Around the World in 80 Books discussion

Here is the card for 2023:

I thought this might be helpful if you are creating your own list

A1) Translated from India Regional language
A2) Set on an island
A3) Has character that shares your profession
A4) Tropical setting
A5) BTBA award winner or nominee

B1) Fire, flood or hurricane
B2) Dream vacation
B3) TBR book completion
B4) Central or South American author
B5) BIPOC author

C1) Set in a Nordic country
C2) Set in hotels, inns, guesthouses etc
C3) An African classic
C4) Nonfiction history
C5) LBGTQ character

D1) Published in the year you were born
D2) 2 books set in adjacent countries
D3) Planes trains & automobiles
D4) Polar setting
D5) Fewer than 1,000 Goodreads ratings

E1) Pacific Islander author
E2) History mystery set before 1900
E3) Fairytale or folklore
E4) Set during a war
E5) More than 500 pages

Is there a link for the bingo grid?

For Polar setting - how is this being defined? ?
North Pole has no land mass; South Pole is in Antarctica
Can person who suggested this give their idea of how this should be interpreted?

Some definitions I found for other squares. I will personally use these unless anyone wants to suggest something else.

C1 - Nordic Countries per wikipedia:
It includes the sovereign states of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway[b] and Sweden; the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland; and the autonomous region of Åland.

A1 - 22 recognized Indian national languages: Hindi, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Marathi, Urdu, Gujarati, Punjabi, Kashmiri, Rajasthani, Sindhi, Assamese (Asamiya), Maithili and Odia.

E1 - Pacific Islanders - Native inhabitants of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia, including Hawaii and New Zealand but not Australia, Japan, Indonesia or Philippines

B4 - Central and South America
Seven countries in Central America: Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Mexico is not included.
South American continent generally includes twelve sovereign states: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela; two dependent territories: the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; and one internal territory: French Guiana.

B3 TBR Book Completion: I see the rules for the TBR challenge say that the TBR list has to be submitted by Jan 1st and the only change allowed is for up to 6 books on June 1st. I don't have a TBR list or bookshelf, but I do have some partly-read books on my Kindle. Can I use one of those for this square?

B5 BIPOC: This acronym was unfamiliar to me. Research on Google defines it as a US expression standing for "black, indigenous or person of color", similar to the UK "BAME" ("black, Asian and ethnic minority"). It has been suggested that using these acronyms could be regarded as racist, and I would hesitate to apply them to someone unless I knew that the person in question identifies themself as such within their own culture.

D2: I suggested this one, but what I meant was one book set in two adjacent countries.

Barbara wrote: "B3 TBR Book Completion: I see the rules for the TBR challenge say that the TBR list has to be submitted by Jan 1st and the only change allowed is for up to 6 books on June 1st. I don't have a TBR l..."

I think TBR here doesn't mean the challenge but just your personal "to be read" list (if you have one)

Linda C wrote: "For Polar setting - how is this being defined? ?
North Pole has no land mass; South Pole is in Antarctica
Can person who suggested this give their idea of how this should be interpreted?

Some defi..."


Thank you for listing the Indian national languages, it is helpful.

Linda C wrote: "For Polar setting - how is this being defined? ?
North Pole has no land mass; South Pole is in Antarctica
Can person who suggested this give their idea of how this should be interpreted?

Some defi..."
For Polar setting, I am using anything set within the Artic or Antarctic.

I’m in!

Ruth wrote: "I thought this might be helpful if you are creating your own list

A1) Translated from India Regional language
A2) Set on an island
A3) Has character that shares your profession
A4) Tropical settin..."

It’s very helpful! Thank you.

Linda C wrote: "For Polar setting - how is this being defined? ?
North Pole has no land mass; South Pole is in Antarctica
Can person who suggested this give their idea of how this should be interpreted?

Some defi..."

Some thoughts—
I am read this book from NetGalley, if you are on that site:
The Last Cold Place: A Field Season Studying Penguins in Antarctica by Naira de Gracia

What about locations within the arctic circle? Diane and those who have been in this group longer would have to weigh in. Svalbard is located in the Arctic Ocean well north of the Arctic Circle. I’m hoping to have time to read Seeds on Ice: Svalbard and the Global Seed Vault. There are numerous other options if the circle is included.

The Arctic circle is currently at latitude 66°33′49.4″ north. I have chosen a book about an arctic exploration set in Greenland at 70°N.

Jax wrote: "Linda C wrote: "For Polar setting - how is this being defined? ?
North Pole has no land mass; South Pole is in Antarctica
Can person who suggested this give their idea of how this should be interpr..."

I am not the originator of the square, but I would totally include the entire Arctic and Antarctic circles.

I’m playing. I’ve read “Persian Mirrors,” an excellent book by a journalist about their experiences in Iran and some look into cultural issues. I’ve read “Wind of Change: an American Journey in Post Soviet Russia” which gives a unique and entertaining look into doing business in Russia shortly after the Berlin Wall fell. Highly recommend that one!