LarkAbroad: 120 Books- 34 down, 86 to go

Last year I decided to read 100 books to try to make a dent in my reeeediculously large amazon.com wishlist. Since I essentially read 10 books per month from May 2013-November 2013, I decided I should probably continue the effort to read 10 books a month.
The books listed below are sitting in patient stacks in my living room. Can't hardly wait!

COMPLETED:
1. Lipstick Jihad: A Memoir of Growing up Iranian in America by Azadeh Moaveni (Recommend- great exploration of being bi-cultural, not quite fitting in anywhere, and all the issues that plague Iran.)
6.   The Hiding Place by Elizabeth & John Sherrill (highly recommend)
8. Sweden- Culture Smart! by Charlotte DeWitt
9. The Swedish Secret: What the United States Can Learn from Sweden's Story by Earl Gustafson
10. Culture Shock! Sweden by Charlotte Svensson
12. What Happened to Sweden? While American Became the Only Superpower by Ulf Nilson (highly recommend. honest commentary, great voice- really a pleasant read in terms of a history book. short, sweet, and informative).
13. Swedish Lessons: A Memoir of Sects, Love, and Indentured Servitude. Sort of.  by Natalie Burg (a bit crass, but a funny story)
14.  In Honor of Fadime: Murder and Shame by Unni Wikan (HIGHLY recommend. Very nice compliment to this book).
15. Of Swedish Ways by Lily Lorenzen (includes some folk songs and proverbs- nice)
16. Drinking Camel's Milk in the Yurt: Expat Stories from Kazakhstan by Monica Neboli
17. Kids of Kabul by Deborah Ellis (I didn't like this compilation of stories as much as the volume she did for Iraqi children, but still worth reading).
18. Untold: A History of the Wives of the Prophet Mohammed by Tamam Kahn (interesting, but a little annoying- includes poetry the author wrote in addition to the biographies of the women)

19. Favorite Wife: Escape from Polygamy by Susan Ray Schmidt

20. My Estonia: Passport Forgery, Meat Jelly Eaters, and Other Stories by Justin Petrone

27. The Silk Route: 7,000 Miles of History by John S. Major (Thanks Susan & Bri)

28. Culture Shock! Belgium by Mark Elliott

31. Quran and Woman: Rereading the Scared Text from a Woman's Perspective by Amina Wadud (highly recommend for all Mulisms)

32. Religions of the Silk Road by Richard Foltz (HIGHLY recommend for those interested in the ebb and flow of various religious traditions- Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity)

33. Culture Smart! Belgium Customs & Culture by Mandy MacDonald

34. Strong was her Faith! Women of the New Testament by J. E. Kalas (recommend)

37. Allah's Garden: A True Story of Forgotten War in the Sahara Desert of Morocco by Thomas Hollowell

40. Journey to Freedom: Moroccan Stories by Sascha von Bornhiem (do not recommend)

41. Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women are Transforming the Middle East by Isobel Coleman (Thanks Amy!- HIGHLY recommend, very informative and compelling)

42. Culture Shock! Morocco by Orin Hargraves

45. The Harem Within: Tales of a Moroccan Girlhood by Fatima Mernissi

48. A Year in Marrakesh by Peter Mayne

50. In Arabian Nights: A Caravan of Moroccan Dreams by Tahir Shah (recommend- i love both of his books they include pen-sketches he does. great story teller and amazing life- survived torture in a Pakistani prison and bought/renovated a villa in Morocco.)
51. Culture Smart! Morocco: The Essential Guide to Customs and Culture by Jillian York

55. American Sniper by Chris Kyle (recommend)

56. The Couscous Genie: 3 Tunisian Stories by Mohamed Bacha (interesting folk tales, but poorly translated)

57. Four Fantastic Tales from Tunisia by Mohamed Bacha (similar to his other book, including some errors-it is a shame, these would make lovely children's books).

65. 3.096 Days in Captivity: The True Story of my Abduction, Eight Years of Enslavement, and Escape by Natascha Kampusch

71. Sesame Street Unpaved: Scripts, Stories, Secrets, & Songs by David Borgenicht (thanks Mom!)

75. Fearless: The Undaunted Courage and Ultimate Sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team SIX Operator Adam Brown by Eric Blehm

CURRENTLY UNDERWAY:

3. A-Z Guide to the Hadith by Mokhtar Stork

23. Cannibals and Kings: The Origins of Cultures by Marvin Harris (feels a bit preachy- some interesting ideas but feels very much like an agenda and not so much an honest discussion)

26. The Old Testament - KJV

36. The Alevis in Turkey by David Shankland (academic reading, information dense)

11. Christina, Queen of Sweden: The Restless Life of a European Eccentric by Veronica Buckley (good info, but painfully slow-moving. First 50 pages were not easy to push through, but it picks up now and again the further along I read.)

76. The Six Great Ideas by Mortimer Adler (layman's philosophy)

46. Morocco: The Islamist Awakening and Other Challenges by Marivne Howe