Chicks On Lit discussion

I saw this at another group's site as a reading challenge. But, I thought it would make interesting conversation here. So.......Where have you been through books you have read? Anywhere you'd really like to visit in person?

A - Antarctica, Australia, Antigua, Argentina, Austria, Afghanistan
B - Brazil, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Barbados
C - China, Columbia, Canada, Chile, Cuba
D - Dominican Republic, Dominica
E - Egypt, Ethiopia, England
F - France
G - Guatemala, Greece, Germany
H - Hong Kong, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary
I - India, Ireland, Italy, Israel, Iran
J - Japan, Jamaica and Jordan
K - Kenya, Kirabati
L - Lebanon, Lithuania
M - Mexico, Malayasia, Morocco
N - New Zealand, Nigeria, Nicaragua
O - Oman
P - Poland. Portugal, Puerto Rico, Philippines, Peru, Papua New Guinea, Panama
Q - Qatar
R - Russia, Rwanda
S - Scotland, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Seychelles, Singapore
T - Tasmania, Tibet, Turkey, Tahiti
U - USA, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uganda, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan
V - Vietnam, Vanuatu, Virgin Is., Venezuela
W - Wales
X - Xina (China), Xile (Chile)
Y - Yemen
Z - Zimbabwe

Correct my list if you can think of more countries! :)

Interesting, Rose. I've been to more than I would have thought. Some of the Middle Eastern/African countries I may never visit (Oman, Qatar, Yemen, Zimbabwe). If you're looking for a "B" country, may I suggest for Barbados, The Polished Hoe: A Novel.

Here's a list to more countries...
http://www.state.gov/misc/list/

Sadly, I have never left the USA. =(

Mandy, you've read Sarah's Key, which was in France, and Night, in Germany. So I know you've been to at least those two European countries. Surely there are others.

Oh, silly me. Book wise. =) I was thinking in real life.

I've been to Australia in Winter Garden and Italy, India and Indonesia inEat, Pray, Love. I have been to England in many books. I need to think about other places.

Russia seems to be a frequent one for me;
The Madonnas of Leningrad: A Novel
City of Thieves
Everything Is Illuminated
How We Survived Communism & Even Laughed
Rasputin's Daughter

Rose, I'm in the middle of my firstreads book Eye of the Red Tsar: A Novel of Suspense which is set in Russia and so far it's really good.
This year I've been to:
Canada The Day the Falls Stood Still
Ethiopia The Storyteller's Beads
Iran The Complete Persepolis
Lebanon A Girl Made of Dust
Yugoslavia The Cellist of Sarajevo

This is interesting!

I've recently been to 1940's southern Rhodesia with Doris Lessing's The Grass Is Singing.

(...Does this fantasy book travel include travelling back in time! LOL)

I've also been to a Northern France mining town via Emile Zola's Germinal

I've been to early twentieth century colonial Burma with George Orwell's Burmese Days

and now I'm off to Chandrapore with E.M. Forster's A Passage to India

...as someone who can't travel as much as she likes due to lack of funds...I like this game!!!

Ally

This is such a great topic Rose! Let's see, off the top of my head...

I've been to France:
A Year in Provence
The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry: Love, Laughter, and Tears at the World's Most Famous Cooking School
A Pig in Provence: Good Food and Simple Pleasures in the South of France
Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen
Loving Frank (Though since it's been a while, I could be wrong on this one).

Italy:
Under the Tuscan Sun
Eat, Pray, Love

India:
Eat, Pray, Love

Indonesia:
Eat, Pray, Love

Germany:
Loving Frank
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

Transylvania:
Night (Town of Sighet where Ellie Wiesel was born & stayed until taken to Auschwitz in Poland-town was also given to Romania and under control of Hungary at the time of the Nazi invasion)

Poland:
Night

England:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
The Thirteenth Tale

Mexico:
The Unlikely Lavender Queen: A Memoir of Unexpected Blossoming

And right now Ireland:
The Lace Makers of Glenmara

I'm sure they're more, I just can't think of them right now!

Darn it, Jo. I've been to Ireland in my reads - lots of times and I didn't need another on my Wish List. But The Lace Makers of Glenmara looks really, really good. Sigh.

Sorry Elizabeth! LOL! What other reads set in Ireland have you read? I'd love to know!

Jo wrote: "Sorry Elizabeth! LOL! What other reads set in Ireland have you read? I'd love to know!"

I'm a Maeve Binchy fan and all of hers that I've read are set in Ireland. She's the fluff that sometimes I need to sandwich in. But I've also read The Gathering, which is decidedly not fluff, and An Irish Country Doctor, which is.

Maeve Binchy, of course! (Slaps forehead) The Gathering sounds interesting & I've added it to my list. I'd seen An Irish Country Doctor but it didn't appeal to me.

I haven't been to any of the countries I've read books set it. I'd love to go to France and Ireland some day. And Egypt to see the ruins of Ancient Egypt.

I don't think there's enough room to list all of the books I've read set in the US, lol!

Yeah, I think I could have skipped the doctor one too. But at the time it fit in nicely with a challenge.

I do like a change now and again.

I am an armchair traveler, other than the US. For many years, I thought I wanted to go to Scotland, but I think that dream has been dashed. I'm OK with that, my life is pretty good.

I'm an armchair traveler too. I didn't go to France when I had the chance 19 years ago and I REALLY regret it so I would love to go so I can reconcile that w/myself. I'd like to go to Ireland not only because that's where my ancestors are from, but my Nana always talked about going back & taking me with her and we never did. I'd like to go for her and to see if I feel her Spirit there (since I don't when I visit her at the cemetery). Egypt because I Love Ancient Egyptian history.

Cool topic! In books, off the top of my head, I've been to the U.S., England, Greece, Japan, Afghanistan, China, India, Italy, France, South Africa and the Netherlands (and many mythical lands and planets!)

In reality, I've visited England and France and lived in the U.S., the Netherlands, and Japan :)

I've added Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl to Germany in my list above.

This has me thinking about what States in the US... What have I read set in which States?

That's a good idea Jo, should we start a traveling the U.S. through books discussion?

Sounds like a plan Rose!

Most of us have also been to Guernsey via the Geurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society!

I haven't been there yet but I plan on it Ally! This year hopefully!

Me too, Jo.

I'm in Ireland at the moment with A Swift Pure Cry. I'm not too sure what I think of this book. It's YA, which I love YA books, but quite frankly, the main character is awfully dumb. The other characters are interesting and there's about to be some fireworks, so I'm interested to see what happens.

Jennifer, I'm in Ireland too w/The Lacemakers of Glenmara (sorry, can't link from my cell!). How are you liking your book? I'm not sure what I think of mine yet.

Thanks, Chelsea!:) I added them to the list.
Do you have a place you'd really like to visit because of your reading travels?

Jo, mine was just awful. I wondered at times if anyone had ever bothered checking the girl's IQ, she was so stupid. I hope yours is better.

I'm in Rome now with The Reincarnationist. I didn't really expect to like this one, but it's turned out to be just what I was looking for. It reminds me of The Night Villa.

I'm starting City of Thieves tonight. Been quite awhile since I've been to Russia. I recall you really liked this one, Rose.

Jennifer W wrote: "Jo, mine was just awful. I wondered at times if anyone had ever bothered checking the girl's IQ, she was so stupid. I hope yours is better."

I'm so sorry to hear that Jennifer! The Lace Makers of Glenmara is LOL! funny as well as heartbreaking. I'm really enjoying this read!

Yes Elizabeth, I LOVED City of Thieves!

The Cellist of Sarajevo for books about Bosnia and Herzegovina. I read that one and it was awesome. I gotta admit, I'm from Bosnia so maybe I'm biased. :)

"Talent must be a fanatical mistress. She's beautiful; when you're with her, people watch you, they notice. But she bangs on your door at odd hours,and she disappears for long stretches, and she has no patience for the rest of your existence: your wife, your children, your friends. She is the most thrilling evening of your week, but some day she will leave you for good. One night, after she's been gone for years, you will see her on the arm of a younger man, and she will pretend not to recognize you." -City of Thieves, David Benioff

Sanela wrote: "The Cellist of Sarajevo for books about Bosnia and Herzegovina. I read that one and it was awesome. I gotta admit, I'm from Bosnia so maybe I'm biased. :)"

I don't think you're biased. It's a great book!

What a fabulous quote Elizabeth!

Jo wrote: "What a fabulous quote Elizabeth!"

I thought of you as I read it. See facebook.

Aaww, I did see on fb! Thank you! What brought me to mind?

Your writing. People who write have talent. Even very successful people refer to talent as fleeting. Oh, and the character for this quote was ostensibly quoting a character in a book. It just fit.

Ah!

Elizabeth wrote: "Sanela wrote: "The Cellist of Sarajevo for books about Bosnia and Herzegovina. I read that one and it was awesome. I gotta admit, I'm from Bosnia so maybe I'm biased. :)"

I don't ..."

Thanks, my book club read it and we all loved it. It is well worth reading.

This year I've been to England three times (The Writing On My Forehead, James & The Giant Peach, and The Believers); The Writing On My Forehead also took me to India and Pakistan; The Day The Falls Stood Still took me to Canada and Keeping The Feast took me to Italy, Poland, Germany, Croatia, and France.

Ha, I like this. I'll have to think about all the places I've ever visited through literature, there must be loads. I don't seem to have travelled very far this year though...

England 9 times - all be it dystopian and warped versions of it.
USA twice.
and a mythical, made up island which can't count!

Thirteenth Tale, Rebecca, and anything by Jane Austen. All the books that are set on beautiful estates in the english countryside make me long to be there. I'm actually contemplating going to one of the hotel/castles in Britain for my honey moon!

Wow, that would be very romantic Maria!

Jo wrote: "Wow, that would be very romantic Maria!"

My fiancé is not too excited about having a Jane Austen themed honey moon though. lol