Around the World discussion

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1.Afghanistan The Places In Between,
The Bookseller of Kabul
In the Sea There Are Crocodiles READ 2012
A Thousand Splendid Suns
2.Albania The General of the Dead Army
3.Algeria The Plague

Austria The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss

4.Australia In a Sunburned Country
The Road from Coorain
Death of a River Guide
5.Biafra Half of a Yellow Sun
6.Bosnia The Bridge on the Drina

Brazil State of Wonder READ 2012

7.Burundi/U.S Strength in What Remains: A Journey of Remembrance and Forgiveness

Cameroon Tinderbox: How the West Sparked the AIDS Epidemic and How the World Can Finally Overcome It READ 2012

8.Canada The Beggar Maid: Stories of Flo and Rose
9.Caribbean Omeros (if I read this or White egrets, I'll correct the country to St. Lucia)

10.Chile The House of the Spirits READ 2012
11.China Empress Orchid
Twenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China READ 2012
Wolf Totem READ 2013
12.Columbia Of Love and Other Demons READ 2013
13.Congo The Poisonwood Bible READ 2012
Croatia The Tiger's Wife

14.Cuba Waiting for Snow in Havana: Confessions of a Cuban Boy
Our Man in Havana READ 2012
15.Czech Rep. The Book of Laughter and Forgetting
16.Denmark Music & Silence
Smilla's Sense of Snow

17.England Middlemarch READ 2012
Persuasion
Possession
The Book of Ebenezer Le Page
An Instance of the Fingerpost
18.Egypt A Border Passage: From Cairo to America--A Woman's Journey
Zaat (Modern Arabic Writing)
No One Sleeps in Alexandria READ 2012
Cairo: My City, Our Revolution READ 2013
19.France The Library at Night
Suite Française
20.Finland The Summer Book READ 2012
21.Germany The Book Thief READ 2012

Ghana Wife of the Gods: A Novel
Greenland An African in Greenland

22.Haiti Brother, I'm Dying

Hungary The Invisible Bridge READ 2012

23.Iceland The Fish Can Sing

Jar City READ 2012
24.India The Namesake
Interpreter of Maladies / The Namesake
A Passage to India
Sea of Poppies
A Fine Balance READ 2012

Iran The Blood of Flowers
The Women of Deh Koh: Lives in an Iranian Village
The Septembers of Shiraz
Samarkand READ 2012

25.Ireland Cheating at Canasta
The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty
Walk the Blue Fields: Stories READ 2012
26.Israel A Woman in Jerusalem
Here Comes the Messiah!
27.Italy Death at La Fenice READ 2012
The Periodic Table
The Name of the Rose
28.Japan The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle READ 2012
The Makioka Sisters READ 2012
The Housekeeper and the Professor READ 2012
A Pale View of Hills READ 2012

29.Kenya Wildflower: An Extraordinary Life and Untimely Death in Africa READ 2012
Nairobi Heat
30.Korea A Corpse in the Koryo
31.Laguna Pueblo,Arizona,USA
Ceremony
The Turquoise Ledge: A Memoir
32.Lebanon The Hakawati
Gate of the Sun READ 2012
33.Liberia The House at Sugar Beach

Lithuania Between Shades of Gray

35.The Netherlands The Assault
The Diary of a Young Girl
Outsider in Amsterdam READ 2012
36.New Zealand The Bone People
The Colour
37.Nigeria Things Fall Apart
Oil on Water: A Novel
Half of a Yellow Sun

Norway To Siberia
Out Stealing Horses READ 2012

38.Pacific Islands Mister Pip
39.Palestinian Territories
I Saw Ramallah
Palestinian Walks: Forays into a Vanishing Landscape READ 2012
40.Poland Night
The Bronski House: A Return to the Borderlands
41.Portugal Blindness

Romania The Passport READ 2012

42.Rwanda The Bone Woman: A Forensic Anthropologist's Search for Truth in the Mass Graves of Rwanda, Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo
Baking Cakes in Kigali
43.Siberia Travels in Siberia
44.South America Bel Canto
45.South Africa Agaat READ 2012
Disgrace
My Traitor's Heart: A South African Exile Returns to Face His Country, His Tribe, and His Conscience
A Beautiful Place to Die
46.Soviet Union Child 44
The Stalin Epigram
Speak, Memory READ 2012
47.Spain The Club Dumas READ 2012
48.Switzerland Hotel Du Lac
49.Thailand Sightseeing
50.Turkey My Name Is Red
Portrait of a Turkish Family

Ukraine The Silence of Trees READ 2012
United States The Black Flower: A Novel of the Civil War READ 2012
Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President READ 2013
Viet Nam Postcards from Nam READ 2012
Ru READ 2013
51.Wales Here be Dragons
Under Milk Wood

West Africa,18th century
Someone Knows My Name READ 2012

52.Zimbabwe When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: A Memoir of Africa

Sue,
I like that you just declared Palestine a country, even before the they got around to it this September. Maybe I'll do the same .

Wild Swans is a great idea for China. I've had it at home for years. I also have the other two books for China at home. Hmmm. Well, I have options.

Anne wrote: "Sue,
I like that you just declared Palestine a country, even before the they got around to it this September. Maybe I'll do the same .

Wild Swans is a great idea for China. I've had it at home f..."

Yeah--wasn't quite sure what to do with the Palestinian authors but I'm not leaving them off the list because of that. So I figured Palestinian Territory might work. Maybe I'll start something!!

I own all 3 China books too. I've had Wild Swans the longest if I read by seniority.

Judy--t5hanks for the encouragement. As you can see I have some additions to make and editing to do, but this is a fun exercise.

I've also had Wild Swans the longest.
I already changed my list. I have two of my "Israel" books now under
Palestinian territories. Why not? They are listed as alternatives at the moment. I'll have to decide to kick out a country in order to make room for them.

I've been hearing about Wild Swans for about 20 years.

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China is a reading at The Imprinted Life group, March 14, 2012!

Super list, Sue.

Hey, that's four of us already for Wild Swans, I think. That would be great if we all read it in time for The Imprinted Life group discussion.

Thank you, Anne.

Asmah wrote: "Thank you, Anne."

For what?

Anne wrote: "Asmah wrote: "Thank you, Anne."

For what?"

For getting me all excited about reading Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China at The Imprinted Life. Thank you.

Oh sure.

Eek! another group!! I've joined 2 just this week.

What is The Imprinted Life?
I am interested in reading The Wild Swans too.

and thanks for any compliments provided. They are appreciated. I know I still have to complete the list and clarify the doubles. I've added 8 more so far today.

Sue wrote: "Eek! another group!! I've joined 2 just this week.

What is The Imprinted Life?
I am interested in reading The Wild Swans too.

and thanks for any compliments provided. They are appreciated. I kno..."

Sue, The Imprinted Life is a GR reading group devoted exclusively to biography, personal essay, memoir, and fictional biography. Some members of 2012: Around the World (in 52 books) also are members of http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/4...

Sue, I knew you would freak at the idea of joining another group. Just join it for the Wild Swans read and then see. It's not a huge, highly active group like CR. It's small and intimate. Asmah won't beat you if you don't do all the group reads. Right, Asmah?

Seriously, no pressure.

I just looked it up. Call me crazy, but i'll figure this all out somehow. I like the idea of discussing Wild Swans and I'd like to discuss Anchee Min's books, even if it's after the fact. I'll probably end up joining and being a low level participant.

I think this group (52 countries)looks like it might be pretty active.

Sue wrote: "I just looked it up. Call me crazy, but i'll figure this all out somehow. I like the idea of discussing Wild Swans and I'd like to discuss Anchee Min's books, even if it's after the fact. I'll prob..."

It's all good, right? I'm glad you like both this group and The Imprinted Life group.

Anne wrote: "Sue, I knew you would freak at the idea of joining another group. Just join it for the Wild Swans read and then see. It's not a huge, highly active group like CR. It's small and intimate. Asmah..."

Do join for Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, Sue. You never know, another book there might catch your curiosity.

Asmah, that's really what I'm afraid of!! So many good books.

Sue wrote: "Asmah, that's really what I'm afraid of!! So many good books."

I almost finished with The Alchemist in which a theme is that the heart is fearful at the prospect of doing something new, fearful of what can go wrong, fearful of its impossibility, fearful of leaving behind something quite satisfactory, until courage overtakes fear, then the heart is glad in the midst of doing something new.

Judy wrote: "Asmah,I have The Alchemist on my list, too. I read Veronika Decides to Die by Coelho and have wanted to read something else by him. He's an interesting writer. He seems to t..."

I also moderate The World's Literature group, The Alchemist one of the current readings. The setting for this year's reads is Brazil and Peru. We did read an epic by Errol Lincoln Uys, a non-Brazilian whose story is set in Brazil. Most of the Peruvian books are by the Nobel Laureate Mario Vargas Llosa. For Brazilian books there are just so many choices. One of the current readings for Brazil is an anthology of Brazilian short stories (aha, ethnicity) in which Machado de Assis and Clarice Lispector are prominent. I hope some of these authors may find their way into some lists for those countries.

Which countries are up for next year?

Anne wrote: "Which countries are up for next year?"

The World's Literature group is organized by region.

Europe/Middle East/Africa
North/Central/South America
Asia Pacific

The first year we read from Greece (Europe), the second and current year is from Brazil and Peru (South America), and the third year will be an Asian-Pacific country. Then, we'll begin again, the fourth year from a Middle Eastern or African country (we began with Europe), the fifth year from a North/Central American country (we'll have done South America), the sixth year from another Asian-Pacific country, etc.

Sounds good.

Thanks Barry. Both have been on my shelf for quite a while, waiting for me.

Asmah, very nice quote from Coelho. I did join Literary Imprint tonight and I've been looking for more ideas for this group most of the evening. (Alas, I should be reading!!)

Sue,try this link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html...

excellent Anne. You are obviously a better tech wizard than I. Now I have to decide whether to buy Agaat or not (but I have til the 30th)

I've pretty much completed my basic list but I'm sure there will be adaptations along the way and possible country changes.

Sue wrote: "excellent Anne. You are obviously a better tech wizard than I.

But I don't even know about Google reader.

I think messages must be getting mixed somewhere.

I did just subscribe to the blog on Google Reader and then used that nice Firefox feature to "pin" the reader so it shows up every time Firefox opens as an "app" tab. This should remind me. I do like Firefox.

Anne, Google Reader is free through google and allows you to subscribe to various online things which are sent to the reader for you to read in one place. You can sign in through the google page and set it up or I think you can set it up during the process after you click RSS at the blog you want to follow(I imagine that's as clear as mud)

thank you Sue. I will follow your directions.

Good luck!!

I have updated my list but haven't got all my links in since that means re-doing the list again and that means a large influx of patience. Anyone know how to add a book link to the beginning or middle of the list---I'd love a clue.

Jenny, thanks for the mention that no one would know this unless I posted to my own list.

Sue wrote: "I have updated my list but haven't got all my links in since that means re-doing the list again and that means a large influx of patience. Anyone know how to add a book link to the beginning or mid..."

Sue, when you want to add an author and/or book link, go to the very bottom of your list. If you don't, the link will end up there anyway. Then, you cut and paste it wherever you want it to go.

When I tried that, the link wasn't active, but I'll try again. It's a bit frustrating with a long list (especially one that keeps changing). Well it will probably keep changing until 12/31/2012.

Sue wrote: "When I tried that, the link wasn't active, but I'll try again. It's a bit frustrating with a long list (especially one that keeps changing). Well it will probably keep changing until 12/31/2012."

Ditto

Thanks. That's what I thought but was hoping I was wrong.

I'm slowly re-writing my list with links. So---I'm leaving the old list in place with the new one beneath it. Of course, there are some changes between the 2 lists. I couldn't help or stop myself. Some books just started shouting at me to go on the list. (or I'm becoming schizophrenic at this late age!)

Finished!!! Halleljah! Of course now the addendum has doubled and I've added to some countries and I'm not sure about others, but lists are made to be changed.

Congratulations. Of course lists are made to be changed. Well, that's my philosophy anyway.

:)

I'm so glad to have it done. Can't believe how many books are on that list (and I keep seeing more ideas). It's a veritable beast.

Sue, I was immediately attracted to the tone evident in the prose of The Fish Can Sing. I thought I might add this to my books too. Thank you!

There are some wonderful books out there that this challenge opened me up to. You're welcome Chrissie. I can see you went a step further than I did and checked the sample. I judged from reviews only. I haven't gotten into the habit of looking at samples yet but I have certain things I look for in reviews.

I like to see how authors express themselves. I am so picky. But even sampling isn't fullproof.

I imagine it wouldn't be, but it is nice to have that option now.

Yup!

Just received my copy of Here Comes the Messiah! so now I actually have on hand copies of both my books for Israel. Between physical and e-copies, I have at least half of my books on hand (unless I change my mind, of course).

I'm slowly finding out others that I don't have access to, but I know I won't read the whole list so I should be OK.

Sue wrote: "Just received my copy of Here Comes the Messiah! so now I actually have on hand copies of both my books for Israel. Between physical and e-copies, I have at least half of my books on ..."

Lucky you. I can't find anything but very expensive copies. Can't wait to hear how you like this book.

Re; Here Comes the Messiah

Sue, I will add it to my list IF it ever becomes accessible. I am only adding books I know I can get a hold of. It looks very good

I got this online through AbeBooks. And obviously I won't be reading it for a while. I think it cost me about $13 plus shipping. This is the first time I've used them and they had 2 things I couldn't find anywhere else. They were a bit more expensive than I usually pay but I figure it's worth it since neither of the books were even available in my library system. Oh and I got new copies.