Around the World in Books Challenge - 2014

[Adriana]

Everyone's updated!

[Paul]

I just read the short book, The Violin of Auschwitz. An emotional and powerful story by Maria Angels Anglada. It takes place in Poland so this is my Eastern Europe selection for the Challenge. That makes it 7 of 12.

[Sydney]

1. North America: Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever (Washington, DC) Completed: 1/29
2. Central America: The Pearl (Mexico) Completed: 2/12
3. Caribbean: The Last Days of St. Pierre: The Volcanic Disaster That Claimed 30,000 Lives (Martinique) Completed: 2/27
4. South America
5. West Europe: The Book Thief (Germany) Completed: 1/26
6. East Europe and Former Soviet Union
8. Middle East
9. East Asia
10. South Asia: I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban (Pakistan) Completed: 3/8
11. Southeast Asia: The Coroner's Lunch (Laos) Completed: 3/22
12. Australia & South Pacific: The Rosie Project (Australia) Completed: 2/4

Completed: 7/12

[Lynn]

Finished my 12th and final book for this challenge -- The Silence of the Rain: An Inspector Espinosa Mystery by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza set in the Rio de Janeiro. I really enjoyed this challenge since I usually read a lot of books set outside the U.S. Updated full list at Message 24.

Thanks to Adriana for leading the challenge!

[Daphne]

Lynn wrote: "Finished my 12th and final book for this challenge -- The Silence of the Rain: An Inspector Espinosa Mystery by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza set in the Rio de Janeiro. ..."

Congrats on finishing a yearly challenge already Lynn!

[Lynn]

Thanks Daphne!

[Elsbeth]

Another update for me. I just finished Als gevolg van liefde, which is set in Saoudi-Arabia - Middle East. That makes 6 for me!

[Emily~]

Just finished my fourth book.~
East Asia: Hiroshima by John Hersey.

[Karena]

Update

9/10!

[Adriana]

Congratulations Lynn! You finished really fast :D

[Alessia]

Finished my fourth book:

South Asia - Pakistan
by Malala Yousafzai

Finished 27/03

[Adriana]

Alessia wrote: "Finished my fourth book:

South Asia - Pakistan
by Malala Yousafzai

Finished 27/03"

Updated you!

[Alessia]

Thanks Adriana ;)

[Elsbeth]

I just finished Moscow City; which I would like to use, not for Russia, but for East Asia, because part of the story takes place in Hong Kong!
So that makes 7/8. I think I might try to finish all regions!
So please change my update to: 7/12!

[[deleted user]]

*I changed my GR name from bookalicious to Finley Jayne*

Update: 7 done :)

North America World After (California) 1/5 5 stars
Central America
Caribbean
South America Excavation (South American Jungle) 2/10 4 stars
West Europe The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared
(Sweden) 2/22 5 stars
East Europe and Former Soviet Union
Africa Whatever You Do, Don't Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide 4/2 5 stars
Middle East
East Asia
South Asia The Case of the Missing Servant (India) 3/3 4 stars
Southeast Asia The Coroner's Lunch (Laos) 1/28 5 stars
Australia & South Pacific The Rosie Project (Australia) 3/1 4 stars

[Jave]

*UPDATE*
I made a small change (see message #240)

Change: ¡Muuu! from North America to South Asia [India]
Add: North America: Divergent [USA]

[Adriana]

Everyone's updated! You've got so many done Finley! ~ I'll change your name on the list.

[Chloé]

I manage to read one more. Cruel Beauty is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast in a Greek setting.

6/5



West Europe: Animal Farm 01-01-14 ★★★★☆
South Asia: Life of Pi 03-01-14 ★★★★★
Middle East: Bi: Notes for a Bisexual Revolution 22-01-14 ★★★★☆
North America:The Catcher in the Rye 27-01-14 ★★★★☆
Australia & South Pacific: The Rosie Project 16-02-2014 ★★★★★
East Europe and Former Soviet Union Cruel Beauty04-04-2014 ★★★☆☆

[[deleted user]]

I've been busy reading - but haven't been updating.

I've added four regions to my total:

Central America: Conquistador: Hernán Cortés, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs by Buddy Levy (Mexican history)
Africa: Foreign Gods, Inc. by Okey Ndibe (Nigeria)
East Asia: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse (India)
Southeast Asia: Great Minds of the Eastern Intellectual Tradition by Grant Hardy (Chinese Philosophy)

Truth be told, Great Minds of the Eastern Intellectual Tradition had philosophy from East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia - but I thought it would be cheating for one book to cover three regions - though, really, it did.

My total is now 9/12.

[LynnB]

I've just completed one more region:

Central America - The Pearl (Mexico)

Total completed: 9/12

[Sarah]

Completed 3/12

North America: The Great Gatsby Set in New York & Author born in Minnesota - Finished 15/03/14
Central America
Caribbean
South America
West Europe: The Shadow of the Wind Author born in and set in Barcelona, Spain - Finished 7/04/14
East Europe and Former Soviet Union
Africa
Middle East
East Asia
South Asia
Southeast Asia
Australia & South Pacific: The Husband's Secret Author born in and set in Australia - Finished 13/03/14

[Jennifer]

March Update: 5/12 Complete:
1. North America – White Christmas in Dry Creek (Author is from America and took place in America) 1/3
2. Central America -
3. Caribbean -
4. South America - One Hundred Years of Solitude (Author is from Columbia and took place in mythical South American place) 3/20
5. West Europe – Arabella (Author is from UK and took place in the UK) 1/3
6. Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union –
7. Aftica -
8. Middle East – Rooftops of Tehran (Author is from Iran and book takes place in Iran) 3/9
9. East Asia –
10. South Asia –
11. Southeast Asia -
12. Australia & South Pacific - The Italian's Ruthless Marriage Command (Author from Australia and partially takes place in Australia) 2/8

[Karena]

10/10

Australia & South Pacific The Rosie Project √

[Adriana]

Karena wrote: "10/10

Australia & South Pacific The Rosie Project √"

Congratulations on completing your challenge!!! :D

[Danielle]

Just updated post 245 (page 5) with The Dream of the Celt

[Marina]

I've finished 8/12, Dai Sijie's Balzac et la petite tailleuse chinoise for East Asia (the author is Chinese and the book is set in China).

[Sydney]

1. North America: Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever (Washington, DC) Completed: 1/29
2. Central America: The Pearl (Mexico) Completed: 2/12
3. Caribbean: The Last Days of St. Pierre: The Volcanic Disaster That Claimed 30,000 Lives (Martinique) Completed: 2/27
4. South America
5. West Europe: The Book Thief (Germany) Completed: 1/26
6. East Europe and Former Soviet Union: Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster (Ukraine) Completed: 4/20
7. Africa
8. Middle East
9. East Asia
10. South Asia: I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban (Pakistan) Completed: 3/8
11. Southeast Asia: The Coroner's Lunch (Laos) Completed: 3/22
12. Australia & South Pacific: The Rosie Project (Australia) Completed: 2/4


Completed: 8/12

[Adriana]

I've updated you Danielle, Marina, and Sydney!

[Marina]

9/12 completed, for Southeast Asia I've read Singapore. Sedici racconti dall'Asia estrema by various authors from Singapore.

[Adriana]

Marina wrote: "9/12 completed, for Southeast Asia I've read Singapore. Sedici racconti dall'Asia estrema by various authors from Singapore."

Great job Marina!

[Laura]

Hi, Since last posting, I have completed two more:

City of Thieves by David Benioff for Russia and former Soviet Union
and
The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo for East Asia

[Adriana]

Awesome, Laura. Will update you now.

[LynnB]

I completed:
East Europe & the former Soviet Union - Prague Winter (Czechoslovakia) by Madeleine Albright

Book 10/12

[Sarah]

Completed 4/12

North America: The Great Gatsby Set in New York & Author born in Minnesota - Finished 15/03/14
Central America
Caribbean
South America
West Europe: The Shadow of the Wind Author born in and set in Barcelona, Spain - Finished 7/04/14
East Europe and Former Soviet Union: Anna Karenina Author born in and set in Russia Finished 05/05/14
Africa
Middle East
East Asia
South Asia
Southeast Asia
Australia & South Pacific: The Husband's Secret Author born in and set in Australia - Finished 13/03/14

[Adriana]

Updated everyone.

[Laura]

Hi,

I have finished The Railway Man by Eric Lomax for my South East Asia read. An amazing book.

[Chloé]

Got another one, Please Look After Mom, it is set in Korea. It's a moving tale of motherhood.
7/5



West Europe: Animal Farm 01-01-14 ★★★★☆
South Asia: Life of Pi 03-01-14 ★★★★★
Middle East: Bi: Notes for a Bisexual Revolution 22-01-14 ★★★★☆
North America:The Catcher in the Rye 27-01-14 ★★★★☆
Australia & South Pacific: The Rosie Project 16-02-2014 ★★★★★
East Europe and Former Soviet Union Cruel Beauty04-04-2014 ★★★☆☆
East Asia: Please Look After Mom11-05-2014 ★★★★☆

[Tricia]

Finished 3/6

East Europe and Former Soviet Union - The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great 5/6/2014 (set in Russia, author from Poland)

[Erika]

I finished South America with One Hundred Years of Solitude so I'm now at 4/12.

[Claire]

I've completely forgotten to update my progress on this challenge! I've selected a couple more books for my areas (I'm still not sure about Australia and the South Pacific, and I think it's almost cheating to count The Rosie Project!), and completed a total of six.

North America Touched with Fire
Central America Prayers for the Stolen
Caribbean Havana Lost
West Europe Bird with the Heart of a Mountain
East Europe and Former Soviet Union In Paradise
Africa Birds of the Nile: An Egyptian Adventure
Middle East To be determined
South Asia And the Mountains Echoed
Southeast Asia In the Shadow of the Banyan
Australia & South Pacific To be determined

[Chloé]

Claire P wrote: "I've completely forgotten to update my progress on this challenge! I've selected a couple more books for my areas (I'm still not sure about Australia and the South Pacific, and I think it's almost ..."

For Australia I also read Glitter and Glue if you're interested in book about mother and daughter relationship, well motherhood and family in general.

[Adriana]

Updated everyone.

[Emily~]

Just finished my fifth book.
It was for the Australia & South Pacific region: Stolen by Lucy Christopher. It was interesting and I have mixed emotions about it.

[Laura]

I just finished City of the Beasts by Isabel Allende for my South America read.

[[deleted user]]

I'm currently 10/12.

Just added New Zealand: The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

[Paul]

It's getting harder as I check off regions. #8 of 12 for me was for East Asia. The book I read was: The Impossible State: North Korea, by Victor Cha. Hard to believe a country can remain so isolated for so many decades. Hopefully the way forward will not involve bloodshed, but it is hard to feel optimistic.

[Chloé]

Paul wrote: "It's getting harder as I check off regions. #8 of 12 for me was for East Asia. The book I read was: The Impossible State: North Korea, by Victor Cha. Hard to believe a country can remain so isolate..."

Yeah, I'm at 7 now. It's getting more difficult, especially if you're in other challenges and you're concentrating on those for a while. I read a lot of Asian, European and North American literature so those were easy. Reading African and Central/South American literature is not a habit of mine, though I have in the past. I'm not aiming at completing all twelve area, but I have a book written by an African at home I've been putting off, I will try to get this one read. I'll have to keep an open mind an try to read books from Central/South America that fit my other challenges and maybe I'll get them all done by the end of the year.

[Jennifer]

J.J. Update: Yearly Around the World in Books 6/12 Complete:
1. North America – White Christmas in Dry Creek (Author is from America and took place in America) 1/3
4. South America - One Hundred Years of Solitude (Author is from Columbia and took place in mythical South American place) 3/20
5. West Europe – Arabella (Author is from UK and took place in the UK) 1/3
6. Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union –
7. Africa – Journey of Hope (Takes place in Liberia) 5/24
8. Middle East – Rooftops of Tehran (Author is from Iran and book takes place in Iran) 3/9
12. Australia & South Pacific - The Italian's Ruthless Marriage Command (Author from Australia and partially takes place in Australia) 2/8
(Updated post #111)

[Marina]

I've been to South America with Marcela Serrano and her novel Arrivederci piccole donne, which is set in Chile (and the author is from Chile, too). This puts me at 10/12.

[Angelique]

Hi,

A late starter here! I'm going to try for all 12. I've read some already (this year), and some titles may still change, but here's what I'm planning for this challenge:
North America: Read: May 24th
Central America: Read December 10th
Caribbean: Read: June 21st
South America: Read: April 25th
West Europe: Read: April 29th
East Europe and Former Soviet Union: Read: April 24th
Africa: Out of Africa changed to Read: August 30th
Middle East: Samarkand changed to Read: 24th June
East Asia: Read September 6th
South Asia: Zemindar changed to read December 7th
Southeast Asia: Read August 31st
Australia & South Pacific: Read November 30th

So I'm now Finished!!!

Please let me know if I have any books in the wrong region.

Thanks for hosting this challenge