I have started a new project that is separate from my 2021 projects. I am going to read a book written by an author from every country in the world! There are, at present count, 196 countries in the world, so there is no way I am going to finish this project in 2021 (or 2022) (or 2023!) But I thought this would be a fun way to “travel” the world – especially now, when travel is limited by the pandemic.

I am going to do this alphabetically to give my project a little more structure. I started a few days ago with The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini for Afghanistan. This book has been on my Want To Read book for years, so it is an excellent way to kick off my Around The World With Books! project.

I am listening to the audiobook. Finding audiobooks will be the trickiest part of this project. Well, actually finding books that have been translated into English from more “obscure” countries will be the trickiest part of this project. There are some TINY countries in the world. Will I be able to find a book by an author from Kiribati? Or Cabo Verde? What about Lichtenstein?

But once I find a book that I want to read from a particular country, then I will listen to the audio version if it’s available. I am doing most of my reading that way these days. But the pandemic and distance learning will eventually end, and I’ll get my brain back, and I’ll be able to read good old fashioned paperbacks again someday. (Right?)

I am not going to worry about Albania-Zimbabwe. One country, one book at a time. Right now, I am enjoying my literary trip to Afghanistan. By the end of this decade, I will have traveled the world without ever boarding an airplane or packing a suitcase.