Around the World in 80 Books discussion

Reading around the world sounds like an interesting idea, so here goes! I'm going the circumnavigator route. I will include books I have read in the past, but I probably won't know the year that I read it. Going forward, I will post books read and the date.

I am not including every book from each of the countries, since some countries have multiple, multiple books. Not every book is a great book (my ratings of them range from 1-5), but I read it!

Current Status

# of Countries Covered: 70 (of 207, I think)

# of Regions Covered: 9 (of 9)

# of States Covered: 36 (of 51--with D.C.)

Last Updated: 8/2/2024

North America

Canada> Anne of Green Gables--by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Mexico> The Language of Butterflies--by Wendy Williams

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USA

Alabama> To Kill a Mockingbird--by Harper Lee
Alaska> To the Bright Edge of the World--by Eowyn Ivey
California> The Joy Luck Club--by Amy Tan
Colorado>Our Souls at Night--by Kent Haruf (April 2020)
Florida> Miss Dreamsville and the Collier County Women's Literary Society--by Amy Hill Hearth
Georgia> Gone With the Wind--by Margaret Mitchell
Hawaii> The Aloha Quilt--by Jennifer Chiaverini
Illinois> Des Plaines River Anthology--by Emily Victorson (ed.)
Indiana> A Girl of the Limberlost--by Gene Stratton Porter
Iowa> Flight 232: A Story of Disaster and Survival--by Laurence Gonzales
Kansas> The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder--by Marta Mcdowell (2017)
Louisiana> Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital--by Sheri Fink
Maine> One Wild Bird at a Time--by Bernd Heinrich
Maryland> The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks--by Rebecca Skloot
Massachusetts> Delivering the Truth--by Edith Maxwell
Michigan> The time Traveler's Wife--by Audrey Niffenegger
Minnesota> On the Banks of Plum Creek--by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Mississippi> The Help--by Kathryn Stockett
Missouri> The Adventures of Tom Sawyer--by Mark Twain
Montana> Down from the Mountain--by Bryce Andrews (2022)
New Jersey> Shadow Divers--by Robert Kurson
New Mexico> Death Comes for the archbishop--by Willa Cather
New York> The Golem and the Jinni--by Helene Wecker
North Carolina> The Notebook--by Nicholas Sparks
Ohio> Baby Birds: An Artist Looks Into the Nest--by Julie Zickefoose
Oklahoma> The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels--by Ree Drummond
Pennsylvania> Gods and Generals (The Civil War Trilogy, #1)--by Jeff Shaara
South Carolina> The Secret Life of Bees--by Sue Monk Kidd
South Dakota> These Happy Golden Years--by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Tennessee> West with Giraffes--by Lynda Rutledge
Texas> Texas--by James Michener
Utah> Pioneer Doctor-The Story of a Woman's Work--by Mari Grana
Vermont> A Dog Walks Into a Nursing Home--by Sue Halpern
Virginia> The Spymistress--by Jennifer Chiaverini
Washington> The Boys in the Boat--by Daniel James Brown
Wisconsin> Evicted--by Matthew Desmond (2017)
Washington, DC> Capital Dames--by Cokie Roberts

Caribbean

Cuba> The Old Man and the Sea--by Ernest Hemingway
Dominican Republic> In the Time of the Butterflies--by Julia Alvarez
St. Lucia> White Egrets: Poems--by Derek Walcott (May 2021)
Trinidad & Tobago> To See Every Bird on Earth--by Dan Koeppel (September 2018)

Latin America

Argentina>Labyrinths: Selected Stories--by Jorge Borges (December 2020)
Brazil> The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey--by Candace Millard
Chile> In the Midst of Winter--by Isabel Allende (September 2018)
Guatemala> All Roads Lead to Austen--by Amy Smith

Europe

Belgium>Secret Pigeon Service: Operation Columba--by Corera (October 2020)
Bosnia and Herzegovina> The Cellist of Sarajevo--by Steven Galloway (November 2018)
Czech Republic> The Metamorphosis--by Kafka
Denmark>Meet me at the Museum--by Youngson (May 2019)
England> Whose Body? (and others in Lord Peter Wimsey series)--by Dorothy L. Sayers
France> The Diving Bell and the Butterfly--by Jean-Dominique Bauby
Georgia>The Underworld--by Susan Casey (March 2024)
Germany> In the Garden of Beasts--by Erik Larson
Greece>Circe--by Madeline Miller (February 2021)
Iceland> The Puffin of Death--by Betty Webb
Ireland> How the Irish Saved Civilization--by Thomas Cahill
Ireland (Northern Ireland)> The Wily O'Reilly--by Patrick Taylor
Italy> City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction--by David Macaulay
Malta> Everyone Brave is Forgiven--by Chris Cleave (June 2020)
Netherlands> The Diary of a Young Girl--by Anne Frank
Norway> Norse Mythology--by Neil Gaiman (2017)
Poland> Schindler's List--by Thomas Keneally
Portugal> The Book Spy--by Alan Hlad (2023)
Russia> The 100-Year-Man who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared--by Jonas Jonasson (June 2023)
Scotland> Letters from Skye--by Jessica Brockmole
Spain> The Shadow of the Wind--by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Sweden> The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo--by Stieg Larsson
Switzerland> Heidi--by Johanna Spyri
Wales> The Eyre Affair (and others in the Thursday Next series)--by Jasper Fforde

Africa

Algeria> The Plague--by Albert Camus
Botswana> The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (and others in the series)--by Alexander McCall Smith
Egypt>A History of the World in 12 Shipwrecks--by David Gibbons (May 2024)
Ghana> Homegoing--by Yaa Gyasi (2017)
Kenya> Bill Bryson's Africa Diary
Mali>The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu--by Joshua Hammer (May 2019)
Morocco>The Commanders--by Lloyd Clark (February 2023)
Nigeria> Welcome to Lagos--by Chibundu Onuzo (July 2018)
Somalia> Call Me American--by Abdi Nor Iftin (August 2018)
South Africa> King Solomon's Mines--by Allan Quartermain; Cry, the Beloved Country--by Alan Paton (2017)
South Sudan> The Catch Me if You Can--by Jessica Nabongo (2022)
Tunisia> The Rising Tide--by Jeff Shaara (2023)
Zimbabwe> Silent Thunder--by Katy Payne (2017)

Asia

Azerbaijan> The Orphan Sky--by Ella Leya
Cambodia> Love Songs from a Shallow Grave--by Colin Cotterill
Hong Kong> The Language of Threads--by Gail Tsukiyama (October 2018)
India:> Slumdog Millionaire--by Vikas Swarup
Indonesia> Eat, Pray, Love--by Elizabeth Gilbert
Japan> Haiku: An Anthology of Japanese Poems--by Stephen Addiss & Akira Y. Yamamoto & Fumiko Y. Yamamoto
Laos> The Coroner's Lunch (and others in the Dr. Siri Paiboun series)--by Colin Cotterill
Nepal> Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal--by Conor Grennan
North Korea> Escape from Camp 14--by Blaine Harden
South Korea>White Chrysanthemum--by Mary Bracht (December 2020)
Vietnam> Courageous Women of the Vietnam War--by Kathryn J. Atwood

Middle East

Afghanistan> The Kite Runner--by Khaled Hosseini
Iraq> The Yellow Birds--by Kevin Powers
Israel> The Source--by James Michener
Lebanon> The Prophet--by Kahlil Gibran
Saudi Arabia> Driving by Starlight--by Anat Deracine (January 2021)
Syria> The Map of Salt and Stars--by Jennifer Joukhadar (June 2018)

Oceania/Australia

Australia> The Thorn Birds--by Colleen McCullough
Fiji> Pieces of Happiness--by Anne Ostby (2018)
Guam & Wake> Last Chapter--by Ernie Pyle (January, 2019)
Papua New Guinea>Bird Planet--by Tim Laman (June 2023)

Antarctica

Shackleton's Boat Voyage--by Frank A. Worsley
Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole--by Jerri Nielsen & Maryanne Vollers

Checklist of Countries

Africa : Algeria – Angola – Benin – Botswana - Burkina Faso – Burundi – Cameroon - Cape Verde - Central African Republic – Chad – Comoros - Congo (Republic) - Congo (DRC) – Djibouti - Egypt - Equatorial Guinea – Eritrea – Ethiopia – Gabon – Gambia – Ghana – Guinea - Guinea-Bissau - Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire) – Kenya – Lesotho – Liberia – Libya – Madagascar – Malawi – Mali – Mauritania – Mauritius – Morocco – Mozambique – Namibia – Niger – Nigeria – Rwanda - Sao Tome & Principe – Senegal – Seychelles - Sierra Leone – Somalia - South Africa - South Sudan – Sudan – Swaziland – Tanzania – Togo – Tunisia – Uganda - Zambia – Zimbabwe

Antarctica


Asia : Azerbaijan – Bangladesh – Bhutan – Brunei – Cambodia – China - Hong Kong – India – Indonesia – Japan – Kazakhstan - Korea, North - Korea, South – Kyrgyzstan – Laos – Malaysia – Maldives – Mongolia – Myanmar - Nepal - Philippines – Singapore - Sri Lanka – Taiwan – Tajikistan – Thailand – Tibet – Timor Leste - Turkmenistan – Uzbekistan - Vietnam


Caribbean : Antigua & Barbuda – Bahamas – Barbados – Bermuda - Cuba (also as Latin America) – Dominica - Dominican Republic – Grenada – Haiti – Jamaica – Puerto Rico (also as North America) - St. Kitts & Nevis - St. Lucia - St. Vincent & the Grenadines - Trinidad & Tobago - Virgin Islands (USVI)


Europe : : Albania – Andorra – Armenia - Austria - Belarus – Belgium - Bosnia & Herzegovina – Bulgaria - Croatia – Cyprus - Czech Republic – Denmark - England – Estonia - Finland - France – Georgia - Germany – Greece – Hungary - Iceland - Ireland - Ireland, Northern Ireland - Italy – Kosovo – Latvia – Liechtenstein – Lithuania – Luxembourg – Macedonia – Malta – Moldova - Monaco – Montenegro - Netherlands – Norway – Poland – Portugal – Romania – Russia - San Marino – Scotland – Serbia – Slovakia – Slovenia - Spain - Sweden – Switzerland – Turkey - Ukraine - Vatican City – Wales


Latin America : Argentina - Belize – Bolivia – Brazil – Chile – Colombia - Costa Rica – Ecuador - El Salvador - Guatemala - Guyana (also as Caribbean) – Honduras – Nicaragua – Panama – Paraguay – Peru - Suriname (also as Caribbean) – Uruguay - Venezuela


Middle East : Afghanistan - Bahrain - Iran - Iraq - Israel - Jordan – Kuwait - Lebanon - Oman - Palestine – Pakistan - Qatar - Saudi Arabia - Syria - United Arab Emirates - Yemen


North America : Canada – Mexico – USA


Oceania/Australia : Australia - Fiji - Guam & Wake – Kiribati - Marshall Islands – Micronesia – Nauru - New Zealand – Palau - Papua New Guinea - Samoa - Solomon Islands – Tonga – Tuvalu – Vanuatu



USA : Alabama – Alaska – Arizona – Arkansas – California – Colorado – Connecticut – Delaware – Florida – Georgia – Hawaii – Idaho – Illinois – Indiana – Iowa – Kansas – Kentucky – Louisiana – Maine – Maryland – Massachusetts – Michigan – Minnesota – Mississippi – Missouri – Montana – Nebraska – Nevada - New Hampshire - New Jersey - New Mexico - New York - North Carolina - North Dakota – Ohio –Oklahoma – Oregon – Pennsylvania - Rhode Island - South Carolina - South Dakota – Tennessee – Texas – Utah – Vermont – Virginia – Washington - West Virginia – Wisconsin – Wyoming – Washington DC

Welcome to the challenge, Cathymw! Enjoy your journey!

North America>>USA>>Wisconsin
Evicted--by Matthew Desmond (May 2017)

Europe>>Norway
Norse Mythology--by Neil Gaiman (June 2017)


Africa>>South Africa
Cry, the Beloved Country--by Alan Paton (June 2017)

North America>>USA>>Virginia
No Easy Day--Mark Owen (July 2017)

Africa>>Botswana
Cry of the Kalahari--Mark & Delia Owens (July 2017)


Wow--I just noticed the similarity of the authors' names !

Africa>>Zimbabwe
Silent Thunder--Katy Payne (July 2017)

North America>>USA>>Kansas
The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder--Marta McDowell (December 2017)

Africa>>Algeria
The Plague--Camus (March 2018)

North America>>USA>>Ohio
If Life is a Bowl of Cherries What am I Doing in the Pits?--Erma Bombeck (March 2018)

Asia>>Azerbaijan

The Orphan Sky--Ella Leya (June 2018)

Middle East>>Syria


The Map of Salt and Stars--Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar (June 2018)

Africa>>Nigeria

Welcome to Lagos--by Chibundu Onuzo (July 2018)

Europe>>Sweden

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo--by Stieg Larsson


Oceania/Australia>>Fiji

Pieces of Happiness--by Anne Ostby (July 2018)

Africa>>Somalia

Call Me American--by Abdi Nor Iftin (August 2018)

Latin America>>Chile

In the Midst of Winter--by Isabel Allende (September 2018)

Caribbean>>Trinidad & Tobago

To See Every Bird on Earth--by Dan Koeppel (September 2018)

Asia>>Hong Kong

The Language of Threads--by Gail Tsukiyama (October 2018)

Europe>>Bosnia & Herzegovina


The Cellist of Sarajevo--by Steven Galloway (November 2018)

Oceania/Australia>>Guam & Wake

Last Chapter--by Ernie Pyle (January 2019)

Caribbean>>Anguilla

The Night of the Rambler--by Montague Kobbe (April 2019)


Europe>>Denmark

Meet Me at the Museum--by Anne Youngson (May 2019)


Africa>>Mali

The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu--by Joshua Hammer (May 2019)

Asia>>Vietnam

Courageous Women of the Vietnam War: Medics, Journalists, Survivors, and More--by Kathryn J. Atwood (November 2019)

North America>>USA>>Colorado

Our Souls at Night--by Kent Haruf (April 2020)

Europe>>Malta

Everyone Brave is Forgiven--by Chris Cleave (June 2020)

Europe>>Belgium

Secret Pigeon Service: Operation Columba, Resistance and the Struggle to Liberate Europe--by Gordon Corera (October 2020)

Latin America>>Argentina

Labyrinths: Selected Stories and Other Writings--by Jorge Luis Borges (December 2020)

Asia>>South Korea

White Chrysanthemum--by Mary Lynn Bracht (December 2020)

Middle East>>Saudi Arabia

Driving by Starlight--by Anat Deracine (January 2021)

Europe>>Greece

Circe--by Madeline Miller (February 2021)

Caribbean>>St. Lucia

White Egrets: Poems--by Derek Walcott (May 2021)

North America>>USA>>Tennessee
West with Giraffes--by Lynda Rutledge (January 2022)

Africa>>South Sudan

The Catch Me if You Can--by Jessica Nabongo (September 2022)

North America>>USA>>Montana
Down from the Mountain--by Bryce Andrews (March 2022)

North America>>Mexico
The Language of Butterflies--by Wendy Williams

Europe>>Portugal
The Book Spy--by Alan Hlad (March 2023)

Africa>>Tunisia

The Rising Tide--by Jeff Shaara (May 2023)

Oceania/Australia>>Papua New Guinea

Bird Planet--by Tim Laman (June 2023)

Asia>>Cambodia
Love Songs from a Shallow Grave--by Colin Cotterill

North America>>USA>>South Dakota
These Happy Golden Years--by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Europe>>Russia
The 100-Year-Man who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared--by Jonas Jonasson (June 2023)

Africa>>Egypt
A History of the World in 12 Shipwrecks--by David Gibbons (May 2024)

Europe>>Georgia
The Underworld--by Susan Casey (March 2024)

Africa>>Morocco
The Commanders--by Lloyd Clark (February 2023)