Bitter Honey, 2025, Lola Akinmade ****

Bitter Honey by Lola Akinmade is a historical fiction novel that follows the life of Nancy, a young Gambian girl with big dreams who migrates to Sweden, only to have those dreams quietly crushed by someone meant to guide her: her university professor. As I read, I could feel the weight of that single moment echo through the rest of her life. The story traces how that derailed ambition stunts her growth and shapes the woman she becomes, influencing everything from her sense of self to the way she raises her children, especially her daughter.

One thing that stood out to me is how Akinmade weaves Nancy’s personal journey into a broader historical landscape. The backdrop of Olof Palme’s assassination, Eurovision, and the Arab Revolution gives the story a textured, time-anchored feel without ever overwhelming the main narrative. It’s history used purposefully, not decoratively.

Despite the heavy themes, the writing itself is far from heavy. It’s an easy, accessible read with a plot that flows smoothly and has all the ingredients of a TV-worthy soap opera; family tension, ambition, heartbreak, identity, and the quiet tragedies that shape us. What struck me the most was

Becoming, 2018, Michelle Obama *****

 

Michelle Obama’s Becoming is not just a memoir, it’s a journey of resilience, hope, and unwavering grace. From the very first page, Michelle invites us into the heart of her world, painting vivid portraits of her childhood in the South Side of Chicago. She writes with raw honesty about her father, who, despite battling multiple sclerosis, never missed a day of work. His quiet strength, paired with the warmth of a close-knit family and the fierce protection of her brother Craig, gave Michelle the foundation to dream bigger than her circumstances.

What strikes you immediately is her determination. A young girl with ambition that soared far beyond her neighborhood, Michelle thrived in school, eventually making her way to Princeton University. There, she found inspiration in mentors, peers, and a sense of belonging that fueled her path forward. Her brilliance carried her to a prestigious law firm in Chicago, where fate, in the form of a summer intern named Barack Obama, walked through the door.

Reading Michelle’s account of meeting Barack is as refreshing as it is moving. Their early days together, their trip to

The Pole, 2023, J.M. Coetzee ****

What happens when love tries to bloom between two people who don’t speak the same language, literally and emotionally? In The Pole, Nobel laureate J.M. Coetzee explores this fragile, beautiful idea through the unlikely connection between a 70-year-old Polish pianist and Beatriz, a Spanish woman in her late forties, who is unhappily yet securely married.

The story begins in Barcelona, where the Polish artist has been invited to perform. The spark is immediate and one-sided, he is drawn to Beatriz with a quiet, persistent intensity. She, poised and enigmatic, is part of the organizing committee, and what follows

How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child, 2017, Sandra Uwiringiyimana , Abigail Pesta *****

How Dare the Sun Rise is much more than a memoir, it’s a powerful coming-of-age story that follows the journey of Sandra Uwiringiyimana, a Congolese girl from the Banyamulenge tribe, as she navigates unthinkable tragedy, survival, and transformation.

The book opens with warm recollections of Sandra’s early childhood in Congo. Despite growing up in a region marked by deep-rooted conflict, her memories are filled with joy, family, and a sense of belonging. But everything changes when war breaks out. Forced to flee their home, Sandra and her family seek refuge in Gatumba, a camp in neighboring Burundi. What they hoped would be a safe haven becomes the site of a horrific massacre that claims the life of her beloved younger sister, Deborah.

This traumatic event sets off a chain of circumstances that eventually brings Sandra and her family to the United States. She was only 11 or 12 at the time, and what follows is a deeply personal account of a refugee family trying to adjust to a completely new world, one filled with

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood, 2016, by Trevor Noah *****

This is not your typical Apartheid story. This is a tale of defiance, resilience, and survival, told with humor so sharp it cuts through the darkest of times. Born a Crime is Trevor Noah’s unfiltered, deeply personal account of his childhood in South Africa, growing up in the shadow of Apartheid and its chaotic aftermath.

At the heart of this story is Trevor’s mother, Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah, a warrior in her own right. Born and raised under the brutal oppression of Apartheid, she refused to let the system define her destiny. Against all odds, she carved out a life for herself, defying laws, norms, and expectations. She chose to have a child, a mixed-race child, with a white man at a time when such a union was not just taboo, but illegal. Yet, she was determined that her son would not inherit the burden of Apartheid.

Trevor takes us through his childhood, raised by a mother whose love was fierce and unwavering. She gave him everything she could, shielding him with her wit, wisdom, and unwavering belief that he was meant for something greater. But just when you think the book is solely about Patricia’s fight, Trevor shifts the focus to himself, his experiences as a biracial child navigating

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi *****

This book tells the story of two sisters who were both born on the coast of West Africa during the Transatlantic slave trade. Effia remains in Africa, while Esi is sold into slavery. Homegoing follows their lineage down to the 5th generation. Each chapter of the novel is focused on one of their descendants, with some sort of comparison to help you understand what life is like for the people who were sold into slavery and the ones who stayed behind.

In my opinion,

African Literature in translation: Libros de Baobab

I was explaining my literature blog to a good friend of mine, and I was telling her that she could be updated by following my twitter account handle. She followed immediately and asked that I should follow back and I realised that I had turned off my twitter notifications. However, as I logged into my account I noticed that there was an unread message sent to me some three weeks ago. I felt terrible and I proceeded to read it at once.

The message was from my dearest blogger friend, owner of Literafrica it says the following:

Hoy quiero hacerte partícipe de una gran alegría para mi. Un sueño que he podido hacer realidad. Fuiste de las primeras personas que contactó conmigo en este mundo tan extraño como es la red. Siempre recordaré aquel primer contacto que tanto me alegró y me dio fuerzas para seguir. Espero que estés bien y tu pequeño también. Te dejo con mi pequeña aventura, estoy segura de que te alegrarás también. Un abrazo. S.

Today, I want you to be part of some thing that brings me great joy. My dream come true. You were one of the first people that got in touch with me in this strange networking world. I will always remember that first time you contacted me, it gave me

Better Never than Late, 2019, Chika Unigwe *****

This is a collection of short stories that narrates on the lives of Nigerian immigrants in Belgium. it consists of ten short stories somehow interconnected.

The Transfiguration of Rapu: How do you cope when you have to pretend you aren't the real wife because your husband is married to another person in order to legalise his situation.

Finding Faith: My favourite of them all, though it is a sadly engaging story of loss. How do we deal with the loss of our loved ones when we are so far away from home and immersed in a different culture?

If Finding Faith is sadly engaging, the story of Agu and Prosperous is enraging. Their story occupied two chapters of the novel "Becoming Prosperous and Every One Deserves Grace". After the riot that put an end to Agu's business in Jos, he decides

FRIDAS DE BARCELONA

OBJETIVOS DEL 1ER. CÍRCULO INTERNACIONAL DE POESÍA Y ARTE MUJERES PUÑOS

VIOLETA “MI MUNDO SURREALISTA” DE FRIDAS DE BARCELONA Y EL MUNDO:

 Crear difusión a las poetas que se inician en el ámbito poético.

Promover la poesía activista y feminista.

Empoderar a la mujer poeta.

Crear redes entre poetas de todo el mundo.

En virtud de lo anterior, es nuestro deseo crear un círculo energético internacional donde la prioridad sea el empoderamiento de las mujeres alzando su puño violeta en el ámbito de la poesía y el arte activista-feminista, difundiendo a través de nuestros vínculos artísticos la solidaridad y empatía, donde no existan las jerarquías o estatus de poder por trayectoria o premios, que impidan a mujeres desconocidas acceder a divulgar su poesía y arte. Un círculo donde se puedan verbalizar las ideas, emociones o sentimientos a través de la poesía y el arte por el hecho de compartir y nutrirnos para crecer como personas y artistas y con el objetivo final de enviar un mensaje al mundo sobre los derechos humanos.

Travellers, 2019, Helon Habila *****

The main character whose name is not mentioned, leaves Nigeria to complete a phD thesis in the U.S.A, he marries an American, not the way his parents would have expected. However, one thing leads to another and he drifts around. This novel narrates on the people he meets along the way while travelling.

In Berlin, he meets Mark,  deep and mystical, a Malawian student with an expired visa dodging deportation. He comes across  Manu and his daughter Rachida, Libyans  who survive the

Memoirs of a Woman Doctor, 2019, Nawal El Saadawi ****

Nawal El Saadawi, I wonder why she has not yet won the Nobel Literature Prize. Memoirs of a Woman Doctor narrates the story of a girl who is forced to grow up in a society dominated by men. 

"because from early childhood a girl is brought up to believe that she's a body and nothing more, so her body becomes her main concern for the rest of her life, and she doesn't realise that she's got a mind as well which must be looked after and encouraged to develop"

"How can a woman live alone without a man? Why is she going out? Why is she coming in? Why is she smiling? Why is she breathing? Why is she taking gulps of fresh air? Why is she looking at the moon? Why does she hold her head up and open her eyes wide? Why does she tread with confidence and

Known and Strange Things: Essays, 2016, Teju Cole ***

Teju Cole writes so well, Known and Strange Things is a collection of essays neatly written, divided into four sections; Reading Things, Seeing Things, Being There and Epilogue (which consists of only one essay). In total, over 50 essays.

Here goes some of my favourites:

Aciman's Alibi: What we missed was not just Egypt. What we missed was dreaming Europe in Egypt" - what we missed was the Egypt where we'd dreamt of Europe"

Guergui Pimkhassov: ...Behind this dispiriting stream of empty images is what Russians call poshlost: fake emotion, unearned nostalgia. According to Nabokov, poshlost "is not only the obviously trashy but mainly the falsely important, the falsely beautiful, the falsely clever, the falsely attractive."

Palace of Desire (The Cairo Trilogy #2), 1957 by Naguib Mahfouz

At long last I am finally done with this novel. Last two years I read the first part of the trilogy which I thoroughly enjoyed, please click here. In Palace of desire, the family saga continues. Al-Sayyid Ahmad is done mourning the death of one of his sons who died in the first sequel, he went back to his life of alcohol and women, though he realised he has aged. He decides to keep a young mistress. 

Kamal his youngest son falls in love with a

The Mourned One, 1975, Stanlake Samkange ***

The Mourned one narrates the story of a young man who is condemned for allegedly raping a white woman in Rhodesia, today's Zimbabwe.

Ndatshana is born a twin, separated from his brother after birth, saved and raised by a white missionary. Life is good until he realises he does not really belong and starts to enquire about his background, which, does not sit well with the white missionaries.

The woman he allegedly raped is his

Dance of the Jakaranda, 2018, Peter Kimani ***

Dance of the Jakaranda narrates the story of the intertwined destinies of a white reverend, a British soldier, an Indian railway worker and a Masai king in today's Kenya before its independence from the British. A novel that questions the true identity of a Kenyan. 

The story has lots of potential, however, it does not meet my expectations, A lot is going on at a time, which keeps on moving back and fort in history. I was more interested in the lives of the characters, I wanted to get to know them better, however the historical events keep on popping up, kindling my interest, although,

Horses of God, 2010, Mahi Binebine ****

Horses of God tells the story of a boy who lives in abject poverty and squalor in Morocco, falls into Islamic indoctrination and is convinced to carry out a jihad. This book actually is written in remembrance of the 2003 Casablanca bombing. One of the suicide bombers from his grave narrates the story of his life and what led him to become a suicide bomber.

It is not a novel I particularly enjoyed however, I must say it is brilliantly written. An interesting read as we live in an era where there has been more often than not suicide attacks,  a situation that creates

New Release 2018

What books to watch out for in 2018

 

The Secrets Between Us is a sequel to The Space Between Us published in 2006 by Thrity Umrigar, I'd like to read. It will be published in June 2018 by Harper.

Please click here to buy

The author of Nervous Condition has published again. She won The Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book in Africa 1986 with her first novel. I'd like

2017 Book of the Year

 

I read many interesting novels in 2017 however, Dance with a Poor Man's Daughter was outstanding in so many ways. A page turner, an easy read, a sad read and a hopeful story told through the eyes of a child. This book was published in 1997 and won the Commonwealth Writer's Prize for Best First Book in Africa 1998. This is a novel, I wholeheartedly recommend. 

Pamela Jooste is a South African  novelist. Dance with a Poor Man's Daughter is her first novel.

What was your most outstanding book read in the year 2017?

Please click here to buy.

2017 Reading Highlights

Read, Enjoyed and Highly Recommended in 2017.

   

My 2017 book of the year will be announced next week.

Happy New Year 2018

I read 21 books in 2017, I must admit that I did not read as much I would have loved to. My readings slowed down the last trimester of 2017 due to personal reasons. At least I was able to read as much as in 2016, not less.

What about you? Have you read any of the books mentioned above or any book by any of the writers mentioned above? Please let us know or post a link to your review.

I am wishing you a prosperous reading in 2018. 

Please click on image to read review.