Around the World in 80 Books discussion
Getting to Know You
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Introductions
Libby wrote: "Hello Everyone,I'm "Libby," from Southern California (USA). Most books I read are non-fiction pieces with tie-ins or basis to/in the Middle East. The more I read about this area, I find myself de..."
Hi, Libby! Welcome to the group! Iran is a very fascinating country. I have read several great books set there and would love to learn more.
Hello!My name is Sharon, and I'm from California USA. I've recently traveled to Europe (Czech and Austria) and loved it there! I've read Milan Kundera's "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" (my all-time favorite) and plan to read Kafka's "The Metamorphosis." I want to read more about the culture and history of countries I've never been to or have little knowledge about.
Hello ATWI80 members! My name is Inis, and I'm fairly new to goodreads, and totally new to book discussion groups (if that's not obvious right off the bat!)...but I'm jazzed to be starting up! I dream of traveling to the far-flung corners of the earth, but until then, I love to read books that transport me to exotic, wild and wonderful locations...anything that has rich, new cultures, archaeology, history and adventure...not to mention a little humor and exotic cuisine thrown in along the way! And until the day comes when I can actually be there in person, I love to incorporate all of those things into my own writing...and I find the best way to do that is to keep reading, reading, READING! Especially about new places and people. So I thought I'd give ATWI80 a whirl and see where it takes me!
Sharon wrote: "Hello!My name is Sharon, and I'm from California USA. I've recently traveled to Europe (Czech and Austria) and loved it there! I've read Milan Kundera's "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" (my al..."
Hello, Sharon! I love both of those books. I would love to visit those countries one day.
Inis wrote: "Hello ATWI80 members! My name is Inis, and I'm fairly new to goodreads, and totally new to book discussion groups (if that's not obvious right off the bat!)...but I'm jazzed to be starting up! I d..."
Hi, Inis! Welcome to the group. Happy reading!
Hi Everyone,I'm in the UK and have just joined this group as during the Goodreads 2015 challenge I really enjoyed lots of books from around the world that had been translated into English. I'm very impressed and intrigued by Diane's lists here (thank you for compiling them!) and I realise there is a big overlap with the books I have read and the books on the 1001 books to read before you die. I'm going to have a go at completing a list (1001 ATW80) so that I can fill in the gaps with my 2016 reading, and I have already added books from Diane's list to my to-read list.
Linda wrote: "Hi Everyone,I'm in the UK and have just joined this group as during the Goodreads 2015 challenge I really enjoyed lots of books from around the world that had been translated into English. I'm ve..."
Hi, Linda! Welcome! Thank you for your kind words. I hope you will discover and enjoy many new books in the upcoming year.
Diane wrote: "Hi, Linda ..."Thanks Diane and Happy New Year 2016 to everyone in this group :-)
Hello! My name is Ieva, I'm from Latvia. I recently noted that my knowledge about the world literature is lacking, so I decided to join this group for boost of inspiration. I'm starting my reading of world literature with authors translated in Latvian and when they run out I'll hop on the English translations. I like to travel and I've visited a couple of European countries, but I would love to visit some faraway places as well, hopefully someday. I find that reading a book about a place before a visit makes the travel experience so much more rewarding.
Ieva wrote: "Hello! My name is Ieva, I'm from Latvia. I recently noted that my knowledge about the world literature is lacking, so I decided to join this group for boost of inspiration. I'm starting my reading ..."Hello, Ieva! Welcome to the group. I find myself complaining about how many books are not translated into English, but I cannot even imagine how difficult it must be to find books translated into Latvian.
Diane wrote: "I find myself complaining about how many books are not translated into English, but I cannot even imagine how difficult it must be to find books translated into Latvian. "European countries, as well as the largest countries in North and South Americas should be well represented in Latvian. Due to the history the former USSR countries and those friendly with soviets have been translated (not much but still), so the tricky Caucasian region will be covered at least. Small languages has its perks (Latvian has less than 2million native speakers) so the translations are more qualitative, but you already guessed the disadvantages of quantity. I don't even want to think about my spendings to obtain books by African authors and those from smaller countries (in English obviously).
Hi, I'm Amy from West Virginia. I've been a member of this group for a while, but haven't actively participated. In 2016, I'm going to take part in the Around the World challenge.
Amy wrote: "Hi, I'm Amy from West Virginia. I've been a member of this group for a while, but haven't actively participated. In 2016, I'm going to take part in the Around the World challenge."Hi, Amy! Glad to finally meet you. I look forward to seeing where your books take you in the world this year.
Hello ATH180!I am a music teacher in Virginia. I love to read and travel (neither as much as I would like) so this seems like the perfect book group for me. Not sure I can accomplish the full challenge since I am participating in other challenges as well. However, I am looking forward to reading as many books as I can with this group.
C wrote: "Hello ATH180!I am a music teacher in Virginia. I love to read and travel (neither as much as I would like) so this seems like the perfect book group for me. Not sure I can accomplish the full chal..."
Hi, C! Welcome to the group!
Hi all,I am Praveena from India. I am travel enthusiast, I traveled across India and parts of Nepal and Bhutan. Based on my learning's, I wrote a travel guide which helps to travel in less money with comfort "Travel cheap In India".http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A.... Looking towards having informative discussions with you all.
Praveena wrote: "Hi all,I am Praveena from India. I am travel enthusiast, I traveled across India and parts of Nepal and Bhutan. Based on my learning's, I wrote a travel guide which helps to travel in less money ..."
Welcome to the group, Praveena! Good luck with your book.
Diane wrote: "Praveena wrote: "Hi all,I am Praveena from India. I am travel enthusiast, I traveled across India and parts of Nepal and Bhutan. Based on my learning's, I wrote a travel guide which helps to trav..."
Thank you Daine
Hi, I am Tracey from South Yorkshire, England now living in Alberta, Canada. Obviously I do like to travel but have fibromyalgia which has worsened in the last 10 years making travel even locally hard. I am avid reader and love to learn about different countries and cultures. Reading is my way of travelling in my mind even though I cannot go there physically. I am looking forward to reading some great books through this group.Thanks
Tracey
Hello everyone! I'm a game designer, aspiring writer, flippant poet, and a dabbler in all subjects that I can lay my hands on. A bit of a Jill of all trades, so to speak. I'm 24 and from Bangladesh. Due to permanently move in the next months to where my husband (recently married!) is in France. After a long-distance relationship, we're really looking forward to being together properly.
I love reading, and have been taking it up again more diligently. I read both fiction and non-fiction, but tend to stray away from the contemporaries at times, especially when it comes to romance.
I'm more of a sci-fi, thriller, mystery, horror, psychological type when it comes to books. I love a bit of humor though, and relish those the most when I can find them. I like reading manga and watching anime as well as gaming. Watching movies and TV series too. Recently took up learning more about International Banking and playing the piano. Totally random interests, but I love mixing it up.
(Almost) All things geeky in one person, but I assure you that it doesn't take on any extreme expressions. I'm pretty laidback (though passionate), and I love discussing and sharing opinions. Looking forward to getting to know you all. :)
Hello, Anushka! Welcome to the group! Congratulations on your new marriage.
Hi! I'm Alice and I'm from Nottingham, England. I'm a student and charity worker. I joined this group to satisfy my wanderlust, I'm a single parent so don't do much travelling! I'm a member of a few other book groups so I'm not sure how committed I will manage to be but I wanted to participate more in group discussions and broaden my horizons this year. Glad to be a member!
Hey everyone I'm Joe, 19 from Leeds in the UK! I study creative writing at university. Travel writing is something I would love to go into after my degree. I love reading too!!
Alice wrote: "Hi! I'm Alice and I'm from Nottingham, England. I'm a student and charity worker. I joined this group to satisfy my wanderlust, I'm a single parent so don't do much travelling! I'm a member of a fe..."Welcome to the group, Alice!
Joe wrote: "Hey everyone I'm Joe, 19 from Leeds in the UK! I study creative writing at university. Travel writing is something I would love to go into after my degree. I love reading too!!"Welcome, Joe!
Hi allI'm a writer from Edmonds, Washington but I lived in Rome for ten years and worked for the United Nations. I self-published a memoir a while ago about my sometimes crazy experiences but a new version is coming out from my publisher soon. And a novel too. Anyone out there who loves Rome? I'd love to hear from you!
Hi, I'm an author and just read the rules, and would like to introduce myself. This looks like the kind of group I love, I've always been attracted to spots around the globe. I was born in Ireland, live in Canada, been to India, and have 6 novels out so far. I'm working on my 7th which is set in N. Ireland. I'm very proud of my trilogy that is set in India called Twilight of the British Raj which won a number of awards. Christine Lindsay
I'm from Australia and lean towards reading mainly historical fiction
Judith wrote: "Hi allI'm a writer from Edmonds, Washington but I lived in Rome for ten years and worked for the United Nations. I self-published a memoir a while ago about my sometimes crazy experiences but a ne..."
Hi, Judith! Welcome to the group!
Christine wrote: "Hi, I'm an author and just read the rules, and would like to introduce myself. This looks like the kind of group I love, I've always been attracted to spots around the globe. I was born in Ireland,..."Hi, Christine. Glad to have you here in the group.
Sharon wrote: "I'm from Australia and lean towards reading mainly historical fiction"Hi, Sharon! Welcome to the group! I lean toward historical fiction myself. I love traveling to other places and times through reading.
Hi there. I recently realised that I pay way to little attention to the settings of the books I read, being more interested in story and characters. To be exact: I read Jackie Kay's "The Trumpet" for the third time and finally saw how nicely it was set in Scotland... So, this group is just what the doctor ordered. I will definitely take part in the challenge, I'm just not sure yet if I want to try trekking even though I have to be in India next week , bookwise, for a bookclub and have no idea how to read myself there this fast, so I'll probably settle for frequent flyer, even though I hate flying. ;)
Wolf wrote: "Hi there. I recently realised that I pay way to little attention to the settings of the books I read, being more interested in story and characters. To be exact: I read Jackie Kay's "The Trumpet" f..."Hi, Wolf! Welcome to the group!
Hi,I'm British, but live in France. Traveled a lot some years back but now settled with a family and haven't been out of Europe in over a decade, unfortunately. I hadn't ever thought of exploring the world through fiction, but it appeals a great deal.
I love reading fiction set in all corners of the world, and set in other worlds entirely. Some favourites: The Rice Mother; A Thousand Splendid Suns; Girl With a Pearl Earring. All of them portray highly evocative settings you can almost touch and taste.
Currently I'm reading Jazz, by Toni Morrison - another highly evocative setting which is almost a character in itself.
Unfortunately I don't read as many novels as I'd like as I read short story submissions for a magazine which takes up most of my reading time. Still, I prefer to read a few good books than lots of mediocre ones anyway, so will be looking for recommendations!
I am a writer too, but don't have anything anywhere near publishable yet, so won't be banging on about that, don't worry.
Looking forward to getting to know you...
Hi Charlie, welcome! I really enjoyed all of your mentioned favorites. I find that kind of ambient storytelling my favorite. You might like Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, if you havn't read it already. Also The Impressionist comes to mind in relation to The Rice Mother.
Hi Leva, and thanks - both have been noted!
Charlie wrote: "Hi,I'm British, but live in France. Traveled a lot some years back but now settled with a family and haven't been out of Europe in over a decade, unfortunately. I hadn't ever thought of exploring..."
Hi, Charlie! Welcome to the group! You mentioned a couple of books I love. I would love to read The Rice Mother. I will have to move that one up on my reading list.
Aloha! My name is Lauri and I'm from Hawaii (USA). I'm in a real life book club, but our number keeps dwindling. It's so difficult to find people who enjoy reading. So I thought I would join online. I love Goodreads! I always tried to keep track of my book club travels, and we had been all over the world. I'm really looking forward to armchair traveling with everyone.
Hi Diane, and Hi Lauri.Getting people to attend writing groups is just as hard, Lauri!
I sometimes wonder if short fiction is going to come into its own soon. As you say, it's difficult to find people who read, and I'm not sure it's so much people don't enjoy it, more like they don't have the time, and it isn't a quick entertainment fix like TV or Twitter. I don't want to sound like an old fart, but Twitter is detrimental towards people reading - it's too distracting, too easy just to 'pop' in and check tweets. But makes me think that flash fiction will be a genre that will begin to grow more than it ever has before.
What do you guys think? Do you like reading short stories, or are you committed novel readers mostly?
Charlie wrote: "But makes me think that flash fiction will be a genre that will begin to grow more than it ever has before.What do you guys think? Do you like reading short stories, or are you committed novel readers mostly? "
I'm a great fan of short stories/novellas, if I ever start writing it most likely will be short stories. I'm not certain twitteresque perception will elevate short stories from literatures periphery, because they have very strict structure. But there is another way that is already happening in most bestsellers - usually series, even more in YA - absurdly simplified and repetitive text, uncomplicated sentences, half-baked story line. Almost like watching bad TV. These books usually have an addictive premise, are hard to put down, but leaves you with a bad aftertaste of wasted time. More alike flash fiction is children literature. Have you seen Diary of a Wimpy Kid series? Kids, especially boys, love them, they are very funny (I've read them), but full of pictures and one liners, disabling children to concentrate for longer texts, if they even want to read ordinary books. Even books for very small kids are becoming large picture and one or two words ("Cow said Moo", where once were fables and fairy-tales). I didn't mean to be so fatalistic, but working in a library and browsing new publications makes quality vs. quantity question very real.
Hi Charlie.I read mostly novels, but I also enjoy short stories, poetry, and non-fiction. And I don't really think people read a lot less than they used to. I commute by train and I'm never the only one with a book or e-reader. Moreover, I can't quite agree with you that TV is "quick entertainment". I'm constantly amazed at how complex the recent TV-Series have become. It's actually happened that I read a book to have a break from a series I watched. Of course I had to read up on that fascinating phenomenon: Everything Bad is Good for You
P.S.: You might be right about Twitter, though. Still, at least people have to be able to read to enjoy it, so maybe there's still hope they are also using those abilities for other things.
Hi, I'm Christine and I live in Illinois although I've lived on both the East and Left Coast, as well as in London. I'm a freelance writer now, but spent most of my career as an editor, a lot of it in the think tank world. So travel and politics have always been intriguing. My other great love is art. Still yearning for the round-the-world trip, although I've been lucky to travel some during my life.So happy to have found this group.
That's funny, Leva - I was saying something similar just the other day about children's books. Here in France I came across a library book of Little Red Riding Hood and at the end LRRH was dragged out of the wolf's belly - there was a picture of it with blood and everything. it looked quite a recent copy, and I commented to my friend that that kind of story just wouldn't come into print any longer in the UK. Kids stories have become all about educating and less about creating actual emotional reaction/connection (I have kids, so have lots of these books). It's a real shame. Scary fairytales are a rite of passage! lol.Wolf - yes, TV series are getting better, but what I mean is that with TV - well, film maybe more so - you can get the whole story in two hours, whereas a book takes several days. Also, you can watch the program you wanted to, but after that you often end up stuffing the odd half hour between programs you wanted to watch with rubbish you couldn't give a hoot about, instead of turning it off and reading.
Kirin - is that because reading a collection requires a readjustment of characters and settings so often? Something else? I found that with The Slap - each time I got into one character it changed to someone else and never revisited any of the previous narrating characters. I really didn't like that.
Hi Christine!
It's probably time i reintroduced myself as it's been a loooong time since i've participated. I'm Catherine, work as an Academic Advisor and live in Maryland in the US.I started reading SF and Fantasy when i was little. That's what my Dad had on the go and he would hand the one's he was finished with to me. It's still something we share. For a while i was reading more literature and classics but lately i've been getting back into SF/Fantasy - and loving it. Good to be back participating in the group.
Catherine wrote: "It's probably time i reintroduced myself as it's been a loooong time since i've participated. I'm Catherine, work as an Academic Advisor and live in Maryland in the US.I started reading SF and Fa..."
Glad to hear from you again, Catherine!
The Slap is bagged up as a novel, but to me it was more like five short stories, or novelettes, loosely strung together by a central event (the slap). Each time the POV changed, it was a new story about that character, not really continuing a main plot. I didn't like it, tbh, but there's a lot of people who do.
HI.I'm from Israel, and enjoy traveling, including via reading.
Not into travel books per se, I like the incremental value of learning about a country, its landscapes, culture and people by reading mysteries and other stories.
Author,
The Rosebush Murders
Murder in the Choir (in press)
Editor,
The Enigma of Childhood
Ruth wrote: "HI.I'm from Israel, and enjoy traveling, including via reading.
Not into travel books per se, I like the incremental value of learning about a country, its landscapes, culture and people by readi..."
Hi, Ruth! Welcome to the group!
Around the World in 80 Books
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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Hi, Kate! Welcome to the group! I am also reading the 1001 list. I have not read Out Mutual Friend yet, but I love Dickens.