I am on an epic bookworm quest to read a book by an author from every country in the world in alphabetical order. I recently published a podcast episode talking all about this project, especially why I decided to start it. It’s Episode 43 on my show Adventures With My Forties but spoiler alert: I’ve decided to launch a new podcast (hopefully in October!) that is dedicated to all things bookish, including my Read Around the World quest.
Many folks have asked how they can support my quest – thank you! – so I created an Amazon storefront where you can find the books I’ve read. If you purchase from my storefront, you are not charged any extra but I earn a little commission.
I am using this list to keep track of the countries I need to read. It includes 197 countries – 193 UN members, two UN observers (Palestine and Vatican City), Kosovo, and Taiwan. However, the definition of what constitutes a country does vary depending on where you come from (feelings! politics! maps! it’s a hot mess!) and I am keeping track of countries not included in the “official” list over here and I would eventually like to scoop up those countries as well.
Here’s my ongoing list of my favorite authors from this quest.
p.s. I post about this quest regularly on TikTok @CourtneyHenningNovak and IG @CourtneyHenningNovak.
- Afghanistan: My Pen is the Wing of a Bird, a collection of short stories by Afghan women.
- Albania: The Doll, by Ismail Kadare.
- Algeria: Fantasia, An Algerian Cavalcade, by Assia Djebar.
- Andorra: The Teacher of Cheops, by Albert Salvado.
- Angola: The Return of the Water Spirit, by Pepetela.
- Antigua and Barbuda: Annie John, by Jamaica Kincaid.
- Argentina: Eva Peron: A Biography, by Alicia Dujovne Ortiz.
- Armenia: Three Apples Fell from the Sky, by Narine Abgaryan.
- Australia: The Secret River, by Kate Grenville.
- Austria: The Piano Teacher, by Elfriede Jelinek.
- Azerbaijan: The Orphan Sky, by Ella Leya.
- The Bahamas: Uncertain Kin, by Janice Lynn Mather.
- Bahrain: Yummah, by Sarah A. Al Shafei.
- Bangladesh: Revenge, by Taslima Nasrin.
- Barbados: How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House, by Cherie Jones
- Belarus: Secondhand Time, by Svetlana Alexievich.
- Belgium: I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman
- Belize: Beka Lamb, Zee Edgell.
- Benin: Spirit Rising: My Life, My Music, Angelique Kidjo.
- Bhutan: Folktales of Bhutan, by Kunzang Choden.
- Bolivia: American Visa, by Juan De Recacoechea
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: The Bride of the Drina, by Ivo Andric
- Botswana: Call and Response, by Gothataone Moeng.
- Brazil: The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas, by Machado de Assis (I’m obsessed with this book and cannot oversell it. READ IT NOW!!!!)
- Brunei: Written in Black, by K.H. Lim.
- Bulgaria: Border: A Journey to the Edge of Europe by Kapka Kassabova.
- Burkina Faso: Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic, and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman, by Malidoma Patrice Somé.
- Burundi: Baho! by Roland Rugero.
- Cabo Verde: Chiquinho: A Novel of Cabo Verde, by Baltazar Lopes.
- Cambodia: First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers, by Loung Ung.
- Cameroon: How Beautiful We Were: A Novel, by Imbolo Mbue.
- Canada: Five Little Indians: A Novel, by Michelle Good.
- Central African Republic: Co-wives, Co-widows, by Adrienne Yabouza.
- Chad: Told By Starlight in Chad by Joseph Brahim Seid (Ditto!)
- Chile: The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende.
- China: Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang. Wow. Just wow.
- Colombia: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. An absolute masterpiece.
- Comoros: A Girl Called Eel by Ali Zamir. Amazing coming-of-age novel.
- Democratic Republic of the Congo: How Dare the Sun Rise by Sandra Uwiringiyimana with Abigail Pasta.
- Republic of the Congo: Broken Glass by Alain Mabanckou.
- Costa Rica: Where There Was Fire by Jon Manuel Arias.
- Côte d’Ivoire: AYA by Marguerite Abouet & Clément Oubrerie.
- Croatia: Baba Yaga Laid An Egg by Dubravka Ugrešić.
- Cuba: My Favorite Girlfriend Was A French Bulldog by Legna Rodríguez Iglesias.
- Cyprus: Selfie and Other Stories by Nora Nadjarian. (review coming soon!)
- Czechia: R.U.R. by Karel Čapek. (Finished and LOVED. Review soon, I swear!)
- Denmark: The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen (loved – review soon.)
- Djibouti: Why Do You Dance When You Walk? by Abdourahman A. Waberi (amazing – review soon)
- Dominica: Island Man by Joanne Skerrett (great! review soon) (note to self: spend a day on catching up with reviews!)
- Dominican Republic: In the time of the Butterflies by Julian Alvarez (one of my favorites; review soon. or eventually…)
- Ecuador: Jawbone by Mónica Ojeda, translated by Sarah Booker (Loved this one – I guess I do enjoy some types of horror!)
- Egypt: Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed (Graphic novel. AMAZING. LOVED.)
- El Salvador: Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora (Another incredible memoir)
- Equatorial Guinea: La Bastarda: A Novel by Trifonia Melibea Obono, translated by Lawrence Schimel. (Just finished. Dived into important issues.)
- Eritrea: Gratitude in Low Voices: A Memoir by Dawit Gebremichael Habte, (Will be reading next, but first, I’m taking a little break for my Brazilian side quest.)
- Estonia: The Man Who Spoke Snakish by Andrus Kivirähk, translated by Christopher Moseley.
- Eswatini: Weeding the Flowerbeds by Sarah Mkhonza.
- Ethiopia: The Wife’s Tale: A Personal History by Aida Edemariam.