Visiting Cambodia, like many Southeast Asian countries involves storytelling traditions dating back centuries. However, much of it was rarely written down, passed instead through oral tradition. Most of the literary works written down in Khmer were owned and controlled by the Royal families, or the Buddhist monks. Despite these long literary traditions, the Khmer literature …

Like so many of our reading choices, having access to more diverse short stories (instead of just the stuffy old white men we were forced to read as kids) can really opened your eyes to all the magic that the short story medium can offer. If you already love short story collections, or if you …

In times and places of hate, the two most powerful acts that can dispel that hate quickly are talking with people of different backgrounds and, failing that, reading their stories. These books about refugees and migrants, and the experiences they’ve lived, are vital reading for anyone wishing to better understand their fellow humans. 14 Must-Read …

It may – or may not – surprise you to hear that some of the most important classics of the 20th century were written by Czech authors. Of course, when you consider that Czech literature dates back to the 14th century and has been consistently valued culturally since then, perhaps it’s not so surprising. After …

Post-apocalyptic novels and pandemic literature (which I’ve now decided is its own genre because there’s so much of it) is all the rage right now thanks to the good old c-virus. Even though the world isn’t ending, we are in uncertain times and people like to know they’re not alone. Or maybe they just want …

I write about dark tourism for a living and I read a lot of books about the atrocities that happen in our world. Although I had previously read a few of the non-fiction books of this list, in 2019, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole and began reading everything I could find connected to …

If you’re looking for somewhere literary to head on your next holiday, consider a visit to the East of England. More specifically, why not check out all the bookish things to do in Norwich, a UNESCO City of Literature. In 2012, Norwich became the first UNESCO City of Literature in England. It was the second …

The Baltic states refer to the countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, all of which were once part of the Soviet Union. This is pretty monumental in understanding Baltic literature as a lot of it – at least what is available in English – has to do with WWII, communism, and the Soviet occupation. That …