Around the World discussion

I'm new to Goodreads, so it might take some time for me to explore all the features. My target for 2012 is to read many books from my big pile of unread books that cover nearly all of my shelf space. And this challenge is great for that purpose, because I own already many books from authors of various countries. As a first step I have put all the books into my challenge shelf in my profile and added the country as 'note' in the list so I can sort it by country.
As my reading time is limited, I head for only 26 books to read from my country list in 2012. It will be my personal quest to read the other half in 2013, then also looking for countries that are not covered by my existing books.

I will add my list here when I figured out how to export the data from my profile's challenge list. Hope that's somehow possible ...

And excuse my bad English - I'm German. Although I read more English books than German ones in the meantime (I prefer the original texts), my list of books still contains a bunch of books written in German. I will add the English titles.

Afghanistan: Hosseini, Khaled - A Thousand Splendid Suns
Anctarctica: Dickinson, Matt - Black Ice
Australia: Chatwin, Bruce - The Songlines
Austria: Breuer, Richard K. - Schwarzkopf: Eine absurde Krimicomedy ueber Hollywood und andere Grauslichkeiten (no translation available)
Azerbaijan - Der Russe ist einer, der Birken liebt
Brazil: Coelho, Paulo - The Alchemist
Burma: Ghosh, Amitav - The Glass Palace
Canada: Bellow, Saul - Ravelstein
Chile: Allende, Isabel - Paula.
China: Yiwu, Liao - Fraeulein Hallo und der Bauernkaiser: Chinas Gesellschaft von unten - In English: The Corpse Walker
Colombia: Marquez, Gabriel Garcia - Leben um davon zu erzaehlen. In English: Living to Tell the Tale
Denmark: Adler-Olsen, Jussi - Erbarmen In English: The Keeper of Lost Causes
Egypt: Durrell, Lawrence - The Alexandria Quartet
France: Barbery, Muriel - Die Eleganz des Igels In English: The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Germany: Mann, Thomas - Buddenbrooks In English: Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family
Hungary: Esterhazy, Peter - Harmonia Caelestis In English: Celestial Harmonies
Iceland: Laxness, Halldor - Die Islandglocke In English: Iceland's Bell
India: Mistry, Rohinton - A Fine Balance
Ireland: Wilde, Oscar - The Picture of Dorian Gray
Israel: Shalev, Meir - Judiths Liebe In English: The Loves of Judith
Italy: Eco, Umberto - Baudolino In English: Baudolino
Japan: Murakami, Haruki - The Elephant Vanishes
Kenya: Le Carre, John - The Constant Gardener
Namibia: Poser, Fabian von - Reportage Namibia: Durch die Augen des Geparden (no translation available)
Norway: Petterson, Per - Pferde stehlen In English: Out Stealing Horses
Poland: Korschunow, Irina - Malenka (no translation available)
Portugal: Antunes, Antonio Lobo - Das Handbuch der Inquisitoren In English: The Inquisitors' Manual
Romania: Mueller, Herta - Atemschaukel In English: Everything I own I carry with me
Russia: Bulgakov, Mikhail - Der Meister und Margarita In English: The Master and Margarita
South Africa: Coetzee, J.M. - Schande In English: Disgrace
Spain: Saavedra, Miguel de Cervantes - Don Quixote
Sweden: Mankell, Henning - Die weisse Loewin (Wallander, #3) In English: The White Lioness
Switzerland: Frisch, Max - Mein Name Sei Gantenbein In English: Gantenbein
Ukraine: Nemirovsky, Irene - Suite Francaise
United Kingdom: Hyland, M.J. - This is How
United States: Guterson, David - Schnee, der auf Zedern faellt In English: Snow Falling on Cedars

[Book:The Songlines|79907] is a great read, a book that I go back to again and again.

There are a good few books in there that frighten me, one for sure is Don Quixote ... one reason why these still sit on the TBR shelf. I will have a look at the group for A Fine Balance. Thanks for the hint, Judy!
Judy wrote: "Hey, Tina, I hope you will join us for the group read of A Fine Balance. If you would like to just post on the designated thread in the Group Reads folder. I see a long book like Don Quixote..."

I'm definitely looking forward to reading that book. In 2006 I travelled around Australia for four weeks. I hope this one brings back some of the spirit.
Starfish13 wrote: "[Book:The Songlines|79907] is a great read, a book that I go back to again and again."

I'll be reading a fair number of books in German, too. (I am in Switzerland). They either haven't been translated or I can only find the German edition here. I'm intrigued with "Malenka" (Poland). What is it about?

Malenka - this story starts in Poland, that's why I count it in for Poland. When the story goes on, it moves to Germany. The author is a daughter to a Russian father and a German mother.

I will cite the text written on the cover for you:

Malenka, "kleiner Donner", so nannte die polnische Großmutter Anna Jarosch zärtlich die Enkelin, die bei heftigem Gewitter zur Welt kam, 1926, damals im pommerschen Pyritz. Der Kosename mit dem slawischen Singsang ist das Zauberwort für Malenkas Kindheit und Jugend, für die Stube in der Kleinen Wollweberstraße mit Sofa und Vertigo, für den warmen Leib der Großmutter und ihre radebrechenden Sprüche, für Weizenfelder und die erste Liebe am Madüsee. Er steht aber auch für Armut und Demütigung, für die verhassten Gerüchte, die durch das Haus wabern aus Frau Dobbertins Käsekeller und Anna Jaroschs Küche mit der Wurstkocherei für den Hökerhandel. "Klein Handel besser wie groß Arbeit" - kein Trost für die Enkelin, die nicht einmal einen Vater aufweisen kann. Arme-Leute-Geruch, Wörter wie "Bastard" und "Polacken" zählen und füttern den Traum von etwas Besserem. Dafür wird Malenka eines Tages das Haus ihrer Erinnerungen versiegeln, wird in den Wirren der Flucht '45 den Makel der Herkunft, den polnischen Namen bei der toten Freundin im Straßengraben hinter Neubrandenburg zurücklassen und in einen neuen Namen schlüpfen, in die andere, ersehnte Identität. Aber wie lebt man in einer Zukunft ohne Vergangenheit? ...

I've added your selections to the master list. For the bilingual listings, if they were already mentioned in English, I added your name there. Otherwise, I added the German-language title.

I have a special place in my heart for the Alexandria Quartet. I enjoyed it so much, I went back to the beginning and read bits aloud as soon as I'd finished Justine.

Thank you, Tina. I will look the book up -- it sounds interesting.

Jenny, your list is great! Thank you for adding my books to it. I just noticed thanks to your list, that I had Canada in twice. I created my list through export from my shelf and some MS Excel formula and I really didn't see it in my list ... But there's a perfect solution to it. I've seen that everybody has The Glass Palace noted down under Burma. I will do that as well, which frees up India for A Fine Balance.

What do you think - maybe it's easier for the majority of the group to see the English titles (if they are available) in the master list?

The Alexandria Quartet is a recommendation from my mother in law. She reads a lot and I sometimes get books from her. This one she keeps ... to read it again and again. I'm looking forward to finally reading it myself.

Jenny wrote: "I've added your selections to the master list. For the bilingual listings, if they were already mentioned in English, I added your name there. Otherwise, I added the German-language title.
..."

I had a look at your profile, Constance, and I see where your interest for this book is coming from. It has been sitting on my shelf for years, one of the rediscoveries of the challenge.
Constance wrote: "Thank you, Tina. I will look the book up -- it sounds interesting."

I found another country's author on my shelf: Herta Mueller, born and raised in Romania. I added it to my list.

I'm reading Mueller too, something about green plums.