This is the page where I will keep track of my progress in the Reading All Around the World Project, for which I’m trying to read books from at least 50 different countries of the world (including regions that were formerly independent countries). There are links to reviews on my blog where applicable.
Here is a map with the countries I’ve “visited” so far created in Google Maps.
Two stars** after the author name indicates the author is a native of the country described. One star* indicates the author’s ethnic background is from that country. Other books have a strong and well-researched setting; usually the author has lived in the country for an extended period.
Europe
- Sweden – War Diaries by Astrid Lindgren** – 2017
- Netherlands – I Was a Stranger by John Hackett – 2017
- Switzerland – The Gilded Chalet by Padraig Rooney – 2017; The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain – 2020; The Swiss Summer by Stella Gibbons – 2021; Swiss Watching by Diccon Bewes – 2021; In the Mountains by Elizabeth von Arnim – 2021; Voting Day by Clare O’Dea – 2022;
- Spain – Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes** – 2019; The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruis Zafón**, translated by Maria Graves – 2022
- Iceland – Burial Rites by Hannah Kent – 2020
- Ireland – Star of the Sea by Joseph O’Connor** – 2020; Haven by Emma Donoghue* – 2023
- Eastern Europe – Danubia by Simon Winder – 2020; A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor – 2022
- Wales – A String in the Harp by Nancy Bond – 2021
- Crete – Daughters of the Labyrinth by Ruth Padel – 2021
- Germany – Die Kleine Hexe by Ofried Preussler** – 2021; All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque**, translated by A.W. Wheen – 2023; Emil und die Detektive by Erich Kästner – 2024
- Italy – The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper – 2021
- Sicily – Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano, translated by John Brownjohn – 2022
- Scotland – The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett** – 2022
- Alsace – The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave – 2022
- Norway – The Half-Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker* – 2023; The Bell in the Lake by Lars Mytting**, translated by Deborah Dawkin – 2024
- France – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby**, translated by Jeremy Leggott – 2023; The Discovery of France by Graham Robb – 2024; Piglettes by Clementine Beauvais – 2025
- Cyprus – The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak – 2023
- Austria – The Cafe with No Name by Robert Seethaler**, translated by Katy Derbyshire – 2024
Americas
- Brazil – Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson – 2018
- Venezuela – Octavio’s Journey and Black Sugar by Miguel Bonnefoy** – 2018
- Chile – The House of the Spirits and My Invented Country by Isabel Allende** – 2020; How to Order the Universe by María José Ferrada**, translated by Elizabeth Bryer – 2022
- Bolivia – Women Talking by Miriam Toews – 2022
- Argentina – Portrait of an Unknown Lady by Maria Gainza**, translated by Thomas Bunstead – 2023
- Texas – Forget the Alamo by Jason Stanford, Bryan Burrough, and Chris Tomlinson** – 2023
- Trinidad – When We Were Birds by Ayanno Lloyd Banwo** – 2023
- Hawaii – Hawaii by James Michener – 2024
- North America – American Nations by Colin Woodard – 2024
Africa and Middle East
- Nigeria – Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie** – 2017; The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré – 2023
- Nigeria/Biafra – Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie** – 2023
- Lebanon – An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine** – 2017
- Sudan – Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Sahil** – 2017
- Egypt – The Butterfly Mosque by G. Willow Wilson – 2018
- Saudi Arabia – Daring to Drive by Manal Al-Sharif** – 2019; In the Land of Invisible Women by Qanta Ahmed – 2023
- South Africa – Born a Crime by Trevor Noah** – 2019
- Ghana – All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes by Maya Angelou* – 2020; Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi* – 2025
- Palestine/Israel – Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye* – 2020; Salt Houses by Hala Alyan** – 2022
- Iran – Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi** – 2021; The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Afar, translated by anonymous – 2025
- Algeria – L’étranger by Albert Camus** – 2021; The Meursault Investigation by Kamel Daoud** – 2021
Asia and Australia
- China – Bronze and Sunflower by Cao Wenxuan** – 2017
- Cambodia – The Last Gods of Indochine by Samuel Ferrer – 2017
- Afghanistan – One Half from the East by Nadia Hashimi* – 2017
- Australia – My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin** – 2019; Cloudstreet by Tim Winston** – 2023
- India – The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sunja Massey* – 2020; The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese* – 2024
- Bhutan – Married to Bhutan by Linda Leaming – 2020
- Pakistan – Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal* – 2020
- Vietnam – The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai ** – 2020
- Korea – A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park * – 2021; Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim * – 2021
- Georgia – The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischwili**, translated by Charlotte Collins and Ruth Martin – 2022
- Malaysia – Black Water Sister by Zen Cho* – 2022; The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf* – 2022
- Japan – Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikawa Kawaguchi**, translated by Geoffrey Trousselot – 2023; Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa**, translated by Alison Watts – 2023; The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Snyder – 2025
- Singapore – Auntie Lee’s Deadly Specials by Ovidia Yu** – 2023
- Philippines – Nervous by Jen Soriano – 2023
- India – Autobiography of a Yogi – 2023
- Indonesia – Well That Was Unexpected by Jesse Q. Suntano* – 2024
Immigrant/Cross-cultural
- Japan/Canada – A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki* – 2021
- India/US – Missed Translations by Sopan Deb* – 2021
- Korea/Japan – Pachinko by Min Jin Lee* – 2020
- Mexico/US – Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan* – 2017