Tag: bookswithracheleyo

Book Review: The Mountains Sing

Title: The Mountains Sing

Author: Nguyen Phan Que Mai

Published By: Oneworld Publications

Release Date: 2020

Genre: Historical Fiction

Format: Hardback

Length: 339 pages

Synopsis

With the epic sweep of Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko or Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing and the lyrical beauty of Vaddey Ratner’s In the Shadow of the Banyan, The Mountains Sing tells an enveloping, multigenerational tale of the Trần family, set against the backdrop of the Việt Nam War. Trần Diệu Lan, who was born in 1920, was forced to flee her family farm with her six children during the Land Reform as the Communist government rose in the North. Years later in Hà Nội, her young granddaughter, Hương, comes of age as her parents and uncles head off down the Hồ Chí Minh Trail to fight in a conflict that tore not just her beloved country, but her family apart.

Vivid, gripping, and steeped in the language and traditions of Việt Nam, The Mountains Sing brings to life the human costs of this conflict from the point of view of the Vietnamese people themselves, while showing us the true power of kindness and hope.

Review

Wow. Wow. Wow.

Beautiful.

This was a lovely, heartbreaking historical fiction book. Totally enjoyed! It was an emotional rollercoaster indeed. Such a beautiful read and beautiful story.

Watch my full review on this lovely book by clicking on the video below 👇🏽

Book Review: The Gifts of Imperfection

Title: The Gifts of Imperfection

Author: Brené Brown

Published By: Penguin Random House, UK

Release Date: 2010, 2020

Genre: Non-fiction, self-help

Format: Paperback

Length: 167 pages

Synopsis

New York Times best-selling author and professor Brené Brown offers a powerful and inspiring book that explores how to cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection to embrace your imperfections and to recognize that you are enough.

Each day we face a barrage of images and messages from society and the media telling us who, what, and how we should be. We are led to believe that if we could only look perfect and lead perfect lives, we’d no longer feel inadequate. So most of us perform, please, and perfect, all the while thinking, What if I can’t keep all of these balls in the air? Why isn’t everyone else working harder and living up to my expectations? What will people think if I fail or give up? When can I stop proving myself?

In The Gifts of Imperfection, Brené Brown, PhD, a leading expert on shame, authenticity and belonging, shares what she’s learned from a decade of research on the power of Wholehearted Living–a way of engaging with the world from a place of worthiness.

In her ten guideposts, Brown engages our minds, hearts, and spirits as she explores how we can cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough, and to go to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am sometimes afraid, but I am also brave. And, yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.

-goodreads

Review

Oldie but goodie. 

I’m thankful for books that speak to you in moments where you really really need the words. The words may not be novel, but when they come in the form you need at that moment in your life, then it’s pretty special. THIS is one of those books. 

I literally finished this book in two sittings and learned so much from it. Even though it was first published in 2010, the wisdom and lessons in it are timeless.

I first heard about this book in a room on clubhouse which was full of book lovers from around the world. This was one of the recommendations someone gave when everyone was sharing their struggles with dealing with perfectionism, analysis paralysis  imposter syndrome and the likes.

I’ve learned valuable lessons in different aspects of life including on courage and compassion, living an authentic life, embracing imperfections, avoiding comparison, cultivating a heart of gratitude and tuning into my creativity. 

A lovely read in my books.

Check out other amazing non-fiction book recommendations on my youtube channel!👇🏽

Book Review: The Mechanics of Yenagoa

Title: The Mechanics of Yenagoa

Author: Michael Afenfia

Published By: Masobe Books

Release Date: June 2020

Genre: Fiction

Format: Paperback

Length: 303 pages

Synopsis

Ebinimi, are mechanic of Kalakala street, is a man with a hapless knack for getting in and out of trouble. Some of his troubles are self-inflicted : like his recurring entanglements in love triangles; and his unauthorised joyriding of a customer’s car which sets off a chain of fire evened a involving drugs, crooked politicians and assassins. Other troubles are caused by the panorama of characters in his life, like: his sister and her dysfunctional domestic situation; the three other mechanics he employs; and the money- loving preacher who has all but taken over his home.

The story is fast-paced with surprising twists and a captivating plot- a Dickenesque page -turner. This is Ebinimi’s story but it is about a lot more than him. It is an exploration of the dynamics between working-class people as they undertake a colorful tour of Yenagoa, one of Nigeria’s lesser known cities, while using humor, sex and music as coping mechanisms for the everyday struggle. It is a modern classic tale of small lives navigating a big city.

Review

I absolutely loved this hilarious book! While reading, I had a great laugh and a great many gasps too at the plot twists! I loved the way the plot just flowed and how easy it was to read.

I also loved the fact that this book is set in Yenagoa which is not a common setting in books set in Nigeria and I absolutely love the Niger Delta pidgin in the book!

The end of this book shock me well, I no go lie! But I loved the ending! Arghhh!

Check out my full review on this book and my rating of it by clicking the link below:

Book Review: Homegoing

Title: Homegoing

Author: Yaa Gyasi

Published By: Penguin Random House UK

Release Date: 2016

Genre: Historical fiction, saga, novel

Format: Paperback

Length: 300 pages

Synopsis

Effia and Esi: two sisters with two very different destinies. One sold into slavery; one a slave trader’a wife. The consequences of their fate reverberate through the generations that follow: from the Gold Coast of Africa to the plantations of Mississippi; from the Missionary schools of Ghana to the dive Bars of Harlem. Spanning continents and generations, Yaa Gyasi has written a miraculous novel – an intense heartbreaking story of one family and, through their lives, the story of Africa itself.

Review

A miraculous novel indeed!

I absolutely enjoyed this book and it stoked the fire in me to read more historical fiction and non-fiction which I’ve always loved!

The plot of this book easily flowed and told heart breaking stories of the characters. I like to think of the entire book as a collection of short stories which although are independent are intertwined by family.

I also loved the fact that each of the chapters were written in third person narrative but centering on each character. It was easy to understand and written according to the time it was set it.

The author did a phenomenal job with research on the Ghanaian history and explored deep themes in this work cutting across racism, discrimination, the trans Atlantic slave trade and domestic slave trade.

The prints in the paperback I bought are tiny and admittedly, some patience is required to read and finish this book. It’s not one of those books you can just start and drop intending to pick up in a couple of weeks. I advice that you read it all at once.

To see my verdict on this book, watch my full book review on the book my clicking on the link below:

How to BALANCE READING with a FULL TIME JOB(9-5) ; 9 TIPS & HACKS

I share my experience on how I balance reading with a full time job and booktubing. I also share valuable tips that could help you cultivate a reading habit even with a rigorous 9-5 and how to read more while working a 9-5.

HOW TO PASS THE NIGERIAN LAW SCHOOL (NLS) BAR FINALS | 7 READING TIPS for NLS STUDENTS

Last year, I shared my experience preparing and writing the NLS bar finals on my blog.

On my Youtube channel, I once again share a little bit of that experience as well as some valuable reading tips for law school students, law undergraduates and individuals interested in pursuing a law career in Nigeria and/or getting called to the Nigerian bar.

I also discuss how to handle pressure before, during and after the examinations period.

Enjoy!

Celebrating 500 Subscribers!💃🏽 (with a semi-dramatic acceptance speech)

This happened and I’m really excited! 💃🏽💃🏽

It’s easy to ignore milestones because we’re focusing on the “next best thing”, but I’m super thankful for this one because when I started, I knew it was not the most popular niche on YouTube discussing books or even mainly African and Nigerian literature (there’s only a handful of Nigerian booktubers).

I’m proud of myself that I stuck to a niche (also on advice of a trusted one) that I’m super passionate about and I’ve seen how my passion has positively rubbed off on people. I’ve connected with book lovers all over the world and most importantly, Nigerian literature is getting the exposure it deserves!

So if you’re thinking of starting something and you don’t know if people will vibe with it because it’s relatively new to people around you? Why don’t you start first and let that passion drive you. You’d be surprised at how many people will vibe with it because of your passion!

Thank you to my first 500! I’ll forever be thankful!

You made this girl believe she can do anything! ✨ here’s to hundreds and thousands and millions of subscribers! 🥂

THANK YOU!!

P.S I posted semi-dramatic acceptance speech on my YouTube channel.!😭😂


Enjoy!

MY FIRST AUTHOR INTERVIEW! WHOOP!💃🏽I INTERVIEWED BASSEY IKPI💃🏽

Okay I’m super excited about this. Can you tell?

I had the pleasure and honor of interviewing Bassey Ikpi, the author of the beautiful book, I’m Telling The Truth But I’m Lying and loved every second of it! I had previously done a book review of the book (which you can watch here) and the author commented on my youtube channel saying we could do a Q n A. Needless to say, I almost fainted from pure excitement!

From her book to mental health issues to Bassey’s journey with Bipolar II and Anxiety to Motherhood and mental health awareness in Nigeria, we had an amazing time discussing the book! Bassey was so open, real and honest in answering my questions!

I’m Telling The Truth But I’m Lying is such an amazing book that I recommend for every Nigerian, mental health advocate, Nigerians with mental health issues and everyone dealing with Biplolar II and/or anxiety.

You can watch the full interview by clicking on the video below.

Book Review: A Broken People’s Playlist

Ahhh….this book was absolutely beautiful! It broke my heart in so many ways.

I loved my reading experience while reading this book (as it was deeply infused with music) and loved how each story was beautiful in its on way.

Although the collection of short stories is fictional, some of the stories felt very real and relatable to me. I like how the stories were independent yet some were linked to each other in an interesting way! This is an interesting one if you’re looking for an African collection of short stories.

Watch my review of this book by Chimeka Garricks up in my YouTube channel!

I DID THE MID-YEAR FREAK OUT TAG!💃🏽

Thank you guys so much for subscribing to my youtube channel so far! I really appreciate it!

I participated in the mid-year freak out tag! I discussed my reading experience so far; the books I loved and the ones I did not and my expectations for the next half of the year!

Watch my mid-year freak out tag video below.