My Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge Goals & Books Read

Reading challenges are a fantastic way to broaden your reading horizons, learn and read more than you do now. I have lots of reading challenge ideas but the Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge is the one I created to explore new cultures and countries from the comfort of some amazing books.

Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge. Explore new countries and cultures and broaden your reading horizons. It's my goal to read 50 books from different countries and cultures than my own. You can choose your own travel reading adventure in this challenge, where will your travel around the world in books take you?

I started the Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge in 2014 and had teamed up with Fictional 100 and Guiltless Reading. It was a no-stress, no-worries, kind of challenge that helps you expand your reading and cultural horizons. I’m doing it on my own now but still it’s a goal to read around the world in books!

I think it’s important to learn about different cultures and countries so that we can develop an empathy and understanding for others, what they experience and how it shapes their life perspective. I wish I could travel the world in person but with a family of 5 and a chronic illness, it’s just not possible in this season of life. So what better way to travel the world than through the pages of a book? I can get lost in new places and adventures I may not be able to see otherwise.

Traveling the world in books has also been great learning opportunity for my kids to learn about other cultures too. I am often bringing home library books so they can learn about the world around them. We talk about what it must be like to live in another place, maybe in one that is different in climate, or one that is different politically or economically. It helps them understand what others go through and gives them a sense of appreciation for the life they have.

Whether you travel the world in books on your own or with your kids, won’t you join me to travel the world in books?

Note: This post contains affiliate links as indicated by an asterisk. Purchases from these links provides a small commission to me at no extra cost to you.

My Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge Goals

Read 50 books in 5 years (7/1/2014 – 6/30/2019) that take place in countries other than the US (where I reside), both fiction and nonfiction. I will track the books I read on this page and on my Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge Google Map. I completed the first phase of this challenge in 2018!

Now I’ve extended the challenge for another 50 books. First, my goal is to read the books I’ve already bought for the challenge and then I want to diversify my reading so that I tackle new countries/cultures I haven’t read about before.

Books Read:

2014

1. Paris, Rue des Martyrs by Adria Cimino – France – Review
2. Waiting for Snow in Havana* by Carlos Eire – Cuba
3. The Forgotten Daughter by Renita d’Silva – India – Review
4. The Story Hour by Thrity Umrigar – India & US – Review and Book Club Discussion Questions
5. Seven Letters from Paris by Samantha Verant – Review
6. Snow Angels, Secrets and Christmas Cake by Sue Watson – England – Review

2015

7. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver – Congo/Zaire – Review and Book Club Discussion Questions
8. Bombay Bhel* by Ken Doyle – India
9. Love, Lies and Lemon Cake* by Sue Watson – England & Greece
10.The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon – set in Spain (Spanish author) – ALL-TIME FAVORITE!
11. Mademoiselle Chanel by C.W. Gortner – France – FAVORITE!
12. The Silkworm* by Robert Galbraith – set in England (English author)
13. Diamond Head by Cecily Wong – set in China and Hawaii (Chinese-American author)
14. Very Good Lives by J.K. Rowling – her background set in England (English author)
15. An Unwilling Accomplice by Charles Todd – set in England
16. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton – set in England and Australia (Australian author) – FAVORITE!
17. Hello from the Gillespies* by Monica McInerney – set in Australia
18. Flask of the Drunken Master by Susan Spann – set in Japan
19. A Pattern of Lies by Charles Todd – set in England
20. House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende – set in South America, a country resembling Chile, buy it here*
21. A Sister’s Promise* by Renita d’Silva – set in England and India
22. The Determined Heart* by Antoinette May – set in England, France, Switzerland
23. Daughter of Sand and Stone by Libbie Hawker – set in ancient Syria

2016

24. Come Away with Me* by Karma Brown – set in Thailand, Italy, US – FAVORITE!
25. In Another Life by Julie Christine Johnson – set in France
26. And the Mountains Echoed*by Khaled Hosseini – set in Afghanistan, Greece, US – FAVORITE!
27. The Girl from the Paradise Ballroom by Alison Love – set in England, Italy
28. A House for Happy Mothers by Amulya Malladi – set in India, US
29. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society* by Mary Ann Shaffer – set in Guernsey
30. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up* by Marie Kondo (Japanese author)
31. The Yard* by Aliyyah Enliath – set in Trinidad about a Muslim family

2017

32. The Winter Garden* by Kristin Hannah – set in US and Russia – FAVORITE!
33. Burial Rites* by Hannah Kent – set in Iceland
34. The Christmas Cake Cafe* by Sue Watson – set in Switzerland, UK
35. A Study in Scarlet* by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – set in England
36. & 37. Saving Abby and Abby’s Journey by Steena Holmes – set in Canada, Belgium, Germany, Italy
37. The Pearl* by John Steinbeck – set in Mexico
38. A Bridge Across the Ocean* by Susan Meissner – set in Belgium and France during WW2 (FREE with Audible Trial)
39. The Nightingale* by Kristin Hannah (FREE with Audible Trial) – France, Spain
40. Whispering in French* by Sophia Nash
41. Murder on the Orient Express* by Agatha Christie – mostly takes place on the train but it travels through Croatia, Serbia and Syria 🙂
42. The Deal of a Lifetime* by Fredrik Backman – set in Sweden

2018

43. I Was Anastasia* by Ariel Lawhon – set in Russia – FAVORITE!
44. The Hound of the Baskervilles* by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – set in England
45. Big Little Lies* by Liane Moriarity – set in Australia – FAVORITE!
46. The Count of Monte Cristo* by Alexandre Dumas – set mostly in France (there are lots of versions but the link is the one I have and I loved this edition) – FAVORITE!
47. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo* by Stieg Larsson – set in Sweden
48. Girls Night Out* by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke – set in Mexico
49. The Death of Mrs. Westaway* by Ruth Ware – set in England
50. Hallowe’en Party* by Agatha Christie – set in England
Challenge 1 complete

Challenge extended! 50 more books, first off my TBR bookshelf of books I’ve already bought and then to diversify so I read from more countries I haven’t read about yet.

2019

51. The Lying Game* by Ruth Ware – set in England – love Ruth Ware’s books
52. The Mysterious Affair at Styles* by Agatha Christie – set in England – I want to read through all of Dame Christie’s books. It will be another self imposed reading challenge of mine.
53. Crazy Rich Asians* by Kevin Kwan – set in Singapore – so entertaining!

2020

54. Jane Eyre* by Charlotte Bronte – set in England – there are so many versions. I have the Barnes and Noble Paperback classics collection

2021

55. The Best of Us* by Sarah Pekkanen – 4* – set in Jamaica
56 – 63. The Bridgerton Series* by Julia Quinn – set in England – I listened to them all on audio – fun, guilty pleasure kind of series…but listen with headphones on if you have kids around!
64. The Husband’s Secret* by Liane Moriarity – 5* set in Australia – loved it! Read it in a day! Liane Moriarity is now a must read author for me.
65. The Silent Patient* by Alex Michaelides – 5* set in England
66. A Discovery of Witches* by Deborah Harkness – 4* set in England, France – really liked it, need to finish the series!
67. Madame Tussaud* by Michelle Moran – 3* set in France, England – really enjoyed most of it and it’s beautifully written. Just the violence of the French Revolution really broke my heart and it was difficult to read. Again, the author made me feel like I was living it, so it’s not her writing. It does have one of my favorite quotes though and if you like historical fiction and want to learn about the French Revolution, then it might be a good choice for you.
68. One by One* by Ruth Ware – 4* set in French Alps
69. The Dinner* by Herman Koch – 1* set in Amsterdam. I rarely give 1* to a book but this one I just liked nothing about it.
70. The Henna Artist* by Alka Joshi – 5* set in India. Favorite!
71. The Secret Keeper of Jaipur* by Alka Joshi – 4* set in India.
72. Apples Never Fall* by Liane Moriarity – 4*, set in Australia
73.A Christmas Carol* by Charles Dickens – 4* set in England, I listened to a different one but I want to listen to this one narrated by Tim Curry next Christmas.

2022

74. The Girl who Played with Fire* by Stieg Llarson – 4* set in Sweden
75. The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest* by Stieg Llarson – 3* set in Sweden
76. My Life in France* by Julia Child – 4* set in France, Norway
77. Shangai Girls* by Lisa See – 4* set in China
78. Dreams of Joy* by Lisa See – set in China
79. Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn – 4* – set in England
80. China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan – 3* – set in China and Hong Kong
81. Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price – 4* – set in England
82. Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Phillipp Sendker – 5* – Set in Burma/Myanmar
83. The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband by Julia Quinn – 3* – set in England and America
84. A Week In Winter by Maeve Binchy – 4* – set in Ireland
85. The Other Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn – 4* – set in England

2023

86. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese – 5* – set in Ethiopia, FAVORITE!
87. The Guest List by Lucy Foley – 5* – set in Ireland, FAVORITE!
88. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall-Smith – 3* – set in Botswana
89. Nefertiti by Michelle Moran – 5* – set in Egypt – FAVORITE! – 1st book in Eyptian Royals series, i want to read the others!
90. First Comes Scandal by Julia Quinn- 4* – set in England
91. Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge – 4* – set in France
92. Spare by Prince Harry – 4* – set in England – though I really like his stories in Botswana!
93. The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan – 3* – set in France

2024

94. The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obrecht – 2* – set in a Balkan country
95. The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin – 3* – set in England
96. The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson – 4* – set in Sweden/Swedish author

Only 4 more to get to 100!

Total Different Countries Visited in Books: 35

Have you read any of these? Any suggestions to add to my reading list to help me visit more countries in books?

Around the World Reading Challenge for 2025

Head to my Around the World Reading Challenge for 2025 post here to get all the details and goodies and to sign up! This year, I’ll be using this new Around the World Reading Challenge Journal to track my reading progress. The best part? My husband and I designed it and it’s printed and fulfilled by Amazon so you can get it fast!

around the world reading challenge journal front cover features a blue background with green continents and a paper airplane with routes traveling the globe. the journal is on a beige wood grain background surrounded by 4 books, 1 in each corner

I haven’t done so well lately with reading books from different countries, i seem to spend a lot of time in England, India and France. So for 2025, I really want to work on visiting new countries in books that I haven’t read about before. Maybe my goal will be to read books from 15 countries I haven’t read about yet, that will get me past 50 different countries visited in books.

I”ll be setting my goals and picking some books soon so stay tuned! I also want to work on the books i already own as I shop my shelves to save some money this year and possibly unhaul books I won’t read again to make room for new books!

Suggestions Needed for my Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge

Here are some of the countries/regions/continents I need book recommendations for! If you have a recommendation, please share!

Ukraine – I would love to support Ukranian authors!
Peru
Argentina
Brazil
Galapagos Islands
Portugal
Eastern European countries
Middle East besides Afghanistan
Korea
Indonesia
Malaysia
Fiji
most of Africa!
Greek islands

32 Comments

Karla says:

August 9, 2022 at 6:14 pm

A few of books I’ve read recently that aren’t on your list:
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortinson, Pakistan and Afghanistan
Brick Lane by Monica Ali, Bangladesh and England (bonus: on Rory Gilmore list!)
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Afghanistan and US
Kim by Rudyard Kipling, India
Candide by Voltaire, Portugal, etc. some real/some not (also on RG list!)

Mary says:

July 20, 2022 at 10:14 am

I love your list! Lots of excellent suggestions for sure. I myself have been working on a “Travel the World book list” for a post (my list is a lot smaller though lol) and have some of these same books on it. Reading really can transport you to another world, real or imagined, and that’s what I love most about it.

Pingback: How to Bullet Journal in the Passion Planner: the Perfect Planning Solution
Pingback: Self-Care for Moms with Chronic Pain
Pingback: Same Beach Next Year by Dorothea Frank Review + Book Club Questions
Deshana Desai says:

January 17, 2017 at 7:35 am

Hi! I want to join you for this challenge. Very excited to see the books you will read. I’ve mentioned this challenge on my blog. Goodluck and thanks for making the challenge, the Google Travel Maps is a really good idea! 🙂

1. Tanya M says:
  
  January 17, 2017 at 3:50 pm
  
  I am so glad you will be joining us as we travel the world in books Deshana. I’ve read Winter Garden and Burial Rites for this challenge so far this month. Both were excellent if you like drama and historical fiction.
  
Pingback: Reading Challenges 2017. – Unearthing buried essences
Pingback: #30Authors: Author Vanessa Hua Reviews Grace by Natashia Deon - Mom's Small Victories
Pingback: The Poisonwood Bible Discussion Questions & Review - Mom's Small Victories
Pingback: A Perfumer's Secret by Adria Cimino - can Zoe unlock her family secrets?
Pingback: An Unforgettable Contemporary Fiction set in India: The Forgotten Daughter by Renita d'Silva - Mom's Small Victories
Pingback: The Girl from the Paradise Ballroom by Alison Love & Giveaway! - Mom's Small Victories
Pingback: 7 Reasons Why I Love My KindleMom's Small Victories
Pingback: Daughter of Sand and Stone by Libbie Hawker - Mom's Small VictoriesMom's Small Victories
Pingback: 2015: My Year in Books - Mom's Small VictoriesMom's Small Victories
Pingback: Small Victories Sunday Linkup {61} - Mom's Small VictoriesMom's Small Victories
Pingback: Small Victories Sunday Linkup {58} - Mom's Small VictoriesMom's Small Victories
Pingback: An Unwilling Accomplice by Charles Todd Review and Discussion Questions - Mom's Small VictoriesMom's Small Victories
Pingback: 50 Bookish Things to Do Before I Die - a book bucket list - Mom's Small VictoriesMom's Small Victories
Pingback: Diamond Head blog tour - Mom's Small VictoriesMom's Small Victories
Pingback: Mademoiselle Chanel by C.W. Gortner - Mom's Small VictoriesMom's Small Victories
Pingback: International Women Authors Guest Post at I'm Lost in Books - Mom's Small VictoriesMom's Small Victories
Pingback: Bout of Books Readathon Goals and Updates, August 2014 - Mom's Small VictoriesMom's Small Victories
Aloi (guiltlessreading) says:

July 6, 2014 at 3:27 pm

I’m glad you didn’t limit this challenge because I’m absolutely horrible with challenges and then I just end up feeling bad for joining in the first place. 🙂 Ok, so I’m joining in!

1. Tanya M says:
  
  July 7, 2014 at 9:55 am
  
  So glad you will be joining us Aloi! I like flexible challenges, I am more likely to travel the world if I have 5 years to do it! 🙂 The shorter challenges, I am more likely to not do as well since I am easily distracted by a book cover or book blogger events.
  
  I look forward to seeing what your goals are and where your book travels take you!
  
April @ The Steadfast Reader says:

July 6, 2014 at 12:43 pm

Fabulous idea! I LOVE the Google Travel Maps. I started mapping my reading at the beginning of the year – but fell off after a point. I need to pick that up again.

1. Tanya M says:
  
  July 6, 2014 at 10:07 pm
  
  Thanks April, would love to have you join us. Another participant, Diary of an Urban Housewife, said she was going to track hers on a pinterest map. I decided to do that too and make it a group board so participants can link up the reviews and pin them on the map 🙂
  
Amanda says:

July 1, 2014 at 3:20 pm

Such a fun challenge! I look forward to seeing where you travel to.

Melinda @ The Book Musings says:

July 1, 2014 at 3:32 am

Great challenge idea, Tanya!

Savvy says:

June 30, 2014 at 10:23 pm

I decided to go with 50 books in 5 years too. Can’t wait to get started.

Crystal @ Crystal's Tiny Treasures says:

June 30, 2014 at 5:14 pm

What a great idea! I look forward to hearing about the books you’ll read.

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

My Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge Goals and Books Read