Around the World in 12 Books ChallengeDepending on what level you wish to try and reach, you read a certain number of books from all over the globe. I'm aiming for the Seasoned Traveler level - which is 12 different books throughout the year. You are allowed to choose the books you read and the countries they are set in...but you should aim to read at least one book set in the following locations:
- Africa
- Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis
- The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
- Asia
- The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee
- His First, Her Last by Jonathan Sturak
- Europe
- Lake Como by Anita Hughes
- Australia/New Zealand
- What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
- North America
- The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks
- The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
- South America
- The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf
- Middle East (bonus)
- Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
- Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson
Can you explain your choice? The selection is kinda boring. In the other comment, I wrote that people outside USA read the books in different original languages and that for nobody it shouldn't be a problem to read such a book, because they read it anyway. Now, I can see that an USA girl like you (a teacher and a traveller to that, sic!) is just reading books in English. And you can't even select 12 different writers? Kinda disappointing. What are they teaching at your school(s)? No "try to reach out of your comfort zone" nor "try getting a different perspective"? Is there no great books (translated into English, if you can't read in different languages) that were set in those countries written by natives of given countries? I'm not talking about "icons" like Haruki Murakami from Japan or Orhan Pamuk from Turkey.
ReplyDeleteWhy didn't you select books by writers of Indigenious Americans or Aboriginal people in Australia? Why didn't you choose any of the natives (from non-English speaking countries) writing about their own countries in their own language? Wouldn't you think such a book would be more interesting for a traveller to see a different point of view? From your selection only Janice Lee is interesting, a Korean by ethnicity born and partly raised in Hong Kong, writing about HK. Tho I suspect you chose her as she's writing in USA, in English.
And lastly... Do you seriously travel the world closed in the English cocoon? The whole world isn't speaking in English. Not trying to learn a bit from different people/cultures? Pitiful. Please don't call yourself a traveller (a world traveller to that, sic!), as it's slander in your mouth.