Book-Reviews on Shorendipity | Ahmed Shodipo

There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Title: There Are Rivers in the Sky
Author: Shafak, Elif
Publisher: Knopf
Pages: 446
Date Read: 01 December 2025
Bookshelves: read, favorites
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It was around this time last year I discovered that Shafak had published another title. I was understandably excited as I knew I had something to look forward to in the next year. To be clear, Shafak is my favourite author alive; a title the author has earned through the quality, style and variety of her works. So, when I picked up Shafak’s latest title halfway into the year as life began asking me difficult questions, it was with a mix of expectation, enthusiasm and the promise of a badly-needed escape.

The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis

Fri, 08 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Title: The Keeper of Happy Endings
Author: Davis, Barbara
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Pages: 415
Date Read: 08 August 2025
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I began this book with understandable enthusiasm and very high expectations after completing the author’s The Echo of Old Books sometime last year. I also began this book as a means to escape my lived reality, which did not help with expectations. In truth, I asked a lot from this book and I am pleased to report that the book held its own despite my heavy expectations.

Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung

Sun, 16 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Title: Daughters of Shandong
Author: Chung, Eve J.
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 400
Date Read: 16 March 2025
Bookshelves: read, favorites
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A great book about family, gender, trauma and survival. The book was set in 1950s China. And through the eyes of the narrator, Hai, we understand the heartbreaking reality of what it means to be a girl/woman in China at a time of great cultural, geographic and economic flux.

When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut

Sat, 21 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Title: When We Cease to Understand the World
Author: Labatut, Benjamín
Publisher: New York Review Books
Pages: 193
Date Read: 21 December 2024
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I decided to read this book on the strength of a single excerpt I found randomly on the internet. Humans have been known to risk it all for love, country and iniquity; but I have done similar things in the quest of the perfect paragraph like the one you’re about to read.

The Echo of Old Books by Barbara Davis

Sun, 24 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Title: The Echo of Old Books
Author: Davis, Barbara
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Pages: 431
Date Read: 24 November 2024
Bookshelves: read, favorites
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I sit by my desk, staring at a blank screen waiting for these words to come. They do not. Not keen to force a review my heart was not yet ready to render, I let go in the hopes that tomorrow would be better.

Shōgun (Asian Saga, #1) by James Clavell

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Title: Shōgun (Asian Saga, #1)
Author: Clavell, James
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Pages: 1152
Date Read: 18 June 2024
Bookshelves: read, may-return-to
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐

This book began with some promise but I found the first few pages quite slow and it didn’t take long for my enthusiasm to start to wane. For a book with over a thousand pages, it was sad to have had these concerns this early into the book and I took it as my cue to discontinue.

The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Title: The Island of Missing Trees
Author: Shafak, Elif
Publisher: VIKIN
Pages: 354
Date Read: 16 April 2024
Bookshelves: read, favorites
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A dear friend got me this book in in 2021 but i did not get to read it till a few months ago. Why? You ask. Well because I vow to read exactly one Shafak per year. Good authors are in short supply these days so I like to take my time before exhausting the supply of a proven author’s works.

The Prodigal Daughter (Kane & Abel, #2) by Jeffrey Archer

Sat, 10 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Title: The Prodigal Daughter (Kane & Abel, #2)
Author: Archer, Jeffrey
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Pages: 485
Date Read: 10 February 2024
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The book begins with the details from the first book Kane and Abel, introducing the patriarchs and gave more context to the circumstances that made them sworn enemies. But we know in the first few pages that the story is not about these two men, but rather about Abel’s daughter Florentyna. The story takes us through her formative years, her love for Kane’s son, her other close relationships and how she would leverage these relationships much later in life to propel her to being the leader of the free world.

Tomorrow I Become a Woman by Aiwanose Odafen

Sat, 02 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Title: Tomorrow I Become a Woman
Author: Odafen, Aiwanose
Publisher: Simon Schuster Audio UK
Pages: N/A
Date Read: 02 December 2023
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

3.5 stars rounded up

It was difficult to love most of the characters in this book as the author made little effort to make the reader understand the motivations behind their actions. The characters lacked a certain complexity I have come to appreciate in works of fiction. It was as though the author aggregated popular stereotypes of how the Nigerian society demands people to be and designed characters solely around these rigid definitions. As a consequence, most of the characters were without nuance and soul.

The Son of the House by Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Title: The Son of the House
Author: Onyemelukwe-Onuobia, Cheluchi
Publisher: Dundurn Press
Pages: 288
Date Read: 13 November 2023
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Very well-written and easy to read. One of my favourite reads of 2023. Loved how the author leveraged fate in this story, as if to remind us of the subtle ways in which we are all connected

In case you missed it the first time, this is a very well-written book. I look forward to reading other works by this author.

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Title: Invisible Cities
Author: Calvino, Italo
Publisher: Harcourt
Pages: 165
Date Read: 08 September 2023
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐

You can immediately tell that Calvino is a fantastic writer 5 pages into this book. However, I did not enjoy the book, mainly because I did not appreciate what the book was about.

While I enjoyed the dialogues between Polo and Kublai, I did not derive much satisfaction from reading descriptions of far-flung cities, hard as I tried.

The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Title: The Joys of Motherhood
Author: Emecheta, Buchi
Publisher: Longman
Pages: 224
Date Read: 08 September 2023
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A very sad book indeed. In this book, Emecheta writes about a culture that ties a woman’s worth to the responsibilities of motherhood.

First, you must be a mother. Then you must bear sons to carry your husband’s family name. And while raising these kids almost singlehandedly, languishing in penury because your husband went to fight in another man’s war, you must take responsibility for the failures and share none of the successes. You learn early on that the only reward for motherhood is a promise. A promise that your male children will be successful and take care of you. And if they eventually become successful and do not remember to repay your kindness, your task as a mother is to continue to wish them well. To be wholly content that you raised a success story. After all, you did not just birth a child; you birthed a male child. That is what you must aspire to be: a mother to male children. In the eye of culture, you are far better than a woman with no sons; or worse, a woman with no children.

The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Title: The Art of Thinking Clearly
Author: Dobelli, Rolf
Publisher: Harper
Pages: 384
Date Read: 03 July 2023
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book keeps its promise on what it sets out to accomplish: which is to aggregate scores of thinking fallacies and suggest methods to keep us aware of these errors and strategies to help mitigate their unintended consequences.

It was well-written. And I learnt a lot from its pages. Particularly knowing the technical terms of fallacies and scenarios I encounter very frequently.

[A Common-Sense Guide to Data Structures and Algorithms]: Level Up Your Core Programming Skills - 2020, 2nd Edition [Paperback] by Jiwel Jiwel

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Title: [A Common-Sense Guide to Data Structures and Algorithms]: Level Up Your Core Programming Skills - 2020, 2nd Edition [Paperback]
Author: Jiwel, Jiwel
Publisher: Independently published
Pages: 488
Date Read: 27 June 2023
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Excellent content and written in accessible language. Essential first read for folks with no experience in data structures and algorithms or those who seek a more relaxed understanding of the subject.

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Title: Carrie Soto Is Back
Author: Reid, Taylor Jenkins
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 384
Date Read: 27 June 2023
Bookshelves: read, favorites
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

There are authors whose books I read once per year. I do this because excellent writing is always in short supply and must be rationed accordingly. TJR is one of 2 authors (as of 2023) that occupy this elite list. You only need to read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo to quickly understand why.

Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad by Damilare Kuku

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Title: Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad
Author: Kuku, Damilare
Publisher: Masobe Books
Pages: 254
Date Read: 27 June 2023
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐

The first story was descriptive in a way I genuinely enjoyed. The other stories, however, only served to reinforce my reasons for avoiding the genre of short stories on principle.

Strategize to Win: The New Way to Start Out, Step Up, or Start Over in Your Career by Carla A. Harris

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Title: Strategize to Win: The New Way to Start Out, Step Up, or Start Over in Your Career
Author: Harris, Carla A.
Publisher: Avery
Pages: 256
Date Read: 27 June 2023
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A very well-written book. There’s something for everyone at any stage of their career. Definitely learnt a lot from this one. You probably will too.

The Architect's Apprentice by Elif Shafak

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Title: The Architect’s Apprentice
Author: Shafak, Elif
Publisher: Viking
Pages: 424
Date Read: 27 June 2023
Bookshelves: read, favorites
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

In this book, as usual, Shafak holds the reader spellbound by the excellence of her words. Here, she writes about the Ottoman Empire, the art of construction, apprenticeship, war, plagues, and death. She writes of Sinan, the legendary architect responsible for the construction of some of the most famous mosques that stand to this day and the philosophy that guides his approach to design. She writes of Chota, a white elephant gifted to the sultan from the king of a faraway land. She tells of how decades of service and spectacle wove her into the very fabric of the city. She writes of Jahan, the elephant keeper, who would later train under Sinan and eventually raise buildings of his own. She writes of his search for love, his want for meaning and his quest for legacy. With an abundance of characters that stretch through decades, wars and plagues, this book was a slight departure from how a typical Shafak book would read.

The Dhandho Investor: The Low-Risk Value Method to High Returns by Mohnish Pabrai

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Title: The Dhandho Investor: The Low-Risk Value Method to High Returns
Author: Pabrai, Mohnish
Publisher: Wiley
Pages: 183
Date Read: 27 June 2023
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐

Decently written. Started reading with no expectations. So I felt no hurt when the book neither wowed nor displeased me upon completion.

A solid 3.

The Man in the Red Underpants by A.R. Green

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Title: The Man in the Red Underpants
Author: Green, A.R.
Publisher: nan
Pages: 45
Date Read: 27 June 2023
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐

Decently written. Makes a case for Islam as the only route to God. The arguments put forth in this text weren’t strong enough to sway one who didn’t already share an ideological bent as the author. I, therefore, think the book will mostly benefit believers and is unlikely to benefit anyone else. Which is ironic because believers are not the target audience of the book.

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Title: Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
Author: Knight, Phil
Publisher: Scribner
Pages: 400
Date Read: 09 February 2023
Bookshelves: read, favorites
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

5 solid stars.

A well-written memoir by the founder of arguably the world’s most influential lifestyle brand. The writing was excellent; the insights abundant, and the storytelling – legendary.

Read this book.

Eight Letters to a Young Writer by Teju Cole

Sat, 14 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Title: Eight Letters to a Young Writer
Author: Cole, Teju
Publisher: NEXT
Pages: 40
Date Read: 14 January 2023
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Short. Concise. Excellent. A great read reminiscent of Rilke’s Letters to a young Poet . The author doesn’t introduce any radical opinions but does a fine job of aggregating mundane insights into a truly beautiful and well-written body of work.

I recommend.

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows
Author: Koenig, John
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 272
Date Read: 01 December 2022
Bookshelves: read, favorites
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What do you do when you have no words for what you feel? How do you express yourself in ways language does not yet acknowledge as popular, or as normal? The author’s answer to these questions, well, was to curate a dictionary of nouns, verbs, and adjectives that capture the human experience in ways too subtle to be grasped by language as we know it. And as one who appreciates words, I cannot think of a greater labour of love.

Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis

Wed, 23 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt
Author: Lewis, Michael
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Pages: 304
Date Read: 23 November 2022
Bookshelves: read, favorites
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was an excellent read. As one who appreciates numbers, good writing, and scale with respect to financial markets, this book gets my complete endorsement. This is my first time reading Michael Lewis and I can confirm that it will not be my last.

Playing Safe (The Fox Family Series, #1) by A.J. Stone

Sat, 19 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: Playing Safe (The Fox Family Series, #1)
Author: Stone, A.J.
Publisher: nan
Pages: 274
Date Read: 19 November 2022
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I enjoyed reading this book. More than the beauty of the story, I loved the character development and the author’s writing style—a solid first book. Looking forward to reading more books from this series and from this author.

The Red-Haired Woman by Orhan Pamuk

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: The Red-Haired Woman
Author: Pamuk, Orhan
Publisher: Knopf Canada
Pages: 274
Date Read: 18 October 2022
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐

More like 2.5 stars rounded up.

The first half of this book was a chore to read as it was written with a complete disregard for urgency. The second half moved at a faster pace and elevated my rating from what would have been a definite 1 star. This section of the story was very well written but such deftness came a little too late.

Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree
Author: Nwaubani, Adaobi Tricia
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Pages: 328
Date Read: 01 September 2022
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book tells the story of the kidnapped Chibok girls from the point of view of the survivors. Framing the story this way was powerful because it allows the reader to appreciate the lives these girls lived, their desire for education, their aspirations for the future, and the tragedy they endured in the hands of the Boko Haram terrorists.

Honor by Elif Shafak

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: Honor
Author: Shafak, Elif
Publisher: Viking
Pages: 352
Date Read: 16 August 2022
Bookshelves: read, favorites
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The best time to have written this review was five weeks ago when I completed the book amidst excitement and measured melancholy. Part of why I stalled was because I felt I did not possess the language for the range of emotions I experienced while reading. So I waited. But the longer I lazed around for these words to somehow find me, the more I found the core of the book slipping away from me. Worried that there would be nothing left to write about when the right words eventually came, I resolved to freeze all these scattered emotions in words before all was lost to time.

Your Crib, My Qibla (African Poetry Book) by Saddiq Dzukogi

Sat, 16 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: Your Crib, My Qibla (African Poetry Book)
Author: Dzukogi, Saddiq
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Pages: 108
Date Read: 16 July 2022
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A gripping collection of poems inspired by loss and grief. Some hits. Some misses. Overall a good body of work

Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke

Tue, 12 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: Letters to a Young Poet
Author: Rilke, Rainer Maria
Publisher: Dover Publications
Pages: 80
Date Read: 12 July 2022
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a short but very well-written book themed around solitude, finding one’s purpose and creative writing. I felt it tapered off towards the end but still made for a pretty compelling read.

The Woman in the White Kimono by Ana Johns

Thu, 07 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: The Woman in the White Kimono
Author: Johns, Ana
Publisher: Park Row
Pages: 352
Date Read: 07 July 2022
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A well-written story about the consequences of forbidden love in the aftermath of war and a daughter’s attempt to reconcile her father’s past with the present.

I enjoyed reading this book.

Introduction to Recursive Programming by Manuel Rubio-Sanchez

Sun, 19 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: Introduction to Recursive Programming
Author: Rubio-Sanchez, Manuel
Publisher: CRC Press
Pages: 567
Date Read: 19 June 2022
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A nice introductory text written in accessible language. An essential text for anyone daunted by the prospect of functions that call themselves

Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong

Sat, 04 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: Night Sky with Exit Wounds
Author: Vuong, Ocean
Publisher: Copper Canyon Press
Pages: 89
Date Read: 04 June 2022
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A beautiful collection of poems that explores war, love, death, and family. I loved a good number of these poems but not all of them. Perhaps when I revisit these pages, I’ll find understanding in those poems that, at the moment, escape me.

What We Buried by Caitlyn Siehl

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: What We Buried
Author: Siehl, Caitlyn
Publisher: Words Dance Publishing
Pages: 64
Date Read: 03 June 2022
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Very well-written. I enjoyed most of the poems. Looking forward to reading more of the author’s works

Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue

Thu, 02 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: Behold the Dreamers
Author: Mbue, Imbolo
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Pages: 400
Date Read: 02 June 2022
Bookshelves: read, favorites
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A very well-written story that lasted this long on my shelf because I simply did not want the book to end. Please sign me up for the next thing this author publishes.

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

Mon, 02 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: Interpreter of Maladies
Author: Lahiri, Jhumpa
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages: 198
Date Read: 02 May 2022
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐

I tried to combat my bias against short stories by reading this well-acclaimed Pulitzer winner. Upon finishing the book, my feelings are that of a familiar disappointment in the genre. Do not misunderstand: not all of the stories are bad; the third story was outstanding, and the last story was pretty decent. For most of the book, however, I just wanted to get the stories over with and what kept me going was the misplaced expectation that the next story would be better. Most, unfortunately, were not.

Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta

Mon, 02 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: Under the Udala Trees
Author: Okparanta, Chinelo
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages: 328
Date Read: 02 May 2022
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐

This book was 170 pages longer than it needed to be.

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: The Death of Vivek Oji
Author: Emezi, Akwaeke
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Pages: 248
Date Read: 24 March 2022
Bookshelves: read, favorites
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a moving story that was told with the finest of words and I write this review having come off the book with genuine satisfaction from my experience. This book is themed around death, grief, love, and identity in a manner I had yet to experience before encountering Akwaeke Emezi.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: The Art of Racing in the Rain
Author: Stein, Garth
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 336
Date Read: 16 March 2022
Bookshelves: read, favorites
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

5 solid stars!

A refreshingly beautiful read. There is so much to love about the book right - from the trace of poetry in the title, down to the style through which the wisdom in its paragraphs was communicated. The reader is introduced to Enzo, a dog as cute as he is wise. We see the world through Enzo’s eyes as he lives through his master’s pain, loss, grief, and racing passions; while navigating his own bestial desires, superior emotions, age, and eventual mortality.

Sisters' Entrance by Emtithal Mahmoud

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: Sisters’ Entrance
Author: Mahmoud, Emtithal
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Pages: 128
Date Read: 09 March 2022
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

In this collection, Emtithal renders the details of pain and loss, family and war so vividly. While i find her written poetry beautiful, i am way more partial to her spoken word versions because consuming poems in a collection as personal as this without the guidance of the author almost strips the words of meaning and flattens the emotions these words were designed to inspire.

Welcome to Lagos by Chibundu Onuzo

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: Welcome to Lagos
Author: Onuzo, Chibundu
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Pages: 368
Date Read: 07 March 2022
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

What this book lacked in plot depth, it more than made up for with awesome storytelling and relatable characters. Looking forward to the author’s next work.

PS: The story gets much darker than its title and colourful front cover would have you believe.

So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by Cal Newport

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love
Author: Newport, Cal
Publisher: Business Plus
Pages: 288
Date Read: 16 February 2022
Bookshelves: read, favorites
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

An essential read for anyone at any stage of their career. Well-written and packed with solid career insights.

I recommend.

A Broken People's Playlist by Chimeka Garricks

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: A Broken People’s Playlist
Author: Garricks, Chimeka
Publisher: Masobe Books
Pages: 255
Date Read: 03 February 2022
Bookshelves: read, favorites
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I do not usually deal in short stories; but for this author, I made a wise decision to give this book a try. 12 stories later, I am happy to report that I hold no ounce of regret for my actions. The stories are deep and beautiful, yet accessible and deserving of their own books if only the author tried.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: The Beekeeper of Aleppo
Author: Lefteri, Christy
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 317
Date Read: 26 January 2022
Bookshelves: read
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐

A moving story from a good writer. However, I found the scenery descriptions a tad superfluous. Did not enjoy the book as much as I would have hoped, which comes as a letdown because I genuinely wanted to love this book.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Fri, 14 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Title: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Author: Reid, Taylor Jenkins
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 389
Date Read: 14 January 2022
Bookshelves: read, favorites
My Rating (out of 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I know it is January, but I may have already found my book of the year!

This book will stay with me for a very long time. And the author, well, just earned herself a shameless lifelong fan.

What a book! What a book!

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini