From the Heart of Europe
The Ray Bradbury Chronicles, Volume 3, by Ray Bradbury et al
Amongst Our Weapons, by Ben Aaronovitch
Wednesday reading
An Experiment with Time, by J. W Dunne
How God Works: The Science Behind the Benefits of Religion, by David DeSteno
Decline of the English Murder, and other essays, by George Orwell
The best known books set in each country: Tunisia
Cetinje
The Year Before Yesterday, by Brian Aldiss
The Great Hunger: Ireland 1845-9, by Cecil Woodham-Smith
Wednesday reading
Gitanjali, by Rabindranath Tagore
Doctor Who: Empire of Death, by Scott Handcock
Salvage, by Emily Tesh
The best known books set in each country: Bolivia
November 2025 books
The Good Wife of Bath, by Karen Brooks
Madame Prosecutor, by Carla del Ponte
Wednesday reading
Time Zero, by Justin Richards
Thief of Time, by Terry Pratchett
Sonic Boom, by Robbie Morrison et al
The best known books set in each country: Burundi
Winning against the Bots as Germany
The Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit, by Storm Constantine
Soundings, by A. Hamilton Gibbs
The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate, by Ted Chiang, and The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, by Michael Chabon
Wednesday reading
Ragtime, by E.L. Doctorow
Barracoon: the Story of the Last “Black Cargo”, by Zora Neale Hurston
The best known books set in each country: Rwanda
The Bellwether constituencies of Northern Ireland (or, why there aren’t any)
East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
Dragon’s Teeth: Tales from North Kosovo, by Ian Bancroft
Wednesday reading
Shroud, by Adrian Tchaikovsky
An Island Called Moreau / Moreau’s Other Island, by Brian Aldiss
The best known books set in each country: Benin
Stone circles of Derbyshire (and failing again with Papyrus P52)
The Mysterious Planet, by Jez Strickley (and Robert Holmes, and Terrance Dicks)
The Man in the Brown Suit, by Agatha Christie
Wednesday reading
Doctor Who: The Well, by Gareth L. Powell
Wag the Dog: The Mobilization and Demobilization of the Kosovo Liberation Army, by Andreas Heinemann-Grüder and Wolf-Christian Paes
The best known books set in each country: Guinea-Conakry
October 2025 books
The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded Edition, ed. Humphrey Carpenter with Christopher Tolkien
2021 books finished; on to 2022
Wednesday reading
Paradise Towers: Paradise Found, by Sean Mason and Silvano Beltramo
Our Song, by Anna Carey
The best known books set in each country: Zimbabwe – and a note on my methodology
The Baby in the Park, a consolidated account
Burning Brightly: 50 Years of Novacon, ed. Ian Whates
Mean Streets, by Terrance Dicks
Wednesday reading
The Partition: Ireland Divided, 1885-1925, by Charles Townshend
The Twist, by George Mann et al
The New Machiavelli, by Jonathan Powell
The best known books set in each country: Zambia
The Casuarina Tree, by W. Somerset Maugham, and The House of Doors, by Tan Twan Eng
The Irish Assassins: Conspiracy, Revenge and the Murders that Stunned an Empire, by Julie Kavanagh
Silence: A Christian History, by Diarmaid MacCulloch
Wednesday reading
The Emperor of Portugallia, and Jerusalem, by Selma Lagerlöf
Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy, by Serhii Plokhy
Howul: A Life’s Journey, by David Shannon
The Years, by Annie Ernaux
The best known books set in each country: Cambodia
Oppenheimer; and American Prometheus: the Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin
A tale of two chapels
Histoire de Jérusalem, by Vincent Lemire and Christophe Gaultier
Glorious Exploits, by Ferdia Lennon
Het Zoet Water door de eeuwen heen, by Jean Binon and Paul Coeckelbergh
Wednesday reading
The Last Unicorn, and Two Hearts, by Peter S. Beagle
Mother Ross: An Irish Amazon, by G.R. Lloyd
The best known books set in each country: Ecuador
Behind Frenemy Lines, by Zen Cho
Doctor Who: Lux, by James Goss
J.R.R. Tolkien and Dorothy L. Sayers
Final Cut, by Charles Burns
Omega, by Mark Griffiths and John Ridgway
Wednesday reading
Science(ish): The Peculiar Science Behind the Movies, by Rick Edwards & Dr Michael Brooks
’Salem’s Lot, by Stephen King
September 2025 books
Ghost Devices, by Simon Bucher-Jones
Annie Bot, by Sierra Greer
The best known books set in each country: the Netherlands
Prophet Song, by Paul Lynch
Beijing and Chengdu, September 2025
Musings on Mothering, ed. Teika Bellamy
The School of Death, by Robbie Morrison et al
Wednesday reading
Thirst, by Amelie Nothomb
@Wouters Wondere Wereld, by Guy Gilias
The Principle of Moments, by Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson
The best known books set in each country: Guatemala
Irish Conflict in Comics: Rebellion, Nazi Spies and the Troubles, by James Bacon
Winning online Diplomacy as France, against six AIs
Black Mountain and other stories, by Gerry Adams
Old Babes in the Wood, by Margaret Atwood
A Tall Man In A Low Land: Some Time Among the Belgians, by Harry Pearson
The Five Red Herrings, by Dorothy L. Sayers
Wednesday reading
Somna: a bedtime story, by Becky Cloonan and Tula Lotay
London Centric: Tales of Future London, ed. Ian Whates
The Women Could Fly, by Megan Giddings