European Reading Challenge 2023

I'm back for another tour of Europe with Gilion's 2023 European Reading Challenge – where participants tour Europe through books.  And have a chance to win a prize. Please join in for the Grand Tour! (I've linked the review page--but the link for the sign-up is there as well.)

THE GIST: The idea is to read books by European authors or books set in European countries (no matter where the author comes from). The books can be anything – novels, short stories, memoirs, travel guides, cookbooks, biography, poetry, or any other genre. You can participate at different levels, but each book must be by a different author and set in a different country – it's supposed to be a tour. (See note about the UK, below)

WHAT COUNTS AS "EUROPE"?: We stick with the same list of 50 sovereign states that fall (at least partially) within the geographic territory of the continent of Europe and/or enjoy membership in international European organizations such as the Council of Europe. This list includes the obvious (the UK, France, Germany, and Italy), the really huge Russia, the tiny Vatican City, and the mixed bag of Baltic, Balkan, and former Soviet states.

THE LIST: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vatican City.

NOTE: Even after Brexit, the United Kingdom is still one country, in Europe, that includes England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. So one book from any one of these four counts as your one book for the United Kingdom. I'm not going to be a stickler about it because challenges should be about fun not about rules. However, when it comes to winning the Jet Setter prize, only one book from one of the UK countries will count.

I will again be aiming for the 

FIVE STAR (DELUXE ENTOURAGE): Read at least five books by different European authors or books set in different European countries.

Books read:

1. The Dante Game by Jane Langton (1/13/23) [Italy]

2. Swing Low, Swing Death by R. T. Campbell (1/17/23) [England]

3. Hopeland (aka Skippy Dies part one) by Paul Murray (1/18/23) [Ireland]

4. Madeline & the Gypsies by Ludwig Bemelmans (1/30/23) [France]

5. Tintin in America by Hergé (3/10/23) [Belgian author]

Commitment met--still reading

6. The Genesis Secret by Tom Knox (3/29/23) [Turkey]

7. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson (4/18/23) [Germany]

8. Silent Witness by Margaret Yorke (4/22/23) [Austria]

9. Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke [born in Prague, Czech Republic] (5/26/23)

10. Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally [Poland] 

11. Borkmann's Point by Hakan Nesser [Sweden] (9/12/23)

12. The Man in the Cellar by Palle Rosenkrantz [Danish author/part in Denmark] (9/20/23)

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