The challenge is simple to say and lovely to do: read one book from each country in the world, at your own pace, and see where it takes you.
The writer Ann Morgan made it famous in 2012, when she read a book from every country in a single year and wrote about it. Most people take much longer, and that's fine. There's no deadline and no prize, just a map that slowly fills in and a shelf full of places you'd never have found otherwise.
Which countries count?
Lists differ, so it helps to choose one before you start. The United Nations has 193 member states. Some lists add places that aren't UN members, and some count England, Scotland and Wales separately.
We use 197: the 193 UN members plus Vatican City, Palestine, Taiwan and Kosovo. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all count as the United Kingdom, so a novel set in Belfast counts for the UK, not Ireland.
If you're following a different list, carry on with it. What matters is that you pick one and stick to it, so you know when you've finished.
Which books count?
This is where people disagree most. There are two common rules.
By the author's birthplace
A book counts for the country its author was born in, wherever the story happens.
Easy to check, but a novel by a writer born in Lagos and set in London takes you to London, not Nigeria.
By where it's set
A book counts for the country it takes place in, so you spend the whole book there.
This is the rule we use, because the point of the challenge is to feel you've been somewhere.
If a book moves around, count the country it's most rooted in. Only fall back on the author's country if the setting really isn't clear.
Our own picks go a step further. The strongest are by writers from the country, set there, and available in English. When those run out, we add wider picks and always say why: books by long-time residents, by outsiders who know the place well, or folk tales, poetry, oral history and reportage.
Choosing your books
- Start with an easy way in. Each of our country pages has a "Start here" book: readable, set in the country, and not too hard to find.
- Read in translation. Much of the world's best writing reaches English through translators. Their names are worth noting; a good translator is a reason to trust a book.
- Mix your forms. Memoir, short stories, crime, poetry and travel writing all count. Switching keeps the challenge from feeling like homework.
- Follow your curiosity, not the alphabet. Reading A to Z sounds tidy but stalls easily. Going next door from a book you loved works better.
- Try secondhand shops and libraries. Older translations often turn up there long after they've gone out of print.
The hard countries
For some countries, very little has been translated into English. Small island nations, a few microstates in Europe and parts of Central Asia and West Africa are the usual sticking points, and they tend to be the last pins on everyone's map.
This is where wider picks earn their place. A collection of folk tales, an oral history, or a memoir by someone who lived there for decades can give you a real sense of a place when no novel exists in English. Our country pages say so plainly when little is available, rather than padding the list.
It helps to decide your rule for the hard countries before you reach them, so you aren't tempted to bend it at 2am with one country left.
Keeping track
World in Books is a free map for exactly this. Scan a barcode, search by title, or take a photo of the cover, and the book lands on the country it's set in. You can keep a to-read list, see your books on a shelf by continent, and get suggestions for the countries you haven't reached yet.
There's no sign-up to start. Add an email address when you want to keep your map.
Common questions
How long does it take?
A year if you read four books a week and nothing else. For most people it's several years, and many treat it as a background thread running alongside their other reading.
Can I count books I've already read?
That's up to you. Some people start from a blank map; others add everything they remember and work on the gaps. Both are honest, as long as you know which you're doing.
Does it have to be a novel?
No. Any book with a strong sense of the place counts: memoir, history, poetry, short stories, reportage.
What if a book is set in more than one country?
Count the country it's most rooted in. A book can only fill one country on your map, which keeps things fair.
Do children's books count?
If you're doing the challenge with children, absolutely. Picture books and folk tales are often the best way into the hard countries.