Book Covers, Book Hauls, Bookish Stuff

#SummerReads 2016 – TBR

by Darkowaa

 

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Hey everyone! Summer break is finally here and there are a couple of books I’d like to read before the end of the break. 7 books on my Summer TBR (to-be-read list) – too many books, or nah?

Please click on the titles below to read more about the books on Goodreads.

sweet medicineSweet Medicine by Panashe Chigumadzi 

Sweet Medicine is a book I had been trying so hard to get my hands on. I even double ordered it – by mistake, but I don’t regret it. One thing that drew me to this book was the chic book cover and the fact that Panashe Chigumadzi is only 25 and is doing amazing things for the continent! I finished Sweet Medicine about a week ago and it was an enjoyable read. Expect the review to go up at some point during the summer.

 

 

 

By the seaBy The Sea by Abdulrazak Gurnah

I saw a review of By The Sea on fellow book blogger (and one of my faves!) – Mary Okeke’s book blog some years back and added it to my TBR. This story is set in Zanzibar, Tanzania – a place I REALLY would love to visit one day! From a series of Goodreads reviews I’ve seen, I hear its best to read this slowly to fully get the impact of the story. I plan on doing exactly that!

 

 

 

The Star Side of Bird HillThe Star Side of Bird Hill by Naomi Jackson

The Star Side of Bird Hill may look familiar to some of you, as its been featured on quite a few of my posts – 2015 New Releases To Anticipate & the TBR Book Tag. Don’t you just love the book cover? Super sassy! Jackson actually wrote a piece about the book cover on the Literary Hub last year. I actually finished The Star Side of Bird Hill earlier this June. Expect a review soon!

 

 

 

 

pede hollistSo The Path Does Not Die by Pede Hollist

The first time I heard about Pede Hollist was back in 2013, when he was shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing. So The Path Does Not Die was published back in 2014 and follows a young girl, Finaba (or Fina) from Sierra Leone. I haven’t read much from Sierra Leone, so I hope to learn a thing or two about the West African nation from this novel!

 

 

 

 

The justiceThe Justice: A Political Thriller by Boakyewaa Glover

Boakyewaa Glover was kind enough to gift me with this book, along with her sci-fi novel – Tendai (which I read and really enjoyed back in May – expect a review soon!). I’ve been looking forward to reading The Justice since the beginning of the year. I’m excited to read this political thriller 🙂

 

 

 

 

Earl LovelaceThe Wine of Astonishment by Earl Lovelace

I’m sure this book looks familiar to some of you. The Wine of Astonishment was featured in my 2015 Summer Book Haul. I hope I get a chance to finally read it this summer, as I hear its a Trinidadian classic!

 

 

 

 

born-on-a-tuesdayBorn on a Tuesday by Elnathan John

I purchased Born on a Tuesday back in March, after attending a reading by Elnathan John here in Accra. Elnathan John was also shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing – in 2013 and 2015. I really like Elnathan John’s writing (his satire blog is quite hilarious. Check out his blog: Elnathan’s Dark Corner– here). I prefer this vibrant book cover by Cassava Press. The book covers for the American and British editions aren’t appealing to me at all. I like this Nigerian cover 🙂

 

 

 

We Are All BlueWe Are All Blue by Donald Molosi

In collaboration with the Writivism Book festival taking place in Kampala, Uganda – August 22-28, I shall be posting a review of We Are All Blue by Donald Molosi! This book was on my 2016 New Releases To Anticipate post. I’m especially excited that We Are All Blue is a collection of 2 plays that take place in Botswana. Indulging in a playwright from a country I’m not familiar with will be fun. Stay tuned for the review 🙂

 

 

 

 

 Last year I was able to knockout 8 books during the summer break. I’m not sure I’ll be able to read all 7 of these books before the end of the summer – as I don’t plan on reading my break away. We’ll see! If these aren’t read by the end of the summer, hopefully they’ll be read by the end of the year – no pressure here (its not that serious).

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Have you read any of these? What books are on your Summer TBR? Please share some of your summer reads! New recommendations are always welcome 🙂

30 thoughts on “#SummerReads 2016 – TBR”

    1. Hi Resh Susan! Yeah, these aren’t super popular books and that’s precisely why I’m curious to see what they’re all about. There’s so much noise around certain books this summer, we shouldn’t forget the other hidden gems out there! And yes, the book covers are all so colorful. I can’t lie – I definitely judge a book by its cover hahaa. Thanks for stopping by 🙂

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    1. Ohh! You should have told me, we could have buddy-read it together hahaa. I’m about 50% in and its a very, very enjoyable book. It reminds me of Americanah in a way too

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      1. I put three of them on my Amazon BUY list (I renamed my standard Amazon “Wish List”). Pede Hollist, Gurnah & Panashe. I’m not sure yet but it’s looking like those are the three i’ll buy.

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      2. Ay you don’t play when it comes to purchasing good recommendations! I eagerly look forward to hearing about your reading experiences with those books. I’m reading Pede Hollist’s book right now and loving it. He’s a great storyteller 🙂

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    1. I think I’ve seen that #20BooksofSummer hashtag on Twitter hahaa. Thats a LOT of books. Are y’all just going to read the Summer away? No other activities lined up? Sheesh! Thanks for always stopping by Melanie 🙂

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  7. Good list. I read the Wine of Astonishment years ago. You’re right; it is a Caribbean classic. The Lovelace book that’s been too long on my to be read list is Is Just a Movie – his most recent. I’ve heard good things about Naomi’s book. In fact, I almost added her to my Antigua and Barbuda summer reading list (https://wadadlipen.wordpress.com/2016/06/27/summer-reading-list-wadadli-edition) given that one of her parents is Antiguan but sadly I haven’t read it yet. It, too, is on the to be read list. This list is also a reminder that I need to read more books out of Africa – adding to my to-read list. Look forward to your reviews.

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    1. Hi! Thanks! Yes, I’ve heard about Just a Movie. I hope I enjoy The Wine of Astonishment, so that I’d be encouraged to purchase more of Lovelace’s other works. Naomi Jackson’s book was good! I finished it last week. Her writing style seemed effortlessly smooth. I hope you get to it soon! And yes there are so many great African fiction books around. I’d love to read your thoughts on some, esp from your Caribbean perspective of things! 🙂

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  8. What a glorious list of books! You have once again proven to have amazing taste.

    I bought Born On A Tuesday a few weeks ago and am eager to read it! Hopefully I’ll see a review on your blog first before I get to it 🙂

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  9. So many wonderful books! I love the cover of Sweet Medicine although the story sounds great as well. And I’m eyeing By the Sea as well, don’t think I’ve read lit from the area. Looks like you’re all set for summer break, mine is only in August, happy summer reading! 🙂

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    1. Hey Bina! Yess. But I doubt I’ll finish reading all of these by the end of the summer. I resume dental school July 25th, so… yeah…We’ll see.
      Yes, I hear you’re in grad school as well! I hope you enjoy your break in August. Push through & good luck! We should def share strategies on how to make time to read/be a book blogger while pursuing career goals (ie: school) one day 🙂

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      1. That’s awesome! Good luck with dental school!! Heh I’m nearly done with grad s for the second time, and honestly I let blogging slide for a while. If I were very organized I’d recommend writing posts when u have time and scheduling and also listicles😂

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      2. Oh wow. Go you! Hmm, I’m not the listicle type… I read the bulk of my books during christmas and summer breaks, draft reviews once I’m done reading, edit them when I take study breaks and release the reviews throughout the months I’m in school. I’ve learned to space everything out that way lol. So far, its worked well hahaa

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      3. That’s so organized, sounds like you’ve got it figured out😃 I love sharing my tbr as listicles and looking at others’s but I know not everyone likes them. Good luck with school and enjoy the last free days till then!

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  10. Pingback: #20BooksofSummer Update! How’s Your Reading Game? | Grab the Lapels

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