Sunday, January 13, 2013

Global Reading Challenge 2013

I have been waiting for the sign up for this challenge to be available.  The challenge is hosted by Kerrie at Mysteries in Paradise. The complete rules and sign up is HERE.

I have decided to push myself and go for the Medium Challenge -- read two novels for each "continent." I am very excited about this challenge. This year I am concentrating on reading mysteries set in different countries. In addition to my other goals of reading more science fiction, fantasy, and related books. And keeping up with reading vintage mysteries and historical mysteries.

Sign In and Challenge Rules


The 2013 Global Reading Challenge (2013GRC) challenges you to expand your reading boundaries, go where you haven't been before, move a little outside your comfort zone.

You may read any genre so long as the books are fiction.  Your reading will take place in the calendar year 2013.

The Medium Challenge
Read two novels from each of these continents in the course of 2013:

Africa
Asia
Australasia
Europe
North America
South America (please include Central America where it is most convenient for you)

The Seventh Continent (here you can either choose Antarctica or your own ´seventh´ setting, eg the sea, the space, a supernatural/paranormal world, history, the future – you name it).

Try to find novels from fourteen different countries or states.

I will add my books (with links to reviews) below as I read them. I have listed a few to choose from that I already have, but I reserve the right to change my mind.

AFRICA

Ghana            Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey 
Botswana       A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley
South Africa   Blood Safari by Deon Meyer  

ASIA

Japan   The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino  
China   Death Of A Red Heroine by Qiu Xiaolong
Israel    Murder In Jerusalem by Batya Gur 


SOUTH AMERICA



AUSTRALASIA



NORTH AMERICA
Amuse Bouche by Anthony Bidulka (Canada, Saskatchewan)
The Ransom Game by Howard Engel (Canada, Ontario)

EUROPE
The Smoke by Tony Broadbent (United Kingdom)
Eye of the Red Tsar by Sam Eastland (Russia)

SEVENTH CONTINENT (Space)
Red Planet by Robert A. Heinlein
Old Man's War by John Scalzi



6 comments:

Prashant C. Trikannad said...

Tracy, in case you do change your mind then I strongly recommend MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN by Salman Rushdie, THE GOLDEN GATE, a novel in verse, by Vikram Seth, and any or all of R.K. Narayan's novels, assuming of course that you haven't read them.

Anonymous said...

Tracy - It's good to hear you'll be taking on this challenge, and I think you've got some excellent choices there. For North America, may I suggest the work of Anthony Bidulka and/or Gail Bowen if you haven't already decided what to read from that continent. Both are highly talented Saskatchewan writers whose books I can heartily recommend if you haven't yet read them. Just sayin'...

TracyK said...

Thanks for the suggestions, Prashant. I am definitely open to suggestions. I will look into all of those. I have not read any of them.

TracyK said...

Thanks, Margot, for the suggestions for Canada. I don't have books by either of those authors but I have been planning to read their books. It fits in well with my Canadian Reading Challenge also... which I am behind on.

Kerrie said...

I'm pleased you have joined the Global Reading Challenge for 2013 Tracy

Anthony Bidulka said...

Margot - thanks so much for suggesting our work (I'm not only a colleague and friend of Gail, but a big fan of her work too!). I hope if anyone does try a Russell Quant (by me,Anthony Bidulka) and/or Joanne Kilbourn (Gail Bowen) that you heartily enjoy them!