Take a trip around the world with Top City Reads

Our Top City Reads Facebook group members are packing their bags, gathering up some yummy snacks and putting together their road trip playlist. We’re gearing up for journey that will take us around the world through books! Join us in exploring authors, cultures and traditions to help us get to know our neighbors around the globe.

We’ll guide you through each of the seven continents – starting with North America and ending up in Antarctica at the end of 2023. Your librarian guides, me and Miranda, will share book trivia, recipes, cultural tidbits and music suggestions along this fun journey. We’re also looking forward to hearing your contributions as we go through our route. Perhaps we’ll see some great vacation photos, learn about a new author or two, or make a connection with a reading guide from a library in another country.

Social event

Attend our Top City Reads social event Sat, Jan 21, 10- 11:30am to enjoy some refreshments, make a reading journal, play a trivia game, and get reading suggestions for the first leg of our journey. If you’ve completed the Winter Reading Challenge by Jan 21, you can pick up your prize at the event.

Start your reading adventure

To join in the fun, download this map to record your favorite title from each continent during the year. While you’re welcome to travel your own path on your own schedule, here’s our itinerary:

  • North America: Jan 1 – February 25
  • South America: Feb 26 – April 22
  • Europe: April 23 –  June 17
  • Africa: June 18 – August 12
  • Oceana: August 13 – October 7
  • Asia: October 8 – December 2
  • Antarctica: December 3- 31

We’ll share some of our favorite content on this web post, so watch this space and/or Facebook for reading suggestions, recipes and music suggestions.

Remember – everyone can participate in seasonal reading challenges to earn prizes for reading along the way!

To get you started peruse this a list of Canadian authors.

View complete list

  • Here are some Canadian snacks you could indulge in as you read:
    Homemade Timbits – we can’t stop by a Tim Hortons, so we’ll have to make our own
    Montreal Bagels
    Bannock Bread
    Poutine – just be careful not to get your book dirty!
    Mapleccino – a Cappuccino sweetened with maple syrup
    London Fog – this tea drink originated in Canada
    Classic Canadian Caesar – the Caesar is the national cocktail drink of Canada
  • We’ve created a journal page that you can use to record your thoughts as you read: read around the world journal page
  • Our group stopped by Alaska before entering the Continental United States, and our favorite Alaskan reads are on this booklist

View complete list

Some of my many roles at the library include: tax form guru, collectibles promoter, inspirational fiction evangelist, adult literacy promoter, Book Group in a Bag cheerleader, So Many Books book discussion group leader and reader's advisor.