by Michael Paterniti
   
8. IRELAND - The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley
   
9. ENGLAND - The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot #1) by Agatha Christie
   
10. NORWAY - Beartown by Fredrik Backman.
    
11. GREECE - Playing by the Greek's Rules by Sarah Morgan.
    
12. ICELAND - The Secret Lives of Glaciers by M. Jackson.
    

Near East (NEA)

1. SAUDI ARABIA - Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea, Marilyn Booth (Translation).
   
2. EGYPT - Salah (Football Superstar Biographies) by Luca Caioli, Cyril Collot.
   

Africa (AF)

1. BOTSWANA - Travels with Gannon and Wyatt: Botswana by Patti Wheeler and Keith Hemstreet.
   
2. KENYA - It Happened On the Way to War: A Marine's Path to Peace by Rye Barcott.
   
3. SOUTH AFRICA - The Born Frees: Writing with the Girls of Gugulethu. by Kimberly Burge.
   

South Central Asia (SCA)

1. INDIA & PAKISTAN - The Night Diary. by Veera Hiranandani.
   

East Asia & Pacific (EAP)

1. PHILIPPINES (Manila) - Killing Rain by Barry Eisler
   
2. JAPAN - The Last Assassin by Barry Eisler
   
3. VIETNAM - A Million Shades of Gray by Cynthia Kadohata
   
4. CHINA - Flower Net (Red Princess #1) by Lisa See
   

Running Count 26/80



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