Site updates (May 11, 2026): I have just completed placing all of the mapmarkers (I def missed a few and will add them in later) on the map for the Countries by Letter. So far the only countries with book recommendations are Afghanistan, Argentina, and Bolivia. I am working on adding the South American countries first though I will be doing some work on Poland because I have to review and dis-recommend the book I just read.

What is the Read Around the World Challenge?

I am challenging myself to read at least one book from as many different countries and territories as I can. Different people have different criteria for this challenge.

This will be a lifelong project for me. My main criteria for each country, is that the author is from the country (preferably born and raised there and has spent a significant amount of time there). Additionally, I will be prioritzing books that are set in that country, are translated, and are from marginalized voices. Though I am particularly curious about reading fiction from different countries, I am open to reading non-fiction as well.

This is not an idea I came up with. Personally, I first learned about this challenge from Courtney Henning Novak's TikToks. Many people have done this challenge before me and I have included some of them in the below Resources section.

Why I am Reading Around the World

Living in the United States, I have read a lot of books that were written in English for an English-speaking audience. I want to challenge myself to read more diveresly and learn about other countries through their books. A big part of this for me will be reading from voices outside of the U.S. and England, in order to learn about different cultures, customs, histories, politics, etc. from a non-English perspective.

The common statistic for how many books are translated into English is 3% of the books published in English (more info on that here). And according to Women in Translation, "only 36% of books translated into English are from non-European countries" and "less than 31% of translation into English are written by women."

Resources

I will add more resources here as I discover them. I am also going to be looking for more diverse sources for recommendations. I highly encourage people to look at the comment sections of resources to hear from more voices about what books they recommend. Often in the comments sections you will hear from people from different countries.

Tip: If you find a translator you really like you can check out what other books they have translated.