Around the World in Books: With Mishma from Chasing Faerytales

We’re kicking off the Summer Blogger Promo Tour today july 5th! I’ll be hosting a different blogger every sunday all the way until August! It’s going to be amazing!

Today, I’m hosting the lovely Mishma, from Chasing Faerytales ! Yay! And we’ll be talking about settings we’d like to see more in books.

For me, the best way to learn about other cultures is through reading fiction books that feature those cultures. That happened with the Tiger Curse series, where I learned more about India, and little tidbits of China; and now that I think about it, also with the American culture. Sure, in my textbooks I’ve learned plenty about grammar and vocabulary, but what about the other stuff that makes up a country? Like the different idioms and slang?  I swear, if I hadn’t started reading I wouldn’t have never known what ‘Sup meant. I probably would’ve thought it had something to do with soup. o.o

I’d Love to see more books set in Russia!

Since I read the Grisha Trilogy, by Leigh Bardugo and watched Anastasia at least a dozen times, I’ve been itching to see more about this culture. True, the Grisha Trilogy was set in a made-up world heavily based on Russian folklore, but still, the world-building was amazing enough to make me want to read more about it.

 Hi Mishma, what about you?!

Forget America! I want to see books set in these countries.

As a reader from Asia myself, I often find it tiring to repeatedly read about books set in good old US. Whether it’s contemporary or Urban Fantasy, the majority of YA books nowadays are always set in the same country, with the same white people as MCs ( let’s not to get into that right now, I’ll end up ranting) and after a while, it has become frustrating.

Furthermore, I’d also like to say that there are so many beautiful countries out there, which should be spotlighted in books! Aside from the fact that it will bring diversity to the story, it’s also refreshing and fascinating to read stories set in other countries, especially those with rich cultural background and the ones with unexplored and underrated beauty.

So today, I want to highlight a few countries, which would make amazing novel settings!

 

Mexico

I’ve only read one single book that’s set in Mexico – Captive in the Dark – and it’s not even YA. I think this country is one of the best settings for contemporary novels with “dark and tough” concepts. After all, most of the YA and NA authors who tackle such concepts as gangs, foster homes and other controversial tropes, use Mexican guys as their heroes. And, haven’t we all fallen in love with the Latino bad boys such as the Fuentes brothers and Rush Finlay?

So it would be a quite ideal setting, and also refreshing. Plus, there’s always a bonus in the form of food! Spicy and super delicious, what more do you need?:)

 

India

This is a country where both contemporary and fantasy books can be set in, and I promise, if it’s done correctly, it would give amazing end results! First of all, there’s so much issues and social and cultural concepts that can be tackled when it comes to India. Anti feminism, discrimination of women, the struggle for self identity and the inability to thrive as an individual are some of the intense and thought provoking concepts that could be dealt with in a contemporary novel set in India.

Plus, India also has so many wonderful, and intricate cultures, religions, practices and communities, that they’ll provide a fantasy novel a rich, stellar and fascinating world building and background.

Tbh, as an aspiring writer myself, it’s my own dream to write a novel based on Indian Mythology, and it’s what my current WIP is all about!

 

Sri Lanka

If you know me, you would smile at this particular pick, as it’s my own country! I live in this beautiful island, which is quite small –so small that this random pic I found in Google has been taken in front of my school, the building is my school building, and I’ve hung out in this exact railway crossing countless times!:)

But, still, I am not picking this because it’s my own country. Or because it’s gorgeous. Not even because my country has amazing, mouth watering food 😉

I chose it because it has gone through an intense war few years back, which still has lingering impacts left behind. And because of that, I think SL would make such a great contemporary background, with its subtle yet powerful problem of racism, lack of open mindedness and conservative and constricting attitude regarding western concepts.

 

South Africa

When I was really small, my father used to work in South Africa. Whenever he comes home for vacation, he loves to talk to me about the country. As a small kid, I gradually fell in love with this country through my dad’s vivid descriptions while sitting on his lap. And it has always been my dream to visit here one day.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if a YA book was set in this country? It’s such a beautiful place with a fascinating culture and also all the wildlife! I’d die to read a book set in SA, especially if it’s written in a way which will make me envision the setting in front of my eyes perfectly!

These are a few countries where I would love to see YA books set in!

What do you think about them? Can you think any such countries?

 

 

 

 

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