Books/countries I will not be reading 

Ha! I applaud your decision and your candor here. I run into the same thing with world reading; so many times it feels like “checking off a box,” and I absolutely hate reading books like that, because there ARE so many books out there that are very much worth reading.

I had thoughts to do the same challenge. But don't wanna force myself in "torture reading". So, I go flexible, my approach is to mix "random" country books in my regular reading. Over time I will cover many countries. For me it's just a way to diversify my reading, to go outside my "reading bubble".

I think a lot of these books being so similar reflects just a broader trend of English language publishing's approach to translating authors. The fact that so many of them are emigrants is probably connected to how they get translated in the first place. You can probably make more opportunities and meet translators if you're traveling or living abroad. Grey Bees is all right but not a piece of art I think you're missing out on. The writing style is definitely simple and understated, but I do think that matches who the character is fwiw

Abdulrazak’s works are masterful……. Thank you for that episode. He teaches in the English department, University of Kent…… excellent channel. I would have chucked the same books as you did.

Good afternoon Mike, inspiring lecture. Thank you. I’m determined to do likewise …….. it’s high-time in my teeny apartment, for the sake of simplifying the pleasures of my reading life in my waning years. Miss Jenny

agree. Most modern stuff is just copy cat themes etc. Eastern bloc countries are a million books on WWII or tangentially related to it over and over again ad nausem. I feel for them people because they are bombarded with book after book of that stuff. And like you said other countries with the non stop copying the magical realism style way too much. Very difficult to find good quality writing and story telling these days without the in your face woke, political theme nonsense. Classics are the way to go, less likely to be disappointed.

Out of interest, had many/all of these rejected books won prizes? Re Georgia, perhaps take a look at Jim's Books Reading and Stuff, he's based in Georgia and covers its fiction.

kincaid is okay- dont know the other stuff but trust your gut on the specific works not grabbing you- at the same time i would urge you not to neglect a whole national literature based on one book, and i know you wont- i know in particular some great georgian literature (knight and panther skill, etc) and bet it would be easy to get good recommendations for ecuador, etc. In particular there beyond fatigue there are regions we get tempted to lump - but while anglophone african lit seems less diverse to me than francophone, that's because i studied french and livedin west africa - so like lesser antilles, kric krac is worlds away from oumos - or arabic lit gibran versus mahfouz saves me from lumping it too much but i admit i don't know the diversity of middle easter lit for example...