Spring 2012 AtW Questions and Answers

[Liz M]

Around the world : Read 10 books, set in 10 different countries, with no continent being visited more than twice.

Click on the link above to read the challenge description. Post questions about the Around the World challenge here.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

If you wanted to be a circumnavigator, would your destinations be the first book is in the east and then the second is in the west or would it be like book 1, East, book 2, East, book 3 East, book 4 West, etc?

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

You can go either east or west, but you need to read in one direction or the other. If it were all the US, for instance, you could start on the West Coast, and then read something a little east of that and then another, and so on, until you reached the East Coast.

With this, you can start anywhere in the world, but then you need to read in one direction all around the globe.

[Rosemary]

If an author is dead, can we count the country that was his main residence? E.g. George Orwell was born in India, but he was a British citizen and lived in England from the age of one ... so he could count for the UK?

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Note that you need to count 2 criteria for the book to count. When an author is born in one country, but a citizen of another, the book must be set in one of the countries. With Orwell, then, the book needs to be set either in India or in the UK.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "You can go either east or west, but you need to read in one direction or the other. If it were all the US, for instance, you could start on the West Coast, and then read something a little east of ..."

Could you get me a sample itinerary?

[Rosemary]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "With Orwell, then, the book needs to be set either in India or in the UK. ."

Thanks Elizabeth! This looks like almost as much planning fun as CiV *big grin*

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Jayme, perhaps if you looked at the spreadsheet, it would give you a better idea.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I think I figured it out.

[Liz M]

Rosemary wrote: "If an author is dead, can we count the country that was his main residence? E.g. George Orwell was born in India, but he was a British citizen and lived in England from the age of one... so he could count for the UK? ..."

I've adjusted the criteria slightly to be nationality/residency, as I've found in trying to put my itinerary together that the author profiles are more likely to say "George Orwell, was an English author and journalist" than to tell you he spent his entire adult life in Oxfordshire (or wherever).

Orwell is one of the tricky cases -- born in one country (India) but citizen of another (UK) -- that is the reason behind needing to meet two criteria. Many of his books, Animal Farm for example, will qualify for the UK. Some won't qualify at all -- Burmese Days (set in Burma), Homage to Catalonia (set in Spain).

[Karen Michele]

I'm considering Half of a Yellow Sun which is set in Nigeria and I noticed that Nigeria is on the spreadsheet twice, once for Niamey and once for Buja. From what I can tell in a quick search, the capitol is Abuja, so I think that Buja is the correct one. Is this right?

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Thanks for finding that, Karen. Niamey is for Niger, a little typo (blushes). I'll go fix the sheet.

[Karen Michele]

No problem - I only saw it because I'm also looking at a book from France and one Nigeria was before France and one was after. Your spreadsheet is really helpful, thanks!

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

I was thinking of that book for Nigeria myself. In the end, I opted for another country, but I'll look forward to hearing your thoughts.

[Liz M]

Karen GHHS wrote: "I'm considering Half of a Yellow Sun which is set in Nigeria ..."

Oooh, good choice! I really enjoyed that book.

[Karen Michele]

Liz M wrote: "Karen GHHS wrote: "I'm considering Half of a Yellow Sun which is set in Nigeria ..."

Oooh, good choice! I really enjoyed that book."

It's actually the oldest book on my TBR on Goodreads, so I'm determined to get it in this time. It will either be first or second on my circumnavigated trip! I'm happy to see you liked it, Liz.

[[deleted user]]

I also have a spreadsheet question--looking at Redemption in Indigo which is set in Barbados ignited a debated in my house. The spreadsheet has this listing in Europe which Hubby says is right because it is "politically". But, I think it should belong to one of the America's "geographically".

I love this challenge. Its going to be great fun!

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Leigh, I had a really, really, hard time with island nations. In the end, this one became Europe because Queen Elizabeth II retains head of state. You get to use the latitude where it is situated in either case.

There are a few nations that actually straddle continents, Panama and Egypt come to mind immediately. I opted for the continent that I thought would give readers the better option, but you could quibble with my decision.

[Karen Michele]

I have a question about the "residency" rules. How long does the residency have to be or does it have to be current?

Examples:
Isabel Allende: born in Peru, resided in Chile, resides in US --- book takes place in Chile

Alexander McCall Smith: born in Zimbawbwe, resided in Botswana, resides in Scotland----- book takes place in Botswana

Thanks - this is what puts the "challenge" in the Challenge!

[[deleted user]]

Yeah, we've moved on from Barbados and onto what continent the Caribbean islands belong to generally. Apparently it has its own tectonic plate which fits in between the north and south American plates. So, its not obvious to us either.

I was just really surprised when I was looking for it in the spreadsheet since I was thinking of it in strictly a locational sense, so my first thought was that somehow I was confused on where it was all these years.

Aside from North America, I have tons of European and Asian books in my "To Read" list, but part of the fun of the challenge for me is to expand my range. It'll be fun to look for some books from the other continents.

[Liz M]

Karen GHHS wrote: "Isabel Allende: born in Peru, resided in Chile, resides in US --- book takes place in Chile

Alexander McCall Smith: born in Zimbawbwe, resided in Botswana, resides in Scotland----- book takes place in Botswana..."

Wow, you did find the complicated/special cases!

Isabel Allende appears to have dual citizenship with Chile & the US. So her books could fit one of three different countries, depending on the setting -- Peru (birthplace, setting), Chile (nationality, setting), or the U.S. (nationality, setting).

Alexander McCall Smith, born in Zimbawbwe, currently lives in Scotland and has U.K. citizenship. Unfortunately, his books set in Botswana do not qualify for Around the World.

[Karen Michele]

Liz M wrote: "Karen GHHS wrote: "Isabel Allende: born in Peru, resided in Chile, resides in US --- book takes place in Chile

Alexander McCall Smith: born in Zimbawbwe, resided in Botswana, resides in Scotland--..."

Thanks, Liz,
I really love the challenge and I had 11 possibilities, so now I tentatively have my ten! I'm going to give it a bit more thought, but then I'll post to get it approved!

[Liz M]

The "residency requirement" is probably better expressed as nationality -- many writers were born in one country but spent the majority of their lives in another country and are considered, culturally, to be writers of the second country.

So, Isabelle Allende is considered a Chilean writer, George Orwell (born in India?) is considered a British writer, Algerian-born Albert Camus, is referred to as a French writer, and so on.

[Liz M]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Leigh, I had a really, really, hard time with island nations. In the end, this one became Europe because Queen Elizabeth II retains head of state. You get to use the latitude where it is situated i..."

Leigh (and everyone), I suggested to Elizabeth that the difficult-to-determine island nations be decided politically, rather than geographically. For me Around-the-World is designed to encourage us to learn about different cultures and I figured a country's political ties would overtly influence the culture (and therefore the book) more than the geographical location. And that is also the motivation for the Author-setting criteria -- an attempt to ensure the book reflects the country's culture rather than just the birthplace of the author.

[Rebekah]

Liz M wrote: "Karen GHHS wrote: "Isabel Allende: born in Peru, resided in Chile, resides in US --- book takes place in Chile

Alexander McCall Smith: born in Zimbawbwe, resided in Botswana, resides in Scotland--..."

Oh Poo! AMcS has a new book out in his Botswana series and I was so looking forward to reading it.

Rudyard Kipling is similar to Orwell. He was born in Bombay but sent to school in the UK.
Does Henry James have any ties to Europe since so many of his books are written there?

[Liz M]

Rebekah wrote: Oh Poo! AMcS has a new book out in his Botswana series and I was so looking forward to reading it.

Rudyard Kipling is similar to Orwell. He was born in Bombay but sent to school in the UK.
Does Henry James have any ties to Europe since so many of his books are written there?..."

I'm sure there will be another place for McCall-Smith, square peg if nothing else.

Henry James had dual US/UK citizenship, so any books of his books set in the UK would qualify for UK/Europe.

[Rebekah]

can you go around the world more than once or pass you starting point?
for example
1. Africa
2. Africa
3. Asia
4. Asia
5. Australia
6. North America
7. South America
9. Europe
10.Africa

Also can you read two books from the same country?
Like for UK, you wanted to read one set in No. Ireland and one set in England?

[Rebekah]

Do you have to go to all seven continents including Antartica?

[Liz M]

Rebekah wrote: "can you go around the world more than once or pass you starting point?
for example
1. Africa
2. Africa
3. Asia
4. Asia
5. Australia
6. North America
7. South America
9. Europe
10.Africa
..."

From the challenge description: "Around the world - Read 10 books, set in 10 different countries, with no continent being visited more than twice."

No, you cannot go around twice or pass your starting point. But your starting point can be anywhere in the world. Also, in your above itinerary you've visited Africa more than twice, which is not allowed.

[Liz M]

Rebekah wrote: "Do you have to go to all seven continents including Antartica?"

No, but since you cannot visit a continent more than twice, you do have to visit at least five continents.

[Liz M]

Kazza wrote: "I'm clueless about longitudes etc... so is this okay:

Europe: Norway (E 010 45)
Europe: Italy (E 012 30)
Africa: South Africa (E 028 11)
Asia: People's Republic of China (E 116 23)
Asia: South Korea (E 126 58)
Australasia: Australia (E 149 07)
Australasia: New Zealand (E 174 46)
South America: Brazil (W 047 54)
North America: Canada (W 075 41)
North America: United States (W 077 02)..."

It is confusing, but if you look at the spreadsheet tab that is sorted by longitude, after New Zealand is the US, then Canada, then Brazil.

So, traveling eastwards, the East longitudes are increasing (from E 000 00), as you move away from Greenwich, England (the prime meridian, 0 degrees longitude). Once you cross the International Dateline (180 degrees longitude), the West longitudes decrease as you move closer to England.

[Rebekah]

Okay, another question. Can you do one continent, skip to another and then come back to the first continent?
Ex.
Brazil - W047.54 - Coehlo
Canada - W075.41 - Atwood
Peru - W077.01 - Vargas - Llosa

[Rebekah]

Liz M wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "can you go around the world more than once or pass you starting point?
for example
1. Africa
2. Africa
3. Asia
4. Asia
5. Australia
6. North America
7. South America
9. Europe
10.Af..."

ok got it

[Liz M]

Kazza, your revised itinerary is approved. And to make it easier to find itineraries, I am deleting your first itinerary & my reply from that thread.

[Liz M]

Rebekah wrote: "Okay, another question. Can you do one continent, skip to another and then come back to the first continent?
Ex.
Brazil - W047.54 - Coehlo
Canada - W075.41 - Atwood
Peru - W077.01 - Vargas - ..."

What you've posted above is necessary for a Circumnavigator. If you are traveling as a Circumnavigator, you must visit countries in the order of the longitude of the capital cities, so there is likely to be some continent hopping.

[Tien]

Liz M wrote: "Kazza, your revised itinerary is approved. And to make it easier to find itineraries, I am deleting your first itinerary & my reply from that thread."

Thanks heaps for the help :)

[Rebekah]

Thanks, Liz

Elizabeth, thanks for the spreadsheet! So much work you put into it!

[Connie]

Is Suriname on the spreadsheet in Africa by design? I thought it was in South America on the west coast.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Connie wrote: "Is Suriname on the spreadsheet in Africa by design? I thought it was in South America on the west coast."

Oops! Can't blame that on a typo, and i don't have a cat. ;-)

I'll go fix it.

[Connie]

Thanks Elizabeth - the spreadsheet is really great, btw, thanks for making it!

Ok, AtW questions:
1) I'm thinking of The Whale Rider for New Zealand, but couldn't find a Lexile score for this (seems to be YA)?
2) I would like to read:
North America: Canada (W 075 41) Beatrice and Virgil, but I'm not quite sure where this takes place? Maybe someone here has read it?
3) I've been treating
Antarctica The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket & Related Tales as a sort of joker in case something doesn't work out. What position should I use for Antarctica?

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Liz says Antartica is 00 00. In reality it covers all of the latitudes. I don't know that it has a "capital."

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

As for your Yann Martel, I looked at a few reviews. Only one references an "unnamed city". I don't think that helps you, and I'm guessing the setting of this novel is intentionally vague.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Finally, Lexile scores only matter if you're going to claim style points, and since there are no style points in AtW, you can include it.

[Liz M]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Liz says Antartica is 00 00. In reality it covers all of the latitudes. I don't know that it has a "capital.""

Yes, Antarctica is where longitudinal lines converge, so I arbitrarily made it 0.

Antarctica, according to wiki, is not a nation, has no government, and has no permanent residents (and therefore, no capital city). While several governments have claimed sovereignty in various sections, this is not universally recognized.

[Liz M]

Leigh wrote: "Asia: India (E 077 12): The Case of the Missing Servant

Tarquin Hall was born in London, is described as "a British writer and journalist," and divides his time between London and Dehli. I don't think this book qualifies for India.

[Connie]

Great, thanks! I'll skip the Yann Martel then... it's not like there aren't other options for North America.

[Rebekah]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "As for your Yann Martel, I looked at a few reviews. Only one references an "unnamed city". I don't think that helps you, and I'm guessing the setting of this novel is intentionally vague."

I thought it was in the middle of the sea! Actually I think I remember the main character was born in Bombay, India when he talks about how he got his nickname.

[[deleted user]]

Liz M wrote:
Tarquin Hall was born in London, is described as "a British writer and journalist," and divides his time between London and De..."

Oops! I missed the switch from "resident" to "national". I think that rules out The Coroner's Lunch, too. Should I just delete my first draft itinerary and re-post later?

[Rebekah]

Liz M wrote: "Leigh wrote: "Asia: India (E 077 12): The Case of the Missing Servant

Tarquin Hall was born in London, is described as "a British writer and journalist," and divides his time between London and De..."

But his books are great! They take me right back to Delhi, the Khan Market, the Jama Masjid Mosque, Embassy Row etc.. The characters are so like people I actually know! I can't wait for the next in the series

[Rebekah]

As difficult as it is, I'm going to try to hold back on picking my AtW books until the other tasks are out. The last two times, I committed books for the sub challenge that would have worked perfect for a task but was too lazy to rethink the whole thing.