All About Books discussion

2022 Read around the world challenge.

The aim of this challenge is to read as many books as you can around your chosen location. You can be as creative as possible, you can pick one continent ie, Europe, or one country such as Ireland or Spain. Or you can go crazy and aim for one book set in every state in the United States. The possibilities are endless.

That way you can make the challenging as to how you think you can complete, you can look at where your chosen authors are from or just focus on where the books are set. For example, as Sally Rooney (I'm currently reading her book now) I can use one of her books for Ireland as Rooney is from Dublin.

Members can use this thread to update their progress or do the challenge in their personal challenge thread.

I thought it would be nice to try a new challenge this year. I can't wait to see what you all come up with.

That's really "Risiko style"!!!
I'll have to think about it.
Maybe mine could be: as many countries as possible
Up to now:
1 USA Silvia Plath The Bell Jar
2 Italy Stefani Auci L'inverno dei Leoni
3 UK Pip Williams The Dictionary of Lost Words
4 Japan Keigo Higashino L'emporio dei piccoli miracoli
5 Zanzibar Abdulrazak Gurnah Desertion
6 France Edmund de Waal Letters to Camondo
7 Hawaii (USA) Hanya Yanagihara To Paradise
8 Spain Fernando Aramburu I rondoni
9 Poland Israel J. Singer, I fratelli Ashkenazi
10 Norway Camilla Läckberg Il domatore di leoni
11 Lagos Oyinkan Braithwaite My Sister, the Serial Killer
12 Australia Liane Moriarty Apples Never Fall
13 Germay David Safier Miss Merkel e l'omicidio nel castello
14 Czech Republic Franz Kafka Lettere a Milena
15 Austria Franz Kafka Lettere a Milena
16 Ukraine Primo Levi La tregua
17 Belarus Primo Levi La tregua
18 Moldavia Primo Levi La tregua
19 Romania Primo Levi La tregua
20 Hungery Primo Levi La tregua
21 Slovakia Primo Levi La tregua
22 Austria Primo Levi La tregua
24 Sweden Mariette Lindstein The Cult on Fog Island
25 Scotland Shaun Bythell The Diary of a Bookseller
26 Russia Fyodor Dostoevsky Memorie dal sottosuolo
27 Alaska (USA) Jack London A Daughter of the Snows
28 India Paoul Scott The Day of the Scorpion
29 Northen Irland A.J. Cronin Beyond This Place
30 Israel Batya Gur, Literary Murder
31 Finalnd Minna Lindgren Mistero a Villa del Lieto Tramonto
32 New Zeland Charity Norman See You In September
33 Iran Michel Bussi Tutto ciò che è sulla Terra morirà
34 Polad Olga Tokarczuk Guida il tuo carro sulle ossa dei morti

Love this idea! I'll try every country in Europe 🇪🇺

Kat wrote: "Love this idea! I'll try every country in Europe 🇪🇺"

That sounds fun Kat! Maybe I'll try that too!

I'm not sure how I will do mine, I think I will start with the UK, and move to Europe.

I'm trying to reorganize my challenges this year. I usually pick 30 random reads in different categories - and one of my categories is 3 books set in Wales.... I'm thinking about how to list these categories differently, so that it isn't all one challenge.... Especially since I've only managed to read one book for this challenge in 2021. Now you've got me thinking I could do location as a challenge. I'm not going to keep track here, but put it all in my own challenge thread.

So maybe Wales - 4 books
Cornwall - 4 books
and Vienna/Prague - 4 books

I've got quite a few lined up for Cornwall already, and I'm in a choir that is going to Prague and Vienna in June, so it might be fun to read some books set in those two cities....

Laurel wrote: "I'm trying to reorganize my challenges this year. I usually pick 30 random reads in different categories - and one of my categories is 3 books set in Wales.... I'm thinking about how to list these ..."

Sounds great Laurel, to line up your reads with places you're visiting.

I love this idea, Alannah, especially the way you made it so flexible. I failed miserably at last year's challenge, but I'm always hopeful!

So here's my plan: read a book for every continent, and five from different regions of the US, trying to use all books by women.

I'll keep track here. Fortunately, most of these were already in my 2022 plans, so I hope to do better this year. :-)

Antarctica: Migrations
Australia - The Transit of Venus
✔Asia: Black Narcissus (India) ***
Africa: Purple Hibiscus
✔Europe - The Gambler (Germany/Russia) ****
North America - Alias Grace
South America - Portrait in Sepia
Southern US: The Complete Stories
Middle US: Home
✔US West Coast: Slouching Towards Bethlehem (California) *****
✔US East Coast: If Beale Street Could Talk (New York) ****
Northern US: The Sentence

I think I will join in with The British Isles. This includes the countries:

Ireland:
1. A Keeper Set in Ireland. *READ* 02.08.2022 ✔️
2. The Missing Ones Irish Author *READ* 18.03.2023 ✔️

Northern Ireland:
1. The Blue Tango Set in Northern Ireland *READ* 31.10.2022 ✔️
2. Cal Northern Irish Author *READ* 11.03.2022 ✔️

England:
1. Portobello Set in England *READ* 17.04.2022 ✔️
2. In a Dark, Dark Wood English Author *READ* 07.10.2022 ✔️

Scotland:
1. Greyfriars Bobby Set in Scotland. *READ* 21.05.2022 ✔️
2. The Blade Artist Scottish Author *READ* 22.02.2022 ✔️

Wales:
1. Fresh Apples Set in Wales *READ* 18.04.2022 ✔️
2. The Elected Member Welsh Author *READ* 12.08.2022 ✔️

And thousands of smaller islands surrounding them, including, The Isle of Man, The Inner and Outer Hebrides.

Not sure if I will find books relating to the smaller islands, but I will be reading 2 from each of the main countries... 1 set in the country and 1 author from the country. (If the "set in country" is written by an "author from the country", it can only be used -counted- once).

I'm Irish and I live in Ireland.

10/10

I love that we can tailor this challenge to our personal interests! I’m selecting my countries based on the 2 primary regions of my Ancestry Ethnicity Results. I’m counting books set primarily in the country or by an author who lived in the country. I will track here.
# Books Read: 3
# Countries: 3

Baltic States:
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania

East European & Russian:
Austria
Belarus
Czechia
Hungary
Moldova
✅Poland: The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly
✅Romania: I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
✅Russia: The Aviator by Eugene Vodolazkin
Slovakia
Slovenia
Ukraine

Pam wrote: "I love that we can tailor this challenge to our personal interests! I’m selecting my countries based on the 2 primary regions (and the countries listed) of my Ancestry Ethnicity Results. I’m counti..."

Love this Pam - eager to see what picks you come up with!

I was given Around the World in 80 Books by David Damrosch for Christmas so I thought I would follow his general plan, use some of his choices and add some of my own. Damrosch has great subtitles for each way station which I would love to borrow but I think I will wait and see whether my book choices offer alternative ideas.

London - UK- Ireland
The Jewel Garden: A Story of Despair and Redemption
The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England
The Wild Isles: An Anthology of the Best of British and Irish Nature Writing
Dombey and Son
Unstoppable Brilliance: Irish Geniuses and Asperger's Syndrome

Paris-France- Germany -




Krakow-Prague-Moscow-Russia
Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin
Dead Souls

Venice:-Florence-Rome -Greece
Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold

Cairo- Istanbul - Turkey -
My Name is Red



The Congo-Nigeria -Botswana -Africa

Israel-Palestine -Middle East

Tehran - Baghdad - Turkey-
My Name is Red

India -Pakistan - Himalaya

Shanghai- Beijing

Tokyo- Kyoto
Kafka on the Shore

America and Caribbean
If Only They Didn't Speak English: Notes From Trump's America
American Dirt

Spanning the world
Around the World in 80 Books
The Brilliant Abyss
Tamed: Ten Species That Changed Our World
The Lost Art of Scripture
Around the World in Eighty Days
Shearwater: A Bird, an Ocean, and a Long Way Home
Survival Of The Friendliest

I am in. I will try to read authors from following countries.

India
1. Malgudi Days
2. तरकश /ترکش / Tarkash
3. ANGAREY: NINE STORIES AND A PLAY

France

Les Miserables

Marcel Proust
1. Swann's Way

1.Zola

The Miller's Daughter
Captain Burle
The Death of Oliver Becaille

Albert Camus



Germany

Franz Kafka


England
1. The Warden
2. The Life of Charlotte Bronte - 2-Volume Set
3. The Waves
4. The Years
5. Assembly


Russia

1.Dostoevsky
The Gambler
The Double


My choices are author based not country based, like I want to read Dostoevsky so Russia is there.

Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan

Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria

Croatia
Cyprus
Czechia

Denmark

Estonia

Finland
France

Georgia
Germany: Große Freiheit
Greece

Hungary

Iceland
Ireland
Italy

Kazakhstan
Kosovo

Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg

Malta
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro

Netherlands
North Macedonia
Norway

Poland: Schindler's List
Portugal

Romania
Russia: Crime and Punishment

San Marino
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland

Turkey

Ukraine
United Kingdom (UK)

Vatican City (Holy See)

I love this challenge, I may try as many books as I can from countries of Latin America ☺️
I have started 🎉
1. The Murmur of Bees 🇲🇽 México
2. Alguien camina sobre tu tumba: Mis viajes a cementerios 🇦🇷 Argentina
3. Violeta, 🇨🇱 Chile

I'm in! This is already part of my 2022 goals, I can list them here too.

Read 10 books set in 10 different countries:
1. Crash Site (Caribbean)
2. The Dictionary of Lost Words (England)
3. The Orphan Master's Son (North Korea)
4. The Heart's Invisible Furies (Ireland)
5. Cold Cruel Kiss (Argentina)
6. The Tiger Came to the Mountains (Mexico)
7. Crime and Punishment (Russia)
8. A Righteous Man (Africa)
9. These Violent Delights (China)
10. Apples Never Fall (Australia)

Glad to have you join, EJ, Rhonda, Maria, Kat, Nidhi, Tweedledum!

Eager to hear about your choices! :)

And love your choices Kathleen and Ruth!

I’m going to keep it simple and just aim for books from at least ten different places, although who knows, a theme may creep in. Will update in my personal challenges thread.

I decided to read at least two books from each continent except Antarctica.

Asia

Africa

Europe
The UK - The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

North America

South America

Oceania

My Challenge is reading books set in countries, or places in other countries, which start with each letter in the alphabet (with the 'usual permissions' of the 'hard' letters, X & Z, being anywhere in the place name) - which gives me a Challenge of 26 books for the year set all over the world:-

Progress:- 26/26 - COMPLETED 31/12/22

A - AUSTRALIA:
The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion -
- FINISHED 10/9/22 - 3* (7/10)
B - BOTSWANA:
The Handsome Man's Deluxe Café by Alexander McCall Smith -
- FINISHED 4/3/22 - 4* (9/10)
C - CALIFORNIA, USA:
The Executioner by Chris Carter -
- FINISHED 26/6/22 - 4* (9/10)
D - DENMARK:
Buried by Jussi Adler-Olsen -
- FINISHED 16/8/22 - 4* (9/10)
E - EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND:
Perfect Death by Helen Sarah Fields -
- FINISHED 21/6/22 - 5* (9.5/10)
F - FRANCE:
Peaches for Monsieur le Curé by Joanne Harris -
- FINISHED 15/7/22 - 5* (9.5/10)
G - GERMANY:
The Passenger by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz -
- FINISHED 4/2/22 - 3* (6.5/10)
H - HONDURAS:
The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux -
- FINISHED 11/5/22 - 3* (7/10)
I - ICELAND:
Where the Shadows Lie by Michael Ridpath -
- FINISHED 7/8/22 - 4* (8/10)
J - JAPAN:
A Man by Keiichirō Hirano -
- FINISHED 21/5/22 - 4* (9/10)
K - KEFALONIA, GREECE:
The Wedding Party by Tammy Cohen -
- FINISHED 13/5/22 - 4* (9/10)
L - LONDON, ENGLAND:
The Drowning Man by Michael Robotham -
- FINISHED 25/1/22 - 4* (9/10)
M - MADRID, SPAIN:
Thus Bad Begins by Javier Marías -
- FINISHED 31/12/22 - 3* (7/10)
N - NETHERLANDS:
Untrue till Death by Graham Brack -
- FINISHED 26/4/22 - 5* (9.5/10)
O - OXFORD, UK:
The Last Voice You Hear by Mick Herron -
- FINISHED 3/2/22 - 4* (9/10)
P - PARIS, FRANCE:
Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller -
- FINISHED 8/3/22 - 2* (4.5/10)
Q - QUEBEC, CANADA:
Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather -
- FINISHED 23/8/22 - 4* (8/10)
R - RUSSIA:
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov -
- FINISHED 28/2/22 - 4* (9/10)
S - SWEDEN:
The Nightmare by Lars Kepler -
- FINISHED 16/11/22 - 4* (9/10)
T - TEXAS, USA:
Savage Season by Joe R. Lansdale -
- FINISHED 18/3/22 - 4* (9/10)
U - USA:
East of Eden by John Steinbeck -
- FINISHED 16/9/22 - 5* (9.5/10)
V - VIENNA, AUSTRIA:
Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig -
- FINISHED 29/11/22 - 4* (9/10)
W - WASHINGTON STATE:
Hunted by Carla Norton -
- FINISHED 17/12/22 - 4* (9/10)
X - NEW MEXICO:
Breathe by Joyce Carol Oates -
- FINISHED 23/2/22 - 3* (7/10)
Y - YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND:
A Dedicated Man by Peter Robinson -
- FINISHED 2/5/22 - 4* (8.5/10)
Z - NEW ZEALAND:
Sentence of Marriage by Shayne Parkinson -
- FINISHED 30/11/22 - 4* (8/10)

Finished my 1st of this Challenge with:-

'L' - London, England:-

The Drowning Man by Michael Robotham

Rated this one as 4* (9/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished my 2nd of this Challenge with:-

'O' - Oxford, England:-

The Last Voice You Hear by Mick Herron

Rated this one as 4* (9/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I'm doing the UK and Ireland for now for this challenge. I have no real goal at the minute but I hope to read at least one book set in each country.
Over the summer, I will have more time so I hope to expand this challenge and include more countries throughout Europe maybe.

Northern Ireland:
Ireland:
The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne

England:
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams (finished 14th January)
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (finished 5th February)

Wales:
Scotland:

Finished my 3rd of this Challenge with:-

'X' - 'New Mexico':-
Breathe by Joyce Carol Oates

Rated this one as 3* (7/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished my 4th of this Challenge with:-

'R' - Russia:-
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

Rated this as 4* (9/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Missed one out - I've also read:-

'G' - Germany:-
The Passenger by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz

Rated this one as 3* (6.5/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

...so that is 5 completed so far!

Finished my 6th of this Challenge with:-

'B' - Botswana:-
The Handsome Man's De Luxe Café by Alexander McCall Smith

Rated this one as 4* (9/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished my 7th of this Challenge with:-

'P' - Paris, France:-
Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller

Rated this one as 2* (4.5/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Greg wrote: "Pam wrote: "I love that we can tailor this challenge to our personal interests! I’m selecting my countries based on the 2 primary regions (and the countries listed) of my Ancestry Ethnicity Results...Love this Pam - eager to see what picks you come up with "

Thanks Greg! I am also eager to see what I come up with since, other than Russia, these are countries I will need to do some research on. I've read 3 so far (and 1 I'm struggling to finish) and have a few ideas going forward!

Finished my 8th of this Challenge with:-

'T' - Texas, USA:-
Savage Season by Joe R. Lansdale

Rated this one as 4* (9/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished my 9th of this Challenge with:-

'N' for Netherlands:-
Untrue till Death by Graham Brack

Rated this one as 5* (9.5/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished my 10th of this Challenge with:-

A Dedicated Man by Peter Robinson

Rated this one as 4* (8.5/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished my 11th of this Challenge with:-

'H' - Honduras -
The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux

Rated this one as 3* (7/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished my 12th of this Challenge with:-

'K' - Kefalonia, Greece:-
The Wedding Party by Tammy Cohen

Rated this one as 4* (9/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished my 13th of this Challenge with:-

'J' - Japan:-
A Man by Keiichirō Hirano

Rated this one as 4* (9/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished my 14th of this Challenge with:-

'E' - Edinburgh, Scotland:-
Perfect Death by Helen Sarah Fields

Rated this one as 5* (9.5/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished my 15th of this Challenge with:-

'C' - California, USA:-
The Executioner by Chris Carter

Rated this one as 4* (9/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished my 16th of this Challenge with:-

Peaches for Monsieur le Curé by Joanne Harris

Rated this one as 5* (9.5/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished my 17th of this Challenge with:-

'I' for Iceland:
Where the Shadows Lie by Michael Ridpath

Rated this one as 4* (8/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished my 18th of this Challenge with:-

'D' - DENMARK:
Buried by Jussi Adler-Olsen

Rated this one as 4* (9/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished my 19th of this Challenge (so just 7 to go) with:-

Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather

Rated this one as 4* (8/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished my 20th and 21st of this Challenge with:-

'A' - AUSTRALIA -
The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion

Rated this one as 3* (7/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

'U' - USA -
East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Rated this one as 5* (9.5/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished my 22nd of this Challenge with:-

'S' - Sweden:_
The Nightmare by Lars Kepler

Rated this one as 4* (9/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I hope to set up 2023's challenge up over the weekend.

Alannah wrote: "I hope to set up 2023's challenge up over the weekend."

Seen it now!!!

Completed my 23rd and 24th of this Challenge with:-

'V' - Vienna, Austria:-
Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig

Rated this one as 4* (9/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

'Z' - New Zealand:-
Sentence of Marriage by Shayne Parkinson

Rated this one as 4* (8/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

2022 Read around the World. It seems like I have read a great deal of books set in England but I have managed other countries.

Europe:

England - the Lady Takes the Case - Eliza Casey
Ireland - Murder in an Irish Village - Carlene O'Connor
England - A Fatal Lie - Charles Todd
Ukraine - The Enemy Above - Michael P. Spradlin
England - Chapter and Curse - Elizabeth Penney
England - Manna from Hades - Carola Dunn
Scotland - Once There Were Wolves - Charlotte McConaghy
England - Safely To the Grave - Margaret Yorke
England - The Truth About Melody Brown - Lisa Jewell
England - The Last Chance Library - Freya Sampson
England - Valley of the Shadow - Carola Dunn
France - The Templar Legacy - Steve Berry
England - Into the Water - Paula Hawkins
England - the Night She Disappeared - Lisa Jewell
France - Pancakes in Paris - Craig Carlson
England - The Somme Legacy - M. J. Lee
England - Notes from a Small Island - Bill Bryson
England - The Secret Mother - Shalini Boland
England - The Daughter of Time - Josephine Tey
Austria - Horizon - Helen MacInnes
Scotland - The Bookshop on the Shore - Jenny Colgan
England - Three Debts Paid - Anne Perry
Norway - In the Darkness - Karin Fossum
England - English Tea Murder - Leslie Meier
England - A Cotswold Ordeal - Rebecca Tope
England - Victoria Line, Central Line - Maeve Binchy
Scotland - The Stolen Letter - Paige Shelton
Sweden - Anxious People - Fredrick Backman
England - A Cotswold Mystery - Rebecca Tope
England - The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman
England - An Ad for Murder - John Penn
England - The Consequences of Fear - Jacqueline Winspear
Italy - One Italian Summer - Rebecca Serle
England - The Reading List - Sara Misha Adams
England - An Easter Egg Hunt - Gillian Freeman
England - The Ruby in The Smoke - Philip Pullman
England - The Messy Lives of Book People - Phaedra Patrick
England - Billy Boyle - James R. Benn
England - Kindness Can Kill - Jane Bolitho
France - Private Paris - James Patterson
England - The Light Over London - Julia Kelly
England - Secrets of a Pet Nanny - Eileen Riley
England - The Moving Finger - Agatha Christie
England - Marion Lane and The Deadly Rose - T. A.
Willberg
England - A Game of Fear - Charles Todd
France - Death in the Truffle Wood - Pierre Magnan

Asia:

China - When Red is Black - Qui Xiaolong
China - A Case of Two Cities - Qui Xiaolong
China - A Lady Cyclist Guide to Kashgar - Suzanne
Japan - The Samurai's Garden - Gail Tankiyama
Japan - Fifty Words for Rain - Asha Lemmie
Japan - The Inugami Clan - Seishi Yokomizo

Australia:

Australia - The Family Across the Street - Nicole Trope

Africa:

Botswana - The Joy and Light Bus Co. - Alexander McCall Smith
Tunisia - The African Quest - Lyn Hamilton
Botswana - A Song of Comfortable Chairs - Alexander McCall Smith

Finished my 25th of this Challenge with:-

'W' - Washington State, USA -
Hunted by Carla Norton

Rated this one as 4* (9/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Completed this Challenge just in time with my 26th read:-

'M' - Madrid, Spain:-
Thus Bad Begins by Javier Marías

Rated this one as 3* (7/10). My review is here:-
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...