Friday, January 12, 2007

2007 TBR Challenge

OK I decided to jump in this train after I saw post about tbr-traveling on lotus's blog!
Pick 12 books - one for each month of 2007 - that you've been wanting to read but haven't gotten around to and that's the only rule. Thanks Miz Books for idea! Here is the link for Challenge if you'd like to join

And to be honest I had quite problems to pick 12 titles from my Himalayan TBR.
Since I NEVER know which one will be my next read (it’s always totally accidental) I’m pretty sure I’ll not follow the order from the list:

Since I have Himalayan TBR I’ll have to start from Himalayas with 1-The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai. This was SO wanted book and my expectations are quite high!

Let’s stay in India for a while with 2-Manil Suri and The Death of Vishnu. This novel is on my TBR for ages! Truly I don’t know why/how I was skipping it all this time. I really love debuts…

Now we’ll go little on the north, in Afghanistan. Nonfiction 3-My Forbidden Face (Growing up under the Taliban: A Young Woman’s Story) by Latifa. Author was 21 when the book has been published and is using pseudonym for security reason. It says this is like a contemporary Anne Frank this book is an extraordinarily powerful account of a teenager’s life under terrible circumstances and a celebration of the resilience of human spirit. I’m only hoping this is not something like this-is-why-bombing-Afghanistan-was-good-decision type of book.

We’re staying in Asia but now we’re moving in Myanmar with 4-The Piano Turner by Daniel Mason. “Intoxicating, full of sights to see, histories to learn, stories to entertain” so how could I skip it :)

Now we’re going on the very edge of the world, in Tasmania where we’ll stay with 5-Gould’s Book of Fish – novel in twelve fishes by Richard Flanagan. I really cannot wait to read this one because it sounds so original and interesting and just as type of books I like.

You thought that Asia is behind us? Oh no, no ... let’s see how it looks 6-Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azir Nafisi. I’m sure that’ll be very interesting

Ok now we’re moving in South Africa to see all 7-Ways of Dying by Zakes Mda. Can you imagine professional mourner? Well it seems somewhere there are loads of strange professions.

Now we’re going home (my home) in Europe... first in England with 8-Arthur & George by Julian Barnes. I love Barnes and it seems that this one will be fabulous experience too.

Denmark and who else than magnificent Peter Hoeg and his 9-Tales of the Night?

And then little on the east in Poland where we’ll jump in the train which will take as in all corners of 10-Imperium by Ryszard Kapuscinski my favourite Polish writer/journalist. I adore his books. This one is about Great USSR and its collapse. This book has been proclaimed as the best one on The Book Fair in Frankfurt 1995.


Now we are in Italy to se what will happen 11-If on a winter’s night a traveller by Italo Calvino. Truth I’ve read this one very long time ago but I’m sure it’s time to reread it.

And finally we are in Serbia with 12-Kandže (Claws) by Marko Vidojković. He is one of the most popular young Serbian authors and this will be his first novel I’ll read. It won Gold Bestseller Award in Serbia so let’s see why?

Ok that would be main road (now after I see this little story I’d like to follow this order but I’m afraid that’ll not happen) but I we might go on some excursions to earn extra points or to search back up if any of those from above are giving us headache. Here are:

“Milan’s Turk” as my friends are calling him, Orhan Pamuk and his Snow (or maybe Istanbul if I found it)
Then let’s see Crusades Through Arab Eyes by Amin Maalouf
Also it would be nice to enjoy in Leonardo’s Swans by Karen Essex
And not nice but certainly breathtaking to visit Rwanda in We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families by Philip Gourevitch
Or to see Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a neat idea. I'd probably never stick to it though.

Glad to see one of my books got in there. :)

I've read Forbidden Face, and thought it was really good. I have Death of Vishnu, Snow, and Reading Lolita in Tehran on my TBR list too.

Hope everything is well, Shanna

Lotus Reads said...

*clapping hands happily*

Yeay, Milan, so glad you're joining this reading adventure. I can meet you in India....I'll be in Bombay to meet "Shantaram" and you'll be there to meet "Vishnu", perfect!


Love your choice of books - I particularly look forward to reading what you have to say about "Ways of Dying", looks like an excellent book!

"If on a Winter's Night A Traveller" I have also heard about it - will be looking for your review - hope you enjoy the reread.

But the one I am looking forward to the most is "Kandze". I love new authors the world over and since I have never read anything from Serbia, this might just be the one I choose.

Good luck with the reading and please keep us updated!

Milan-zzz said...

Oh lovely! But "Kandže" is not translated in English yet (I think they’ll be soon). However his other novel is “Dance of Small Time Demons” but as I said I haven’t read Vidojković so far, he published five novels and numerous stories in many literature magazines (and he’s only 31!). Gosh!
See you in India then LOL

Lotus Reads said...

Not translated into English? Oh, too bad! Anyway, it will be soon. In the meantime, thanks for letting me know about "Dance of Small Time Demons", I'll have to look it up.

Milan-zzz said...

Oh If you’d like I could find him here (certainly it’ll be much easier then for you in Canada).
However if you’d like to read Serb author I recommend you
Milorad Pavić (have two bookrings & one of them is in US at the moment)
Meša Selimović and his Death and the Dervish my all time favourite novel
Ivo Andric our Nobel Prize Winner
Borislav Pekić
David Albahari who lives in Toronto
etc

Bonnie Jeanne said...

Wonderful journey you've got planned. I've read some of those books... the one that sticks in my head as magical is "If on a winter’s night a traveller." I really should go back and reread that one. I've been looking forward to reading "Inheritance of Loss," too. Have you read Laila Lalami's "Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits"? I read her blog, http://www.lailalalami.com/blog/ and I'm totally fascinated by her views. Somehow, the book escaped my attention when I was working at the bookstore and never ended up in my mountain. I'll have to see if the library has a copy. Learning to love libraries all over again theses days.

Milan-zzz said...

No I haven't read but I'll search for it :) Thanks for recommendation; I don’t have any doubts that it's great (since it comes from you)

Bonnie Jeanne said...

The only thing I miss about working in that horrid bookstore is recommending books. I have a feeling you will love Lalami.

Thank you for the comments on my blog today. I am trying to get out of this funk, but it's really tough. The snowman did help a bit :-)