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: 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:
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:
Title: Behind Her Eyes
Author: Sarah Pinborough
Published By: HarperCollins Publishers and Flatiron Books
Release Date: 2017
Genre: Psychological thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Contemporary romance
Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Synopsis
Louise is a single mom, a secretary, stuck in a modern-day rut. On a rare night out, she meets a man in a bar and sparks fly. Though he leaves after they kiss, she’s thrilled she finally connected with someone.
When Louise arrives at work on Monday, she meets her new boss, David. The man from the bar. The very married man from the bar…who says the kiss was a terrible mistake but who still can’t keep his eyes off Louise.
And then Louise bumps into Adele, who’s new to town and in need of a friend, but she also just happens to be married to David. David and Adele look like the picture-perfect husband and wife, but then why is David so controlling, and why is Adele so scared of him?
As Louise is drawn into David and Adele’s orbit, she uncovers more puzzling questions than answers. The only thing that is crystal clear is that something in this marriage is very, very wrong, but Louise can’t guess how wrong―and how far a person might go to protect their marriage’s secrets.
-goodreads
Review
THIS BOOK… SPEECHLESS!!
Just here, you know, WONDERING WHAT ON EARTH I HAVE READ!!!!🤯😱
Do you know how twisted your mind has to be to come up with a plot like the one in this book??
I listened to this book on scribs and it was beautifully narrated and performed. I sat with my mouth open for like 2 mins after listening to the last chapter because WHATTTT?!🤯😱😰🥴 (I had to keep on rewinding some things in the last few chapters make e be like say I no mad, because this book is a proper mind f*ck)
I watched the Netlix adaptation immediately I was done reading and loved it! I thought that the producers did a fantastic job of bringing the books to life. I had a few reservations with the casting and some parts of the series, but I loved it, generally.
Watch my full review on this lovely book by clicking on the video below:
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!👇🏽
Title: Memoirs of a Lazy Korfa
Author: Tunmise Usikalu
Published By: Sophos Books Ltd.
Release Date: 2020
Genre: Non-fiction, Genre
Format: Paperback
Length: 106 pages
“Though this is only the first day of camp, as at 2:30pm or there about, I am already number 1,246! As if that’s not bad enough, we get matched over to the registration hall to get registered and have it over with and…wait for it…they are registering corper number TWO HUNDRED AND SOMETHING! (I didn’t care to know what the “something” was. It was not important). So here I am sitting on my traveling bag under a tree for shade and wondering what in heavens name I am doing here…”
This journal is a hilarious account of one corp member’s experience of three weeks at a Nigerian National Youth Service (NYSC) orientation camp.
I enjoyed this one! Short, simple and sweet!
I literally finished it in one sitting. I loved how the memoir was real and relatable and straight to the point. No too much shalaye.😂 it brought back nostalgic feelings. It served the purpose it was for and is a good recommendation to come out of a reading slump!
I totally enjoyed my NYSC experience but would definitely NOT go back if I had the chance!
Verdict
A nice 8/10.
Watch my review and my HILARIOUS NYSC Experience by clicking the link below! I share my experience and loads of photos! I enjoyed making this video and had a good laugh!
I’m super excited about creating this tag because I am passionate about Nigerian literature and love what Nigerian writers bring to the world! Nigerian writers are a real treasure to Nigeria and all over and should be appreciated every moment!
I searched on the internet for any Nigerian Writers’ Tag I could find but could not find any so I decided to create one! Feel free to participate in this tag and leave any great Nigerian reads and recommendations.
The questions are below:
You can watch my answers and Nigerian reads recommendations here below:
Title: Tomorrow Died Yesterday
Author: Chimeka Garricks
Published By: Paperworth Books Limited
Release Date: 2010
Genre: Fiction
Format: Paperback
Length: 292 pages
It’s 2004 Port Harcourt at the height of the kidnap of oil workers in the Niger Delta, a kidnapping goes awry and four lives are reconnected. Done (aka Doughboy) the career militant responsible for the crime. Amaibi the gentle university professor / eco – warrior accused. Kaniye the lawyer themed restauranteur who tries to get him off and Tubo an amoral oil company executive.
Against a backdrop of corrupt practices, failed systems and injustice, these four friends tell the story of oil in a region and its effects on local communities and the Nigerian larger society.
DEBUT NOVEL WHATTTT??
This book was purely exceptional and I totally enjoyed it! I thought it was a great effort from the author especially as a debut novel.
I loved the deep exploration of the characters through the writing style of first person narrative as told from the four major characters. The author found a way to endear the characters into the hearts of readers no matter w villainous their characters may appear to be.
I also loved the fact that deep themes which are prevalent in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria were explored in depth. Such themes like corruption, violence, oil bunkering, gas flaring and the effect of such on native communities within that region.
As a lawyer and legal practitioner, I absolutely loved Kaniye’a character and the legal thriller aspect of this book. Whoa!
Watch the full review on this lovely book by clicking the link below:
Rachel Eyo 