A man upside down standing on a 360-degree swing. Photograph by Eesti Kiikingi Liit distributed under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license
The country we're adventuring to in November is likely one you don't think of often, but it's known for a number of unique specialties including its standing in the world of technology. According to Worksup,* not only was "Skype created in this country, but it has more startups per person than California’s Silicon Valley & it's hailed as the world’s most advanced digital society."
Have an inkling which country I'm referring to? If not, maybe these other fun facts might help you guess.
As the Telegraph notes,** this country has one of the highest adult literacy rates in the world (99.8%), it’s national epic (The Kalevipoeg) tells the story of a giant hero who talks to hedgehogs, & it's also won the Wife Carrying World Championships for 11 consecutive years between 1998 & 2008. In fact, the most popular carrying technique for this sport is even referred to as the “[country-name] Carry.” But my favorite fact about this country is that they invented extreme swinging.
Titled “kiiking ,” this sport includes a swing entirely made of steel upon which you stand. Your hands & feet are then strapped onto the swing for safety since the entire purpose of kiiking is to swing around a full 360 degrees as shown below!
Mesmerizing, isn’t it? Especially at the end where the guy swings all the way around till he’s upside down!
SO WHAT COUNTRY ARE WE READING IN November?
Our next country is a Baltic gem dotted with medieval architecture: Estonia! Known for its wartime & postwar exile literature, lyric poetry, & realism, this Northern European country is just beginning to export its writing outside of Europe.
HAVE ANY BOOK CLUB SUGGESTIONS?
Just let us know your Estonian suggestions by Sun., Oct. 14 11PM ET. (That's NYC time. See this converted to your local time below.)
We'll use 2 suggestions from book club members, 2 suggestions from Mia (the book club moderator) & 2 of my suggestions to compile a list of 6 books on which book club members will vote. The most popular book from the list will then be read.
Please note - We're specific in our books, they must:
Largely occur in the location specified unless the world described is an alternate reality
Be written by an author born there who has spent a good portion of their life there
Exist in paperback & ebook available on both Amazon & Kindle at least in the US & hopefully elsewhere
*Meelika. (2018 February 24) 10 Amazing Savvy-technology Facts about Estonia. Worksup. Retrieved from https://www.worksup.com/10-amazing-savy-technology-facts-about-estonia.
**Smith, Oliver. (2018 February 24) 25 Incredible Things You Didn't Know about Estonia. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/estonia/articles/amazing-facts-about-estonia.