Tytti A "Never-Ending" Country Challenge

[Anetq]

Update dec 2018: I have added a few read countries this year - and cleaned up the post with spoiler tags. The maps isn't up to date, but close enough :)
Status:
Europe: Not too shabby except for the former Yugoslavian states.
Africa: Pretty good 30/55 - have read the majority of the larger countries!
Full lists here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Rachelnyc]

This is great! I started an Around the World challenge and have been tracking books read per country as of 2018.

Rachel's Around the World Reading Challenge

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com

I still have a long way to go!

[Gaijinmama]

I haven't visited this group for some time, but I'm ready to jump in now.
I want to visit as many countries as I can. Not sure if I can figure out the map thing, but for now I'll just list the countries I've read about so far, starting at the beginning of this year. The book should either be set in or written by an author from each country. It won't won't count if the details aren't reasonably accurate (I teach academic writing and research skills for a living. "Cite Your Sources" is my middle name!) Heck, I probably won't bother finishing the book at all if the author didn't do his/her homework.

Gaijinmama's Around the World Challenge
Start Date: January 1, 2019
Total: 8 Updated 8/8/19

Africa
Asia 2
Pakistan I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
India Flash House

Europe 4
Spain The Shadow of the Wind
United Kingdom Animal Farm
Switzerland Flashforward
Italy Vittorio, the Vampire

North America 2
United States Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing
Canada Jack of Kinrowan

South America

[Cathy]

Cathy's World Reading Challenge

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com

What a great idea! I am tracking starting with what I read in 2019.

[Luke]

I've managed to add Somalia (Nuruddin Farah) and the Honduras (Horacio Castellanos Moya) during my meanderings. I should carve out some time and see whether any TBR additions managed to scoop up any authors who hail from as of yet unplanned nations.

[Anetq]

I've managed to both read some new countries AND add my reading to a Padlet, which makes it a lot easier to get an overview (The map service we've used above has no memory, and I had notes with lists, but those were tedious) - so here is the big picture currently:
https://ucph.padlet.org/anetq/world
Outside of Asia and Latinamerica I have gotten to the point where my lists are now of countries I haven't read!
Countries from 2019 (that I remember)
Poland - newly minted Nobel Prize winner Olga Tokarczuk
Burundi Small Country, Somalia, South Sudan, Mauritius, Kyrgyzstan.
And I am currently reading Naipaul (Trinidad & Tobago), and have some Macedonians lined up. I also told my Facebook friends, so I am now raking in suggestions for my missing countries :)

[Anetq]

Aubrey wrote: "I've managed to add Somalia (Nuruddin Farah) and the Honduras (Horacio Castellanos Moya) during my meanderings. I should carve out some time and see whether any TBR a..."

I am taking note of your Latinamerican author :)

[Luke]

Anetq wrote: "I am taking note of your Latinamerican author :)"

Glad to hear it, Anetq. Indie publishers are worth their weight in eclecticism at times.

[Anetq]

Aubrey wrote: "Anetq wrote: "I am taking note of your Latinamerican author :)"

Glad to hear it, Anetq. Indie publishers are worth their weight in eclecticism at times."

Yes! I found a surprising amount of Angolan author Agualusa translated into Danish - as well as other random African authors.

[Anetq]

I've added Trinidad, Madagascar, Benin and Djibouti...
Catching up on my 'missing' countries in Africa :)
Still posting my countries here: https://ucph.padlet.org/anetq/world

[Nente]

I personally have lost the energy for this challenge (also, where are you Tytti, I haven't seen you around for a long time or maybe that's my fault?.)

But if anyone lacks Albania on their maps, please consider Ismail Kadare. He might even get a Nobel one of these days if the committee wake up.
Specifically The General of the Dead Army is quite short and very good.

[Luke]

A recent List Challenge titled 'Reading the World in 196 Books' reminded me of this board. I haven't read huge amounts off of it, but it was nice to see that various works that I had honestly bought on an international-tinged whim. It might prove useful to participants on this board: https://www.listchallenges.com/readin...

[Anetq]

Hi Nente - happy to see someone else here! Kadare has been on my list forever, but I've never gotten to him, so thanks for reminding me!
Balkan is still the whitest spot on my European map (I only have Serbia, Kroatia, Rumania and Greece so far - so any other recs in the region are very welcome.
https://ucph.padlet.org/anetq/world

[Annette]

This challenge looks quite interesting! I like to read/learn about other countries through the eyes of people from there.

[Nente]

Oh, as to the Balkans, I think Ivo Andrić would count for Bosnia. I only read The Bridge on the Drina and loved it. Be warned though, it is literally the story of the centuries-old bridge, so you may not find what counts for a plot in human terms there.

ETA: remembered Dubravka Ugrešić for Croatia. I read a very strange novel by her, Fording the Stream of Consciousness. Didn't enjoy it honestly, but it made me think that her non-fiction should be worth a try. She's best known for her essays. Thank You for Not Reading is what I would read now, if/when I get there.

[Peter]

For Bosnia, you might try Black Soul. I happen to have met the author after he and his family had fled the conflict in the Balkans. It's a haunting story, and I remember hoping that the writing of it gave him some closure.

[Anetq]

Good tips, thank you both!
I also read Dubravka Ugrešić for Croatia (Thank you for not reading) - I didn't become a fan, but hey, you can't like everything :)

[Scott]

Create Your Own Visited Countries Map

(I couldn't access Big Huge Labs website)

These are books by authors from those countries. I guess I need to read more African and Central European authors.

Countries that I've read 100+ classics:
UK and US

10-99 books:
Canada, France, Russia, China, Ireland

4-9 books:
Norway, Sweden, Spain, India, Japan and Australia

1-3 books:
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Trinidad, Czechia, Germany, Modern Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Lebanon, Nigeria, New Zealand

[Nente]

Me again.
Recently read a Russian-language book about Africa (it only exists in Russian: Африканская книга), and the author is a passionate reader of African literature, among other things.
I made up a GR list of books and/or authors he mentioned. https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

On a quick run-through, the following countries are there:
Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria (duh to all these), Mali, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda, Mozambique, Zambia.

[Luke]

Nente wrote: "Me again.
Recently read a Russian-language book about Africa (it only exists in Russian: Африканская книга), and the author is a passionate reader of African literature, among other..."

Great list, Nente. I've read a few of the ones on your list, but there are lots that I'm interested in that I have yet to get to, as well as even more that I could probably afford to develop an interest in.

[Nente]

Thanks! I do hope it'll be of use. Much of the time Stesin only mentioned the author and I added whatever they have listed on GR; and some authors I was unable to find, sadly.

[AiK]

I'm sorry if my comment is not suitable for this topic. I noticed that Kazakhstan is white on all maps. Kazakh authors are not very well known and there are not many translations.

There are some ideas:
Mukhtar Auezov https://www.goodreads.com/author/list...

Iliyas Essenberlin https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Shakarim Kudaiberdyuly https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Abai Kunanbayev https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

Saken Seifullin https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Sabit Mukanov https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Magzhan Zhumabayev
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

And many more. Let me know if you need some more names.

Just for example, I found this book at Amazon.com. I heard about poor translations.

https://www.amazon.com/Mukhtar-Auezov...

I'm sorry again, if my comment is not eligible as I do not take part in this challenge.

[Peter]

@AiK Thank you!

[Robin P]

AiK, I think that's great. If anyone else knows of authors/books in lesser represented countries, I think it's very useful to share the information.

I like the idea of the map. In my "spare" time, I would be interested to go back through my lifetime reading (over 3000 books on GR) and see how many countries are represented.

[Robin P]

Well, I don't know how to copy the image but this link is to my map

https://map1.maploco.com/visited-coun...

It is at least 67 countries. I have also read a book set in every US state, except I don't find any from Delaware, Tennessee and West Virginia. Possibly I have read those states but just looking at the title isn't reminding me. And I have read books set in most of the Canadian provinces. However, I am very remiss in South America and Africa.

[AiK]

Peter, Robin thank you very much!

[Heather L]

Robin P wrote: “I have also read a book set in every US state, except I don't find any from Delaware, Tennessee and West Virginia. Possibly I have read those states but just looking at the title isn't reminding me.”

I’ve only read a couple books set in Delaware (it’s a hard state to find), but one that has stuck with me is West of Rehoboth by Alexs D. Pate.

[Terry]

Robin, The Color Purple is set in Georgia and Tennessee, so if you’ve read that, you can cross it off of your list. If not, it’s a really good classic book to read.

[Terry]

Also Robin, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls takes place in West Virginia. It is an unbelievable story of growing up with irresponsible parents.

[Brian E]

I've read two Pulitzer Prize winners set in Tennessee:
A Summons to Memphis by Peter Taylor and
A Death in the Family by James Agee

[Anetq]

Sooo it's been a while, but I've updated by world map: https://ucph.padlet.org/anetq/world

I am only missing 2 countries in Africa,
4 in Europe, and 7 in South America
- and then all of Central America, much of the Carribian and quite a bit of Asia - but it's filling in nicely!