2020: Books That Kept Me Sane Through This Very Strange Year

It has been an incredible year. I will not recap all of the negatives that happened this year. Experiencing and surviving a pandemic is enough. I don't think it would be possible for anyone to possibly forget this year so i will simply celebrate the good.  To have achieved nothing other than staying alive this year, in itself is an accomplishment. Along the way (i mean while locked at home with my thoughts), i found companionship in books which i have listed below that kept me going. 

 

I planned to read a lot more books this year unfortunately life happened, other things took priority (working two full time engineering jobs is not a joke) but i was still able to get a few good books in during the lock-down. I hope someone finds any of the books useful, as i did. There is a little something in here for everyone. 

It would be impossible to select which books were my favorite but i tried to categorise them by genre below. If you have read any of the books listed above, please leave a comment and share. 

Self-Help/Sociology Titles

1. Remote - Jason Fried 
2. Outliers: The Story Of Success - Malcolm Gladwell

 

Fiction Titles

1. City Of Thieves - David Benioff
2. Homegoing - Yaa Gyasi
3. White Teeth - Zadie Smith
4. Free Food For Millionaires - Min Jin Lee
5. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevski

 

Islamic Theology/Islamic-Feminist Theory 

1. Believing Women In Islam: Un-reading Patriarchal Interpretations Of The Qur'an - Asmaa Barlas
2. Qur'an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman's Perspective - Amina Wadud

 

Non-Fiction Titles

1. Beneath the Tamarind Tree: A Story of Courage, Family, and the Lost Schoolgirls of Boko Haram - Isha Sesay
2. Hallucinations or Reality - Micheal C Richards
3. History Of Humankind: Sapiens - Yuval Noah Harari
4. Hausa Women in the Twentieth Century - Catherine Coles, Beverly Blow Mack

 

Health Title

1. Green For Life - Victoria Boutenko

A List Of Really Great Books I Read In 2015

It is amazing...just yesterday i was texting people a Happy New Year text and today, it is November, almost 2016. A lot has happened...too much in fact. Amidst all the craziness of this world and the circumstances that are our lives, i have stumbled upon some great books this year. I do not remember a time when i read as much as i read this year. It is not like i had more free time this year, i was so busy with my masters thesis, writing for ezibota, updating this blog, working on some writing projects, work on and off and so many other little things yet, i still created time to read. This goes without saying that it is a major illusion when we tell ourselves that we do not have time for certain things. Yes you do, yes time does not stop for anyone but it is up to us to utilize the time we have and create times for things we want to do. Before this goes to another direction, i just wanted to share some of the most spectacular books i have read this year with anyone reading this. Some of the books that i will list were recommended to me, some i found on my own, some destiny threw my way. If a book is on this list, best believe it has had a profound impact on my life. You will find philosophy, poetry, biographies, novels etc. I hope you get  to read at least some of them within the coming year or even within the last few weeks of this year.

1. Ecce Homo- Friederick Nietszche
2. Words From A Wanderer- Alexandra Elle
3. Love In My Language- Alexandra Elle
4. The Remains Of The Day- Kazuo Ishiguro
5. A Pale View Of Hills- Kazuo Ishiguro
6. There Was A Country- Chinua Achebe
7. Norwegian Wood- Haruki Murakami
8. After The Quake-Haruki Murakami
9. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running- Haruki Murakami
10. The Prophet- Kahlil Gibran
11. Eleven Minutes- Paulo Coelho
12. Brida- Paulo Coelho
13. The Winner Stands Alone- Paulo Coelho
14. The Bastard Of Istanbul- Elif Shafak
15. My Feudal Lord- Tehmina Durrani
16. Callings: Finding And Following An Authentic Life- Gregg Levoy
17. The Everything Store- Brad Stone
18. Americanah- Chimamanda Adichie Ngozie
19. If You Have To Cry, Go Outside and Other Things Your Mother Never Told You- Kelly Cutrone
20. The Satanic Verses- Salman Rushdie
21. David And Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and The Art Of Battling Giants- Malcolm Gladwell
22. The Rubaiyat Of Omar Khayyam

I really hope if not all, then a few of these books impact your life as much as they have impacted mine.
Bonne Annee/Mutlu Yillar/Happy New Year!!!!

Book Review(1): The Thing Around Your Neck- Chimamanda Adichie Ngozi

I have to say, reading this book was a roller coaster ride for me. It was not what i had expected. I binge read Chimamandas Half Of A Yellow Sun in two days and my little sister suggested i read The Thing Around Your Neck next. Totally not what i expected. Not the love story i was hoping it was not thankfully.

To those who do not know, The Thing Around Your Neck is a collection of stories. Chimamanda writes short stories concerning the lives of her characters and she does it in a way that makes you feel like a part of the book and you fall in love/feel a connection with her characters. Her writing style with intricate detailing gives you an almost visual image of whatever it is you are reading. I read and re-read some of these stories and my favorite still is the story titled, The Thing Around Your Neck. A particular line from this story is still lodged beneath my skull;

"The thing that wrapped itself around your neck, that nearly chocked you before you fell asleep, started to loose, to let go."

Took my breath away. I was very emotional about this book. Chimamanda makes you accept who you are. She tells her stories not just to convey a message but to make the reader realise that he/she can be who they are, it is like she is saying "you this black girl reading my book, yeah you. Be as you as it is possible for one to be themselves. Accept you and love you and just be happy.". The thing around your neck talks about culture, the struggles of Africans in as foreign a land as America and just...read this book please. Just read it and tell me what you felt because this book goes deep into your soul. I am grateful to my sister for suggesting this book to me.

Sayonara
xoxo