I have a personal goal to read my way around the world. I wish to read a book from every country (or as many as are available) so I can learn about different cultures and immerse myself in all the wonderful literature this world has to offer.
Ideally, each book I read should be set in a country and be a good example of life and culture in that country. Each book chosen should be the 'essence' of that country, or at least be considered a good example of the sort of literature that country has to offer. Only the best of the best!
Although I will endeavour to source 'local' authors from each country, I understand that could be hard for smaller countries. So as long as the book is set in a country, and does a good job of showing that country's culture, then it counts even if it was written be a non-local.
Feel free to suggest any novels or non-fiction books that you feel meets these requirements, for any country. Here is a list of all of the 257 countries in the world!
The Reading List
The books below are books I have read and reviewed. Check out my 'To Be Read' list. to see what I am planning on reading. You can also check out my progress via Google Maps.
The books below are books I have read and reviewed. Check out my 'To Be Read' list. to see what I am planning on reading. You can also check out my progress via Google Maps.
View Rachel's Reading Around the World in a larger map
Oceania
- Australia
Australian Tragic – Jack Marx
The Slap – Christos Tsiolkas
Smokey Joe's Cafe – Bryce Courtenay
The Simple Gift – Steven Herrick
Europe
- Denmark
The Library of Shadows – Mikkel Birkegaard
- Estonia
Purge – Sofi Oksanen
- France
Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- Germany
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas – John Boyne
Homecoming – Bernhard Schlink
- Netherlands
Girl with a Pearl Earring – Tracy Chevalier
- Spain
The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafón
The Angel's Game – Carlos Ruiz Zafón
- Sweden
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Steig Larsson
The Girl who Played with Fire – Steig Larsson
The Girl who Kicked the Hornets' Nest – Steig Larsson
Let the Right One In – John Ajvide Lindqvist
- United Kingdom
The Children's Book – A.S. Byatt
The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
- China
Shanghai Tango: A Memoir – Jin Xing
- India
Siddhartha – Hermann Hesse
- Japan
After Dark – Haruki Murakami
Kafka on the Shore – Haruki Murakami
Norwegian Wood – Haruki Murakami
Real World – Natsuo Kirino
South of the Border, West of the Sun – Haruki Murakami
The Housekeeper + the Professor – Yoko Ogawa
Sputnik Sweetheart – Haruki Murakami
After the Quake – Haruki Murakami
The Devotion of Suspect X – Keigo Higashino
- Vietnam
Paradise of the Blind – Duong The Huong
- Iran
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books – Azar Nafisi
North America
- Canada (Québec)
Déjà Dead – Kathy Reichs
Death Du Jour – Kathy Reichs
Deadly Decisions – Kathy Reichs
- United States of America
Freedom – Jonathan Franzen
Central America
South America
- Guatemala
Grave Secrets – Kathy Reichs
South America
- Colombia
Chronicle of a Death Foretold – Gabriel García Márquez
