Hello Loves!
2024 is nearly over and I read some incredible books from around the world.
Truly, one of the best things about reading is the ability is to read, learn and spend time with people from a different culture than mine and walk a mile or two in their shoes see a whole other side of the world.
So here's my Top 10 Books from around the World.
We have books from Argentina,Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Germany, Australia, Netherlands, Iran and Palestine.
So let's jump into it.
1. Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh: Set in Nigeria, this is a coming of age story of a young queer boy. We see his life unfold in the changing landscape of his country. Him being outed and the repercussions and pain and healing and finding himself and love in a world were the odds are stacked against him. I loved this book, even the parts that broke my heart. An incredibly well-written and stirring debut.
2. This Motherless Land by Nikki May: Set partially in Nigeria and in part in the UK. This book is essentially the stories of two cousins. One is half Nigerian and half British and at age eleven is sent off to live with her white British grandparents after the passing of her beloved mother. Here she must live in a cold (literally and otherwise) home and navigate life in a motherless country. Her only ally is her cousin sister who is the only one in this place who seems to care about her. A story about family, love and identity and race. I flew through this one and immensely enjoyed it.
3. Brotherless Night by V.V Ganeshananthan: I loved this book soooo much. This won the Women's Prize as well, so you know this is a good one. Set in Sri Lanka during the turbulent years of Civil War and mayhem. We see a Tamil family deal with an impossible situation and a brilliant young woman who dreams of becoming a Doctor even as her world is slowly falling apart. I've read a few books about Sri Lanka and the War and it's consequences but this one is hands down the best novel set in that time period. It speaks of things that are often left out in other works of fiction and is honest and searing and very good. Please give it a read.
4. Behind You is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj: Another incredibly powerful book that has my whole heart. Its so important to listen to Palestinian voices and hear their stories and learn about their lives. This wonderful book is set mostly in an Palestinian American community in Baltimore. There are stories of family, connection, displacement and joy and love and loss and identity and community. There are weddings and funerals and secrets and pain and everything else in between. I love this book so much.
5. The Door To Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn, Translation by Melony Shaw: After four rather serious books, I have a lighter and happier recommendation for you. This is a very charming little story about an old bookseller who delivers books door to door to his fellow bookworms. We see the lives and struggles and loves his eclectic clientele and a spunky little girl who biomes his unexpected companion. This was brimming with so much joy and charm and if you love books and books about books this is something you might want to pick up.
6. The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali: I read and adored Kamali's previous book The Stationery Shop and when this came out, I knew I had to read and I knew I would love it. This is a book set in 1950's Iran and about two little girls- Ellie and Homa, who were best friends as children and then life takes them in different directions and brings them back together. Till political turmoil wrecks havoc and pulls the country and the girls apart. This book was so good and if you love books about female friendships and loyalty and difficult choices and regret..please pick this up.
7. The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden: A Booker Prize short list book that I read and absolutely adored. Yet another historical fiction on my list, this one is set in the Netherlands in the 1960s. It shows the painful and shameful reality of life after WWII. The legacy of pain and hurt and cruelty. It's about two very different women who are due to circumstances forced to share a home for a time and how tensions mount and build and surprising revelations are made. This was tense, moving and sensual and so well-written.
8. Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood: Another Booker shortlist read and this one was very different from anything I've ever read before. For one it's set in Australia, a place I've read from very little but always wanted to. Secondly, it's setting is...very out of the ordinary for me. A monastery. Thirdly, its a book about religion and faith and nuns. I started reading this thinking it might not be for me..yet once I started I couldn't' stop. There was a quietness and stillness in this book and it's writing and tone. Set during the Pandemic, this is a book about guilt, forgiveness, faith, prayer and loss and morality. I am honestly surprised by how much I loved this book.
9. The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez, Translation by Megan Mcdowell: I cannot believe it took me this long to finally pick up a book by this phenomenal author. I've seen her books all over Instagram and I knew I would like her kind of storytelling..yet it took me a few years to jump on this bandwagon. But better late than never. I loved these short stories and ate them up!!! Creepy, unsettling, spooky and odd and bizarre and so incredibly well-written, she gave me some serious Stephen King vibes! So so good. Cannot wait to read more from her. Oh, I did also read her new release- A Sunny Place for Shady People- but this one makes to my favourites list.
10. A Kind of Madness by Uche Okonkwo: We started the list with Nigeria and we end the list with Nigeria too. A set of 10 short stories set in Nigeria, about madness- literal and otherwise. These stories deal with dreams, desires, hopes and greed and desperation. Every single story in here was brilliant and I loved everything about this book. So so so good.
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