Play Book Tag discussion
2025 Activities and Challenges
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Joy D's World Wanderings - Compass Tracking
Spin #2: 1/8 - NEDepart from: Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia
Destination: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
From Travelmath:
- The total straight line flight distance from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia to Yellowknife, Canada is 3,030 miles.
- Your flight direction from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia to Yellowknife, Canada is Northeast (42 degrees from North)
Cumulative Distance: 6217 miles
Book: Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay - 1/13/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Quote for location: “Yellowknife had only one high-rise and it wasn’t on Main Street, it was a lonely apartment building in the southeastern part of town. A rudimentary place of ten thousand people named after an indigenous tribe that used knives made of copper... It was north of the sixtieth parallel and shared in the romance of the North, emanating not mystery but uniqueness.” (p.190)
Tagged Canada x103 for tag of the month & tagged Northwest Territories x9 for location:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...
Points: 1 (location) + 2 (tag for location - Northwest Territories) + 3 (tag of the month - Canada) = 6
Cumulative Points: 9
Spin #3: 1/15 - NWDepart from: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
Destination: Eagle Plains, Yukon Territory, Canada
Ultimate Destination: Baker Lake, Nunavut - the book involves a journey of 4000 km
Straight line distance: 715 miles
https://www.distance.to/Yellowknife,N...
Journey straight-line distance: 1160 miles (note: actual distance was way longer since he was in canoe and on foot!)
https://www.distance.to/Eagle-Plains,...
Total distance: 1875 miles
Cumulative Distance: 8092 miles
The route primarily follows a northwesterly direction. The approximate direction is Northwest. The heading is around 300° to 320°, depending on the exact path taken. Checked with Fran beforehand and got it approved.
Book: Beyond the Trees: A Journey Alone Across Canada's Arctic by Adam Shoalts - 1/20/25 - 4.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Quote for determining location (from the book’s description): “Between his starting point in Eagle Plains, Yukon Territory, to his destination in Baker Lake, Nunavut, lies a maze of obstacles: shifting ice floes, swollen rivers, fog-bound lakes, and gale-force storms. And Shoalts must time his departure by the breakup of the spring ice, then sprint across nearly 4,000 kilometers of rugged, wild terrain to arrive before winter closes in.”
Points: 1 (location) + 2 (tag for location - Canada) + 3 (tag of the month - Canada) = 6
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...
Cumulative Points: 15
Spin #4: 1/22 - SWDepart from: Baker Lake, Nunavut
Destination: Tonga
The initial heading from Baker Lake to the Tonga is southwest (see directional map below mileage).
Distance: 7139 miles
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Cumulative Distance: 15231 miles
The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook by Hampton Sides - 1/27/25 - 5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Map of Cook's Third Voyage - The Friendly Islands are now known as Tonga
Quote for location – p. 14: “He stopped at Easter Island, the Marquesas, the Society Islands, Tonga, the New Hebrides, New Caledonia, South Georgia, and New Zealand.”
The discussion of Cook's trip to Tonga is contained in Part III Faraway Heaven, pp. 137 - 224.
Points: 1 (Location) + 2 (Oceania) = 3
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...
Cumulative points: 18
Spin #5: 1/29 - NWDepart from: Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Destination: Shanghai, China
The total straight line flight distance from Nuku'alofa, Tonga to Shanghai, China is 5,531 miles:
https://www.travelmath.com/distance/f...
Cumulative Distance: 20,762 miles
Your flight direction from Nuku'alofa, Tonga to Shanghai, China is Northwest (-51 degrees from North, which is initial heading 309 degrees).
Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard - 2/3/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Quotes for location:
From the book’s description: “Shanghai, 1941 — a city aflame from the fateful torch of Pearl Harbor. In streets full of chaos and corpses, a young British boy searches in vain for his parents.”
P. 39 – “Wars always invigorated Shanghai, quickened the pulse of its congested streets. Even the corpses in the gutters seemed livelier."
Points:
Book - 1 point
Country Tag - 2 Points
Total = 3 Points
Tagged China x153:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...
Also tagged Shanghai x10:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...
Cumulative points: 21
Spin #6: 2/5 - WDepart from: Shanghai, China
Destination: Rashid, Egypt
Straight-line distance: 4674 miles *
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Cumulative Distance: 25,436 miles
Book:
The Writing of the Gods: The Race to Decode the Rosetta Stone by Edward Dolnick - 2/10/25 - 4.5 - My Review
PBT Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Quote for location (p. 9) – “No one set out to find the Rosetta Stone. No one knew there was such a thing, though travelers and scholars had long dreamed there might be. The stone had lain unnoticed for nearly two thousand years. It might well have stayed lost forever. It turned up in a pile of rubble in a prosperous but out-of-the-way Egyptian town called Rashid, on a sweltering July day in 1799.”
Points:
Book - 1
Country (Egypt x19) - 2
PBT Tag (Science x23) - 3
Total: 6
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...
Cumulative points: 27
* Note: Beijing is located at 39.9042° N, 116.4074° E
Rashid is located at 31.3940° N, 30.4148° E
I am hoping the latitude is close enough to west, but please let me know if I need to use a wildcard. It is 8 degrees of latitude off from directly west.
Spin #7: 2/12 - WDepart: Rashid, Egypt (31.4° N)
Destination: Casablanca, Morocco (33.5° N)
Straight-line distance: 2209 miles
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Cumulative Distance: 27,645 miles
Book: Secret Son by Laila Lalami - 2/17/25 - 3.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Quote for Location from the book’s description: “Casablanca's stinking alleys are the only home that 19-year-old Youssef El-Mekki has ever known. Raised by his mother in a one-room home, he dreams of escape - until, one day, the father he thought dead turns out to be very much alive and whisks him from the slums into the luxurious life of Casablanca's elite.”
Points:
Book - 1
Country (Morocco x53) - 2
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...
Total: 3
Cumulative points: 30
Spin #8: 2/19 - WDepart: Casablanca, Morocco (33.5° N)
Destination: Los Angeles, California, USA (34.0° N)
Distance: 5954 miles
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Cumulative Distance: 33,599 miles
Book: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb - 2/24/25 - 5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Quote for location - from the book's description: "One day, Lori Gottlieb is a therapist who helps patients in her Los Angeles practice. The next, a crisis causes her world to come crashing down."
(Note: The entire memoir is set in Los Angeles.)
Points:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...
Book - 1
Specific Location (Los Angeles x7) - 2
Monthly Tag (Science x55) - 3
Total: 6
Cumulative Total: 36
Spin #9: 2/26 - SDepart: Los Angeles, California, USA (longitude 118.1° W)
Destination: Easter Island, Chile (longitude 109.2° W)
Distance: 4267 miles
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Cumulative Distance: 37,866 miles
Book: The Statues that Walked: Unraveling the Mystery of Easter Island by Terry L. Hunt - 2/28/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Quote for Location (from the book's description): "The monumental statues of Easter Island, both so magisterial and so forlorn, gazing out in their imposing rows over the island’s barren landscape, have been the source of great mystery ever since the island was first discovered by Europeans on Easter Sunday 1722. How could the ancient people who inhabited this tiny speck of land, the most remote in the vast expanse of the Pacific islands, have built such monumental works?"
Note: The entire book is set on Easter Island (now called Rapa Nui), which belongs to Chile
Points: 1
Location: 0 (This is not popular enough to have enough tags for a specific location, though it is tagged Pacific Islands x3 and Easter Island x2)
Tag: 3 (science x14)
Total: 4
Cumulative Points: 40
Countries visited so far (goal is 12): Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Morocco, Russia, Tonga, United States
Spin #10: 3/5 - NDepart: Easter Island/Rapa Nui, Chile (longitude 109.2° W)
Destination: Ures, Sonora, Mexico (110.4° W)
Straight-line distance: 3903 miles
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Cumulative Distance: 41,769 miles
Book: Blood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy - 3/9/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Quotes for location:
p. 43 - “We goin to Sonora.”
p. 208 – “On the second of December of eighteen forty-nine they rode into the town of Ures, capital of the state of Sonora.”
They spend about 75 percent the story riding around the state of Sonora, Mexico.
Points: 1 (book)
Location: 2 (mexico x74)
Tag: 3 (thriller x82)
Total: 6
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...
Cumulative Points: 46
Countries (goal is 12: visited 9 so far): Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Mexico, Morocco, Russia, Tonga, United States
Spin #11: 3/12 - NEDepart: Ures, Sonora, Mexico
Destination: Newport, Rhode Island, US
Straight line distance: 2327 miles
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Cumulative Distance: 44,096 miles
Book: The Wedding People by Alison Espach - 3/17/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Quote for location (from the book's description): "It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event."
The entire book is set in Newport.
Points:
Book - 1
Location (Rhode Island x38) - 2
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...
Tag (Thriller x7) - 3
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...
Total - 6
Cumulative Points: 52
Tagged "strong women" x5: earns extra free pass
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...
"this month if you read a book in your travels on compass that also has 5 tags for Strong Women you will earn an extra free pass"
Total free passes available: 4
Countries (goal is 12: visited 9 so far): Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Mexico, Morocco, Russia, Tonga, United States
Spin #12: 3/19 - SWDepart: Newport, Rhode Island, US
Destination: Samoa
Straight-line distance: 7400 miles
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Cumulative Distance: 51,496 miles
Book: The Last Bookaneer by Matthew Pearl - 3/25/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Quote for location - from the book's description: "On the island of Samoa, a dying Robert Louis Stevenson labors over a new novel. The thought of one last book from the great author fires the imaginations of the bookaneers, and soon Davenport sets out for the South Pacific island."
Points:
Book - 1
Location (Samoa x6) - 2
Tag (Thriller x7) - 3
Total: 6
Cumulative Points: 58
Total free passes available: 4
Countries (goal is 12: visited 10 so far): Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Mexico, Morocco, Russia, Samoa, Tonga, United States
Spin #13: 3/26 - SEDepart: Apia, Samoa
Destination: Puerto Deseado, Argentina (which is in the Patagonia region of Argentina and the location of the penguin colonies)
Based on my calculations, the initial heading from Samoa to Puerto Deseado, Argentina is 140° (this is a southeasterly direction).
Straight line distance: 6243 miles
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Cumulative Distance: 57,739 miles
Book: The Whispering Land by Gerald Durrell - 4/1/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
From the book's description: "This is the story of how Durrell and his wife's zoo-building efforts at England's Jersey Zoo led them and a team of helpers on an eight-month safari in Argentina to look for South American specimens. Through windswept Patagonian shores and tropical forests in Argentina, from ocelots to penguins, fur seals to parrots, Durrell captures the landscape and its inhabitants with his signature charm and humor.
and p. 37: "knew all about the penguin colonies of Puerto Deseado..."
and p. 93: "To begin with you have a wonderful cross-section of Patagonian fauna, all concentrated in a limited area, and easy to see.
Points:
Book - 1
Location (Argentina x13) - 2
Total: 3
Cumulative Points: 61
Total free passes available: 5
This book has an animal that lays eggs on the cover (penguins), which earns an additional pass:
Countries (goal is 12: visited 11 so far): Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Mexico, Morocco, Russia, Samoa, Tonga, United States
Spin #14: 4/2 - NWDepart: Puerto Deseado, Argentina
Destination: Honolulu, Hawaii
The initial heading (or bearing) from Puerto Deseado to Honolulu would be roughly 310° from true north. This is a northwesterly direction.
The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig - 4/7/25 - 3.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Quotes for location: p. 62: "The mapmaker had even labeled Honolulu's main streets - Nu'uanu, Beretania, King - as well as the post office and the major churches. The city was centered around Iolani Palace, the seat of the King of Hawaii."
The vast majority of this book takes place in Honolulu.
Straight line distance: 7384 miles
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Cumulative Distance: 65,123 miles
Points:
Book - 1
Location (Hawaii x34) - 2
Tag (Fun x7) - 3
Total: 6
Cumulative Points: 67
Total free passes available: 6
This book has an animal that lays eggs on the cover (seagull), which earned an additional pass:
Countries (goal is 12: visited 11 so far): Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Mexico, Morocco, Russia, Samoa, Tonga, United States
Spin #15: 4/9 - NEDepart: Honolulu, Hawaii
Destination: Britain
The initial heading from Honolulu to Britain (the island of Great Britain), would generally be in a northeast direction.
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Straight line distance is 7020 miles.
Cumulative Distance: 72,143 miles
Book: Excalibur: A Novel of Arthur by Bernard Cornwell - 4/14/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Quote for location - p. 6: "She (Guinevere) wanted an escort of a thousand horsemen, bright banners to fly above her and the whole island of Britain prostrate beneath her."
Note: This is a retelling of the Arthurian legend.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Points: 1 (book)
Location: 2 (britain x20)
Total: 3
Cumulative Points: 70
Total free passes available: 6
Countries (goal is 12: visited 12): Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Mexico, Morocco, Russia, Samoa, Tonga, United Kingdom, United States - Goal reached but will continue to document countries throughout the challenge.
Spin #16: 4/16 - NWDepart: Britain
Destination: Culduie, Scotland
The initial heading from Britain to Culduie, Scotland is generally in a northwest direction.
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Straight line distance is 261 miles
Cumulative Distance: 72,404 miles
Book: His Bloody Project: Documents Relating to the Case of Roderick MacRae by Graeme Macrae Burnet - 4/21/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Quote for Location - from the book's description: "Presented as a collection of documents discovered by the author, His Bloody Project opens with a series of police statements taken from the villagers of Culdie (sic)."
p.1 - "So begins the memoir of Roderick Macrae, a seventeen-year-old crofter, indicted on the charge of three brutal murders carried out in his native village of Culduie, Ross-shire..."
Points: 1 (book)
Location: 2 (scotland x187)
Total: 3
Cumulative Points: 73
Total free passes available: 6
Countries (goal is 12: visited 12): Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Mexico, Morocco, Russia, Samoa, Tonga, United Kingdom, United States
Spin #17: 4/23 - NEDepart: Culduie, Scotland
Destination: Butangen, Norway
The initial heading from Culduie, Scotland to Butangen, Norway is generally in a northeast direction.
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Straight line distance is 642 miles
Cumulative Distance: 73,046 miles
Book: The Bell in the Lake by Lars Mytting - 4/28/25 - 4.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Quote for location - from the book's description: "As long as people could remember, the stave church’s bells had rung over the isolated village of Butangen, Norway. Cast in memory of conjoined twins, the bells are said to ring on their own in times of danger."
Points: 1 (book)
Location: 2 (norway x44)
Total: 3
Cumulative Points: 76
Total free passes available: 6
Countries (goal is 12: visited 13): Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, Russia, Samoa, Tonga, United Kingdom, United States
Spin #18: 4/30 - EDepart: Butangen, Norway
Destination: Siberia, Russia
The initial heading from Butangen, Norway to Siberia, Russia is generally in an easterly direction:
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Distance: 2775 miles
Cumulative Distance: 75,821 miles
Book: Into Siberia: George Kennan's Epic Journey Through the Brutal, Frozen Heart of Russia by Gregory J. Wallance - 5/5/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Quote for location - from the book's description: "In the late nineteenth century, close diplomatic relations existed between the United States and Russia. All that changed when George Kennan went to Siberia in 1885 to investigate the exile system and his eyes were opened to the brutality Russia was wielding to suppress dissent."
Points: 1 (book)
Location: 2 (siberia x5)
Total: 3
Cumulative Points: 79
Total free passes available: 6
Countries (goal is 12: visited 13): Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, Russia, Samoa, Tonga, United Kingdom, United States
Spin #19: 5/7 - SWDepart: Siberia, Russia
Destination: Yorubaland, Nigeria
The initial heading from Siberia, Russia to Yorubaland, Nigeria is generally in a southwesterly direction:
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Distance: 5690 miles
Cumulative Distance: 81,511 miles
Book: Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi - 5/11/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Quote for location from the book's description:"Òdòdó’s hometown of Timbuktu has been conquered by the the warrior king of Yorùbáland." and location 223 of ebook: "I knew that the Aláàfin presided over Yorùbáland from his city...that he led a great army with which he had now conquered most regions west of the Niger."
PBT Note: Yorùbáland refers to a region of West Africa that includes parts of today’s Nigeria, Benin, and Togo, with Nigeria being the largest.
Points: 1 (book)
Location: 2 (nigeria x5)
Total: 3
Cumulative Points: 82
Total free passes available: 6
Countries (goal is 12: visited 14): Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Russia, Samoa, Tonga, United Kingdom, United States
Spin #20: 5/14 - S - changed to ENote: I am using my first free pass to go East instead since there's not much except ocean or Antarctica directly south of Yorubaland.
Depart: Yorubaland, Nigeria
Destination: Vung Tau, Vietnam
Heading: The heading is East. A central point in Yorubaland is located at 8.2 degrees north latitude, and Vung Tau is at 10.3 degrees north latitude.
Distance: 6701 miles
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Cumulative Distance: 88,212 miles
Book: The Women by Kristin Hannah - 5/18/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Quotes for location:
ebook location 408: "The loud razzing, the laughter, the horseplay that had marked most of this flight from Honolulu to Saigon was gone."
ebook location 438: "The soldier...led her across the bumpy pockmarked runway, past the terminal, to a bus that had been painted black, even the windows.
ebook location 497: "You're assigned to the Thirty-Sixth Evac Hospital." (which is located in Vung Tau, Vietnam)
[Note: Frankie flies into Saigon initially, then travels by bus to Vung Tau, which is not specifically named, but the author makes a point that she used real locations in Vietnam at the request of Vietnam Vets she contacted during her research. I can also use Saigon, if needed, which is at 10.5 north latitude.]
Points: 6
1 - book
2 - location (Vietnam x466)
3 - tag (Strong Women x48)
Cumulative Points: 88
Total free passes available: 6 = 6 - 1 (used this spin) + 1 (for May's special monthly holidays mini-challenge - Memorial Day)
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 15): Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Russia, Samoa, Tonga, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam
Spin #21: 5/21 - NWDepart: Vung Tau, Vietnam
Destination: Brighton, England
The initial heading from Vung Tau, Vietnam to Brighton, England is 322° clockwise from North, which corresponds to Northwest (NW).
Distance: 6395 miles
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Cumulative Distance: 94,607 miles
Book: The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson - 5/25/25 - 5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Quotes for location:
ebook location 491: "She knew it was not the most fashionable of seaside towns, nor as grand a hotel as might be found on the French Riviera or even in nearby Brighton, but she was glad to be among such warmth and gaiety."
[Note: The book is set in the fictional town of Hazelbourne-on-Sea, which is described as quoted above, as being located near Brighton.]
Points: 6
1 - book
2 - location (England x50)
3 - tag (Strong Women x5)
Cumulative Points: 94
Total free passes available: 6
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 16): Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, England, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Russia, Samoa, Scotland, Tonga, United States, Vietnam
Spin #22: 5/28 - SDepart: Brighton, England
Destination: Accra, Ghana
The initial heading from Brighton, England to Accra, Ghana is 180.1°, which is essentially due South.
Distance: 3127 miles
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Cumulative Distance: 97,734 miles
Book: The Scent of Burnt Flowers by Blitz Bazawule - 6/2/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Quote for location: Chapter 1 is entitled "Accra 1966" and a major portion of the book is set in Accra.
p. 3 - "She could feel her heart pounding through the silk nightgown she had hurriedly packed the night they fled Philadelphia for Accra, a city she had only read about in the newspapers."
p. 4 - "She thought about how similar Accra was to her childhood home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana."
Points: 3
1 - book
2 - location (Ghana x16)
Cumulative Points: 97
Total free passes available: 6
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 17): Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, England, Ghana, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Russia, Samoa, Scotland, Tonga, United States, Vietnam
Spin #23: 6/4 - SWDepart: Accra, Ghana
Destination: Buenos Aires, Argentina
The initial heading from Accra, Ghana to Buenos Aires, Argentina is 229.0° which corresponds to a southwest (SW) direction.
Distance: 4692 miles
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Cumulative distance: 102,426 miles
Book: The Accomplice by Joseph Kanon - 6/8/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Quote for location (from the book's description): "Aaron travels to Buenos Aires and discovers a city where Nazis thrive in plain sight, mingling with Argentine high society."
Points:
Book - 1
Location (Argentina x8) - 2
Total - 3
Cumulative Points: 100
Total free passes available: 6
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 17): Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, England, Ghana, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Russia, Samoa, Scotland, Tonga, United States, Vietnam
Spin #24: 6/11 - WDepart: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Destination: Perth, Australia
Buenos Aires is located at 34°4 S latitude, and Perth is at 31°6 S latitude.
https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Buenos-A... (map showing westerly direction)
https://www.travelmath.com/distance/f... (calculation of miles)
Distance is 7837 miles.
Cumulative distance: 110,263 miles
Quote for location: "He would make his way directly to Perth in West Australia and report to the local Topex manager, Mr. Colin Spriggs, who had an office in Barrack Street. - location 386 of e-book
Book: Beyond the Black Stump by Nevil Shute - 6/15/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Points:
Book - 1
Location (Australia x19) - 2
Total - 3
Cumulative Points: 103
Total free passes available: 6
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 18): Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, England, Ghana, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Russia, Samoa, Scotland, Tonga, United States, Vietnam
Joy D wrote: "Spin #24: 6/11 - WDepart: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Destination: Perth, Australia
Buenos Aires is located at 34°4 S latitude, 58°2 W longitude. Perth is at 31°6 S latitude, 115°5 E longitude.
http..."
Yay! Nevil Shute alert!
I hope you enjoy your trip to the western Outback. I liked the book myself, but that's no surprise, since I read everything this guy wrote, some of them more than once.
Yes, Beyond the Black Stump is set in the western Outback with Perth as the central point for the protagonist's company's "headquarters" in Australia. I am looking forward to it!
Spin #25: 6/18: NWDepart: Perth, Australia
Destination: Kherson, Ukraine
The straight line bearing on a flat map from Perth, Australia to Kherson, Ukraine would be 316.1°, which is northwest (NW).
Great circle bearing (curved Earth) is 314.0° (NW).
This is a map showing the NW direction and distance:
https://www.distance.to/Perth,Western...
Distance is 7492 miles.
Cumulative distance: 117,755 miles
Quotes for location:
From the description: Ukraine, 2022. Yeva is a loner and a maverick biologist who lives out of her mobile lab."
And p 111: "It could be my grandfather's Khrushchev-era apartment in Kherson." (note: Kherson is mentioned 45 times. They also travel to Kyiv and around the country in their van.)
Book: Endling by Maria Reva - 6/23/25 - 5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Points:
Book - 1
Location (Ukraine x11) - 2
Total - 3
Cumulative Points: 106
Total free passes available: 6
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 19): Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, England, Ghana, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Russia, Samoa, Scotland, Tonga, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam
Spin #26: 6/25 -SEDepart: Kherson, Ukraine
Destination: Tehran, Iran
Arrival in Tehran is on a bearing of 133.6° (Southeast) using the Great Circle route.
Map:
https://www.distance.to/Kherson,Khers...
Distance: 1231 miles
Cumulative distance: 118,986 mi
Quote for location: "Set in Iran in the decade following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, this moving, richly imagined novel is narrated by the ghost of Bahar, a thirteen-year-old girl, whose family is compelled to flee their home in Tehran." [A major portion of the story is set in Tehran.]
Book: The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree: A Novel by Shokoofeh Azar - 6/28/25 - 3* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Points:
Book - 1
Location (Iran x143) - 2
Total - 3
Cumulative Points: 109
Total free passes available: 6
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 20): Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, England, Ghana, Iran, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Russia, Samoa, Scotland, Tonga, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam
Spin #27: 7/2 -SDepart: Tehran, Iran
Destination: Doha, Qatar
Bearing: The bearing from Tehran, Iran to Doha, Qatar is 179.3°, which is almost due south.
Map: https://www.distance.to/Tehran,IRN/Do...
Distance: 720 miles
Cumulative Distance: 119,706
Quote for Location from the book's description: " When she gets suspended for confronting her teacher, and he begins investigating her activist friends, Zayneb heads to her aunt’s house in Doha, Qatar, for an early start to spring break."
Book: Love from A to Z by S.K. Ali - 7/6/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Points:
Book - 1
Location (Qatar x17) - 2
Total - 3
Cumulative Points: 112
Total free passes available: 6 + 1 = 7
This book earns 1 free pass - cover is (primarily) blue:
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 21): Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, England, Ghana, Iran, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Samoa, Scotland, Tonga, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam
Spin #28: 7/9 - EDepart: Doha Qatar (latitude: 25.3°N)
Destination: Taipei, Taiwan: (latitude 25.0°N)
Bearing: The bearing is close to due east (90°) if traveling on a rhumb line.
Map:
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Distance: 4325 miles
Cumulative Distance: 124,031 mi
Quote for location from the book's description:
"February 28, 1947: Trapped inside the family home amid an uprising that has rocked Taipei, Dr. Tsai delivers his youngest daughter, the unnamed narrator of Green Island, just after midnight as the city is plunged into martial law."
Book: Green Island by Shawna Yang Ryan - 7/14/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Points:
Book - 1
Location (Taiwan x127): 2
Total: 3
Cumulative Points: 115
Total free passes available: 7
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 22): Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, England, Ghana, Iran, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Samoa, Scotland, Taiwan, Tonga, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam
Spin #29: 7/16 - NEDepart: Taipei, Taiwan
Destination: Tokyo, Japan
Map:
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Distance: 1307 miles
Cumulative Distance: 125,338 miles
Quotes for location - from the book's description: "Tracking one man's descent into the Kafkaesque underworld of contemporary Tokyo, Murakami unites East and West, tragedy and farce, compassion and detachment, slang and philosophy.
Book: Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami - 7/20/25 - 3.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Points:
Book - 1
Location (Japan x877): 2
Tag (Speculative x79) - 3
Total: 6
Cumulative Points: 121
Total free passes available: 7
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 23): Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, England, Ghana, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Samoa, Scotland, Taiwan, Tonga, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam
Spin #30: 7/23 - SEDepart: Tokyo, Japan
Destination: Tarawa, Kiribati
Rhumb Line Bearing: 137.7° (Southeast)
Map:
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Distance: 3179 miles
Cumulative Distance: 128,517
Quotes for location - from the book's description:
"At the age of twenty-six, Maarten Troost who had been pushing the snooze button on the alarm clock of life by racking up useless graduate degrees and muddling through a series of temp jobs decided to pack up his flip-flops and move to Tarawa, a remote South Pacific island in the Republic of Kiribati."
Book: The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost - 7/28/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Book: 1
Location (Kiribati x28): 2
Total: 3
Cumulative Points: 124
Total free passes available: 7
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 24): Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, England, Ghana, Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Samoa, Scotland, Taiwan, Tonga, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam
Spin #31: 7/30 - Used a free pass to go West instead
Depart: Tarawa, Kiribati (latitude 1.5° N)
Destination: Kigali, Rwanda (latitude 1.9° S)
Map:
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Distance: 9870 miles
Cumulative Distance: 138,387 miles
Quote for location - from the book's description: "The school soon becomes a fascinating existential microcosm of the true 1970s Rwanda."
Location 287 of e-book: My boyfriend brought me on his motorbike. He's got a big one, you know. There's no bigger bike than his in all of Kigali, perhaps all of Rwanda."
Note: It is set at a lycée near Kigali, which I used as the location. The entire book is set in Rwanda.
Book: Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga - 8/3/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Book: 1
Location (Rwanda x102): 2
Total: 3
Cumulative Points: 127
Total free passes available: 7 - 1 = 6
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 25): Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, England, Ghana, Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Scotland, Taiwan, Tonga, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam
Spin #32: 8/6 - WDepart: Kigali, Rwanda (latitude 1.9° S)
Destination: Cajabamba, Ecuador (latitude 1.7° S)
Final Destination: Oyapock, French Guiana (latitude 4.3° N)
Map:
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Distance: 7519 miles
Plus, a journey of ~3000 miles down the Amazon to Oyapock, French Guiana
Cumulative Distance: 148,905 miles
Quote for location: "Today the Ecuadorian village of Cajabamba, which is about 110 miles south of Quito, is a place of little note." (location 183) and "[A] small statue...sits in front of a school...and few people in Cajabamba can say who the lady looking out over their town is or why she might have deserved a statue. However, in the late 18th century, Isabel Godin became so well known that it left all of Europe spellbound. The statue was erected at the site of her colonial home, and thus it would have been from here, on the morning of October 1, 1769, that she began her most remarkable journey. (location 193)
Book: The Mapmaker's Wife: A True Tale of Love, Murder, and Survival in the Amazon by Robert Whitaker - 8/11/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Points:
Book: 1
Location (Ecuador x20): 2
Total: 3
Cumulative Points: 130
Total free passes available: 6
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 26): Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Ghana, Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Scotland, Taiwan, Tonga, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam
Details about the journey taken in this book (from web research): The Amazon River flows between approximately 15° South and 2° North latitude. The river originates in the Peruvian Andes at about 15°S latitude (considering the Apurímac River as its most distant source) and flows generally eastward across South America. It crosses the equator (0°) (near Manaus) as it travels through western Brazil and eventually reaches the Atlantic Ocean at its mouth in northern Brazil at roughly 0-2°N latitude. The Amazon River crosses about 17 degrees of latitude during its roughly 4,000-mile (6,400 km) journey from source to sea.
Isabel Godin's destination was from (current) Cajabamba, Ecuador (formerly known as Riobamba in the Viceroyality of Peru) to Oyapock French Guiana, so her journey was approx. 3000 miles.
Spin #33: 8/13 - NWDepart: Oyapock, French Guiana
Destination: Habit, Kentucky
Map:
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
The rhumb line bearing is 315.87°, which is Northwest.
Distance: 3229 miles
Cumulative distance: 152,135 miles
Quote - from the book's description: "St. Elizabeth's, a home for unwed mothers in Habit, Kentucky, usually harbors its residents for only a little while. Not so Rose Clinton, a beautiful, mysterious woman who comes to the home pregnant but not unwed, and stays."
Book: The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett - 8/17/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Points:
Book: 1
Location (Kentucky x28): 2
Tag (Famiily Drama x11): 3
Total: 6
Cumulative Points: 136
Total free passes available: 6
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 26): Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Ghana, Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Scotland, Taiwan, Tonga, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam
Spin #34: 8/20 - EDepart: Habit, Kentucky
Destination: Pylos, Greece
Map:
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Distance: 5564 miles
Cumulative distance: 157,699 miles
Quote from the book's description: "On losing her father, Teresa returns to a small town on the Greek coast – the same place she visited when grieving her mother nine years ago."
Though the town is not named specifically, the protagonist follows a route that can be roughly traced to the vicinity of Pylos, Greece.
Book: One Boat by Jonathan Buckley - 8/25/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Points:
Book: 1
Location (Greece x6): 2
Total: 3
Cumulative Points: 139
Total free passes available: 6
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 27): Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Ghana, Greece, Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Scotland, Taiwan, Tonga, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam
Note on location found on this website (https://bronasbooks.com/2025/03/21/on...) that contains a review where the writer took pains to figure out exactly where this book is set: "However, after looking at maps and rereading the driving route that Teresa described, I figured we could be on either the west coast of the Peloponnese or on Cyprus. A few more clues… ‘a lot of small tables and much-used chairs beneath plane trees’ and a ‘monument, an obelisk of white marble, was flanked by two cannons’ while the sun set ‘behind the long, jagged narrow island that formed the outer wall of the bay’ as well as a reference to an Ottoman castle and I finally pinned the town down to Pylos on the west coast of the Peloponnese."
Spin #35: 8/27 - SWDepart: Pylos, Greece
Destination: Bom Retiro, Brazil
Map:
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Rhumb Line Heading: 226.9° (SW)
Distance: 6424 miles
Cumulative Distance: 164,123 miles
Quote from book's description: "Eighteen-year-old Alice Ribeiro is constantly fighting—against the status quo, female oppression in Brazil...Seven generations ago, the small town of Bom Retiro shunned the Flores women because of a “curse” that rendered them unlucky in love.
Book: The Curse of the Flores Women by Angélica Lopes - 9/1/25 - 3.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Points:
Book: 1
Location (Brazil x14): 2
Total: 3
Fits the Tag "Around the World" but only tagged x2
Cumulative Points: 142
Total free passes available: 6
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 28): Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Ghana, Greece, Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Scotland, Taiwan, Tonga, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam
Spin #36: 9/3 - I am using a free pass to go NE instead
Depart: Bom Retiro, Brazil
Destination: Khentii, Mongolia
The initial heading is ~51° (NE).
Map: https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Quote for location: "The Mongols say you can experience all four seasons in a single day in the Khentii...On this, the land by the side of the Onon River, the boy destined to be known as Genghis Khan was born." (location 597)
Distance: 10679 miles
Cumulative Distance: 174,802 miles
Book: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford - 9/7/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Points:
Book: 1
Location (Mongolia x82): 2
Tag (Around the World x8): 3
Total: 6
Cumulative Points: 148
Total free passes available: 6 - 1 = 5
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 29): Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Ghana, Greece, Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Scotland, Taiwan, Tonga, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam
Spin #37: 9/10 - NWDepart: Khentii, Mongolia
Destination: Helsinki, Finland
The initial heading is 318.1° (Northwest).
Map:
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Distance: 3313 miles
Cumulative Distance: 178,115 miles
Quote for location (from the book's description): "Helsinki, 1947. Finland teeters between the Soviet Union and the West."
Book: Cold Victory by Karl Marlantes - 9/14/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Points:
Book - 1
Location (Finland x7): 2
Total: 3
Cumulative points: 151
Total free passes available: 5
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 30): Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Finland, Ghana, Greece, Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Scotland, Taiwan, Tonga, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam
Spin #38: 9/17 - EDepart: Helsinki, Finland
Destination: St Petersburg, Russia
Helsinki, Finland is located at latitude: 60.17°N, longitude: 24.95°E
St. Petersburg, Russia is located at latitude: 59.93°N, longitude: 30.34°E
This is almost directly East.
Map:
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Distance: 181 miles
Cumulative Distance: 178,296 miles
Quote for location: From the book's description: "By turns brilliant, entertaining, romantic and serious, it traces the development of a young Petersburg dandy as he deals with life and love. Also p. 22 - "But my Onegin? Home to bed, he drives sleepily through city streets while restless Petersburg already is awakened by the drummers' beats."
Book: Eugene Onegin: A Novel in Verse by Alexander Pushkin - 9/20/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Points:
Book - 1
Location (Russia x532): 2
Tag (Around the World x9): 3
Total: 6
Cumulative Total: 157
Total free passes available: 5
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 30): Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Finland, Ghana, Greece, Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Scotland, Taiwan, Tonga, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam
Spin #39: 9/24 - I am using a free pass to go SW instead.
Depart: St Petersburg, Russia
Destination: Bogotá, Colombia
Rhumb Line Bearing is: 235.94° (Southwest).
Map:
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Distance: 6426 miles
Cumulative Distance: 184,722 miles
Quote for location: "Yesterday, walking around the places in central Bogotá, where some of the events that I'm going to explore in this report happened... I found myself wondering aloud how I've come to know these things I might be better off not knowing." (location 125 of ebook)
Book: The Shape of the Ruins by Juan Gabriel Vásquez - 9 /28/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Points:
Book - 1
Location (Colombia x75): 2
Total: 3
Cumulative Total: 160
Total free passes available: 5 - 1 = 4
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 31): Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Finland, Ghana, Greece, Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Nigeria, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Scotland, Taiwan, Tonga, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam
Spin #40: 10/1 - SWDepart: Bogotá, Colombia
Destination: Christchurch, New Zealand
Map:
https://www.travelmath.com/distance/f...
(scroll down and click on "draw map")
The total straight line flight distance from Bogota, Colombia to Christchurch, New Zealand is 7,605 miles.
Your flight direction from Bogota, Colombia to Christchurch, New Zealand is Southwest (-135 degrees from North).
Distance: 7605 miles
Cumulative Distance: 192,327 miles
Quote - location 344: Tama for short. That's a Māori name." Also at 71% of the audio: "Tama lives in New Zealand, you moron."
Note: I used Christchurch since it's the closest large city to the High Country in New Zealand where the book is set.
Book: The Axeman's Carnival by Catherine Chidgey - 10/6/25 - 4.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Points:
Book: 1
Location (New Zealand x50): 2
Total: 3
Cumulative Total: 163
Total free passes available: 4
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 32): Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Finland, Ghana, Greece, Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Scotland, Taiwan, Tonga, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam
Spin #41: 10/8 - Used free pass to go NW instead
Depart: Christchurch, New Zealand
Destination: Glemmingebro, Sweden
Initial heading: 318.46° (NW - northwest)
Map:
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Distance: 11181 miles
Cumulative Distance: 203,508 miles
Quote for location (p.90): I write this at my desk in a small house in Glemmingebro, near the southernmost tip of Sweden.
Book: Autumn by Karl Ove Knausgård - 10/11/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Points:
Book: 1
Location (Sweden x5): 2
Total: 3
Cumulative points: 166
Total free passes available: 4 - 1 = 3 + 1 (for this book) = 4
Quote for free pass (p. 2): Today was absolutely marvellous, sun, blue sky, with the faintest hint of autumn in the air, and every colour seemed deep but also bright and p. 10: "There in the middle of the wood stood an apple tree laden with apples...Can we eat them, they asked. Yes, take as many as you want."
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 33): Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Finland, Ghana, Greece, Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Scotland, Sweden, Taiwan, Tonga, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam
Spin #42: 10/15 - WDepart: Glemmingebro, Sweden
Destination: Derry, Northern Ireland
Glemmingebro, Sweden: approximately 55.4°N, 13.4°E
Derry, Northern Ireland: approximately 55.0°N, 7.3°W
Map:
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Distance: 838 miles
Cumulative Distance: 204,346 miles
Quote for location: Loc 378 of e-book "Instead, here I am in dreary Derry, wasting my life, waiting to do matriculation and boards..." and from the book's description: The story is set in post civil war Northern Ireland...
Book: The Woods by Seamus O'Connor - 10/20/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Points:
Book: 1
Cumulative points: 167
Total free passes available: 4
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 34): Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Finland, Ghana, Greece, Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Scotland, Sweden, Taiwan, Tonga, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam
Spin #43: 10/22 - EDepart: Derry, Northern Ireland
Destination: Jelling, Denmark
Coordinates:
Derry, Northern Ireland: approximately 55.0°N, 7.3°W
Jelling, Denmark: 55.7°N, 9.4°E
Map: https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Distance: 658 miles
Cumulative distance: 205,004 miles
Quote for location: loc 208: "The many small-scale kingdoms of their homelands would eventually become the nations of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. and at 88% or audiobook: "Around 960 Harald Bluetooth inherited power from his long-lived father...The core of Harald's power lay at Jelling."
Note: Jelling was the "main" center of power in Denmark during the height of the Viking Age. It's where the Danish kingdom was formally unified under Harald Bluetooth around 960 CE.
Book: Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings by Neil Price - 10/27/25 - 4.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Points:
Book: 1
Location (Denmark x10): 2
Total: 3
Cumulative Points: 170
Total free passes available: 4
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 35): Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Finland, Ghana, Greece, Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Norway, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Scotland, Sweden, Taiwan, Tonga, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam
Spin #44: 10/29 - SEDepart: Jelling, Denmark
Destination: Transylvania, Romania
Map: https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Rhumb Line Heading: 135.4° (SE)
Distance: 902 miles
Cumulative distance: 205,906 miles
Quote for location: "The second volume of Miklos Banffy's panoramic trilogy of the dying years of the Habsburg empire. The tale of two Transylvanian cousins, their loves, their ambitions and their fortunes continues in They Were Found Wanting."
Book: They Were Found Wanting: The Transylvanian Trilogy, Volume II by Miklós Bánffy - 11/3/25 - 4.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Points:
Book: 1
Location (Romania x6): 2
Total: 3
Cumulative Points: 173
Total free passes available: 4 + 1 = 5 [Note: This book fits "election" - it covers the political situation in the Austro-Hungarian empire leading up to WWI and contains multiple elections.]
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 36): Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Finland, Ghana, Greece, Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Norway, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Scotland, Sweden, Taiwan, Tonga, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam
Spin #45: 11/5 - SDepart: Transylvania, Romania
Destination: Karoo Town, South Africa
Map:
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Distance: 5579 miles
Cumulative distance: 211,485 miles
Quote for location: p.23 "He'd bought a house in tiny Karoo Town...on his way to Cape Town."
Book: The Impostor by Damon Galgut - 11/9/25 - 5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Points:
Book: 1
Location (South Africa x22): 2
Total: 3
Cumulative Points: 176
Total free passes available: 5
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 37): Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Finland, Ghana, Greece, Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Norway, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, Tonga, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam
Spin #46: 11/12 - Depart: Karoo Town, South Africa
Destination: Valletta, Malta
Map:
https://www.mapdevelopers.com/distanc...
Distance: 4835 miles
Cumulative distance: 216,320 miles
Quote for location: p.1 - "The time was something after four o'clock on a Maltese June day--the twenty-third, to be exact..." and ch. 1 - "A man has to die somewhere, Geoffrey. Malta seems to me a reasonable kind of compromise." (later in the book it references Valletta)
Book: Earthly Powers by Anthony Burgess - 11/16/25 - 3.5* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Points:
Book: 1
Location (Malta x7): 2
Monthly Tag (British Literature x14): 3
Total: 6
Cumulative Points: 182
Total free passes available: 5 - 1 (used this round) + 1 (this book includes the election of a new Pope) = 5
Countries: Countries (goal is 12: visited 38): Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Finland, Ghana, Greece, Iran, Japan, Kiribati, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Norway, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, Tonga, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam
When doing a summary, BnB posted what to include:Most creative goals - I am not in the running for this. My goal was very basic - visit 12 countries.
Greatest distance traveled per 12 books - will need to calculate (can use any 12)
Least distance traveled per 12 books. will need to calculate (can use any 12)
Points for tag match per 12 books. will need to calculate (can use any 12)
Points for the whole year of the challenge: tbd
Challenge will end with the completed book for the 11/26 spin.
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
The Committed (other topics)Earthly Powers (other topics)
The Impostor (other topics)
They Were Found Wanting: The Transylvanian Trilogy, Volume II (other topics)
Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Viet Thanh Nguyen (other topics)Anthony Burgess (other topics)
Damon Galgut (other topics)
Miklós Bánffy (other topics)
Neil Price (other topics)
More...
Goal: Travel to at least 12 different countries (which may require more than 12 books)
Here are the headings for the game, copied from the rules:
North: 0 degrees or 360 degrees
North East: 45 degrees
East: 90 degrees
South East: 135 degrees
South: 180 degrees
South West: 225 degrees
West: 270 degrees
North West: 315 degrees
Spin #1 - 12/25 - NW
Destination: Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia
Heading: The initial heading from Reno, Nevada (39.5° N, 119.8° W) to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia (53.0° N, 158.7° E) is approximately 317 degrees Northwest. Note: I am assuming this is close enough to the game direction of 315 degrees to qualify as Northwest.
Straight Line Distance Traveled: 3,785 miles
Cumulative Distance: 3785 miles
Book #1: Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips - 1/6/25 - 4* - My Review
PBT Review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Quote confirming location: P. 9 – “Once the two of them got there, they could turn away from the bay to look onto the beaten grass of the city’s main pedestrian square. Past that, and the lines of traffic, were a statue of Lenin, a sign for Gazprom, and a broad government building topped with flags. Alyona and Sofia would be standing in Petropavlosk-Kamchatsky’s heart, and seeing on either side the swing, of the city’s hills, it’s long ribs. A volcano’s blue top beyond.”
Points: 1 (book/location) + 2 (tag for location - Kamchatka):
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...
Total points so far: 3
Extra points will be given for matching the tag of the month, as well as tag for location.. Points are as follows:
1 point - per book or location
2 points - tag for location
3 points - matching tag of the month.