Discover my top book recommendations for the first half of 2023. Join me on my reading journey as I share captivating, inspiring, and entertaining titles!
In January, I set the goal to read one book for every week of 2023, and so far, so good! I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve completed 27 books, leaving just 25 more to go. Throughout this journey, I’ve explored various genres and followed my whimsical reading preferences, with the exception of book club reads. Today, I want to share a mid-year check-in of some book recommendations that have truly captivated, entertained, inspired, and excited me. Join me as we dive into these incredible reads!
The Book of Night Women by Marlon James
If this is your first time encountering the Booker Award-winning author, I envy you; I wish I could read this book and any of his other works for the very first time. The Book of Night Women follows a slave girl, Lilith, during the height of slavery in 1700s Jamaica, as well as a group of slave women at the Montpelier farm, as they make life-or-death decisions, which are any decisions that a slave might make. This book is both brutal and beautiful, and it stands out to me as one of the best character-driven stories I have ever read. It is also a great display of range from an author who has published a fantasy trilogy and various other works. I highly recommend this and any of the author’s works.
For What are Butterflies without their Wings by Troy Onyango
When I heard that Troy Onyango was publishing a collection of short stories, I was beyond excited. The AKO Caine Prize shortlisted author’s works have been published in several places, and every time I encountered his work, it left me hungering for more. You can imagine how much I had looked forward to an entire book of his writing, and it did not disappoint. The collection features a range of stories that all work together and fit snugly within the book. I appreciated the exploration of various settings within Kenya, from Nairobi to Kisumu to the coast. Brace yourself for a collection that will make you feel and humanize a group of people that are oftentimes spoken of as a monolith.
If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English by Noor Naga
Every once in a while, you come across a book that leaves you breathless. This was one of those times. A book that can only be described using superlatives and adjectives. This book was experimental, visceral, consuming, and a refreshing show of bravery, creativity, and freedom. I wish I could encounter such experiments more often, and even if that doesn’t happen, I can still revisit this book and be mind-blown all over again.
I haven’t done much to tell you what this book is about, and that’s okay. I want you to read it and experience it for yourself.
The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi
Book one of a thrilling trilogy, Alka Joshi brings the streets of Jaipur alive on the page and introduces us to characters that we come to deeply understand, root for, and get invested in. I couldn’t ask for more from fiction!
It’s A Continent; Unravelling Africa’s History One Country At A Time by Astrid Madimba and Chinny Ukata
To love Africa is to know Africa, and most of us—Africans and non-Africans alike—are falling short in this regard. This book is a concise portrait of significant moments in ancient and modern history in each of Africa’s 54 states. It is a great place to become acquainted with the diverse and complex histories of the various African states, events, and conditions that influence modern-day Africans. I have come to regard this as required reading, I hope you do too
The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
If you love a good Robin Hood story, then this book is for you. In a village in India, a man deserts his wife and everyone in the neighborhood assumes that she had something to do with it. Rumors circulate about her supernatural powers or murderous traits, and she doesn’t feel the need to correct them. That is until another woman contracts her to disappear her own husband, and then another, and yet another. This starts an avalanche of darkly hilarious and unfortunate events that upend a carefully managed oppressive structure and bring into question the status quo.
If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin
This is Baldwin! Read this book before or after you watch the movie by the same name. Either way, read the book and watch the movie. There is a reason why James Baldwin’s work is timeless. His construction of an emotional landscape and his intimate understanding of how irrational human beings move and make decisions make a lot of sense and get you wholly invested. It’s just beautiful to bask in his genius.
These are my mid-year recommendations. I hope the rest of the year holds equally good reads.
Embarking on this reading challenge has been a delightful journey. With 27 books completed, I’m more motivated than ever to conquer the remaining 25. I hope you find my mid-year book recommendations intriguing and that they inspire you to discover new literary gems. Remember, reading opens doors to new perspectives, knowledge, and pure enjoyment.
Happy reading!
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