Today, I’m sharing 5 SIMPLY AMAZING books by African writers that you should – MUST read in your lifetime!
These books are so so good that I plan to re-read them this year even though I have read them before and I am so so jealous of you if you get to read them for the first time this year. They are funny, entertaining, plot twist-filled, lessons-filled, exciting reads!
I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
Click on the video below to watch and thank me later!
Title: Ogadinma
Author: Ukamaka Olisakwe
Published By: Masobe
Release Date: 2020
Genre: Coming-of-age, Fiction
Format: Paperback
Length: 260 pages
Synopsis
Ukamaka Olisakwe’s heart-wrenching novel tells the story of the naive and trusting Ogadinma as she battles against Nigeria’s deeply-ingrained patriarchal systems in the 1980s, a time of coups, food shortages and religious extremism.
After a rape and unwanted pregnancy leave her exiled from her family in Kano, thwarting her plans to go to university, she is sent to her aunt’s in Lagos and pressure into marriage with an older man.
As their whirlwind romance descends into abuse and indignity, Ogadinma is forced to channel all of her independence and resourcefulness into finding her voice and strength in the face of abuse and cultural expectations.
Review
I thought that this book was a beautiful read and would definitely recommend if you’re looking to read a nice Nigerian fiction.
Watch my full review on this book by clicking on the video below:
Title: The Fishermen
Author: Chigozie Obioma
Published By: Cassava Republic Press
Release Date: 2015
Genre: Fiction
Format: Paperback
Length: 301 pages
Synopsis
Nine-year-old Benjamin is the youngest of four brothers. They live in the rocky hills of Akure. When their civil servant father is transferred to another town, the boys begin misbehaving; smashing windows, severing chicken heads and praying truant to follow billionaire politician M.K.O. Abiola’s campaign trail.
For six weeks, they take to fishing in the forbidden Omi-Ala river. There they run into Abulu, a filthy yet visionary madman whose pronouncement that the eldest boy, Ikenna will be killed places a dark and fearful cloud over the brothers.If they prophecy is true, which of them will be the murderer? Abulu’s words have devastating yet redemptive consequences for the family, as guilt and sadness bind the brothers, while their parents sink into despair.
Review
WHOOSH!
Chigozie Obioma knows his stuff!!! He does! This man can write!
I thought that this book was beautifully written and the author’s use of words simply blew my mind. I enjoyed the character development, the time setting and the plot of the book. As soon as I opened the book, I was thrust into this world that kept me captivated.
Watch me share my thoughts on this lovely book by clicking on the video below:
Title: I Do Not Come To You By Chance
Author: Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani
Published By: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Release Date: 2009
Genre: Fiction
Format: Paperback
Length: 403 pages
Synopsis
As first son and graduate, Kingsley Ibe has a load of responsibilities resting on his skinny shoulders. But times are bad in Nigeria, and life is hard. Unable to find work, Kingsley cannot take on the duty of training his younger siblings, nor can he provide his parents with financial peace in their retirement. And then there is Ola his girlfriend, the sugar in Kingsley’s tea. It does not seem to matter that he loves her deeply; he cannot afford her bride price.
But when Kingsley’s father falls sick, he becomes desperate to live up to his responsibilities. So he travels to Aba, to his wealthy uncle, ‘Cash Daddy’.
Under the avuncular wing of ‘Cash Daddy’, Kingsley is catapulted into the fast-money world of email scamming where he discovers a profitable talent for persuasive storytelling. But, as the stakes grow higher and Cash Daddy grows more ambitious, Kingsley begins to realise he is in way over his head and that, even in Nigeria, nothing comes for free…
Review
So I enjoyed my experience reading this book and thought it was well written. I loved the little clumps of humour in the book that made me smile and the little figments of reality inherent in the book. Such an enjoyable read!
Watch my full review on this lovely book by clicking on the video below:
Ahhh *insert dramatic pause and sigh*
The dreaded reading slump. The number one enemy of book lovers no matter who you are and where you’re from. Reading slumps happen to book lovers every now and then, so if you’re currently in a reading slump, then I come bearing gifts!
Here are some great book recommendations written by Nigerian writers to help you come out of that slump! They are funny, engaging, easy to read and guaranteed to get you reading again!
Click on the video below to watch:
Staying consistent at reading can be tough, even for book lovers. There’s always one distraction or the other in our world today or reasons why we do not stay consistent at reading even though this is what may make us happy and excited.
In the video below, I share some valuable tips and tricks that you can use to stay consistent at reading. I have tried most of these tips myself and they have worked very well for me over time.
Click the link below to watch the full video:
I am really passionate about History in general; history of people, place, thing or whatever it may be.
As far back as I can remember, I have been interested in the history of the people occupying what is now known as Nigeria, but most of the books I read at secondary school level and later on left out significant details of the history of the Nigerian people.
In recent times, I sought out and started reading lovely, genuine, in-depth and detailed accounts of past notable occurrences written by Nigerians and compiled a list of these books, so if you are looking for sources of African history, particularly Nigerian history, this is for you.
Click on the video below to watch:
Title: Take a Hint, Dani Brown
Author: Talia Hibbert
Published By: Avon, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, New York
Release Date: 2020
Genre: Fiction, Romance
Format: Paperback
Length: 361 pages
Synopsis
Danika Brown knows what she wants: professional success, academic renown, and an occasional roll in the hay to relieve all that career-driven tension. But romance? Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt. Romantic partners, whatever their gender, are a distraction at best and a drain at worst. So Dani asks the universe for the perfect friend-with-benefits—someone who knows the score and knows their way around the bedroom.
When brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, it’s an obvious sign: PhD student Dani and ex-rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact, a video of the heroic rescue goes viral. Now half the internet is shipping #DrRugbae—and Zaf is begging Dani to play along. Turns out, his sports charity for kids could really use the publicity. Lying to help children? Who on earth would refuse?
Dani’s plan is simple: fake a relationship in public, seduce Zaf behind the scenes. The trouble is, grumpy Zaf’s secretly a hopeless romantic—and he’s determined to corrupt Dani’s stone-cold realism. Before long, he’s tackling her fears into the dirt. But the former sports star has issues of his own, and the walls around his heart are as thick as his… um, thighs.
Suddenly, the easy lay Dani dreamed of is more complex than her thesis. Has her wish backfired? Is her focus being tested? Or is the universe just waiting for her to take a hint?
-goodreads
Review
This book had me SMILING ALL DAY when I was done reading!
Talia Hibbert is a fantastic writer and it is evident in the way her writing became so much better in just a year after writing the first book in the Brown Sisters series, Get a Life, Chloe Brown. I totally enjoyed this one and the character development in the book.I also love the way the author represents minorities and the beautiful covers of the books.
An enjoyable read.
Watch my full review on this lovely book by clicking on the video below:
Title: Get a Life, Chloe Brown
Author: Talia Hibbert
Published By: Avon, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, New York
Release Date: 2019
Genre: Fiction, Romance
Format: Paperback
Length: 369 pages
Synopsis
Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamorous family’s mansion. The next items?
• Enjoy a drunken night out.
• Ride a motorcycle.
• Go camping.
• Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
• Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
• And… do something bad.
But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.
Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.
But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…
-goodreads
Review
Once in a while you need a “feel-good” romcom novel in your life and this BOOK IS IT!
If you’ve watched some of my videos on my YouTube channel, you know at some point, I felt as though I had outgrown this romance genre of a thing, but trust me, I’m realizing that romance books once in a while never did anyone bad abeg. The genre is there for a reason. 🥺
I absolutely loved this easy-to-read book.I think I finished it in about 2 sittings and loved reading it. If you’re looking for something light, feathery and guaranteed to make you smile at the end, then this is the pick for you. Enjoyable character development, likeable characters and love story and interesting plot.
A very commendable effort in my books from the author.
Watch my full review on this lovely book by clicking on the video below:
Title: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Published By:
Release Date: 2017
Genre: Fiction
Format: Paperback
Length: 385 pages
Synopsis
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life.
When she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn’s life unfolds—revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love—Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress.
But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
Review
Thankful for the The Readers Hub book club because this book had been sitting on my shelf for close to three years and I hadn’t picked it up! (for whatever reason best known to me). We read it as our book of the month of March and I totally enjoyed it!
March was a very slow reading month for me with work stress and falling physically ill, so this was the only book I finished, but boy it was like reading 50 books in one! I loved Evelyn’s character, the love between Harry and Evelyn, the development of all the major and minor characters, the subtle but profound lessons dished out by Evelyn, the few shocking plot twists (we don’t do spoilers here, not to worry) and the chronological arrangement of the book. I also loved and appreciated the writing style of the book; straightforward and easy to understand! Such a page turner!
While I loved the book in huge parts, I had a few reservations though but I captured those in my review on my YouTube channel. Watch my full review on this lovely book by clicking on the video below:
Rachel Eyo 