Reading Globally

This group is for readers who like to explore through books from around the world. We arbitrarily cover everywhere except UK, USA, Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand; discussions of those countries have a home in our sister-group READING GLOBALLY II. If you are a compulsive literary traveler, you've come to the right place! Our quarterly and standing theme read threads are full of great reading ideas, please join in and share yours there too.

Current Annual Theme Read
January to December 2024: Around the World in 12 Months

Current Quarterly Theme Read
January to March 2024: When the world was new

"Reading makes immigrants of us all. It takes us away from home, but more important, it finds homes for us everywhere." ---Jean Rhys

Planned theme reads for 2024 :
(provisional titles — see the planning and voting threads)
Quarterly topics
- When the world was new - Pre-Renaissance literature (Q1)
- Island nations (Q2)
- Reading down the Danube (Q3)
- Inland nations (Q4)

Classics in Their Own Countries 2.0
Starting in 2019, we revived the year-long "classics in their own country" theme read which we first did in 2012. This runs in addition to the four quarterly reads. You can find discussion and suggestions for classics on the following threads.
Asia and the Middle East
Africa and the Middle East
Europe and Turkey
Latin America and the Caribbean

Ongoing

You are still welcome to add to these "old" quarterly threads, if you read something that you think other members might want to know about.

October to December 2023: New fiction from around the world: books originally published in 2014-2023
July to September 2023: Reading around the Black Sea
April to June 2023: Banned books around the world
January to March 2023: Reading around the Baltic Sea
October to December 2022: Prize winners in their own language
July to September 2022: "When alphabets collide" - books written in the Slavic languages
April to June 2022: Outcasts and Castaways
Jan - March 2022: Around the Indian Ocean
October-December 2021: Translation prize winners
— July to September 2021: The Lusophone world: writing from countries where Portuguese is or was an important language
April to June 2021: Childhood: Books for or about children in different cultures around the world (there's also a suggestion-gathering list for this topic)
Jan - March 2021: Notes from a Small Population: 40+ places with under 500,000 inhabitants
- October to December 2020: "Russians Write Revolutions"
July to September 2020: "Travelling the TBR 2.0"
April to June 2020: "Writing from Southern Africa"
Jan - March 2020: The Rise of the Far Right in the 21st Century
October-December 2019: Mitteleuropa (Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and Poland)
July-Sept 2019: Turning the Tables - Postcolonial Writers on the Colonizers
April - June 2019: Speculative Fiction from around the World
Jan - March 2019: The Mediterranean World
Oct - Dec 2018: Tradition and Change
July - September 2018:
Between Giants: Central Asian Border Regions
April - June 2018:
Japan and the Koreas
Jan - Mar 2018:
Travelling the TBR Road
Oct - Dec 2017:
The Nordic Countries
July - September 2017:
Non Majority Language Writers
April - June 2017:
Travel Writing by non European and non North American Writers
Jan - March 2017:
The Benelux Countries
Oct - Dec 2016: Dictators, Dictatorships and Other Forms of Tyranny
July - September 2016: Soviet and Post Soviet Writers
Apr - Jun 2016: Writers at Risk
Jan - Mar 2016: Literature from the Caribbean Islands
Oct - Dec 2015: Women authors who didn't write in English
July-September 2015: Nobel Laureates Writing in a Language Other than English
April-June 2015: The Iberian Peninusla
January - March 2015: The Indian Subcontinent
Oct - Dec 2014 Postwar Germany (1945-now)
July-September 2014 Mexico and Central America
April - June 2014 Travel and Travelogue Literature
January - March 2014 Sub-Saharan Africa
October - December 2013: South American literature
July - September 2013: Francophone literature (excluding Europe)
April- June, 2013: Southeast Asian literature

Jan - March 2013: 20th and 21st Century Eastern and Central European literature

October - December 2012 China and Its Neighboring Countries There is also a wiki with background information and reading lists for this theme read.

July - September 2012 Middle Eastern Literature

April - June 2012: Closed and Selective Societies
January - March 2012: Turkey and the Balkans
October - December 2011: Migration/Immigration
July - September 2011: The Sea
April - June 2011: War and Regions in Conflict
January - March 2011: "Journeys"



>---------
MASTER THREAD & List for the NEW regional threads is HERE. Please read this FIRST.

MASTER LIST of REGIONAL THREADS with links (abbreviated as necessary, full list on the master thread):

***1. Eastern Africa I: Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe...others.
***2. Eastern Africa II: Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda
***3. Middle Africa: Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo ...others
***4. Northern Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Morocco...others
***5. Southern Africa: Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa...others
***6. Western Africa: Cote d'​​​​​​Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone...others

***7. The Caribbean: Anguilla, Antgua & Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands...others
***8. Central America & Mexico: Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico...others
***9. South America I: Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela...others
***10. South America II: Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay...others

***11. Asia I: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan...others
***12. Asia II: China, Mongolia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Tibet.
***13. Asia III: Japan, Korea, the Phillipines.
***14. Asia IV: Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia...others.
***15. Asia V: India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan

***16. Middle East I: Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Israel
***17. Middle East II: Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran...others.
***18. Oceania: Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea...others.

***19. Europe I: France, Monaco, Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg
***20. Europe II: Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark...others.
***21. Europe III: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania
***22. Europe IV: Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro
***23. Europe V: Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, Malta
***24. Europe VI: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovenia
***25. Europe VII: Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Gibraltar
***26. Europe VIII: Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein



GROUP ADMIN:
This group was set up in 2006 by avaland. Others who have served as group administrator since then are rebeccanyc (†) and SassyLassy.

The current admin (since January 2019) is thorold

DiskussionDiskussionMeddelandenSenaste inlägget 
Fastnålat2024: Around the World in 12 Months53 olästa / 53BuecherDrache, Igår 4:57pm
FastnålatJanuary-March 2024: When the World Was New27 olästa / 27rocketjk, februari 12
2024 Theme Reads Planning37 olästa / 37thorold, Idag 2:43am
Where in the world are you? (Jan-Mar 2024)46 olästa / 46BuecherDrache, söndag 1:30pm
India3 olästa / 3kjuliff, tisdag 4:33pm
***REGION 11: Asia I28 olästa / 28labfs39, mars 6
***REGION 12: Asia II37 olästa / 37labfs39, mars 5
***REGION 13: Asia III79 olästa / 79icepatton, februari 24
***REGION 14: Asia IV35 olästa / 35labfs39, februari 11
April-June Theme Read: War and Regions in Conflict115 olästa / 115PaperbackPirate, februari 10
***REGION 21: Europe III60 olästa / 60Gypsy_Boy, februari 6
***REGION 16: Middle East I41 olästa / 41labfs39, februari 1
***REGION 26: Europe VIII66 olästa / 66kjuliff, januari 24
***REGION 24: Europe VI59 olästa / 59rocketjk, januari 9
rocketjk's 2023 reading travels21 olästa / 21rocketjk, december 31, 2023
Where in the world are you? (Oct-Dec 2023)17 olästa / 17kjuliff, december 31, 2023
***REGION 6: Western Africa46 olästa / 46labfs39, december 31, 2023
October-December 2023: New fiction from around the world: books originally published in 2014-202331 olästa / 31kjuliff, december 29, 2023
2024 Voting for quarterly topics12 olästa / 12cindydavid4, december 25, 2023
July to September 2022 — "When alphabets collide": books written in the Slavic languages36 olästa / 36rocketjk, december 22, 2023
July-September 2023: Reading around the Black Sea43 olästa / 43rocketjk, december 22, 2023
***REGION 2: Eastern Africa II37 olästa / 37labfs39, november 2023
***REGION 8: Central America35 olästa / 35labfs39, november 2023
***REGION 4: Northern Africa44 olästa / 44rocketjk, november 2023
***REGION 5: Southern Africa41 olästa / 41labfs39, september 2023
Banned Books Around the World56 olästa / 56cindydavid4, september 2023
eairo reads from Helsinki to Helsinki, part II: The Americas71 olästa / 71eairo, augusti 2023
***REGION 23: Europe V46 olästa / 46Nickelini, augusti 2023
***REGION 9: South America I63 olästa / 63rocketjk, augusti 2023
***REGION 25: Europe VII59 olästa / 59PatrickMurtha, augusti 2023
***REGION 22: Europe IV41 olästa / 41PatrickMurtha, juli 2023
Jan - March 2023: The Baltic Sea region94 olästa / 94rocketjk, juli 2023
Where in the world are you? (May-June 2023)21 olästa / 21Tess_W, juni 2023
***REGION 20: Europe II64 olästa / 64Nickelini, juni 2023
***REGION 17: Middle East II30 olästa / 30labfs39, maj 2023
***REGION 7: The Caribbean32 olästa / 32Tess_W, april 2023
Where in the world are you? March-April 202327 olästa / 27Tess_W, april 2023
Reading Maps3 olästa / 3labfs39, april 2023
***REGION 19: Europe I132 olästa / 132Tess_W, april 2023
Where in the World Are You? Jan-Feb. 202346 olästa / 46labfs39, mars 2023
***REGION 1: Eastern Africa I32 olästa / 32labfs39, februari 2023
Tess Goes Where the Books Take Her 20236 olästa / 6labfs39, februari 2023
Where in the World Are You? Nov/Dec 202235 olästa / 35Tess_W, januari 2023
Markon (Ardene) dips her toe in the ocean of translation22 olästa / 22labfs39, januari 2023
July-September 2015: Nobel Laureates Writing in a Language Other Than English126 olästa / 126rocketjk, januari 2023
Trifolia’s travelling the World87 olästa / 87Trifolia, januari 2023
rocketjk's 2022 reading travels27 olästa / 27rocketjk, december 2022
2023 Theme reads planning24 olästa / 24labfs39, december 2022
***REGION 10: South America II85 olästa / 85Trifolia, december 2022
***REGION 3: Middle Africa28 olästa / 28Trifolia, december 2022
October to December 2022: Prize winners in their own language73 olästa / 73SassyLassy, december 2022
***REGION 15: Asia V42 olästa / 42Gypsy_Boy, december 2022
2023 VOTING for QUARTERLY TOPICS17 olästa / 17thorold, december 2022
2022 RTT Quarterly: 2nd Quarter: April-June Outcasts and Castaways58 olästa / 58thorold, november 2022
Where In The World Are You? Sept/Oct 202224 olästa / 24labfs39, oktober 2022
July to September 2014: Mexico and Central America46 olästa / 46kidzdoc, oktober 2022
Speaking to No. 4--a novel with French & Japanese themes1 oläst / 1Ifland, oktober 2022
Oct - Dec 2015: Women authors who didn't write in English107 olästa / 107labfs39, september 2022
Where In The World Are You? July/August 202220 olästa / 20kidzdoc, augusti 2022
October-December 2019: Mitteleuropa101 olästa / 101rocketjk, augusti 2022
Jan - March 2022: Around the Indian Ocean62 olästa / 62Gypsy_Boy, juli 2022
Hemlokgang's Global Literary Journey 202228 olästa / 28labfs39, juni 2022
Where In The World Are You? May/June 202225 olästa / 25jveezer, juni 2022
2022 Theme Reads Planning44 olästa / 44SassyLassy, maj 2022
April - June 2020: Writing from Southern Africa128 olästa / 128thorold, maj 2022
Where In The World Are You? March/April 202262 olästa / 62MissWatson, maj 2022
April to June 2021: Childhood — Books for or about children in different cultures around the world127 olästa / 127Yells, april 2022
October - December 2013: South American Literature131 olästa / 131SassyLassy, mars 2022
Where In The World Are You? January/February 2022?60 olästa / 60hemlokgang, februari 2022
Nickelini's Read Around the World Challenge48 olästa / 48Nickelini, februari 2022
rocketjk's 2021 reading travels19 olästa / 19rocketjk, januari 2022
Where In The World Are You? November/December 202145 olästa / 45hemlokgang, december 2021
MESSAGE BOARD 202127 olästa / 27cindydavid4, december 2021
Hemlokgang's Global Literary Journey 202131 olästa / 31hemlokgang, december 2021
Julie's Journeys22 olästa / 22Julie_in_the_Library, december 2021
2022 VOTING for QUARTERLY TOPICS10 olästa / 10thorold, december 2021
2012-Classics In Their Own Country--Europe and Turkey65 olästa / 65thorold, november 2021
ASIA READING CHALLENGE 2022 -2 olästa / 2kidzdoc, november 2021
Notes from a Small Population: 40+ places with under 500,000 inhabitants98 olästa / 98thorold, november 2021
Where In The World Are You? September/October 202131 olästa / 31hemlokgang, november 2021
July to September 2021: The Lusophone World: writing from countries where Portuguese is or was an important language80 olästa / 80thorold, oktober 2021
October-December 2021: Translation prize winners29 olästa / 29MissWatson, oktober 2021
Where In The World Are You? July/August 202139 olästa / 39hemlokgang, september 2021
***REGION 18: Oceania20 olästa / 20streamsong, augusti 2021
Trying to make a list of 1000 books normalized by country population85 olästa / 85Settings, augusti 2021
Japan’s indigenous minorities6 olästa / 6danielcheng, juli 2021
Where In The World Are You? May/June 202167 olästa / 67hemlokgang, juli 2021
October-December 2017: The Nordic Countries94 olästa / 94Gypsy_Boy, maj 2021
Jan-March 2015: The Indian Subcontinent97 olästa / 97Gypsy_Boy, maj 2021
April-June 2013 Theme Read: South East Asia72 olästa / 72spiralsheep, maj 2021
Where In The World Are You? March/April 202166 olästa / 66hemlokgang, maj 2021
Where In The World Are You? May/June 20201 oläst / 1hemlokgang, maj 2021
Jul-Sept 2017: non-majority language writers60 olästa / 60rocketjk, mars 2021
2021 Theme Reads Planning170 olästa / 170cindydavid4, februari 2021
Where In The World Are You? January/February 2021?67 olästa / 67hemlokgang, februari 2021
April-June 2019: Speculative Fiction from around the World76 olästa / 76Dilara86, februari 2021
Boekentrol's World Tour in Books51 olästa / 51BoekenTrol71, februari 2021
January to March 2014 -- Literature from Sub-Saharan Africa105 olästa / 105spiralsheep, januari 2021
January - March 2020: The Rise of the Far Right in the 21st Century145 olästa / 145tallpaul, januari 2021
April-June 2014 : Travel Writing and Travelogues Theme Read115 olästa / 115spiralsheep, januari 2021
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