Posted in Uncategorized

A Review: The Host by Stephanie Meyer

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_2G5spAIEb/?igshid=1afwrq3asyh5k

I rarely Do Not Finish books, I always try my best to finish them no matter how bad the story is.

We chose The Host as our book club read and I would say it wasn’t one of our best reads for the year, although some person’s still loved this book.

I watched The Host when I was way younger but I never really understood the story, I was happy to read it atleast to explain the movie better.

Not my best of decisions but it’s fine you must not read perfect books all the time.

The Host is a “Science fiction” but I would say it’s a weird Romance story.. 😅

There is an invasion of the earth by hosts who implant themselves in humans. They have forced humans into hiding and the human race has gradually become extinct.

Melanie is captured and has been planted with a host who can’t seem to beat Melanie’s spirit and take over her mind completely in order to help other hosts.

The story progresses on to life with Melanie and the host, Wanderer, their relationship growth to mutual friendship, finding Melanie’s family, finding love and acceptance in the Human community.

It’s a really good story, different from the normal, but it didn’t do it for me, maybe because I’m not much of a Science fiction buff or something 😅. I usually rate my books based on how captivating the story was for me and The Host did not meet that, it was slow and a bit boring especially at the beginning.

The characters were a bit annoying, the love triangle, actually square😅😂😂 was weird, the story was just different.

I gave it 3 stars on goodreads, you could still read it and share your opinion with me, I have seen different reviews on The Host.

I will still try out more of Stephanie’s works in the future though, I hear she has better works.

Question of the day:

What’s your maximum age difference between you and who you can date or marry?

Is there a world standard or rule concerning this?

https://www.instagram.com/p/CA-AN6CHtrI/?igshid=o3ofe8qw0h8l

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.
Posted in Uncategorized

Awakened by Him by Eyta Jade: Book Review

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCg_6SeAwdz/?igshid=1oymdtz2nc0x1

Hello people!! I was gifted an ARC for an honest review by the author, Eyta Jade. Thank you so much Eyta Jade!

Awakened by Him is a slow but interesting romance read, a debut novel and first installment of a series.

This is my first bi-racial romance read featuring an Italian male and a Nigerian female and I was here for this.

The story tells of Zina, A Nigerian with an enigmatic background who finds herself abroad, living with her brother and estranged from her biological father. We are taken through her meeting Mr. Clarke the only man who she has responded to in a long time, turns out he is her client and bosses son. Some entanglement going on here guys😂😂

Highlights of her life, her work life and all the drama between Mr. Clarke, his family and hers are also told. And then we are kept on a cliff hanger, you will certainly be like, what’s going on her?! Now we have to wait till God knows when for the next installment😒

I loved how Eyta did proper research on Nigerians and infused it into her book. The characters were also great to know. Mr Clarke is all shades of hot and bossy and Zina is a beautiful enigma.

I also love the mystery surrounding her, it makes you want to know what’s going to happen next. The sex scenes were hot too, all round, this was a pretty amazing read! I can’t wait to read the next installment.

HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY TO EYTA JADE AND HER BOOK, AWAKENED BY HIM! Go order yours ASAP!

Bye fellas, see you next time!

Posted in Uncategorized

Book Review: A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBC-xqSpda0/?igshid=vc2vr63z3r6k

““I wish, Rune,” Poppy said, causing me to glance up, “I wish that people realized how this felt every day. Why does it take a life ending to learn how to cherish each day? Why must we wait until we run out of time to start to accomplish all that we dreamed, when once we had all the time in the world? Why don’t we look at the person we love the most like it’s the last time we will ever see them? Because if we did, life would be so vibrant. Life would be so truly and completely lived.””

You guys my heart is broken into tiny cherry blossoms. This book review was written at exactly 3am 😭😭 because I couldn’t let my thoughts disappear.

I loved this book!!

That’s it, that’s the review!

I have read Tillie Cole’s books and I have always put her into a box of hot suspense romance authors, I never knew she could write something so heartbreaking, gut wrenching, emotionally draining and thought provoking.

This beautiful book tells the story of Rune and Poppy, neighbours at five, Bestfriends and lovers till forever with a love so strong and everlasting. Is this love meant to be forever though?

This book was filled with a lot of clichés, albeit a sad and perfect read, I cried alot people, I couldn’t help myself, those snot pouring down your nose, ugly tears, yep I did that.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWMksWMldD4/?igshid=1uyv1nau6boqy

I saw this picture on Instagram and it fully describes A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole, you totally have to survive reading this book.

In summary, you just have to read this book, if you dont cry or feel sad your heart is made from stronger stuff then😒.

There were some weird thoughts though on happenings after death, but I wouldn’t go into that.

I connected so much with the story because it was based on a major health condition which I could relate to, Cancer.

I also loved how “Cherry blossoms” a tree I see in a lot of pictures, had a strong symbolism in this book. Cherry blossoms are a symbolic flower of the spring, a time of renewal, and the fleeting nature of life. Their life is very short. After their beauty peaks around two weeks, the blossoms start to fall.

Such a beautiful tree.

Finally this book was beautiful, if you are looking to have a good cry, this is it. Live life well, it’s fleeting.

Here are some beautiful quotes, till next time folks!!

“Poppy’s hands slowly lowered and her smile softened as she stared at me. I lowered the camera as I returned that stare, the cherry blossoms full and vibrant around where she sat—her symbolic halo. Then it hit me. Poppy, Poppymin, she was the cherry blossom.

She was my cherry blossom.

An unrivaled beauty, limited in its life. A beauty so extreme in its grace that it can’t last. It stays to enrich our lives, then drifts away in the wind. Never forgotten. Because it reminds us we must live. That life is fragile, yet in that fragility, there is strength. There is love. There is purpose. It reminds us that life is short, that our breaths are numbered and our destiny is fixed, regardless of how hard we fight.

It reminds us not to waste a single second. Live hard, love harder. Chase dreams, seek adventures … capture moments.

Live beautifully.”

This statement is just sad but true, live life!

“As you read this, I can picture you shaking your head. But, Rune, life is short. However, I have learned that love is limitless and the heart is big.

So open your heart, Rune. Keep it open and allow yourself to love and to be loved.”

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.
Posted in Uncategorized

A Crack in Everything by L. H. Cosway

https://www.instagram.com/p/BelM1KeAF7M/?igshid=negg5oxi14oy

Book 71 of 2020!!🤩🤩

I have a goal of reading 150 books this year and I really hope I can do it. I have had an exiting reading year so far, initially I wanted to read the perfect books😏 but now I’m going with what catches my fancy.

I recently discovered L. H. Cosway this year and I certainly loved this book.

A crack in everything is the first installment of a two-part series. A young adult read with a slow burn romance evolving between the characters. I loved it!

Dylan, intelligent, self-destructive, moody/gloomy personality with a flair for science and Evelyn with her cheerful and go lucky personality, a really beautiful couple to read about.

I also loved the gay perspective, Shane and Sam, weird but nice to read.

Dylan hates their hometown, while Evelyn is comfortable with her situation till horror strikes, a real sad end to an amazing love story.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BelM1KeAF7M/?igshid=negg5oxi14oy

It continues in How the Light Gets In, and we meet Dylan and Evelyn as mature adults, this is a very brief review but I certainly loved this story.

Question of the day: Is it alright to settle in life even though you aren’t extremely rich? Like all these hustle in life is it worth the stress?

“It matters to me. I want more for you.” I shook my head, exasperated. “Why?” “Because . . .” He paused, turmoil in his expression. A long silence elapsed, and a kaleidoscope of thoughts passed over his face, like cars going different directions on a motorway. “Because I can only see my dreams clearly when I look through you first.” My insides blared on loudspeaker, while my voice was barely a whisper. “I don’t understand.” Dylan gave a sad laugh. “I just feel like any achievements are pointless unless I have you by my side.”

🤭😍😍

I’m such a hopeless romantic😂😂, bye!! See you next time!!

I would love to hear answers from the question I asked above!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bena09EA2Bp/?igshid=11wuvin288sj4

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.
Posted in Uncategorized

Book Review of Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Americanah: A Nigerian who has returned from overseas to Nigeria.

In an interview, Adichie defines Americanah as a Nigerian word that can describe any of those who have been to the US and return American affectations; pretend not to understand their mother tongues any longer; refuse to eat Nigerian food or make constant reference to their life in America.

-Wikipedia
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCR1EaYg9V9/?igshid=2ukbqu5dmlcg

I know there are lots of reviews on Americanah but I don’t mind adding my two cents on this book.

I love Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, I believe she can never do wrong in her stories regardless of how she ends her books.

Chimamanda didn’t disappoint me in Americanah and I loved that, she has a way of provoking you to think, quarrel, question a lot of things and that’s what I love about her works.

A lot of people especially Nigerians don’t accept some of her thoughts but that’s fine, do you!

When I wrote my review I didn’t know where to start, my heart was heavy after reading this book. A reminder, I had been reading this book since last year and have never gotten to finish it due to procrastination. This was the bookclubs’ read for June and we had a beautiful discussion.

Americanah is a book that is so real, it’s not your conventional love story with a perfect Happy-Ever-After. It was infused with strong themes, I love how Chimamanda was educating us about ‘the abroad’ infused in a love story. Ifemelu and Obinze are childhood sweethearts with the dream of greener pastures and we are taken through their journey through adulthood.

After reading this book, I asked myself the new Nigerian dream is going abroad, but is it really worth it?

This book was really thought provoking, it was a bit long though, I lost interest at some point but I still saw it through.

There were so many strong themes here RACISM and its effects especially on African youths, culture, tradition, gender, marital life and its expectations, family, and finally, Americanahs and overseas life.

My favourite character was Ifemelu despite her toxic traits I loved her and was rooting for her😂 I’m not in support of divorce but Chimamanda made me root for Obinze leaving his wife, that’s how well Chimamanda writes .

In Summary, you should read Americanah and if you have what did you love about it? Who was your favourite character?

Who also saw Chimamanda in Ifemelu?

I can’t leave without sharing some quotes as usual:

“You sound American” into a garland that she hung around her own neck. Why was it a compliment, an accomplishment, to sound American”

Interesting question! It baffles me too.

“He knew about Nigerians, he told her, he was an assistant professor at Yale, and although his interest was mostly in southern Africa, how could he not know about Nigerians when they were everywhere? “What is it, one in every five Africans is Nigerian”

😂😂 Nigerians are just everywhere!

“She recognized in Kelsey the nationalism of liberal Americans who copiously criticized America but did not like you to do so; they expected you to be silent and grateful, and always reminded you of how much better than wherever you had come from America was.”

“Dear Non-American Black, when you make the choice to come to America, you become black. Stop arguing. Stop saying I’m Jamaican or I’m Ghanaian. America doesn’t care. So what if you weren’t “black” in your country? You’re in America now”

“So if you’re going to write about race, you have to make sure it’s so lyrical and subtle that the reader who doesn’t read between the lines won’t even know it’s about race. “

And this was exactly what Chimamanda did in Americanah!

That’s all folks, till next time!

Posted in Uncategorized

Red Lines by Timi Waters : A Review

“Bekere looked about her and called for help, some gossipy women, sitting at a veranda across the street, who had earlier seen Alice come out of the clinic and knew what she had just done, looked at Bekere in scorn and ignored her.

In situations like this, the woman was regarded by society as the stupid one. No one points fingers at the man; no one talked about the man. All everyone was interested in saying was, “See that stupid girl, she got pregnant out of wedlock, now she has done abortion, shior!””

Red Lines, I’m having mixed feelings here you know😏, when I started reading this book, I was like alright, let’s keep an open mind and read this book and I wasn’t disappointed. I’m in love with this book which is the first installment in a series and I can’t wait to read the rest.

As a Nigerian female and a romance addict😂😊, this book depicts how I picture any Nigerian love story to play out.

Timi Waters is a budding female Nigerian writer and I am proud of this work, it’s engaging, the beginning was a bit slow but along the line you just want to know what will happen next, there were some cliche moments but that is expected too. I have high hopes for Timi in the literary world.

Red Lines tells the story of Bekere, a beautiful, simple, preschool teacher who meets Folu, the CEO of Bade Inc. and their intense love story begins.

I fell in love with these characters so much, Timi introduces us to them separately so I got to love them individually and was rooting for them till the end.

I love Folu’s intensity, he gives off pure manly vibes.

““I’ll find you, Bekere, whether you tell me ways to meet you again or not, I’ll find you.””

-Folu

Did you read that?!

Moving on, Folu has a Twin Fola, who is quite the playboy and there exists a strong sibling rivalry. Fola wants payback for all the wrongs Folu has supposedly committed against him and decides to steal his woman by every tactic including exposing all Folu’s secrets. Things get crazy and I’m left on a cliffhanger.

I really don’t like book series but I will have to be patient😏.

Red Lines was an intriguing story, easy to read. I love books where I get to learn new words. I also love that it is infused with Nigerian traits such as how any female still single at 27 years is seen as an issue, how we aren’t allowed to be selective of our spouse at that age because hello, your maternal clock is ticking, how it’s not good to leave your father’s home as a single woman, although that’s gradually changing in some homes. She also shed light on the bad health care system in Nigeria, Nigerians infatuation with God even when they aren’t doing the right things, how some courses in school are seen as the ideal course while others are ” I read it so it will be said that I have a degree” course😂.

Nigeria is such an interesting country, believe me! It was fun reading this book, can’t wait to read more on Bekere and Folu’s story and how it would end.

The major themes and lessons expressed in this book were:

1.Children upbringing; parents should always monitor and observe their children closely, learn to not pick favorites, love your children equally.

2.Rape: Although this was quite subtle, with everything happening in our society I had to butress on this point. A lot of men are raped at young ages, let’s learn to be sensitive to our young ones, let love lead people!

3. Gender issues in Nigeria.

Alright, off with you, you can read this first installment on Bambooks.io or Okadabooks.com app or website for a little token, have fun, till the next review!

Don’t forget to share and follow this fun blog.

What are your thoughts on committing abortion?

I would love to read your thoughts on the question and themes/traits from this review brought up in Red Lines in the comment section!

Bye!!

Posted in Uncategorized

Do Better!

The past two weeks have been crazy, first we heard of George Floyd’s death in the United States, while in Nigeria, Tina, was killed by a stray bullet fired by a police, and Uwa, a twenty-two year old female was raped and killed in the church where she went to read, a freaking Church! This is really the height of disrespect!

All social media platforms are agog with people screaming, shouting, talking and sharing their experiences. 2020 has really been that year and let’s not forget the growing number of Corona Virus cases in Nigeria, but in spite of these, I’M CHOOSING TO STAY POSITIVE!

The girl child has gone through a lot of stress, we are expected to be a lot of things, a mother, a good girlfriend, supportive, peace maker, cook, perfect but we aren’t even allowed to be safe in the world.

We as citizens in the world can’t move about, freely, because we may be shot at or held by the police at some point which may eventually lead to death.

I’m not the most positive of persons , but I’m choosing to be positive, to walk this path and pray that the world will be better and I hope you do so to.

To all who have been affected by rape, female or male, I’m so sorry, so sorry for the lawless lives we live, for our loveless and heartless society.To all who have lost their loved ones to racism, or who have experienced racism at some point in their lives, I’m so sorry and I pray for strength for everyone.

You know what all these has taught me, the society is LOVELESS!! We hate each other, we envy one another and its so sad.

Here’s a song that fully expressed my feelings towards these issues, you could check it out, you will certainly love it! https://audiomack.com/sses/song/we-are-tired-wearetired

I’m tired of the strife in my country Nigeria, it’s just stressful living here sometimes, but I also don’t want to lose hope because I know we can do better.

It’s not enough to write lengthy posts on Instagram or Twitter or Facebook, it’s not enough to quarrel and try to find out who is at fault for all the things happening in the world, it’s time for us to be better, to do better, the change we seek tomorrow starts with YOU!

We can only do so much in our little ways but let it count. Let LOVE lead people, let’s be the change we seek.

We keep saying ‘Rapists’ and ‘Racists’, who are these ‘Rapists’? Who are these ‘Racists’?

It’s you who who touches one without permission, you who doesn’t respect boundaries and personal space, you who doesn’t respect people’s choices and opinions especially towards their body, it’s you who support your friends to commit ill-fated acts against people. It’s you who doesn’t respect the skin colour and people whom God has created to live in this world, you have no right to harm another human.

When you bear your kids, teach them to love, to embrace and respect people regardless of their gender, race and tribe.

It Starts With You!! LET’S LIVE AND BE BETTER PEOPLE TODAY!

Don’t forget to check this song:

Time Magazine recently made a publication on how books on racism have been selling out because of the increased awareness this season to racism, and I will say this is an interesting development!! ⁣

⁣ To increase your education on racism as well as help combat this vice, here’s a book for you:⁣ ⁣

🔮So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

Have fun!! Bye till next time, stay safe, stay positive!

Posted in Uncategorized

The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Adichie

Photo Credit: The Readers Hut

The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Adichie was one beautiful read albeit it took me a long time to finish, I just wasn’t serious with reading it.

In spite of that, I love Anything Chimamanda Adichie and yes I’m a bit late to reading this book but sue me😂!

This is a collection of short stories taking us through Nigeria to be specific and its different social beliefs on; Marriage, Childbirth, Women, School, Career, Foreign Lifestyle, Religion and so on.

I loved it because I could relate to almost all stories, it’s a thought provoking read, She as always has a way of presenting the History of Nigeria in her books which makes one read with a wistful sigh thinking of all we had and lost as Nigerians.

I graduated from The University of Nigeria so every time I read a story centred on it makes me smile😊, the last story was a bit weird though 🤔, in all it was an excellent read! 💖💖❤️❤️

Have you read Chimamanda’s books? What do you love about here works? “

I would certainly recommend this book to everyone!

Posted in Uncategorized

Behind Closed doors by B. A. Paris

“Desperate to understand where we had gone wrong, I went over everything that had happened since I’d stepped out of the bathroom less than twenty-four hours earlier, and when I remembered the panicked messages I’d left on his phone, I began to wonder if I was the one in the wrong. But I knew I wasn’t, I knew it was Jack’s fault, it was just that I was so tired I couldn’t work out why.”

-Grace
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2EtNH9A-7Y/?igshid=1txtzrtxwxoe6

Women are naturally made to be do-gooders, to be peace makers, to not cause trouble, to always close the divide which is one of the reasons I was pissed while reading this book. 😒

I’m not a psychological thriller fan but I’m trying to read across different genres this year with the help of the book club and its been an exciting experience!

Behind Closed Doors is a story about Grace, a 21st Century, 32 year old woman with a great job and her younger sister, Millie. Millie is the unplanned child of her parents who is disabled. As a loving elder sister, Grace has committed herself to the care of her sister and has told every man they are a package deal.

Grace lives a great life for a single woman and finally meets John, in less than 6 months, they are married and the real John is revealed.

This book was exciting to read, a page turner, you just need to know what would happen at the end. With these great points it still had a lot of holes, it was a bit predictable too, it was annoying at some point, I can tell you I became angry and irritated with Grace before I even hated John but at some point I had to accept there was nothing much she could do about her situation.

This book makes you crazy to reach the end, why does John follow Grace everywhere? Are they really so perfect? Is their marriage as beautiful as they claim?

A thrilling and fast read, would recommend it for everyone especially the psychological thriller lovers.

As always I have lessons to share from the bookclubs’ discussions!! What’s a book without lessons?🙃 Let’s go!

1. All that glitters ain’t gold people, look around, observe, listen to your instincts.

2. Do not be so much of a loner, have true friends who know when things aren’t okay with you, maintain healthy relationships.

3. Learn to be independent, especially women, yeah I said that🙄, do not fix your whole life on someone regardless of promises made, some people ain’t worth it. Protect yourself ladies, be smart and avoid being desperate the best you can!

4. As citizens in the world, I know the world is going sour, sadly, there’s no love but you can do your bit, help those in need, if someone is in trouble freaking help in the best way you can.

5. Marriage is a beautiful institution but it isn’t t your only source of happiness and fulfillment

6.Finally, No Human is perfect!!

I think I have ranted enough, adios!! 😂😂

Posted in Uncategorized

🖤The Diary Of Anne Frank by Anne Frank 🖤

“We’re all alive, but we don’t know why or what for; we’re all searching for happiness; we’re all leading lives that are different and yet the same. We three have been raised in good families, we have the opportunity to get an education and make something of ourselves. We have many reasons to hope for great happiness, but. . . we have to earn it. And that’s something you can’t achieve by taking the easy way out. Earning happiness means doing good and working, not speculating and being lazy. Laziness may look inviting, but only work gives you true satisfaction.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bynm-u1DdFW/?igshid=4ca9nwrl81uw

This book was one of my bookclubs’ read for the month of March and it was a very enlightening read.

I had been hearing of the holocaust but have never looked it up, since I’m not really a history buff😏, cheers to broadening my reading horizon I finally read Anne’s Diary😊 and it’s my second classic read of the year!!

Anne’s Diary was very insightful and reading it was very intimate. I went through a lot of emotions, sadness, happiness, anger, hope(God so much hope), strength and so on.

I can’t imagine what Anne’s family and some friends who joined them felt while hiding in a place for almost 3 years, no sunlight, no going outside. It was a really crazy situation.

We were taken through Annes’ growth in the Annex from an immature girl to one filled with so much wisdom.

My favourites in the house were Mr. Frank, Anne and Margot I did not like the Van Daans although I had no issues with Peter, as for Dussel😒, such an annoying man.

Lessons I learnt from this book were:

1) Learn to have compassion for one another, those who helped the Franks’ and their friends were so selfless, imagine taking care of 8 persons for almost 3 years, their feeding, care including birthday gifts😅, despite the fear of been caught and nags like Mrs Van Daans and Dussel, they really were the best people.

2) Parents and future parents should learn to be in touch with their children, do not pick favorites, teach your children all they need to know in subtle tones in order for them not to learn it from others and be misled. Connect with your children at all times.

3) Read! Read! Read!! These families in hiding used reading as their greatest companions, they learnt new languages just to keep themselves busy.

4) Finally war is never good, I remember 2 years ago I think, in Nigeria, The Biafrans were trying to fight for separation, especially the young ones, this would have led to a lot of deaths and loss, we have never lived through war, it’s a horrible experience.. That’s all for now😅😅, you can tell I liked this book right?

Here are some thought provoking quotes for you:

“Those who don’t know will have to find out by experience that “a quiet conscience gives you strength!””

Yass!! 🤩🤩

“In the book Soldiers on the Home Front I was greatly struck by the fact that in childbirth alone, women commonly suffer more pain, illness and misery than any war hero ever does. And what’s her reward for enduring all that pain? She gets pushed aside when she’s disfigured by birth, her children soon leave, her beauty is gone. Women, who struggle and suffer pain to ensure the con- tinuation of the human race, make much tougher and more courageous soldiers than all those big-mouthed freedom-fighting heroes put together!”

Oops😬 What do you think?!

“It sounded so cold when he said he didn’t need any friends. Oh, he’s so wrong! I don’t think he means it. He clings to his masculinity, his solitude and his feigned indif- ference so he can maintain his role, so he’ll never, ever have to show his feelings.”

Now why do men always do this?

“Mrs. van D. and Dussel continued their harangue: “You know way too much about things you’re not supposed to. You’ve been brought up all wrong. Later on, when you’re older, you won’t be able to enjoy anything anymore. You’ll say, ‘Oh, I read that twenty years ago in some book.’ You’d better hurry if you want to catch a husband or fall in love, since everything is bound to be a disappointment to you. You already know all there is to know in theory. But in practice? That’s another story!”

Huh! 🙄🙄 I don’t get this, is it wrong to know things?

Byeeee See you soon!! Don’t forget to hit the follow and share buttons!!