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Topic: 2012 World Literarture Mini-Challenge LISTS ONLY
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Hi all, below is the proposed reading mini-challenge. After reading your comments and also reading some of the overall feedback to challenges (such as “confessions of a challenge first timer" in the historical fiction forum ) I am reminded (and remind myself) that the whole idea is to have fun with this, so I am making this a low key – but, I hope, fun mini challenge. The challenge will commence on Jan. 1, 2012 and will run until Dec. 31, 2012 2012 World Literature Mini Challenge with the theme: Around the World Africa, the Americas, Antarctica, Asia, Australia together with Oceania, and Europe are considered to be Continents. This challenge will take you around the world to at least 5 continents. To complete the mini-challenge, read 5 of the 7 categories. Give yourself a bonus point for hitting all continents. Your choices may be from contemporary or classic realms, fiction or non-fiction. Land of the Midnight Sun: the work is set in or the author lives in a country (other the U.S) with borders north of the Arctic Circle. South of the border: the work is set in or the author lives in a country south of the U.S. border Europa: the work is set in Europe or the author is European Asia: the work is set in Asia or the author is Asian Walkabout: the work is set in Australia or the author is Australian African exploration: the work is set in Africa or the author is African Tour guide: read a travel/exploration work Bon Voyage and have fun!
Last Edited on: 5/28/12 4:41 PM ET - Total times edited: 5 |
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2012 World Literature Mini Challenge with the theme: Around the World Africa, the Americas, Antarctica, Asia, Australia together with Oceania, and Europe are considered to be Continents. This challenge will take you around the world to at least 5 continents. To complete the mini-challenge, read 5 of the 7 categories. Give yourself a bonus point for hitting all continents. Your choices may be from contemporary or classic realms, fiction or non-fiction. Land of the Midnight Sun: the work is set in or the author lives in a country (other the U.S) with borders north of the Arctic Circle. Yrsa Sigurdardottir, Last Rituals (Iceland) Completed 5/24/2012 South of the border: the work is set in or the author lives in a country south of the U.S. border. Something by Mario Vargas Llosa Europa: the work is set in Europe or the author is European Helen Humphreys. The Frozen Thames 1/1/2012 Asia: the work is set in Asia or the author is Asian TBD Walkabout: the work is set in Australia or the author is Australian. Peter Carey.Theft African exploration: the work is set in Africa or the author is African. Naguib Mahfouz Respected Sir Tour guide: read a travel/exploration work. Something by Patrick Leigh Fermor or Paul Theroux Last Edited on: 5/28/12 4:40 PM ET - Total times edited: 4 |
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Last Edited on: 12/23/12 1:55 PM ET - Total times edited: 9 |
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Okay, I'm in. Land of the Midnight Sun: the work is set in or the author lives in a country (other the U.S) with borders north of the Arctic Circle Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name/Vendela Vida finished 2/1/12 South of the border: the work is set in or the author lives in a country south of the U.S. border Swimming with the Dead/Kathy Brandt Finished 2/16/12 Europa: the work is set in Europe or the author is European A Far Cry from Kensington/Muriel Spark Finished 3/16/12 Asia: the work is set in Asia or the author is Asian Walkabout: the work is set in Australia or the author is Australian The Spare Room/Helen Garner Finished 1/7/12 African exploration: the work is set in Africa or the author is African Thirteen Hours/Deon Meyer Finished 1/20/12 Tour guide: read a travel/exploration work
Last Edited on: 3/17/12 11:56 AM ET - Total times edited: 6 |
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Land of the Midnight Sun: the work is set in or the author lives in a country (other the U.S) with borders north of the Arctic Circle Room by Emma Donoghue coompleted 1/1/12 **** Excellent! (Canada) South of the border: the work is set in or the author lives in a country south of the U.S. border The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz (Mexico) 1/25/12 completed Europa: the work is set in Europe or the author is European The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco (Italy) Asia: the work is set in Asia or the author is Asian The Art of War by Sun Tzu (China) Walkabout: the work is set in Australia or the author is Australian ??? African exploration: the work is set in Africa or the author is African ???? Tour guide: read a travel/exploration work ???
Last Edited on: 1/26/12 11:43 AM ET - Total times edited: 2 |
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Last Edited on: 11/8/12 6:04 PM ET - Total times edited: 9 |
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Last Edited on: 12/30/12 7:55 AM ET - Total times edited: 37 |
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DONE--This looks like fun. I'll join in.--DONE 2012 World Literature Mini Challenge with the theme: Around the World Africa, the Americas, Antarctica, Asia, Australia together with Oceania, and Europe are considered to be Continents. This challenge will take you around the world to at least 5 continents. To complete the mini-challenge, read 5 of the 7 categories. Give yourself a bonus point for hitting all continents. Your choices may be from contemporary or classic realms, fiction or non-fiction. RED is READ Land of the Midnight Sun: Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurdardottir (Set in Iceland, author lives in Iceland) South of the border: December Heat by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza (Set in Brazil, author lives in Brazil) Europa: The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler Olsen (Set in Denmark, author lives in Denmark) Asia: The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill (Set in Laos, author lives in Thailand) Walkabout: Death Before Wicket by Kerry Greenwood (set in Australia, author lives in Australia) African exploration: Death of the Mantis by Michael Stanley (set in Botswana, authors live in South Africa) Tour guide: Neither here nor there: travels in Europe by Bill Bryson Last Edited on: 9/14/12 8:47 PM ET - Total times edited: 5 |
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As I mentioned in the other thread, I've had too many years of studying different languages not to read in them, so I've added the personal challenge of reading my European and south-of-the-border books in the original language. My current plan with miscellaneous thoughts: Land of the Midnight Sun: Culture Shock! Sweden. Finished 4/2012. South of the border: Crónica de una muerte anunciada, by Gabriel García Márquez. Finished 4/21/12. This title is translated into English as "Chronicle of a death foretold," but that title doesn't carry the same meaning. I can't figure out what would work, though: Chronicle of an announced death? That doesn't sound very good. But the death isn't foretold (by, for example, a fortune teller); it's announced, by the killers, ahead of time. This is a short book, but I needed a break from my European selection. Europa: Der Zauberberg, by Thomas Mann. (The Magic Mountain.) I decided to read this book for various good reasons before I had seen it, and was startled to learn that it's 750 extremely dense pages, much of it philosophical, with very little action. But I'm committed. As of 4/22/12 I'm over 300 pages into it. My German has really improved! I've been enjoying it but I have taken a break this week. For a while I was managing 10-20 pages a day, but recently I'm down to about two. 5/10: I'm past page 400 but am taking a break - boy, this is long and philosophical. But I just picked up a different book in German that used to be pretty hard for me and understood every word, so it's doing me good. Update, July 9: I'm still taking a break on Mann, but I'm now reading a book called Herbstmilch (fall milk), a story of a woman who grew up farming in Germany. Much more action, very interesting, and much shorter, so it will probably be my Europa book. Asia: I plan to read - oh, never mind. I was planning to read Marrying Anita but I just read the Amazon reviews and have canceled my library hold. Africa: The River Between, by Ngugi Wa Thiong'O. Finished 7/11/2012. This is fascinating, about the clash of cultures in a Kenyan village, as those who admire the whites (with their education and their religion, for example) clash with those who want to stick with tradition (with circumcision for both males and females, for example). Can those who can see a positive future for a union of the two cultures win the hearts of the tribe? Last Edited on: 7/14/12 9:02 PM ET - Total times edited: 5 |
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