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Around the World

I know I had mentioned that I planned to join the Orbis Terrarum Challenge and now I finally have my list of books. I’m going to be a bit sneaky in mix in a couple of books from my foreign authors book group and also from other challenges but you never know, I may end up reading a lot more foreign fiction and I’ll adjust my list to show other choices.

The challenge runs from April 1 through December 20. The bottom line: choose 9 different books, written by 9 different authors, from 9 different countries.

Here is my tentative list:

  • Madame by Antoni Libera (Poland). I’ve already started this and it’s great. I hope to finish it by next Tuesday as it’s also a book group read.
  • Wild Swans by Jung Chang (China). Also a book club book.
  • The Seville Communion by Arturo Perez-Reverte (Spain). This is also another challenge read.
  • The Sleeping Car Murders by Sebastien Japrisot (France). A Very Long Engagement was a favorite read a couple of years ago. This Japrisot novel seems quite different but should be interesting.
  • The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Brazil). I’m the last person to read this right?
  • April Witch by Majgull Axelsson (Sweden)
  • Women with Big Eyes by Angeles Mastretta (Mexico)
  • The Quest for Christa T. by Christa Wolf (Germany)
  • Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto (Japan)

I tried to stay away from listing British and Canadian authors as I seem to read a lot from these authors anyway. So, I think I’m set to go on a nice trip around the world with this list. Thank you B&b Ex Libris for hosting the challenge. I think it’ll be great fun.

Speaking of trips, I’m off for a quick visit to Austin. Hope to hear a little music on Sixth Street, do a bit of browsing at BookPeople and savor some good eats at Kerbey Lane. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 27th, 2008 at 9:25 pm and is filed under Nightstand.

19 Responses to “Around the World”

  1. Literary Feline http://literaryfeline.blogspot.com

    March 28th, 2008 at 5:19 am

    You have some great reading ahead of your, Iliana. I do hope you enjoy April Witch. I hadn’t known what to expect when I read it, but I really did like it. I also enjoyed The Alchemist quite a bit, but I know not everyone was quite so enamored by it.

    Have a great weekend and enjoy Austin!

  2. Mrs. B. http://www.insatiablereader.blogspot.com

    March 28th, 2008 at 5:21 am

    Just found your blog and am enjoying catching up.
    And no, you’re not the last one to read The Alchemist…I have not either. It’s on my TBR though. :)

  3. Andi http://estellasrevenge.blogspot.com

    March 28th, 2008 at 5:58 am

    Ooh, have fun in Austin! Wish I could go along for the food, music, and book browsing. I’ve never been to Bookpeople, and that’s just wroonggg.

    Great list of books! I loved The Alchemist.

  4. Melody http://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.com/

    March 28th, 2008 at 8:38 am

    Great list, Iliana. Have fun in Austin! I’m hoping you’ll have something good to share with us after your trip. :)

  5. Dorothy W. http://ofbooksandbikes.wordpress.com

    March 28th, 2008 at 2:56 pm

    This sounds like a great challenge — enjoy those books!

  6. Lisa http://pfeifferbooknotes.blogspot.com/

    March 28th, 2008 at 4:58 pm

    Nice list. I haven’t read any of these but The Alchemist. I just read it in the last year, and I thought that I was probably the last person to have read the book. :)

  7. Bookgirl http://www.bookgirl.net

    March 28th, 2008 at 6:33 pm

    Literary Feline – Oh I’m glad to hear you enjoyed April Witch. I hadn’t heard too much about it before and I’ve just had that book sitting on my shelves forever!
    Mrs. B – Thank you for hosting the challenge. I think it’ll be lots of fun. I know I’ve already started reading one of the books :)
    Andi – That is very wrong! You must get to BookPeople one of these days. Love that place.
    Melody – I’m getting ready to leave and have a list a mile long of things to do. Too bad it’s such a short trip. I’ll let you know what I find :)
    Dorothy W. – Isn’t it fun! I hope these will be great reads.
    Lisa – Ha,ha… See, now you know you weren’t :)

  8. Eva http://astripedarmchair.wordpress.com

    March 28th, 2008 at 7:28 pm

    Have fun in Austin (I looove that city)! I really need to get my list together for OT, but I have to wait until I get home and have my bookshelves. :)

  9. Marg http://readingadventures.blogspot.com

    March 28th, 2008 at 10:54 pm

    It is almost inevitable that when someone says I’m the last person to read a particular book I can pipe up and say…no..I haven’t read it yet. Not this time!

    Have a great time in Austin.

  10. Litlove http://litlove.wordpress.com

    March 29th, 2008 at 12:31 am

    What a great list – oddly enough I’m reading Sebastien Japrisot at the moment (a different one – not sure how it translates but something about the woman in the car with the sunglasses and a gun). He is fantastic and I highly recommend him. Haven’t read The Sleeping Car Murders, though, so will be interested to know how you get on with it.

  11. Mrs S | 50 Book Challenge http://www.clareswindlehurst.com/bookreviews

    March 29th, 2008 at 11:53 am

    Nope I haven’t read the Alchemist either… I have the Devil and Miss Prym on my TBR – I was tempted to pick up his latest paperback but figured I should read the Devil first in case I don’t like him as an author!

  12. Dark Orpheus http://darkorpheus.blogspot.com/

    March 29th, 2008 at 2:56 pm

    I like this list. Always wanted to pick up Banana Yoshimoto and Sebastien Japrisot.

    I have a fondness for Arturo Perez-Reverte’s somewhat noirish stories too. I enjoyed “Seville Communion” because it has that rugged priest and a femme fatale who tucks her lighter under the strap of her bra. ;p

    I am resisting the Orbis Terrarum Challenge simply because I am already way behind on my other reading commitments.

    But really, The Alchemist? Do you think you will like it?

  13. bethany http://exlibrisbb.blogspot.com

    March 29th, 2008 at 6:46 pm

    Welcome to the Challenge!!! I am excited to see your reviews on the books you have picked. This is going to be great fun!

    Check back on April 1st for the big challenge KICK-off!

  14. Les in NE http://lesleysbooknook.blogspot.com

    March 30th, 2008 at 3:50 am

    Nope. I haven’t read The Alchemist either! Kitchen sounds like a winner. I think I first heard about it over on Dolce Bellezza’s Japanese Challenge earlier this year. Hope you’re having a great time in Austin. Is it hot down there yet? I think I saw that Dallas is supposed to hit 80 on Sunday. Won’t be long before those beautiful Crepe Myrtles are in bloom. We’re still in the 40-50s. At least we’re not getting any snow!

  15. ravenous reader http://ravenousreader.wordpress.com

    March 30th, 2008 at 4:46 am

    See, there are any number of us who haven’t read The Alchemist! We could start our own club, as a matter of fact.

    I’ve not read any of the books on your list…I should probably join this challenge, as now I feel woefully behind :)

  16. tanabata http://tanabata.blogspot.com/

    March 30th, 2008 at 12:16 pm

    Great list! I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on all of these. I didn’t include any English speaking countries either since I felt that was kind of cheating but I did cross over several books. I’ve only seen the film A Very Long Engagement (which I loved) and have meant to read something by Japrisot ever since but still haven’t got around to doing so.

  17. 3m http://1morechapter.com

    March 30th, 2008 at 3:01 pm

    I really enjoyed The Alchemist and Wild Swans.

    Great list!

  18. Bookgirl http://www.bookgirl.net

    March 30th, 2008 at 6:01 pm

    Eva – Isn’t Austin great? I lived there for four years while going to University. It was so fun.
    Marg – Ha,ha.. That happens to me too. Austin was a blast.
    Litlove – Sleeping Car sounds so different from A Very Long Engagement so I’ve been really curious about it. Let’s hope I get to it this time around :)
    Mrs S – Devil & Miss Pym sounds good. You’ll have to let us know what you think!
    Dark Orpheus – I finally read Banana Yoshimoto last year. It was a quick read and definitely made me want to read more by her. The Alchemist, well I have read something by Coehlo before and liked it. And, one of my friends really likes all of his books so I’m open to it :)
    Bethany – Thanks! I’ll be checking the kick off :)
    Les in NE – Well, the weather was kind of blah… Gray and sometimes drizzly. Still haven’t hit 80 today in Dallas and I’m hoping we won’t for a while yet. I’m not ready for that! ha,ha…
    ravenous reader – Ha,ha.. Good idea :) Are you thinking about joining? C’mon join in.
    tanabata – I still need to see the movie… I just know I’m going to love it. I thought the book was really wonderful. Oh and I also tried to select books in translation for the challenge.
    3M – Yay, glad to hear that. I think Wild Swans will be a really good book.

  19. Eva http://astripedarmchair.wordpress.com

    April 1st, 2008 at 10:53 pm

    Can’t wait for your review of Madame. And I just realised we’ll both be in France with Sebastien! (though w/ different books) Woo hoo for book travelling-you never have to worry about jet lag or stomach bugs. ;)