Further Reading Lists

These are the blogs and resources that informed and inspired my own reading list.

The All-Arounder:

https://readaroundtheworldchallenge.com/

When I committed to starting this challenge, this website was the first thing that came up from my search. It is a good resource to browse per country, with tags for genre or author gender. It was a great starting point for further searches.

The Marathoner:

https://ayearofreadingtheworld.com/

Ann Morgan documented her mission to complete 196 books in a year in her blog. Thoroughly inspired, I also went down many rabbit holes when reading some of her blog posts. I especially remember the News from Madagascar entry where she described how her blog spurned a years-long endeavor by translators and organizations to translate Malagasy books to English, which resulted to Beyond the Rice Fields by Naivo tr. Allison Charette.

While hers is an impressive feat, I intend to prolong this hobby of mine for as long as I can. I plan to read a book a week for this challenge, with a 5 year projection to finish.

The Women-Focused:

https://aroundtheworldonefemalenovelistatatime.wordpress.com/

https://readingwomenwritersworldwide.wordpress.com/

These two blogs from Sophie Margretta and Jess Andoh-Thayre were great resources for my own reading list. If I did not get my pick directly from them, they inspired me to look at works by the authors from their lists. They are able to read in languages other than English, so I sometimes come away wishing for more English translations or wishing I speak French and/or Spanish. My Czech and German are not at a level where I can read an entire novel reliably.

They also inspired me to expand my search to look at poetry, anthologies, and memoirs from women authors, which were not usually what I will be drawn to.

The Alphabetical List:

https://courtneyhenningnovak.com/index.php/reading-around-the-world/

Courtney Henning Novak aggregates suggestions from her community, so her list is well vetted. Her honest reviews are also valuable in deciding whether a book is worth sourcing or not.

She is reading from each country in alphabetical order, which I think makes the challenge a lot harder. I plan to source books primarily from the library or from second hand book stores, so I will be reading as I get them in no particular order.

My List Grows

My current list keeps growing and I am on the lookout for more suggestions. Please leave a comment below or contact me with your recommendations!