2020 was my best reading year. I was just getting back into reading full time after my Master's Programme. In 2019, I read one (1) book a month and a total of 12 books for the entire year. I did not want to set ambiguous goals for 2020 so I decided to read 30 books. By December, I had read 55 books. This happened because of the Lockdown period and my Bookstagramm Account. I was constantly reminded to pick up a book to read.
37% of the books I read were written by African Authors, 35 were written by African – Americans / British, 3% by American Authors, 5% by Middle East Authors and 20% by others conspired of New Zealand, Australia, Canadian, Dominican and Haitian.
For me, my discoveries were Middle East Authors and Caribbean Authors. I thoroughly enjoyed these books.
Also, I started listening to audiobooks because of some medical challenges I had with my eyes. I must confess that the audiobooks were even better than I imagined.
In no particular order, here’s a list of my 2020 favourites: I highly recommend these books.
African Fiction:
Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives by Lola Shoneyin
Changes by Ama Ata Aidoo
She would be King by Wayetu Moore
African Non Fiction:
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a boy soldier by Ishmael Baeh
The Girl who smiled Beads: A story of War and What comes After by Clementine Wamuyira and Elizabeth Weil
Poetry:
Questions for Ada Ijeoma Umebinyo
Teaching my Mother how to give Birth by Warsan Shire
Sea of Strangers by Lang Leav
The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kuar
Letter to my Mother by Maya Angelou
Love Her Wild by Atticus
Abandoned Breaths by Alpha
A Mouthful of Home by Tryphena Yeboah
A Fire Like You by Upile Chisala
African – American / British:
Passing by Nella Larson
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Luster by Raven Leilani
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillian
Young Adults:
The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare
Aluta by Adwoa Badoe
Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
Books Around the World:
All the Lights we cannot see by Anthony Doerr – France & Germany
A Woman is No Man by Erum Etaf – Palestine
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini – Iran
Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini – Afghanistan
Breth, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat – Haiti
Have you read any of these? If no then I highly recommend them.
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