Reading Wales Month will be back for its ninth year in March, giving readers around the world a chance to celebrate literature from this Celtic nation.
If you’ve ever wondered if there is more to Welsh writing than Dylan Thomas and Roald Dahl, then now is your chance to find out. The answer, of course, is YES.
Last year was my first experience of running the event having picked up the baton from Paula at BookJotter. It was fabulous to see so much enthusiasm from you all with posts reviewing writers of historical fiction, crime fiction, short stories, literary fiction and a travelogue. I’m hoping you’ll be just as enthusiastic this year.
Reading Wales Month ’26 — What to Expect
You’ll see two changes to Reading Wales Month this year.
I’ve persuaded Kathryn Eastman from Nut Press to join me as co-host for this event.
Plus, you’ll have the option of joining us in a buddy read of two books, one fiction and one non fiction:
Glass Houses by Francesca Reece was shortlisted for the Wales Book of the Year in 2025. It is her second published work.
At the heart of the novel is a story about relationship played out against a background of class divisions and the growth of a violent form of nationalism.
The novel has been praised for its very strong sense of place with Reece drawing on her knowledge of the landscape and culture of North Wales.
If your tastes lean more towards non fiction, then you’ll find our second choice a fascinating insight into the multicultural aspects of Wales.
Sugar and Slate by Charlotte Williams is a memoir about a search for identity, belonging and home. It relates her journey from the small town in north Wales where she was born to Guyana, Africa and then back to Wales.
Born to a White, Welsh mother, and Black Guyanese father, her mixed background caused her to feel an outsider wherever she was. Her book explores the challenges of trying to “fit in” while always feeling that you belong elsewhere.
This book forms part of the Black Writing Back series selected by Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo.
Please join us in reading one or both of these books at any time during March.
Reading Wales Month ’26 — How to Join In
To take part in Reading Wales Month all you need to do is read a book written by an author from Wales. It could be any genre — fiction, poetry, essays, travel diaries, drama. Any author with a connection to Wales will count. Then just post your review between March 1 and March 31. If you don’t have a blog, you could post your thoughts onto Goodreads or Instagram.
If you’re looking for inspiration on what to read, take a look at
- the Reading Wales Library where you’ll find a list of what people have read in previous years,
- contributions to ReadingWales25 listed here and
- the shortlist for Wales Book of the Year 2025.
We won’t have any official themes or prompts, but you might want to start off the month with a “Favourite Welsh Authors” post or a post that look back at books by Welsh authors that you’ve read in the past. You could end the month with a “New to My TBR” post based on what books you’ve been tempted to try in the future.
From 1 March there will be a pinned post on this site with links to all your contributions.
Kath and I would love you to join us during the month. Leave a comment below to share any plans you have and a link to your post. You can help spread the word by using the image above and the hashtag #ReadingWales26 in your social media channels.
Darllen Hapus (Happy Reading)
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