Reading the World 

This page contains a list of the books I plan to read from each of the world’s countries, inspired by Ann Morgan’s project “A Year of Reading the World” which you can learn more about here. The books are listed below, with the text struck through for those I have already read.

If you would like to make a submission to replace a book on the list, or provide an alternate option, you can submit that information at the bottom of this page.

8/197

  1. Afghanistan: The Patience Stone by Atiq Rahimi
  2. Albania: Broken April by Ismail Kadare
  3. Algeria: The Sexual Life of an Islamist in Paris by Leïla Marouane
  4. Andorra: The Teacher of Cheops by Albert Salvadó
  5. Angola: The Whistler by Ondjaki
  6. Antigua and Barbuda: A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid
  7. Argentina: Seconds Out by Martin Kohan and Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges
  8. Armenia: Armenian Golgotha by Grigoris Balakian
  9. Australia: Cloud Street by Tim Winton and perhaps A Guide to Berlin by Gail Jones
  10. Austria: Frozen Time by Anna Kim
  11. Azerbaijan: Ali and Nino by "Kurban Said"
  12. The Bahamas: Thine is the Kingdom by Garth Buckner
  13. Bahrain: Quixotiq by Ali Al Saeed
  14. Bangladesh: The Good Muslim by Tahmima Anam
  15. Barbados: Song of Night by Glenville Lovell
  16. Belarus: King Stakh's Wild Hunt by Uladzimir Karatkievich
  17. Belgium: Invitation to a Voyage by Francois Emmanuel, The Adventures of Tintin by Herge
  18. Belize: On Heroes, Lizards and Passion by Zoila Ellis
  19. Benin: Stories We Tell Each Other by Rashidah Ismaili Abubakr
  20. Bhutan: The Circle of Karma by Kunzang Choden
  21. Bolivia: Sweet Blood by Giovanna Rivero
  22. Bosnia and Herzegovina: The Cat I Never Named: A True Story of Love, War, and Survival by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess and How the Soldier Repairs the Gramaphone by Saša Stanišić
  23. Botswana: A Question of Power by Bessie Head
  24. Brazil: House of the Fortunate Buddhas by João Ubaldo Ribeiro
  25. Brunei: Four Kings by Christopher Sun (AKA Sun Tze Yun)
  26. Bulgaria: Natural Novel by Georgi Gospodinov
  27. Burkina Faso: The Parachute Drop by Nobert Zongo
  28. Burundi: Weep Not, Refugee by Marie-Therese Toyi
  29. Cambodia: In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner
  30. Cameroon: Mission to Kala by Mongo Beti
  31. Canada: Mauve Desert by Nicole Brossard
  32. Cape Verde: The Last Will & Testament of Senhor da Silva Araújo by Germano Almeida
  33. Central African Republic: Dada's Travels from Ouadda to Bangui by Pierre Makombo Bamboté
  34. Chad: Told by Starlight in Chad by Joseph Brahim Seid
  35. Chile: The Private Lives of Trees by Alejandro Zambra
  36. China: Banished! by Han Dong
  37. Colombia: Delirium by Laura Restrepo
  38. Comoros: The Kafir of Karthala by Mohammed Toihiri
  39. Congo, Democratic Republic of: Full Circle by Frederick Yamusangie
  40. Congo, Republic of: Johnny Mad Dog by Emmanuel Dongala
  41. Costa Rica: Cadence of the Moon by Oscar Nunez Olivas
  42. Côte d'Ivoire: Allah is not Obliged by Ahmadou Kourouma
  43. Croatia: Our Man in Iraq by Robert Perišič
  44. Cuba: Afro-Cuban Tales by Lydia Cabrera
  45. Cyprus: Ledra Street by Nora Nadjarian
  46. Czech Republic: Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal
  47. Denmark: The Exception by Christian Jungersen
  48. Djibouti: In the United States of Africa by Abdourahman Waberi
  49. Dominica: The Snake King of the Kalinago by Pupils of Atkinson School
  50. Dominican Republic: The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
  51. East Timor: The Crossing by Luis Cardoso
  52. Ecuador: Huasipungo by Jorge Icaza
  53. Egypt: Spectres by Radwa Ashour
  54. El Salvador: Senselessness by Horacio Castellanos Moya
  55. Equatorial Guinea: Shadows of your Black Memory by Donato Ndongo
  56. Eritrea: The Consequences of Love by Sulaiman Addonia
  57. Estonia: The Beauty of History by Viivi Luik
  58. Ethiopia: Beneath the Lion's Gaze by Maaza Mengiste
  59. Fiji: Kava in the Blood by Peter Thomson
  60. Finland: The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna
  61. France: Just Like Tomorrow Faïza Guène and Island of Shattered Dreams by Chantal T. Spitz (Tahiti, French Polynesia)
  62. Gabon: Mema by Daniel Mengara
  63. The Gambia: Folk Tales and Fables from The Gambia by Dembo Fanta Bojang & Sukai Mbye Bojang
  64. Georgia: Contemporary Georgian Fiction edited by Elizabeth Heighway
  65. Germany: All the Lights by Clemens Meyer and Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
  66. Ghana: Journey by Gheysika Adombire Agambila
  67. Greece: Kassandra and the Wolf by Margarita Karapanou
  68. Grenada: The Ladies are Upstairs by Merle Collins
  69. Guatemala: The President by Miguel Angel Asturias
  70. Guinea: The Guardian of the Word by Camara Laye
  71. Guinea-Bissau: The Ultimate Tragedy by Abdulai Silá
  72. Guyana: Buxton Spice by Oonya Kempadoo
  73. Haiti: I am a Japanese Writer by Dany Laferriere
  74. Honduras: Points of Light by Guillermo Yuscaran
  75. Hungary: Metropole by Ferenc Karinthy
  76. Iceland: Stone Tree by Gyrðir Eliasson
  77. India: Kaalam by M T Vasudevan Nair
  78. Indonesia: Dugra/Umayi by Yusuf Bilyarta Mangunwijaya (Romo Mangun)
  79. Iran: Touba and the Meaning of Night by Shahrnush Parsipur
  80. Iraq: The Madman of Freedom Square by Hassan Blasim
  81. Ireland: Dubliners by James Joyce
  82. Israel: Blooms of Darkness by Aharon Appelfeld
  83. Italy: Gomorrah by Roberto Saviano
  84. Jamaica: John Crow's Devil by Marlon James
  85. Japan: Hotel Iris by Yoko Ogawa, Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami
  86. Jordan: Cities of Salt by Abdulrahman Munif
  87. Kazakhstan: Nomads by Ilyas Esenberlin
  88. Kenya: Kenya, Will You Marry Me? by Philo Ikonya
  89. Kiribati: Waa in Storms by Teweiariki Teaero
  90. Kurdistan*: The Man in Blue Pyjamas by Jalal Barzanji
  91. Kuwait: The Chronicles of Dathra, a Dowdy Girl from Kuwait by Danderma
  92. Kyrgyzstan: Jamilia by Chinghiz Aitmatov
  93. Laos: Mother's Beloved by Outhine Bounyavong
  94. Latvia: With Dance Shoes in Siberian Snows by Sandra Kalniete
  95. Lebanon: Oh Salaam! by Najwa Barakat
  96. Lesotho: Basali! Stories by and about women in Lesotho by Various Authors
  97. Liberia: Konkai: Living Between Two Worlds by Mardia Stone
  98. Libya: The Bleeding of the Stone by The Animists
  99. Liechtenstein: Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer
  100. Lithuania: No Men, No Cry by Various
  101. Luxembourg: Minute Stories by Robi Gottlieb-Cahen
  102. Macedonia: Conversation with Spinoza by Goce Smilevski
  103. Madagascar: Beyond the Rice Fields by Naivo
  104. Malawi: The Jive Talker by Samson Kambalu
  105. Malaysia: Ripples and Other Stories by Shih-Li Kow
  106. Maldives: Dhon Hiyala and Ali Fulhu by Abdullah Sadiq
  107. Mali: The Strange Destiny of Wangrin by Amadou Hampâté Bâ
  108. Malta: Happy Weekend by Immanuel Mifsud
  109. Marshall Islands: Marshall Islands Legends and Stories by Ed Daniel Kelin
  110. Mauritania: The Desert and the Drum by Mbarek Ould Beyrouk
  111. Mauritus: Benares by Barlen Pyamootoo
  112. Mexico: Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (trans. by Christensen & Christensen)
  113. Micronesia, Federated States of: The Book of Luelen by Luelen Bernart
  114. Moldova: The Story of an Ant by Ion Drutse
  115. Monaco: Grace Kelly: Princesse du Cinema edited by Richard and Danae Projetti
  116. Mongolia: The Blue Sky by Galsan Tschinag
  117. Montenegro: A Lullaby for No Man's Wolf by Xenia Popvich
  118. Morocco: The Sand Child by Tahar Ben Jelloun and For Bread Alone by Muhammad Shukri
  119. Mozambique: Ualalapi by Ungulani Ba Ka Khosa
  120. Myanmar: Smile as they Bow Nu Nu Yi Inwa
  121. Namibia: The Purple Violet of Oshaantu by Neshani Andreas
  122. Nauru: Stories from Nauru by Ben Bam Solomon et al
  123. Nepal: The Gurkha's Daughter by Prajwal Parajuly
  124. Netherlands: The Twin by Gerbrand Bakker
  125. New Zealand: Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff
  126. Nicaragua: Infinity in the Palm of her Hand by Gioconda Belli
  127. Niger: The Epic of Askia Mohammed recounted by Nouhou Malio
  128. Nigeria: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives by Lola Shoneyin
  129. North Korea: My Life and Faith by Ri In Mo
  130. Norway: Hunger by Knut Hamsun
  131. Oman: Earth Weeps, Saturn Laughs by Abdulaziz Al Farsi
  132. Pakistan: The Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad
  133. Palau: Spirits' Tides by Susan Kloulechad
  134. Palestine: Mordechai’s Moustache and his Wife’s Cats, and Other Stories by Mahmoud Shukair
  135. Panama: The Golden Horse by Juan David Morgan
  136. Papua New Guinea: Mata Sara by Regis Stella
  137. Paraguay: I, the Supreme by Augusto Roa Bastos
  138. Peru: Death in the Andes by Mario Vargas Llosa
  139. Phillipines: Illustrado by Miguel Syjuco
  140. Poland: Flights by Olga Tokarczuk
  141. Portugal: The Mandarin and Other Stories by Eca de Queiroz
  142. Qatar: The Corsair by Abdul Aziz Al Mahmoud
  143. Romania: The Baiut Alley Lads by Filip and Matei Florian, The Passport by Herta Müller
  144. Russia: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
  145. Rwanda: Teta by Barassa
  146. Saint Kitts and Nevis: Only God Can Make a Tree by Bertram Roach
  147. Saint Lucia: Neg Maron by Michael Aubertin
  148. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: The Moon is Following Me by Cecil Browne
  149. Samoa: Telesa: The Covenant Keeper by Lani Wendt Young
  150. San Marino: The Republic of San Marino by Giuseppe Rossi
  151. Sao Tome and Principe: The Shepherd's House by Olinda Beja
  152. Saudi Arabia: Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Al-Sanea
  153. Senegal: So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ
  154. Serbia: Lake Como by Srdjan Valjarevic
  155. Seychelles: Voices by Glynn Burridge
  156. Sierra Leone: A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
  157. Singapore: Fistful of Colours by Su-Chen Christine Lim
  158. Slovakia: Rivers of Babylon by Peter Pišťanek
  159. Slovenia: The Golden Shower or What Men Want Luka Novak or Alamut by Vladimir Bartol
  160. Solomon Islands: The Alternative by John Saunana
  161. Somalia: Secrets by Nuruddin Farah
  162. South Africa: African Delights by Siphiwo Mahala
  163. South Korea: The Guest by Hwang Sok-yong or The Vegetarian by Han Kang
  164. South Sudan: ’To Forgive is Divine Not Human’ by Julia Duany
  165. Spain: Exiled from Almost Everywhere by Juan Goytisolo
  166. Sri Lanka: Metta by Sunethra Rajakarunanayake
  167. Sudan: Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih
  168. Suriname: The Cost of Sugar by Cynthia Mcleod
  169. Swaziland: Weeding the Flowerbeds by Sarah Mkhonza
  170. Sweden: Montecore by Jonas Hassen Khemiri and The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
  171. Switzerland: Why the Child is Cooking in Polenta by Aglaja Veteranyi
  172. Syria: Damascus Nights by Rafik Schami
  173. Taiwan: Crystal Boys by Pai Hsien-yung
  174. Tajikistan: Hurramabad by Andrei Volos
  175. Tanzania: Desertion by Abdulrazak Gurnah
  176. Thailand: Time by Chart Korbjitti
  177. Togo: An African in Greenland by Tété-Michel Kpomassie
  178. Tonga: A Providence of War by Joshua Taumoefolau
  179. Trinidad and Tobago: One Scattered Skeleton by Vahni Capildeo
  180. Tunisia: Talismano by Abdelwahab Meddeb
  181. Turkey: The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak
  182. Turkmenistan: The Tale of Aypi by Ak Welsapar
  183. Tuvalu: Tuvalu: A history by Various Authors
  184. Uganda: Abyssinian Chronicles by Moses Isegawa
  185. Ukraine: Death and the Penguin Andrey Kurkov
  186. United Arab Emirates: The Wink of Mona Lisa by Mohammad Al Murr
  187. United Kingdom: The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
  188. United States of America: American Gods by Neil Gaiman
  189. Uruguay: The Decapitated Chicken by Horacio Quiroga
  190. Uzbekistan: The Railway by Hamid Ismailov
  191. Vanuatu: Laef Blong Mi: From Village to Nation by Sethy Regenvau
  192. Vatican City: Shroud of Secrecy of Gone with the Wind in the Vatican by Luigi Marinello & The Millenari
  193. Venezuela: The Sickness by Alberto Barrera Tyszka
  194. Vietnam: The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh
  195. Yemen: The Hostage by Zayd Mutee’ Dammaj
  196. Zambia: A Cowrie of Hope by Binwell Sinyangwe
  197. Zimbabwe: The Hairdresser of Harare by Tendai Huchu

*This extra entry represented territories not on the list of UN recognized nations (plus Taiwan) that I used for this project. It was selected by a poll of blog visitors from a list of nominations.