I had such a good reading month and I think I found my favourite short story collection. I hope to do a video recap showcasing all the books I read in May.
Updating this post to share all my Youtube videos regarding the books mentioned.
Nearly All The Men in Lagos Are Mad by Damilare Kuku ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
One of the best short story collections I have ever read! A collection of 12 short stories talking about different women in Lagos, Nigeria and their relationships with men. Even though the stories are set in Lagos, the stories apply to women everywhere.
I loved this book so I decided to do a video dedicated to my love for this book. My favourite story was Beard Gang!
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones ⭐⭐⭐
This book was so sad and made me emotional. The novel focuses on the marriage of Celestial and Roy and how their lives are torn apart when Roy is wrongfully convicted of a rape he did not commit. Eye opening book about how the criminal justice system works and how it affects Black families. I would recommend it.
Zikora by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Chimamanda never misses! I think this is Chimamanda’s best work! An amazing short story about Zikora, a prominent DC lawyer from Nigeria, who tells her lawyer boyfriend that she is pregnant and he abandons her! You really cannot spell disappointment without mentioning men. It’s about Zikora navigating her pregnancy alone with her mother and reflecting on how she got herself in such a situation! If you enjoy short stories, I would recommend reading this.
Crying in H-mart by Michelle Zauner ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Loved this memoir! Michelle Zauner who also goes by Japanese Breakfast reflects on her life as a Korean immigrant and relationship with her mother. Michelle loses her mother to terminal cancer and shares the devastating journey for herself and family. I always struggle rating memoirs because who am I to judge someone’s life? But this was a 5 star memoir. I highly recommend it!
Woman At Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi ⭐⭐⭐
Fun fact, Ariana Grande named her third studio album Dangerous Woman from a line in Woman at Point Zero. Nawal El Saadawi writes “they said, “you are a savage and dangerous woman.” Firdaus narrates this feminist novel from her prison cell after killing her pimp in Cairo, Egypt. She shares her journey from her childhood to prostitution.
Beach Read by Emily Henry ⭐⭐
So hyped up and for what? I was confused. Watch my video to understand my disappointment in this popular book. It was bland, boring and the main characters annoyed me. I hate the slow pace of the story. I am not a fan of slow burn romance.
Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino ⭐⭐⭐
I love Jia’s writing. She is a writer at The New Yorker so I was excited to read this. She also did an amazing piece about the rise of Juul in America. Jia writes about scam culture, the rise of athleisure and her experience being part of a teen reality show. I really loved the story about the UVA rape case and the impact false accusations has on the accused person.
My only complaint is that some essays were too long. She would put way too much background information that dragged the essay and lessened my interest. I have no interest in knowing the details of how Amazon was founded.