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Please record your points here. Do not edit your posts will only look back to the beginning for changes. I will try to tabulate at least once a week (more frequently at the end).

I finished my first book. I enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it.

#21 England - A Letter of Mary
339 pages = 4 pts
Historical fiction book = 1 pt
Review = 5 pts
4 stars � http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Task Bonus: 10.1 Tourist Visa - Author is from US, book was set in England

Book Total: 41 pts

#30 Canada - Clara Callan by Richard B. Wright
432 pages = 4 points
HF = 1 point
Book total = 35 points

#29 United States -
Next to Love by Ellen Feldman
320 pages = 4 points
HF = 1 point
Book total = 34 points

Challenge total = 69 points

Go you two!

Thanks Jon!

Bonus Task 5.3 - Traveling thru time

The Grave by James Heneghan
256 pgs - 2 pts
Review - 5 pts
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Task total - 12 pts
Challenge total - 12 pts

Foiled!! I was trying to double up, but less than 50% took place in Ireland.

#4 Australia
The Agatha Christie Book Club by C A Larmer

Country no. = 4 points
250 pages = 2 points
Bonus task #10.1
Author born in Papua New Guinea;
book set in Australia = 10 points

Book total = 16 points
Challenge total = 16 points

#4 Australia

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

343 pgs. = 4 pts.
HF = 1 pt.
Review = 5 pts. http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... rated 4 stars.

Total 14 pts.
Challenge total = 14 pts.

#30 Alaskan Territory: Snow Child is set in the 1920's and Alaska did not become a state until January 3, 1959.

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

389pgs=>4pts
HF=>1pt
Reviewed=>5pts
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

10.3 Passport Stamp: Read a book set in a location that you would like to visit.

I would LOVE to visit Alaska sometime or multiple times...maybe a cruise or wilderness adventure, possibly a road trip. This novel only made me want to visit more.

Task and Challenge total =>50pts

#28 Mexico - The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
508 pages = 6 points
HF = 1 point
Task bonus: 15.1 Tourist Trap - characters visited the Mayan pyramids at Chichen Itza. They felt that the view from the top of one of the pyramids was worth the hard climb.
Task total: 50 points

Challenge total: 119

#29 France
Murder on the Eiffel Tower by Claude Izner
304 pgs - 4 pts
HF - 1 pt
Review - 5 pts
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Bonus Task 15.1 - The characters visit the newly built Eiffel Tower at the World Exposition in 1889. More than 100 years later, it is still a must see attraction and one I truly want to visit.

Book total - 54 pts
Challenge total - 66 pts

#18 UK

The Painted Bridge: A Novel by Wendy Wallace

304 pgs.= 4 pts.
HF = 1 pt.
Review http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... = 5 pts. rated this book 3.5 stars
Bonus task 10.3 Read a book about a location you would like to visit. Hopefully next year we will go on a trip to England, a place I have always wanted to see.

Book total = 38 pts.
Challenge total = 52 pts.

#27 Jamaica - The Long Song by Andrea Levy
313 pages = 4 points
HF = 1 point
Book total = 32 points

Bonus task: 5.1 Personal Journeys - travel memoir
The Palace of the Snow Queen: Winter Travels in Lapland by Barbara Sjoholm
320 pages = 4 points
Book total = 9 points

Total points this post = 41
Total challenge points = 160

#23 Austria

Madensky Square by Eva Ibbotson
253 pgs - 2 pts
HF - 1 pt
Review - 5 pts
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Bonus Task 10.3 Passport Stamp
The novel is set in Vienna, home of Beethoven, Haydn and the Viennese Boys Choir as well as numerous opera houses. The music lover in me would love to visit this cultural mecca.

Book total - 41 pts
Challenge total - 107 pts

Butterflycager wrote: "#27 Jamaica - The Long Song by Andrea Levy
313 pages = 4 points
HF = 1 point
Book total = 32 points

Bonus task: 5.1 Personal Journeys - travel memoir
The Palace of the Snow Queen: Winter Travels i..."

What did you think of The Long Song, Butterflycager? I was going to read that for this challenge also. Have you read Small Island! By the same author? It's one of my Top 5 all-time reads.

#11 Israel- Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
444pgs- 4pts
HF- 1pt
Review- http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... - 5pts

Bonus Task- 10.1 Read a book where the author is from a different country than the book is set in.
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal: Israel
Christopher Moore: United States

Total: 31pts

Challenge Total: 31pts

17. Botswana The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party
248 pgs - 2 pnts
review 5 pnts
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
bonus 10.1, Author English, setting Botswana

total 34 pnts

#15 Norway - Out Stealing Horses
258 pages = 2 pts
Historical fiction book = 1 pt
Review = 5 pts
3 stars � http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Task Bonus: 15.2 Traveler's Warnings - World War II

Book Total: 38 pts

Challenge Total: 79 pts

Laura wrote: "Butterflycager wrote: "#27 Jamaica - The Long Song by Andrea Levy
313 pages = 4 points
HF = 1 point
Book total = 32 points

Bonus task: 5.1 Personal Journeys - travel memoir
The Palace of the Snow ..."

I thought it was all right. It took me some time to get used to the narrative voice, but I liked the characters, and I learned a bit about the history of slavery in Jamaica. I haven't read Small Island yet, but I might read it sometime.

#24 Argentina
Perla by Carolina De Robertis
256 pages=>2ps
Reviewed=>5pts
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

15.3. Traveller’s Warnings: Read a book about a threatening event which would make you think twice about visiting that country. Please describe.. (Examples: disease, civil unrest) Perla sheds light on a period of political upheaval in Argentina when thousands of people disappeared. The citizens would leave for work and never arrive, head home from work and never return home, etc. It eventually came to light that the military had kidnapped, tortured, and murdered the people.

Book Total=>46pts
Challenge Points=>96points

#21 Spain
The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

279 pgs = 2 pts.
HF = 1 pt.
Review http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... = 5 pts.

Total = 29 pts.
Challenge total = 81 pgs.

#17 Botswana
Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith
227pgs=>2pts
Reviewed=>5pts
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Book Total=>24pts
Challenge Total=> 120pts

#6 - United States
The Goodbye Season by Marian Hale
288 pgs - 2 pts
HF - 1 pt
Review - 5 pts
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Book total - 14 pts

Bonus task 50.2 - Two sides of the story. Read 2 HF about the same event that are set in different countries.

This Time of Dying by Reina James
304 pgs - 4 pts
HF - 1 pt
Review - 5 pts
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Book total - 10 pts

Task total - 74 pts
Challenge total - 181 pts

Both books are about the effects of the Spanish Influenza outbreak - the first in rural Texas, the other in London. Although written for two different audiences, both do a really good job of showcasing the devastation caused to everyday life.

#19 United Kingdom
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
370pgs: 4pts
Review: 5pts http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Total: 28pts

Challenge Total: 59pts

jennbunny


#20 US
The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty = 20 points
371 pages: 4 points
HF: 1 point
Review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... = 5 points

Total = 30 points

#14 Egypt

The Twelve Rooms of the Nile by Enid Shomer

464 pgs. = 4 pts.
HF = 1 pt.
Review http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... = 5 pts.

Total = 28 pts.
Challenge total = 109 pts.

#21 Poland
Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli
208 pgs - 2 pts
HF - 1 pt
Review - 5 pts
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Bonus task 10.1 - Author from a different country than the setting (Jerry Spinelli is from the US)

Book and bonus task total - 39 pts

#25 Italy
Death in a Strange Country by Donna Leon
400 pgs - 4 pts
Review - 5 pts
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Bonus task 15.2 - Describes a specific custom that you did not know.

In addition to the continual wine drinking (even at work!), I learned about grappa. Grappa is a brandy distilled from the pulp left over after traditional winemaking and is drank as a after dinner "digestivo" and often added to coffee - first thing in the morning!

Book and bonus task total - 49 pts

Challenge total - 269 pts

#29 USA

The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay
368 pgs. = 4 pts.
HF = 1 pt.
Review http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... = 5 pts.
Total = 39 pts.

Challenge total = 148 pts.

#25 Paraguay

Invisible Country: A Mystery by Annamaria Alfieri

320 pgs. + 4 pts.
HF = 1 pt.
Review =http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... = 5 pts.

10.1 Tourist visa Read a book where the author is from a different country than the setting of the book.

Book and bonus total = 45 pts.
Challenge total = 193 pts.

18. France Jackdaws by Ken Follett
416pgs: 4pts
HF: 1pt
Review: 5pts http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Total: 28pts

Challenge total: 87pts

#23 England Plain Jane by Laurien Gardner
352 pages - 4 pts
HF - 1 pt
Review - http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... 5 pts

Challenge/Task Total: 33 pts

#26 Dominican Republic - The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat
312 pages = 4 points
HF = 1 point
Book total = 31 points

#24 Antarctica - The Survival Methods and Mating Rituals of Men and Marine Mammals by Chris Kenry
288 pages = 2 points
Book total = 26 points

#19 Scotland - The Island House by Posie Graeme-Evans
464 pages = 4 points (this is for the paperback version, which is what I read - the most popular is the Kindle version, which lists no pages)
HF = 1 point
Book total = 24 points

I'm also claiming bonus points for 50.1 Island Hopper using The Farming of Bones, The Island House (which takes place on an island off the coast of Scotland), and The Long Song (which I already claimed points for in message #13).

Book points this post: 81
Bonus points this post: 50
Total points this post: 131
Total challenge points: 291

#28 Canada - A Fatal Grace
311 pages = 4 pts
Review = 5 pts
4 stars � http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Task Bonus: 15.2 - Customs Official - I was surprised that people are kissed on both cheeks as a standard greeting. I've visited Canada and not seen that custom, but since this takes place in the French-Canadian province of Quebec, I assume that the European custom is carried over.

Book Total: 52 points

Challenge Total: 131 points

#30 - England
The Yard by Alex Grecian
432 pgs - 4 pts
HF - 1 pt
Review - 5 pts
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Book total - 40 pts
Challenge total - 309 pts

#30 Canada
In the Shadow of the Glacier by Vicki Delany

Country # = 30 points
313 pages = 4 points
Bonus 10.3 Passport Stamp - I'd LOVE to visit Canada!

Book total = 44 points
Challenge total = 60 points

#6 Vietnam

The Headmaster's Wager by Vincent Lam

400 pgs. = 4 pts.
HF = 1 pt.
Review http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... = 5 pts.
Total = 16 pts.

Challenge total = 209 pts.

#21 Ireland - Brigid of Kildare by Heather Terrell
256 pages = 2 points
HF = 1 point
Bonus - 10.3 Passport stamp - I have never been to Ireland, and would like to visit there someday.

Book total = 34 points

#8 Botswana -
The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith
257 pages = 2 points

Book total = 10 points

Total points this post: 44
Total challenge points: 335

10.2 Planes, trains, and automobiles: Read a book which has a mode of transportation or the name

A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar by Suzanne Joinson
384pgs=>4pts
Reviewed=>5pts
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Task total =>19pts
Challenge Total=>139pts

#13 China
A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar by Suzanne Joinson
384 pgs - 4 pts
HF - 1 pt
Review - 5 pts
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Bonus task 10.2 - Read a book which has a mode of transportation

Book total - 33 pts
Challenge total - 342 pts

Let me know about the HF for this book - half takes place in 1923-25, the other storyline is modern. Most GR users have it shelved as HF.

#27 Chile

Beyond the Ties of Blood: A Novel by Florencia Mallon

375 pgs = 4 pts.
HF = 1 pt.
Total = 32 pts.

Challenge total = 241 pts.

Bonus Task 5.3 Read a book which features time travel.
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
579pgs: 6pts
Review: 5pts http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Total: 16pts

Challenge total: 75pts

16 Germany

City of Women by David R. Gillham

400 pgs = 4 pts.
HF = 1 pt.
Review http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... = 5 pts.
Total = 26 pts.

Bonus 15.3 Traveler's warning Germany is under the control of Hitler and the gestapo not a good place to visit during this time period.

Bonus and Total = 41 pts.
Challenge total 282 pts.

#30 United States
Cane River by Lalita Tademy

522 pgs - 6 pts
HF - 1 point
Review - http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... - 5 pts
Total - 42 pts

Challenge Total - 75 pts

Scoreboard as of 8/19.


Cheryl* 342
Butterflycager 335
Diane* 276
Christina 139
Laura 131
Christy 103
Ashley 75
Shannon 60
Jon 34
Jennbunny 30
HollyP 0
Sue 0

If there is * by your name, please see the note in the itineraries thread for more explanation. Please do NOT edit any posts from 1-43 -- I will not be re-checking them.

26. Jamaica

Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton
312pgs: 4pts
HF: 1pt
Review: 5pts http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Total:36pts

Challenge Total: 139

Bonus Task 15.2 - Customs Official

Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad by Waris Dirie
240 pgs - 2 pts
Review - 5 pts
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Sadly, the custom which I learned about from reading this book is not a positive one. I learned about , which is an extreme form of FGM (female genital mutilation) as practiced in some East African countries. It is partly to speak out against this custom, which she endured as a child, that Waris Dirie wrote this book. But, hers is a very interesting life story, and there's much more to it than just having been a victim of FGM!


Task total - 22 pts
Challenge total - 22 pts

JoLene -

Regarding A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar, 194 of the 203 pages of the historical storyline take place in the Kashgar region, which is the current Xinjiang Autonomous region of China. I was going by the Library of Congress cataloging which has a subject matter of Kashi(China)-Fiction (as well as a genre of Historical Fiction). Does that work? Thanks for your hard work on this challenge - it's a lot of fun!

@Cheryl - sounds good. This book has been on my radar as well and something that I read made it sound like it was on the route of the silk road through some of the "stans".

5.2 Set in another world, not on itinerary.
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
311pgs: 4pts
Review: 5pts http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Total: 14pts

Challenge Total: 153pts

#25 Brazil - The Sound Of Butterflies by Rachael King
384 pages = 4 points (The most popular version is the hardback, which lists no pages. 384 is the number of pages for the paperback version, which is what I read.)
HF = 1 point
Book total = 30 points

#23 Iceland - Far North by Michael Ridpath
376 pages = 4 points
Bonus 15.2 Customs Official - learned about Thorrablot, which is a winter festival held in Iceland. Items on the tradition menu include sheep's heads, whale blubber, and rotten shark. I'm a rather adventurous eater, but this might be a bit much...
Book total = 42 points

#22 Morocco - The time in between by María Dueñas
624 pages = 6 points
HF = 1 point
Book total = 29 points

Total points this post: 101
Total challenge points: 436