Around the World in 80 Books

message 1: by Halley (last edited Jun 25, 2016 11:34AM) (new)

Aug 04, 2012 11:58PM

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com

States: 32 + DC
Regions: 7
Countries: 36

1. North America: United States (PA):

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
2. Europe: Italy:

Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany by Bill Buford
3. Middle East: Afghanistan:

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
4. Asia: Burma:

Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan
5. Africa: South Sudan:

Pastwatch The Redemption of Christopher Columbus by Orson Scott Card

Pastwatch by Orson Scott Card
6. Europe: Portugal:

Blindness
7. North America: United States (NY):

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
8. Caribbean: Haiti:

Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende
9. North America: United States (IL):

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
10. Asia: New Guinea:

Lost in Shangri-la A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff

Lost in Shangri-la by Mitchell Zuckoff
11. Asia: Japan:

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
12. North America: United States (TN):

The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson
13. North America: United States (CA):

A Child Called "It" (Dave Pelzer #1) by Dave Pelzer

A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer
14: North America: United States (WA):

Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, #1) by E.L. James

Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James

Wow, it's going to take me a long time to get to 80! Excited to try though!

States: 6
Regions: 6
Countries: 9

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message 2: by Diane , Armchair Tour Guide (new)

Aug 05, 2012 05:40AM

Welcome to the challenge, Halley! Enjoy your journey!

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message 3: by Halley (new)

Aug 08, 2012 06:06PM

15. Europe: Wales:

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine #1) by Ransom Riggs

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

My library didn't have this month's book, so I jumped to September. Entertaining, quick, and easy read. Has several interesting ideas and themes I'm excited to chat about.

States: 6
Regions: 6
Countries: 10

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message 4: by Halley (new)

Aug 08, 2012 09:15PM

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com

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message 5: by Halley (last edited Jan 18, 2015 01:26PM) (new)

Aug 22, 2012 02:06PM

16. Asia: Philippines:

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson

This was such a fun book. I read Snow Crash years ago and loved it, but for some reason didn't seek out Neal Stephenson's other books. He seems to like moving around the world, so the rest of the cycle should be useful for this challenge as well. This book was set in China, the US, the Philippines, England, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Morocco, Italy, Australia, Malta, Japan, and three fictional countries: Outer Qwghlm, Inner Qwghlm, and the Sultanate of Kinakuta. (I might have missed some.) I chose to count it as the Philippines, because it spent most of the time there.

I really enjoyed this book and am definitely planning to read the rest of the cycle, but goodness it is long (910 pages + a bunch of extra material in the kindle version). Normally I like good books to be long, but I was racing the library return clock so I kept checking how many pages I had left.

States: 6
Regions: 6
Countries: 11

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message 6: by Halley (last edited Feb 18, 2015 11:28AM) (new)

Jul 20, 2013 04:48PM

17. North America: United States (NY): Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (+CA and driving)
18. Europe: Spain: Pretty Boy by Orson Scott Card
19. North America: United States (OK): Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
20. North America: United States (CO): On the Road by Jack Kerouac (+CA, NY, WY and driving)
21. North America: United States (MO): Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (+NY)
22. Asia: Thailand: Tangled Threads: A Hmong Girl's Story by Pegi Deitz Shea (+Laos and RI)
23. North America: United States (CA): The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka (+Japan)
24. Europe: Germany: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (+PN, NY, England, France)
25. North America: United States (NY): The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
26. Europe: Scotland: Knit Two by Kate Jacobs (+NY)
27. Europe: France: Rabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus by Bill Wasik (also many other places)
28. Oceania: Australia (NSW): The Secret River by Kate Grenville (+England)
29. Oceania: Australia (NT): In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
30. Europe: England (South East - Surrey): Emma by Jane Austen
31. Middle East: Jordan: Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky (also many other places)
32. North America: United States (IN): The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (+The Netherlands)
33. Asia: China: The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan (+CA)
34. North America: United States (MD): Every Day by David Levithan
35. North America: United States (NY): Origin by Diana Abu-Jaber
36. North America: United States (OH): The Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card
37. North America: United States (NY): The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe (great book to read if you are looking for new book recommendations!)
38. North America: United States (CA): One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
39. Oceania: New Zealand: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (also Belgium, CA, England, Korea, and HI)
40. North America: United States (CA): Light by Michael Grant
41. North America: United States (IN): We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler (+CA)
42. Europe: England (London): Overtime by Charles Stross
43. Europe: England: James Potter and the Curse of the Gate Keeper by G. Norman Lippert
44. North America: United States (DC): The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card
45. Oceania: Australia (QLD): The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough (+New Zealand, Libya, Italy, and England)

I read a number of books set in Australia this year because we were planning a trip there. I really enjoy reading books about the place I am going. I get a better feeling for the history and culture of the place, which allows me to learn more once I'm there. It's also a fun way to build anticipation for the trip and extend the fun!

I have noticed that most of the books that I stumble upon are set in California and/or New York and England. This is true for books I have been meaning to read for years (On the Road, Lolita, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Emma) and for random books available online at my library (my main source of books - The Friday Night Knitting Club, Origin, Overtime, James Potter, A Child Called "It"). I guess I'll have to be more proactive about sourcing books from new locations. I've had a hard time finding any of the Group Reads at my local library and the jacket descriptions on books often don't mention the location. Naturally the book I am currently reading is also set in England - The Cuckoo's Calling - Yep, I'm one of the million people that jumped on that ship!

States: 13 + DC
Regions: 7
Countries: 21

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message 7: by Halley (last edited Feb 18, 2015 11:28AM) (new)

Oct 02, 2013 01:32AM

46: Europe: England: The Girl on the Dock by G. Norman Lippert
47: North America: United States (NY): The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
48: North America: United States (CT): Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman
49: Europe: England: The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
50: Asia: Singapore: Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
51: Europe: England: How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran
52: North America: United States (MO): Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld
53: South America: Chile: Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende
54: North America: United States (PA): James Potter and the Vault of Destinies by G. Norman Lippert
55: North America: United States (GA): The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
56: Europe: France: The Absolutist by John Boyne

States: 17 + DC
Regions: 7
Countries: 23

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message 8: by Halley (last edited Feb 18, 2015 11:28AM) (new)

Nov 28, 2013 03:24PM

57: North America: United States (CA): The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
58: Europe: England (East of England - Norfolk): Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
59: Europe: Norway: Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller
60: North America: United States (IL): Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
61: North America: United States (NC): The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
62: Europe: France: Bringing up Bébé by Pamela Druckermann
63: North America: United States (NY): The Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff
64: North America: United States (IL): Divergent by Veronica Roth

Regions: 7
Countries: 24
States: 18 + DC

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message 9: by Halley (last edited Feb 18, 2015 11:28AM) (new)

Jan 03, 2014 05:57PM

65: North America: United States (MI): Ten Letters by Eli Saslow
66: North America: United States (MA): Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand
67: North America: United States (LA): Heads in Beds by Jacob Tomsky
68: Europe: England (South East): The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Regions: 7
Countries: 24
States: 21 + DC

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message 10: by Halley (last edited Feb 18, 2015 11:29AM) (new)

Dec 07, 2014 11:35AM

69: North America: Canada (QC): Déjà Dead by Kathy Reichs
70: Europe: Netherlands: The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
71: Africa: Nigeria: Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan
72: South America: Argentina: Cartwheel byJennifer duBois
73: North America: United States (PA): The Execution of Noa P. Singleton by Elizabeth L. Silver
74: North America: United States (CA): Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction by David Sheff
75: North America: United States (ND): The Round House by Louise Erdrich
76: North America: United States (CA): Ripper by Isabel Allende
77: Europe: Finland: The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna
78: Europe: Norway: Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson
79: Europe: England (South East - West Sussex): Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris
80: North America: United States (NY): Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn
81: Asia: China: Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw
82: Oceania: Australia (NSW): Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan
83: North America: United States (NJ): Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
84: Europe: England: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
85: North America: United States (WA): Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
86: North America: United States (WA): The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
87: North America: United States (GA): Every Crooked Nanny by Kathy Hogan Trocheck
88: Europe: England ( South West - Gloucestershire): The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
89: North America: United States (MI): Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
90: North America: United States (FL): Paper Towns by John Green
91: North America: United States (WA): The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
92: Europe: England: Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
93: North America: United States (MA): John Quincy Adams by John Quincy Adams
94: North America: United States (CO): The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
95: North America: United States (IL): Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish by David Rakoff
96: Europe: England (London): The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
97: North America: United States (MN): Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
98: Europe: England (London): That Summer by Lauren Willig
99: North America: United States (NY): Invisible City by Julia Dahl
100: Africa: Sierra Leone: A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
101: Europe: England (London): The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
102: North America: United States (MA): Six Months Later by Natalie D. Richards
103: Europe: France: The Illusion of Separateness by Simon Van Booy
104: North America: United States (NY): Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
105: North America: United States (NY): Delicious! by Ruth Reichl
106: Europe: England (East Midlands - Derbyshire): Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
107: Europe: England (West Midlands - Hertfordshire): The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
108: Caribbean: Puerto Rico: My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor

Regions: 7
Countries: 31
States: 23 + DC

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message 11: by Halley (last edited Jan 18, 2015 01:56PM) (new)

Jan 18, 2015 01:23PM

109: North America: Canada (ON): Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
110: North America: United States (NY): Sous Chef: 24 Hours on the Line by Michael Gibney
111: Oceania: Australia (NSW): Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Regions: 7
Countries: 31
US States: 23 + DC
CAN Provinces: 2
AUS States: 3
ENG Regions: 6

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message 12: by Halley (new)

Feb 17, 2015 10:26PM

112: North America: United States (NC): Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl
113: North America: United States (OR): Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
114: North America: United States (PA): The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan
115: North America: United States (NE): The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett
116: North America: United States (TN): An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
117: North America: United States (LA): Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
118: North America: United States (TX) + Mars: The Martian by Andy Weir

Regions: 7
Countries: 31
US States: 25 + DC
CAN Provinces: 2
AUS States: 3
ENG Regions: 6

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message 13: by Halley (new)

Apr 03, 2015 06:59PM

119: Europe: France: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
120: North America: United States (CA): Landline by Rainbow Rowell
121: North America: United States (NC): The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
122: North America: United States (NY): A Permanent Member of the Family by Russell Banks
123: Oceania: Australia (NSW): The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
124: North America: United States (AZ): Lock In by John Scalzi
125: Caribbean: Dominican Republic: The brief and wonderous life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz

Regions: 7
Countries: 32
US States: 26 + DC
CAN Provinces: 2
AUS States: 3
ENG Regions: 6

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message 14: by Beatrice (new)

Apr 11, 2015 09:18AM