Victim of Geography - Page 3

artig · 10-08-2013, 03:37 AM

Not one mention of New Zealand authors. And most NZ books can be read in English with no translation required.

On my recent reading list has been:
Unspeakable Secrets of the Aro Valley by Danyl McLauchlan (thriller)
Moon Over Martinborough by Jared Gulian (non-fiction, US author living in NZ)
A Place to Stand by Helen McNeil (debut novel)
The Ant and the Ferrari by Kerry Spackman (non-fiction)

On my to-read list:
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (historic novel, Canadian-born New Zealander)

Since Denmark isn't on anyone's list either, a few possibilities from my collection, mostly translated, are:
We, the Drowned by Carsten Jensen (historical novel)
The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis (novel)
Various novels by Thomas E. Kennedy, an American living in Denmark.

HarryT · 10-08-2013, 04:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

I am aware. I did explain in the first post (at least I thought I did) that I had included Scotland separately. If it's good enough for the Curling World Championships to call the team from Scotland and not the United Kingdom then it's good enough for me.

Sure - the four nations of the UK compete separately in most sports. My point was that you're being inconsistent; it's reasonable to either list England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales separately, OR to group them together as "UK", but listing "UK" and "Scotland" is not logical.

HomeInMyShoes · 10-08-2013, 11:23 AM

^Scotland is out. It was going to be out for the challenge anyway. I do think the United Kingdom needs to stop sending distinct teams to sporting events. It does nothing for the rest of the world identifying sovereign states.

I've already started making a sample itinerary. Looking good so far, eighteen countries in and I've found authors for all of them.

HomeInMyShoes · 10-09-2013, 08:29 AM

Is it 2014 yet? Can I start? I'm just so excited about this challenge now.

caleb72 · 10-09-2013, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

Is it 2014 yet? Can I start? I'm just so excited about this challenge now.

Woohoo! My challenge is quite the opposite of yours in that I decided to see how many Aussie authors I can read. So while you're travelling around the world, I'm just going out into the backyard.

HomeInMyShoes · 10-09-2013, 01:20 PM

As long as there is a pool there I see nothing wrong with that.

I've been researching Eastern European authors and it's crazy how interesting the books sound. I might have to revise my tentative route as I probably won't hit Eastern Europe until late summer by the looks of things.

Book availability is definitely going to factor largely next year.

Some potentials:

Romania: Ille Nastase (how can someone who grew up on the tennis courts, not have read Nastase by now)?
Ukraine: Oksana Zubuzhko
Hungary: Theodora Goss
Bulgaria: Georgi Gospodinov

Anyone got Slovakia?

Geralt · 10-10-2013, 12:25 AM

Slovakia isn't Eastern Europe. It's Central Europe.
Anyway,
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...ers_of_Babylon
Peter Pišťanek

Istvan diVega · 10-10-2013, 02:51 AM

While you're quite correct in terms of geography, "Eastern Europe" is commonly used to denote the countries which belonged to the old East Block. I suspect that's what HomeInMyShoes meant. It's factually wrong not only in the case of Slovakia, but the habit of using it is 45 years old and probably won't die any time soon.

HomeInMyShoes · 10-10-2013, 03:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geralt

Slovakia isn't Eastern Europe. It's Central Europe.
Anyway,
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...ers_of_Babylon
Peter Pišťanek

Actually I had found that one, but my library doesn't appear to have it so I'm open for some other options.

I hadn't meant to lump Slovakia in with the old Eastern block. I was just referring to a need to get past Bulgaria somehow. I do appreciate the geography lesson though.

My secret route is including fifty countries right now, but it is definitely in a malleable state. I'm disappointed not to have hit the Baltic states or any of the former Yugoslavian countries. My route can and will change based on book availability as timing of library loans might become critical as well as funds if books need to be bought. I'm trying to line up a few key purchases to keep options open. Slovakia is a very nice central country for navigation.

owly · 10-10-2013, 04:20 AM

Check out some Scandinavian Crime at http://www.scandinaviancrimefiction.com/ Or if you want to know more about Swedish literature in general http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Lifestyle/Literature/

Geralt · 10-10-2013, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Istvan diVega

While you're quite correct in terms of geography, "Eastern Europe" is commonly used to denote the countries which belonged to the old East Block. I suspect that's what HomeInMyShoes meant. It's factually wrong not only in the case of Slovakia, but the habit of using it is 45 years old and probably won't die any time soon.

Actually the habit is also geographically dependent

. I am from Southeast Europe and majority of the people here never thought about Czechoslovakia, or subsequently Czech Republic and Slovakia as Eastern Europe. It was always pretty much Central.

To the OP,
I understand why you grouped Bulgaria with Eastern Europe (whole USSR deal I know), and also that is really way to go only if you go with UN geographical division of Europe which is quite lacking (east, west, south, north only)
Bulgaria is Southeast Europe, same as all former Yugoslavian republics, and believe it or not our language (yes I am from there) is so very close too. Something like Swedish and Norwegian are. So, I would suggest you incorporate this category as well as Central Europe.
Anyway try this one, maybe your library would have it:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...ar_of_the_Frog

As for Bosnian literature I can recommend
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...nd_the_Dervish
or this one
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...7.The_Fortress
or contemporary one
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...ajevo-marlboro

Croatian
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...nistry_of_Pain

Serbian
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...ris_Davidovich
Bosnian/Serbian
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/..._Other_Stories

If you can find anything by Branko Ćopić as well.

There is a wealth of more, this giant sea of books, but it's not translated so very few people can swim in it. Even my favorite Bosnian novel Legenda o Ali-paši (The Legend of Ali-pasha) by Enver Čolaković is not translated. Maybe I should do it myself someday

Oh one other thing, if you like Fantasy genre (like me :3), I would hope that for Poland entry you'd consider reading Andrzej Sapkowski and his Saga o Wiedźminie (The Witcher Saga)
https://www.goodreads.com/series/409...a-o-wied-minie
starting with The Last Wish. The series is fully translated into English either by official or fan translations.

And for Russian fantasy I'd recommend either Sergei Lukyanenko and his Night Watch series or for sci-fi Dmitry Glukhovsky and his Metro 2033
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...etro-2033?ac=1

Edit: I just wanted to add that I really like your challenge and I can understand why you are so excited to start it

It's almost like travelling, without all the hassle of travels.
I hope to do one of these "around the world" type of challenge some day, maybe with African literature or South America one.

HomeInMyShoes · 10-10-2013, 09:32 AM

^Thank you very much for some great information.

Even if I don't read Andrzej Sapkowski next year, he will certainly be on the list. I have Polish ancestry on my dad's side so devling a little more into books from Poland is on my list. I'm sort of 50-50 on fantasy. I've read a lot from a few authors, but haven't gone that wide in reading and I've got a little slant towards trying to read books that telll of that place for this challenge. That said, I might take the opportunity to throw in another Jersild book or another Pratchett.

On a good year, if I read like a demon and keep the books shortish I can probably get to 70 countries. I'm trying to keep the list to 50 right now so I have some route options, but having extras from other countries on the way would be good. I need to make sure I've got an out to other locations from the last country and I think I've given myself that.

Of course that brought me to looking at wikipedia's guide to Regions of the World as another way of seeing if my itinerary is covering the globe.

Which leads me to ask which definition should I use for subdividing the globe?

HomeInMyShoes · 10-10-2013, 09:49 AM

According to the UN Regions my 50-country itinerary fails to cover:
Middle Africa
Western Africa
Western Asia (really, I thought I had something there)
Southern Europe (ouch, that hurts)
Melanesia (not surprising)
Micronesia (not surprising)
Polynesia (not surprising)

I'm not too worried about hitting the nesia's, but the others I should get too. Western Africa is easy to get route-wise, and Southern Europe has been ignored by me completely for some reason. I could hit that area without even adjusting my route so I'm not worried about that. Middle Africa though will require some rerouting if I'm to get to it.

Geralt · 10-10-2013, 09:51 AM

You're welcome

I think that link (wikipedia's guide to Regions of the World) provides pretty good division, except maybe I personally wouldn't bundle Australia and New Zealand with Oceania.

Also this division of Europe as Central, Eastern, Northern, Southeastern, Southern, and Western is pretty much the way to go.

Btw, Europe alone has 50 countries. How on earth will you manage everything I don't know. But I wish you good luck.

HomeInMyShoes · 10-10-2013, 11:21 AM

I will figure it out, eventually. I'll need to remove some from over-represented areas and adjust the route a little, but I think I've almost got that part of the puzzle sorted out. I'm also trying to map out a few side-routes of two to four countries interspersed so I can have a way of adding a few titles if I'm making good progress.

Europe is way too granular. Africa is way too volatile. Sudan is now North and South and my map only has Sudan on it. I'm sure I'll manage it, but my path is actually going through Sudan at one point. I may need to reroute.

I made a couple of changes and now have 51 countries, but I managed all of the UNs groupings with exception of the nesias and I think I'm good with Europe, although Central, North and West have overlapping nations according to wikipedia which is problematic to me. I will try to work that out.

10-10-2013, 09:51 AM	#44
Geralt Witcher Posts: 933 Karma: 7321117 Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Swamp. Slaying Drowners. Device: Kindle PW2	You're welcome I think that link (wikipedia's guide to Regions of the World) provides pretty good division, except maybe I personally wouldn't bundle Australia and New Zealand with Oceania. Also this division of Europe as Central, Eastern, Northern, Southeastern, Southern, and Western is pretty much the way to go. Btw, Europe alone has 50 countries. How on earth will you manage everything I don't know. But I wish you good luck. Last edited by Geralt; 10-10-2013 at 09:56 AM.

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10-08-2013, 03:37 AM	#31
artig Zealot Posts: 137 Karma: 681012 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: New Zealand Device: kobo, kindle pw	Not one mention of New Zealand authors. And most NZ books can be read in English with no translation required. On my recent reading list has been: Unspeakable Secrets of the Aro Valley by Danyl McLauchlan (thriller) Moon Over Martinborough by Jared Gulian (non-fiction, US author living in NZ) A Place to Stand by Helen McNeil (debut novel) The Ant and the Ferrari by Kerry Spackman (non-fiction) On my to-read list: The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (historic novel, Canadian-born New Zealander) Since Denmark isn't on anyone's list either, a few possibilities from my collection, mostly translated, are: We, the Drowned by Carsten Jensen (historical novel) The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis (novel) Various novels by Thomas E. Kennedy, an American living in Denmark.

10-08-2013, 11:23 AM	#33
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	^Scotland is out. It was going to be out for the challenge anyway. I do think the United Kingdom needs to stop sending distinct teams to sporting events. It does nothing for the rest of the world identifying sovereign states. I've already started making a sample itinerary. Looking good so far, eighteen countries in and I've found authors for all of them.

10-09-2013, 08:29 AM	#34
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	Is it 2014 yet? Can I start? I'm just so excited about this challenge now.

10-09-2013, 01:20 PM	#36
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	As long as there is a pool there I see nothing wrong with that. I've been researching Eastern European authors and it's crazy how interesting the books sound. I might have to revise my tentative route as I probably won't hit Eastern Europe until late summer by the looks of things. Book availability is definitely going to factor largely next year. Some potentials: Romania: Ille Nastase (how can someone who grew up on the tennis courts, not have read Nastase by now)? Ukraine: Oksana Zubuzhko Hungary: Theodora Goss Bulgaria: Georgi Gospodinov Anyone got Slovakia?

10-10-2013, 12:25 AM	#37
Geralt Witcher Posts: 933 Karma: 7321117 Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Swamp. Slaying Drowners. Device: Kindle PW2	Slovakia isn't Eastern Europe. It's Central Europe. Anyway, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...ers_of_Babylon Peter Pišťanek

10-10-2013, 02:51 AM	#38
Istvan diVega Inharmonious Posts: 416 Karma: 2157616 Join Date: Jan 2013 Device: Sony PRS-950, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1	While you're quite correct in terms of geography, "Eastern Europe" is commonly used to denote the countries which belonged to the old East Block. I suspect that's what HomeInMyShoes meant. It's factually wrong not only in the case of Slovakia, but the habit of using it is 45 years old and probably won't die any time soon.

10-10-2013, 04:20 AM	#40
owly Guru Posts: 729 Karma: 3822612 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Sweden Device: Paperwhite 2, Kobo Aura H2O	Check out some Scandinavian Crime at http://www.scandinaviancrimefiction.com/ Or if you want to know more about Swedish literature in general http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Lifestyle/Literature/

10-10-2013, 09:32 AM	#42
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	^Thank you very much for some great information. Even if I don't read Andrzej Sapkowski next year, he will certainly be on the list. I have Polish ancestry on my dad's side so devling a little more into books from Poland is on my list. I'm sort of 50-50 on fantasy. I've read a lot from a few authors, but haven't gone that wide in reading and I've got a little slant towards trying to read books that telll of that place for this challenge. That said, I might take the opportunity to throw in another Jersild book or another Pratchett. On a good year, if I read like a demon and keep the books shortish I can probably get to 70 countries. I'm trying to keep the list to 50 right now so I have some route options, but having extras from other countries on the way would be good. I need to make sure I've got an out to other locations from the last country and I think I've given myself that. Of course that brought me to looking at wikipedia's guide to Regions of the World as another way of seeing if my itinerary is covering the globe. Which leads me to ask which definition should I use for subdividing the globe?

10-10-2013, 09:49 AM	#43
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	According to the UN Regions my 50-country itinerary fails to cover: Middle Africa Western Africa Western Asia (really, I thought I had something there) Southern Europe (ouch, that hurts) Melanesia (not surprising) Micronesia (not surprising) Polynesia (not surprising) I'm not too worried about hitting the nesia's, but the others I should get too. Western Africa is easy to get route-wise, and Southern Europe has been ignored by me completely for some reason. I could hit that area without even adjusting my route so I'm not worried about that. Middle Africa though will require some rerouting if I'm to get to it.

10-10-2013, 11:21 AM	#45
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	I will figure it out, eventually. I'll need to remove some from over-represented areas and adjust the route a little, but I think I've almost got that part of the puzzle sorted out. I'm also trying to map out a few side-routes of two to four countries interspersed so I can have a way of adding a few titles if I'm making good progress. Europe is way too granular. Africa is way too volatile. Sudan is now North and South and my map only has Sudan on it. I'm sure I'll manage it, but my path is actually going through Sudan at one point. I may need to reroute. I made a couple of changes and now have 51 countries, but I managed all of the UNs groupings with exception of the nesias and I think I'm good with Europe, although Central, North and West have overlapping nations according to wikipedia which is problematic to me. I will try to work that out.

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