Honestly I am still stuck at the part where this man is your best friend, he is a multi-millionaire and he splits all the bills with you. I can't moveHonestly I am still stuck at the part where this man is your best friend, he is a multi-millionaire and he splits all the bills with you. I can't move pass that.
The plot starts out well enough but went downhill very fast. ...more
I love a YA novel that tackles really important topics and I think Jas Hammond did a really amazing job of talking about alcoholism. I was really drawI love a YA novel that tackles really important topics and I think Jas Hammond did a really amazing job of talking about alcoholism. I was really drawn to the story and how she executed it. ...more
The author did not lie when they said that these letters end in tears because I was bawling!!!!
Set in Cameroon, a country where being gay will get yoThe author did not lie when they said that these letters end in tears because I was bawling!!!!
Set in Cameroon, a country where being gay will get you sent to jail or worse. We meet a Christian girl, Bessem who falls in love with a Muslim girl and they both start living a double life. Their love is instant, strong, and it feels as if time has stopped for both of them. Bessem wants more, she wants to be seen in public together. Fatimah knows the fate that awaits them if someone finds out their secret.
After months of begging, Fatima relents and they go to a bar together where they are found by Fatima’s brother who is a staunch Muslim. He leads an assault on his sister and Bessem, gets them locked up. Bessem family comes to bail her out, and after she goes back to school, she never hears from Fatima again. Did she flee the country? What did her brother tell the family? Was she married off? Did Fatima just abandon her?
After years of trying to get answer from anyone who will speak to her Bessem is still not closer to finding out where Fatima is. Everyone’s moved on but Bessem keeps writing these letters for when Fatima returns. Will they be reunited?
This book is deeply moving. I remember reading and pausing between chapters because the writing felt so real. The story of Fatima and Bessem is the story of so many especially in places where being gay is a crime. I am happy the author is writing about this.
Onyi Nwabineli writes an amazing book that I cannot stop thinking about. In Allow Me To Introduce Mysel Fresh, timely, interesting and unforgettable
Onyi Nwabineli writes an amazing book that I cannot stop thinking about. In Allow Me To Introduce Myself we meet Anuri who wants independence. Her mother died during child birth and her father in an effort to curb his grief moved to London with Anuri, hired Ophelia, a nurse to take care of her. Ophelia falls in love with Anuri, accepts her as her own and in a few months she marries Anuri’s father. Ophelia starts posting Anuri on her social media and her platform takes off. In no time she’s got millions of followers, brand sponsorships and Anuri is a household name in London. Anuri at age six expresses to her father and stepmother that she doesn’t want to be filmed but everything is too far gone.
Anuri realizes that her school friends don’t have someone walking behind them trying to take photos. They don’t have multiple attempts at being kidnapped just because they have a social media profile. Now that she is an adult, Anuri she wants all the content down and for her stepmother and father to stop using her very young half sister as content. She takes her family to courst, but what happens when they fight back?
I really enjoyed this book, I think Onyi Nwabineli is an excellent writer, and she tackles a subject that we keep reading about in media. The story is layered with themes of agency, mother-daughter relationship, motherhood, father-daughter relationship, friendships, redemption, forgiveness and love. I particularly love how friendship was explored because sometimes we read books about friends and it feels forced, but Onyi really writes about how friends can be a safe space for difficult conversations, emotional security and a way for us to grow.
I will say this is an amazing premise but the execution was a little shaky. Some parts felt overwritten, the switch between POV felt choppy, so too between the present and the past. I also had a bit of difficulty trying to follow along and I had to re-read certain parts just to get a proper understanding. Overall, I did enjoy this and I will read what the author writes next. ...more
As a lover of short story collections, Ghostroots by 'Pemi Aguda is now one of my favourite Brilliant, fresh, haunting, unsettling, un-put-down-able!
As a lover of short story collections, Ghostroots by 'Pemi Aguda is now one of my favourites. This collection is cohesive, haunting and I felt that every story I read was my favoruite, but not only that, but its like each story also got better and better. A stunning collection!
Set mostly in Lagos, Ghostroots is collection of 12 stories that explores very haunting topics in fresh and unsettling ways. I loved the story that started the collection- Manifest is about a girl who starts spiraling and her mother keeps mistaking her for her grandmother who is evil incarnate. Brilliant and unsettling, I still get goosebumps thinking about it. In Breastmilk we are taken into a family that is falling apart but they just had a baby so they must put things aside. There’s the story of young boys who keep disappearing in a community and they can’t seem to figure why they are dying.
Honestly, every single story is exceptional, and I need more people to read this collection. I finished reading this collection two weeks now and I can’t stop thinking about it....more
Unhinged, irreverent, fresh, hilarious and unforgettable
I caught myself laughing out loud so many times while reading this book. I loved how fresh a Unhinged, irreverent, fresh, hilarious and unforgettable
I caught myself laughing out loud so many times while reading this book. I loved how fresh and new this book felt and how the characters were all so deeply flawed. In Big Swiss we meet Greta who spends her days transcribing therapy sessions for a sex coach who goes by Om (yea… like the sound- already its wild). She signs an NDA but that doesn’t stop her from discussing the patients with her friend and roommate Sabine. They both live in an ancient Dutch farmhouse that is falling apart and there is a beehive in the house.
Greta becomes deeply familiar with the patients during her transcribing process and develops an affinity for a married woman she calls Big Swiss. One day, as she is out in the very small town she lives in, she recognizes the voice of Big Swiss, they become “friends” and things spiral- fast and messy. Big Swiss wonders why Greta knows her so deeply and Greta is falling for Big Swiss but does not know how to tell her she knows her.
This is truly a refreshing read filled with off the pages characters. It is clear that the author had a great time writing this book because I had a time reading it. If you are looking for your next read- I highly recommend this one....more
Deeply moving, heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time… Ibeh is a new voice in Nigerian literature that I can’t wait to hear more from!
O Deeply moving, heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time… Ibeh is a new voice in Nigerian literature that I can’t wait to hear more from!
Once I picked up this brilliant book, I could not put it down. In Blessings we are taken to Nigeria where we meet a family with two boys. Obiefuna is the first son for Anozie and Uzoamaka. He is a wonderful dancer, deeply sensitive not the boy that his vey pragmatic father hoped for. Their second son Ekene is a natural athlete, a boy’s boy and who the father hoped Obiefuna would become. While Obiefuna’s mom tries to shield him from the world and how brutal it can be. His father catches Obiefuna and a boy from a nearby village in a compromising situation and he sends him away to boarding school.
Being banished from his family and only home he’s ever known, Obiefuna must now integrate into a school with a rigid structure and boys who are waiting to devour newcomers. He must hide who he is to fit in, all while trying to figure out is identity. Back at home the family is in turmoil as the mother and father conflicted about the best way to raise their son. Is sending him away what was best? Or will it bring him to his ruin? Can the father live with his decision? Will the mother ever forgive the father for what he did to her son?
Blessings is told from the perspective of Obiefuna and his mother, Uzoamaka which gives us a deep understanding of how they both see the world and what is happening to them. I truly loved this book, it was tender, fresh, well-written and makes you care deeply for the characters and the choices they are faced with.
I want to say that this book is what I expected of An Ordinary Wonder but didn’t get. Blessings is a brilliant debut and I cant wait to read what the author writes next. ...more
A main character fighting against the odds, filled with grit from start to finish…
We are taken to Zambia where we meet a Grace Zulu, she recently be A main character fighting against the odds, filled with grit from start to finish…
We are taken to Zambia where we meet a Grace Zulu, she recently became a lawyer after beating all the odds. She grew up in a village where they only expected her to get married, have children and raise them. Against all odds she became a lawyer and for her first pro-bono case it is about a young queer dancer Bessy who was arrested and charge. Grace tries everything to get him free from a system that holds very strong traditional beliefs and is deeply homophobic.
This was a very fast-paced read and I think I enjoyed how resilient the main character is. Grace is that character you can’t help but cheer for. If you are looking for a legal thriller set in Zambia, this is a good place to start. ...more
Hilarious, eye-raising, and irreverent at times, a solid debut!
Meet Sabre Cumberbatch, originally from Barbados, she’s been living and working in Ne Hilarious, eye-raising, and irreverent at times, a solid debut!
Meet Sabre Cumberbatch, originally from Barbados, she’s been living and working in New York as an artist. In the middle of the biggest interview of her career she realizes that she wants more for her work and her art. In a snap decision, she decides to go back to Barbados for inspiration, rest and grounding.
Waiting to welcome her in Barbados is her socialite aunt Aggie. She’s a high power attorney with friends in all the right places. She is all about protecting her image and making sure her curated life does not shatter. That is until she makes one mistake and her housekeeper now has something over her. This will not deter Aggie from making sure she shows off her New York City Artist nice to Bajan high society.
During an interview with the local radio station Sabre goes off on a rant talking about neocolonialism, specially how high society Bajan people treat their housekeeper and staff as less than. She riles the working class up, reminds them that they have a voice and they don’t have to fall to the whimps and fancy of the high powered people who employ them. She wants the power to back to the lower and middle class, this leads to a big uproar and calls for justice. Sabre forgets for a moment that her Aunt Aggie is a part of the ruling class…. Overnight she is thrown out of the family home, sends the island into chaos and is now the leader of a movement she doesn’t want to lead… Let Me Liberate You offers great social commentary on Bajan society and I can see it making a lot of people uncomfortable. I did love that the author really went there is address things that we still happening to this day and is very present in Bajan society. I just felt like the author went there and left us there.
I felt the book started really strong, singularly the pieces and characters are strong and interesting, but when it comes together it kinda falls apart. For example, I loved hearing about the housekeeper and internal thoughts as it relates to her employer- Aunty Aggie. However I just feel like when they come together in a scene it is not as strong. I loved each character and I felt they were strong but I just don’t think the book had a lot of glue and it felt all over the place. I wish the editor had done a better job of focusing the author. There were so many characters and situations introduced that did nothing to really move the plot along. I think the book could have benefitted from a stronger editor and less side quests .
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the first 150 pages. Justice for all the lower income workers!...more
Engaging, un-putdownable a very vibrant and intoxicating read….
Nikki May is so great at writing stories that will get you riled up and interested in Engaging, un-putdownable a very vibrant and intoxicating read….
Nikki May is so great at writing stories that will get you riled up and interested in the characters and it is the same with this book. In The Motherless Land we are taken to Nigeria where we meet Funke and her family. She lives an idyllic life in Nigeria, with her mother, father and brother. Her father is head over heels in love with her mother and they are still happy after years of being together. Even though their relationship meant her mom was ostracized from her family in England. They’ve lived a happy life until tragedy struck and Funke is sent to live with family members she’s only heard bad things about, in a place that her mother describes as boring, grey and cold.
Funke arrives in London overcome by grief and is met with a chilly reception from her family, except for her cousin Liv. Live decides that her sole purpose will be to make Funke happy and enjoy England as much as possible. They become inseparable from childhood into adulthood, a safe space for each other, that is until a major misunderstanding happens and tragedy strikes again.
I love that the book was set in the 70s, 80s and 90s in London and Lagos and told from the perspective of the cousins. We got such an in-depth look into their characters and their motivations. Nikki did an amazing job of exploring generational wrongs, forgiveness, sisterhood and grief. I thoroughly enjoyed Funke and Livs characters as it felt so refreshing seeing them fall into an easy friendship. I did get a bit annoyed at Liv’s mom and I felt her character got too much air time because she was so annoying.
It took awhile for me to get into reading this very robust book but I am really happy I did. It is true what th This is what I call required reading!
It took awhile for me to get into reading this very robust book but I am really happy I did. It is true what they say, this book is very dense and a lot of things may go over your head so I recommend taking at least a month or two to read it so everything can sink in.
How Europe Underdeveloped Africa is what I call required reading because it shows us how colonialism continues to impact a lot of Africa to this day. We see how a lot of the practices and things done to countries in Africa impacted the people, culture and changed the course of their history. We also see how Europe continues to benefit from colonialism to this day.
I loved how Rodney unequivocally shut down the argument about “there were some benefits to colonialism” or “the continent did benefit from Europe”. We hear this off handed remarks a lot and I enjoyed the research that went behind showcasing how wrong that is.
In a world where we are told to forget the pass and move on, this book shows us how there are institutions in place that makes it hard. I highly recommend reading this....more
The title and cover is a bit misleading, at the core, the message is about self-acceptance and beauty standards
Temi is 20 years old and is about to The title and cover is a bit misleading, at the core, the message is about self-acceptance and beauty standards
Temi is 20 years old and is about to finish university, she’s got one goal to get a big bumbum. Temi grew up in a house where her Mom, Sister and Aunty had a big bumbum so she figured she would grow into hers. Growing up in a society like Nigeria, Temi feels less than, she doesn’t feel like the ideal standard of beauty and just wants to be desired and that can only be done with a big bumbum... The thing is, she does not have enough money to pay for a BBL and she doesn’t know where to start in saving and paying for it.
Added to that, how doES she break the news to her family that she plans on using her inheritance to pay for a BBL? When Temi’s sister finally returns home after leaving five years ago, with no explanation, maybe now is not the time to break the news about her impending surgery… I enjoyed this one, but I think the title, the cover and the marketing didn’t do this book much justice. For sure an important topic the marketing made it feel very light, and surface level. Aside from that, I wish the book was a bit longer so we could learn more about the characters, I feel like we could have gotten more from them.
This is a great book if you love reading about forgiveness, mother-daughter relationship, family dynamics and beauty standard within Nigeria. The author did a great job with this one. ...more
In But How Are You Really? we meet Charlotte, a bisexual woman, living in New York with a boss she detest and he treats her like crapVery easy read!
In But How Are You Really? we meet Charlotte, a bisexual woman, living in New York with a boss she detest and he treats her like crap. She is heading back to Hein University for a reunion and plans to be with her college friend and relax a bit.
Of course the reunion weekend doesn’t go as planned, she falls back in like with her ex college crush, runs into a guy that abused her and there are so many bad memories that keep popping up. How will she navigate this?
I enjoyed this book, it was pretty easy to read and I did enjoy being back on campus with Charlotte and her friends. If you are looking for a book that tackles big issues and leaves you feeling nostalgic, this is it.
This book is a reminder about friends and friendship. ...more
This was an insanely well crafted book that deserves to be read widely. In The Beauty of You Face w Thought-provoking, enlightening, un-putdownable
This was an insanely well crafted book that deserves to be read widely. In The Beauty of You Face we meet a Palestinian-American woman who is trying to fight her place in a country that tells her she does not belong. It opens with a shooter visiting the school she is the principal of and opening fire.
Afaf Rahman is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants living in Chicago. The book goes between her childhood/teenage years and the present, which her at school with the shooter. Afaf grew up in a home with her older sister, brother and parents, at a young age, her older sister went missing and was never found. That tragic incident changed the dynamics of their family forever. Afaf watches her family fall apart, sees her dad become a devout Muslim and decides to follow in his footsteps. This divides the family as it is seen as she taking her father’s side and her brother taking her mother’s side.
In the present Afaf is negotiating with a shooter who opened fire at the children at her school. She comes face to face with him and his hatred and what happens next, will change you.
This is an exceptional novel that deserves to be read. This book explores grief, identity, belonging, community, forgiveness and love. Truly a beautiful novel that remains timely. ...more
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