Literary Blog Hop: Feb 2-5

Welcome to this week's Literary Blog Hop hosted by The Blue Bookcase!

This blog hop is open to blogs that primarily feature book reviews of literary fiction, classic literature, and general literary discussion.

How do I know if my blog qualifies as "literary"? Literature has many definitions, but for our purposes your blog qualifies as "literary" if it focuses primarily on texts with aesthetic merit. In other words, texts that show quality not only in narrative but also in the effect of their language and structure. YA literature may fit into this category, but if your blog focuses primarily on non-literary YA, fantasy, romance, paranormal romance, or chick lit, you may prefer to join the blog hop at Crazy-for-books that is open to book blogs of all kinds.

Instructions for entering the Literary Blog Hop:

1. Grab the code for the Button.


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2. Answer the following prompt on your blog.

(Suggestions for future prompts? Email to them us at thebluebookcase@gmail.com)

Robyn asks: What setting (time or place) from a book or story would you most like to visit? Eudora Welty said that, "Being shown how to locate, to place, any account is what does most toward making us believe it...," so in what location would you most like to hang out?

Our answer this week comes from Christina:

Africa.

Ok, yes, I know that the location I've chosen is an enormous continent with nearly 50 countries and at least as many unique cultures, not to mention various topographies and landscapes. The author of this prompt was probably hoping for something a little more specific. But I can't narrow it down because every time I read a book about any part of Africa, I feel this powerful urge to go there. This happens even when the book is terribly sad or violent. Actually, come to think of it, most of the books I've read that take place in Africa feature war or crime or some other tragedy I don't need to experience for myself.

To be honest, I want to go just about everywhere. I love to travel, and I want to see most of what the world has to offer. But it's different with Africa. I don't get my desire to go there from movies, or from the Travel Channel, or from jealously coveting other peoples' vacations. I get the urge to visit Africa from the books that are set there. Here are the ones I've read, and I'd love more recommendations:

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, by Alexandra Fuller
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver
Cry, The Beloved Country, by Alan Paton
The Darling, by Russell Banks
A Long Way Gone, by Ishmael Beah
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith
A Girl Named Disaster, by Nancy Farmer
Skeletons on the Zahara, by Dean King

3. Add your link to the Linky List below.

Happy Hopping!