I've never done a book challenge, preferring instead to read whatever is up next for my book club or whatever grabs me while I'm perusing my bookshelf, the bookstore's bookshelf, or my Kindle store. Four months ago, I left a pretty intense job to move with my husband and (mostly grown) kids away from the Washington, D.C. area to the smaller town of Harrisonburg, Virginia. We made this move for many reasons, one of which was a desire for a better quality of life that would be less frantic and more rife with opportunities to spend time with family, hear ourselves think, and do things we love. Like reading. Four months later, I'm thrilled with our new home and lifestyle, but I also miss the daily challenge of my former intense and exceedingly interesting job. And so, I decided to introduce a little challenge into my otherwise calm and tranquil life by reading one book that is set in every country of the world.
I'm certainly not the first person to do this. In fact, Ann Morgan did exactly the same thing and will soon release a book about her reading adventures. I follow her blog, A Year of Reading the World, and will certainly buy her book when it hits the shelves in the summer of 2015. Shelbi Wescott did something similar when she mapped out a journey of 80 books in 80 countries. Her blog, Around the World in 80 Books, is no longer active but still quite worthwhile to review. She ended up writing a book, too, but I believe hers is fiction that is not based on her book-reading journey. I don't expect to get a book deal out of my journey. In fact, it only occurred to me to blog about this because a couple of very good, very supportive friends encouraged me and seem to think that others may be interested in what I have to say.
So, what are my rules? They're pretty simple.
1) I will read the countries in alphabetical order, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. I'll be using the U.S. Department of State's list of countries.
2) The book has to be set, at least in part, in the selected country.
3) The author does not have to be from that country. In fact, my favorite perspective to read is that of an American narrator who is experiencing the world outside of his or her comfort zone or, in the reverse, a foreign narrator who is experiencing the United States. Having lived overseas and having a well-used passport, I enjoy contemplating the challenges people face when confronting the proverbial clash of cultures.
4) I reserve the right to read other books that have nothing to do with this self-imposed challenge. I may or may not write about them. Sometimes there's a book that chooses me, rather than the other way around, and it's not in my nature to resist this too strenuously.
5) Don't judge me ... but I probably won't be choosing classics or anything that's necessarily worthy of a college English course. I have a master's degree in literature and have read my share of the Canon and other great works. I've loved most of them and am proud to be well-read, but at this stage of my life, I'm looking for something different. I like fiction and occasionally memoirs. I'm happy to read about any historical time period, but I prefer contemporary novels that were written in the past 25 years or so.
6) I'm happy to receive suggestions for titles, just don't be mad if I don't pick your recommendation.
7) There is no time limit. I read for my own edification and pleasure, and the time I spend with my books is sacrosanct ... not to be compromised by having to watch a clock or a calendar.
And that's it! Seven simple guidelines for what I hope will be a great adventure of exploring the world by book. Here we go.
No comments:
Post a Comment