Book a Week 2017 - BW40: Spooky and Spectacular October

[Colleen]

 

For those considering actually reading books from every country, I know one obstacle she met was that there were no English translations for books from some countries. In those cases, she ended up being mailed manuscripts or translations from various people around the world who helped make her goal happen. 

 

Yep, I've spent FAR too long perusing her list, checking availability. (Note to self:  Yes, Colleen you are supposed to be Doing Real Life and running library searches until 3am does not qualify.) Roughly every third country presents a challenge. Then, too, some of her options and selections don't appeal to me, and I really am past the point in life wherein I force myself to read something I don't care to read. 

 

Ok, so since we're veering off into international reading territory, please recommend ONE book from somewhere that you think those of us interested in international reading should read. I know my recommendations would vary by the hour, but for right now, I will recommend:

 

 

The Book of Embraces by Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano.

 

The NY Times Review: 'There Is a Woman Stuck in My Throat'

 

FYI, I first discovered this book because I found it on a 2014 list called A Novel for Every Remaining World Cup Team.

 

Done! I'm won over by any list that relates books to sports. As for recommending one international book, I have to think about it, thanks again to my tendency to read non-fiction. (Not that you limited the suggestion to fiction.)

 

I flipped through Novel Destinations last night. It was haphazardly arranged and ultimately disappointing.

 

I glanced through it at the library yesterday and had the same takeaway.

 

Japan. I know, I know. Nobody is surprised that I choose a small island nation. Everyone is surprised it's something other than England. 

 

 

Read this a few years ago and loved it so much that I still think about it.

 

 

Added this to my list as well, thank you!

 

In my late-night researching, I further contemplated in what order I might tackle the international list. (I honestly don't foresee reading a book from every country, but thinking about it is a fun distraction.)  Alphabetical is nicely systematic. Chronological or geographical makes more sense. Then I came up with the crazy notion of using names, e.g. Cambodia, Oman, Laos, Latvia, East Timor, Ecuador, Namibia. Get it? Ha ha!  

 

Btw, if anyone has a "50 Fifty Books for 50 States" list, do share. Because we need more rabbit trails!

[mumto2]

Kareni, I agree with Amy about the Inspector Gamache novels. You really do need to read them. The audio recordings are wonderful too.

 

I just suspended my hold on Glass Houses, the newest, in order to enjoy Spooky October. Because I no longer want the books I have on hold in the near future I suspended several this morning. I seem to be jumping rapidly to the front of the lines.

 

I have several books in progress and finished a few today:

 

Y by Sue Grafton was very good. Very nostalgic because the book was concentrated on a group of students who were fictionally in high school when I was. It's amazing how good these books are considering how long the series has been going on and considering that it is set back in the eighties.

 

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. My dd has wanted me to read this and I finally listened to it. Great audio book. Amy, if your dd hasn't read it she will love it! This is an easy spooky for anyone who is still looking.

 

Immortal by Gene Doucette https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31817191-immortal is my new great series find. It was good enough to read in my browser because that was that only way I could access it. Reading in my browser is very awkward and I plan to continue reading the series so you know it is good. The main character is immortal but not a vampire. He has been on earth for what seems to be forever as a 30ish yo man. As the current period storyline evolves snippets of his back story are told. It all weaves together very nicely. Honestly if I had been able to read it on my Kindle it may have been an one sitting read instead of over a week.

 

I have been following all the read around the world discussion with interest. I am looking forward to reading everyone's posts but doubt I will be participating much. I have been enjoying my mysteries and various series to go too far off course now!

 

VC's tour of the centuries will be fun to read about too. Another vote for doing it! ;)

 

Kathy, Cookie is a cutie. No problem accessing the photos here without Facebook.

 

Loesje, Your dd is doing a great job with the Bingo!

Edited October 4, 2017 by mumto2

[Jane in NC]

With all of this chatter about next year's challenges, let me toss this one out.  I have thoroughly enjoyed leading a classic readalong this year and last.  If there is a book on the International list that several people are interested in reading and discussing, perhaps you can twist my arm to lead the discussion. One of the conditions that I would like to impose is that we choose a readily available book, i.e. one that is either on many library shelves or easily available through library loan. Not everyone wants to buy books. 

[mumto2]

With all of this chatter about next year's challenges, let me toss this one out. I have thoroughly enjoyed leading a classic readalong this year and last. If there is a book on the International list that several people are interested in reading and discussing, perhaps you can twist my arm to lead the discussion. One of the conditions that I would like to impose is that we choose a readily available book, i.e. one that is either on many library shelves or easily available through library loan. Not everyone wants to buy books.

I love your readalongs so most likely in. Thank you Jane!

[Kareni]

Btw, if anyone has a "50 Fifty Books for 50 States" list, do share. Because we need more rabbit trails!

 

Here are a few lists ~

 

The Ultimate 50 States Reading List - Southern Living

 

50 States, 50 Novels: A Literary Tour of the United States | Qwiklit

 

Celebrating Read, White & Blue: 50 Favorite Books for 50 States ...

 

A Nonfiction Tour of America: 50 Books for 50 States – Flavorwire

 

...In my late-night researching, I further contemplated in what order I might tackle the international list. (I honestly don't foresee reading a book from every country, but thinking about it is a fun distraction.)  Alphabetical is nicely systematic. Chronological or geographical makes more sense. Then I came up with the crazy notion of using names, e.g. Cambodia, Oman, Laos, Latvia, East Timor, Ecuador, Namibia. Get it? Ha ha!  

 

Please explain your crazy notion.

 

Regards,

Korea, Australia, Romania, Egypt, New Zealand, Italy

 

PS I wanted to say Kansas, Arkansas, Rhode Island, but there is no USA state whose name begins with E.

[Kareni]

Some enjoyable posts from the Word Wenches site ~

 

Meeting new fruits  by Joanna Bourne

 

"Joanna here. I was eating a kiwi fruit the other day. It showed up coyly snuggled next to a breakfast sandwich sold to me by the delightful ladies who run the catering and breakfast bar at the Rockfish Gap Community Center. I found myself trying to remember when I’d first seen kiwi. I was young and they showed up in the grocery store one day and my mother, who was a wild woman in her own way, brought them home and figured out how to serve them. They were just mind-bogglingly exotic to me. Furry fruits. I rather distrusted them.

 

Kiwis apparently came from China and were originally called “Chinese gooseberries†as they spread around the world. The Chinese called them "macaque peaches" but that didn't catch on so much. The fruit was popularized in the US by WWII servicemen who’d met them while stationed in New Zealand. And they seem to come to the store from California, not New Zealand. Life is a rich pageant of happenstance, isn't it?..."

 

 

The King's Library—A Story Within A Story  by Andrea Pickens/Cara Elliott

 

"Andrea/Cara, musing today on two of my favorite subjects: libraries and museums. And as it so happens, the British Museum in London—an amazingly wonderful institution that always makes my heart go pitty-pat—has a fascinating story in its history that combines the two!

 

It all begins with Sir Hans Sloane, who donated his vast collections of “interesting stuff†(a true cabinet of curiosities of 71,000 items—you can see one of the drawers below) to King George II and the country in return for £20,000, to be given to heirs. The items included books, coins, prints, drawing and ethnographic artifacts. By an act of parliament, the gift was accepted and established as the British Museum in 1753. It was the first national public museum in the world, and admission was free to “all studious and curious persons.â€..."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Chrysalis Academy]

Yeah, wow, I can see access to books being a problem.  My library has zip from any country in Oceania (except Australia & NZ, of course). A few things written by Europeans who traveled there, but nothing from authors from those countries.

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Violet Crown]

Colleen, hello!

 

Robin, it was so nice to get the postcard; dh has been out of the country for a while, Great Girl is of course gone, and I was feeling lonely that day.

 

Kathy, nice cat. We have a (tailless, fat) little tuxedo kitty. Cats and books, what else do you need.

 

Regarding literary locations. The best literary locale I ever visited was a small, very old building in a little town in Scotland, used by 19th-century writer Margaret Oliphant as the setting for a quite effective ghost story. As I read the story, I realized the town Oliphant described without naming was the very town we were staying in. And as I read on, I realized further that the house itself was unmistakably one the next street over. Right there. I wished the story had been less disturbing.

[mumto2]

As sad as this sounds my favorite literary location was an used\ antique book store ran by one of my mom's friends when I was growing up. Two floors of towering bookshelves filled with wonderful books in the old (1880 or so) part of town. Nancy Drew and Cherry Ames were the highlights :). It closed when I was in Junior High. Wonderful ones out there now but none can compare to how happy that store made me!

 

Grrr....just got an email that one of the books I didn't suspend is now available. Two hours ago I checked to make sure everything was suspended that needed to be and I was 4 on the list with 1 copy now it's mine or back of the line. The only good thing is the title Proof of Life so it will definitely help with spelling Opal! :lol:

[Penguin]

I have swept my October reading plans aside. An opportunity has arisen to participate in a Danish book discussion. The book is short, and hailed for its deceptively simple language so I thought I could manage it. And I can :hurray: .

In English, it is called The Stolen Spring. Published in 1940, it is both a murder mystery and a social commentary on the Danish school system of that bygone era. It is one of the books often assigned to high school students.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stolen_Spring

And I simply MUST partipate somewhat in spooky October! I still have to figure that out.

Edited October 5, 2017 by Penguin

[Jane in NC]

I spend a lot of time tracking hurricanes even when hurricanes are not headed in my direction. New Orleans is getting ready for another one...

 

Yes, thanks for the postcard, Robin!  They are so much fun to receive! Now off to the post office I go. Books to be sent...

[Onceuponatime]

Kazuo Ishiguro has won the Nobel Prize!

 

How many of his books have you read? Any Favorites? I've read Remains of the Day, Never Let Me Go, and When We Were Orphans.

 

Has anyone read the one that has an Arthurian setting?

[fastweedpuller]

Kazuo Ishiguro wins Nobel Prize in Literature

 

this was a bit of a surprise this morning.  Not as big a surprise as last year, but...

edited to fix link

Edited October 5, 2017 by fastweedpuller

[Chrysalis Academy]

I might participate & I love the idea. But, I also agree about finding one that's readily accessible. I do buy books, but use the library for the vast majority of my reading.

 

I don't do a lot of the challenges each year, but I do a few. I always do Banned Books; others I decide as I go....

 

 

She's gorgeous. Such sleek, shiny fur.

 

 

Ha! You had recommended this earlier this year & I had requested & picked it up from the library earlier today.

 

That said, I may have to return it unread as my stacks are teetering at this point (& I don't read at the pace some do). These days, I tend to read one book at a time. If I do return it, I think it would be one of my first reads in 2018. It's always nice to start a new year with something wonderful that I'm anticipating reading.

 

I'm reading Catch-22 & will probably try to finish that before I start my spooky reading. But, Catch-22 is pretty long & my reading time is limited, so it may take me a bit before I get to my juicy, spooky pile. Quite a few of my spooky reading requests (some with appropriately funny/awful cover art) have come in for me at the library. Between my couple of books at home & my library pile, my current spooky pile includes:

 

 

On a separate note, for Rose, Jeanette Winterson's favorite books are posted on One Grand Books.

 

I saw that! She has a few interesting Utopian-ish books I added to my shelf.

 

Kazuo Ishiguro has won the Nobel Prize!

 

How many of his books have you read? Any Favorites? I've read Remains of the Day, Never Let Me Go, and When We Were Orphans.

 

Has anyone read the one that has an Arthurian setting?

 

I read Remains of the Day last summer, and I've read Never Let Me Go (it's coming up for a re-read shortly on my dystopian list). The Buried Giant has been on my TR list for years, but I've never read anything else of his.

 

So that raises an interesting question for the reading around the world challenge: Is he a British writer writing about Japan (when he does), or an "authentic" Japanese writer? Looks like he left Japan as a child. I had a similar question about Viet Thanh Ngyuen for Vietnam, but decided he definitely "counts" as Japanese.

 

Penguin, do you recall if Ann Morris required that her books from non-English speaking countries be written in the language of the country rather than in English? That would be a tough restriction, for sure, I imagine too tough. And because many countries have colonial languages spoken by most or all in the country (french or spanish or english or whatnot) I guess that wouldn't really work anyway.

Edited October 5, 2017 by Chrysalis Academy

[JennW in SoCal]

 

So that raises an interesting question for the reading around the world challenge: Is he a British writer writing about Japan (when he does), or an "authentic" Japanese writer? Looks like he left Japan as a child. I had a similar question about Viet Thanh Ngyuen for Vietnam, but decided he definitely "counts" as Japanese.

 

You've stuck your toe into a contentious topic which has been passionately discussed in Asian Studies literature courses since I was an undergrad and grad student back in the 80s. My Asian-American friends and family would be deeply affronted by such a question.

 

Think about it. Is Amy Tan a Chinese writer? The Joy Luck Club has one of the most vivid descriptions of life in revolutionary China, but I wouldn't use it to check off the "China" box in a "Round the World" reading challenge. It would be a fascinating and enlightening project to do a cultural reading of the US, and read her books, and Viet Thanh Ngyuen's and others by immigrant, hyphenated American authors. But no, those books should NOT count in round the world reading.

 

Kazuo Ishiguro, in spite of his name, is a British writer. 

Edited October 5, 2017 by JennW in SoCal

[ErinE]

I was just thinking about Remains of the Day this morning while contemplating Ulysses. It has been my favorite book for many years. I love Ishiguro's language, his characters, his humor. The butler Mr. Stevens is complex and difficult. He wants to live up to his ideals, to do the correct thing, but pays a price in the end. Just thinking about the last few pages, when Mr. Stevens is truly honest with himself, causes a little lump to form in my throat. Even though I read it in my early twenties, it isn't a young person's book and it only grows more dear to me every year. Regret, memory, honesty, deception, love, hate, betrayal - there are so many emotions wrapped up in this quiet book.

 

I think Ishiguro is a British writer, but he writes from the perspective of someone who grew up within, but set apart from the dominant culture.  

 

I've ranked the books I've read below in order of most favorite:

1. Remains of the Day
2. An Artist of the Floating World
3. Never Let Me Go
4. The Buried Giant

I've added his other books to my TBR list.

[Chrysalis Academy]

You've stuck your toe into a contentious topic which has been passionately discussed in Asian Studies literature courses since I was an undergrad and grad student back in the 80s. My Asian-American friends and family would be deeply affronted by such a question.

 

Think about it. Is Amy Tan a Chinese writer? The Joy Luck Club has one of the most vivid descriptions of life in revolutionary China, but I wouldn't use it to check off the "China" box in a "Round the World" reading challenge. It would be a fascinating and enlightening project to do a cultural reading of the US, and read her books, and Viet Thanh Ngyuen's and others by immigrant, hyphenated American authors. But no, those books should NOT count in round the world reading.

 

Kazuo Ishiguro, in spite of his name, is a British writer. 

 

Thanks for the education. I had no intention of affronting anyone, just exploring my own ignorance. Really, they'd be affronted by the question? How are people supposed to learn about stuff like this if they can't even ask the question?

 

ETA: Thinking about this more, Kazuo Ishiguro was a poor example - I only thought of him because I was surprised to see that he had written so many books set in Japan. Books I'd never heard of. I get the point about Amy Tan, too, that seems like a no-brainer.

 

But what about people like Junot Diaz? Born in the DR, raised in New Jersey. When he writes semi-autobiographical stuff about his childhood in the DR, is he primarily a Dominican writer, or is he an American writer? or a Dominican-American writer? Is that a separate category?

 

Sincerely interested in these questions, and meaning no offence. I wasn't an English major. I'm familiar with different subjects of contentious debate, not so much this one.

Edited October 5, 2017 by Chrysalis Academy

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Kareni]

A bookish article ~ The Role of Science in Fantasy Worlds by Ginn Hale

 

**

A one day only currently free classic for Kindle readers ~

 

The Narrative of Sojourner Truth by Sojourner Truth and Olive Gilbert

 

"From slavery to liberation to life as an abolitionist, feminist, orator, and preacher—the autobiography of a woman who refused to be anything but free.
 
Born into slavery in New York around 1797, then sold from master to master, Sojourner Truth spent her formative years witnessing the cruelty inherent in the institution of slavery. Escaping to a friendly household before emancipation, she learned that her young son had been sold illegally and launched a lawsuit that would end with his release—the first time in America that a black woman went to court against a white man and won.
 
But Truth hadn’t even begun her work. She made it her life’s mission to free all those who were considered less than equal—both those in chains and those held down because of their gender—ultimately inspiring her friends and followers with the legendary speech that came to be known as “Ain’t I a Woman?†So great was Truth’s renown and respect that she met with President Abraham Lincoln in 1864. She was later named one of the 100 Most Significant Americans of All Time by Smithsonian magazine.
 
Published in 1850, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth was spoken aloud to Truth’s friend and neighbor Olive Gilbert, as she herself was illiterate. Along with The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, it remains one of the most moving and eloquent slave narratives—a testament to the resilience of the human spirit."

 

ALSO currently free ~

 

Boys  by Scott Semegran

 

"The writing is sharp and unpretentiously thoughtful, and since each of the main characters finds solace in companionship, this is an affecting literary depiction of the comforting power of friendship. Each of the stories can be read on its own, but taken together, they make a coherent, thematic whole, skillfully produced. An endearing collection that deftly captures the need for youthful fellowship." -Kirkus Reviews

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Colleen]

Here are a few lists ~

 

The Ultimate 50 States Reading List - Southern Living

 

50 States, 50 Novels: A Literary Tour of the United States | Qwiklit

 

Celebrating Read, White & Blue: 50 Favorite Books for 50 States ...

 

A Nonfiction Tour of America: 50 Books for 50 States – Flavorwire

 

 

 

Oh, my. Now you've gone & done it ~ but I did ask, didn't I? I kinda sorta hate to admit this, but a 50 States Book Tour entices me far more than the World Book Tour. Maybe because I've already read many of them, lol? But some in the mix, I'd gladly reread. I'm particularly drawn to the Southern Living list, with a few trade-outs here & there. 

 

So now I must decide: tour the country or tour the world? Or both? Hmmm...decisions, decisions!

[JennW in SoCal]

Thanks for the education. I had no intention of affronting anyone, just exploring my own ignorance. Really, they'd be affronted by the question? 

 

Well....think about it some more. Would you ask the question of a white author, born in Western Europe but raised in the United States?  "Is he a French or American author?"  Based on my close friends and family, it gets wearisome, having an Asian name and Asian features, being constantly considered an outsider, and dealing with the constant comments -- "oh you speak English really well" and the "where are you from?"  Hearing someone innocently ask if Kazuo Ishiguro is a Japanese or British writer is just another frustrating comment, another example of not belonging. 

 

Immigrant literature is its own genre, IMHO, and I've have seen it treated as such in colleges. Such literature usually deals with Issues of identity, of the conflict of western culture and family tradition, whereas literature by an author who lives in a particular country would be completely different. It is that experience -- of seeing another culture through the eyes of someone indigenous to it -- that is the point of reading around the world. 

[Chrysalis Academy]

Well....think about it some more. Would you ask the question of a white author, born in Western Europe but raised in the United States?  "Is he a French or American author?"  Based on my close friends and family, it gets wearisome, having an Asian name and Asian features, being constantly considered an outsider, and dealing with the constant comments -- "oh you speak English really well" and the "where are you from?"  Hearing someone innocently ask if Kazuo Ishiguro is a Japanese or British writer is just another frustrating comment, another example of not belonging. 

 

Immigrant literature is its own genre, IMHO, and I've have seen it treated as such in colleges. Such literature usually deals with Issues of identity, of the conflict of western culture and family tradition, whereas literature by an author who lives in a particular country would be completely different. It is that experience -- of seeing another culture through the eyes of someone indigenous to it -- that is the point of reading around the world. 

 

Ok, I get how the question posed to an individual with Asian names and Asian features could be taken as an affront. But I guess I'm hoping that you aren't personally affronted by the fact that I posed the question here, in a book group where we pretty freely discuss our thoughts and questions, and which I've considered a safe place to explore my ignorance. But I don't want to offend you, or anybody else, so I guess I'm trying to figure out if this is even ok to discuss here. If it's not, I'll shut up.

[ErinE]

Here are a few lists ~

 

The Ultimate 50 States Reading List - Southern Living

 

50 States, 50 Novels: A Literary Tour of the United States | Qwiklit

 

Celebrating Read, White & Blue: 50 Favorite Books for 50 States ...

 

A Nonfiction Tour of America: 50 Books for 50 States – Flavorwire

 

 

Please explain your crazy notion.

 

Regards,

Korea, Australia, Romania, Egypt, New Zealand, Italy

 

PS I wanted to say Kansas, Arkansas, Rhode Island, but there is no USA state whose name begins with E.

 

Can I lodge a protest against Into the Wild as an Alaskan read? Every native Alaskan I've met who've read the book thinks the premise is terrible. Here's a good article summarizing the many problems with the book. A good  quote:

 

Alaskans fault Krakauer for romanticizing McCandless, thereby encouraging others to model themselves after his life.

 

 

From the article, Penn is naive when he says that few have attempted what McCandless did (living in the wild). When I lived in Montana, I knew many people who camped for a long time in the wilderness, but they survived because they were trained and prepared.

Edited October 5, 2017 by ErinE

[Lady Florida.]

Kazuo Ishiguro has won the Nobel Prize!

 

How many of his books have you read? Any Favorites? I've read Remains of the Day, Never Let Me Go, and When We Were Orphans.

 

 

 

I've only read The Remains of the Day, which I loved. I put it on my Top 100 shelf on Goodreads.

[Colleen]

I do buy books, but use the library for the vast majority of my reading.

 

 

Same. I'm the anti-thesis of a pack rat. So much so, that I don't even accumulate books. 

 

As sad as this sounds my favorite literary location was an used\ antique book store ran by one of my mom's friends when I was growing up. Two floors of towering bookshelves filled with wonderful books in the old (1880 or so) part of town. Nancy Drew and Cherry Ames were the highlights :). It closed when I was in Junior High. Wonderful ones out there now but none can compare to how happy that store made me!

 

 

Not sad in the least; that sounds lovely! The literary location that most sticks in my mind is Chateau Chillon, where Byron carved his name in the dungeon. And when I reread Frankenstein, that whole Lake Geneva area, and Cologny. I have a lot of children/young adult lit location associations. I always loved visiting places while we were doing a read-aloud or studying that locale. Oh, and when you read Annie Dillard's The Living, she really does bring this corner of the world off the page. She evokes well the image of being on north coast, Salish Sea waters, looking toward the islands, dark with evergreens. An example of the natural landscape itself as a literary location.

 

 

 

I spend a lot of time tracking hurricanes even when hurricanes are not headed in my direction. New Orleans is getting ready for another one...

 

 

Having gone to college in NOLA and then worked in Houston, hurricanes have been on my radar this season, too. My Ranger school son "enjoyed" remnants of Irma while in the north GA mountains. Now they're in swamp phase in the FL panhandle; should get a dose of Nate there, too.

 

Kazuo Ishiguro has won the Nobel Prize!

 

How many of his books have you read? 

 

Only one, Remains of the Day. I liked it well enough, but came into it battle-scarred by the film. I have a vivid memory of watching that at a wonderful art house theater in Houston. I was with a few friends, and we all prided ourselves on our appreciation of good film. But we each could.not.wait for that movie to end. 

 

 

Kazuo Ishiguro, in spite of his name, is a British writer. 

 

 

Kazuo Ishiguro was a poor example...But what about people like Junot Diaz? Born in the DR, raised in New Jersey. When he writes semi-autobiographical stuff about his childhood in the DR, is he primarily a Dominican writer, or is he an American writer? or a Dominican-American writer? Is that a separate category?

 

 

Good question with no clearcut answer. I think about this even in terms of (US)American authors. I mentioned The Living above. Annie Dillard lived here in Bellingham WA for years as she researched the book. She likely knows the history of this region better than 98% of the people who live here. And yet she's by no means a Washingtonian, or even a Pacific NW native. But what if she had been born and raised here, then moved away as an adult and wrote that book? Would she be a WA author? I realize that's a poor analogy as compared to crossing international boundaries. Just more food for thought.

[Colleen]

Well....think about it some more. Would you ask the question of a white author, born in Western Europe but raised in the United States?  "Is he a French or American author?"  

 

Maybe. It's a reasonable question, within the context of this discussion.

[JennW in SoCal]

Ok, I get how the question posed to an individual with Asian names and Asian features could be taken as an affront. But I guess I'm hoping that you aren't personally affronted by the fact that I posed the question here, in a book group where we pretty freely discuss our thoughts and questions, and which I've considered a safe place to explore my ignorance. But I don't want to offend you, or anybody else, so I guess I'm trying to figure out if this is even ok to discuss here. If it's not, I'll shut up.

 

Oh, heavens no, I'm not affronted or offended. But do you see the distinction I'm trying to draw between reading around the world and reading works by American authors whose families are immigrants? 

 

The thing I simply cannot fathom is the reading of a book simply to check off a box in a challenge. Doesn't motivate me in the least, but I'm fascinated that so many of you are, and always love hearing about your books. 

 

 

ETA. I think you should choose whatever book you want for reading around the world. If it is a white American author writing about a foreign land, but it enlightened you, then it was a valuable book and it should count. If you want to challenge yourself to read authors who are from other cultures, whose works are in translation, then go for it.  Not that you really want my opinion, but I think you need to decide for yourself the point of the challenge, and not depend on someone else's criteria. 

Edited October 5, 2017 by JennW in SoCal

[Colleen]

Can I lodge a protest against Into the Wild as an Alaskan read? 

 

Absolutely. I had the same reaction. It's not about Alaska, it's not by an Alaskan author, just happens to involve Alaska. (Thanks to the subject's ill-based idealism and lack of common sense. But I digress.) Each list (some more than others) have some selections that I'd never consider go-to books in a literary state tour. Thus the trade-outs. 

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[fastweedpuller]

ETA. I think you should choose whatever book you want for reading around the world. If it is a white American author writing about a foreign land, but it enlightened you, then it was a valuable book and it should count. If you want to challenge yourself to read authors who are from other cultures, whose works are in translation, then go for it.  Not that you really want my opinion, but I think you need to decide for yourself the point of the challenge, and not depend on someone else's criteria. 

Yeah here I am voicing an opinion on a challenge I doubt I would do either...for just those same landmines.  This year, I read, and quite enjoyed, Pachinko.  Takes place in Japan, Korean immigrants, written by an American.  Would I have liked it better if it had been written by a Japanese person who's the daughter of Korean immigrants?  Or was I spoonfed the story as the author WAS American so her sensitivities are *my* sensitivities?  Hard to say.  And yes, I know the author was born in Korea.

 

If anything, I would plumb the depths of that international list and hope I can stumble on another Naguib Mahfouz (one of my all-time fave writers) or Halldor Laxness! 

[Ali in OR]

Very happy for Ishiguro (obviously a British author to me). I would count the author as from the culture they were formed in. And if they move at a fairly early but not too early age, they just might be able to count as from either culture. I just finished Never Let Me Go for the dystopian square (and JennW, while it's not how I primarily choose a book to read, the bingo challenge helps push me to try different genres). I very much like his writing style, but don't really know how to describe it. Gentle, subtle, soft. I've also read The Buried Giant (my first) and The Remains of the Day.

 

[Colleen]

 

The thing I simply cannot fathom is the reading of a book simply to check off a box in a challenge. 

 

 

Hmm...I'm not thinking in those terms and I'm not sensing that from anyone else here.  I don't force myself to read things just because. I think it's fun to come up with angles and themes, but I don't go through motions in intellectual pursuits simply to check off boxes. I see lists, suggestions, and discussion in general ~ like discussion here ~ as a a means of gleaning & sharing ideas & information. 

[Colleen]

(Re: The Book of Embraces)

 

Not sure that it's what you mean or not & you may already know, but I just want to point out that The Book of Embraces has nothing to do with sports. The list itself was just recommending books from countries that were in the World Cup at that time.

 

 

Oh, yeh, I gotcha. I phrased that poorly. I do realize the book has nothing to do with sports. Only meant that the list's origins ~ inspired by a sporting event ~ resonated. Very much the sort of thing I'd do. Come to think of it, I did something similar during the 2010 World Cup finals but more non-fiction based.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Yeah, I'm definitely a lover of challenges (obviously!) but what I love about them is that they get me to read things I wouldn't have read otherwise. The books that attract me fall into a relatively narrow range - I like certain kinds of sci-fi (dystopian, post-apocalyptic mostly) and I like historical fiction and "classics" because I love history and I love how literature adds richness to my understanding of history. But I've tended to read within a rather narrow range over most of my life - lots of British and American lit, not so much reading translations and reading international writers, or Eastern history. Joining this group, and taking part in some of the challenges, has really helped me broaden my reading world. One of my personal challenges this year was to read more African and African American writers, and more writers in translation, which I've been doing, and enjoying immensely. The around-the-world challenge seems like a way to extend that effort. Of course I will apply my own criteria - I always do! But I'm interested in the criteria others have used or would use.

 

Glad I didn't offend with the question! I love this space and don't want to be offensive, ever, while embracing the ethic of free inquiry and non-censorship. So I was just checking in that I hadn't stepped on toes . . . thanks for the reassurance on that question.

Edited October 5, 2017 by Chrysalis Academy

[Kareni]

Well....think about it some more. Would you ask the question of a white author, born in Western Europe but raised in the United States?  "Is he a French or American author?"  ...

 

This is really an interesting question.  I think it's a legitimate question, and a question that may be unanswerable for many in today's more mobile world.

 

Consider a person:

 

Born in New Zealand (Dutch father; Hungarian mother raised in the Netherlands - both very new NZ citizens) and resident for four years

 

Australia until age ten

 

Guam until age 14

 

Two different US states until age 16

 

Jamaica age 17

 

A different US state, college for four years

 

Another US state, grad school for four years

 

Another state for 15 years

 

Yet another state for 15 years

 

 

This person, as you may have guessed, is me.  I'm a NZ citizen, the only one in my family, with no family or friends in NZ.  (Parents went from Dutch citizens, to NZ, to American, to Dutch, and back to American ... can you say decisive?  Sibling is now American.)  After leaving NZ at age four, I visited a few times until age ten but did not return for forty years.  I don't feel American for all that I've lived here most of my life but nor do I feel like a New Zealander.

 

Were I to write a book, how would I be categorized?

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[JennW in SoCal]

Wow Kareni! I had now idea you had lived so many places. And now with your dd in Korea, your extended family is conquering yet another continent. All hail the global Kareni clan!

 

When I was in college studying Chinese my Korean/American sister-in-law was studying German. No one ever asked her why she was studying German, but I was questioned all the time, perplexing the heck out of everyone to the point where a few asked if I was part Chinese!  If you got a good look at this WASP face you'd laugh at the assumption. (This was just as China was opening to the West, and it wasn't the global superpower it is today. Nobody blinks an eye over studying Mandarin these days.) Meanwhile my sister-in-law more than once had a local Navajo strike up conversations with her, in Navajo. She'd apologize and explain she was of Korean ancestry. 

 

It's my turn to apologize if I offended by saying I don't understand picking a book for a challenge. I see challenges posted in other reading groups, it isn't exclusive to our group. They just don't motivate me at all, but your rave reviews often inspire me to try something new.

Edited October 5, 2017 by JennW in SoCal

[Jane in NC]

On the theme of "Where are you from?", let me introduce my husband whose first and last names are Germanic in spelling.  I cannot tell you how many times people have seen his name (I never changed my last name when I married) and have asked me what country my husband is from.  Well, his mother's family came over on the Mayflower.  His father's family settled around 1750 in what is now the state of Pennsylvania.  But apparently his name doesn't look "American" which leads to what I find to be a weird question:  "What country is your husband from?" Yeah, he is an engineer so is he from Mars? Maybe that's the appropriate answer. (And if all engineers are from Mars, I guess Amy and my husband are cousins!)

 

In the earlier discussion of Kazuo Ishiguro, my first thought was that no one to my knowledge considers Joseph Conrad to be a Polish author.  He was born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski; English was his third language, Polish and French being first two. 

 

For Kareni and other BaWers, perhaps we can be categorized as "Readers", giving an alternative meaning to People of the Book.

[Lady Florida.]

Hmm...I'm not thinking in those terms and I'm not sensing that from anyone else here.  I don't force myself to read things just because. I think it's fun to come up with angles and themes, but I don't go through motions in intellectual pursuits simply to check off boxes. I see lists, suggestions, and discussion in general ~ like discussion here ~ as a a means of gleaning & sharing ideas & information. 

 

I agree. I like the challenges to expand my horizons but I won't read something just to check off a box. If I can't find enough books to complete a given challenge I just won't do that challenge. But I will at least try. I often find books I end up really loving but they would never have been on my radar without the challenge.

 

Edit - I also always check my TBR list first to see if any books I already plan to read will match a challenge. I'm often surprised at how many I find.

Edited October 5, 2017 by Lady Florida.

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Kareni]

I just finished Elizabeth George's  A Great Deliverance (Inspector Lynley Mysteries, No. 1).  I was curious to read this book after reading a review of Anne Cleeland's Acton and Doyle series.  The review had insinuated (in a vaguely condemning tone) that the Acton and Doyle books were derivative of the Inspector Lynley books.  While both series feature Scotland Yard detectives -- one aristocratic male, one lesser ranked female -- they are otherwise quite different.  This was a compelling and unsettling mystery due to its subject matter.  I may read on in the series; it would be interesting to see how the main characters develop.

 

"To this day, the low, thin wail of an infant can be heard in Keldale's lush green valleys. Three hundred years ago, as legend goes, the frightened Yorkshire villagers smothered a crying babe in Keldale Abbey, where they'd hidden to escape the ravages of Cromwell's raiders.

Now into Keldale's pastoral web of old houses and older secrets comes Scotland Yard Inspector Thomas Lynley, the eighth earl of Asherton. Along with the redoubtable Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, Lynley has been sent to solve a savage murder that has stunned the peaceful countryside. For fat, unlovely Roberta Teys has been found in her best dress, an axe in her lap, seated in the old stone barn beside her father's headless corpse. Her first and last words were "I did it. And I'm not sorry."

Yet as Lynley and Havers wind their way through Keldale's dark labyrinth of secret scandals and appalling crimes, they uncover a shattering series of revelations that will reverberate through this tranquil English valley—and in their own lives as well."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[NoseInABook]

Kathy, I love Hamilton! I saw it in Chicago opening week by a stroke of luck. 

 

Kareni, I love the HP links! I'm going to have to save those for Christmas time... my kids are reading Harry Potter for the first time and are in L-O-V-E. My almost 10 year old finished the series and promptly began again. ;) My 7.5 year old and newly 9 year old are both halfway through. I reread them with the kiddos just in case they were wigged out by a part.

 

Robin, thank you for the postcard! It was a pleasant surprise and my six year old stared at it for a good hour. He thought it was the coolest. :) 

 

 

[Jane in NC]

I just finished Elizabeth George's  A Great Deliverance (Inspector Lynley Mysteries, No. 1).  I was curious to read this book after reading a review of Anne Cleeland's Acton and Doyle series.  The review has insinuated (in a vaguely condemning tone) that the Acton and Doyle books were derivative of the Inspector Lynley books thus my curiosity.  While both series feature Scotland Yard detectives -- one aristocratic male, one lesser ranked female -- they are otherwise quite different.  This was a compelling and unsettling mystery due to its subject matter.  I may read on in the series; it would be interesting to see how the main characters develop.

 

"To this day, the low, thin wail of an infant can be heard in Keldale's lush green valleys. Three hundred years ago, as legend goes, the frightened Yorkshire villagers smothered a crying babe in Keldale Abbey, where they'd hidden to escape the ravages of Cromwell's raiders.

 

Now into Keldale's pastoral web of old houses and older secrets comes Scotland Yard Inspector Thomas Lynley, the eighth earl of Asherton. Along with the redoubtable Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, Lynley has been sent to solve a savage murder that has stunned the peaceful countryside. For fat, unlovely Roberta Teys has been found in her best dress, an axe in her lap, seated in the old stone barn beside her father's headless corpse. Her first and last words were "I did it. And I'm not sorry."

 

Yet as Lynley and Havers wind their way through Keldale's dark labyrinth of secret scandals and appalling crimes, they uncover a shattering series of revelations that will reverberate through this tranquil English valley—and in their own lives as well."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Lynleys were my go-to airplane books for years but one character just Got On My Nerves.  The problem of sustaining a series...

 

 

[Kareni]

Kareni, I love the HP links! I'm going to have to save those for Christmas time... my kids are reading Harry Potter for the first time and are in L-O-V-E. My almost 10 year old finished the series and promptly began again. ;) My 7.5 year old and newly 9 year old are both halfway through. I reread them with the kiddos just in case they were wigged out by a part.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed them.  I just posted them in a new thread on the Chat board thinking that others might also like to see them.

 

You might also be interested in this list of young adult books of interest for fans of Harry Potter from the SBTB site ~  The Rec League: YA Fantasy for Harry Potter Fans

 

This was just posted today, so comments are still coming in.

 

 

Lynleys were my go-to airplane books for years but one character just Got On My Nerves.  The problem of sustaining a series...

 

Having read just the first book have I already encountered said character?  You've piqued my interest ....

 

Regards,

Kareni

[JennW in SoCal]

Lynleys were my go-to airplane books for years but one character just Got On My Nerves.  The problem of sustaining a series...

 

 

 

Having read just the first book have I already encountered said character?  You've piqued my interest ....

 

 

I'm thinking you have. Jane and I once bonded over our mutual annoyance at said character. Do we dare tell you who it is?!

 

The series is very good, and has been a favorite of mine, though as with most series, it is very uneven. That character, btw, is not in every book, or when in a book is not always part of the action. I felt with the most recent book that Elizabeth George had brought her series and characters back under control. I think another one is due out in January. I saw her at a book signing a few years back, and enjoyed hearing her talk about how she does her work, how she as an American, oh by the way, writes about English characters in an English institution. Does the series count as UK or American?!

 

I really tried to like that first Ann Cleeland book, but felt something about that budding romantic relationship was a little icky. 

[Robin M]

Hi Colleen! Welcome back. So very glad to 'see' you.

 

In my late-night researching, I further contemplated in what order I might tackle the international list. (I honestly don't foresee reading a book from every country, but thinking about it is a fun distraction.)  Alphabetical is nicely systematic. Chronological or geographical makes more sense. Then I came up with the crazy notion of using names, e.g. Cambodia, Oman, Laos, Latvia, East Timor, Ecuador, Namibia. Get it? Ha ha!  

 

Btw, if anyone has a "50 Fifty Books for 50 States" list, do share. Because we need more rabbit trails!

 

What an great idea. Very much like our birthstone bookology.  Since we've gone 'around' the world several times now,  would be interesting to spell out names using countries or spell out countries or states, depending on which direction wanted to go,  throwing in some about culture, as suggested by Stacia, as well as nonfiction and/or  fiction by authors in or of that area as well as set in that area.  Would provide for a broad range. 

 

 

 

[Kareni]

Those of you who have a Barnes & Noble store nearby might be interested in this shareable coupon for 20% off one item which expires on October 9 at close of business.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Colleen]

The fact that I am posting this during Thursday NFL is a tribute to you all. ;-)

 

(W)hat I love about (challenges) is that they get me to read things I wouldn't have read otherwise. Of course I will apply my own criteria - I always do! But I'm interested in the criteria others have used or would use.

 

 

Yep, yep. 

 

 

Consider a person:

.

.

.

Were I to write a book, how would I be categorized?

 

 

Ummm...you're 55? Or was it not a math question? LOL

 

(E)ven though I have lived in my current town for over 30 years, I don't necessarily feel like I'm from here. But I also don't feel like I'm from where I was born. When people ask me where I'm from, I usually don't know how or what to answer, lol.

 

 

I hear you. I'm imprinted, being born in Germany to a German mother, though I lived there so briefly. And my time in New Orleans influenced me so deeply, as did, of course, living in Switzerland, marrying there & birthing my first son there. And yet of my 48 years, the vast majority are in Western WA. And I've been here, in this town, now for 21 years. So I am of here. And yet...not. So interesting, how the puzzle pieces fit together.

 

 

I see challenges posted in other reading groups, it isn't exclusive to our group. They just don't motivate me at all, but your rave reviews often inspire me to try something new.

 

I guess to me it's semantics. I didn't interpret the world book list as a challenge. Just an idea, no different than reviews & suggestions that offer inspiration. : )