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