Read Around the World: Albania!

For Albania, I read The Doll by Ismail Kadare, who was the winner of the inaugural Man Booker International Prize in 2005. This was actually my first stop on My Read Around the World quest because I had already read The Kite Runner for Afghanistan and I thought “hey, that counts” but The Doll was so interesting, I realized I wanted to read a book for every country in the world in order, regardless of whether I had previously read a book for that country. If I’m going to expand my mind, I might as well expand it as much as possible, right?

The Doll is an autobiographical novel, the titular doll being the author’s mother. As I started the book, I resented the author’s depiction of his mother. It struck me as misogynistic and cruel. Maybe I was a bit sensitive because I’m a mother and I see things from the mom’s perspective these days? But about midway through the book, it occurred to me that Kadare’s depiction of his “mother” was actually an analogy for Albania, the author’s motherland. Once I had that epiphany, I was able to enjoy The Doll much more and by the time I finished, I wanted to read more of Kadare’s works.

This was such an interesting book to start my Around the World journey because the author writes about becoming a writer in a communist country. He attended a writer’s school in Moscow, where they were lectured against “the Joyce-Kafka-Proust trio” and “learned that we must not write like them; while at nights, tortured by doubt, we could hardly resist the temptation of writing precisely in their manner.” Kadare, The Doll, pg. 85-86.

Although the book is a fleeting 175 pages, it really brought me into the world of communist Albania. I felt like I was inside the author’s childhood home in a town with steep hills and hostile mother-in-laws, and the passages about learning to write under a communist regime really got my neurons firing.

When I ordered this book, I felt very uncertain about my Read Around the World Quest. It seemed too bold, too big, too self-indulgent. But The Doll expanded my horizons so much that by the time I reached its end, I was fully committed to read a book by an author from every country in the world.

The world is vast and full of so many different experiences. I loved experiencing it from Kadare’s perspective for 175 pages, and I plan to read more of his books when I finish this challenge.

Read Around the World: C is for Cabo Verde

April 5, 2024 – Picking The Book: My kids and I spent the past two days at Great Wolf Lodge in Anaheim. It’s a hotel with a massive indoor water park and we had a blast. (Nathan joined us on day one but then went home because 1) he prefers sleeping at home and 2) he has that pesky job thing.) Today the kids and I have been recovering at home. They rotted in front of the t.v. with mindless YouTube videos whileI mostly lounged on an armchair, reading Secondhand Time, my pick for Belarus. While reading, I made a decision: ‘Tis Time To Gather The C Books!

First up: Cabo Verde. BookTok recommended two books: Chiquinho: A Novel of Cabo Verde, by Baltazar Lopes and The Last Will & Testament of Senhor da Silva Araújo by Germano Almeida. Goodreads also pointed me to The Madwoman of Serrano by Dina Salústio. All three were available on Amazon! Not bad for a country with a population of approximately 600k.

Ordinarily, I gravitate toward books written by female authors, but this time, after reading the books descriptions and dipping into the reviews, I felt drawn to Chiquinho: A Novel of Cabo Verde. I ordered Chinquinho from Amazon today, and my inner book dragon has officially been released on the C’s.

Read Around the World: What Countries Am I Reading?

When I decided to embark on a quest to read a book written by an author from every country in the world, I assumed there would be an undisputed list of countries in the world and no one would question the countries I am reading.

[cue hysterical laughter]

Turns out there are different opinions about what constitutes a country, and the definition of country is very political and personal, but I’m (currently) following this definition:

The independent country is not only a self-governed nation with its own authorities, but this status needs the international diplomatic recognition of sovereignty.

Thereby, we can say that the total number of independent states in the world today is 197, including 193 fully recognized members of the United Nations and 2 countries, Vatican City and Palestine, have the status of permanent observers in the UN. The other 2 states we include in the list are Kosovo (recognized by 101 UN members) and Taiwan (recognized by 12 UN members and one UN observer).

https://www.countries-ofthe-world.com/all-countries.html

According to this definition, Aruba is not a country. (This has made a lot of people deeply unhappy on TikTok.) It also means that England, Scotland, and Wales are folded together into the single country called the United Kingdom, and places like Puerto Rico are considered territories of the United States, and therefore not official countries.

I find myself torn by some competing thoughts: (1) I’m striving to expand my horizons, so why should I skip countries like Aruba and Wales? but (2) I don’t know how many “countries” miss my current list of 197 countries is already a HUGE undertaking, and (3) if the project gets too big and there end up being 500+ countries, I might hit the panic button and abandon it altogether.

Whew. Deep breaths, Courtney, deep breaths.

For now, to keep this project manageable, I am following this list of 197 countries because I know I can read 197 books in four years. Maybe five years. (Okay, eight years TOPS if I end up reading really long books.) (But I’m trying to avoid books like War and Peace because I would like to finish this project before I die!)

Yet while I want to keep my project “manageable,” my goal is also to expand my horizons. And as I’m writing this on 4/5/2024, I’m only on Belarus, but damn, my soul already feels deeply and profoundly enriched. I AM SO GLAD I PULLED THE TRIGGER ON THIS PROJECT.

Part of me keeps thinking, Fuck it, I’ll just include Wales and Scotland during my first pass. But then part of me thinks, There I go, prioritizing Anglophilic bookworm tendencies. For me, it feels better to stick with the list of 197 countries while recognizing that the definition of country is HIGHLY POLITICAL and places that “feel” like a country are not officially recognized as such for various reasons.

(It should probably be noted that I did not take a single Government/Political Science class in college. I’m a bookworm, not a politician!)

Below, I’m going to keep track of all the “countries” that do not make the list that I’m following, so at some point, I can go back and read authors from those countries as well.

Countries That Do Not Make The List I’m Following*:

  1. Aruba
  2. American Samoa
  3. Bermuda
  4. England
  5. Guam
  6. Northern Ireland
  7. Northern Mariana Islands
  8. Puerto Rico
  9. Scotland
  10. U.S. Virgin Islands
  11. Wales

*Many thanks to all the folks on TikTok who are pointing out the countries I have missed! This list is a work-in-progress.

Read Around the World: Bahrain

For Bahrain, I read Yummah by Sarah A. Al Shafei, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone doing a Read Around the World project.

The heroine of this book is Khadeeja, and Yummah is the nickname given to Khadeeja by her grandchildren. This book appears to be the fictionalized story of Khadeeja’s life, as written by one of her grandchildren.

The story begins with Khadeeja’s arranged marriage at the age of 12 and presents her marriage as a fairytale love story. Khadeeja falls in love with her husband the first time she looks at him and continues to adore and cherish him as the best of men, even when he ditches her and moves to Dubai when she is pregnant with their ninth child. If Bahrain has a Hallmark channel, I imagine this is the sort of story it would feature.

I have really struggled to compose my thoughts about Yummah, and have left this post in drafts for a week now, because my opinions about this book are a bit contradictory.

On the one hand, I feel like I should be critical of this book because it romanticizes the story of a child bride. Khadeeja marries at the age of twelve! That is ABUSE. I have been thinking about this for days, worrying that I am not being sensitive to a different culture with different social and cultural norms. But, just because something is the social norm within a culture does not mean it is right. I believe in my core that subjecting a girl to marriage at the age of twelve is abuse.

But I’m still glad that my Read Around the World quest brought me to Yummah. Even though it made my inner feminist cringe, it also gave me a wonderful glimpse into life in Bahrain. Was it a romanticized glimpse? Yes! But even though Yummah was presented as a fairytale, it inadvertently shined a light on the problems with societies, cultures and religions that teach women to be subservient to men.

This novel touched me deeply. Not, I believe, in the way the author intended, but it reminded me that so many women in the world do not yet understand that their worth does not hinge on their subservience to a man. I am so privileged to be living in the United States in the twenty-first century, and I am even more privileged to have a husband who encourages me to dream big and not worry so much about the housework. Sometimes, from my privileged perspective, it seems like feminism has done its work.

But there is work still to be done.

Read Around the World: My Favorite Authors

I am on an epic journey to read a book by an author from every country in the world in alphabetical order. When I finish a book, I often think, Damn, I want to read everything this author has written, but if I do that, I’ll never finish this quest. I’m going to keep track of my favorite authors here for future reading ambitions.

p.s. I have created an Amazon storefront with lists of all the books I’m reading on my Read Around the World quest. It’s no extra cost to you, and I receive a tiny commission if you buy through my storefront. I greatly appreciate your support!

  1. Ismail Kadare (Albania)
  2. Assia Djebar (Algeria): I definitely want to finish her Algerian Calvacade. The book I read, Fantasia, was so lush, I could see someone using this book as an amazing starting point for a college thesis. (And if you write that thesis, send it to me!)
  3. Jamaica Kincaid (Antigua and Barbuda):
  4. Narine Abgaryan (Armenia): I’ll read anything she writes. Even a shopping list.
  5. Kate Grenville (Australia)
  6. Ella Leya (Azerbaijan): but Leya is primarily a jazz musician, so not sure if she has more novels she wants to write.
  7. Janice Lynn Mather (The Bahamas)
  8. Taslima Nasrin (Bangladesh)
  9. Cherie Jones (Barbados). She’s also an attorney and the book I read was her debut, so I really hope she writes more. LOTS MORE.
  10. Svetlana Alexievich (Belarus). 4/5/24 – I’m not quite halfway done with Secondhand Time but already this feels like one of the best books I’ve ever read, and damn, I want to inhale to everything she’s written. 4/11/24 – I finished the book yesterday and Alexievich is now one of my favorite authors of all time. Absolutely incredible.
  11. Jacqueline Harpman (Belgium). Hopefully more of her books are translated into English though honestly, I will be happy to reread I Who Have Never Known Men every few years for the rest of my life.
  12. Ivo Andric (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
  13. Gothataone Moeng (Botswana)
  14. Machado de Assis (Brazil). If I can only read one author for the rest of my life, I’ll probably pick him, end of discussion.
  15. Kapka Kassabova (Bulgaria)
  16. Michelle Good (Canada)
  17. Adrienne Yabouza (Central African Republic)
  18. Isabel Allende (Chile)
  19. Jung Chang (China)
  20. Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia)
  21. Ali Zamir (Comoros)

Read Around the World: Afghanistan

I am attempting to read a book by an author from every country in the world in alphabetical order! Is this a slightly crazy project? Hell, yes! But I felt called to do it, and the call kept nagging, and so here I am. Embarking on an epic reading project.

I have a backlog of books that I’ve read since October 2023, so I need to play catchup with some blog posts. Because if you are going to read a book from every freaking country, then you better document that shit, right?

Up first: Afghanistan.

Full disclosure: I actually started with Albania because I had already read The Kite Runner by Afghan author Khaled Hosseini, but then I decided I want to read a book from every country in order, without skipping any countries. So I hunted around for another Afghan author and stumbled upon My Pen is the Wing of a Bird, a collection of short stories by Afghan women.

This book was heartbreakingly wonderful. So much anguish but also hope, perseverance, and resistance. I’ve seen so many stories about Afghanistan in the news, but these stories profoundly depend my understanding of the tribulations Afghans face, giving me glimpses into their domestic lives.

This book was developed through Untold Narrative’s Write Afghanistan project and I’m so grateful they translated these stories into English and gave me a window into this world. As I writer, I was reminded of how blessed I am to live in the United States, where I don’t have to censor my stories and can write freely about subjects taboo in other parts of the world, like mental health and peri menopause.

It’s books like My Pen is the Wing of a Bird that remind me of how important stories are.

24 in ’24: The January Progress Report

I like to concoct lists of projects that I hope to complete during the new year. I got this idea from one of my favorite podcasts, Happier With Gretchen Rubin, and I’ve been doing it since 2022. Here’s the progress I made in January on my 24 in ’24:

  1. No soda or caffeine. I have no had a drop of soda! That’s the primary goal. On the caffeine front, I’ve had chocolate (acceptable, according to me) and I had one Thai iced tea at a restaurant. I’m really only concerned about imbibing caffeine via coffee or soda, so I’m winning here.
  2. Take an introductory class at a rock climbing gym. Not yet.
  3. Read 100 books. As of today, I’ve read eight books and according to Goodreads, I’m on track to finish 100. .
  4. Attend 100 hot yoga classes. I attended nine hot yoga and hot pilates classes in January, so I’m a smidge ahead of schedule.
  5. Write the rough draft of my third novel. In progress! My kids wore me down and I’m writing a children’s book for them.
  6. Paint a room in our house. Or the front door. Or a mural. Not yet!
  7. Try 24 new recipes. I tried two new recipes in January, pad Thai and smashed chicken meatball sliders.
  8. Record an audiobook. I did a little research about this, and honestly, this might not be the DIY job I imagined.
  9. Get 52 mega nature doses. I got four mega doses of Mother Nature: (1) a trip to Santa Barbara wine country with Nathan, which included lunch at the beach, driving through beautiful countryside, sitting on the front porch of a winery and soaking up the vineyards, and stopping at a scenic point to see a dam; (2) a walk around Descanso Gardens; and (3) and (4) walks at the Huntington. I hadn’t been to the Huntington since before the Covid shutdowns, but I felt inspired by 24 in ’24 to renew my membership and damn, I forgot how much I love that place.
  10. Make a five year plan. Not yet!
  11. Complete 24 craft projects. I worked on several projects — a crochet poncho, amigurumi pigs, and this big ass embroidery project that will take all year — but I did not complete any.
  12. Help the kids prepare a family meal once a month. Julian prepared the new smashed chicken meatball sliders, and Pippa made pad Thai.
  13. Plan a family trip to the Grand Canyon. Nathan and I are actually planning a trip to Mt. Rushmore for this summer, so I haven’t thought about the Grand Canyon. Need to nail down those our South Dakota logistics first!
  14. Get 24 minutes of fresh air every day. I did this every day in January and have continued my streak into February. Today, it’s been raining all day but I put on a jacket, grabbed my biggest umbrella, and took a lovely walk.
  15. Tap dance 20 times. I haven’t done this yet. I should start tomorrow since it will still be raining!
  16. Walk an average of 10,000 steps/day. I’m a little behind here. I average 9,448 steps/day in January, but this is actually motivating me to find new ways to sneak in my daily steps.
  17. Record 25 podcast episodes. I recorded one in January and a second on February 1.
  18. Create a TikTok 100 weekdays in a row. I started doing this on Thursday, January 4, and have not yet missed a weekday.
  19. Visit the Gamble House. Not yet.
  20. Take monthly family portraits. We took a family portrait in January, and I have it on my To Do list for February.
  21. Learn how to make balloon animals. Not yet.
  22. Visit The Broad. Not yet but discussed doing this with a friend.
  23. Track time spent sitting vs. time spent standing for a month. Not yet.
  24. Joy Tracking! Wherein I keep track of things that boost my wellness and happiness but are not part of this project (e.g. boardgames played; movies watched; new places visited). I’ve been doing this!

Episode 42: The Dark Side of Girl Scout Cookies

Full disclosure: My daughter LOVES selling Girl Scout cookies. It’s probably her favorite part about being a Girl Scout. And I think it’s a great confidence builder, getting out there and asking friends, neighbors and teachers if they want to buy some Thin Mints.

But there are some issues.

I do not love that in the Los Angeles Council, troops need to participate in the Fall Product fundraising (selling shitty nuts) and sell Girl Scout cookies before they can participate in other types of fundraising. What about making friendship bracelets and selling them for $1? Just so the girls get the experience of designing and marketing a product? I find these restrictions on fundraising especially slimy because the top three executives in Los Angeles are paid in excess of $200,000, and those fat salaries come from Girl Scout cookies peddled by cute little girls.

Girl Scouts is an organization that empowers girls. This is awesome! Yeah, girl power! Yet the business of selling Girl Scout cookies is largely powered by parental volunteer hours, and though I know some dads help, the burden is mostly carried by moms. What message does this send? Girls are awesome but once you become a mom, you should pour your soul into volunteering at the expense of your sanity?

Then there’s the way the business of selling cookies whips girls and parents into a frenzy. In 2021, when there were cookies shortages, parents did not behave well. I attended a Zoom session for cookie chairs and watched in amazement as moms lost their minds because their daughters were not going to be able to earn some shitty prize. Cookie season fires up my daughter’s competitive spirit and she gets worried that the neighbors across the street (six daughters, four are Girl Scouts) are going to “steal” her customers.

Then there’s the way selling cookies exposes girls to diet culture. I’ve seen it happen. The girls are outside a grocery store, selling cookies, and customers says, “I can’t, I’m on a diet.” Diet culture is pervasive, but this article drew my attention to some issues I’ve never considered so now, when comments like that get made, I can have an honest conversation with my daughter and the girls in our troop.

All in all, I think the pros of selling Girl Scout cookies outweigh the cons, but by becoming aware of these issues, I can address them with my daughter and turn the dark side of Girl Scout cookies into a positive learning experience.

’23 in 23: The Good, The Bad, The Forgotten

At the beginning of last year, I picked 23 projects that I wanted to tackle in 2023. I knew at the outset I would not finish all 23 projects, but it’s fun to see what sticks and what doesn’t. Let’s see how it went!

  1. Attend fifty hot yoga classes: I attended my 50th class on October 2 and finished the year strong with a total of 70 classes. Go, me! (This year I’m excited to attend 100 classes.)
  2. Track what I eat for 30 days in a row: I completed this in January. 
  3. Drink at least 64 oz of water/day for 30 days in a row: Ditto.
  4. Publish my second novel: Yes! I published Once Upon An Anxious Mom in December.

5. Read 100 books for myself: I read 110 books. I think about 68 of these were audiobooks.

6. Try 23 new recipes: I tried 11 new recipes in total. I’m trying again this year with my 24 in ’24 project.

7. Cook with mushrooms 23 times: I cooked with mushrooms four times, but Nathan, inspired by my efforts, starting roasting mushrooms often when he grills steak. So mission accomplished: mushrooms are part of our life.

8. Bake 23 loaves of bread: I baked one loaf. Lol.

9. Make 23 different buttons with my button maker: I imagined that I would design and make 23 buttons for myself. What ended up happening was I used my button maker at different events during the year — the school’s Welcome Back Fair, my niece’s birthday party, a Girl Scout meeting, a Girl Scout pumpkin patch — and made over 100 buttons during the year. I didn’t design them, but I am now a pro with the button maker. Mission accomplished!

10. Finish 23 craft projects (not including buttons): I completed 15, but some were big, like crocheting Christmas stockings for the kids. I’m trying this one again in my 24 in ’24.

11. Watch 12 different Creativebug classes: I watched one. So I just stopped working on this post and cancelled my subscription. I can rejoin whenever I have the time or inclination.

12. Draw 12 times: I drew seven times. It’s not my main crafting/artistic outlet.

13. Play 23 different board/card games: I got so close! I made it to 20 different boardgames and was going to play three games on December 31, but then I was so completely gassed from the holidays and a cold, I spent the day lounging in bed instead. But I’m giving myself a Win on this one because I played a ton of games multiple times, and the kids and I got into the habit of playing boardgames and card games together.

14. Watch 23 movies with my kids: We watched sixteen movies together. A decent chunk! Half credit.

15. Write 23 blog posts: I did this and then some! I think of blogging as something I do for myself. If I end up attracting readers who enjoy my work and buy my books, fantastic! But that’s not the objective. This is a practice that helps me reflect and live my life intentionally.

16. Visit 23 new places: I completed this goal early in 2023 and I’ve noticed that visiting new places is definitely good for my soul. My cavewoman ancestors were the ones who strayed far away from the cave and found new streams and date trees and shit like that. I’m not content staying at home 24/7.

17. Go on 12 hikes: I went on three hikes. I realize I have a couple of impediments on this front: my kids play sports, so our weekends are busy; and I love hot yoga, so that eats up a lot of my exercise time during the week. But the three hikes I went on filled up my soul so this year, I’m endeavoring to get 52 mega doses of nature.

18. Do 23 things I have never done before: I did this! This might make a good podcast episode…

19. Finish decluttering the house!  I’m giving myself an A+ here because I made so much freaking progress. Most importantly, I gutted and reclaimed our garage and basement (just one room, but more than most Californians have). I learned along the way that decluttering is not an end goal but a state of mind. I have to keep decluttering throughout the year, especially with growing kids.

20. Indulge my inner child 23 times: Mission accomplished! Highlights include making fudge, having Lucky Charms for breakfast in March, getting passes to Universal Studios, and starting tennis lessons in August.

21. Publish 12 podcast episodes: I published 6 episodes, but I did get back into podcasting and like blogging, it’s a practice that helps me feel like my best self. This year, I’m attempting 24 podcast episode in ’24. I think it will be easier to hit the higher number because I’ll build momentum and procrastinate less.

22. Attend 12 live performances: Done! And damn, I saw some amazing shows. This was so good for my soul.

23. Spend 20 hours gardening: Done, and then some.

I completed thirteen of these projects and nearly finished #13, so WOOT WOOT.

Lessons learned: I’m not the bread baker I thought I was but I do love boardgames.