It’s Christmas eve and in this moment, I feel so blessed and happy. I struggle a lot with enjoying the present but I’ve learnt to take a moment to breathe this year. I just had breakfast and decided to finish this post.
I didn’t read a lot this year and that’s because I struggled with adjusting after moving to a new country with the pressure of starting my career over again. Of the 18 books I read, these 5 books stayed with me. I’ll be sharing my top 5 books in 2022.
- Black cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
- Maame by Jessica George
- Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
- Tomorrow I become a woman by Aiwanose Odafen
Black Cake – Charmaine Wilkerson
A multigenerational story with themes of family, relationships, love, secrets, and loss, this debut novel took me on a journey and it is on this list because the story stayed with me. I look forward to reading more of her work.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
This was possibly my favourite book this year. I went into this blind and I’m so glad I did because I was blown away by the story. Elizabeth is one hell of a character. The writing, the humour, the characters, the story and everything about this book worked!
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
This is one book I’ve been hoping to read for years. It took me a while to finish but when I did, I was so glad I took my time with it. I have a thing for multigenerational, historical fiction and this delivered. It was layered, well-written and heartfelt. BTW, there is a tv adaptation on apple tv.
Tomorrow I become a woman by Aiwanose Odafen
I didn’t read a lot of Nigerian literature this year but I’m so glad I read this one. The story is not new but it was told in such a heartfelt way, you can’t help but feel attached to the characters. This book will get you upset and you’ll have moments where you want to fight someone but it’s well worth it.
Maame by Jessica George
“Maame (ma-meh) has many meanings in Twi but in my case, it means woman.” This was my last read of the year and I knew it’ll make this list about 20% in. I listened to the audiobook on LibroFm and I absolutely loved it. It follows the life of 25-year-old Madeline Wright a British Ghanaian woman and her family. With themes of family, love, grief, and growth. The protagonist is likeable and relatable. This was a stunning debut. Jessica George has been added to my list of authors to keep an eye on. I cannot wait to read more of her work.
How was your reading year? How many books did you read? I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s top reads in 2022.
- TOSIN
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