40 Books to Read Before You Travel the World (Country-by-Country Guide)

As part of our 40 for 40 blog series to celebrate our 40th anniversary, discover 40 powerful books set in 40 countries that will transform how you travel. From memoirs to novels, explore the world through literature before you go.

The best travel books don’t just fill time on a flight. They give you a country’s history, social codes, politics, traditions, and emotional landscape long before you step off the plane, and can make every street, meal, and conversation feel more alive. By the time you arrive, you’re not just seeing a place, you’re recognising it. Here are 40 books set in 40 countries, designed to deepen your experience before you travel.

A

Afghanistan 

The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul - Deborah Rodriguez
A warm, accessible novel centred on a group of women whose lives intersect in a small Kabul café. Beneath its lightness, it offers insight into social expectations, gender roles, and the quiet resilience that shapes everyday life in Afghanistan. It reveals a side of the country defined not by conflict, but by relationships, humour, and human connection, providing a window into the private strength of Afghan women.

Albania

The Siege - Ismail Kadare
A tightly controlled historical novel set during an Ottoman siege, where tension builds as much through psychology as through action. It explores power, resistance, and the mind-set shaped by centuries of conflict in the Balkans. The novel offers a deeper understanding of how history, warfare, and identity are intertwined in Albanian cultural memory, portraying the fortress as a symbol of national endurance.

Argentina 

In Patagonia - Bruce Chatwin
A drifting, fragmentary travel narrative that blends anecdote, myth, and history across Argentina’s southern frontier. It captures Patagonia as both a physical place and an idea - remote, elusive, and full of half-told stories. Through its encounters and digressions, it reveals the region’s layered identity shaped by waves of migration, ancient myths, and the profound silence of isolation.

Australia 

Tracks - Robyn Davidson
A striking memoir of a solitary journey across the Australian desert, defined by endurance, silence, and self-reliance. It conveys the vast scale and harsh beauty of the outback, as well as the psychological impact of extreme isolation. The book offers profound insight into Australia’s relationship with its landscape, viewing the interior not just as a physical challenge, but as a defining, almost spiritual, cultural force.

B

Botswana 

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith
A gentle, character-driven mystery built around everyday cases and the art of conversation. Through its warmth and pervasive humour, it reveals the vital importance of community, respect, and moral clarity in Botswana’s social fabric. The novel offers an affectionate, grounded portrait of daily life and traditional values, illustrating how heritage and modern progress coexist with grace.

Brazil 

The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho        
A philosophical fable about purpose, destiny, and personal transformation. While the narrative journey takes place beyond Brazil’s borders, its underlying tone reflects a cultural openness to spirituality, intuition, and the idea of life as a sacred journey. It offers insight into a Brazilian worldview shaped by a deep belief in possibility, universal meaning, and the necessity of self-discovery.

Bulgaria 

The Street Without a Name - Kapka Kassabova
A reflective memoir that weaves together personal coming-of-age history with Bulgaria’s jarring transition from socialism to a new era. It explores the weight of memory, the fluidity of identity, and the emotional residue left by massive political change. The book offers a nuanced understanding of how large-scale historical shifts are experienced at an intimate, human level within the Bulgarian psyche.

C

Canada 

Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery
A vivid and enduring portrait of rural life on Prince Edward Island, filled with imagination, lush landscapes, and a profound sense of belonging. It reflects the central importance of nature, community ties, and emotional sincerity in the development of Canadian cultural identity. By focusing on the transformative power of a single individual within a close-knit society, it captures the pastoral ideals that underpin much of Canada's literary tradition.

China 

The Courtesan - Alexandra Curry 
A richly detailed historical novel set in nineteenth-century Shanghai, where global commerce, colonial power, and rigid social hierarchies intersect. Through the life of a courtesan, it explores themes of ambition, survival, and the severe constraints placed on women during the Qing Dynasty. It offers insight into a period of profound cultural and economic transformation, revealing the human cost of China's entry into the modern global age.

Colombia 

Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel García Márquez
A lush, expansive novel that traces the persistence of love across decades, set within a richly evoked Caribbean coastal world. It reflects the intricate social conventions, the weight of memory, and the slow passage of time in a post-colonial society. The narrative offers a deeply atmospheric sense of Colombia’s cultural and emotional landscape, where the line between reality and the miraculous is often blurred.

E

Eastern Europe 

Long Way Round - Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman                                             
A fast-paced travel memoir that moves across borders, rugged landscapes, and diverse cultures, capturing the raw unpredictability of overland travel. It reflects the stark contrasts of Eastern Europe and beyond, offering insight into a region shaped by rapidly shifting identities and historical scars. The book reveals how shared hospitality and local resilience provide a common thread through a geographically and politically complex territory.

Egypt 

Treasured: How Tutankhamun Shaped a Century - Christina Riggs     
A thoughtful exploration of how ancient Egypt has been interpreted, displayed, and mythologised by the West over the past hundred years. It moves beyond traditional archaeology to examine how history is constructed, curated, and consumed. The work offers insight into the enduring global fascination with Egypt and the way its cultural legacy has been used to project modern political and social values.

England 

The Salt Path - Raynor Winn 
A deeply personal memoir set along England’s rugged southwest coast, where the physical landscape and the internal emotional state are closely intertwined. It reflects universal themes of resilience, displacement, and the healing power of the natural world. By documenting a journey on the fringes of society, it offers a vivid sense of the English environment and its historic role as a sanctuary for those seeking a path back to themselves.

F

France 

My Good Life in France - Janine Marsh                                  
A warm, observant memoir of rural French life, rich in sensory detail about gastronomy, village community, and everyday rituals. It reveals the specific rhythms, unwritten social codes, and quiet pleasures that define life beyond the common tourist clichés. The book offers a window into the subtleties of French culture, where tradition is preserved through a dedicated appreciation for the local and the artisanal.

G

Germany 

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak         
A powerful novel set in Nazi Germany, told through the perspective of a young girl navigating the intersection of war, loss, and the power of language. It offers a deeply human view of life under a totalitarian dictatorship, revealing how fear, unexpected kindness, and small acts of resistance coexist within ordinary households. It explores the German experience of a dark history through the redemptive quality of storytelling.

Ghana 

The God Child - Nana Oforiatta Ayim 
A reflective novel exploring the intricacies of family, identity, and the sense of belonging across continents. It offers significant insight into Ghana’s contemporary social and emotional landscape, particularly the complexities of the "returnee" experience and the search for cultural grounding. The narrative delves into the tensions between ancient heritage and a modern, globalised world, portraying the search for a true home.

Greece 

Zorba the Greek - Nikos Kazantzakis     
A vibrant philosophical novel that contrasts the weight of intellectual restraint with the vitality of instinctive, passionate living. Set against the stark beauty of rural Greece, it reflects foundational ideas of freedom, tragedy, and human connection. The book offers insight into the cultural value placed on direct experience, spontaneity, and the defiant celebration of life in the face of hardship.

I

Iceland 

Reykjavik - Ragnar Jónasson & Katrín Jakobsdóttir     
A crime novel shaped by Iceland’s small population and dramatic, isolated geography, where secrets carry immense weight and community ties run deep. It reflects the quiet, underlying tension beneath a seemingly calm and egalitarian society. The story offers insight into Iceland’s unique social dynamics and the atmospheric melancholy that often permeates its modern literary and cultural output.

India 

Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts 
A sprawling, immersive novel set in Mumbai, rich with sensory detail, philosophical inquiry, and social contradiction. It captures the incredible intensity, diversity, and chaotic complexity of urban India, moving from the slums to the heights of the underworld. The book offers insight into the city's unique capacity for both overwhelming disorder and deeply profound, life-saving human connections.

Indonesia

Beauty Is a Wound - Eka Kurniawan 
A darkly comic and expansive novel that transforms the turbulent arc of Indonesian history into a surreal family saga. It explores the scars of colonialism, the trauma of violence, and the persistence of local myth. The narrative reveals a cultural landscape where history and folklore are deeply intertwined, suggesting that the past is never truly buried but continues to haunt the present.

Ireland 

Normal People - Sally Rooney     
A precise, emotionally focused novel that examines the nuances of class, intimacy, and social pressure in contemporary Ireland. It offers insight into the subtle dynamics of modern Irish life, moving between small-town expectations and the academic world of Dublin. The book captures the shifts in Irish society, particularly among younger generations navigating a post-traditional world.

J

Japan 

Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden 
A richly detailed novel set within the hidden geisha districts of mid-century Kyoto, exploring a world defined by ritual, artistry, and strict social hierarchy. It reveals the immense discipline, sacrifice, and performance required behind the veil of beauty. The book offers insight into traditional Japanese social structures and the delicate balance between personal agency and the demands of cultural tradition.

M

Malaysia 

Lake Like a Mirror - Ho Sok Fong  
A haunting collection of stories that explore identity, gender, and the social tensions existing within Malaysia’s multi-layered society. It offers a nuanced view of cultural complexity, revealing the silences and constraints that often lie beneath the surface of everyday life. The prose captures the surreal and the domestic, reflecting the diverse and often conflicting experiences of Malaysian identity.

Mexico 

Like Water for Chocolate - Laura Esquivel 
A richly sensory novel set during the Mexican Revolution, where food, intense emotion, and family traditions are inseparable. By blending elements of magical realism with the details of domestic life, it reveals a culture shaped by passion, ritual, and deeply rooted customs. The book portrays the kitchen as the heart of Mexican history, a place where tradition is both a burden and a source of power.

Morocco 

A House in Fez - Suzanna Clarke 
A detailed memoir of restoring a traditional home in the ancient medina of Fez, offering a close look at local craftsmanship, neighbourhood etiquette, and the complexities of bureaucracy. It reveals the vibrant textures of Moroccan daily life and the delicate balance between ancient architectural traditions and the pressures of modern change and tourism.

N

Nepal

View from the Summit - Edmund Hillary         
A classic account of Himalayan exploration that reflects both the limits of physical endurance and the quietude of spiritual reflection. It offers profound insight into Nepal’s majestic landscapes and the deep cultural and spiritual significance the mountains hold for the local population. The book portrays the Himalayas not just as a climbing destination, but as a site of profound human and environmental encounter.

Netherlands 

Girl with a Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier 
A quiet, atmospheric novel that evokes seventeenth-century Dutch life through the lenses of art, domesticity, and the strictures of class. It reveals the cultural importance of meticulous detail, social discipline, and the art of observation in Dutch society. The story reflects the Protestant work ethic and the domestic intimacy that defined the Golden Age of the Netherlands.

Nigeria 

Half of a Yellow Sun - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 
A sweeping novel set during the Biafran War, where the nuances of personal relationships unfold against a backdrop of extreme political upheaval. It offers a deeply human perspective on the themes of ethnic identity, the legacy of colonialism, and the complexities of modern Nigerian history. The book reveals the resilience of the human spirit amidst the fracture of a developing nation.

Norway 

One of Us - Åsne Seierstad         
A powerful work of narrative nonfiction examining the 2011 Norway terrorist attacks through multiple, painstakingly researched perspectives. It explores the dark intersections of extremism, fractured identity, and societal isolation. The book offers a sobering insight into the tensions that can exist beneath the surface of a stable, prosperous social democracy, challenging the notion of Scandinavian invulnerability.

P

Pakistan 

A Case of Exploding Mangoes - Mohammed Hanif 
A sharp political satire that uses biting humour to expose the inner workings of power, corruption, and military instability in Pakistan. Beneath its wit, it reveals the intricate complexity of the country’s political landscape and the often absurd realities of life under authoritarian rule. The novel explores how conspiracy, faith, and politics weave together to define the modern Pakistani state.

S

South Africa 

Cry, the Beloved Country - Alan Paton     
A deeply moving novel set in a society tragically divided by race and systemic inequality, exploring the themes of injustice, radical forgiveness, and moral struggle. It offers a powerful, lyrical lens on South Africa’s historical and emotional landscape just prior to the formal implementation of apartheid, capturing the profound love for the land and the pain of its social divisions.

South Korea 

The Korean Book of Happiness - Barbara J. Zitwer
A contemporary exploration of the concepts of happiness, resilience, and social connection in the fast-paced world of modern Korea. It reflects traditional cultural values such as han (collective sorrow) and jeong (deep attachment), showing how community and perseverance remain central to the Korean identity despite rapid technological and economic change.

Sri Lanka 

A Year in Green Tea and Tuk-Tuks - Rory Spowers 
A lively memoir of rural life that is rich in detail about the local landscape, daily routines, and village community. It offers a grounding insight into the rhythms and textures of everyday Sri Lankan life, moving beyond surface-level tourist impressions to explore the environmental and social challenges facing the island today.

Syria 

Freedom Fighter - Joanna Palani             
A stark and intensely personal account of conflict and frontline experience during the war against ISIS. It reveals the brutal realities of modern warfare through an individual lens, offering insight into the ideological and human complexities of the Syrian crisis. The book portrays the personal sacrifice and the political motivations that drive individuals within a devastated landscape.

T

Tibet 

Seven Years in Tibet - Heinrich Harrer
A classic memoir that captures the sublime Tibetan landscapes, the intricacies of monastic spiritual life, and a unique culture on the precipice of forced change. It offers insight into the daily rituals of the forbidden city of Lhasa and the broader historical transformation of the region. Through the eyes of an outsider who became a confidant to the Dalai Lama, it documents a pivotal moment in Tibetan history and the enduring strength of its Buddhist traditions.

Transylvania 

Along the Enchanted Way - William Blacker     
A richly observed account of rural life in Romania, shaped by centuries-old traditions, folklore, and a deep connection to the land. It reveals a slower, deeply rooted way of life that feels both miraculously preserved and increasingly vulnerable to the pressures of modern European integration. The book captures the dignity and the hardship of a culture that exists outside of modern time.

Turkey 

The Museum of Innocence - Orhan Pamuk             
A deeply atmospheric novel set in Istanbul, exploring the obsessive nature of love, the weight of memory, and the rigidity of social convention. It offers a profound insight into the nuances of class, the drive toward modernity, and the persistent tension between Western influence and traditional Turkish values. The city itself becomes a character, mirroring the protagonist's longing and the nation's shifting identity.

U

Ukraine 

The Rooster House - Victoria Belim     
A memoir that intertwines the investigation of a hidden family history with the broader context of national trauma, revealing how the Soviet past continues to shape contemporary Ukrainian identity. It offers insight into the culture of silence, the importance of ancestral roots, and the post-Soviet experience of reclaiming a suppressed narrative. The book portrays the act of remembering as a vital form of national resilience.

United States 

Made in America - Bill Bryson     
A witty and insightful exploration of the evolution of American language and its reflection of the national character. It reveals how American identity, humour, and regional diversity are deeply embedded in everyday speech and social behaviour. By tracing the history of everything from advertising to folklore, it offers an entertaining look at the cultural forces that have shaped the American self-image.

Vietnam 

The Girl in the Picture - Denise Chong    
A powerful nonfiction account that traces the life of Kim Phuc, the subject of an iconic war photograph, before and after the moment of its capture. It offers a deeply human perspective on the long-term effects of conflict, the weight of public memory, and the extraordinary power of resilience. The book provides a profound understanding of Vietnam’s modern history and the human cost behind its geopolitical struggles.