Comments for Weekly Geeks 2009-26: Where in the World Have You Been?

Weekly Geeks 2009-26: Where in the World Have You Been? 07/11/09

This week the Weekly Geeks site wants to know if we are armchair travelers. Where in the world do we go when we read books? We are also asked to make a map of the places we've visited in the books we've read. We can use either the criteria of where the book is set or where the author is from.

My map:

create your own visited country map
create your own visited country map or check our Venice travel guide

My map of reading covers 22 years of readings. I've been keeping track of what I've read since I was in 8th grade. With high school, college and graduate school, some of the red on my map is school related reading. Since I was taking Spanish, German and French language classes and many literature to film courses I got quite a few red spots that way.

My recent reading hasn't been as diverse as it was in college but I am I do like to mix things up with my usual reading. With my son now taking Chinese in school and with my own enjoyment of Manga, my recent reading is moving towards Asia more and more.

Recent books I have enjoyed in my armchair travels:

Europe	South America / Caribbean	Australia and the Pacific
London, A Biography by Peter Ackroyd Letters from Iceland by W.H. Auden Hunger by Elise Blackwell Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantez A Thousand Days in Tuscany by Marlena de Blasi Voices Under Berlin by T.H.E. Hill	Eva Luna by Isabel Allende Tales from Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffett Waiting for the Barbarians by J. M. Coetzee Forbidden Freedom by Cheddi Jagan At Play in the Fields of the Lord by Peter Matthiessen Cereus Blooms at Night by Shani Mootoo Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene	Fiction by Ara13 Baby Island by Carol Ryrie Brink The Secret River by Kate Grenville The Australian Slanguage by Bill Horadge Typee by Herman Melville The Wilcox Quilts by Rober J. Schleck South-Sea Idyls by Charles Warren Stoddard
Africa	Middle East / Asia	North America
The Top of the World by Ethel M. Dell. Love and Sand by Howard M. Layton Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene Forgive Me by Amanda Eyre Ward	The Calcutta Chromosone by Amitav Gosh The Quest for Kim by Peter Hopkirk Kim by Rudyard Kipling Peachblossom by Eleanor Frances Lattimore (Un)Arranged Marriage by Bali Rai Cross Bone by Kathy Reichs The Second Descent by Richard Paul Russo The Girl Who Played Go by Shan Sa Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie Q & A by Vikas Swarup	Gift of the Sea by John Ashby Rowing to Latitude by Jill Fredston Barometer Rising by Hugh MacLennan The Long Valley by John Steinbeck Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki Flight of the Goose by Lesley Thomas Child of the Owl by Lawrence Yep

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Comments (0)

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Comment #1: Saturday, July, 11, 2009 at 21:25:15

Vasilly

Your map is impressive. I've only started writing down the books I've read a few years ago.

Comment #2: Sunday, July 12, 2009 at 12:18:51

Pussreboots

Thanks! I started keeping track of the books I'd read when I realized I could remember plots but not titles or authors. That was really frustrating especially when I wanted to recommend a specific book to a friend or relative.

Comment #3: Saturday, July, 11, 2009 at 21:39:59

lilly

Wow! You've doen a lot of traveling. If you look at the map, the only place that's left completely white is Greenland. A lot if interesting titles, most of which I have not yet read but I would be especially interested in Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress since it has Balzac (my favorite author) and Chinese in the same title.

Comment #4: Sunday, July 12, 2009 at 12:24:25

Pussreboots

I just haven't come across any books set in Greenland. One of these days that will change. Balzac and the Little CHinese Seamstress is an odd but memorable book. It's worth a read.

Comment #5: Saturday, July, 11, 2009 at 22:22:09

Care

Oh good for you for listing your books! I need to re do my map because I missed a few spots. I see a few of yours that are on my tbr. This was a fun geeks, huh?

Comment #6: Sunday, July 12, 2009 at 12:29:30

Pussreboots

This Weekly Geeks was fun. I had to redo my map because I had forgotten Botswana and Pakistan.

Comment #7: Saturday, July, 11, 2009 at 23:11:01

gautami tripathy

Thanks for the recommendations. I am going to check out some of those books!

Comment #8: Sunday, July 12, 2009 at 12:36:10

Pussreboots

You're welcome. Happy reading.

Comment #9: Sunday, July, 12, 2009 at 02:12:21

Maree

That's a pretty good list. :)

Some of my favourite Kiwi authors are Elizabeth Knox (The Vintner's Luck!!!): Witi Ihimaera (anything); Janet Frame (Towards Another Summer); Margaret Mahy and Maurice Gee. Happy Weekly Geeks! :)

Comment #10: Sunday, July 12, 2009 at 12:39:12

Pussreboots

Thank you for the recommendations. I have read Witi Ihimaera but none of the others. I will look for their books.

Comment #11: Sunday, July, 12, 2009 at 02:46:40

Terri (teelgee)

Oh, I like the way you laid this out! Some great reading there.

Comment #12: Sunday, July 12, 2009 at 12:45:04

Pussreboots

Thanks!

Comment #13: Sunday, July, 12, 2009 at 06:28:20

Jackie (Farm Lane Books)

That is a great list! I love reading books from around the world, so you have added to my wishlist quite a bit today! Thank you!

Comment #14: Sunday, July 12, 2009 at 12:48:02

Pussreboots

I do to and I've been enjoying see everyone's lists and recommendations. Happy reading!

Comment #15: Sunday, July, 12, 2009 at 12:43:56

Wendy

Wow, you've done really well! I'm saving your post on my Google Reader so I can click through and look at some of these books. Thanks!

Comment #16: Sunday, July 12, 2009 at 12:51:05

Pussreboots

Wonderful. I hope you find something you want to read. Thanks for stopping by

Comment #17: Monday, July, 13, 2009 at 12:28:51

Louise

Great post. I need to see if I can find the time to do the Weekly Geeks this week, but I have a lot on my hands trying to catch up on comments, blogs, mails, tweets and all that after being gone for 12 days. Back now, and wanted to thank you for your comment on my pages while I was away.

Comment #18: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 at 09:45:15

Pussreboots

It was fun seeing your Tintin post just after finishing reading some Tintins myself. The Weekly Geeks themes tend to repeat themselves so even if you don't get it done this week you can do it in the future.

Comment #19: Monday, July, 13, 2009 at 13:52:53

CarolineR

Thanks for all those great recommendations. I love the sound of that Jimmy Buffett one!

Comment #20: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 at 09:52:35

Pussreboots

Jimmy Buffett has written number of entertaining books, both fiction and nonfiction. I've enjoyed every single one.

Comment #21: Monday, July, 13, 2009 at 16:50:21

Kristen

I love how organised this is - I'll be back for titles!

Comment #22: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 at 21:55:12

Pussreboots

Thank you. Happy reading.

Comment #23: Friday, July, 17, 2009 at 20:46:52

susan

Love seeing the titles with the countries. Very impressive map. Thanks.

Comment #24: Saturday, July 18, 2009 at 11:51:25

Pussreboots

Thanks. I am working on a Google Map version of the map that will have books and titles by location. You can see it and contribute to it here. All work © 1997-2010 Sarah Sammis