Around the World discussion

I've always been addicted to travel literature, but I've kind of been stuck in a rut with my whole obsessed-with-Antarctica thing. So I'm totally looking forward to exploring some other places!

About half of these books I picked because I either already have them sitting on my shelves at home and have not yet gotten around to actually reading them, or because they've been on my to-read list for ages and this is a great excuse to track them down and knock those out! The rest I chose by picking a country, performing a little research to find something related and that looks interesting, and then checking to see if it is available from my local library. And there you have it!

* Antarctica (ahem!): Tragedy & Triumph: The Journals of Captain R.F. Scott's Last Polar Expedition by Robert Falcon Scott
* Australia: The Widow and Her Hero by Thomas Keneally
* Azerbaijan: Ali and Nino: A Love Story by Kurban Said
Brazil: Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle by Daniel L. Everett
* Botswana: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
* Canada: High Latitudes: An Arctic Journey by Farley Mowat
* Chile: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
* China: The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer by Neil Stephenson
* Congo: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
* Cuba: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway
* Czech Republic: The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman
* Denmark: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
* Dominican Republic: Yo! by Julia Alvarez
* Egpyt: The Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamen by Howard Carter
* England: Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
* France: Wind, Sand, and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
* Germany/Switzerland: Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse
* Greenland: This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland by Gretel Ehrlich
* Hungary: Bela Bartok (20th Century Composers) by Kenneth Chalmers
* India: Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
* Indonesia: Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded by Simon Winchester
* Iran: Blind White Fish in Persia by Anthony Smith
* Ireland: Skippy Dies by Paul Marray
* Italy: I, Claudius by Robert Graves
* Malaysia: An Outcast of the Islands by Joseph Conrad
* Mexico: The Devil's Highway: A True Story by Luis Alberto Urrea
* Japan: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami Abandoned--I'm going to have to pick a new book for Japan, I guess!
* Japan (take 2): Botchan by Natsume Sōseki
* Kenya: Out of Africa by Karen Blixen
* Mongolia: Genghis: Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden
* Nepal: Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan
* Nigeria: Little Bee by Chris Cleave
* North Korea: Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
* Norway: Farthest North by Fridtjof Nansen
Peru: Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time by Mark Adams
* Polynesia: The Statues that Walked: Unraveling the Mystery of Easter Island by Terry Hunt and Joe Lipo
* Puerto Rico: When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago
* Russia: Travels in Siberia by Ian Frazier
* Scotland: Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
* Somalia: Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad by Waris Dirie
* Spain: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Luis Zafón
* Sudan: They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan by Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng and Benjamin Ajak, with Judy A. Bernstein
Sweden: The Emigrants by Vilhelm Moberg
* Syria: An Arab-Syrian Gentleman and Warrior in the Period of the Crusades: Memoirs of Usamah Ibn-Munqidh by Usamah Ibn-Munqidh
* Thailand: The Beach by Alex Garland
* Tibet: Among the Tibetans by Isabella L. Bird
* Turkey: Cybele's Secret by Juliet Marillier
* United States: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Vietnam: The Unwanted: A Memoir of Childhood by Kien Nguyen
* Zimbabwe: King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard

And there are a couple that cover multiple countries:

Getting Stoned with Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu by J. Maarten Troost: Fiji/Vanuatu
* Skeletons on the Zahara by Dean King: A True Story of Survival: Morocco/the disputed territory of Western Sahara

It's a pretty mixed bag: stuff that takes place in the country listed, stuff that was written by someone from that country, stuff written about someone who came from that country, histories, mysteries, classics, linguistics, short stories...also a fair amount of polar literature. Well, I just couldn't resist.

Now to see what everyone else is planning on reading! :)

Warnie B. wrote: "It's a pretty mixed bag: stuff that takes place in the country listed, stuff that was written by someone from that country, stuff written about someone who came from that country, histories, mysteries, classics, linguistics, short stories...also a fair amount of polar literature. Well, I just couldn't resist..."

Can I suggest that you read the "polar literature" in the summer? :) You've reached for the stars with the list. I admire it.

Thanks! And yeah, I think that's a good plan--I live in Texas, so I'll definitely need something nice and chilly to take my mind off the 106 degree summers!

That's what I noted too, highly stared books. Lets see how ur journey goes Warnie B. :)

p.s. I didnt even know the writer of the prince had another book. Ignorant me.

Yeah, this one is non-fiction, about aviation. It's supposed to be really good, so I've been wanting to read it for a long time!

Warnie B. wrote: "Yeah, this one is non-fiction, about aviation. It's supposed to be really good, so I've been wanting to read it for a long time!"

Let me know how was it. :)

Thanks, Judy! Yes, I do love adventure accounts as well, so I'm really looking forward to Skeletons on the Zahara--good to know so many people love it!

And I'll definitely have a look at the Group Reads folder--doing a group read sounds fun!

I'd love to hear some of your best Antarctica reads, if you feel like sharing. Have you heard of The Still Point? I read it when it was nominated for the Dylan Thomas Prize last year.

Looking through your list, we have the same book selected for Greenland. In fact, I notice several of your books are intentionally about cold regions when it makes sense. (I sense you are a kindred spirit, as I even have a cold weather island shelf!)

Loved Skippy Dies (I listened to the audiobook which is full of Irish accents!), loved The Magus, and loving 1Q84. You have a great year ahead of reading!

Oh yeah and the main reason I'm commenting is to let you know that your books are now part of the master list.

Haha, yes, I do love reading about those cold regions! I hadn't heard of The Still Point--I'm definitely adding it to my to-read list though--thanks!

As for Antarctica, I love the accounts of the early expeditions. Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, The Worst Journey in the World, and The Lost Men: The Harrowing Saga of Shackleton's Ross Sea Party are a few of my favorites so far, as well as The Heart of the Great Alone: Scott, Shackleton and Antarctic Photography. On the more modern side, I've really enjoyed Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica, Big Dead Place: Inside the Strange and Menacing World of Antarctica and On the Ice: An Intimate Portrait of Life at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. And Troubling a Star and Victim of the Aurora are probably my favorite fiction reads that take place there that I've read so far. That might be way more than you were really wanting to know--ha!

I'm definitely looking forward to Skippy Dies--I have it on audio as well--good to know that you enjoyed it! :)

These look great, thanks for taking the time! It is the other polar end, but I'm also planning to read Last Places: A Journey in the North. My copy is on the way, woohoo!

Ooooh, I hadn't seen that one yet! I'm definitely adding that to my to-read list as well. Hope you like it!

I, too, am a lover of Antarctica literature. I would suggest you read Mawson's Will: The Greatest Survival Story Ever Written, by Lennard Bickel, if you haven't already done so. It is wonderful!

Maude wrote: "I, too, am a lover of Antarctica literature. I would suggest you read Mawson's Will: The Greatest Survival Story Ever Written, by Lennard Bickel, if you haven't already done so. It is wonderful!"

Oh, I haven't read that one yet, but I've had it on my to-read list for ages. People seem to unanimously love that one--I'm really excited about it, once I track a copy down! :)

that's a good list.

Thanks! I'm really looking forward to a lot of these!

I saw this post on NPR and it made me think of you - about a book called The Ice Balloon: S. A. Andree And The Heroic Age Of Arctic Exploration.

Oh, that sounds awesome! Thanks, Jenny! I am definitely going to have to read that one soon--yay! :)

Man, I've made a lot of changes! I imagine I'm not the only one. Planning an entire year's worth of reads in advance is easier said than done!

My list changes continuously.

I have! I'm still a little behind, but I'm hoping I can catch up and actually complete the challenge...we'll see!

Great list! I really enjoyed Don't Sleep, There are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle

Yeah, I'm looking forward to reading that one--good to know you liked it!