Read Around The World Challenge 2023 (+Printable)
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There are so many books from all around the world that I had to create this Read Around The World Challenge.
It is hardly a unique idea. You’ve probably come across many bloggers creating this challenge.
Other popular names for this challenge are “travel through books” and “read your way around the world.”
However, I personally am writing this post to document my progress of reading around the world.
You can join me (printable below!) on this rewarding challenge as it helps diversify your reading.
Growing up, i’ve always read books by authors in the west. They were popular in bookstores and school libraries.
It is only recently when I started reading Asian literature and a bit of translated literature a couple of years ago, that I’ve realized how much I’ve been missing out.
Let’s decolonize our bookshelves together by reading our way around the world!
Read More:
- 12 Reading Goals For Adults (Easy and Practical)
- 150+ Reading Challenge Prompts & Ideas (2023)
- 10 Reading Trackers For All Types Of Readers
- 5 Free Printable Reading Journals And Digital Downloads
- Sign up for a free trial of Audible: Get 30 days of free access to thousands of audiobooks, and one free premium title of your choice. Perfect for listening on the go!
- Sign up for free trial of Kindle Unlimited: Get 30 days of free access to unlimited ebook reading on any device. You will unlock access to over two million titles instantly!
- Sign up for free trial of Amazon Prime: Get 30 days of a free trial offering free two-day shipping on all purchases, plus access to hundreds of new ebooks each month.
- Receive 2 audiobook credits with my code: BREWING on Libro.fm!
Reading Around The World Challenge
Some of the countries are left blank, as I’m also using this blog post as a personal reading tracker on the countries I’ve read.
If I’ve read many books from a specific country, I will pick my favourite 2-3 books to list them here for tracking purposes.
Feel free to download the printable and track your own around the world reading challenge progress!
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Don’t feel pressured to finish all the countries in a year or two. This is a long-term personal challenge. There’s no competition. The only thing that matters is your progress on diversifying your reads matters!
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Angola
Antigua & Deps
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Central African Rep
Chad
Chile
China
Colombia
Comoros
Congo
Congo {Democratic Rep}
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cuba
Read More: 16 Books About Cuba For Every Type Of Reader
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
East Timor
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland
France
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Fall Baby by Laksmi Pamuntjak
Ghana
Greece
Grenada
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
This book is my favourite book of all time. It is a retelling of the epic Mahabharata. The author adopts character names and mythology from the epic.
Bhisma, a warrior kidnaps Amba who is betrothed to King Salwa. Amba falls in love with her captor and he loves her as well.
Similarly, just like in the epic, Amba and Bhisma’s unrequited love story is the result of political instability in Indonesia during the 1960s.
As you keep reading you’ll realize that the color red here symbolizes many things – bloodshed, war, communism, love, passion, and so on. The author also wrote a sequel, Fall Baby, which is set in Berlin, Germany.
This book is a captivating collection of stories and mythical tales around countries that share the Austronesean language.
Some of these countries are – Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Southern Thailand, the Philippines, East Timor, Madagascar, Taiwan and Guam.
However, the short stories in this book is mainly from Indonesia and Malaysia.
Read More: 15 Best Books Set In Indonesia You Must Read
Iran
Iraq
Ireland {Republic}
Israel
Italy
Ivory Coast
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Korea North
Korea South
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
The Blood Prince of Langkasuka
The Accidental Malay
Nusantara (see Indonesia above)
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Micronesia
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar, {Burma}
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Rwanda
St Kitts & Nevis
St Lucia
Saint Vincent & the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome & Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Spain
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
You’ll be able to read my full review on Prisna here.
There are two books in this collection – Part 1 and Part 2. It was written by a Thai princess.
Prisna is a coming of age story of a young modern Siamese women who was brought up in America, away from her traditional Thai family. Prisna is the youngest among her 4 sisters.
This thai story begins when Prisna returns to Phra Nakhon in 1938. Her headstrong, intelligent and opinionated personality does take her some time to adjust to Siamese society.
