Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Top Ten Tuesday: Countries Where More Books Should Be Set





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.



















Guinea-Bissau

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?








38 comments:

  1. I can only imagine what kind of thrilling novel someone could write set in Burkina Faso!

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  2. Great take at this TTT! I have definitely not read any book set in any of these countries and I would love to!

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  3. I 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!

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  4. What a unique and fun TTT post! I agree that all of these places would make great book settings. Djibouti sounds like a dystopian setting.

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  5. Love 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.

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  6. Haha 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.

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  7. I 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.

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  8. I 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.

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  9. This is a great list! I haven't read books set in any of these countries, but I would like to!

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  10. Okay, 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.

    http://www.thiswestgate.com/

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  11. 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.

    Tânia @MyLovelySecret

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  12. This is a really interesting take. I have never read a book set in any of these countries, and now I would like to!

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  13. Interesting 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.

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  14. Ok you picked some FASCINATING places!! I love your take on this week's topic!

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  15. Gold star for your take on the topic and WOW! I just learned so many strange and interesting factoids. Fabulous!

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  16. Oooh, 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.

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  17. Ooh 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.

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  18. Okay, 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.

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  19. What a very original TTT list you made! I love it!
    I love your blog too, very pretty!

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  20. I've heard of all the places but never read anything from any of them-at least, I don't think I have.

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  21. This 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.

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  22. Very interesting twist on this prompt!

    No, 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!

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  23. 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

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  24. I 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.

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  25. What a brilliant spin on this topic. I love your 'what makes it interesting' comments.

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  26. Interesting top ten. An apacalyptic.read in Tuvalu would be awesome.

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  27. Wow!! What a list! I love all of the graphics and details you included! :)

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  28. I can't say I've ever read about any of these locations, but I'd like to - especially Kiribati! :)

    Lauren @ Always Me

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  29. 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!

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  30. OMG 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...

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  31. This 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

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  32. Interesting take on this week's topic! I would definitely like to read books set in these countries.

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  33. What a fab post! I hadn't even heard of some of those tiny countries!
    My 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

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  34. Awesome Locations, I haven't heard of these places but we need more location diversity of books across the board!
    Tori @ In Tori Lex

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  35. 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.

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  36. I 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

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  37. I 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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