Around the World in 80 Books discussion
Getting to Know You
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Introductions
Hi. I'm a technical writer from Galway, Ireland. I've lived in the UK and Spain, and travelled extensively around Europe and North America, although for obvious reasons I'm more grounded these days! I'd like to stretch my literary reach this year and read more from around the world, especially Africa and Asia. Looking forward to the journey.
Fiona wrote: "Hi. I'm a technical writer from Galway, Ireland. I've lived in the UK and Spain, and travelled extensively around Europe and North America, although for obvious reasons I'm more grounded these days..."Hi, Fiona! Welcome to the group! Galway is such a beautiful place. It is one of my favorite parts of Ireland.
Hello fellow travelers. I've been working on my family tree while in Covid quarantine and have made some interesting discoveries, including two new cousins! It seems that I have Swedish, Puerto Rican, Scottish and English ancestors and I'm looking forward to reading more about all of those locations in 2021. Thank you in advance for all of the thoughtful effort put into this group and the amazing suggestions!
Rebekah wrote: "Hello fellow travelers. I've been working on my family tree while in Covid quarantine and have made some interesting discoveries, including two new cousins! It seems that I have Swedish, Puerto Ric..."Welcome, Rebekah! I, too, made some new discoveries on my family tree this last year. I learned that I had a brother, after many years of believing I was an only child. Have fun exploring these new-found ancestral destinations!
Hello All!I am Tyler and I’m originally from Seattle, WA, USA. I got the travel bug early with my parents and have been traveling since. I’ve lived in London, Vietnam, South Korea, and now I’m currently living in Kuwait. I always try and read books about the country before I go but usually non-fiction history and travel books.
Although I probably won’t be able to read 80 books in a year on this list for awhile, I do really love the idea and plan on getting some recommendations and even offering them once in awhile when I have something that hasn’t been mentioned yet.
I am currently working on reading all 100 books from the Guardians’ list of 100 Greatest Novels of all Time, so I’m back and forth from that list to books I just want to read and I’m always interested in books outside the usually from the Western library. Quite frankly, I’m tired of Victorian England and want more locations in my books.
I look forward to continuing this reading journey with you all.
Tyler
Hi, Tyler. Welcome! This group is a great place to learn about new books and authors. I love 19th classics but I do need breaks from them occasionally too.
Tyler wrote: "Hello All!I am Tyler and I’m originally from Seattle, WA, USA. I got the travel bug early with my parents and have been traveling since. I’ve lived in London, Vietnam, South Korea, and now I’m cu..."
Hi, Tyler! Welcome to the group! I am envious of the places where you've had the opportunity to live,
Hi! I'm a 23 year old danish girl trying to decide her path of studying.
I'm between studying to become either:
1. A highschool teacher in English (and either greek mythology, psychology, art or history)
2. Pedagogue: Working with kids with the age of either 6-9 or 10-18 in the after school club space.
But to study english literature at the University is currently my no. 1.
I love many genres of books. My goal with reading is enjoyment, knowledge and perspective in different eras, situations and minds. I read mostly classics and adult books, but has set a goal to read more fantasy and modern books.
My goal this year is to read at least 100 books.
Maria wrote: "Hi! I'm a 23 year old danish girl trying to decide her path of studying.
I'm between studying to become either:
1. A highschool teacher in English (and either greek mythology, psychology, art or h..."
Welcome to the group, Maria!
Hi, I'm Emma. Joining the group to start reading Mexican Gothic
Emma wrote: "Hi, I'm Emma. Joining the group to start reading Mexican Gothic"Welcome to the group, Emma!
I’m Jason from the US. I have always read Historical topics and been a student of such. I love books about and from Eastern Europe. I would love to have some recommendations. I love reading about Russia, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic to name a few.
Jason wrote: "I’m Jason from the US. I have always read Historical topics and been a student of such. I love books about and from Eastern Europe. I would love to have some recommendations. I love reading about R..."Welcome to the group, Jason! There are so many great books from those countries. Some of my favorites include:
Russia: (I have a thing for Russian literature. The following were all 5 star reads for me)
War and Peace
First Love
Crime and Punishment
Anna Karenina
Diary of a Madman and Other Stories
Memories: From Moscow to the Black Sea
The Brothers Karamazov
Stalingrad
Life and Fate
We
The Idiot
Spring Torrents
A Hero of Our Time
Romania:
Forest Of The Hanged
I haven't read it, but a lot of people like The Hunger Angel
Hungary:
Embers
Eclipse of the Crescent Moon
Iza's Ballad (Many people like her other books, too)
The Melancholy of Resistance
Celestial Harmonies
Niki: The Story of a Dog
Fatelessness
The Case Worker
The Good Master
I have heard good things about books by Ágota Kristóf, János Székely, Miklós Bánffy, Antal Szerb, Imre Madách, Dezső Kosztolányi, Ferenc Molnár, Frigyes Karinthy, Mór Jókai, and Péter Nádas.
Bulgaria:
A Ballad for Georg Henig
Auto-da-Fé
East of the West: A Country in Stories
Czech Republic:
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
The Good Soldier Švejk
Closely Observed Trains
The Golem
Too Loud a Solitude
Spaceman of Bohemia
I could add Zilahy for Hungary and Gogol‚s Ukranian short stories, very interesting, with modern author Svetlana Alexeiveich, aslo
ⒿⓜⒸⒹⒸ wrote: "Hi all! I’m Juliana (Lia) from the Philippines. I really enjoy reading classics. Nice meeting you all!"Hi, Juliana! Welcome to the group! I enjoy reading classics, as well.
Hi, I am John, a travel writer who specializes in the battlefields of Europe and the things to see and do around them, I'm always on the look out for books about the esoteric and unusual places in this world. I look forward to learning from the group.
Hi from North Carolina. I'm an avid reader and traveler. I like to take long trips so I think kindle is the best invention ever! Last year I finally published my own book, Looking for the Lioness: A Safari to Myself a memoir about a year volunteering in Africa at age 60. I have had lots of adventures but enjoy reading about others, especially when stuck at home during a pandemic.
Hello from London — It seems I've been a member of this group for about six years yet this is my first posting. Your group-brand attracted me because I re-wrote (1st edition 1980) a very old book that some claim dates back to the time of the Buddha and then steadily treads its way westward along the Old Silk Road, thanks partly to Alexander The Great's invasion of India (see •The Persian Boy• by Mary Renault for live-wire background) and the resulting ancient Indian/Greek cultural cross-fertilizations.
This book was translated into Arabic (as •Kalila and Dimna•) in 750 AD by a Persian whose work (in Arabic) is still considered the most classically pure style ever, although a Tunisian woman I once met gasped when I told her I done a modern version in English: "But it's so boring!"
Well, I disagree — but that's not to say the old versions aren't tricky to learn to love. That's probably (aside from laziness) why I've only done two so far. The work is a form of backwards reverse literary engineering: making ancient language sound new. The first English version (•The Moral Philosophy of Doni•) reached England in 1570 (from the Italian) when Shakespeare was a boy of six.
So originally (when I joined this group) I thought I'd write about some of those very few ancient books/manuscripts that themselves made their unique way Around the World (usually in various morphing oral and textual formats) as they crossed one border after another from a long time ago (the Bible, of course, being another example, as are several other religious texts). But strangely •Kalila and Dimna• comprises more punchy, gritty, linked teaching-stories ranged in layer upon inter-linked layer as thrived in the Oral Tradition of storytellers that preceded writing and printing. We have to remember that mass reading only really took off after Edison's invention of the light bulb. Before that any type of stage for mime, song, voice and dance was how wisdom was (hopefully) relayed.
I won't go on more like this except to say my original fantasy, when I joined you years ago, was a vague vision of 80 (ancient) Worlds (or cultures) that were traipsed through by rare Manuscripts/Books (like Homer's classics, but how many people among billions in China or India ever read him?). If this peculiar subject interest you (and this slow-promo is allowed), I am currently and briefly offering a Giveaway of my German Kindle of the 1st Vol and also a mix of 5 others in 4 languages (yes, including English) for $1.99
Thanks and best wishes,
Ramsay Wood
JD wrote: "Hi, I am John, a travel writer who specializes in the battlefields of Europe and the things to see and do around them, I'm always on the look out for books about the esoteric and unusual places in ..."Hi, John! Welcome to the group! Your research sounds fascinating. I live near a battlefield from the US Civil War.
Mary wrote: "Hi from North Carolina. I'm an avid reader and traveler. I like to take long trips so I think kindle is the best invention ever! Last year I finally published my own book, [book:Looking for the Lio..."Hi, Mary! Welcome to the group! I love my Kindle, too. I love how I can have many books in such a compact place. If my Kindle books were real, I wouldn't have any room in my house.
Ramsay wrote: "Hello from London — It seems I've been a member of this group for about six years yet this is my first posting. Your group-brand attracted me because I re-wrote (1st edition 1980) a very old book ..."
Hello, Ramsay! Welcome to the group!
Thanks, Diane! I enjoyed studying your (2852) Valentine's Day list of 5 Star Russian & Eastern European titles, of which I've finished only seven.
I'd like to add a surreal Russian one I judged 5 star, but am unsure if the title will appear as a tidy green link like those in your list The Master and Margarita. [AHA! I then noticed the pale (preview) link which showed I've got this trick right.]
Nevertheless can you please direct me to where I might learn more about Group posting tech and etiquette skills?
Hi, I am Oma from Romania. Now, with the Covid scamdemic I am in London. I published in English The Fire of Karma. This book is also published in French along with another book Le Sortilège d'Amour. Nice to meet you all! Wish you to come out safely from this scamdemic!
Oma wrote: "Hi, I am Oma from Romania. Now, with the Covid scamdemic I am in London. I published in English The Fire of Karma. This book is also published in French along with another book Le Sortilège d'Amour..."Hi, Oma! Welcome to the group!
Hello group, greetings from The Netherlands!My name is Monica I have a great e-reader which I mainly use it in the bath, in the summersun/garden and when travelling.
More often I listen to audiobooks, when sporting, driving, commuting, ironing (etc.)
I read basically everything but prefer mystery and suspense and of course I love a story that brings me over the border into the great big world!
Monica wrote: "Hello group, greetings from The Netherlands!My name is Monica I have a great e-reader which I mainly use it in the bath, in the summersun/garden and when travelling.
More often I listen to audiob..."
Hello, Monica! Like me, you find a way to read most anywhere. Welcome to the group!
I probably posted an intro here years ago, but I figured I would pop in & say hi again since I've mostly lurked in this group for a long time now. I'm Stacia in the southern US.I love reading surrealist & post-modern literature, including translated works. With my reading, I enjoy things that are new & different (probably one reason I'm not much of a series reader), either in form or content.
I'm planning to post in the Translated Language Challenge thread.
Stacia wrote: "I probably posted an intro here years ago, but I figured I would pop in & say hi again since I've mostly lurked in this group for a long time now. I'm Stacia in the southern US.I love reading sur..."
Hi, Stacia! We have similar tastes in books. I hope you'll enjoy the Translated Language Challenge.
Keiko wrote: "I'm Keiko, I luv to read, shop and have coffee or beer with my Friends. I like to read Japanese authors but also western and books in Japanese and English. I live in Tokyo. Nice to learn about book..."Hi, Keiko! Welcome to the groups! Some of my favorite books are by Japanese authors.
Hi all my name is tammie i from usa and i loved to read DYSTOPIACRIME and THRILLER and Young Adult and Mystery and Fantasy
thanks for letting me join.
Tammie wrote: "Hi all my name is tammie i from usa and i loved to read DYSTOPIACRIME and THRILLER and Young Adult and Mystery and Fantasy
thanks for letting me join."
Hi, Tammie! Welcome to the group!
Hi I’m Carol, born in South Africa I now call Brisbane Australia home.I am an avid reader enjoying most genres. My favourite is historical fiction.
Carol wrote: "Hi I’m Carol, born in South Africa I now call Brisbane Australia home.I am an avid reader enjoying most genres. My favourite is historical fiction."
Hi, Carol! Welcome to the group! I love historical fiction, too.
Hi, my name is Ömer. I'm from Turkey and I live in Oslo, Norway. I have been using goodreads for some time now but I didn't know about the groups here until a few days ago. I'm looking forward to discovering new books and sharing our thoughts on them. I got my copy of Zorba the Greek from the library today and I'll start reading it after this comment :) I'm a big fan of Greek culture so I'm already biased for Zorba. See you later in the discussion for the book :)
Dave wrote: "I'm a writer and former diplomat based in St. Petersburg, Florida. I'm the author of four travel-related books, including Footsteps of Federer and Mad Travelers: A Tale of Wanderlust, Greed and the..."Hi, Dave. Welcome to the group! My dad had that travel obsession. We lived in countless locations across 10 different states in all four corners of the country (plus Hawaii).
Ömer wrote: "Hi, my name is Ömer. I'm from Turkey and I live in Oslo, Norway. I have been using goodreads for some time now but I didn't know about the groups here until a few days ago. I'm looking forward to d..."Hi, Ömer! Welcome to the group! Zorba is one of my all-time favorite books. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.
Hello everyone. I am Debbie from the USA :) Wow, this group is so interesting. I love learning about new places. I am pretty new to Goodreads, but always enjoy new friends and recommendations. Send me a friend request if you are feeling friendly!
Debbie wrote: "Hello everyone. I am Debbie from the USA :) Wow, this group is so interesting. I love learning about new places. I am pretty new to Goodreads, but always enjoy new friends and recommendations. Se..."
Hi, Debbie! Welcome to the group!
Hi! My name is Mathilde and I’m from Denmark. I just started high school last fall. I haven’t really used goodreads groups, but I decided to give it a chance. I’m joining this group because I really want to broaden my horizons and read more books from different cultures
Hi, Debbie and Mathilde! Welcome! This group has really expanded my reading horizons. Happy reading!
Mathilde wrote: "Hi! My name is Mathilde and I’m from Denmark. I just started high school last fall. I haven’t really used goodreads groups, but I decided to give it a chance. I’m joining this group because I reall..."Hi, Mathilde! Welcome to the group! I regret many of the books I read when I was your age. I hope you will find many books here to inspire you.
Hello,I'm Andrew, a new member on this group, new to Good Reads, and new to a great many aspects of the book world! And being new here, I have no idea who I'm even saying hello to... which is kind of weird!!!
But I love travel, especially of the slow kind, and especially on foot, and I love not knowing what lies ahead... which means being new and uncertain is entirely appropriate!
The idea of traveling around the world in 80 books is wonderful! I'm excited to see where this goes...
Andrew wrote: "Hello,I'm Andrew, a new member on this group, new to Good Reads, and new to a great many aspects of the book world! ... But I love travel, especially of the slow kind, and especially on foot"
What a surprise -- I remember reading your blog about your trip north across Europe many years ago (and yes, I saw that you now have a book about it)! Welcome! Hope you enjoy reading around the world -- I've found it is a great way to learn more about places I've been or want to go.
Mathilde wrote: "Hi! My name is Mathilde and I’m from Denmark. I just started high school last fall. I haven’t really used goodreads groups, but I decided to give it a chance. I’m joining this group because I reall..."Welcome Mathilde and Andrew.
Mathilde, the moderator of the Great African Reads group on Goodreads, which I also belong to, is a Danish woman- she uses the name Anetq. Maybe you would like to say hello to her? https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7...
Around the World in 80 Books
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Hi, Debs, welcome to the group! I got a chuckle out or the "delightedly divorced 😊", complete with emoji.