Book Bingo 2026: World Cup Country

The House on Sun Street

Qāz̤īʹrād, Muzhgān

Iran. Fiction. A girl experiences the Iranian Revolution, creeping repression, and war in Ghazirad’s novel. The result is a heartbreaking coming-of-age novel, luminous but tinged with darkness. An absorbing, quietly intense saga of upheaval and war as seen through the eyes of a child. (Kirkus)

Format: Book

Availability: Available

A Stranger in your Own City

Abdul-Ahad, Ghaith

Iraq. Nonfiction. Journalist Abdul-Ahad's kaleidoscopic and incisive debut recounts the 20 years since U.S.-led coalition forces took control of Baghdad. Interleaving his own observations as a Baghdad native and former translator for Western journalists with those of other ordinary Iraqis, Abdul-Ahad details bloody sectarian battles, heart-pounding run-ins with ISIS henchmen, and a populace trying to reclaim its city and country from Iraq's greedy ruling class… (Publishers Weekly)

Format: Book

Availability: Available

The Amberglow Candy Store

Kurisu, Hiyoko

Japan. Fiction. A fox spirit sells magical confections to troubled humans, only for them to get a little more than they bargained for. (Publisher description)

Format: Book

Availability: Available

Blood of the Old Kings

Kim, Sŏng-il (Science fiction writer)

Korea Republic. Fiction. In an empire where dead sorcerers are drained of their magic to fuel the empire and dragons have been enchained, a sorcerer, a swordswoman, and a man bent on vengeance collide as they each seek a way to forge their own destinies. (Staff annotation)

Format: Book

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Now I Surrender

Enrigue, Alvaro

Mexico. Fiction. This three-part saga of the Apache Wars and the long shadow of imperialism constitutes a major work of historical reclamation from Enrigue. It's an eloquent rejoinder to the mythos that made two countries while erasing the lives of their original inhabitants. (Publishers Weekly)

Format: Book

Availability: All copies in use

Watch Us Dance

Slimani, Leïla

Morocco. Fiction. Slimani draws on her family's history for a sprawling tale of 1960s Morocco… (Publishers Weekly)

Format: Book

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Patchwork

Ballard, Maddie

New Zealand. Nonfiction. Ballard debuts with a charming account of the conception and construction of 17 projects she sewed during Covid lockdowns in New Zealand. Between musings about fabric color and thread count, she weaves in life lessons, relationship recaps, and memories of her sewing-obsessed grandmother in prose that ranges from brisk and conversational to melancholy and poetic. It’s a delight. (Publishers Weekly)

Format: Book

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The Safekeep

Wouden, Yael van der

Netherlands. Fiction. Two women spend a fraught summer together in the Dutch countryside. This is a beautifully realized book, nearly perfect, as van der Wouden quietly explores the intricate nuances of resentment-hued sibling dynamics, the discovery of desire (and the simultaneous discovery of self), queer relationships at a time when they went unspoken, and the legacy of war and what it might mean to have been complicit in its horrors. A brilliant debut, as multifaceted as a gem. (Kirkus)

Format: Book

Availability: Available

The Ferryman and His Wife

Grytten, Frode

Norway. Fiction. Grytten’s first novel … is a meditative, ethereal journey following Nils Vik as he sets sail across the fjord to the sea on a final journey to once again be with his wife, Marta. This is a taut, captivating, and deeply moving exploration of the universal consideration of how to live a good life. (Booklist)

Format: Book

Availability: All copies in use

Stepmotherland

Holnes, Darrel Alejandro

Panama. Nonfiction/Poetry. Crossing borders and languages, these poems speak a truth about identity that’s more complex than mere labels can capture. This impressive work dazzles with songs for a shared humanity. (Publishers Weeky)

Format: Book

Availability: Available