Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is books that take place in another country. I feel like I’ve written enough posts that focus on non-US books, so I thought I’d try something different. It’s time for a geography lesson. We’re going to take a tour of those countries you’ve vaguely heard of but don’t know anything about. I think all of these would make excellent book settings. Here are ten countries where more books should take place.
Countries Where More Books Should Be Set
Brunei
Location: Southeast Asia.
Population: About 400,000.
What makes it interesting: The Sultan of Brunei is one of the richest people in the world. Dude owns a lot of oil.
Burkina Faso
Location: West Africa.
Population: About 13,000,000.
What makes it interesting: It had its first election in 2015. Before then, the political situation was . . . um . . . murderous.
Djibouti
Location: East Africa.
Population: About 800,000.
What makes it interesting: Having pretty much no fresh water. The place is a salty desert. That’s probably why it’s one of the least-populated countries in Africa.
Location: West Africa.
Population: About 1,000,000.
What makes it interesting: Deforestation and political instability. No president in the history of Guinea-Bissau has managed to serve a full term.
Kiribati
Location: Pacific Ocean, near the equator.
Population: About 100,000.
What makes it interesting: It's the only country that has land in all four hemispheres (North, South, East, West).
Kyrgyzstan
Location: Central Asia.
Population: About 6,000,000.
What makes it interesting: Forever alone. It’s geographically isolated high up in the mountains.
Nauru
Location: Micronesia / Pacific Ocean
Population: About 10,000.
What makes it interesting: Tax evasion and money laundering. It's also the place where Australia dumps its undocumented immigrants.
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Location: Caribbean Sea.
Population: About 51,000.
What makes it interesting: It's the smallest independent country in the Western Hemisphere. Also, beaches!
Suriname
Location: South America.
Population: About 500,000.
What makes it interesting: It has one of the most diverse (ethnic, linguistic, religious) populations on Earth.
Tuvalu
Location: Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia.
Population: About 10,000.
What makes it interesting: Sinking and shrinking. If sea levels continue to rise, these islands will be some of the first to disappear.
Have you been to any of these places? Have you read a book set in any of these places? What countries would you like to see more often in literature?
I can only imagine what kind of thrilling novel someone could write set in Burkina Faso!
ReplyDeleteGreat take at this TTT! I have definitely not read any book set in any of these countries and I would love to!
ReplyDeleteI haven't even heard of some of these places! But just based on the facts you provided, I can see some interesting books being set there!
ReplyDeleteWhat a unique and fun TTT post! I agree that all of these places would make great book settings. Djibouti sounds like a dystopian setting.
ReplyDeleteLove how you the topic this week!! Pretty sure I haven't heard of most of these countries (oops!) but imagine they would make interesting settings for stories.
ReplyDeleteHaha I love this take of the prompt! I have heard of some of these countries; I would love to read books set in any of them.
ReplyDeleteI love what you did with this question! I'm craving more stories in Africa, THERE ARE SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES. I'm kind of over the over-saturated of English settings.
ReplyDeleteI have heard on very few of these countries and am quite sure that I have read a single book set in them. With some of the facts you listed about each, I could see some interesting stories set in each location.
ReplyDeleteSame here. Someone needs to get to writing!
DeleteThis is a great list! I haven't read books set in any of these countries, but I would like to!
ReplyDeleteOkay, I absolutely loved the layout of this post! You picked some awesome spots and I was so thrilled to see the number of African countries included! I have never personally been to any of the countries mentioned but my dad did do some work in Burkina Faso while I was a kid.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thiswestgate.com/
This is quite an interesting topic. Apart from Guinea-Bissau (and that's because my country and Guinea share the same language and a historical past), I never read a book set in the countries you mentioned - as embarrassing as it may sound I didn't even know some of those countries existed. Books truly need more diverse settings.
ReplyDeleteTânia @MyLovelySecret
This is a really interesting take. I have never read a book set in any of these countries, and now I would like to!
ReplyDeleteInteresting take on this and I have never read a book set in any of these places. Interesting fact about Kiribati being in all four hemispheres.
ReplyDeleteOk you picked some FASCINATING places!! I love your take on this week's topic!
ReplyDeleteGold star for your take on the topic and WOW! I just learned so many strange and interesting factoids. Fabulous!
ReplyDeleteOooh, I love your spin on this week's topic. I'm pretty sure I've never read any books set in these places but would love to learn more about them.
ReplyDeleteOoh geography :) I was always fascinated by faraway places w/ exotic names. Kiribati is new to but I'd love to see more stories set in Micronesia or those remote PAcific locations. Same w/ Tuvalu.
ReplyDeleteOkay, you win TTT. This is the most fun (and informative!) list I have seen so far. Also, can you like, please pitch these ideas to authors- ownvoice authors would be epic too- so that I can read these books? Seriously, you have me wanting to go down a Wikipedia rabbit hole RIGHT NOW.
ReplyDeleteWhat a very original TTT list you made! I love it!
ReplyDeleteI love your blog too, very pretty!
I've heard of all the places but never read anything from any of them-at least, I don't think I have.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a cool take on the TTT, with some wonderful places that you're absolutely right -- more books should be set in these places. And yup, that's exactly what Australia does at Nauru. Our politicians are bloody cold-hearted idiots. Sighs.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting twist on this prompt!
ReplyDeleteNo, I haven't been to any of these places nor have I read books that take place in any of them either. To be honest, I've only heard of about half of them. I love saying Djibouti! What a fun word to say!
You know I approve when people bend/stretch the rules and/or parameters ;) I like your li'l globes too! Both educational, and randomly cute! XD
ReplyDeleteI am absolutely here for any one of those books. Also, I was nervous when I read the headline of your blog that it would have been a bunch of glamorous countries that are great but already have some books written, so gold star for you for being diverse and awesome.
ReplyDeleteWhat a brilliant spin on this topic. I love your 'what makes it interesting' comments.
ReplyDeleteInteresting top ten. An apacalyptic.read in Tuvalu would be awesome.
ReplyDeleteWow!! What a list! I love all of the graphics and details you included! :)
ReplyDeleteI can't say I've ever read about any of these locations, but I'd like to - especially Kiribati! :)
ReplyDeleteLauren @ Always Me
I haven't heard of most of these, but I've actually spent time in Kyrgyzstan! I was there for a couple weeks on my way to Afghanistan and it was definitely interesting! Great list!
ReplyDeleteOMG I LOVE THIS POST SO MUCH. It's like so meee with all the geography facts! (I'm such a geography nerd, as a kid I used to just draw and trace maps for fun hhaaha.) 😜I also thoroughly agree we need books here. The idea of shrinking islands though...that's has so much story potential...
ReplyDeleteThis is SUCH A BRILLIANT POST I love it - and I learned a whole lot while reading it, too? Also, this inspires me for some bookish plots for sure haha, I love it, there is so many hidden potential for amazing stories there :) x
ReplyDeleteInteresting take on this week's topic! I would definitely like to read books set in these countries.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fab post! I hadn't even heard of some of those tiny countries!
ReplyDeleteMy book suggestion is Service Disrupted by Tyler E Lloyd. It's the memoir of a Peace Corps volunteer who served in Burkina Faso. http://litflits.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/service-disrupted-by-tyler-e-lloyd.html
Awesome Locations, I haven't heard of these places but we need more location diversity of books across the board!
ReplyDeleteTori @ In Tori Lex
These do all sound fascinating. I used to have a yen to visit Kyrgyztan. And I'd never heard of Kiribata. I did once have a student who spoke Trukese, from the islands of Chuuk.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mind seeing a book set in Suriname! I would love to see more of what it is like because I know they speak Dutch there - and it's one of the few countries outside of the Netherlands (on the other side of the world) which has some relation to it. I'm so curious :3
ReplyDeleteI am kind of ashamed to mention that I hadn't even heard about most of these countries? But they do sound really interesting and I can only imagine the exciting stories that could be written about them!
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