Reading Around the World

I set out this year to read a book from every country in the world and created a spread in my reading journal to track my progress (see image below). When I mentioned my goal in a YouTube video the suggestions started flooding in, and I realized it was worth taking the time to put together a little resource for us all to share!

When I started this challenge I didn’t know this blog existed - so check it out to learn more about their experiences and for even more book ideas for each country!

This list is based on my own research and suggestions from my online community (mostly from the comments of this YouTube video) and is a work in progress. I have not been able to verify that each book takes place in the country in which the author was born and/or lived the majority of their life. If you notice a mistake please let me know so I can fix it!

Some suggestions are for specific books, and others are just for authors to check out. If you have more suggestions please let me know so I can add them!

Any books I’ve personally read will be bolded and include a link to my Goodreads review and/or a YouTube video where I discuss it. If I read it prior to joining Goodreads/BookTube it will just be bolded!

An additional note - because I am bilingual and can read in both English and French, some of the books listed here that were originally written in French may not have been translated into English. I will indicate this by italicizing those books! I’ll also italicize books that don’t appear to have an English translation since those reading may also speak more than just English and appreciate those recommendations!

Ok, enough preamble. Let’s get on to the list!

A

  • Afghanistan

    • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

    • Load Poems Like Guns: Women's Poetry from Herat, Afghanistan by Farzana Marie

    • A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

  • Albania

    • The Country Where No One Ever Dies by Ornela Vorpsi

    • The File on H. by Ismail Kadare

    • Hana by Elvira Dones

    • The Highland Lute by Gjergj Fishta

    • The Last Journey of Ago Ymeri by Bashkim Shehu

    • Negative Space by Luljeta Lleshanaku

    • Sworn Virgin by Elvira Dones

    • Three Elegies for Kosovo by Ismail Kadare

  • Algeria

    • Algériennes 1954-1962 by Swann Meralli

    • The Plague by Albert Camus

    • The Stranger by Albert Camus ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Goodreads Review

    • Women of Algiers in their Apartment by Assia Djebar

  • Andorra

    • Authors

    • Albert Salvadó

  • Angola

    • A General Theory of Oblivion by José Eduardo Agualusa

    • Granma Nineteen and the Soviet's Secret by Ondjaki

    • Patriots by Sousa Jamba

    • Authors

    • Agostinho Neto

  • Antigua and Barbuda

  • Argentina

    • The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enríquez ⭐⭐ Goodreads Review

    • Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro

    • Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin ⭐⭐ Goodreads Review

    • Martin Fierro by José Hernández

    • Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Goodreads Review

    • Authors

    • Jorge Luis Borges

    • Julio Cortazar

    • Liliana Bodoc

  • Armenia

    • The Gray House by Mariam Petrosyan

  • Australia

    • The Animals In That Country by Laura Jean McKay

    • Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss

    • The Boy From The Mish by Gary Lonesborough

    • Cloudstreet by Tim Winton

    • Eggshell Skull by Bri Lee

    • First We Make the Beast Beautiful by Sarah Wilson

    • Flames by Robbie Arnott

    • Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia edited by Anita Heiss

    • Herron by Robbie Arnott

    • The Killing Code by Ellie Marney (set in USA)

    • Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta

    • The Man from Snowy River by A.B. Paterson (Poem)

    • On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

    • Picnic At Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

    • Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington, Nugi Garimara

    • Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

    • Scission by Tim Winton

    • Tell Me Why by Archie Roach

    • This One Wild and Precious Life by Sarah Wilson

    • The Yield by Tara June Winch ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ YouTube review | Goodreads review

    • Authors

    • Bryce Courtenay

    • Cate Kennedy (short stories)

    • Colleen McCullough

    • Di Morrissey

    • Kate Forsyth

    • Lynette Noni

    • Traci Harding

  • Austria

    • The Wall by Marlen Haushofer

  • Azerbaijan

    • All Russians Love Birch Trees by Olga Grjasnowa (set in Germany)

B

  • The Bahamas

    • An evening in Guanima: A treasury of folktales from the Bahamas by Patricia Glinton-Meicholas

    • Learning to Breathe by Janice Lynn Mather

  • Bahrain

    • The Pearl Thief by Noor Al Noaimi

  • Bangladesh

    • Black Ice by Mahmudul Haque

    • Gouripur Junction by Humayun Ahmed

    • In Blissful Hell, 1971: A novel by Humayun Ahmed

    • Of Blood and Fire by Jahanara Imam

    • Authors

    • Ahsan Habib

    • Bankim Chandra

    • Muhammad Zafar Iqbal

    • Rabindranath

    • Tahmima Anam

  • Barbados

    • How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House: A Novel by Cherie Jones

    • Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord

  • Belarus

    • The Unwomanly Face of War by Svetlana Alexievich

    • Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich

  • Belgium

    • Histoire d'Alice qui ne pensait jamais à rien (et de tous ses maris, plus un) par Francis Dannemark

    • The Melting by Lize Spit

    • Authors

    • Amélie Nothomb

  • Belize

    • Beka Lamb by Zee Edgell

  • Benin

    • L'esclave par Felix Couchoro

    • Authors

    • Adelaide Fassinou

    • Colette Senami Agossou Houeto

    • Paulin Joachim

  • Bhutan

    • The Circle of Karma by Kunzang Choden

  • Bolivia

    • Affections by Rodrigo Hasbun

  • Bosnia and Herzegovina

    • The Fortress by Mesa Selimovic

    • My Heart by Semezdin Mehedinović

  • Botswana

    • Call and Response by Gothataone Moeng

    • The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (series - takes place in Botswana, author born in Zimbabwe)

  • Brazil

    • Amora: Stories by Natalia Borges Polesso

    • Captains of the Sands by Jorge Amado

    • Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martins

    • The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector

    • I Didn't Talk by Beatriz Bracher

    • Macunaima by Mário de Andrade

    • Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas by Machado de Assis ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Goodreads Review | YouTube Review

    • O Menino Azul by Cecilia Meireles

    • Where We Go From Here by Lucas Rocha

  • Brunei

    • The Fisherman King by Kathrina Mohd Daud

    • I Am Not Your Eve by Devika Ponnambalam

  • Bulgaria

    • The Physics of Sorrow by Georgi Gospodinov

    • Authors

    • Ivan Vazov

  • Burkina Faso

    • Crépuscule des temps anciens par Nazi Boni

    • Histoire de l'Afrique noire par Joseph Ki-Zerbo

    • Ma part de vérité par Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo

    • Le Parachutage par Norbert Zongo

  • Burundi

    • Au nom des miens par Jeanne D’Arc Mpitabakana

    • Small Country by Gael Faye

C

  • Cape Verde / Cabo Verde

    • The Madwoman of Serrano by Dina Salustio

  • Cambodia

    • In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner

    • Survival in the Killing Fields by Haing Ngor

  • Cameroon

    • A Long Way from Douala by Max Lobe

    • Mission to Kala by Mongo Beti

    • The Old Man and the Medal by Ferdinand Oyono

  • Canada

  • Central African Republic

    • Co-Wives, Co-Widows by Adrienne Yabouza

  • Chad

    • Nimrod : Selected Writings by Nimrod

    • Told by Starlight in Chad by Joseph Brahim Seid

  • Chile

    • The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

    • The Old Man Who Read Love Stories by Luis Sepúlveda

    • The Story of A Seagull and The Cat Who Taught Her To Fly by Luis Sepúlveda

    • My Tender Matador by Pedro Lemebel

    • Authors

    • Antonio Rojas Gomez

  • China

    • In the Face of Death We Are Equal by Mu Cao

    • The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin ⭐⭐⭐ Goodreads Review

    • Wild Swans, Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang

  • Colombia

    • Living to Tell the Tale by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

    • Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

    • Oblivion: A Memoir by Héctor Abad Faciolince

    • One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

    • Our Lady of the Assassins by Fernando Vallejo

    • The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vasquez

    • Authors

    • Alvaro Mutis

    • Andres Caicedo

    • Gonzalo Arango

    • Hector Rojas Herazo

    • Jose Asunción Silva

    • Leon De Greiff

    • Porfirio Barba Jacob

  • Comoros

    • A Girl Called Eel by Ali Zamir

    • The Kaffir of Karthala by Mohamed A. Toihiri

  • Congo, Democratic Republic of the

    • La Danse du Vilain par Fiston Mwanza Mujila

    • Tram 83 by Fiston Mwanza Mujila

    • Authors

    • Sony Lab'ou Tansi

  • Congo, Republic of the

    • The Fire of Origins by Emmanuel Dongala

  • Costa Rica

    • Concherias by Aquileo J. Echeverría

    • Cuentos de angustias y paisajes by Carlos Salazar Herrera

    • En una silla de ruedas by Carmen Lyra

    • Única Looking at the Sea by Fernando Contreras Castro

  • Côte d’Ivoire

    • In the Company of Men by Véronique Tadjo

    • Suns of Independence by Ahmadou Kourouma

  • Croatia

    • Belladonna by Daša Drndić

    • Croatian Tales of Long Ago by Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić

    • Cyclops by Ranko Marinkovic

    • Farewell, Cowboy by Olja Savičević Ivančević

    • The Hill by Ivica Prtenjača

    • Trieste by Daša Drndić

    • The Witch of Grič by Marija Jurić Zagorka

    • Authors

    • August Šenoa

    • Hrvoje Hitrec

    • Tin Ujević

  • Cuba

    • Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia

    • Frigid Tales by Pedro De-Jesús

    • Kingdom of this World by Alejo Carpentier

    • A Planet for Rent by Yoss

    • Trumpets in the Mountains by Laurie Frederik

    • Authors

    • Leonardo Padura

    • Nicolás Guillén

    • Wendy Guerra

  • Cyprus

    • Afentis Batistas by Costas Montis

    • Ledra Street by Nora Nadjarian

    • The Maidens by Alex Michaelides (takes place in England) ⭐ YouTube Review

    • Authors

    • Vasilis Michaelides

  • Czech Republic

    • The Good Soldier Švejk by Jaroslav Hašek

    • The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (takes place in Germany)

    • Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal

    • The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

    • War with the Newts by Karel Čapek

D

  • Denmark

    • The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen

    • The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld

    • Seven Gothic Tales by Isak Dinesen, Karen Blixen

    • The Shamer’s Daughter by Lene Kaaberbøl

    • The Tenant by Katrine Engberg ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Goodreads Review

    • Authors

    • Harry Mulisch

    • Tommy Wieringa

  • Djibouti

    • The United States of Africa by Abdourahman A. Waberi

  • Dominica

    • Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

  • Dominican Republic

    • In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

E

  • East Timor (Timor-Leste)

    • The Crossing: A Story of East Timor by Luís Cardoso

  • Ecuador

    • Cumanda by Juan León Mera

    • Poso Wells by Gabriela Aleman

    • The Villagers (Huasipungo) by Jorge Icaza

    • Authors

    • Demetrio Aguilera

    • Enrique Gil Gilbert

    • Joaquin Gallegos

    • Medardo Angel Silva

  • Egypt

    • Beer in the Snooker Club by Waguih Ghali

    • Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz

    • The Queue by Basma Abdel-Aziz

    • The Thief and the Dogs by Naguib Mahfouz

    • What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad

    • Authors

    • Nawal El Saadawi

  • El Salvador

    • Slash and Burn by Claudia Hernández

    • Tyrant Memory by Horacio Moya

  • Equatorial Guinea

    • By Night the Mountain Burns by Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel

    • La Bastarda: A Novel by Trifonia Melibea Obono

  • Eritrea

    • African Titanics by Abu Bakr Kahal

    • Gratitude in Low Voices by Dawit Gebremichael Habte

    • Heart of Fire by Senait Mehari

    • I Will Not Grow Downward - Memoir of an Eritrean Refugee: My Long and Perilous Flight from Africa's Hermit Kingdom by Kenneth James Howe, Yikealo Neab

  • Estonia

    • The Man Who Spoke Snakish by Andrus Kivirähk

    • The Willow King by Meelis Friedenthal

  • Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland)

    • A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn

    • When the Ground is Hard by Malla Nunn

  • Ethiopia

    • Love Unto Crypt by Haddis Alemayehu

    • Les Nuits d’Addis Abeba par Sebhat Gebre-Egziabher

    • The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste

F

  • Fiji

    • A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao

    • Kalyana by Rajni Mala Khelawan

    • A Remarkable Rotuman Woman by Jacinta Tonga

  • Finland

    • A Charming Mass Suicide by Arto Paasilinna

    • The Egyptian by Mika Waltari

    • Fathoms of the Fenlake by Ante Aikio

    • Kalevala by Elias Lönnrot

    • Moominsummer Madness by Tove Jansson

    • Purge by Sofi Oksanen

  • France

    • Antigone by Anouilh

    • Candide by Voltaire

    • La Belle et la Bête by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve ⭐⭐⭐ Goodreads Review | YouTube Review

    • La Belle et la Bête by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont ⭐⭐⭐ Goodreads Review | YouTube Review

    • La Chanson de Roland by Unknown

    • The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

    • L’Empire des Loups by Jean-Christophe Grangé

    • Feux by Marguerite Yourcenar

    • Les Larmes de L'Assassin by Anne-Laure Bondoux

    • Luisa: Ici et La by Carole Maurel

    • Memoires d'Hadrien by Marguerite Yourcenar

    • Le Misanthrope by Molière ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Goodreads Review | YouTube Review

    • Authors

    • Franck Thilliez (Sharko & Hennebelle series)

    • Françoise Sagan

    • Jean Teulé

    • Simone de Beauvoir

G

  • Gabon

    • Awu's Story: A Novel by Justine Mintsa

    • The Fury and Cries of Women by Angèle Rawiri

  • The Gambia

    • Folk Tales and Fables from The Gambia by Dembo Fanta Bojang, Sukai Mbye Bojang

    • Reading the Ceiling by Dayo Forster

    • The Sun Will Soon Shine by Sally Singhateh

  • Georgia

    • Kvachi by Mikheil Javakhishvili

    • The Knight In The Panther Skin by Shota Rustaveli

    • A Man Was Going Down the Road by Otar Chiladze

    • Authors

    • Aka Morchiladze

    • Ana Kordzaia-Samadashvili

  • Germany

    • The Swarm by Franz Schatzing

    • The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers

    • Demian by Hermann Hesse

    • Der Räuber by Friedrich Schiller

    • Der Vorleser by Bernhard Schlink

    • Effi Briest by Theodor Fontane

    • Eine Tüte Grüner Wind by Gesine Schulz

    • The End of Loneliness by Benedict Wells

    • Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada

    • Faust by Goethe

    • The Flying Classroom by Erich Kästner

    • The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch

    • Harold by Einzlkind

    • How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone by Saša Stanišić

    • Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

    • Intrigue and Love by Friedrich Schiller

    • Look Who's Back by Timur Vermes

    • The Neverending Story by Michael Ende

    • Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind

    • The Ruby Red trilogy by Kerstin Gier

    • Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse

    • Über Menschen by von Juli Zeh

    • A Very Special Year by Thomas Montasser

    • Authors

    • Andreas Séché

    • Ferdinand von Schirach

    • Friedrich Dürrenmatt

    • Gretchen by Einzlkind

    • Jenny-Mai Nguyen

    • Kai Meyer

    • Sebastian Fitzek

    • Tom Finnek

  • Ghana

    • Changes: A Love Story by Ama Ata Aidoo

    • Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi

    • North to Paradise by Ousman Umar ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Goodreads Review

  • Greece

    • If Not, Winter by Sappho

  • Grenada

  • Guatemala

    • Men of Maize by Miguel Angel Asturias

    • Human Matter by Rodrigo Rey Rosa

    • Severina by Rodrigo Rey Rosa

  • Guinea

  • Guinea-Bissau

  • Guyana

H

  • Haiti

  • Honduras

    • Revulsion by Horacio Castellanos Moya

    • The Dream of my Return by Horacio Castellanos Moya

    • Senselessness by Horacio Castellanos Moya

  • Hungary

I

  • Iceland

  • India

    • The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

    • A State of Freedom by Neel Mukherjee

  • Indonesia

    • The Wandering by Intan Paramaditha

  • Iran

    • Disoriental by Negar Djavadi

    • Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

    • Suvashun by Simin Daneshvar

  • Iraq

    • Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi

  • Ireland

  • Israel

    • With Eternity Not Afraid by Shani Boingjo

  • Italy

    • Alda Merini

    • My Brillant Friend by Elena Ferrante

    • Dante

    • Durrenmatt

    • Eva Sleeps by Francesca Melandri

    • If This Is a Man (se questo è un uomo) by Primo Leviconcentration camp

    • Italo Calvino

    • Luca di Fulvio

    • Luigi Pirandello

    • Manzoni

    • The Name of the Rose (il nome della rosa) by Umberto Eco

    • Se questo è un uomo by Primo Levi

J

  • Jamaica

  • Japan

    • Beauty and Sadness by Yasunari Kawabata

    • My Brother's Husband by Gengoroh Tagame

    • Confessions of a Mask by Yukio Mishima

    • Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

    • The Genji Monogatari by Murasaki Shikibu

    • The Housekeeper and the Professor. It is a beautiful book by Yōko Ogawa

    • Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

    • The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

    • Tokyo Ueno Station by Miri Yu

  • Jordan

K

  • Kazakhstan

  • Kenya

    • Wizard of the Crow by Ngugi wa Thiong'o

    • The Havoc of Choice by Wanjiru Koinange

  • Kiribati

  • Korea, North

    • In Order to Live: a North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park

  • Korea, South

    • Human Acts by Han Kang

    • Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

    • To the Warm Horizon by Jin-Young Choi

  • Kosovo

    • Crossing by Pajtim Statovci

  • Kuwait

  • Kyrgyzstan

L

  • Laos

  • Latvia

  • Lebanon

  • Lesotho

  • Liberia

  • Libya

    • Gold Dust by Ibrahim al-Koni

  • Liechtenstein

  • Lithuania

    • Balys Sruoga

    • Kristina Sabaliauskaite

    • Ruta Sepetys

    • Vincas Mykolaitis-Putinas

  • Luxembourg

M

  • Madagascar

  • Malawi

  • Malaysia

  • Maldives

  • Mali

  • Malta

  • Marshall Islands

  • Mauritania

  • Mauritius

  • Mexico

    • The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

    • The Diary of Frida Kahlo by Frida Kahlo

    • Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

    • Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

  • Micronesia, Federated States of

  • Moldova

  • Monaco

  • Mongolia

  • Montenegro

  • Morocco

  • Mozambique

    • Rain: And Other Stories by Mia Couto

  • Myanmar (Burma)

N

  • Namibia

  • Nauru

  • Nepal

  • Netherlands

    • The Book of Everything by Guus Kuujer

    • Minoes by Annie M.G. Schmidt

  • New Zealand

  • Nicaragua

    • The Inhabited Woman by Gioconda Belli

    • The Country Under My Skin by Gioconda Belli

    • Infinity in the Palm of her Hand by Gioconda Belli

  • Niger

  • Nigeria

  • North Macedonia

    • Pirey by Petre M. Andreevski

  • Norway

    • The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder

O

  • Oman

    • Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharti

P

  • Pakistan

  • Palau

  • Palestine

    • Mother of Strangers by Suad Amiry

    • The Dance of the Deep-Blue Scorpion by Akram Musallam

    • Wild Thorns by Sahar Khalifeh

    • Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa

    • My First and Only Love by Sahar Khalifeh

    • Minor Detail by Adania Shibli - 5 stars - Goodreads Review

    • Salt Houses by Hala Alyan (diaspora)

    • Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad (*diaspora) - 5 stars - Goodreads Review

    • Behind You Is the Sea: A Novel by Susan Muaddi Darraj (diaspora)

    • You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat (diaspora)

    • The Question of Palestine by Edward W. Said

    • I Saw Ramallah by Mourid Barghouti

    • Power Born of Dreams: My Story is Palestine by Mohammad Sabaaneh

    • In the Presence of Absence by Mahmoud Darwish

    • Exhausted on the Cross by Najwan Darwish

    • Rifqa by Mohammed El-Kurd

    • They Fell Like Stars from the Sky & Other Stories by Sheikha Helawy

  • Panama

  • Papua New Guinea

  • Paraguay

  • Peru

    • The Complete Poetry by Cesar Vallejo

    • Julio Ramón Ribeyro

    • Mario Vargas Llosa

    • Violeta by Isabel Allende (translated by Frances Riddle)

    • A World for Julius by Alfredo Bryce Echenique

  • Philippines

    • Noli Me Tángere (Touch Me Not) by Dr. Jose Rizal

  • Poland

  • Portugal

    • Blindness by José Saramago

    • Death with Interruptions by José Saramago

    • The Gospel According to Jesus Christ by José Saramago

Q

  • Qatar

R

  • Romania

    • Life Begins on Friday by Ioana Parvulescu

    • Night Watch by Sergei Lukianenko

  • Russia

    • Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

    • Crime and Punishment by Fydor Dostoevsky

    • Kolyma Tales by Varlam Shalamov

    • The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

    • Playing a Part by Daria Wilke

    • The Village by Ivan Alekseyevich Bunin

    • War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

  • Rwanda

S

  • Saint Kitts and Nevis

  • Saint Lucia

  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

  • Samoa

  • San Marino

  • Sao Tome and Principe

  • Saudi Arabia

  • Senegal

  • Serbia

  • Seychelles

  • Sierra Leone

  • Singapore

    • The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds by Selina Siak Chin Yoke

  • Slovakia

  • Slovenia

  • Solomon Islands

  • Somalia

    • The Last Nomad: Coming of Age in the Somali Desert by Shugri Said Salh

  • South Africa

    • Circles in the Forest by Dalene Mathee

    • Fiela's Child by Daleen Mathee

    • Spud by John van de Ruit

    • Woman in the Blue Cloak by Deon Meyer

  • Spain

    • All This I Will Give to You by Delores Redondo

    • Un Appartement sur Uranus by Paul B. Preciado

    • Arturo Pérez Reverte

    • La Celestina by Fernando de Roja

    • Finis Mundi by Laura Gallego

    • Iacobus by Matilde Asensi

    • Interior Castle by Saint Teresa of Avila

    • Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

    • Patria by Fernando Aramburu

    • The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

    • Santiago Posteguillo

    • Where the Trees Sing by Laura Gallego

    • Wings of Fire by Laura Gallego

  • Sri Lanka

    • A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasm

    • Upon a Sleepless Isle by Andrew Fidel Fernando

  • Sudan

    • Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih

  • Sudan, South

  • Suriname

  • Sweden

    • Astrid and Veronika by Linda Olsson

    • Astrid Lindgren

    • Beartown by Fredrik Backman

    • Camilla Läckberg

    • City of my Dreams by Per Anders Fågelström

    • Doctor Glas by Hjalmar Söderberg

    • The Emigrants by Vilhelm Moberg

    • The Evil by Jan Guillou

    • The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

    • Handling the Undead by Johan Ajvide Lindqvist

    • The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Johansson

    • Jonas Hassen Khemiri

    • Lagom: Not Too Much, Not Too Little by Niki Brantmark

    • Let the Right One In by Johan Ajvide Lindqvist

    • A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

    • My Mother Gets Married by Moa Martinsson

    • Sandhamm Murders by Viveca Sten (series)

    • Sofie Sarenbrandt

    • The Wolf and the Watchman by Niklas Natt och Dag

  • Switzerland

    • Friedrich Duerrenmatt

    • Max Frisch

  • Syria

T

  • Taiwan

    • The Membranes by Chi Ta-wei

    • Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin

  • Tajikistan

  • Tanzania

  • Thailand

    • Bright by Duanwad Pimwana

  • Togo

  • Tonga

  • Trinidad and Tobago

    • Crick Crack, Monkey by Merle Hodge

    • Salt and The Dragon Can't Dance by Earl Lovelace

  • Tunisia

  • Turkey

    • Snow by Orhan Pamuk

    • The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali

  • Turkmenistan

  • Tuvalu

U

  • Uganda

    • A Bigger Picture: My Fight to Bring a New African Voice to the Climate Crisis by Vanessa Nakate

    • Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

  • Ukraine

    • A City in Its Fullness by S.Y. Agnon

    • Fieldwork in Ukrainian Sex by Oksana Zabuzhko

    • Grey Bees by Andrey Kurkov

    • Good Citizens Need Not Fear: Stories by Maria Reva

    • Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

    • Kobzar by Taras Shevchenko

    • The Museum of Abandoned Secrets by O.S. Zabuzhko

    • The Orphanage by Serhiy Zhadan

    • Sweet Darusya: A Tale Of Two Villages by Maria Matios

    • Your Ad Could Go Here by O.S. Zabuzhko

  • United Arab Emirates

  • United Kingdom

    • Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

    • Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

    • Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

    • Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

    • Pink Mist by Owen Sheers

    • We Are Made of Diamond Stuff by Isabel Waidner

  • United States

    • Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

    • Even as We Breathe by Anette Saunooke Clapsaddle

    • Gichigami Hearts: Stories and Histories from Misaabekong by Linda LeGarde Grover

    • An Indigenous People's History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

  • Uruguay

  • Uzbekistan

V

  • Vanuatu

  • Vatican City

  • Venezuela

  • Vietnam

    • On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

    • She Weeps Each Time You're Born by Quan Barry

Y

  • Yemen

Z

  • Zambia

    • The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell

  • Zimbabwe

    • The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (series - takes place in Botswana)



That’s the whole list! I’ll keep adding to it over time. I’d love to know if you read any of these books!

BooksElizabeth TurnbullReading Around the World, Reading List, Books, Book Suggestions, Reading Around the World Challenge, Reading Around the World Book List, Authors from every country in the world, world fiction, translated world fiction17 Comments