Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Hi Challenge Lovers!

This folder can be used for our EtL Bingo Challenge 2025. You can start your individual thread in this folder to document your progress during the year, to exchange recommendations and to put links to your reviews.

Here are the categories for our Europe through Literature Bingo 2025:

Sq 1 = a title from a European country not in the EU

(Iceland, Faroe Islands & Greenland, Norway, UK, Switzerland, Bosnia-H., Serbia, Montenegro, North-Macedonia, Albania, Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Turkey and Georgia)

Sq 2 = a title originally written in a Slavic language

Sq 3 = a group read

Sq 4 = a title from a country bordering the Mediterranean Sea

Sq 5 = a title displaying LGBTQ character(s) / topic

Sq 6 = a title from an EU member state with a currency other than the Euro

(Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria)

Sq 7 = a title by a winner of any prize of literature

Sq 8 = a title written in the 19th century

Sq 9 = a title from a country bordering the Baltic Sea

Sq 10 = a graphic novel

Sq 11 = a title written after WWII in a European country that does not exist anymore

(Soviet Union, GDR, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia)

Sq 12 = a title originally written in a Romance language

Sq 13 = a title from a country with the Euro as its currency

(All European countries with the exception of Sq 1 and Sq 6)

Sq 14 = a title from a country with mountains

(Just hilly, i.e. not with mountains: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, Denmark)

Sq 15 = a title published 2020 or even later

Sq 16 = a title that can be considered genre fiction

(children's lit, crime fiction, sci-fi, fantasy etc. etc.)


Have fun with this challenge!

Thank you Orgeluse for creating another fun reading challenge. It gets me to pick up great books every year.

Excellent - I'll join this!
I've created a thread in this folder, hope that was the way to go about this?

Valerie wrote: "Thank you Orgeluse for creating another fun reading challenge. It gets me to pick up great books every year."

Good to hear that you are again on board and my pleasure, Valerie!

Anetq wrote: "Excellent - I'll join this!
I've created a thread in this folder, hope that was the way to go about this?"

Yes, Anetq, as it has always been and is also mentioned above :)))

Notification:
I have added clarifications to the categories I thought needed them in message 1, but if you have further questions on categories do not hesitate and ask :)

Does anyone know of a list or lists for books written in one of the countries that existed for a time after WW2 � Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, GDR, Soviet Union? I’ve been tagging books based on current countries only (which is of course not exactly correct, but I try to go based on where the author was from and how they identified). Anyway, looking for lists, but so far haven’t found any specific enough.

Edit: I suppose I can also look through my “modern countries� shelves for books written during the time period � still, if there is a list or two that others have found helpful, I’d be glad for a link. :)

Erin, I would also search my shelf for books written in the time period. There are also lists available on Wikipedia and to get you started I found this list here on goodreads on writers from southeast Europe, most of them were born in former Yugoslavia:

/list/show/1...

Orgeluse wrote: "Erin, I would also search my shelf for books written in the time period. There are also lists available on Wikipedia and to get you started I found this list here on goodreads on writers from south..."

Thank you! =]

Fun! Just made up my Bingo board on a spreadsheet and find myself wondering- what European countries do not have mountains? Greece? ... Mmm... Spain? I'm curious so pitch in if you know some :)

Jen wrote: "Fun! Just made up my Bingo board on a spreadsheet and find myself wondering- what European countries do not have mountains? Greece? ... Mmm... Spain? I'm curious so pitch in if you know some :)"

The Netherlands are without mountains and also Denmark might be called hilly in parts but I would call neither of them mountainous :))
The same probably counts for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Orgeluse wrote: "Jen wrote: "Fun! Just made up my Bingo board on a spreadsheet and find myself wondering- what European countries do not have mountains? Greece? ... Mmm... Spain? I'm curious so pitch in if you know..."

Ah yea!

My home country Belgium definitely doesn't have mountains either (just hills), and I guess Luxemburg doesn't either

Valerie wrote: "My home country Belgium definitely doesn't have mountains either (just hills), and I guess Luxemburg doesn't either"

Ah yea, I wondered about Belgium after Orgeluse mentioned Netherlands.

Was just skimming over other members' ideas for Bingo. A few of us named The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen. Perhaps we can organize a group read. Summertime or later would be better for me.

Jen wrote: "Was just skimming over other members' ideas for Bingo. A few of us named The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen. Perhaps we can organize a group read. Summertime o..."

I would be up for it, been on my list for ages

Valerie wrote: "My home country Belgium definitely doesn't have mountains either (just hills), and I guess Luxemburg doesn't either"

Oh, this is interesting. I would not have dared to consider Belgium flat, especially not the southern part with all its amazing caves...

Jen wrote: "Was just skimming over other members' ideas for Bingo. A few of us named The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen. Perhaps we can organize a group read. Summertime o..."

What a great idea, Jen!!! I would be up for it, too!!

Orgeluse wrote: "Jen wrote: "Was just skimming over other members' ideas for Bingo. A few of us named The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen. Perhaps we can organize a group read. ..."

That would be lovely! =D

Orgeluse wrote: "Valerie wrote: "My home country Belgium definitely doesn't have mountains either (just hills), and I guess Luxemburg doesn't either"

Oh, this is interesting. I would not have dared to consider Bel..."

True, it is not as flat as the Netherlands. But it is really just hilly in the south, no mountains (I think the highest peak is like 700m). Unfortunately for me as I love mountains :-)

Notification:
I have added all countries without mountains in message 1 :)

As a Dane I can contribute, that Denmark does definitely not have mountains - some might argue not even hills (DK highest point is around 179m, I suspect that measurement includes the structure on top of it), I think the only thing flatter (and that goes below sea level) is the Netherlands :).
Also I HIGHLY recommend Reading Ditlevsen - Tove SLAYS And the things she dared write in the 50s!
Another thought: As to the 'countries that no longer exist' obviously the DDR (GDR in English) no longer exists, but what about Westgermany? That doesn't exist either? And I know there is a narrative, that Westgermany just swallowed the former DDR, and then they were just Germany again - and they were reunited as "Bundesrepublik Deutschland" (which I guess was the official name all along?), but it kind of was another country from 1945-90? I'm not really arguing to include Westgermany on the list I think, and there may not be right or wrong answers here, it just struck me as odd (or maybe as a case of the 'winners' writing the history?)

Anetq wrote: "As a Dane I can contribute, that Denmark does definitely not have mountains - some might argue not even hills (DK highest point is around 179m, I suspect that measurement includes the structure on ..."

This is an interesting comment.
Of course West Germany as a country does not exist anymore, but as you correctly pointed out, it has always been "Bundesrepublik Deutschland" (FRG in English in contrast to GDR). And yes, a federal state with a capitalist economy swallowed a communist state with a planned economy and basically introduced its rules "overnight". So for someone from West Germany (and not living in West Berlin or directly at the former border) there was no real change to be felt (apart from having to pay a so-called "solidarity surcharge" and apart from the feeling of superiority towards the people from East Germany as they were the ones with the failed system - needless to say that in my opinion this feeling was and still is misplaced!). But all in all as someone from West Germany the system as such stayed the same.
For someone from East Germany the aftermath of the change is till today very much felt, starting with another flag and hymn and ideology, with overnight capitalism with all its downsides (rip offs etc.), with GDR degrees (university etc.) not being accepted as equally worth, with constantly being confronted with the superior "Wessis" and with a different narrative of fascism (in the West, the Germans were considered by the allies as the perpetrators whereas in the East the Germans were considered by the Russians as the conquerors over fascism and brothers/sisters in communism).
It is highly recommendable to read books published after the wall came down by novelists who grew up in the former GDR to get an insight into what this change brought about for people from East Germany!

Orgeluse wrote: "Anetq wrote: "As a Dane I can contribute, that Denmark does definitely not have mountains - some might argue not even hills (DK highest point is around 179m, I suspect that measurement includes the..."

Wow thank you, Orgeluse. For someone as lacking in knowledge as me, your comment is already so insightful. I'd love suggestions of such authors or books.

Jen wrote: "Orgeluse wrote: "Anetq wrote: "As a Dane I can contribute, that Denmark does definitely not have mountains - some might argue not even hills (DK highest point is around 179m, I suspect that measure..."

I recommend these two, Beyond the Wall: East Germany, 1949-1990 by Katja Hoyer and Jenny Erpenbeck's Visitation, one nonfiction the other fiction, both of which are translated from German.

Jen wrote: "Orgeluse wrote: "Anetq wrote: "As a Dane I can contribute, that Denmark does definitely not have mountains - some might argue not even hills (DK highest point is around 179m, I suspect that measure..."

Jen,
I can recommend the following list of writers (and exemplary works) who wrote primarily during the period of former GDR (1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s):

Christa Wolf: They Divided the Sky
Ulrich Plenzdorf: The New Sorrows of Young W. (the reference of the title is of course to The sorrows of Werter. A German story. ... Volume 1 of 2 by J W Goethe
Bertold Brecht: Die Tage der Kommune (otherwise primarily author of plays),
Bruno Apitz: Naked Among Wolves
Jurek Becker: Jakob the Liar
Wolf Biermann: The Wire Harp (collection of poems, songs) Biermann left the GDRfor the FRG in 1976
Stefan Heym: 5 Tage im Juni. Roman.
Brigitte Reimann: Ankunft im Alltag
Reiner Kunze: Die Wunderbaren Jahre. Prosa (short stories)
Sarah Kirsch: Conjurations: The Poems of Sarah Kirsch

Jen,
the following titles (e.g.) were published AFTER the wall came down and deal with life in the GDR in hindsight:

Eugen Ruge: In Times of Fading Light
Uwe Tellkamp: The Tower
Lutz Seiler: Kruso

There are of course also more novels, but these above mentioned won prizes.

I can also highly recommend the works by Jenny Erpenbeck (see the comment by Carol above!)

A wealth of ideas! Thank you! I shall read up on all these

Thank you for that list Orgeluse! I read Wolf, Plenzdorf (and the Goethe original), Brecht and possibly Bierman (or just about him?) in high school German and some Erpenbeck later on - but I may give Heimsuchung / Visitation (Hjemsøgelse in the Danish version) a go for sq 11 if it counts for that.

Anetq wrote: "Thank you for that list Orgeluse! I read Wolf, Plenzdorf (and the Goethe original), Brecht and possibly Bierman (or just about him?) in high school German and some Erpenbeck later on - but I may gi..."

This sounds like your high school German in Denmark was more intense than the high school German nowadays in Germany :))
Visitation was published 2008 in a country that still exists (at least it did today :))
But it fits Sq 7, 9, 13 and 14 :))

Ack the "written in" keeps tripping me up! So I'll need something published after WWII and before the country fell apart (so 89 for DDR, 91 for USSR, 90s (depending on the part of Yugoslavia...) Hmm...

Orgeluse wrote: "This sounds like your high school German in Denmark was more intense than the high school German nowadays in Germany :)) ..." Denmark too! I we didn't read all of their work, just bits - but yeah, that has changed since then as English took over the world... I did do the elective high level German, so I guess it was my 6th year of German at school at the end of it. (I also had exchanges in Schwabenland where I actually learned to speak, so ended up doing an Erasmus semester of Philosophy at the Humboldt in Berlin later on).

Anetq wrote: "Ack the "written in" keeps tripping me up! So I'll need something published after WWII and before the country fell apart (so 89 for DDR, 91 for USSR, 90s (depending on the part of Yugoslavia...) Hm..."

Interesting! You seem to have come around quite a bit :))