Around the World in 80 Books discussion
ATW in 80 Books World Challenge
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Tom - Circumnavigator
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September 2022: 26 countries visited Africa
Cameroon Season of the Shadow by Léonora Miano
Nigeria The African Trilogy: Things Fall Apart - No Longer at Ease - Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe
South Africa Life & Times of Michael K by J.M. Coetzee
Asia
Israel Between Friends by Amos Oz
Iran Het huis van de moskee by Kader Abdolah
Japan Wind/Pinball: Two Novels by Haruki Murakami
North Korea The Accusation: Forbidden Stories from Inside North Korea by Bandi
Australia & the Pacific
Europe
Austria Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Belarus Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich
Belgium Het dwaallicht by Willem Elsschot
Czech Republic The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
England 1984 by George Orwell
France L'Étranger by Albert Camus
Germany Im Westen nichts Neues by Erich Maria Remarque
Iceland Iceland's Bell by Halldór Laxness
Ireland The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
Italy The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli
The Netherlands Max Havelaar, or the Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading Company by Eduard Douwes Dekker
Poland Primeval and Other Times by Olga Tokarczuk
Russia War and Peace by Leo Tolstoj
Spain The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Sweden Bruggenbouwers by Jan Guillou
North America
United States To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
South America
Brazil The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Colombia Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
Suriname Wij slaven van Suriname by Anton de Kom
October 2022: 27 countries visited South America Peru Ciudad y Los Perros - Bol - by Mario Vargas Llosa
December 2022: 30 countries visited South America Chile La casa de los espíritus by Isabel Allende
Asia Turkey The Black Book by Orhan Pamuk
January 2023: 33 countries visited Asia Iraq The Epic of Gilgamesh by an unknown author
Africa Ethiopia The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste
Europe Greece Ilias & Odysseia by Homer
February 2023: 35 countries visited Europe Albania The Concert by Ismail Kadare
May 2023: 40 countries visited Europe Denmark Inde fra stormen by Jens Christian Grøndahl
Africa Ghana Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
North America Trinidad & Tobago A House for Mr Biswas by V.S. Naipaul
June 2023: 42 countries visited Asia Korea, Republic of Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo
Asia Georgia Het schaarse licht by Nino Haratischwili
August 2023: 46 countries visited Asia India Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
Africa Congo, Democratic Republic Ngando et autres récits by Paul Lomami Tshibamba
Europe Portugal Blindness by José Saramago
September 2023: 47 countries visited Africa Senegal La plus secrète mémoire des hommes by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr
October 2023: 49 countries visited Africa Mali Oui, mon commandant ! by Amadou Hampâté Bâ
Europe Norway Mysteriën by Knut Hamsun
November 2023: 51 countries visited North America Cuba Revolution Sunday by Wendy Guerra
Africa Mozambique O Último Voo do Flamingo by Mia Couto
December 2023: 54 countries visited Asia Indonesia Bumi Manusia by Pramoedya Ananta Toer
North America Dominica Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Africa Algeria Coulis by Bilal Al Mashta
January 2024: 58 countries visited Europe Slovenia And Love Itself by Drago Jančar
Africa Congo, Republic Black Moses by Alain Mabanckou
Africa Somalia Mijn woestijn / Dochter van de nomaden by Waris Dirie
Asia Oman Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi
February 2024: 62 countries visited Asia Libanon The Disoriented by Amin Maalouf
Europe Bulgaria Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov
Africa Ivory Coast Standing Heavy by Gauz
Europe Estonia The Man Who Spoke Snakish by Andrus Kivirähk
April 2024: 67 countries visited Europe Hungary De medeplichtige by George Konrád
South America Paraguay Moriencia by Augusto Roa Bastos
Asia Palestine Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
Europe Ukraine Babi Jar by Anatoli Koeznetsov
Oceania New Zealand Potiki by Patricia Grace
May 2024: 70 countries visited Europe Kosovo Bolla by Pajtim Statovci
Asia Afghanistan A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
South America Argentina Die, My Love by Ariana Harwicz
June 2024: 73 countries visited, three - somewhat different - island states this month Africa Comoros A Girl Called Eel by Ali Zamir
Asia Sri Lanka The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
North America Greenland Godhavn by Iben Mondrup
July 2024: 76 countries visited North America Canada Surfacing by Margaret Atwood
Africa Zimbabwe Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga
Asia Pakistan The Golden Legend by Nadeem Aslam
August 2024: 79 countries visited Europe Croatia Baba Yaga Laid an Egg by Dubravka Ugrešić
Europe Finland Levensgevaar by Arttu Tuominen
Oceania Marshall Islands Iep Jaltok: Poems from a Marshallese Daughter (Volume 80) by Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner
September 2024: 83 countries visited Asia Vietnam The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
North America Mexico Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor
Asia Kyrgyzstan Jamilia by Chingiz Aitmatov
Africa Chad Il n'y a pas d'arc-en-ciel au Paradis by Nétonon Noël Ndjékéry
Since I have been doing this challenge for two years, it seems fit to update my overview list. I will try to keep this list updated from now on.If you have any suggestions on what books countries to read next, I would love to hear from you!
Updated September 2025: 100 countries visited
Africa: 24 countries visited
Algeria Coulis by Bilal Al Mashta
Angola A Sociedade dos Sonhadores Involuntários by José Eduardo Agualusa
Cameroon Season of the Shadow by Léonora Miano
Chad Il n'y a pas d'arc-en-ciel au Paradis by Nétonon Noël Ndjékéry
Comoros A Girl Called Eel by Ali Zamir
Congo, Democratic Republic of Ngando et autres récits by Paul Lomami Tshibamba
Congo, Republic of Black Moses by Alain Mabanckou
Egypt Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz
Ethiopia The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste
Ghana Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
Guinea Le Terroriste noir by Tierno Monénembo
Ivory Coast Standing Heavy by Gauz
Kenya A Grain of Wheat by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
Mali Oui, mon commandant ! by Amadou Hampâté Bâ
Morocco In the Country of Others by Leïla Slimani
Mozambique O Último Voo do Flamingo by Mia Couto
Nigeria The African Trilogy: Things Fall Apart - No Longer at Ease - Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe
Senegal La plus secrète mémoire des hommes by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr
Somalia Mijn woestijn / Dochter van de nomaden by Waris Dirie
South Africa Life & Times of Michael K by J.M. Coetzee
Sudan Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih
Tanzania Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah
Uganda The First Woman by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
Zimbabwe Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga
Asia 25 countries visited
Afghanistan A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Bangladesh Brick Lane by Monica Ali
Cambodia First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung
China, People's Republic Of Red Sorghum by Mo Yan
Georgia by Het schaarse licht by Nino Haratischwili
India Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
Indonesia Bumi Manusia by Pramoedya Ananta Toer
Israel Between Friends by Amos Oz
Iran Het huis van de moskee by Kader Abdolah
Iraq The Epic of Gilgamesh by an unknown author
Japan Wind/Pinball: Two Novels by Haruki Murakami
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of The Accusation: Forbidden Stories from Inside North Korea by Bandi
Korea, Republic of Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo
Kuwait Guapa by Saleem Haddad
Kyrgyzstan Jamilia by Chingiz Aitmatov
Libanon The Disoriented by Amin Maalouf
Malaysia We, The Survivors by Tash Aw
Mongolia The Gray Earth by Galsan Tschinag
Oman Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi
Pakistan The Golden Legend by Nadeem Aslam
Palestine Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
Saudi Arabia The Consequences of Love by Sulaiman Addonia
Sri Lanka The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
Turkey The Black Book by Orhan Pamuk
Viet Nam The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
Oceania: 3 countries visited
Australia The Swan Book by Alexis Wright
Marshall Islands Iep Jaltok: Poems from a Marshallese Daughter (Volume 80) by Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner
New Zealand Potiki by Patricia Grace
Europe: 31 countries visited
Albania The Concert by Ismail Kadare
Austria Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Belarus Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich
Belgium Het dwaallicht by Willem Elsschot
Bosnia and Herzegovina The Last Refuge: A True Story of War, Survival and Life Under Siege in Srebrenica by Hasan Nuhanović
Bulgaria Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov
Croatia Baba Yaga Laid an Egg by Dubravka Ugrešić
Czech Republic The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Denmark Inde fra stormen by Jens Christian Grøndahl
Estonia The Man Who Spoke Snakish by Andrus Kivirähk
England 1984 by George Orwell
Finland Levensgevaar by Arttu Tuominen
France L'Étranger by Albert Camus
Germany Im Westen nichts Neues by Erich Maria Remarque
Greece The Iliad / The Odyssey by Homer
Hungary The Loser by George Konrád
Iceland Iceland's Bell by Halldór Laxness
Ireland The Heart's Invisible Furies33253215] by John Boyne
Italy The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli
Kosovo Bolla by Pajtim Statovci
Lithuania Peter's Empress by Kristina Sabaliauskaitė
The Netherlands Max Havelaar, or the Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading Company by Eduard Douwes Dekker
Norway Mysteriën by Knut Hamsun
Poland Primeval and Other Times by Olga Tokarczuk
Portugal Blindness by José Saramago
Russia War and Peace by Leo Tolstoj
Scotland Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
Slovenia And Love Itself by Drago Jančar
Spain The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Sweden Bruggenbouwers by Jan Guillou
Ukraine Babi Jar by Anatoly Kuznetsov
North America: 10 countries visited
Canada Surfacing by Margaret Atwood'
Cuba Revolution Sunday by Wendy Guerra
Dominica Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Greenland Godhavn by Iben Mondrup
Grenada The Bone Readers by Jacob Ross
Guatemala Mulata by Miguel Ángel Asturias
Mexico Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor
Saint Lucia Omeros by Derek Walcott
Trinidad & Tobago A House for Mr Biswas by V.S. Naipaul
United States To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
South America: 7 countries visited
Argentina Die, My Love by Ariana Harwicz
Brazil The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Chile La casa de los espíritus by Isabel Allende
Colombia Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
Paraguay Moriencia by Augusto Roa Bastos
Peru La ciudad y los perros (edición del cincuentenario) (Edición conmemorativa de la RAE) / The Time of the Hero (EDICIÓN CONMEMORATIVA DE LA RAE Y LA ASALE) by Mario Vargas Llosa
Suriname Wij slaven van Suriname by Anton de Kom
November 2024: 88 countries visited Africa Kenya A Grain of Wheat by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
Africa Morocco In the Country of Others by Leïla Slimani
North America Grenada The Bone Readers by Jacob Ross
Asia Bangladesh Brick Lane by Monica Ali
December 2024: 90 countries visited Africa Guinea Le Terroriste noir by Tierno Monénembo
Oceania Australia The Swan Book by Alexis Wright
February 2025: 93 countries visited Europe Bosnia and Herzegovina The Last Refuge: A True Story of War, Survival and Life Under Siege in Srebrenica by Hasan Nuhanović
Africa Angola A Sociedade dos Sonhadores Involuntários by José Eduardo Agualusa
April 2025: 97 countries visited Asia Kuwait Guapa by Saleem Haddad
Asia China, People's Republic Of Red Sorghum by Mo Yan
Asia Saudi Arabia The Consequences of Love by Sulaiman Addonia
September 2025: 100 countries visited Asia Malaysia We, The Survivors by Tash Aw
Asia Cambodia First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung
Around the World in 80 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers (other topics)First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers (other topics)
Guapa (other topics)
Young Mungo (other topics)
Red Sorghum (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Loung Ung (other topics)Loung Ung (other topics)
Sulaiman Addonia (other topics)
Mo Yan (other topics)
Saleem Haddad (other topics)
More...
My Tour will only be completed when I have visited every country in the world. Although since I also continue reading other books, it will probably take a loooong time. But I will get there, eventually :).
As a rule, books should be written by an author who was born in the country, or at least has spent most of his childhood and adult life there. I will list at most one book per country, preferably a classic.