Around the World Reading Challenge 2023 – Grab the free workbook or create your own list

Introducing the Around the World Reading Challenge 2023. Read a book a week that takes place in a different country around the world. Read along with me or create your own reading journey and rules. Grab the free printable workbook and see my reading progress and recommendations. More ideas to travel the world in books here.

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I’ve really enjoyed doing the Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge which is a perpetual choose your own adventure kind of challenge. But for 2023 I’m doing something a little different and setting up an Around the World Reading Challenge so I really focus on reading a book a week set in a different country.

I have collected lots of books over the years with stories from all over the world and it’s really time I sat down and read/listened to them all. So I’m determined to do that for 2023 and I encourage you to join me. You can read along with me and join the Around the World Reading Challenge Facebook group so we can discuss what and where we’re reading!

Why do an around the world reading challenge?

I think it’s important to learn about different cultures and experiences people have around the world. I feel very privileged to live in the US but I know people around the world have vastly different living conditions and experiences.

Empathy and compassion are my two core values and I feel like learning about what other people go through helps broaden my horizons and be a more empathetic and compassionate person. We never know what people have been through to become who they are.

So my goal for the challenge is to read books set in different countries so I can get a glimpse into the experiences, environment, history, religion, music, art, beliefs and stories of its people, whether fiction or nonfiction. I feel like traveling the world in books is the easiest way to travel, I can go anywhere, anytime I feel like it. There’s so much to explore!

If you decide to do the around the world reading challenge, you can set your own goal for reading around the world. Some people like to read books by authors from those countries. Some people like to decide their list ahead of time and some like to just go where the travel bug takes them. You decide what works for you and read around the world with me!

Around the World Reading Challenge Schedule

Here’s the preliminary schedule of what and where I’ll be reading each week. Join me if you like or use my free around the world reading challenge workbook to create your own reading journey plan. This is a robust and challenging schedule!

I highly recommend using audible or other audiobooks or kindle unlimited or your e-reader to help you get through the list, I know I will! Books and the schedule are subject to change so be sure to subscribe to my newsletter or join the Around the World Reading Challenge Facebook group so you know where in the world we are!

Support indie bookstores and buy the Around the World Reading challenge books here

Buy these books on Amazon – see my Around the World Reading Challenge 2023 shopping list

Books Set in Africa

• week 1: Ethiopia – Cutting for Stone – Abraham Verghese (more books set in Ethiopia ideas)
• week 2: Egypt – Nefertiti – Michelle Moran
• week 3: Botswana – #1 Ladies Detective Agency – Alexander McCall Smith
• week 4: South Africa – Born a Crime – Trevor Noah
• week 5: Nigeria – Half of a Yellow Sun – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• week 6: Sudan – A Long Walk to Water – Linda Sue Park
• week 7: Rwanda – Baking Cakes in Kigali – Gaile Parkin
• week 8: Malawi – The Boy who Harnessed the Wind – William Kamkwamba
• week 9: Morocco – The Alchemist – Paolo Coelho
• week 10: Madagascar –

Books Set in South America

• week 11: Trinidad and Tobago – The White Woman in the Green Bicycle – Monique Roffey
• week 12: Colombia – Love in the Time of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
• week 13: Brazil – the Seven Sisters – Lucinda Riley
• week 14: Argentina – On a Night of a Thousand Stars – Andrea Yaryura Clark
• week 15: Ecuador – the Inheritance of Orquidea Dovina – Zoraida Cordova
• week 16: Guyana – Of Marriageable Age – Sharon Maas
• week 17: Peru
• week 18: Chile-
• week 19: Venezuela –
• week 20: Aruba

Books set in Australia and Oceania

• week 21: Australia –What Alice Forgot or Nine Perfect Strangers – Liane Moriarity
• week 22: Fiji – The Trouble with Paradise – Jill Shavis
• week 23: New Zealand – the Colour – Rose Tremain
• week 24: Various – South Sea Tales – Jack London
• week 25: Tahiti – Breadfruit – Celestine Hitiura Vaite
• week 26: Various oceania islands – The Happy Isles of Oceania: Paddling the Pacific – Paul Theroux
• week 27: Cook Islands – An Afternoon in Summer: my year on a South Sea Island, Doing Nothing, Gaining Everything and Finally Falling in Love by Kathy Giuffre

Book set in Europe

• week 28: Balkan Peninsula – Tiger’s Wife – Tea Obrecht
• week 29: France – the Painted Girls – Cathy Marie Buchanan
• week 30: Ireland – Brida – Paulo Coelho
• week 31: England – The House at Riverton – Kate Morton
• week 32: Italy – Beautiful Ruins – Jess Walter
• week 33: Scotland – Island of Wings – Karin Altenberg
• week 34: Spain – the Nautical Chart – Arturo Perez Reverte
• week 35: Norway – the Storm Sister – Lucinda Riley
• week 36: Cyprus – the Island of Missing Trees – Elif Shafak
• week 37: Greece – the Song of Achilles – Madeline Miller

Books set in Asia

• week 38: India – The Space Between Us – Thrity Umrigar
• week 39: Cambodia – In the Shadow of the Banyan – Vaddey Ratner
• week 40: Philippines – The Mango Bride – Marivi Soliven
• week 41: China – Peony in Love – Lisa See
• week 42: Tibet – Ethics for the New Millenium – Dalai Lama XIV
• week 43: Syria – the Sandcastle Girls – Chris Bohjalian
• week 44: Malaysia – the Night Tiger – Yangsze Choo
• week 45: Iran – the Stationery Shop – Marjan Kamali
• week 46: Singapore – Rich People Problems – Kevin Kwan

Books Set in North America

• week 47: Canada – A Trick of the Light – Louise Penny
• week 48: Mexico – Margarita Wednesdays: Making a New Life by the Mexican Sea – Deborah Rodriguez
• week 49: Panama – The World in Half – Cristina Henriquez
• week 50: Belize – the Layover – Lacie Waldon
• week 51: United States – the Secret Life of Bees – Sue Monk Kidd

Books Set in Antarctica

• week 52: Away with the Penguins – Hazel Prior

Free Around the World Reading Challenge Workbook

Get a free 40+ page workbook to make reading around the world even more fun. Log or map the books you read, and track your daily reading for the Around the World Reading Challenge and grab these free Canva templates to make a digital image of your journey!

I love planning and bullet journaling and creating free printables to share. So I went completely overboard on this free around the world reading challenge workbook with all sorts of fun trackers and worksheets so you can follow along with me or create your own around the world reading challenge. I especially love the travel suitcase reading tracker! When you subscribe to my weeklyish reading newsletter you’ll get my weekly reading recaps, challenge news and fun bookish discussions. You’ll also get access to my Exclusive Subscriber Library that has free book club discussion question printables, book bucket lists and more.

Plus Around the World Reading Challenge Bingo Boards!

Use these free Read Around the World bingo boards for another fun way to read around the world. There are two different boards to choose from with different reading prompts. Get bingo or try to complete all the boxes for an advanced challenge. When you subscribe to my book newsletter, you can download your free bingo boards and get access to my Exclusive Subscriber Library that has free book club discussion question printables, book bucket lists and more.

Around the World Reading Challenge 2023 on Storygraph

I’m new to Storygraph but I really like the way they organize reading challenges and the prompts. So I created the Around the World Reading Challenge on Storygraph so we can share the books and countries we’re visiting and get stats on our reading adventures.

How to Sign Up and Start Reading for the Around the World Reading Challenge 2023

It’s simple and laid back. There are a few ways to join in the fun, do one, do them all, it’s up to you. I just love talking about great books so I’ve given you plenty of options on how to join in the fun!

1. Leave a comment below telling me you’re in! Or if you’re a blogger, use the linkup below.
2. Join the brand new and free Around the World Reading Challenge Facebook group so we can chat about our reading adventures and have book club events.
3. Sign up for my weeklyish reading newsletter and get challenge updates, what we’re reading and the free 40+ page pdf workbook and bingo boards.
4. Support indie bookstores and buy the Around the World Reading challenge books here, or
5. See my Around the World Reading Challenge 2023 shopping list on Amazon
6. Join the Around the World Reading Challenge on Storygraph

More Reading Challenge Ideas You Might Like

• Fun Reading Challenges and Bookish Games to Encourage Reluctant and Unmotivated Readers
• Fall Reading Challenge Ideas to Read More and Cozy up with Good Books
• 2022 Reading Challenges
• 25 Reading Challenge Ideas To Inspire You to Read More + FREE Workbook to Create Your Own Challenge
• The Master List of 2023 Reading Challenges

I’m sooo excited about dedicating 2023 to this around the world reading challenge so I can travel the world in books one week at a time! It will be an amazing year fun of interesting and fun stories. Read along with me or create your own adventure.