European, Around the World in 12 Books & Global Reading Challenges - Complete!

12/4/2014

I love reading books that take place in different countries, so I signed up for three reading challenges this year that would help me do that!

This challenge was hosted by Rose City Reader. I officially signed up for the Deluxe Entourage level, which meant I needed to read five books, all of which needed to be set in different European countries. I wanted to challenge myself, so I set my sights at ten books set in different European countries. Well, I didn't quite make it. . . but I'm content with the eight I accomplished!

Germany: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Norway (Norwegian author): The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder
United Kingdom: Serving Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard
Italy: Living in a Foreign Language: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Love in Italy by Michael Tucker
France: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Spain: The Curriculum Vitae of Aurora Ortiz by Almudena Solana
Austria: Vienna Nocturne by Vivien Shotwell
Ireland (technically Northern Ireland): The Case of the Missing Books by Ian Sansom

The Global Reading Challenge (hosted here) and Around the World in 12 Books (hosted by Giraffe Days) had similar rules. For each challenge, I needed to read a book set on each continent (well, minus Antarctica). Then, for the Around the World challenge, I needed to read an additional six books to add up to twelve altogether, each of which needed to be set in a different country. These two reading challenges really stretched me as a reader, because I don't often read outside my comfort zone of Europe and the U.S. And I really enjoyed being stretched as a reader. I love experiencing things I normally wouldn't ever come across!

Africa: A Guide for the Perplexed by Dara Horn (Egypt)
Asia: Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (Japan)
Australia/Oceania: The Service of Clouds by Delia Falconer (Australia)
Europe: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Germany)
North America: Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson (Canada)
South America: Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru)
Seventh Continent: Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde (Kazam)

Africa: A Guide for the Perplexed by Dara Horn (Egypt)
Asia: Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (Japan)
Australia/New Zealand: The Service of Clouds by Delia Falconer (Australia)
Europe: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Germany)
North America: Never Look a Polar Bear in the Eye by Zac Unger (Canada)
South America: Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru)
The Constantine Codex by Paul Maier (Turkey)
King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard (Zimbabwe)
Riding the Iron Rooster by Paul Theroux (China)
The Case of the Love Commandos by Tarquin Hall (India)
Jerusalem Vigil by Bodie & Brock Thoene (Israel)
The Orchid House by Lucinda Riley (Thailand)

4 Comments

Gilion link

12/8/2014 04:36:28 am

Congratulations on completing the 2014 European Reading Challenge! I hope you enjoyed it and are going to participate again in 2015. The sign up page for the 2015 challenge is up now -- you can find it <a href="http://www.rosecityreader.com/p/2015-european-reading-challenge.html">here</a>.

Thanks for participating and for linking your wrap up post! I'm going to go read your reviews now I hope you like the Count of Monte Cristo -- it is one of my favorites.