Around the World in 80 Books discussion
Getting to Know You
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Introductions
Hello,everyone.I'm Flora.I'm from Tianjin,China.I'm so glad to join you guys.(I never write an English essay,except for English exams).I love reading books and making friends.I like detective stories,Sherlock Holmes and Ellery Queen are so handsome.One day I will go to Baker Street 221B!I also like philosophy and I'm interested in western philosophy. Now I am reading a book which was written by Naipaul.
Hi everybody! I'm Ashley. I'm from Southern Ontario, Canada. Currently working reception at a car dealership while I figure out what it is I want to do with my life. I'm currently taking a break from my university studies to reevaluate what it is I should be focusing my studies on. Which leaves me lots of time for my number one hobby, reading, of course! Beyond that, I really enjoy making music. I play guitar, piano, ukulele, banjo, mandolin, as well as singing. When funds will allow it, my passion will be to see the world. Until then, I will settle for reading about it. I am also a great lover of languages, speaking English and French fluently and working on Italian and German at the moment. Very glad to meet you all!
Hi I'm Darlene from Las Vegas, NV. I am glad to have found this group. I used tack maps on the back of my library door and put dots on book settings as I read them. This is so much more fun.
Flora wrote: "Hello,everyone.I'm Flora.I'm from Tianjin,China.I'm so glad to join you guys.(I never write an English essay,except for English exams).I love reading books and making friends.I like detective stori..."Hi, Flora! So glad you can join us! There are lots of great detective novels set all over the world. Hopefully, you will be able to find lots of books you like here.
Ashley wrote: "Hi everybody! I'm Ashley. I'm from Southern Ontario, Canada. Currently working reception at a car dealership while I figure out what it is I want to do with my life. I'm currently taking a break fr..."Hi, Ashley! You are very musical. I would love to learn how to play the mandolin. What a cool instrument.
Darlene wrote: "Hi I'm Darlene from Las Vegas, NV. I am glad to have found this group. I used tack maps on the back of my library door and put dots on book settings as I read them. This is so much more fun."Welcome, Darlene! I used to do the same thing! Now I have a dry erase map that i track my books on. I take a picture of my progress at the end of the year, then erase it and start all over again the next year! I will have to post a picture sometime. :)
Hey everyone, I am Whitney - American by birth, I call Cambodia my home for now. I am married with a baby boy. I am a registered nurse but staying home with our son right now. My husband works for a charity providing clean water to villages. Despite living overseas and traveling a lot, I can't get enough. I am an incurable book nerd and travel junkie - so this group is basically heaven sent. I blog at www.journey-mercies.com and look forward to traveling with you all!
Whitney wrote: "Hey everyone, I am Whitney - American by birth, I call Cambodia my home for now. I am married with a baby boy. I am a registered nurse but staying home with our son right now. My husband works for ..."Hi, Whitney! Welcome to the group! I have just spent the last twenty minutes enjoying your blog. I need to go back and read some more. What a fantastic opportunity you have! I look forward to hearing more about your adventures in Cambodia.
Thanks Diane - it's fun to write the blog. I am looking forward to meeting other readers around the world!
My name is Brittany, I am a single mother residing in Texas. I look reading, writing, cooking, blogging, DIY, animals, etc. I love losing myself in a good book and learning about the world around us.
Brittany wrote: "My name is Brittany, I am a single mother residing in Texas. I look reading, writing, cooking, blogging, DIY, animals, etc. I love losing myself in a good book and learning about the world around..."HI Brittany!
What do you blog about! Seems we have a lot in common - animals, writing, blogging, reading lol!
Hello!My name is Joshua Zakary. I’m an amateur writer and photographer. I’ve worked in Africa for several years doing international developments projects in northern Uganda and Namibia.
I recently did a massive revision of my book (The Tide) chronicling my experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in northern Uganda. It’s taken me five years to finally reach the point where I feel comfortable with my book.
I joined Goodreads, so I can connect with internationally likeminded individuals, find some interesting books I haven’t read yet, and maybe extend my readership a bit.
Thanks!
Josh
The Tide: A Peace Corps volunteer living in the aftermath of Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army
My Africa Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/joshzak...
Brittany wrote: "My name is Brittany, I am a single mother residing in Texas. I look reading, writing, cooking, blogging, DIY, animals, etc. I love losing myself in a good book and learning about the world around..."Hi, Brittany! You listed a lot of my favorite things. The only thing I don't really do is blog (except for my job, but that doesn't really count).
Joshua wrote: "Hello!My name is Joshua Zakary. I’m an amateur writer and photographer. I’ve worked in Africa for several years doing international developments projects in northern Uganda and Namibia.
I recent..."
Hello, Joshua! Welcome! I bet you have some great stories to tell about your experiences in Uganda and Namibia.
Joshua wrote: "Hello!My name is Joshua Zakary. I’m an amateur writer and photographer. I’ve worked in Africa for several years doing international developments projects in northern Uganda and Namibia.
I recent..."
Hi Joshua - I am an ex-volunteer also (from the British equivalent of the Peace Corps). Good luck with your book - I'm very interested, and I've put it on my want-to-read list. This was mine: Even the Dead Are Coming. A lot of us could have written about our experiences but surprisingly few have done so.
Mike wrote: "Joshua wrote: "Hello!My name is Joshua Zakary. I’m an amateur writer and photographer. I’ve worked in Africa for several years doing international developments projects in northern Uganda and Nam..."
Thanks for the welcome, and the support!
Did you work for VSO? I knew several VSO volunteers who were working in northern Uganda.
I look forward to reading your book. How were your experiences in eastern Sudan? Being so close to southern Sudan, we would get a lot of aid workers visiting from Juba. I always wanted to cross the border, but Peace Corps would have killed me. :)
My friends would tell me the climate and the people completely change when crossing over. It’s amazing how an imaginary line can make such a drastic difference. Especially when the Sudanese government doesn’t recognize the border. I would hear about Sudanese soldiers crossing over to grow millet and sim-sim.
If you are interested in checking out my book, I’m doing a free book promotion on Amazon starting Friday, and lasting till Monday. It’s just for the Kindle version though. You may want to wait till then.
Thanks again for your interest!
Cheers!
Josh
Diane wrote: Hello, Joshua! Welcome! I bet you have some great stories to tell about your experiences in Uganda and Namibia. Hello Diane!
Thanks for the welcome message. I definitely have my fair share of stories. Maybe even enough for a couple more books. :)
I'm Leah. I just moved to the middle of nowhere small town CO from big city CA. I don't get to travel like I used to. I'm hoping this helps! Could use a literary friend or few!
Hello ThereMy name is Sophia Grace form Durham , NC.
I like read almost everything.
You are invited to visit my blog or send me some
good books to read.
http://sincerereview.blogspot.com
Have a great day.
Sophia
Leah wrote: "I'm Leah. I just moved to the middle of nowhere small town CO from big city CA. I don't get to travel like I used to. I'm hoping this helps! Could use a literary friend or few!"Welcome, Leah! I am sure that is a big and probably difficult change for you. Much of my childhood was spent in the middle of nowhere, but I would not be able to adjust to that lifestyle now that I have been spoiled by the conveniences of city life. I bet it is incredibly beautiful where you are, though.
Sophia wrote: "Hello ThereMy name is Sophia Grace form Durham , NC.
I like read almost everything.
You are invited to visit my blog or send me some
good books to read.
http://sincerereview.blogspot.com
Have a ..."
Hello, Sophia Grace! Welcome to the group!
Hi!My Name is Nathalia and I am from Austria. I have lived in India and Thailand for a large portion of my childhood and love to travel, in books and otherwise. I used to read a lot more books about foreign countries, and then I somehow got stuck on the English Isles and I want to change that a bit. I have recently, by coincidence grabbed a few books set in France and it reignited something.
I hope to get plenty of inspiration here.
Joshua wrote: "Mike wrote: "Joshua wrote: "Hello!My name is Joshua Zakary. I’m an amateur writer and photographer. I’ve worked in Africa for several years doing international developments projects in northern U..."
Yes, I was indeed a VSO!
I am going to take advantage of your promotion of The Tide: A Peace Corps volunteer living in the aftermath of Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Armyon Amazon this week and if I miss it for any reason, I'll buy the book.
Good luck with this.
Nathalia wrote: "Hi!My Name is Nathalia and I am from Austria. I have lived in India and Thailand for a large portion of my childhood and love to travel, in books and otherwise. I used to read a lot more books abo..."
Hi, Nathalia! Welcome to the group! It is very easy to get stuck in the English isles since so many books are set there. Same with parts of the US.
Hi, Luke! Welcome to the group!
Hey everyone! My name is Adrienne and I'm 25 years old, originally from New Jersey, USA. I caught the travel bug while studying abroad during college, so after I graduated I decided to teach abroad (my degree is in Education so I'm all about teaching, woohoo) and I'm currently living and teaching in a beautiful coastal city in China! Through the thick and thin of culture shock, nothing has been more comforting than entering the world of a good book :).
I'm new to groups on Goodreads, so I'm really excited for a place to discover new books, meet new people, and discuss ideas and opinions. Literature has a fancy way of bringing people together and comforting us in the most desperate of times, so it's wonderful to see people who all share the passion of reading!
Nice to meet you all! :)
Flora wrote: "Hello,everyone.I'm Flora.I'm from Tianjin,China.I'm so glad to join you guys.(I never write an English essay,except for English exams).I love reading books and making friends.I like detective stori..."你好！ I'm currently living in Qingdao and I think our cities are fairly close to one another! China is a wonderful country :)
Adrienne wrote: "Hey everyone! My name is Adrienne and I'm 25 years old, originally from New Jersey, USA. I caught the travel bug while studying abroad during college, so after I graduated I decided to teach abro..."
Hi, Adrienne! Good for you on taking the opportunity to teach abroad! China must be a truly fascinating place to live.
Diane wrote: "Adrienne wrote: "Hey everyone! My name is Adrienne and I'm 25 years old, originally from New Jersey, USA. I caught the travel bug while studying abroad during college, so after I graduated I deci..."
Thanks, Diane! It really is an interesting place, I'm learning so much here! The Chinese culture is really unique, but much like American culture in so many ways :)
Hello everyone,I'm Marc, from Canada, and new to Goodreads. Literature and travel are passions to which I have decided to devote my whole time,starting next month, giving up job and decent meals to do what I feel really matters.I look forward to getting to know you all!
Hey, Marc. What a bold decision! Where will you be traveling to?
Hi Adrienne, I'm going to Cape Town in six weeks, then to South and Southeast Asia. I see from your profile that you also like travel. Where have you been and where would you like to go?
Marc-André wrote: "Hi Adrienne, I'm going to Cape Town in six weeks, then to South and Southeast Asia. I see from your profile that you also like travel. Where have you been and where would you like to go?"Hey Marc, I live in Cape Town. It's a gorgeous place. Enjoy
Thanks Lisa, can't wait. So far I've booked Robben Island, Table Mountain, a boat tour to Seal Island and a walking tour/night in Khayelitsha. Also three nights in Bo-Kaap. What am I missing?
Take a car trip around the south peninsula- through muizenberg(for the beach), Kalk bay (for its quaintness), Simons town(navy base plus boulders beach for penguins). Then on to Cape Point. And back to Cape Town via Noordhoek and chapman's Peak.You can do this by helicopter too.
Book a wine tour in Stellenbosch
Take a trip out to Franschoek.
If you're driving to Knysna, detour via Oudtshoorn to ride ostriches and see the Kango Caves.
Read wrong, you won't be near Knysna/ Oudtshoorn
Hello everyone.I'm Verity currently from Albuquerque, NM. Too poor to travel right now, so I am hoping this group can help me explore distant places.
Thanks a lot Lisa! I'll actually be staying three nights at Kalk Bay, which seems like a good base to explore from.Hi Verity, I have done a lot of armchair travel myself. But can one be really too poor to travel? One of my most memorable travels was my day to Mystic in Quebec, a village that still looks like it did a century ago,and was but a 3-mile walk from where I lived then, half following an old rail track, the other half walking a path in a wood.
And don't forget one can travel and learn a lot about the geography of a country through a good cookbook ;)
Hi Verity, I have done a lot of armchair travel myself. But can one be really too poor to travel?..."To which I would say yes. I have been unemployed for a year now, have lots of college debt and no car. (And being a single, petite female, I am not about to hitchhike.) May be that is just me. Just saying; no hard feelings.
Hope you have a good library nearby and that you find a job soon.
Marc-André wrote: "Hello everyone,I'm Marc, from Canada, and new to Goodreads. Literature and travel are passions to which I have decided to devote my whole time,starting next month, giving up job and decent meals to..."Welcome, Marc! Kudos to you for being bold enough to take some risks and sacrifices to follow your dreams! Have a wonderful adventure!
Verity wrote: "Hello everyone.I'm Verity currently from Albuquerque, NM. Too poor to travel right now, so I am hoping this group can help me explore distant places."
Hi, Verity! Welcome to the group! I love your name.
Verity wrote: "Hi Verity, I have done a lot of armchair travel myself. But can one be really too poor to travel?..."To which I would say yes. I have been unemployed for a year now, have lots of college debt and..."
College debt, ugh. It can be a very big burden.
I started travelling when I was 30. I didn't have any money, but I went abroad as a volunteer to begin with. Sometimes there is a route like that; volunteering, teaching English, etc. Good luck.
Joshua wrote: "Hello!My name is Joshua Zakary. I’m an amateur writer and photographer. I’ve worked in Africa for several years doing international developments projects in northern Uganda and Namibia.
I recent..."
Hi. I'm Debby and I am teaching now in Burundi. I'll be interested in looking at your work about Uganda. I love to read about places around the world, and I am trying to figure out this Around the World challenge.
Deb wrote: "Hi my name is Deb; I am from a very small city, nestled in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, in Upstate New York. I am married with two children and four grandchildren. My passions in life..."Hi Deb. My name is Debby. I learned to swim in the Adirondacks - great memories of sleeping in a lean-to also. Now I call home the Thousand Islands in the St. Lawrence River. This year I am teaching in Burundi in Central Africa. I love reading about different places around the world. I like all these new lists and new ideas. I'm trying to figure out how to do the Around the World challenges.
Hi. My name is Debby. I am from central New York - land of beautiful hills - and I am now teaching in Burundi in Central Africa - land of a 1000 hills - and beautiful. I will soon be returning to the US and living in the 1000 Islands in the St. Lawrence River. I love to read about places I have been and others which I can only dream of and imagine. I am trying to figure out the Around the World challenges. I just listed a lot of books I have read - most in the past year, but some a long time a go. They are set in quite a variety of places. Any advice?
Debby wrote: "Hi. My name is Debby. I am from central New York - land of beautiful hills - and I am now teaching in Burundi in Central Africa - land of a 1000 hills - and beautiful. I will soon be returning t..."Hi, Debby! Wow! How in the world did you end up in Burundi? I would love to see some pictures. I here it is one of the prettiest parts of Africa. As far as the challenges go, it would probably be easiest for you to "circumnavigate" since you have already read a bunch of books. This will also allow you to check off countries without any time limits. With books with multiple locations, it is usually best to claim the hardest to find country. For example, if you read a book set in China, France, and Burundi, I would definitely claim it as Burundi, as books set there are hard to find. There are lots of lists on the group page for every country to help you find future books or to place on you have already read. Be prepared to see your TBR pile grow! Welcome to the group and happy reading!
Diane wrote: "Debby wrote: "Hi. My name is Debby. I am from central New York - land of beautiful hills - and I am now teaching in Burundi in Central Africa - land of a 1000 hills - and beautiful. I will soon ..."Thanks Diane. I first came to Burundi to teach at the University of Burundi - in the Faculty of Economics, but I taught English. That was way back in 1979. I fell in love - in more ways than one. I married and we had a son. Sadly, my husband died of malaria in 1994, and my son and I returned to the USA. We've been back to visit family several times. This past year I have been teaching geography and English. The country is absolutely beautiful, but my camera is broken. So I'm making every effort to remember bits of beauty. How do I post as a Circumnavigator?
Around the World in 80 Books
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My co-writer/son James and I are novelists, screenwriters and film producers. Here’s our blog… http://morcanbooksandfilms.com/ - the site for a new perspective on books and films.
Every..."
Thanks, Lance!