Don't you just love how February flew by quickly? I definitely do and it came with lots of fun and of course, reading.. It feels just like yesterday when I published this POST on the books I read in January and now it's time to write about the ones in February.
As there's only 28 days in February, I actually thought I'd be able to complete only 3 books but I'm typing this on the 26th day and I was able to go through 5 books! It however isn't in the numbers but in how each book eventually makes one a better person.
Enough digression, I initially planned to read mature romance novels because month of love but after the way the first book I read made me feel, I changed course immediately and went on to read other genres touching topics ranging from racism, colonialism to holocaust stories to a young adult medical fiction and even a children's storybook!
1. STILL ME - Jojo Moyes
If you've seen the movie 'Me Before You' or read the book, then you'd be pleased to know that this is the sequel. I tried reading this book with new eyes so that the plot would be super fresh but it was a fail. Not because it's not well written but because I just couldn't erase the fact that I was reading the sequel to a book I love so much that I even enjoyed its movie adaptation!
PLOT : It's about Louisa Clark who has to leave the entirety of her comfort zone due to work and then ends up making and losing certain relationships that eventually makes her find out what her passion really is. This book taught me about how important it is to have the right kind of people around us, how we have to be careful about the things we say yes to and how necessary it is to live life intentionally. It also made me realize that no matter how weird or cliché you think your passion is, you can always make some income from it. Trust me, I'm still looking for how to make money from sleeping. I'd share it with you guys whenever my research comes through.
2. HOMEGOING - Yaa Gyasi
Wow, this book! I've been seeing it everywhere and then reading a particular review did it for me. I knew I had to get it plus I've had this recent urge to read a Ghanaian book. It was fun learning a little about the Ghanaian culture
PLOT : It takes through the life of a woman and her many many descendants and depicts how war, slavery went on to disperse generations with some staying in Ghana and some going to America. Both parties felt the effect of colonialism with the latter part getting it worse because well, they're on the white man's land. However, at the end of it all, there's sort of coming back together of both parties that you wouldn't even have seen coming.
This book is a really good one and I doubt if my explanation of it drives the point home. This only means one thing - It's definitely one I need to read again! I'm not exactly a fan of rereading books but I would probably dedicate a whole month to reading books that need to be read again.
3. EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING - Nicola Yoon
Nicola Yoon is one of my favorite Young Adult author. Her writing literally sucks you in and I was surprised to learn that this is her first book because it was so good, it had to be made into a movie. I watched the movie trailer and as expected, I couldn't help but take note of the huge differences between it and the book. That regardless, I'd still love to see it.
PLOT : An 18 year old lady with SCID - Severe Combined ImmunoDeficiency-, a sickness that means she can't go out for any reason whatsoever and has to breathe filtered air falls in love with her new neighbor and she decided to risk it all for him. This love makes her want to travel the world and by taking this risk, she uncovers shocking secrets her mother has kept hidden from her all her life.
This one is a must read, it will trigger all of your risk taking senses.
4. THE BOOK THIEF - Markus Zusak
I only heard about this book recently and the person talking about it said she challenges anyone to read this book and not cry. Plus a couple of others said it changed the way they see certain things in life. I didn't find the cover a bit attractive but hey, don't judge a book by it's cover, right? I'm glad I didn't.
PLOT : This book was narrated by death and in retrospect, I think if I had known this earlier I would have had just another reason to not read it. It is holocaust themed with the protagonist being a young girl who derives pleasure in stealing books even before she learnt to read them. She lost her family to the war and her foster father who was barely literate was the one who taught her to read and of course, she eventually became better at it than he ever was. This ability went on to provide food for her family during tough times, entertain other people at their hiding place during the many air raids associated with the holocaust and most importantly, saved her life!
I could relate to how the words in the book made her feel however if I were to help someone to develop a reading habit, this book wouldn't make the first 5 because it's not exactly an easy one to read but it's a very good one regardless.
5. CHIKE AND THE RIVER - Chinua Achebe
The book club I belong to was to read this book and because it's the legendary Chinua Achebe, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to read it. It is a children's storybook and I hear some people actually read it in primary school.
PLOT : Chike stays with his strict uncle who wouldn't give him the money needed to go see River Niger and visit Asaba. He eventually makes this money by washing cars of big men. On his arrival to his dream place, he's disappointed as it's not as beautiful as he imagined it to be. However, he does enough sightseeing to cost him his return trip as he got back to the river too late and he had to spend the night in a container. Luckily for him, he overhears a conversation between thieves and when morning came, he was able to identify one of them. This makes him a superhero and he got featured in the newspaper and got a scholarship through secondary school.
I didn't expect to take away any lesson from this book but I did. Crying because you're going to be in trouble with your guardian only to be awarded a scholarship and become a 'celebrity'? Talk about there being a blessing in every disappointment. No matter how subtle.
Can you tell that this was a really rushed up post? Yes, I'm typing this minutes to 3am and my brain is gradually shutting down so kindly forgive all errors, typos and general inaccuracies.
As there's only 28 days in February, I actually thought I'd be able to complete only 3 books but I'm typing this on the 26th day and I was able to go through 5 books! It however isn't in the numbers but in how each book eventually makes one a better person.
Enough digression, I initially planned to read mature romance novels because month of love but after the way the first book I read made me feel, I changed course immediately and went on to read other genres touching topics ranging from racism, colonialism to holocaust stories to a young adult medical fiction and even a children's storybook!
1. STILL ME - Jojo Moyes
If you've seen the movie 'Me Before You' or read the book, then you'd be pleased to know that this is the sequel. I tried reading this book with new eyes so that the plot would be super fresh but it was a fail. Not because it's not well written but because I just couldn't erase the fact that I was reading the sequel to a book I love so much that I even enjoyed its movie adaptation!
PLOT : It's about Louisa Clark who has to leave the entirety of her comfort zone due to work and then ends up making and losing certain relationships that eventually makes her find out what her passion really is. This book taught me about how important it is to have the right kind of people around us, how we have to be careful about the things we say yes to and how necessary it is to live life intentionally. It also made me realize that no matter how weird or cliché you think your passion is, you can always make some income from it. Trust me, I'm still looking for how to make money from sleeping. I'd share it with you guys whenever my research comes through.
2. HOMEGOING - Yaa Gyasi
Wow, this book! I've been seeing it everywhere and then reading a particular review did it for me. I knew I had to get it plus I've had this recent urge to read a Ghanaian book. It was fun learning a little about the Ghanaian culture
PLOT : It takes through the life of a woman and her many many descendants and depicts how war, slavery went on to disperse generations with some staying in Ghana and some going to America. Both parties felt the effect of colonialism with the latter part getting it worse because well, they're on the white man's land. However, at the end of it all, there's sort of coming back together of both parties that you wouldn't even have seen coming.
This book is a really good one and I doubt if my explanation of it drives the point home. This only means one thing - It's definitely one I need to read again! I'm not exactly a fan of rereading books but I would probably dedicate a whole month to reading books that need to be read again.
3. EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING - Nicola Yoon
Nicola Yoon is one of my favorite Young Adult author. Her writing literally sucks you in and I was surprised to learn that this is her first book because it was so good, it had to be made into a movie. I watched the movie trailer and as expected, I couldn't help but take note of the huge differences between it and the book. That regardless, I'd still love to see it.
PLOT : An 18 year old lady with SCID - Severe Combined ImmunoDeficiency-, a sickness that means she can't go out for any reason whatsoever and has to breathe filtered air falls in love with her new neighbor and she decided to risk it all for him. This love makes her want to travel the world and by taking this risk, she uncovers shocking secrets her mother has kept hidden from her all her life.
This one is a must read, it will trigger all of your risk taking senses.
4. THE BOOK THIEF - Markus Zusak
I only heard about this book recently and the person talking about it said she challenges anyone to read this book and not cry. Plus a couple of others said it changed the way they see certain things in life. I didn't find the cover a bit attractive but hey, don't judge a book by it's cover, right? I'm glad I didn't.
PLOT : This book was narrated by death and in retrospect, I think if I had known this earlier I would have had just another reason to not read it. It is holocaust themed with the protagonist being a young girl who derives pleasure in stealing books even before she learnt to read them. She lost her family to the war and her foster father who was barely literate was the one who taught her to read and of course, she eventually became better at it than he ever was. This ability went on to provide food for her family during tough times, entertain other people at their hiding place during the many air raids associated with the holocaust and most importantly, saved her life!
I could relate to how the words in the book made her feel however if I were to help someone to develop a reading habit, this book wouldn't make the first 5 because it's not exactly an easy one to read but it's a very good one regardless.
5. CHIKE AND THE RIVER - Chinua Achebe
The book club I belong to was to read this book and because it's the legendary Chinua Achebe, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to read it. It is a children's storybook and I hear some people actually read it in primary school.
PLOT : Chike stays with his strict uncle who wouldn't give him the money needed to go see River Niger and visit Asaba. He eventually makes this money by washing cars of big men. On his arrival to his dream place, he's disappointed as it's not as beautiful as he imagined it to be. However, he does enough sightseeing to cost him his return trip as he got back to the river too late and he had to spend the night in a container. Luckily for him, he overhears a conversation between thieves and when morning came, he was able to identify one of them. This makes him a superhero and he got featured in the newspaper and got a scholarship through secondary school.
I didn't expect to take away any lesson from this book but I did. Crying because you're going to be in trouble with your guardian only to be awarded a scholarship and become a 'celebrity'? Talk about there being a blessing in every disappointment. No matter how subtle.
Can you tell that this was a really rushed up post? Yes, I'm typing this minutes to 3am and my brain is gradually shutting down so kindly forgive all errors, typos and general inaccuracies.
-Have you read any of these books? Which would you like to read? Just leave a comment with your mail address if you want any.
-Are you more of book or a movie person?
-What books have you read recently? Which are you currently reading?
- Is there any book you've come across and you think is a must read? Let us know.
- This doesn't have to be just about books. What fun movies have you seen recently? Am I the only one who hasn't seen Black Panther? Yes? Wow
- This doesn't have to be just about books. What fun movies have you seen recently? Am I the only one who hasn't seen Black Panther? Yes? Wow
I always want to hear from you. Kindly leave me your thoughts. xx
I've read Home going only. The others, I've not- dinmaac@gmail.com. That's email just in case��
ReplyDeleteI'm a book person. I always fall asleep when I try to watch a movie. Except black panther of course, I cannot come and waste money.
Currently, I'm almost done with GirlBoss and I think Sophia Amoruso is a genius! And yes, the book is a must read.
Fun movie? I watched a tragic Indian movie last week- Aashique. I nearly cried. The movie was too good.
You really tried. 5 books in February? Goals!
www.middleclassnigeriangirl.wordpress.com
Lool @ I cannot come and waste money. Yaay, I've read GirlBoss. I love how she passed across very important points in a laid back way. The few Indian movies have been tragic so I can imagine. Thanks for reading hun. xx
DeleteFive books in one month? You're on a roll girl! Everyone's talking about Homegoing, I literally just read Cassie Dave's review of it yesterday. Can't wait to get my hands on it. I would love to read the sequels to Me Before You. There's one before Still Me I believe, I think it's called After You. All the books sound good, will look out for Book Thief as well! xx
ReplyDeleteCoco Bella Blog
You are on a roll girl. Nice. I really want to get back to reading. But I want to read more fiction and non fiction that talks about human nature and only hard copies cause I'm trying to grow my collection. Lol. This was a nice read. I love Chike and The River, and I've heard of homegoing. I'll read that one first. And that The Book Thief, sounds like an Interesting read.
ReplyDeletevincentdesmond.com
I've had a copy of Chike and the River since forever, but still have not read it. I know, shame on me.
ReplyDeleteOh, wow. I am inspired to read more books. Thanks for the reviews.
ReplyDeleteLol @ looking for how to make money from sleeping. You this girl!
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