Hey everyone!
I hope the holiday season has been relaxing for you all. 2017 is almost over and it’s time for a recap of the year! I ended up reading 28 books this year. The break down of my 2017 reading experience is as follows:
Average books read per month: 2 books 
Anthologies read: 3 books
Audiobooks ‘read’: 3 books
African literature: 10 books
Caribbean literature: 4 books
African-American literature: 13 books
Others: 1 book (this is a non-African/non-Diaspora book. Written by Cheryl Strayed).
20 women writers ; 5 men writers
Top 5 favorite books of 2017
- Questions for Ada by Ijeoma Umebinyuo
- Our Sister Killjoy by Ama Ata Aidoo
- Born On A Tuesday by Elnathan John
- Houseboy by Ferdinand Oyono
- Now We Will Be Happy by Amina Gautier
These were the most insightful, affirming and enjoyable books for me this year! School/life has been quite hectic this year, so I’m behind on book reviews. Expect the remaining book reviews in 2018, but in the meantime, I HIGHLY recommend these 5 books!
Reviews for books read this year are in the Book Reviews section of the book blog.
What were your top 5 favorite books of 2017?
Favorite bookish events / images of the year:
African Book Addict! FEATURES:
It’s been both overwhelming and exciting being recognized for all the hard work that goes into creating content for this book blog. Book blogging here at African Book Addict! is purely a hobby (as I’m currently a 4th year Dental Student – its a 6 year program), so receiving recognition and praise is always affirming and such a blessing.
Below is a list of the features and recognitions African Book Addict! has gained this year:
- Blogger Spotlight: African Book Addict! via The Africa Center
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10 Amazing Women Revolutionizing The Way We Read And Consume Books On Instagram via Buzzfeed
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African Book Addict!, a site run by Ghanaian-American blogger Darkowaa, celebrates literature from Africa and the African diaspora through book reviews and book chats with fellow readers and writers via WordPress DISCOVER
- Selected as one of the Best Book Review Blogs of 2017 via Reedsy.com
- BOOK’D: DARKOWAA OF AFRICAN BOOK ADDICT! via Afoma Umesi‘s Lifestyle blog
- To The African Book Addict!, With Love! via Folklore & Literacy
Also, special thanks to the authors who’ve contacted me to show their appreciation for reviews of their books that have been posted on this platform and/or AFREADA.
Image via novelscript Instagram stories
2017 Reading Intentions round up:
At the beginning of the year, I set 3 reading intentions. But I don’t think I’ve successfully achieved them all…
- My first reading intention was to READ MY OWN DAMN BOOKS. Only 9 of the books I read this year had been on my bookshelf for a while. The rest of the books I’ve enjoyed were acquired THIS year! Is it possible for a moody book lover to restrict him/herself to just the books sitting on one’s bookshelf? It’s tough y’all!
- The second reading intention was to PURCHASE LESS books this year. Well… I ended up purchasing about 30 books (discounted/ used books – chill out!) over the summer and many, many more for friends & family as gifts. I might have jinxed myself by setting this goal/intention for myself! *shrug*
- Lastly, I set out to buddy-read some novels with other book bloggers/ book lovers. I successfully read Behold The Dreamers with Ifeyinwa Arinze and we had a great conversation on the book as well! I had planned to read books with other bloggers – Osondu (of Incessant Scribble), Didi (of Brown Girl Reading) and Afoma (of Afoma Umesi). Osondu and I weren’t excited about the book we set out to read, so our buddy-read was unsuccessful; Didi and I were to read a debut that a writer had sent us – but we couldn’t get passed the first 50 pages, so we quit; Afoma and I also tried to read an ARC together this month, but the book is super slow… maybe we’ll continue to read it together in the new year. Buddy-reading has been challenging! I think I’ll talk more about this in the new year.
Were you able to achieve some of your 2017 Reading Intentions?
[Don’t beat yourself up if you weren’t able to – its definitely not that serious and you can still achieve them in 2018!]
Total books read in 2017
I’m TRULY grateful to everyone who frequents this book blog and for the great discussions (agreements, disagreements and recommendations) we have in the comments section. I always appreciate the support and love shown here, from you all. This year, I’ve enjoyed discovering new book blogs, book lovers & Bookstagram accounts (Book Instagram) and I hope to connect with more in the future! Here’s to more great years of reading ahead, for all of us. 🙂
African Book Addict! 