Reading with Style discussion
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Project One - Countries of the World Discussion Thread
All I could find in my library for Christmas Island was Twelve Days of Christmas Island which looks kind of cute but is not really suitable for RwS.
The Sky Runs Right Through Us - had a slight title error, so that you couldn't find it with search. I fixed it up. I cannot find a description that isn't from a review, which GR doesn't allow. Here is one sentence from one review that is pertinent here:The structure of the book follows a personal journey from Christmas Island, back to the Australian mainland to deal with the decline and death of her father, then to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and finally back to the suburbs of Perth.
I can tell you that it will definitely fit a yet unannounced task this coming season if you want to take a chance that it will fit 30.1, but I agree it doesn't look as if it will.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "The Sky Runs Right Through Us - had a slight title error, so that you couldn't find it with search. I fixed it up. I cannot find a description that isn't from a review, which GR doe..."It looks like a good book, so it's going on my TBR;) I've found a couple of Samoan books that I have purchased and will probably read, but I don't think they will fit because they sound like Samoa not American Samoa.
Where We Once Belonged and Leaves of the Banyan Tree
I found two books that appear to have enough of a Christmas Island setting:Suffering Through Strength: Men Who Made Christmas Island
Shays, Crabs and Phosphate : A History of the Railways of Christmas Island, Indian Ocean
There are also some travel books. These are available through the Christmas Island Gift Shop, but may also be available elsewhere.
Karen Michele wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "The Sky Runs Right Through Us - had a slight title error, so that you couldn't find it with search. I fixed it up. I cannot find a description that isn't ..."The Around the World group indicates both of those are set in Samoa.
They indicate these books are set in American Samoa.
Pago Pago Tango
The Turquoise Lament
I don't know how much. :-(
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Karen Michele wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "The Sky Runs Right Through Us - had a slight title error, so that you couldn't find it with search. I fixed it up. I cannot find a d..."Oh, thanks Elizabeth. I had a feeling I needed to do some more research!
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I found two books that appear to have enough of a Christmas Island setting:..."Thanks, Elizabeth, but I didn't want to spend any money... I've hundreds of books at home that I still have to read lol
So I've been relying on the library for these. I'm going today so I'll check out that poetry book & flip through it anyway
Tien wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I found two books that appear to have enough of a Christmas Island setting:..."Thanks, Elizabeth, but I didn't want to spend any money... I've hundreds of books at home..."
The Suffering Through Strength: Men Who Made Christmas Island is available at a number of Australian libraries, 3 libraries in Singapore, and one in Hong Kong. I have no idea what access to you might have to any of these, of course.
By the way, I'm not saying you *should* read that book, just that it appears to be available to you. One library in the US has it, in Michigan. If I didn't already have more books penciled in than I can possibly read in one season, I might take a look at it.
I know, Elizabeth. It's not available at my library and I won't bother trying for inter-library :pI borrowed the poetry book and flipping through it, it doesn't sound like it'll fit the task (rather hard to tell in terms of setting with poetry). If I can fit the read, I'll read it anyway and see how it goes :)
FYI - I just asked a recent reader of The Turquoise Lament if at least 50% takes place in American Samoa, and the response was YES! So there is one for you.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "FYI - I just asked a recent reader of The Turquoise Lament if at least 50% takes place in American Samoa, and the response was YES! So there is one for you."Thanks! My library even has this one;)
I was just looking through the spreadsheet & realised that I forgot to note setting for this completed task last season for Singapore (I note the orange highlight)
Thanks - got that one added to the sheet!
Because I'm always looking at everyone's posts for interesting books to add to my TBR shelf, I noticed that Katy posted a book for Swaziland (but didn't note it). This will fill in another slot on our spreadsheet (#2 out of 3).https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
post 685
It may be too soon after the end of the season to ask this - but did we turn many of the outstanding countries that we started the season with green? I see at least one (Malawi). It looks like there is a lot more brown now.
Also Guadalupe and Slovakia (which I'd failed to strike earlier, so we had a head start). This season was only those countries that had no entries whatsoever, so not much reading for those we'd already touched upon and less opportunity to turn green. If my count is anywhere near correct, we ticked off 37 different countries/territories on the list. Well done!Thanks for the nudge about turning countries green. Maybe we'll be working on that next time we have an RwS Project Task!
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Also Guadalupe and Slovakia (which I'd failed to strike earlier, so we had a head start). This season was only those countries that had no entries whatsoever, so not much reading for those we'd alr..."Which countries are still left?
Ed wrote: "Which countries are still left? "I'm still working on it. I keep getting interrupted. (Not here so much, there's laundry and a walk needing doing, etc. etc.)
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Ed wrote: "Which countries are still left? "I'm still working on it. I keep getting interrupted. (Not here so much, there's laundry and a walk needing doing, etc. etc.)"
ok...thanks.
I have edited the Countries Still to Go posts. They are now easier to read (for all of us!).Should you read for any of the countries on the spreadsheet that are not green, please include this info in your post.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I have edited the Countries Still to Go posts. They are now easier to read (for all of us!).Should you read for any of the countries on the spreadsheet that are not green, please include this inf..."
Oh good! It does make it much easier...... too bad it doesn't magically make it easier to find books set in those countries!
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I have edited the Countries Still to Go posts. They are now easier to read (for all of us!).Should you read for any of the countries on the spreadsheet that are not green, please include this inf..."
I got the Central African Republic with https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Ed wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I have edited the Countries Still to Go posts. They are now easier to read (for all of us!).Should you read for any of the countries on the spreadsheet that are not gre..."
Thanks, Ed. I got that to the spreadsheet, but not to the countries still to go post.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Also Guadalupe and Slovakia (which I'd failed to strike earlier, so we had a head start). This season was only those countries that had no entries whatsoever, so not much reading for those we'd alr..."I wondered about Guadaloupe. I kept double checking the list. I'm glad I got to use it because I enjoyed the book!
I was pleased to see you turn Guadaloupe green!
I got the French Southern Territories for The Wreck of the Nancy Bell by John Conroy Hutcheson. Post 973Thanks
Mary wrote: "I got the French Southern Territories for The Wreck of the Nancy Bell by John Conroy Hutcheson. Post 973Thanks"
Thanks, Mary.
Sorry for the double post. Don’t know what whar happened!
Mary wrote: "Sorry for the double post. Don’t know what whar happened!"No problem here. I just deleted it, and got the spreadsheet and countries post fixed!
I noticed today that Lebanon isn't green yet....and I failed to note in my recent posting that A House at the Edge of Tears is entirely set in Lebanon. (I also previously read An Unnecessary Woman .... after Elzabeth did...but maybe you want the three books to be different?)
Ed wrote: "I noticed today that Lebanon isn't green yet....and I failed to note in my recent posting that A House at the Edge of Tears is entirely set in Lebanon. (I also previously read [book:An..."Woohoo! I've added your latest book. Yes, we'd like three different books, but I added your name to An Unnecessary Woman. Thanks for turning Lebanon green!
I've read So Long a Letter, which is completely set in Senegal, but it's under 100 pages so I don't know if it counts? It's 96 pages ... very close :)I haven't posted it, because I'm waiting to read another short one and then claim them for the Replay task, but my review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Rosemary wrote: "I've read So Long a Letter, which is completely set in Senegal, but it's under 100 pages so I don't know if it counts? It's 96 pages ... very close :)I haven't posted it, because I'..."
Yay! Another one turned green. I added the page count to the spreadsheet entry so anyone considering it would be forewarned.
I was checking the group map for the last book I posted which was set in Albania - Spring Flowers, Spring Frost by Ismail Kadare...but I noticed that Chad still is blank. I read The Roots of Heaven by Romain Gary which is set in Chad. I finished the book 9/16/19.
Also on 7/10/19 I finished The Last Will & Testament of Senhor da Silva Araújo by Germano Almeida which is set entirely in Cape Verde.
The spreadsheet is being updated, but the map is not. Amanda started that and I can't edit it.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "The spreadsheet is being updated, but the map is not. Amanda started that and I can't edit it."ok... I meant the spreadsheet anyway.
I'm not sure which spreadsheet you're looking at. All three of those books are on the sheet linked in the updated thread not started by Amanda. (I can't update anything she did.)https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I admit that I haven't been maintaining the list in that thread. I anticipate we'll have another Project Task in summer, although I haven't talked with Kate about it yet. At that time, those posts will be looked at afresh.
Below is the one I was looking at (I just checked....and Yes it is the one Amanda had posted at https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
I hadn't realized there were two different spreadsheets.
Ed wrote: "Below is the one I was looking at"Yeah. That's why I had to start a different thread and a new spreadsheet.
Where does Palmyra Atoll fit? It is a Pacific island.
Bea wrote: "Where does Palmyra Atoll fit? It is a Pacific island."It is one of the US Minor Outlying Islands.
I was looking at the spreadsheet and I noticed that Honduras is marked green but only two books are listed.
Thanks for catching that, Valerie. I've fixed it.
This book popped up on my feed but I can't source it so I thought I'd note it here in case someone may be interested & can source it for this project The Crossing: A Story of East Timor
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These are 2 of the closest though I still think that they won't completely meet the parameters:
No Man is an Island - primarily about the author's work in Western Australia but sounds like it will touch a little on her work in Christmas Island (I doubt it'd be more than 20% of the book)
The second book is a poetry book that's not even on GR : The sky runs right through us : poems from the edge of the Indian Ocean (this is my library link). I'm keen to check this one out if you'd think it'll fit for Christmas Island setting. Description as follows;
This deeply personal book is also an important historical record. Written from the heart and covering a period of time working on Christmas Island with asylum seekers until her return to Australia with an urgency to bear witness, Pettitt-Schipp's steady eye is levelled at a facade of Australian inclusivity and openness "this land's edge /has always been an invitation/a white-toothed smile/ to walk on." To those denied entry, those white teeth become menace, exclusion, shark, crocodile. In a book filled with heart-breakingly tender portraits, borders and bodies, sanctions and sanctuary are held close to each other in ways which articulate the space but also, the common ground between us. these beautiful Christmas Island poems capture both the despair of asylum seekers imprisoned by rock and sea and their ancient will to continue.