Project Update

Up next in my global reading adventures are the following:

Peru
In Praise of the Stepmother by Mario Vargas Llosa

Mexico (though admittedly written by a Brit who spent relatively little time there)
The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene

Greece
Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières

There appears to be a Latin American tilt to my choices, probably because I took Spanish last year and realized that I knew very little about the America to the south.

Also, in honor of Alice Munro winning the Nobel Prize for Literature I plan to read some of her short stories (Canada!).

A New Project

For the first time in a very long time, I have time to read whatever I want. In about five weeks I start my new job and once I start I'm not sure if I will have the time or energy to read for fun. So I've decided to take the opportunity to read as much as possible, mostly fiction, from now until then.

About a month ago, I saw this article in the BBC, which describes how a woman read a book from every country in the world in one year. Inspired and extremely jealous, I decided to attempt a modified version. That is, I'd like to read as many books as I can written about or from different countries before I start work. I'm including books that span countries/cultures and I'm trying to emphasize countries that I haven't read much about.

Here's what I've read so far:

North Korea
The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson

Dominican Republic (and US)
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz

Haiti
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder

I'm definitely accepting recommendations for books about these or any other cultures (preferably fiction), so let me know if you have any suggestions.