Read Around The World
Currently, I'm traveling the world thanks to the 'Read Around The World' project, where I aim to read a book by a female author from each country: 195 countries, as recognised by the U.N.
It's a fascinating way to broaden my worldview. ❤️
As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie explains so perfectly in her Ted Talk, "The Danger of a Single Story": "Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. If we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding".
Thanks for the Ted-talk tip @sabineleirs!
Unfortunately, this project also highlights that female writers are still very underrepresented, making it challenging to find translated books by female authors from certain countries.
If you have tips or suggestions for books by female authors from countries I haven't read yet, feel free to share them with me at hello@silviebonne.be - they are more than welcome! 🙏😊
Are you working on a similar book project? I would love to hear how you approach it. My current approach is rather chaotic. 😅
These BookTokers have a more structured approach:
Courtney Henning Novak reads the countries alphabetically.
Lydia Loves Reading uses a spinning wheel to decide which country to read.
In this blog post, you can follow my progress, where I use the following icons:
✔ I have read a book from this country.
📕 This book is ready to be read, but I haven't read it yet.
📖 I am currently reading this book.
⁇ I found one or more suggestions for this country, but I haven't purchased or borrowed them yet.
❤️ This book is an absolute must-read.
If you want more Read Around The World tips, you can visit these websites:
Happy reading!
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Op dit moment reis ik de wereld rond dankzij het 'Read Around The World' project, waarbij ik van plan ben om een boek van een vrouwelijke auteur uit elk land te lezen: de 195 landen die door de U.N. erkend zijn.
Het is een fascinerende manier om mijn wereldbeeld te verbreden. ❤️
Zoals Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie zo perfect uitlegt in haar TED Talk, "The Danger of a Single Story": "Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. If we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding".
Thanks for the Ted-talk tip @sabineleirs!
Helaas benadrukt dit project ook dat vrouwelijke schrijvers nog steeds zwaar ondervertegenwoordigd zijn, wat het uitdagend maakt om vertaalde boeken van vrouwelijke auteurs uit bepaalde landen te vinden.
Als je tips of suggesties hebt voor boeken van vrouwelijke auteurs uit landen die ik nog niet heb gelezen, deel ze dan gerust met mij via hello@silviebonne.be - ze zijn meer dan welkom! 🙏😊
Werk jij aan een soortgelijk boekproject? Ik hoor graag hoe jij het aanpakt. Mijn huidige aanpak is nogal chaotisch. 😅
Deze BookTokers hebben alvast een meer gestructureerde aanpak:
Courtney Henning Novak leest de landen alfabetisch.
Lydia Loves Reading gebruikt een draairad om te bepalen welk land ze zal lezen.
In deze blogpost kan je mijn vooruitgang volgen, waarbij ik volgende icoontjes gebruik:
✔ Van dit land heb ik een boek gelezen.
📕 Dit boek ligt klaar, maar heb ik nog niet gelezen.
📖 Dit boek ben ik aan het lezen.
⁇ Voor dit land vond ik een of meer suggesties, maar deze heb ik nog niet aangekocht of geleend.
❤️ Dit boek is een absolute aanrader
Wil je meer Read Around The World Tips, dan kan je op deze websites terecht:
Veel leesplezier!
🌏 ASIA
1 📕Afhanistan:The Pearl that Broke Its Shell : A Novel by Nadia Hashimi
2 ✔ Armenia : Three Apples Fell From The Sky by Narine Abgaryan
3 ⁇ Azerbaijan : The Orphan Sky by Ella Leya? OF Days in the Caucasus by Banine?
4 ⁇ Bahrain : The Adult by Bronwyn Fischer ? OF Yummah, by Sarah A. Al Shafei.
5 ✔ Bangladesh : Love Marriage : A Novel by Monica Ali
6 ✔️Bhutan: Tales in Colour and Other Stories by Kunzang Choden
7 British Indian Ocean Territory:
8 ⁇ Brunei : I Am Not Your Eve by Devika Ponnambalam? OF The Fisherman King by Kathrina Mohd Daud?
9 ⁇ Cambodia : First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers, by Loung Ung?
10 ✔China : Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu
11 Christmas Island
12 Cocos Islands
13 ⁇ Georgia : Nana Ekvtimishvili? OF - thanks for the suggestion @de.kaft : books by Nino Haratischwili
14 ✔India: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
15 ✔Indonesia: Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutant
16✔ Iran: The Complete Persépolis by Marjane Satrapi
17 ✔ Iraq: The Last Girl : My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State by Nadia Murad, Jenna Krajeski (NOBEL PRICE) - I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by the author herself. This is a heart-wrenching biography that will stay with me forever. 💔 Nadia Murad’s powerful story sheds light on the unimaginable horrors she endured as a survivor of ISIS captivity and genocide. Her courage and resilience in the face of such trauma are both humbling and inspiring. This book is not only a personal account but also an essential reminder of the atrocities still happening in the world today. I wish it were required reading in history classes.
18 ⁇ Israel: All the rivers by Dorit Rabinyan? OF All My Mother's Lovers: A Novel by Ilana Masad? OF House on Endless Waters : A Novel by Emuna Elon?
19 ✔Japan: Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata ❤️
20 Jordan
21 Kazakhstan
21 ⁇ Kuwait- thanks for the research @vicky.stergiou_: The Pact We Made by Layla AlAmmar
22 Kyrgyzstan
23 Laos
24 ✔ Lebanon: 📖 "A Game for Swallows: To Die, To Leave, To Return" by Zeina Abirached -thanks for the suggestion @inge_projectbeta
25 ⁇ Malaysia: The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan
26 Maldives
27 Mongolia
28 Myanmar
29 Nepal
30 North Korea
31 Oman
32 ✔ Pakistan: Best of Friends by Kamila Shamsie
33 📕 Palestine: Against The Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa
34 ✔Philippines: The Farm by Joanne RamosQatar
35 Saudi Arabia
36 Singapore
37 ✔South Korea : The Vegetarian by Han Kong
38 Sri Lanka
39 ✔ Syria : As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulda Katouh
40 Tajikistan
41 Thailand
42 Turkey
43 Turkmenistan
44 ✔ Vietnam : The Best We Could Do by The Bui
45 Uzbekistan
46 Yemen
47 Timor-Leste
48 United Arab Emirates
🌍 AFRIKA
1. Algeria: A Bookshop in Algiers by Kaother Adimi
2. ⁇ Angola: The Return of The Water Spirit by Pepetela
3. ⁇ Benin: My Life, My Music, by Angelique Kidjo
4. Botswana
5. Burkina Faso
6. Burundi
7. ⁇ Cameroon: How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue?
8. Cape Verde
9. Central African Republic
10. Chad
11. Comoros
12. Congo
13. Congo, Democratic Republic
14. Djibouti
15. Egypt
16. Equatorial Guinea
17. Eritrea
18. Swaziland
19. Ethiopia
20. Gabon
21. Gambia
22. ✔Ghana: Homegoing ❤️ by Yaa Gyasi
23. Guinea
24. Guinea-Bissau
25. 📕 Ivory Coast: Yay uit Yopougon by Marguerite Abouet
26. Kenya
27. Morocco
28. Mozambique
29. Namibia
30. Niger
31. ✔ Nigeria: We Should All Be Feminists ❤️ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
32. Rwanda
33. Sao Tome and Principe
34. ⁇ Senegal - thanks for the suggestion @caspertack: So Long A Letter by Mariama Bâ
35. Seychelles
36. Sierra Leone
37. Somalia
38. South Africa - thanks for the suggestions @katrien021 : The tortoise cried its only tear / My children have faces / Esther’s house by Carol Campbell OR Begging to be black / A change of Tongue by Antjie Krog
39. South Sudan
40. Sudan
41. Tanzania
42. Togo
43. Tunisia
44. ⁇ Uganda: We Are All Birds of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan
45. Zambia
46. Zimbabwe
🌍 EUROPE
1. ✔ Albania - thanks for the suggestions @katrien021 : Free: Coming of Age at the End of History by Lea Ypi - An intriguing biography that tells the story of Lea Ypi's upbringing in Stalinist Albania and the confusion that followed the fall of the regime. The writing style evolves as Ypi herself grows older throughout the book, which adds an interesting layer to the narrative. While I couldn’t fully connect with the story on a personal level, I still found it a compelling read—both from a historical and political perspective, and through the eyes of a child and young adult experiencing such turbulent times.
2. Andorra
3. 📕 Austria: De Pianiste by Elfriede Jelinek
4. ✔ Belarus - thanks for the suggestion @courtneyhenningnovak : Second Hand Time by Svetlana Alexievich
5. ✔ Belgium: En ze leefden nog by Elisabth Lucie Beaten ❤️ This enchanting book reimagines classic fairy tales with a modern spin where princesses take control of their own destinies. Belle has two fathers, Rapunzel sometimes despises her long hair, and diversity takes center stage in this delightful retelling. A must-read for both young and old!
6. Bosnia and Herzegovina
7. ⁇ Bulgaria: A Journey to the Edge of Europe by Kapka Kassabova??
8. 📕 Croatia: A Muzzle For Witche Dubravka Ugrešić
9. ⁇ Cyprus: Girl, Wolf, Bones by Nora Nadjaria ⁇
10. ⁇ Czech Republic - thanks for the suggestion @alina.kuchma : "B.Proudew" by Irena Douskova
11. ✔ Denmark: Childhood, Youth, Dependency by Tove Ditlevsen - This trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen, in a single volume. It is the perfect companion for a trip through Scandinavia. I read it during our NOFOMO trip to Norway, and it's now part of my Scandinavian book collection.
12. Estonia
13. ✔ Finland: The Summer Book by Tove Jansson - As the title suggests, this is the ultimate summer read! It made me long for a summer spent on a Finnish island. While Tove Jansson is best known for her world-famous Moomins, she also penned a few novels for adults, and I think this one is a gem.
14. ✔ France: Sarah’s Key by Tatiana De Rosnay ❤️ This heart-wrenching novel intertwines the stories of Sarah, a young girl arrested during the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup in WWII, and Julia, a journalist investigating the tragic events 60 years later. A moving exploration of the hidden scars of history.
15. ✔ Germany: Berlin - Lieblingsorte by Betttina Rust ❤️ Discover Berlin through the eyes of Bettina Rust with this book full of charming and humorous short stories about her favorite spots in the city. I read it when we first moved to Berlin, and it introduced me to many of the city's hidden gems.
16.📕 Greece - thanks for the suggestion @vicky.stergiou_ : The Island by Victoria Hislop
17.📕 Hungary: The Door by Magda Szabó
18. ✔ Iceland: Butterflies in November by Audur Ava Olafsdottir - Perfect for fans of quirky novels, this one is a fun pick for the 'Weird-Girls-Book-Club'. 😅 The book takes you on a mini road trip through Iceland, with stops at a cucumber farm, encounters with dead sheep, casual sex, and a collection of traditional Icelandic recipes and knitting tips. I found it hilarious (I still laugh when I think about it), but it might not be everyone's cup of tea.
19. ✔Ireland: 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard - Catherine Ryan Howard is a master of suspense, and 56 Days is a prime example of her storytelling prowess. One of the first novels published during the Covid era, it's a gripping read even post-pandemic.
📚 There are so many amazing female Irish crime writers.
My husband made me fall in love with Catherine Ryan Howard and Ruth Ware and now I'm addicted.
While listening to the book His & Hers by Alice Feeney, I learned that this generation of female Irish crime writers grew up during a time marked by a high number of disappearances of Irish women from the late 1980s to the late 1990s. This connection between real-life events and the rise of so many remarkable female Irish crime writers fascinated me and made me want to learn more about their stories and influences.
Through searching the internet, I discovered that Ireland's deep-rooted oral and literary storytelling tradition, with its focus on conflict, morality, and resilience, provides a rich foundation for the rise of women crime writers. In recent decades, cultural shifts toward gender equality have empowered women to claim more space in the literary world, with crime fiction becoming a popular genre for exploring societal issues like power dynamics, justice, and corruption.
This genre serves as a powerful vehicle for critiquing pressing topics such as domestic abuse, mental health, and gender inequality. By weaving these themes into their narratives, Irish women crime writers offer both catharsis and awareness while reflecting the complexities of modern Irish society. Their voices have not only reshaped the genre but also brought global attention to Ireland's literary landscape.
20. ✔Italy: The Girl with the Leica by Helena Janeczek - This book tells the fascinating story of Gerda Taro, the first female war photographer who died on the battlefield. While the subject matter intrigued me, the book itself felt tedious and not my style of writing. I pushed through because I wanted to learn more about Taro, but otherwise, I might have set it aside. You can find more (and better) recommendations in my Italian reading list.
21. Kosovo
22. ⁇ Latvia: Soviet Milk by Nora Ikstena
23. Lichtenstein
24. Lithuania
25. Luxembourg
26. Malta
27. Moldova
28. Monaco
29. Montenegro
30. ✔Netherlands: Het Hemelse Gerecht by Renate Dorrestein - Renate Dorrestein is my favorite Dutch author, and Het Hemelse Gerecht was an absolute treat for me. Although it received a lot of criticism, I have a soft spot for quirky books with strong female leads, and this one definitely fits the bill.
31. North Macedonia
32. ✔Norway: Love by Hanne Ørstavik - A short book that I, of course, read during our NOFOMO trip to Norway. I didn't find it particularly good or bad—just a relaxing read with a nice Norwegian atmosphere.
33. ✔Poland: Drive Your Plow Over The Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk - Olga Tokarczuk is a Nobel Prize winner, and while this book is considered one of her lesser works by some, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It made me excited to explore more of her writing!
34. Portugal
35. Romania:
36. Russia
37. San Marino
38. Serbia
39. Slovakia
40. Slovenia
41. ✔Spain: The Communist’s Daughter by Aroa Moreno Duran - This novel tells an interesting story about a girl from East Berlin during the Berlin Wall era who escapes to Spain. Unfortunately, I found the writing style didn’t fully draw me into the narrative.
Spain - bis - thanks for the suggestions @_cookiemaster : When I Sing, the Mountains Dance by Irene Solá
42. ✔Sweden: Hanna’s Daughters by Marianne Fredriksson ❤️ I adore all of Marianne Fredriksson’s books. Each one feels like a warm blanket, perfect for winter reading. Her novels make me want to spend a few months in Sweden, wrapped up in their cozy world.
43. ⁇ Switzerland: The Pollen Room by Zoë Jenny?
44. ⁇ Ukraine - thanks for the suggestions @alina.kuchma : Fieldwork in Ukrainian Sex by Oksana Zabuzhko OR Sweet Darusya / Hardly Ever Otherwise by Maria Matios OR “Looking at women at war: a war and justice diary” by Victoria Amelina (she herself was killed in war last year by Russians) is set to be released in early 2025 OR On Sunday Morning She Gathered Herbs by Olha Kobylianska
45. ✔United Kingdom: Girl, Woman, Other, by Bernardine Evaristo ❤️ This book is on my all-time favorites-list, and I can’t recommend it enough. Girl, Woman, Other weaves together the stories of twelve very different characters, mostly Black British women, living in and around London. Bernardine Evaristo’s writing style is something I deeply admire—she takes a complex, substantial narrative and makes it feel light and easy to digest. A must-read for everyone.
46. Vatican City
🌎 NORTH-AMERICA
1. ✔Antigua and Barbuda: Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid
2. Bahama's
3. Barbados
4. Belize
5. ✔Canada: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
6. Costa Rica
7. ✔Cuba: My Favorite Girlfriend was a French Bulldog by Legna Rodriguez Iglesias
8. Dominica:
9. ✔ Dominican Republic: 'Dominicana' and 'How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water' ❤️ by Angie Cruz
10. El Salvador
11. Grenada and Carriacuou
12. Guatemala
13. Haiti
14. Honduras
15. ✔Jamaica: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
16. ✔Mexico: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia
17. Nicaragua
18. Panama
19. Saint Kitts and Nevis
20. St Vincent
21. St Lucia
22. Trinidad and Aobago
23. ✔United States of America: Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
🌎 SOUTH-AMERICA
1. ⁇ Agentina: Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin? OR Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica? OR Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro
2. ⁇ Bolivia: What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez?
3. 📖 Brazil: De Vrouwen van Tijucopapo by Marilene Felinto
4. ✔Chile: The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
5. Colombia
6. Ecuador
7. French Guiana
8. Guyana
9. Paraguay
10. Peru
11. Suriname
12. Uruguay
13. Venezuela
🌏 OCEANIA
1. ✔ Australia: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty ❤️
2. ⁇ Fiji: A Disappeaance in Fiji by Nilima Rao?
3. Kiribati
4. Marshall Islands
5. Micronesia
6. Nauru
7. ⁇New Zealand: An Angel At My Table by Janet Frame ?
8. Palau
9. Papua New Guinea
10. Samoa
11. Solomon Islands
12. Tonga
13. Tuvaly
14. Vanuatu
Meer boeken-inspiratie?
Wil je als eerste nieuwe tips over fotografie, reizen, duurzaamheid en boeken in je mailbox ontvangen?
Dan kan je je inschrijven op mijn nieuwsbrief voor een maandelijkse portie leuke foto-inspiratie,
off-the-beaten-track-reistips (en af en toe some weird stuff that I like...)
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Alle beelden op deze site en blog zijn (c) Silvie Bonne en zijn beschermd volgens de auteurs- en portretrechten.
Online beelden kunnen nooit gekopieerd, gedownload of op eigen site of social media geplaatst worden zonder schriftelijke toestemming van de fotograaf (Silvie Bonne) .
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