The County Library discussion

The 2011 Summer Reading Club has started at all SLCLS libraries! This year's theme for adults is "Novel Destinations". June through August, read 5 books -- each set on a different continent. See what other people are reading and share your reading lists here! Need some suggestions? Post a question below and we'll help you find something. There will be a drawing from the challenge finishers for a small prize basket.

Also, drop into any county library for a reading record, and earn a free book or a fine waiver just for reading this summer! http://www.saltlakesummerreading.com/

Doubt I can do 5 in 3 months (knowing my current record...) but I'm plotting out 4 titles.

-Currently reading "120 Days of Sodom" (Europe)
-want to reread "The Poisonwood Bible" (Africa)
-"The Windup Bird" (Asia)
-"100 Years of Solitude" (S. America) - which I'm ashamed to admit I have never read...
Not quite the usual lite summer reading list.

Lady of the Butterflies (England)
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon (amazon)
Glassblower of Murano (Italy)

This is going to be fun. It will also get me out of my comfort zone. I tend to read books set in the US or Europe. I have not picked books yet. Will post as soon as I do.

I can't bear to plan my list ahead, because I love to be fickle in my reading choices, but I'm starting with The Snowman which is from Norway. I've only read a few chapters so far, but it is super creepy!

I'm really excited to do this since I've been stuck in a rut of reading the same types of books lately. This is just the thing to get me out of it. I've chosen only four books so far and I'd LOVE some suggestions of what I should do for my fifth.

Twenty Chickens For A Saddle (Africa)
Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them (All over the world)
The Last Time I Saw Paris (Europe)
and
The Things They Carried (Vietnam)

This is a great theme to help me choose my summer reading. I came up with four good ones but need help with one more:
1)The Book Theif (Europe)
2)Angle of Repose (America)
3)The White Tiger (Asia)
4)The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party (Africa)
5)?
Anyone know any good books set in Antarctica?

Oooh, I found one that looks good: Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer, by Lynne Cox.

Someone asked when they signed up for the challenge if the continents have to be on earth. I think exploring a destination that isn't earth is a fun idea too!

I haven't even started my list yet, but I'm thinking I'll read one of the "Magic or Madness" sequels since they take place in the US and Australia.

I guess mythical continents wouldn't count, ;) , I am almost done with A Game of Thrones. After I am done with my current book, I will be reading Winter's Bone so there is my book for N. America, 4 continents to go. :)

Ok...I'm going to give this a try...I'm really not "into" fiction that is, how shall I say, focused on its destination?? I guess that sounds dumb...I'm more of a character driven gal. I guess I'm afraid I'll have to read "literature." lol. I'm more a fluff kind of girl... ;)

Never fear, there is plenty of international fluff. I think I am going to try to do all of mine as mysteries.

Can we read non-fiction, too? I'm trying to compile a list but am coming up with mostly non-fic.

So this is separate from the Summer Reading Program? We went and signed up yesterday and the librarian didn't say anything about continents... (not that he said much about anything... just kinda tossed the papers at me)

Europe will be easy, same with North America... and I've just started Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, so there's Asia... not sure about Africa, South America, Australia...

This challenge is not part of the reading record that you get at the library for the Summer Reading Club, it's just a fun thing to do on the side if you are a Goodreads member. You can read anything you want- fiction and non-fiction are both fine. The idea is just to read books from or set in 5 different continents during the summer. All the people who complete the challenge and list their books here by the end of August will be entered in a drawing for a small prize basket.
Have fun, and let me know if you have more questions!

Micah wrote: "This is a great theme to help me choose my summer reading. I came up with four good ones but need help with one more:
1)The Book Theif (Europe)
2)Angle of Repose (America)
3)The White Tiger (Asi..."

I really liked The White Darkness, set in Antarctica. It's a bit literary, but a good adventure.

Jennifer wrote: "Micah wrote: "This is a great theme to help me choose my summer reading. I came up with four good ones but need help with one more:
1)The Book Theif (Europe)
2)Angle of Repose (America)
3)The Wh..."

Heart of Darkness by Conrad (Africa)

Started on my Asia book the other day- Little Princes by Conor Grennan. I have ideas for the other four, but haven't nailed them down yet. I'm actually having a hard time narrowing the list (all of the books I'm looking at are already on my "to-read" list).

Here's my North America book: What Happened to Goodbye
I just started it, but I've read enough Sarah Dessen to know that it will be a perfectly sweet little summer romance. Just what I need after the super-creepy Snømannen!

My summer reading plan for five continents includes: for N. America: Caleb's Crossing; Europe: A Vintage Affair, or Withering Tights, or The Tiger's Wife; S. America: Bel Canto, or The War of the End of the World, Asia: The Dressmaker of Khair Khana, or Please Look After Mom, or Then They Came for Me, or Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, and Africa: The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party. Had a hard time finding one from Australia...

I read Stolen (by Lucy Christopher) recently, which takes place in Australia. It's YA.

This is my plan for the five continents:
1. N. America--Tom Sawyer
2. Australia--Getting the Girl by Mark Zusak
3. Europe--The Provence Cure for the Broken Hearted by Bridget Asher
4. Asia--Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China
5. Africa--The Winter Vault by Anne Michaels

Becky wrote: "My summer reading plan for five continents includes: for N. America: Caleb's Crossing; Europe: A Vintage Affair, or Withering Tights, or The Tiger's Wife; S. America: Bel Canto, or The War of the..."

I love, love, love Bel Canto! It's gorgeous!

Jeana wrote: "This is my plan for the five continents:
1. N. America--Tom Sawyer
2. Australia--Getting the Girl by Mark Zusak
3. Europe--The Provence Cure for the Broken Hearted by Bridget Asher
4. Asia--Wild Sw..."

And so is Getting the Girl. For me, this is Zusak's best book. Brilliant!

I've loved Zusak's other two--I am the Messenger and Book Thief--so I'm hoping I'll love this one as well.

I love Book Thief, but Getting the Girl is just so beautifully pared down, it's a raw, beautiful story.

Since June 1 I have completed the following:

Asia: The City and the City by China Mieville - It's speculative fiction, but I think the story takes place in the Middle East

North America:Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey (border between Mexico and Texas)

North America:The Angel Experiment by James Patterson

Africa:The Laughter of Dead Kings by Elizabeth Peters(Egypt)

To Read:

Australia: Stolen by Lucy Christopher (thanks Jeana!)

Europe: Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - can't believe I have never read this!

Here's my list so far:

ASIA/ Krakatoa by Simon Winchester
EUROPE/ The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris, 1830-1900 by David McCullough
AFRICA/ The Plague by Albert Camus
NORTH AMERICA/ Will Grayson, will grayson by John Green & David Leviathan

5th book TBD. :D

Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra: Asia (or the Indian subcontinent, depending how you roll)

Dragonfly in Amber, by Diana Gabaldon: Europe

The Breaking Wave, by Nevil Shute: Australia

The Passage, by Justin Cronin: North America

Maybe for my 5th I will finally make it through "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency." I have tried so many times, and I just can't get into that book.

Okay. Here is my list so far:
Asia- Little Princes
N. America- Lolita
Europe- Leviathan
Africa- Cleopatra: A Life

I still need one more for S. America, Australia/Oceania, or Antarctica, and am thinking about doing a fiction and a non-fiction for each continent...we'll see how that goes.

Sherril wrote: "Since June 1 I have completed the following:

Asia: The City and the City by China Mieville - It's speculative fiction, but I think the story takes place in the Middle East

North America:Santa..."

Sherril wrote: "Since June 1 I have completed the following:

Asia: The City and the City by China Mieville - It's speculative fiction, but I think the story takes place in the Middle East

North America:Santa..."

STOP Sherril! You're making the rest of us look bad! Sheesh.

I've got my first book finished Unnatural Issue by Mercedes Lackey. A fantasy historical novel with Zombies and the start of World War I. So Europe's done, I wonder what I'll find next.Hmmm..
I'm only going to read one serious/literary book, the rest will be my normal reads. That way I don't feel guilty for not challenging myself but I don't feel so overwhelmed that I stop wanting to read during the summer.

Jennifer wrote: "This challenge is not part of the reading record that you get at the library for the Summer Reading Club, it's just a fun thing to do on the side if you are a Goodreads member. You can read anythi..."

When you say "from or set in five different continents", does that mean the author can be from say Australia even if the book isn't set there? Or are we going strictly by setting?

One more question- how much if the book needs to take place on that continent to count it? All, half, a couple of chapters?

Lahni wrote: "One more question- how much if the book needs to take place on that continent to count it? All, half, a couple of chapters?"

Lahni- The idea is to get a taste of literature and/or settings from all over the world, so I don't think it matters whether a book is set in the continent or just from an author from that place. Also, I'm not going to make the call on your second question, since each book is so different. I'll leave that up to each reader to decide.

So far I've read --


Dark Road to Darjeeling (Lady Julia Grey Series #4) by Deanna Raybourn (Asia)

Blowback by Peter May (the Enzo Files#5)(Europe-France)

Unnatural Issue by Mercedes Lackey (the Elemental Masters#6)(fantasy,Europe-England)

Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord (Africa)

G'day to Die by Maddy Hunter (Passport to Peril#5)(Australia)

Ghost Story by Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files#13)(North America)

I'm going to try to squeeze in Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (So America), but we'll see.

So, I guess I'm done! =)

So far I've read:
Revelations by Laurel Dewey (North America)
Mrs. Pollifax, Unveiled by Dorothy Gilman (Middle East)

Reading Where the Mountain Meets the Moon with my daughter, so there's the "Far East".

I'm toying with the idea of doing regions instead of just continents.... :)

I have read "The Templar Legacy" by Steve Berry (Europe), "The Indigo Notebook" by Laura Resau (South America), "Dreams of Joy" by Lisa See (Asia), "Through Black Spruce" by Joseph Boyden (North America) and "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver (Africa). I am currently reading "Picnic at Hanging Rock" by Joan Lindsay. (I edit this on July 17th, there's no way I could have read 5 books by June 18th)

I'm going to include kids books, Yeah-hooo, kids books! So I just read book four of the 39 clues series which is set in Egypt. If you ever wanted to read fiction that was totally focused on travel and geography read the 39 clues series.

#1 Unnatural Issue - Mercedes Lackey (Europe)
#2 Beyond the Grave - Jude Watson (Africa)

Britt, Book Habitue wrote: "So this is separate from the Summer Reading Program? We went and signed up yesterday and the librarian didn't say anything about continents... (not that he said much about anything... just kinda to..."

The whole book isn't in Australia but The Forgotten Garden is a really good one.

Bekster15 wrote: "Britt, Book Habitue wrote: "So this is separate from the Summer Reading Program? We went and signed up yesterday and the librarian didn't say anything about continents... (not that he said much abo..."

I've been wondering about that one. Did you read The House at Riverton, and if so, what did you think? Is The Forgotten Garden better or worse?

Jennifer wrote: "Bekster15 wrote: "Britt, Book Habitue wrote: "So this is separate from the Summer Reading Program? We went and signed up yesterday and the librarian didn't say anything about continents... (not tha..."

I really enjoyed both those books, but The Forgotten Garden is my favorite of Kate Morton's novels, and one of my favorites of all time.

How do I document that I am completing the challenge? This is not on the adult summer reading program form...

Becky wrote: "How do I document that I am completing the challenge? This is not on the adult summer reading program form..."

Becky- just post your five titles and which continents they represent here, either all together or in separate posts as you read them. We'll take all of the names of the people who post and put them in a drawing for a gift basket at the end of August. However, regardless of the number of posts, each person will only be entered once.

If you are still looking for titles, read the other posts. There are tons of great ideas!

Britt, Book Habitue wrote: "So far I've read:
Revelations by Laurel Dewey (North America)
Mrs. Pollifax, Unveiled by Dorothy Gilman (Middle East)

Reading Where the Mountain Meets the Moon with my daughter, so there's the..."

Now I've also read:
The Camelot Caper by Elizabeth Peters
Num8ers by Rachel Ward
(Both England)

Love non-fiction. Here are my picks for summer.
"In the Garden of Beasts" (Larson) - Europe
"When You Look Like Your Passport, It's Time To Go Home" (Bombeck)- Worldwide
"Panic in Level 4" (Preston)- mostly N America, some Africa
"Home of the Blizzard" (Mawson)- Antarctic
"Packing for Mars" (Roach)- Outer Space?

I wanted to recommend "Crocodile on the Sandbank" to anyone looking for an African book. I read it at the beginning of June and loved it! Strong female protagonist, Victorian language, intriguing and mysterious plot...it's a great summer read!

This one I started reading earlier, "Casting Off" combining a single mom doing her research on knitting/textiles and Ireland, one of my favorite places. It is by Nicole R. Dickson - 2009. Mom and daughter, Rowan travel to the Irish home of a college friend, becoming a part of the community although Becky is haunted by memories of her dead husband....
The preface says Accent novels touch on subjects close to a woman's heart, friendship to family, to finding our place in the world.... I agree.
They both find friendship, laughter, and love...Casting Off

The Summoner by Layton Green: Africa

That's Europe, North America, and Africa down (the first two several times over...)

Alright, here is my list of the books I've read:

North America - Moon Over Manifest
Europe - The Invisible Bridge
Asia - The Street of a Thousand Blossoms
Africa - The Little Prince
Austraila - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Unbearable Lightness (both books are partially set in Australia)