Genre Mash: RTW x Realistic

Looking for a grounded, contemporary story to read for Read the World? This list has you covered.

Updated April 14, 2026
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Dana Hall School Librarians
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Blessings
Ibeh, Chukwuebuka
Paper Book
When Obiefuna's father witnesses an intimate moment between his teenage son and the family's apprentice, newly arrived from the nearby village, he banishes Obiefuna to a Christian boarding school. Surrounded by unknown faces that soon become friends, lovers and enemies, Obiefuna finds and hides who...

RTW Africa (Nigeria)

The girl with the louding voice
Dare?, Abi
Paper Book
***Out now: Abi Daré's new novel AND SO I ROAR*** 'Unforgettable' New York Times 'Impressive' Observer 'Remarkable' Independent 'Important' Guardian 'Captivating' Mirror 'Luminous' Daily Mail '...

RTW Africa (Nigeria)

A girl is a body of water
Makumbi, Jennifer Nansubuga
Paper Book
  'Jennifer Makumbi is a genius storyteller.' Reni Eddo-Lodge An intoxicating mix of Ugandan folklore and modern feminism, from a multi-award-winning author As Kirabo enters her teens, questions begin to gnaw at her - questions which the adults in her life will do...

RTW Africa (Uganda)

We need new names
Bulawayo, NoViolet
Paper Book
* Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2013* * US National Book Award 5 Under 35 * * Winner of the Etisalat Prize 2014* 'To play the country-game, we have to choose a country. Everybody wants to be the USA and Britain and Canada and Australia...

RTW Africa (Zimbabwe)

Selection day : a novel
Adiga, Aravind
Paper Book
Manjunath Kumar is fourteen. He knows he is good at cricket - if not as good as his elder brother Radha. He knows that he fears and resents his domineering and cricket-obsessed father, admires his brilliantly talented sibling and is fascinated by the world of CSI and by curious and interesting...

RTW Asia (India)

The space between us
Umrigar, Thrity N.
Ebook
"This is a story intimately and compassionately told against the sensuous background of everyday life in Bombay."--Washington Post Book World   "Bracingly honest."--New York Times Book Review   The author of Bombay Time, If Today Be Sweet...

RTW Asia (India)

Unmarriageable
Soniah Kamal
Paper Book
Alys Binat has found happiness teaching English literature to schoolgirls. Although she knows that many of her students won't finish their education before dropping out to marry, Alys still hopes to inspire them to dream of more than what's expected. When an invitation arrives for the biggest...

RTW Asia (Pakistan)

If I had your face : a novel
Cha, Frances
Paper Book
If I Had Your Face plunges us into the mesmerizing world of contemporary Seoul - a place where extreme plastic surgery is as routine as getting a haircut, where women compete for spots in secret 'room salons' to entertain wealthy businessmen after hours, where K-Pop stars are the object of...

RTW Asia (South Korea)

Violets
Sin, Kyo?ng-suk
Paper Book

RTW Asia (South Korea)

The elegance of the hedgehog
Barbery, Muriel
Paper Book
OVER 10 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE SHORTLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD 'Resistance is futile' The Guardian 'Clever, informative and moving' The Observer 'Witty and touching' Gillian Anderson Renée is the concierge of a grand...

RTW Europe (France)

Conversations with friends
Rooney, Sally
Paper Book
'A nuanced, page-turning portrait.' Zadie Smith 'Brilliant.' Marian Keyes'A sharp, darkly funny comment on modern relationships.' Sunday Telegraph The critically-acclaimed debut novel from the globally bestselling author of Normal...

RTW Europe (Ireland)

Beartown
Backman, Fredrik
Paper Book
FROM THE MULTI-MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF MY FRIENDS, ANXIOUS PEOPLE AND A MAN CALLED OVE, FREDRIK BACKMAN From the author of MY FRIENDS, the Sunday Times Bestseller and Goodreads Choice Awards Fiction 2025 winner!...

RTW Europe (Sweden)

My friends
Backman, Fredrik; Smith, Neil
Paper Book
The beautiful new novel that will make you laugh and cry, from the global bestselling author of Anxious People and A Man Called Ove. Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond...

RTW Europe (Sweden)

Stolen
Laestadius, Ann-Hele?n
Paper Book
**SOON TO BE A MAJOR NETFLIX FILM** **THE INTERNATIONAL NUMBER ONE-BESTSELLER** 'A coming-of-age-story to be loved everywhere in the world' FREDRIK BACKMAN, author of A MAN CALLED OVE ___________________________________________ ...

RTW Europe (Sweden)

Gingerbread
Oyeyemi, Helen
Paper Book
'A writer of sentences so elegant that they gleam' - Ali Smith, author of How to be Both Influenced by the mysterious place gingerbread holds in classic children's stories - equal parts wholesome and uncanny - beloved novelist Helen Oyeyemi invites readers into a...

RTW Europe (U.K.)

My sister lives on the mantelpiece
Pitcher, Annabel
Paper Book
Ten-year-old Jamie Matthews has just moved to the Lake District with his Dad and his teenage sister, Jasmine for a 'Fresh New Start'. Five years ago his sister's twin, Rose, was blown up by a terrorist bomb. His parents are wrecked by their grief, Jasmine turns to piercing, pink hair and stops...

RTW Europe (U.K.)

Swing time
Smith, Zadie
Paper Book
Dazzlingly energetic and deeply human, Swing Time is a story about friendship and music and true identity, how they shape us and how we can survive them. Moving from north-west London to West Africa, it is an exuberant dance to the music of time. Two brown girls dream of being...

RTW Europe (U.K.)

Girl mans up
Girard, M-E
Ebook
Lambda Literary Award Winner! "Pen is an inspiration to anyone who's struggled to be understood, and a vital addition to the growing world of genderqueer protagonists." --New York Times Book Review All Pen wants is to be the kind of girl she's always been. So why does...

RTW North America (Canada)

No fixed address
Nielsen-Fernlund, Susin
Paper Book
Felix Knutsson is nearly thirteen, lives with his mother and pet gerbil Horatio, and is brilliant at memorising facts and trivia. But Felix and his mom Astrid have a secret: they are living in a van. Astrid promises it's only for a while until she finds a new job, and begs Felix not to breathe a...

RTW North America (Canada)


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