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.

1. Afghanistan: My Pen is the Wing of a Bird, a collection of short stories by Afghan women.
2. Albania: The Doll, by Ismail Kadare.
3. Algeria: Fantasia, An Algerian Cavalcade, by Assia Djebar.
4. Andorra: The Teacher of Cheops, by Albert Salvado.
5. Angola: The Return of the Water Spirit, by Pepetela.
6. Antigua and Barbuda: Annie John, by Jamaica Kincaid.
7. Argentina: Eva Peron: A Biography, by Alicia Dujovne Ortiz.
8. Armenia: Three Apples Fell from the Sky, by Narine Abgaryan.
9. Australia: The Secret River, by Kate Grenville.
10. Austria: The Piano Teacher, by Elfriede Jelinek.
11. Azerbaijan: The Orphan Sky, by Ella Leya.
12. The Bahamas: Uncertain Kin, by Janice Lynn Mather.
13. Bahrain: Yummah, by Sarah A. Al Shafei.
14. Bangladesh: Revenge, by Taslima Nasrin.
15. Barbados: How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House, by Cherie Jones
16. Belarus: Secondhand Time, by Svetlana Alexievich.
17. Belgium: I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman
18. Belize: Beka Lamb, Zee Edgell.
19. Benin: Spirit Rising: My Life, My Music, Angelique Kidjo.
20. Bhutan: Folktales of Bhutan, by Kunzang Choden.
21. Bolivia: American Visa, by Juan De Recacoechea
22. Bosnia and Herzegovina: The Bride of the Drina, by Ivo Andric
23. Botswana: Call and Response, by Gothataone Moeng.
24. Brazil: The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas, by Machado de Assis (I’m obsessed with this book and cannot oversell it. READ IT NOW!!!!)
25. Brunei: Written in Black, by K.H. Lim.
26. Bulgaria: Border: A Journey to the Edge of Europe by Kapka Kassabova.
27. Burkina Faso: Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic, and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman, by Malidoma Patrice Somé.
28. Burundi: Baho! by Roland Rugero.
29. Cabo Verde: Chiquinho: A Novel of Cabo Verde, by Baltazar Lopes.
30. Cambodia: First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers, by Loung Ung.
31. Cameroon: How Beautiful We Were: A Novel, by Imbolo Mbue.
32. Canada: Five Little Indians: A Novel, by Michelle Good.
33. Central African Republic: Co-wives, Co-widows, by Adrienne Yabouza.
34. Chad: Told By Starlight in Chad by Joseph Brahim Seid (Ditto!)
35. Chile: The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende.
36. China: Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang. Wow. Just wow.
37. Colombia: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. An absolute masterpiece.
38. Comoros: A Girl Called Eel by Ali Zamir. Amazing coming-of-age novel.
39. Democratic Republic of the Congo: How Dare the Sun Rise by Sandra Uwiringiyimana with Abigail Pasta.
40. Republic of the Congo: Broken Glass by Alain Mabanckou.
41. Costa Rica: Where There Was Fire by Jon Manuel Arias.
42. Côte d’Ivoire: AYA by Marguerite Abouet & Clément Oubrerie.
43. Croatia: Baba Yaga Laid An Egg by Dubravka Ugrešić.
44. Cuba: My Favorite Girlfriend Was A French Bulldog by Legna Rodríguez Iglesias.
45. Cyprus: Selfie and Other Stories by Nora Nadjarian. (review coming soon!)
46. Czechia: R.U.R. by Karel Čapek.
47. Denmark: The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen.
48. Djibouti: Why Do You Dance When You Walk? by Abdourahman A. Waberi
49. Dominica: Island Man by Joanne Skerrett.
50. Dominican Republic: In the time of the Butterflies by Julian Alvarez.
51. Ecuador: Jawbone by Mónica Ojeda, translated by Sarah Booker.
52. Egypt: Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed.
53. El Salvador: Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora.
54. Equatorial Guinea: La Bastarda: A Novel by Trifonia Melibea Obono, translated by Lawrence Schimel.
55. Eritrea: Gratitude in Low Voices: A Memoir by Dawit Gebremichael Habte,
56. Estonia: The Man Who Spoke Snakish by Andrus Kivirähk, translated by Christopher Moseley. (My new favorite fantasy book.)
57. Eswatini: Weeding the Flowerbeds by Sarah Mkhonza.
58. Ethiopia: The Wife’s Tale: A Personal History by Aida Edemariam.
59. Fiji: A Remarkable Rotuman Woman by Jacinta Tonga.
60. Finland: Fishing for the Little Pike by Juhani Karila, translated by Lola Rogers (my introduction to Finnish Weird and I’m now OBSESSSED).
61. France: The Years by Annie Ernaux, translated by Alison L. Strayer.
62. Gabon: The Fury and Cries of Women by Angèle Rawiri, translated by Sara Hanaburgh.
63. The Gambia: Reading the Ceiling by Dayo Forster. (Finished! Loved!)
64. Georgia: The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischvili, translated by Charlotte Collins and Ruth Martin. (Currently reading, woot woot! At 944 pages, this beast will be the longest book I’ve read on my quest so far!)
65. Germany: Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Michael Hofmann.
66. Ghana: Our Sister Killjoy by Ama Ata Aidoo.
67. Greece: Zigzag Through the Bitter-Orange Trees by Ersi Sotiropoulous, translated by Peter Green.
68. Grenada: Angel by Merle Collins.
69. Guatemala: Mr. President by Miguel Ángel Asturias, translated by David Unger.
70. Guinea: The Dark Child by Camara Laye, translated by James Kirk and Ernest Jones.
71. Guinea-BIssau: The Ultimate Tragedy by Abdulai Sila, translated by Jethro Soutar.
72. Guyana: Palace of the Peacock by Wilson Harpis.