Around the World - a reading challenge

This summer is flying fast! Tutoring is finished until the fall, I just turned in an editing job, and I’m finally getting a quick breath of fresh—but humid—air. So what will I be doing for the next few weeks, before the next wave of my two jobs arrives at my door?

Traveling the world…

… in a literary sense.

That’s right, friends. August’s reading challenge will take us Around the World.

Here’s what this means:

The books we read for this challenge should either take place outside of our home country or be authored by a person from a country other than our own. The entire book does not have to take place outside the U.S. (or whatever your home country might be, if you aren’t from the U.S.), but a hefty amount of the book should. If you’re going for the author category, the book may take place anywhere in the world, including your home country, as long as the author is from a country other than your own.

I’ve been looking forward to this particular challenge all year, because so many different genres will fit this one.

Want biblical fiction? These often take place in the Middle East. I personally don’t like many, but I have many friends who cherish them. Although, I must say, I rather enjoyed Connilynn Cossette’s Counted with the Stars.

Like Regency books? They take place in England, typically. Go ahead and pick up some Julie Klassen or Sarah Ladd stories.

What about WWII? Those stories take place all across Europe. Authors such as Tricia Goyer, Cara Putman, Liz Tolsma, and Cathy Gohlke are just a few who write in that particular genre.

Do you favor contemporary tales? Try one of Lisa Harris’s African-locale stories or Lindsay Harrel’s globetrotting The Heart Between Us. A few of Katherine Reay’s books also cross the pond, so they’ll work nicely too. I especially enjoyed her latest, The Austen Escape.

How about those split-time stories that are so popular these days? Kristy Cambron’s new Lost Castle series (book one, The Lost Castle, is available now) covers present-day, WWII, and late-1700s, all taking place in France.

Have a hankering for a non-United States-born author? Pick up a book by Janette Oke or Sara Davison, both of whom are from Canada.

Let’s help each other out in the comment section:

 What other eras take place outside your home country?

What other authors do you like who were born outside your own country?

What books are you reading for this month’s challenge?

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Join the conversation!

I love chatting with you.

July’s reading challenge was a Trip into Yesteryear!