Halfway Through The Around The World Challenge

Celebration!

I  never thought I would get this far in the Around the World challenge.  It involves reading books from 52 different countries by the end of 2012.  I thought that might be an impossible goal for me.   Yet here it is June and I'm at the halfway point.  That's exactly where I should be.

Here's the Travellerspoint map that shows my route through 26 countries:

                            
Here's the updated list of countries and historical periods:

1)Ireland--  670 A.D.
2)Japan-- 19th century
3)Mongolia-- 12th century
4)Laos--1978
5)Israel--1977
6)Mexico--16th century
7)Greece--5th century B.C.
8)Egypt--The Present
9)Haiti--late 18th to early 19th century
10)Sri Lanka--1990's
11)France--15th century
12)Canada--1940's
13)Scotland--1950's
14)England--16th century
15)Iran--17th century
16)Bhutan--earlier in the 21st century
17)Australia--18th century
18)China--The Present
19)South Africa--The Present
20)Niger--1970's
21)Poland--1940's-1990's
22)Angola--1860's
23)Germany--1939
24)Finland--The Present
25)Cambodia--1970's
26)Ghana--The Present        

My Australia book, Strandloper by Alan Garner (reviewed in February on this blog) and my Mexico book, Five Dances With Death: Dance One by Austin Briggs are on my list of  top ten books for the first half of 2012.  Since I read Austin Briggs' novel before this blog existed, I  have decided to feature it in this post.

                                                      

        
        
 Here's the review I posted on Goodreads:

The protagonist, Angry Wasp, is in some ways like most men. He tells another warrior that women aren't important. Yet his sorceress wife is not only more powerful than Angry Wasp but his actions show that he cares deeply about her even though he doesn't express it. I found him a very believable character.

Angry Wasp can also be unexpectedly insightful. His shamanistic abilities which he acquired through his wife's teaching assist him in this area.

I very much appreciated the spiritual aspect of this book. Other novels I've read dealing with the peoples of Mexico during this period make a travesty of their religious practices. It's as if their spirituality were all about bloodletting. Austin Briggs provides us with a deeper view of these complex cultures.

This was the first book that I read on my new Kindle. I was impressed.  I'm looking forward to Five Dances With Death: Dance Two.