New to the blog? These are the five-star reads I've loved most, a good place to begin, wherever your curiosity takes you.
If you only read five, start here:
- Half of a Yellow Sun, 2006, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Things Fall Apart, 1958, by Chinua Achebe
- Americanah, 2013, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- A Long Way Gone, 2007, by Ishmael Beah
- Becoming, 2018, by Michelle Obama
Nigeria
- Things Fall Apart, 1958, by Chinua Achebe
- Half of a Yellow Sun, 2006, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Americanah, 2013, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- The Joys of Motherhood, 1979, by Buchi Emecheta
North Africa & the Middle East
Southern Africa
- Disgrace, 1999, by J.M. Coetzee
- Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, 2001, by Alexandra Fuller
- Zenzele: A Letter For My Daughter, 1996, by J. Nozipo Maraire
East Africa & the Horn
- Cutting for Stone, 2009, by Abraham Verghese
- A Long Way Gone, 2007, by Ishmael Beah
- Infidel, 2007, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Beyond Africa
- Mother Mary Comes to Me, 2025, by Arundhati Roy
- Becoming, 2018, by Michelle Obama
- The Book of Negroes, 2007, by Lawrence Hill
Want more? Browse the full 5-star archive or dive into everything I've reviewed.
- 2025 Reading Highlights
- 2017 Book of the Year
- 2017 Reading Highlights
- 5 Years of Book Blogging & 50 Highly Recommended
- 2016 Book of the Year
- 2016 Reading Highlights
- 2015 Book of the Year
- 2015 Reading Highlights
- 2014 Book of the Year
- 2014 Reading Highlights
- 30 Books Highly Recommended
- 20 Best African Novels Must Read
- 2013 Top 10 Must Read
- 2012 Top 10 Must Read.
