A newsletter that follows my journey as I read one book from every country.
I started Bookmarked in August 2020, two years after moving to Finland and realising that there’s so much more to fiction than English and North American stories. Inspired by Ann Morgan, I set myself the challenge of reading a book from every country.
I’ve since published more than 60 issues—covering books from over a third of the world’s countries—and watched my readership grow from friends and family to dedicated readers from all over the world. I’ve read searing autofiction from Norway, a touching Wiradjuri story from Australia, and an astonishing cross-genre epic from Zambia, as well as so much more. Along the way, Bookmarked was featured in, or profiled, by Book Riot, Spark, Stories, by Substack, Splainer, Latitudes, World Fest Day by the University of Montana, Not a Newsletter, What To Read If, Biblioscope, and Weekly Filet. Every week I receive recommendations from readers, which I couldn’t be more grateful for.
Bookmarked is a free newsletter that publishes once a week. Every Saturday morning, subscribers receive a profile of one book and a list of additional recommendations.
My reading list
Here’s a list of everything I’ve read since the beginning of this project, which I update weekly. You’ll find more recommendations if you click through to the individual posts.
Algeria: All Men Want to Know by Nina Bouraoui, tr. Aneesa Abbas Higgins
Angola: Transparent City by Ondjaki, tr. Stephen Henighan
Antigua and Barbuda: Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid
Argentina: Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica, tr. Sarah Moses
Australia: The Yield by Tara June Winch
Austria: The Empress and the Cake by Linda Stift, tr. Jamie Bulloch
Barbados: How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones
Belarus: The Unwomanly Face of War by Svetlana Alexievich, tr. Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Mars by Asja Bakić, tr. Jennifer Zoble
Cameroon: Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
Canada: Five Little Indians by Michelle Good
Central African Republic: Co-wives, Co-widows by Adrienne Yabouza, tr. Rachael McGill
Chile: Las Biuty Queens by Iván Monalisa Ojeda, tr. Hannah C. Kauders
Colombia: Fiebre Tropical by Juliana Delgado Lopera
Côte d'Ivoire: In the Company of Men by Véronique Tadjo, tr. the author with John Cullen
Democratic Republic of Congo: Tram 83 by Fiston Mwanza Mujila, tr. Roland Glasser
Denmark: When Death Takes Something From You Give It Back by Naja Marie Aidt, tr. Denise Newman
Dominican Republic: Tentacle by Rita Indiana, tr. Achy Obejas
Ecuador: Poso Wells by Gabriela Alemán, tr. Dick Cluster
Egypt: A Pure Heart by Rajia Hassib
El Salvador: Slash and Burn by Claudia Hernández, tr. Julia Sanches
Equatorial Guinea: La Bastarda by Trifonia Melibea Obono, tr. Lawrence Schimel
Ethiopia: The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste
France: All About Sarah by Pauline Delabroy-Allard, tr. Adriana Hunter
Ghana: Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
Grenada: The Bone Readers by Jacob Ros
Iceland: Magma by Thora Hjörleifsdóttir, tr. Meg Matich
India: Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara
Indonesia: Apple & Knife by Intan Paramaditha, tr. Stephen J. Epstein
Iran: Disoriental by Négar Djavadi, tr. Tina Kover
Ireland: After the Silence by Louise O’Neill
Italy: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, tr. Ann Goldstein
Jamaica: How to Love a Jamaican by Alexia Arthurs
Japan: Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami, tr. Sam Boyd and David Bett
Kenya: The Perfect Nine by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, tr. the author
Liberia: She Would Be King by Wayétu Moore
Mauritius: Eve out of Her Ruins by Ananda Devi, tr. Jeffrey Zuckerman
Mexico: Loop by Brenda Lozano, tr. Annie McDermott
Morocco: Sex and Lies by Leïla Slimani, tr. Sophie Lewis
The Netherlands: The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, tr. Michele Hutchison
New Zealand: Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
Nigeria: Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
North Korea: Friend by Paek Nam-nyong, tr. Immanuel Kim
Norway: Will and Testament by Vigdis Hjorth, tr. Charlotte Barslund
Oman: Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi, tr. Marilyn Booth
Pakistan: Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
The Philippines: The Farm by Joanne Ramos
Poland: Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, tr. Antonia Lloyd-Jones
Romania: FEM by Magda Cârneci, tr. Sean Cotter
Russia: In Memory of Memory by Maria Stepanova, tr. Sasha Dugdale
Rwanda: Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga, tr. Melanie L. Mauthner
Senegal: So Long A Letter by Mariama Bâ, tr. Modupe Bode-Thomas
Serbia: Inland by Téa Obreht
Singapore: Ponti by Sharlene Teo
Slovakia: Seeing People Off by Jana Beňová, tr. Janet Livingstone
Somalia: The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed
South Africa: The Promise by Damon Galgut
South Korea: Untold Night and Day by Bae Suah, tr. Deborah Smith
Spain: Oldladyvoice by Elisa Victoria, tr. Charlotte Whittle
Sri Lanka: A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam
Sweden: Wilful Disregard by Lena Andersson, tr. Sarah Death
Syria: Alligator & Other Stories by Dima Alzayat
Thailand: Arid Dreams by Duanwad Pimwana, tr. Mui Poopoksakul
Trinidad and Tobago: The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey
Turkey: 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak
United Arab Emirates: [re:desire] by Afshan d’Souza-Lodhi
Uganda: Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
Venezuela: It Would be Night in Caracas by Karina Sainz Borgo, tr. Elizabeth Bryer
Vietnam: Ru by Kim Thúy, tr. Sheila Fischman
Zambia: The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell
Zimbabwe: House of Stone by Novuyo Rosa Tshuma
Here’s what people are saying
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I just discovered this amazing site where Tabatha Leggett shares insights on her journey as she reads a book from every country. Subscribe to be a fellow traveler. 📖 Welcome to Bookmarked! bookmarked.substack.com/p/-welcome-to-…
I'm so mad I found out about Tabatha Leggett's newsletter after I made this list. Each week, she reviews a book of fiction from a different country. You should subscribe and read the world with her.
Treat yo shelves to Tabatha Leggett's book suggestions. She plans to read one book from every country in the world. Check out her blog about her reading journey!
I've decided to follow three substacks every week. This week's pics: 1. Gyandemic by @bhalomanush - gyandemic.substack.com 2. Bookmarked - bookmarked.substack.com by Tabatha Leggett. 3. Maybe Baby - haleynahman.substack.com by @halemur You will love all of them. #Reading
Follow Tabatha Leggett's newsletter, Bookmarked, in which she chronicles her adventures reading one book from every country!
I finished Tender is the Flesh in one night and now I use Bookmarked to add to my (growing-faster-than-I-can-finish) reading list.
Interested?
You can get Bookmarked in your inbox every week for free. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I’m enjoying writing it!
Thank you to Venla Vaattovaara for the banner and Matt Allinson for the map.
