Public Domain Image of Andean Weaving, Wikicommons

One of the cool things about having a blog is looking at the stats to see how many visitors stop by and where they come from.  I did this yesterday and discovered that from October through April I’ve had more than 2500 views of my blog.  Visitors have come from 42 countries and five continents.

That’s pretty awesome.   Yay!

But then, hmmm. . . .

I noticed an irksome little detail.  You see, the two continents not represented are Antarctica and South America.

And while I understand why nobody from Antarctica has dropped by, what is going on with South America?  That’s a huge, hospitable continent with an ample supply of human beings.  Besides, we’re practically neighbors….Kind of.…Sort of.… At least compared to India, which sends me visitors almost every day.  And yes, I realize English is an official language in India, but I also get visitors from the Middle East and Asia on a regular basis.

So what is the deal?  Is my WASP-ishness such a turn off?  Is my lack of Latin flair that apparent?  Was it something I said?

As a big adherent of the Book of Pooh, I decided to think, think, think.  In particular, I tried to think of all the things I have in common with South American readers and writers.  That’s when I think I may have stumbled upon the problem—

Because, when I list all the South American authors I’ve read, I come up with a grand total of …..

Two–Gabriel Garcia Marquez ( Love in the Time of Cholera and One Hundred Years of Solitude) and Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist).

Two authors for 12 countries, 387.5 million people, 6.9 million square miles.

I hope memory is failing me.  I hope I’ve read more South Americans that I simply can’t recall off the top of my head.

The problem is, I’m pretty sure I haven’t.    And that annoys me.

A lot.

I consider myself well read.   I often gravitate to authors from other countries and cultures.   I have gaps like anyone else, but I’ve read books from all over Europe, Scandinavia, Mexico, Canada, Asia, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Australia.

But apparently not South America.  And, to be honest, I’m also a bit sketchy when it comes to Africa.  (More on that later!)

For right now I have two goals:

One.  Entice a few South Americans to stop by . . . maybe I’ll learn to Tango!

Two.  Become more familiar with South American literature.  I’ve already picked out the first book I want to read—The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende.  But I’m open to suggestions and I’d really love to find a South American Frame Tale.  (And, no, I’m not bending the rules to include Like Water for Chocolate, although I adore that book!)  Just drop by, pull up a chair, and share your favorites.

I’ll leave the light on for you.