Around the World in 80 Books discussion
Getting to Know You
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Introductions
Hello everyone! This looks like such an interesting and interactive group. I want to do more "global reading" in 2019 and I enjoy reading challenges so this group looks like it will be just perfect for me.My wife and I (and our seven cats) live in the middle of nowhere in Ohio. I am a department administrator at a liberal arts college. I love to read - obviously - and my favorite genres are literary fiction, historical fiction, vintage lit, sci-fi, and fantasy. Some of my other hobbies are cooking, gardening, knitting, making art, photography, watching indie films, hiking, bowling, and spontaneous adventures.
dalex wrote: "Hello everyone! This looks like such an interesting and interactive group. I want to do more "global reading" in 2019 and I enjoy reading challenges so this group looks like it will be just perfect..."Hi, dalex, and welcome to the group! Your and your wife are my kind of people with your seven cats! Glad to have you here!
Hi, i'm ASMA , i always thought about reading books and discovering new worlds through a book as a solo thing , but it turns out it's quit the opposite , i love to know what others enjoy and taking new challenges . Glad i found you .
Hello everyone! I'm new to GoodReads and to this group. I love armchair travelling through the portal of a good book (I have two very spoilt dogs that make real travel a pain to arrange). I look forward to the journey(s) with you all :)
ASMA wrote: "Hi, i'm ASMA , i always thought about reading books and discovering new worlds through a book as a solo thing , but it turns out it's quit the opposite , i love to know what others enjoy and taking..."Hi, ASMA, glad you found us, too. Welcome to the group!
AC wrote: "Hello everyone! I'm new to GoodReads and to this group. I love armchair travelling through the portal of a good book (I have two very spoilt dogs that make real travel a pain to arrange). I look fo..."Hi AC! Welcome to the group!
Hello, I just joined the group, so I'd better introduce myself. I'm Valerie, Australian, and my travels have only been in books unfortunately. I read about half of my books in French, and this opens up quite a few countries for me. For a little while I've had a desire to document my literary journeys, and I love lists, so I think I'll settle on this group to do that, if you'll have me!At the moment I'm just navigating my way around the group, looking at all the challenges, I would like to start off small :)
Thank you for the group and this opportunity.
Valerie wrote: "Hello, I just joined the group, so I'd better introduce myself. I'm Valerie, Australian, and my travels have only been in books unfortunately. I read about half of my books in French, and this open..."Hello, Valerie! Wonderful to have you here.
Hello all, I live in Mumbai, India. I am a private tutor for kids. I love books and traveling to new places but since I don’t actually get to travel too often I satisfy my wanderlust through books.
I have always dreamed about traveling the world. When I came across this group on GR, I saw a part of that being fulfilled ( albeit through books😊)
Hope to visit many new places n experience new cultures with all you fellow travelers.
Bela wrote: "Hello all, I live in Mumbai, India. I am a private tutor for kids. I love books and traveling to new places but since I don’t actually get to travel too often I satisfy my wanderlust through books..."
Hi, Bela! Glad to have you book traveling with us!
Hey everyone. I am a new author, just getting into the Goodreads community. I recently published Craft Beer Country: In Search of the Best Breweries from the South Pacific to the Pacific Coast. My first book (long form storytelling or literary journalism if you prefer), was published by Mascot Books and released on October 23. I have three reviews on Goodreads so far, all from people I have never met. I hope that if you're interested in beer or food travel, you'll check it out and maybe read the sample chapters that you can view here on GR. I'd appreciate any feedback that you have for me and hope that you will like the book so much that you'll want to read all 33 chapters. Holiday cheers!https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...
Howdy y'all!
I'm originally from the U.S., but I currently live in Japan. I've loved books since I was a kid, but I've always tended towards hardcore fantasy (the kind that doesn't take place in our world) or books that take place in the U.S. and I want to expand where the books I read take place, so I was happy to find this group! :D
I can't wait to set up a list for next year using the resources in this group. Thanks for creating this group Diane!
I'm originally from the U.S., but I currently live in Japan. I've loved books since I was a kid, but I've always tended towards hardcore fantasy (the kind that doesn't take place in our world) or books that take place in the U.S. and I want to expand where the books I read take place, so I was happy to find this group! :D
I can't wait to set up a list for next year using the resources in this group. Thanks for creating this group Diane!
Emma wrote: "Howdy y'all! I'm originally from the U.S., but I currently live in Japan. I've loved books since I was a kid, but I've always tended towards hardcore fantasy (the kind that doesn't take place in ..."
Hi, Emma! Welcome to the group! I hope you will find many new books to love.
Hi everyone! My name is Colleen and I am 38 and I am from Brooklyn, NY. I work in the marketing department of an engineering firm in Midtown, Manhattan and am also a writer hoping to finally work on getting something published by the summer. I have been obsessed with reading for as long I can remember and I love visiting new places through books. I wanted to join a new group for the new year and when I came across ATWI80 I thought it was brilliant! I am excited to be a part of the group and can't wait for the 2019 year in reading!
Hello!
I'm new to the group, and I am trying to stay more culturally aware after leaving college! I haven't been reading as much over the last few years, but I'm working on watching less tv and reading more. I've always loved fiction from all over the world. Haruki Murakami is actually one of my favorite authors (The Wind Up Bird Chronicle being my favorite, actually).
I'm new to the group, and I am trying to stay more culturally aware after leaving college! I haven't been reading as much over the last few years, but I'm working on watching less tv and reading more. I've always loved fiction from all over the world. Haruki Murakami is actually one of my favorite authors (The Wind Up Bird Chronicle being my favorite, actually).
Colleen ~ The Clever Girl from Gallifrey wrote: "Hi everyone! My name is Colleen and I am 38 and I am from Brooklyn, NY. I work in the marketing department of an engineering firm in Midtown, Manhattan and am also a writer hoping to finally work o..."Welcome to the group, Colleen!
Rae wrote: "Hello!I'm new to the group, and I am trying to stay more culturally aware after leaving college! I haven't been reading as much over the last few years, but I'm working on watching less tv and re..."
Hello, Rae! Welcome to the group!
Hello! I'm from the US, currently living in Oklahoma. I am an online ESL teacher as well as an online health and fitness coach. I love reading but find that I don't do it nearly enough! Something I plan to change in the coming year! I love the idea of this group. I've always seen books as a way to travel! I find I often get stuck in a genre and am looking to branch out more. I think this group will help me do just that!
Hello! My name is Wafa and I'm from Algeria. I'm new in GR community and it was the first time that I participated in its challenge (I finished luckily), so I guess being in this group will open a new opportuniy for me to experience different types of books and cultures. Looking forward to this amazing journey!!
Angela wrote: "Hello! I'm from the US, currently living in Oklahoma. I am an online ESL teacher as well as an online health and fitness coach. I love reading but find that I don't do it nearly enough! Something ..."
Hello, Angela! Welcome to the group!
Wafa wrote: "Hello! My name is Wafa and I'm from Algeria. I'm new in GR community and it was the first time that I participated in its challenge (I finished luckily), so I guess being in this group will open a ..."Hi, Wafa! Welcome! Who are your favorite books by Algerian authors?
Greetings. My name is Dena and I am a midwife, seeker, and author in California. I took my husband and preteen daughters on a year-long odyssey through India and Nepal, and my memoir about the journey will be published in April. The Buddha Sat Right Here: A Family Odyssey Through India and Nepal I look forward to connecting with lovers of travel and travel literature in this group.
Dena wrote: "Greetings. My name is Dena and I am a midwife, seeker, and author in California. I took my husband and preteen daughters on a year-long odyssey through India and Nepal, and my memoir about the jour..."Hi, Dena! Your trek through India and Nepal sounds amazing. What a wonderful experience for your family!
Hi there! I thought I’d add a comment here. Been looking for a new book club to join and this sounds amazing. In January of 2019 I’ll start participating. My plan is to read the monthly books set in different countries. I’m chronically ill and really miss traveling. I thought this would be a nice way to immerse myself into different cultures. I’m currently bound to audiobooks because of vision problems, so, I might not be able to read the book that gets chosen for the month. If that one is not available in audiobook format for me, I’ll look though the other nominated ones that made the poll and pick one that is available in audio. I won’t discuss them here then, but am still very excited to join! I plan to buddy read/listen and leave it up to Maria what she wants to do that month. She might read the one that gets chosen and we can still discuss the books between the two of us. I’m looking forward to going on this trip with all of you and also hope to meet some like-minded people. Happy Holidays, Liz.
Liz wrote: "Hi there! I thought I’d add a comment here. Been looking for a new book club to join and this sounds amazing. In January of 2019 I’ll start participating. My plan is to read the monthly books set i..."Happy Holidays, Liz! Welcome to the group!
Hello all,I am going to rely on a short bio. I look forward to learning about books from all over the world.
Tim
Raised crisscrossing America pulling a small green
trailer behind the family car, Timothy Jay Smith
developed a ceaseless wanderlust that has taken him
around the world many times. Polish cops and Greek
fishermen, mercenaries and arms dealers, child
prostitutes and wannabe terrorists, Indian Chiefs and
Indian tailors: he hung with them all in an unparalleled
international career that saw him smuggle banned
plays from behind the Iron Curtain, maneuver through
Occupied Territories, represent the U.S. at the highest levels of foreign governments, and stowaway aboard a “devil’s barge” for a three-days crossing from Cape Verde that landed him in an African jail.
These experiences explain the unique breadth and sensibility of Tim’s work, for which he’s won top honors. Fire on the Island won the Gold Medal in the 2017 Faulkner-Wisdom Competition for the Novel. He won the Paris Prize for Fiction (now the Paris Literary Prize) for his novel, A Vision of Angels . Kirkus Reviews called Cooper’s Promise “literary dynamite” and selected it as one of the Best Books of 2012. Tim was nominated for the 2018 Pushcart Prize. His screenplays have won numerous competitions. His first stage play, How High the Moon , won the prestigious Stanley Drama Award. He is the founder of the Smith Prize for Political Theater.
Diane wrote: "Liz wrote: "Hi there! I thought I’d add a comment here. Been looking for a new book club to join and this sounds amazing. In January of 2019 I’ll start participating. My plan is to read the monthly..."Thank you, Diane! Hope you had happy holidays too. x
Timothy wrote: "Hello all,I am going to rely on a short bio. I look forward to learning about books from all over the world.
Tim
Raised crisscrossing America pulling a small green
trailer behind the family car, ..."
That's an intriguing bio.
Timothy wrote: "Hello all,I am going to rely on a short bio. I look forward to learning about books from all over the world.
Tim
Raised crisscrossing America pulling a small green
trailer behind the family car, ..."
Hi, Tim! Welcome to the group! You have led a very adventurous life!
Hello and happy new year!I'm primarily a novelist, though I've had some success as a screenwriter and playwright as well.
I write literary thrillers and mysteries set around the world: Africa, Greece, Palestine/Israel, Istanbul (a novel-in-progress), and soon to be released: The Fourth Courier set in Poland. I lived and/or worked in all these places, and I draw on those experiences for my settings and characters. Suffice it to say, I've had a rather intense and exciting life, which is briefly described on my Author page.
Probably the biggest influences on my writing were Graham Greene and John LeCarre, and more recently, Joseph Kanon, Moshe Hamin, Sebastian Faulks, and Robert Goolrick. That's an odd array, I know, but combined they give me strong plots with memorable characters. About one of my earlier books, a reviewer wrote that I did for the thriller what John LeCarre did for the spy novel: elevate the genre to a literary form. I'll take that compliment!
I have two published novels by Owl Canyon Press. For my third novel, I recently signed with Trident Media Group for literary representation, and that book - The Fourth Courier - will be published by Arcade Publishing (an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, the fastest growing independent publisher in America).
I'm gay, and all my novels have gay protagonists or sidekicks, in such roles as journalists, soldiers, or FBI and CIA agents. My novels are not gay erotica, though they do have love affairs and plenty of sex. Because I have lived around the world, I try to portray what it's like for gay people in those cultures, and make it a feature of the plot. There's always a plot twist that wouldn't happen - or not in the same way - if the gay factor weren't there.
That's me in brief. I look forward to exploring better than I have before this incredible network called Goodreads.
Tim
Timothy Jay Smith
Hi to all, I'm Story. I live on the west coast of Canada and I love to read books from all over the world. I've recently been focusing more on books in translation and found some real gems last year. Some recent favourites are:
Aetherial Worlds: Stories
translated from Russian
Hotel Silence translated from Icelandic
The Vegetarian translated from Korean
Such Small Hands translated from Spanish
Flights translated from Polish
Really looking forward to seeing what you're all reading and in participating in the Translated Language Challenge! Happy New Year to all!
Timothy wrote: "Hello and happy new year!I'm primarily a novelist, though I've had some success as a screenwriter and playwright as well.
I write literary thrillers and mysteries set around the world: Africa, G..."
Welcome to the group, Timothy.
Storyheart wrote: "Hi to all, I'm Story. I live on the west coast of Canada and I love to read books from all over the world. I've recently been focusing more on books in translation and found some real gems last ye..."
Hi, Storyheart! Welcome to the group! The only book I have read from your list is The Vegetarian, which I enjoyed.
Hi all!I'm Adina, from Yorkshire in the UK. Just got back to Goodreads and would love to have recommendations of authors from non-English speaking countries. I'm sure there's so much out there to discover!
Adina wrote: "Hi all!I'm Adina, from Yorkshire in the UK. Just got back to Goodreads and would love to have recommendations of authors from non-English speaking countries. I'm sure there's so much out there to..."
Hi, Adina! Welcome to the group!
Hello Everyone!I'm Victoria from Brooklyn, NY. I love to read novels from around the world. I am currently on a West African kick, so would love any recs in that region!
Looking forward to a year full of reading!
Victoria wrote: "Hello Everyone!I'm Victoria from Brooklyn, NY. I love to read novels from around the world. I am currently on a West African kick, so would love any recs in that region!
Looking forward to a yea..."
Hello, Victoria! Welcome to the group! There are many wonderful books from West Africa. I just finished Americanah this morning, and highly recommend it. I hope you will discover many new books.
Hello! I’m Caroline, from Canada. I love to travel, and no matter how full my luggage is, there’s always room for a book! (Or 3.)
Hello Victoria,If you are looking for a book set in West Africa, I’d like to recommend mine: Cooper’s Promise, set in a fictional West African country. It’s the story of a gay deserter from the war in Iraq who vows to save a young girl who’s been trafficked into prostitution to redeem himself for an earlier promise he couldn’t keep. When it came out, Kirkus Reviews called it “literary dynamite” and named it one of the best books of the year. I’ll add a link to the Amazon page for it.
Below, I am pasting an excerpt from it. I call it Dance of the Black Lolita, and it’s one of my favorite passages in the book.
Nice to meet you on Goodreads,
Tim
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0983476438/...
Dance of the Black Lolita
Lulay didn’t give her john a good-bye anything. She was done with him and needed her ice water, and Juma had a nice tall glass of it waiting for her. Crossing to the bar, she dodged come-ons from guys who knew she hadn’t had time to spit out the last one, and she couldn’t quite believe it, her expression said. She was still girl enough to have that look.
Handing her the water, Juma gave her a look that asked if everything was all right, and she said something that amused the barman and made him shake his head. Lulay took a mouthful of water, and leaning her head back, gargled before swallowing it. She took another sip, and swiveled on her heels, legs akimbo, zeroing in on Cooper. She always knew where to find him. She had Cooper radar, and she knew he’d seen her walk out with her john. She puckered her mouth like she was going to send him a big kiss with lips newly painted crimson, and instead squeezed out an ice cube like a turd into her palm.
The power came on and the jukebox flickered to life, spinning a seductive beat. Lulay’s untrained body, still a girl’s body, still a body remembering before her bleeding had started, and she could almost see womanhood but hadn’t yet, that was the body that danced first, that found firm footing as she shook her glass at Cooper like a voodoo charm. Even the men slumped at the bar perked up for this dance of the Black Lolita. She rolled her chilled glass across her forehead, cooling that hot girl’s body, cooling scenes seen by a woman, and that was the body that danced next—her woman’s body. She swaggered into that woman’s dance, moving her feet to a second beat, shutting her eyes in remembrance of every ass she’d grabbed and every night she’d swallowed.
When the lights flickered off again, Lulay rescued another cube from her glass and dabbed her neck with it like wet kisses washing away the johnny slobber. That cube melted fast, so hot was her little body; the next cube pressed to her face hardly touched her cheeks before turning into ersatz tears.
An animal cry threatened to escape Cooper’s throat, so tormented was he by her wretchedness. He pushed through the beery couples until he stood in front of her.
She held out her glass to him. “Do you want some ice water, Cooper?”
He shook his head no. What look Cooper had on his face, he couldn’t say. Despair? He felt it. Fear? Impotence? Determination?
He felt them all.
“Why did you start wearing lipstick?” he asked.
“Juma gave it to me.”
“Did you have to put it on?”
“You don’t think I’m pretty?”
“I think you’re prettier without it.”
“He didn’t hurt me,” she said, and when Cooper asked who, her eyes landed on her last john. He was swilling beer at the bar and exchanged no notice of recognition. “I talk-talk him into using one. That’s why he takes too long. It slowed down his come-come.”
“How did you convince him?”
“I told him it makes men bigger.”
“That’s good,” Cooper said, chuckling appreciatively. “I hadn’t thought of that strategy, and it’s a good one. Men always want to be bigger.”
“Men are big enough,” she said, not having to look too hard to find several leering at her. Everything was emerging on Lulay all at once; hips, lips, tits all getting fuller and rounder and making her more and more desirable. “The next time he’ll hurt me,” she said.
“It takes him too long and he has to pay more. It’s too expensive not to hurt Lulay.” She reached into her glass to retrieve the last ice cube and slipped it into one of his vest’s many pockets. “Free me, Cooper,” she said, and left him to go back to work.
With her tears melting in his pocket, Cooper watched the girl push her way to the bar. She didn’t need to try to seduce, she did so naturally, and she brought every man around when she slammed her glass of ice water on the long counter and said, “Make it a double” as if that African beauty knew a good time.
On his soul, Cooper swore he’d set her free.
Caroline wrote: "Hello! I’m Caroline, from Canada. I love to travel, and no matter how full my luggage is, there’s always room for a book! (Or 3.)"Hello, Caroline! Welcome to the group! I remember going on trips with a stack of books in my suitcase. Now with digital books I can take thousands with me and actually have room for my belongings.
Timothy wrote: "Hello Victoria,If you are looking for a book set in West Africa, I’d like to recommend mine: Cooper’s Promise, set in a fictional West African country. It’s the story of a gay deserter from the w..."
Tim, please don't promote your book in this thread. You may promote it here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...
Hi everyoneI'm new to Goodreads and still trying to figure out how that works... The group was suggested and I joined at first when I thought you were all trying to read in the original language, a crazy thing I like to do whenever possible... That's not your case but you seem all very friendly and full of good advices, so I'm looking forward to "travelling" with you.
I currently live in Paris, France :)
Bonjour, Kitkat. Welcome to the group.
Kitkat wrote: "Hi everyoneI'm new to Goodreads and still trying to figure out how that works... The group was suggested and I joined at first when I thought you were all trying to read in the original language,..."
Bonjour, Kitkat!
Hi all i am tammie from usa and i love to read books.
Hello, I'm Paul and I write books set in Albania and Greece. I love to travel around the region I live in, but some of my favourite places are Tirana, Ohrid and Prespa Lakes, Thessaloniki, Parga and Sithonia… It's a beautiful part of the world!
Hi, Tammie and Paul. Welcome to the group.
Rosemarie wrote: "Hi, Tammie and Paul. Welcome to the group."Thanks Rosemarie.
Hi. I enjoy World Lit,but haven't read much for a while. I'm new to this group. Currently doing a 2 year long read around the world challenge. Started the challenge in October and am 9 or 11 countries along.
Around the World in 80 Books
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Hello and welcome to the group, Ashley! I hope you are finding Georgia pleasant. It has been a bit rainy as of late. Glad to have you here in the group!