Task #11: Read a book that is set more than 5000 miles from your location

[bubblegumpopper]

American Taboo is a non-fiction book about a Peace Corps murder in the 1970s in Tonga, which would probably work for most people in North America (9300 km to West coast of Canada). I just finished it for this challenge and it was a good read, though very enraging.

[Rayne]

August Ice is set in Antarctica and is also a LGBTQ+ romance if anyone is interested in doubling up.

[Jodi]

I got a collection of Japanese fairytales as a gift. Now that I know that Japan is about 9000km away from Switzerland that book fits this task perfectly :)

[Kirsten]

I live in Washington State (USA)... I just finished reading The Fixer by Bernard Malamud which is set in Kiev, Tsarist Russia.

[Katie]

My friend has been recommending the work of Haruki Murakami to me for a while, so for this one I plan on reading Wind/Pinball: Two Novels.

[Kelley]

If not in SE Asia like I am, I would recommend Every Falling Star by Sungju Lee and Susan Elizabeth McClelland. I got the title from Book Riot. It's heartbreaking and powerful.

[Monica]

Just finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest which takes place in Sweden. I live in California so it hits 5,000 miles. Actually 5,200 miles away...I googled it ;-)

[NV]

I can't get the interactive radius link to work.

[Bex]

I love this challenge! I've had The Martian on my TBR for a year and put it off as I worried about the technical passages. Turns out I shouldn't have worried as even the complicated sounding stuff read really easily. Would recommend this to anyone and it's definitely set over 5000 miles from the UK.

[Jean]

I just finished A Long Way Home: A Boy's Incredible Journey from India to Australia and Back Again (Saroo Brierley). Fairly quick read, and an interesting story. I enjoyed it very much.

A Long Way Home

[Teresa]

I have so many possibilities for this one. I'm leaning towards Russia, India or Asia. I guess it'll be the first book I read that doesn't complete another task :-)

[Kate]

Shawn wrote: "I'm thinking either The Martian or Sons of Heaven."

I'm considering The Martian Chronicles for this. The Martian was great read, if a bit technically challenged.

[Barbara]

I have a ton of books on my TBR that would fit this task, but I think I'll wind up going with Everfair for it. Somehow it seems fitting to use a book I got signed at BR Live to fill a Read Harder slot. =)

[Pat]

Just read THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 by Ruth Ware

[Tanyka]

Chris wrote: "I think this is a great excuse for me to finally tackle "Midnight's Children.""

It's great! Hope you enjoy it.

[Brandyn]

I haven't picked a book, but I'm probably going to cheat by about 100 miles for this one. My Dad died last year and that side of the family is Czech so I'd like to read something set in the Czech Republic (Prague is only 4900 miles from me).

[Tanyka]

I want to read "Big Little Lies" by Liane Moriarty. Can someone confirm that the novel takes place in Australia? Thanks in advance.

[Marcella]

Out This was my choice for Task 11 of the Read Harder challenge, as Tokyo is over 6,000 miles from me. Gritty, disturbing, literary crime novel with themes of women's obligations, the desensitization caused by assembly line work, and another kind of Upside Down (to reference Stranger Things).

[Melissa]

Yep, Big Little Lies is set in Australia.

[Katie]

I'm so excited for this one. I'll be reading Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) by José Rizal. I've been trying to find books from Filipino authors for these challenges at the suggestion of my fiancé (who grew up there), and this one should be a good historical insight!

[Jerry]

I live in California, so I chose The Gunman. It is set mainly in France, which is well over 5,000 miles from me. Really it was just an excuse to dip my toe in French noir.

[Jonathan]

Read I Called Him Necktie, and currently reading and loving Confessions by Kane Minato (loving confessions).
Both are set in Japan and Confessions is a debut.

[Brent]

Silence

5662 miles from Missoula, MT to Nagasaki, Japan

[Julia]

I honestly thought this would be one of the harder tasks, only to discover I have a Nordic crime thriller out from the library that fits the task. The book is Oslo Conspiracy by Asle Skredderberget. It's set in both Milan and Oslo. Does it need to 5K from DC in both places, because Milan is not, while Oslo is...?

[Chickadee]

AJ wrote: "I was thinking of reading The Worst Journey in the World which is an account of a terrible expedition to Antarctica. Can't get much farther than that!

(and bonus: it could stand in f..."

The book I'm currently reading for this challenge Travels in Siberia mentioned that book! The Worst Journey in the world is now on my books-to-read list :)

[Chickadee]

Katy wrote: "Anyone considering Born a Crime, I highly recommend it on audio - I'm listening to it now and could not possibly enjoy it more. No need to know anything about Trevor Noah beforehand, just turn it o..."

I've heard from another source that this book is indeed very entertaining as an audiobook. I'm taking a road trip in a few weeks and plan to borrow the audio book from the library.

[Renee]

I just finished Shantaram, takes place in Mumbai India. Good read,

[Elyse]

Just finished Code Name Verity for this. Takes place in Europe, namely France. Also for book about war task.

[Tracy]

Tanyka wrote: "I want to read "Big Little Lies" by Liane Moriarty. Can someone confirm that the novel takes place in Australia? Thanks in advance."

It does. :) Great book!

[Tracy]

I just finished this task with Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo.

[Pamela]

I read Star Sand by Roger Pulvers...set in Japan. Beautiful but heartbreaking - I definitely recommend!

[Kate]

Kdungan91 wrote: "I'm so excited for this one. I'll be reading Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) by José Rizal. I've been trying to find books from Filipino authors for these challenges at the suggestion of my fiancé (..."

Thanks for that rec. I am also trying to read more by Filipino authors and will be reading Monstress, at Sherman Alexie's suggestion.

[Shawn]

Shawn wrote: "I'm thinking either The Martian or Sons of Heaven."

I went with Sons of Heaven. Completed my second task. It's historical fiction about the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 centered around three characters - a politician and two brothers (one a soldier the other a dissident). Very good read.

[Jerry]

Finished Jean-Pierre Manchette's "The Gunman" last night. The English translation from the original French was published by City Lights bookstore in San Francisco. It's set in Paris, which is more than 5,000 miles from where I live in California.

[[deleted user]]

I just finished The Devotion of Suspect X it's set in Japan (6700 miles from me in Boston) and a really interesting twist on the conventional detective book. It's actually the 3rd in the series I found out later, but absolutely works as a stand alone.

[Jack]

Chickadee wrote: "The book I'm currently reading for this challenge Travels in Siberia mentioned that book! The Worst Journey in the world is now on my books-to-read list :)"

Awesome! I hope that you like it! The Travels in Siberia book looks good too. I may add it to my list!

[Brandyn]

I finished The Martian this weekend and I'm going to pencil it in for this challenge, but I'm still hoping to read something else. I agree that it counts, but I feel like I'm getting by on a technicality because this is still a very US-centric book.

[Ptaylor]

I read The Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan. It's quite an eyeopener. I finished it this morning - powerful and moving.

[Nancy]

I was planning to read a book I bought while on vacation in New Zealand a year ago called Where the Rekohu Bone Sings by Tina Makehereti. Since I live in the US, it definitely meets the distance requirement. But before I could get around to reading that I read a library copy of Precious and Grace, the latest in the Number One Ladies Detective Agency mystery series set in Botswana, and decided to use that. I may find another challenge category for the New Zealand book.
Any of the books in the detective series would work for the category of all point of view characters being people of color. For the moment, I'm not using the one I read for more than one category but might later in the year if I'm getting short on time to meet all the goals.

[Kate]

I don't know if anyone's mentioned it, but The Bone People would likely work for most people in the US too (set in New Zealand).

[Elyse]

One Child: The Story of China's Most Radical Experiment is my choice and I think will be very profound.

[[deleted user]]

If you're basically on the East Coast of North America it's 5,300 miles to Grozny, Chechnya which is the setting for one of my all time favorite books A Constellation of Vital Phenomena

[Megan]

I just finished listening to the audiobook version of Born a Crime, which I received for free courtesy of Audible (THANK YOU!!). South Africa's roughly 8,000-ish miles away from Maryland.

[Maya]

Chris wrote: "I think this is a great excuse for me to finally tackle "Midnight's Children.""

Yes! Highly recommended. I was thinking about re-reading it for task 9.


For this task, I'm reading Sightseeing which is a series of short stories set in Thailand, and am really loving the perspective so far!

[Bonnie G.]

Maya wrote: "Chris wrote: "I think this is a great excuse for me to finally tackle "Midnight's Children.""

Yes! Highly recommended. I was thinking about re-reading it for task 9.


For this task, I'm reading [..."

Thanks for mentioning this. Thailand is one of my favorite places in the world. I had been luck enough to spend a few months-long stretches there, and I am looking forward to this look at the complexities of the culture in this painfully beautiful place.

[Yrinsyde]

I'm doing another challenge (trying to finish it ...!) which is to read a book set in each state in the US and each province/territory in Canada. I'm up to Arizona (having started from the east coast) and wondered, how far away is Arizona from Melbourne?? Turns out that it is 8200 miles plus, or just over 13,000 km!! I'm reading Queen of the Desert by JA Jance. I could have used the Inspector Singh Investigates book ... But I'm trying to do each challenge and not double up (crossing separate reading challenges doesn't count!).

[Bonnie G.]

I had a bunch of books I wanted to read for this, and may still get to some, but I am reading A Gentleman in Moscow for my book group and am going to pencil it in. Actually, its 4900 miles from Fargo to Moscow, but I am calling it close enough for horseshoes and hand grenades. (I never was much of a rule follower, and I am pretty sure the 100 mile difference doesn't mess with the purpose of this challenge.)

[Amy]

I read The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra for this one. It's set in Russia, alternating between Chechnya and Kirovsk, a mining town near Murmansk. (I live in Virginia, USA.)

[Tamsin]

I live in Australia which gave me plenty of different opportunities.
I chose H is for Hawk which I loved. It is set in the Brecklands in England. I have always been fascinated by falconry and this book caught me in it's descriptions of the natural world, the healing process after grief, history, literary reference and biography of T H White. I also found Mabel hugely entertaining and Helen Macdonald's prose beautiful. It was a borrowed copy and I immediately went and purchased my own copy after returning the library's.

[Susan]

I read The Children Act, which took place in London- more than 5000 miles from my house in California. A great book by Ian McEwan about a judge in Family Court in London wrestling with issues of medical ethics and religion as she deals with problems in her marriage.