Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge

Well, I hesitantly am joining another reading challenge. But, this one caught my eye about two weeks ago due to its genre requirement. Lesley at A Life In Books said this challenge came as..."a yen to travel to distant lands, but lacking the resources to do so."

Basically, I figure I need to get out more. Need to get outta my head. Need to get outta my reading "rut". And, need to get away from the everyday "stuff".

So, I'm joining the Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge.

Since lack of money is a hindrance to world travel, it is also a hindrance to buying new books. So, I scoured Amazon looking for things of interest. My "Plan A" list included these:

He Leadth Me by Charles Reynolds (Scotland/ Ireland)
The Last Lighthouse by Sharma Krauskopf (Scotland)
Sea Room: An Island Life in the Hebrides by Adam Nicolson (Scotland)
Nothing to Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone by Mary Morris (Latin America)
Travels with Myself and Another by Martha Gellhorn (all over - journalistic coverage)
Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World by Rita Golden Gellman (Mexico)

Unfortunately, when I went to find these at my small local library, they didn't carry any of them. *sigh* Put a few on PaperbackSwap.com but it could be a wait.

So, Plan B? I start in the library's catalog FIRST and search it to see what they DID have. My "replacement" hitters for this challenge - which lasts 'til the end of the year, averaging one book per month - are the following:

The Blood of Flowers - by Anita Amirrezvani (Iran)
Austenland by Shannon Hale (England)

Gypsy in Me:, The: From Germany to Romania in Search of Youth, Truth, and Dad by Ted Simon (Eastern Europe)
Between East And West: Across the Borderlands of Europe by Anne Applebaum (Eastern Europe)
North to the Orient by Anne Morrow Lindbergh (Asia)

And, the single remaining tribute to my Celtic heritage:
Rhanna by Marion Christine Fraser

If you are interested in joining, here are Lesley's guidelines:

• The challenge runs from July 1 through December 31 during which time you must read six books that fall under the ‘armchair traveling’ theme.
• Fiction or non-fiction works are fine, and do not need to be specifically travel related, as long as the location is integral to the book - I’ll leave that to your discretion. Locations must be actual places that you could visit, so no Middle Earths or galaxies far, far away.
• Books may be cross-posted to other challenges, but you cannot count any books read prior to July 1st.
• To join, make a post outlining your six choices and link to (original) post...Because I like to have a little wiggle room, you can opt to switch out books throughout the challenge.
• And yes, there will be prizes!

So, if you are feeling some wanderlust and want to join us, the ship's leavin'! *wink*