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. (Finished and LOVED. Review soon, I swear!)
47. Denmark: The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen (loved – review soon.)
48. Djibouti: Why Do You Dance When You Walk? by Abdourahman A. Waberi (amazing – review soon)
49. Dominica: Island Man by Joanne Skerrett (great! review soon) (note to self: spend a day on catching up with reviews!)
50. Dominican Republic: In the time of the Butterflies by Julian Alvarez (one of my favorites; review soon. or eventually…)
51. Ecuador: Jawbone by Mónica Ojeda, translated by Sarah Booker (currently reading and wow, it’s intense but I’m loving it.)
52. Egypt: Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed
53. El Salvador: Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora and
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.
57. Eswatini: Weeding the Flowerbeds by Sarah Mkhonza.
58. Ethiopia: The Wife’s Tale: A Personal History by Aida Edemariam.