Readers of this blog may not know how much I love a good readathon, but back in the days of my original book blog I was a total sucker for them. I've also not mentioned my #readtheworldproject all that much here, because not all of the books I'm reading for it are indie, but I'm aiming to read a book from every country in the world.
In July we'll be co-hosting the collision of these two thing in the form of #Readtheworldathon. Throughout the month we'll be reading books from around the world and to make it extra fun our co-conspirator and originator of the idea Louise of A Novel Haul has made us this gorgeous bingo card. The idea is to read across the square and get bingo.
Rules:
Books you read for this readathon should be by people from a different country to your own, not just set in a different country to your own
Exceptions apply to the Staycation square (see below) and also to the Diaspora, Celebrate WOC and Indigenous squares. Feel free to read a book by someone in the same country as you for those if they otherwise fit the theme of those squares.
Most importantly: be courteous when discussing books from other countries. Remember that writers of colour do not exist to educate and the phrase ‘this book didn’t teach me enough about the culture’ is often used to invalidate their work. Think about the story rather than just using the book as a learning experience.
What the Squares Mean:
Geographical squares: (Asia, Polynesia, Europe, Australasia, Caribbean, Middle East, Americas, Africa) Read a book by someone from a country in that area.
Staycation: Read a book by someone from your own country, whether that’s the country you’re living in or if the author has the same nationality as you.
Short Stories: Read a short story collection from another country. They don’t all have to be from the same country or same author in the collection.
Globetrotter: Read a book that was written/is set the furthest away from where you are now.
Historical: This could be non-fiction or the historical fiction genre, you choose!
Genre: Pick up some genre fiction! Fancy some Scandinavian crime? Nigerian sci-fi? Indian romance?
Non-fic: Find out something new about a country! Memoirs, travel diary, biography – anything you like!
Firsts: This is one you can interpret however you like. The authors first novel published? Their first translated novel? A book from the first country you visited? First time you’ve heard of an author?
Childhood Vacation: A book from a country you visited, or learnt about, as a child.
Political Controversy: A book by an author that has been controversial in their country. The Hamid Ismailov’s and Aung San Suu Kyi’s of the book world.
Small Population: A square for those smaller countries that might be overlooked. You define what ‘small’ is, but think Malta, Montenegro, Monaco. Here’s a list of the 25 least populated countries in the world if you need a little help.
Dream Visit: A book from a country you’d love to visit.
Short Hop: A book from a next door country, one that’s not far away from your own.
Traditional Style: Magical realism, spoken word, haikus… anything traditional!
In Translation: Read a book that has been translated from its original language.
Indigenous, Celebrate WOC and Diaspora: These squares were added because indigenous writers and WOC are grossly undervalued in publishing and diaspora perspectives are also often ignored. There is nothing to stop you choosing writers of colour, indigenous writers or diaspora writers for every square, A Novel Haul just felt they needed proper representation on the board!
I'm very excited about this readathon and am working on a list of indie suggestions as well as my own TBR. We'll also be filming some #readtheworldathon videos during July so make sure you're following our Youtube channel.
Follow the Hosts
and let us know in the comments if you're planning to join in!