Tag: African Literature

โ€™Pemi Aguda, Book Reviews

Ghostroots: Stories by โ€™Pemi Aguda

by Darkowaa2 Comments on Ghostroots: Stories by โ€™Pemi Aguda

Date Read:ย May 24th 2026

Published:ย May 2024

Publisher:ย W. W. Norton & Company

Pages:ย 224

The Blurb

A debut collection of stories set in a hauntingly reimagined Lagos where characters vie for freedom from ancestral ties

In this beguiling collection of twelve imaginative stories set in Lagos, Nigeria, โ€™Pemi Aguda dramatizes the tension between our yearning to be individuals and the ways we are haunted by what came before.

In โ€œManifest,โ€ a woman sees the ghost of her abusive mother in her daughterโ€™s face. Shortly after, the daughter is overtaken by wicked and destructive impulses. In โ€œBreastmilk,โ€ a wife forgives her husband for his infidelity. Months later, when she is unable to produce milk for her newborn, she blames herself for failing to uphold her motherโ€™s feminist values and doubts her fitness for motherhood. In โ€œThings Boys Do,โ€ a trio of fathers finds something unnatural and unnerving about their infant sons. As their lives rapidly fall to pieces, they begin to fear that their sons are the cause of their troubles. And in โ€œ24, Alhaji Williams Street,โ€ a teenage boy lives in the shadow of a mysterious disease thatโ€™s killing the boys on his street.

These and other stories in Ghostroots map emotional and physical worlds that lay bare the forces of family, myth, tradition, gender, and modernity in Nigerian society. Powered by a deep empathy and glinting with humor, they announce a major new literary talent.

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Review โ€“ โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… (5 stars)

Ghostroots is a phenomenal collection of 12 stories. It kind of reminded me of Lesley Nneka Arimahโ€™s collection from 2017 – What It Means When A Man Falls From The Sky. What I love about this collection is how all stories are set in Nigeria – no diaspora, immigrant life clichรฉs here. I also love how there are no explanatory commas in the writing. Yoruba isnโ€™t translated. If you donโ€™t know what ponmo or ogogoro is – Google it. This collection is unapologetically Nigerian (well, from my point of view/lens).


I generally liked all of the stories, but my favorite stories were (8 of them):

~ Manifest – this was weird, wild and tragic. This story needs to be an episode on Black Mirror!

~ Breastmilk – while I didnโ€™t love the main characterโ€™s relationship decision, I loved this meditation on motherhood & feminism. The main characterโ€™s mother is my favorite character in this story.

~ The Hollow – loooved this story. Did โ€™Pemi Aguda study architecture in school? The writing… there is A LOT going on in this story. I loved the architectural juxtapositions and the plot twists. Chefโ€™s kiss!

~ 24 Alhaji Williams Street – wheeeeeeeew, this story had me crying! Anticipating the impending doom had me completely distraught.

~ Things Boys Do – this story more or less showed how karma works. Fuck those men; they deserved all of their misery.

~ The Wonders of the World – i loved that this story showed how lonely a child could feel, even in a seemingly healthy two-parent household. โ€™Pemi Aguda also did a good job writing on mental illness, Nigerian high school shenanigans and religion/religious psychosis(?).

~ The Dusk Market – man, this story really portrayed the hustle and struggles of Lagos, Nigeria. Salewa, sweet queen, I hope she finds her rest – somehow. I liked the dusk market descriptions. They gave me a sense of calm.

~ Masquerade Season – Pauly was adorable. His mother was manipulative.I liked the creative, imaginative writing of the story, while recognizing their deeper meanings.

Ghostrootsย is probably the best short story collection Iโ€™ve read this year. I truly loved how โ€™Pemi Aguda balanced the mystical and the mundane in all the stories. I’m currently reading her debut novel that was published in May of this year (2026) – One Leg On Earth, and I’m enjoying that too!

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… (5 stars) โ€“ Amazing book, I loved it. Absolutely recommend!

Purchase Ghostroots on Amazon

Book chat, Book Covers, Bookish Stuff

21 books added to my TBR

by Darkowaa3 Comments on 21 books added to my TBR

What have you all been reading? Due to my busy schedule, I’ve only managed to finish reading: The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy and Someone Birthed Them Broken by Ama Asantewa Diaka. I rated them were both 4 stars, but Diaka’s book is leaning more towards 4.5 stars – it’s very Ghanaian, in all (fantastic) ways!

I’ve been perusing the book streets lately and found 21 books super compelling – with respect to their synopses, and book cover designs. Most of these books are/will be published this year (2026) and some were published last year. I’m especially looking forward to new work from Zinzi Clemmons, Jessica George, Imbolo Mbue, Edwidge Danticat, Ayesha Harruna Attah, Tayari Jones, Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah and Deesha Philyaw and Naima Coster. I’ve read and reviewed work by most of these writers, so reading their new work will be very exciting! Those reviews can be found here on this blog, or on my Goodreads.

What books have you read so far this year? What new books have you added to your TBR?

Audiobooks, Book Covers, Goodreads Reading Challenge (2024), reading

Mid-year reading update & currently reading

by Darkowaa6 Comments on Mid-year reading update & currently reading

It’s summertime! What is everyone reading this summer?

This year, I set my Goodreads challenge to read 24 books – because we’re in the year 2024, duh! Well, we are halfway through the year and I’m proud to say that I’m about 3 books behind schedule haha.

I’ve read 9 books out of 24:

I’m very behind on my reading challenge, but I know I’ll achieve the 24 books goal – even if slowly.

I have only truly enjoyed reading 5 out of the 9 books I’ve read thus far- The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin, Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh, The Other Significant Others (audio) by Rhaina Cohen, The Three of Us by Ore Agbaje-Williams and Dyscalculia (audio) by Camonghne Felix. These were 4 star reads for me, except The Other Significant Others which isn’t by a Black author, but such a stellar (non-fiction) book! I read the book via audio and deeply appreciated the arguments Cohen presented, as I believe centering friendships over romantic partnerships should be talked about more. That’s the only 5 star book I’ve read so far.

I’m yet to read a book I’m head over heels about this year though. And because of how unenthusiastic I am about books I’ve read so far, I find myself unable to focus on one book at a time. So, I’m currently reading:

I’m reading to Power Moves by Sarah Jakes Roberts via audio and alternating between Hangman and Our Gen. Whenever I practice book polygamy, it means I canโ€™t focus on just one book. One book isn’t arresting my attention enough to finish and move on to the next, systematically. So far, Hangman (which was long-listed for the Women’s Prize this year) is weird! Weird, in a good, original way. But it gets boring after reading 30 pages at a time. Our Gen is quite fun to read, but I’m struggling to get to the plot of the story. But I’ll continue to push through.

Books I have on my radar/TBR for the 2nd half of the year:

I’m really excited to read My Parents’ Marriage because I love fellow Ghanaian-American Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond’s work. Temple Folk looks like a collection I would enjoy. I wish the podcast – Identity Politics, by Ikhlas Saleem and Makkah Ali wasn’t a thing of the past. I’d love to hear them speak to Aaliyah Bilal on her book!

Obviously Chigozie Obioma’s new novel is on my radar – I’ve been a huge fan from the beginning. Jonathan Escoffery’s collection – If I Survive You is popular and I would like to see what the hype is all about. Uche Okonkwo’s debut collection, A Kind of Madness is also on my radar because I love short story collections. Hopefully I can read some of these before the year ends and have some reviews up as well.

In the meantime, I’ll continue to slowly achieve my reading goal this year. I just want it to be more fun. I want to read books and enjoy storylines that I haven’t experienced before. I want to be consumed by original, thought-provoking, compelling work.

What is everyone reading this summer? Please share some of the books you’ve absolutely loved reading so far in 2024.

Book Reviews, Chukwuebuka Ibeh

Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh

by Darkowaa7 Comments on Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh

Date Read: April 13th 2024

Published: February 2024

Publisher: Masobe Books

Pages: 250

The Blurb

‘Chukwuebuka Ibeh’s writing has a certain delicacy to it, so wonderfully observant, and so beautiful’ – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

When Obiefuna’s father witnesses an intimate moment between his teenage son and the family’s apprentice, newly arrived from the nearby village, he banishes Obiefuna to a Christian boarding school marked by strict hierarchy and routine, devastating violence. Utterly alienated from the people he loves, Obiefuna begins a journey of self-discovery and blossoming desire, while his mother Uzoamaka grapples to hold onto her favorite son, her truest friend.

Interweaving the perspectives of Obiefuna and his mother Uzoamaka, as they reach towards a future that will hold them both, Blessings is an elegant and exquisitely moving story of love and loneliness. Asking how we can live freely when politics reaches into our hearts and lives, as well as deep into our consciousness, it is a stunning, searing debut.

ย โ—Šโ—Š

Reviewย โ€“ย โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… (4 stars)

My chest. My heart!


Just as much as my heart raced while readingย Blessings, Ibeh endlessly repeats throughout this novel just how often Obiefuna- the main character, notices his own heart constantly beating against his chest – either out of fear, guilt, love, joy or pain.

This coming-of-age novel offers incredible nuanceโ€ฆ and pain. There are quite a few characters to keep up with, but Ibehโ€™s level of detail and care for each character doesnโ€™t make the reading experience arduous. Experiencing Obiefuna come into boyhood & manhood is a bittersweet journey. His experiences in secondary school were so typical of African boarding schools: traumatizing, maddening and rewarding- with the friends he made. His life in university felt a little less traumatizing, but so unfair in the end.

Uzoamaka – Obiโ€™s Mom, is really a secondary character. To me, her role in the book, albeit a joint sorrowful and joyful one, was simply to portray her unconditional love for the son she ultimately regarded as a blessing. They had a sweet, tender relationship. I just wish her storyline was a bit more interwoven with Obi’s. When they were not interacting, it felt like her storyline didn’t really have much to do with the overall plot of the book.

What struck me most were the internal struggles Obiefuna faced when coming to terms with his sexuality; the deep regrets, the pain of simply being. Pain plays a huge role in this book, in my opinion! I found myself wanting to quickly finish the book just to relieve myself of the paaain! Ibehโ€™s writing hooks you from the first page to the last. I definitely see Chimamanda Adichieโ€™s influence on his writing. Itโ€™s brave, measured, calm and exact.

While I loved this book, I did find the last chapters a bit didactic with the charactersโ€™ conversation around the 2014 anti-gay bill in Nigeria. I felt the characters were a bit clichรฉ with their takesโ€ฆ I wanted a bit more there. It breaks my heart that Ghana is still pressing to pass an equally harmful, stupid anti-gay bill. Itโ€™s completely upsetting.ย 

ย โ—Šโ—Š

My favorite characters were:

  • Jekwu & Wisdom – Even though they didnโ€™t really know Obiefuna fully, they somehow grounded him and offered him an awesome brotherhood.

  • Sparrow – Whewโ€ฆ my heart bleeds for him and I respect him so, so much. His character made me wonder: why do we tend to respect folks who don’t snitch? It’s painful to bear certain consequences alone, and Sparrow’s character really embodied this dilemma I just questioned.

  • Miebi – I liked the comfort he provided Obiefuna during universityโ€ฆ but the trajectory of his storyline made him appear a bit phony in my eyes. Great guy though (?).

Characters I hated:

  • Senior Papilo – Whenever I saw this character’s name on the page, I felt sick to my stomach. He’s a terror, a sadist, an abuser/groomer and a piece of shit.
  • Senior Kachi – He’s a hypocrite, a user; another piece of shit.
  • The Chaplain – Sigh… this man is a fear-monger, yet suffering the same things he preached against. Tragic.

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Congrats to Chukwuebuka Ibeh on this brave work. Given the African continent’s irrational and dangerous stance on same-sex relationships, I wonder if this book could have been originally published in Nigeria and not the US/UK. Food for thought…

This is definitely a 4.5 stars read!

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… (4 stars) โ€“ Great book. Highly recommend!

(pre-order) Purchase Blessings on Amazon

Book Reviews, Ore Agbaje-Williams

The Three of Us by Ore Agbaje-Williams

by Darkowaa2 Comments on The Three of Us by Ore Agbaje-Williams

Date Read:ย March 17th 2024

Published:ย May 2023

Publisher:ย Masobe Books

Pages:ย 189

The Blurb

Long-standing tensions between a husband, his wife, and her best friend finally come to a breaking point in this sharp domestic comedy of manners, told brilliantly over the course of one day.

What if your two favorite people hated each other with a passion?

The wife has it all. A big house in a nice neighborhood, a ride-or-die snarky best friend, Temi, with whom to laugh about facile men, and a devoted husband who loves her above all elseโ€”even his distaste for Temi.

On a seemingly normal day, Temi comes over toย spend a lazy afternoon with the wife: drinking wine, eating snacks, and laughing caustically about the husband’s shortcomings. But when the husband comes home and a series of confessions are made, the wife’s two confidants are suddenly forced to jockey for their positions, throwing everyone’s integrity into questionโ€”and their long-drawn-out territorial dance, carefully constructed over years, into utter chaos.ย 

Told in three taut, mesmerizing partsโ€”the wife, the husband, the best friendโ€”over the course of one day,ย The Three of Usย is a subversively comical, wildly astute, and painfully compulsive triptych of domestic life that explores cultural truths, what it means to defy them, and the fine line between compromise and betrayal when it comes to ourselves and the people we’re meant to love.

Reviewย โ€“โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… (4 stars)

Wait, so was Temi lying in the end? Whew.

Favorite chapters: Temi > wife > husband.

This book is all about perception – how we perceive ourselves and how others perceive us. We know Temi is self-centered, obnoxious, lacks boundaries, is very childish and probably has a mental disorder (is she a psychopath?) with how anal she is about controlling her friendโ€™s life and how much of the past she wants to re-live. We know the husband is slightly misogynistic, unable to enforce healthy boundaries to ensure his familyโ€™s wellbeing and exhibits traits of toxic masculinity (controlling, wants to be the breadwinner [as a form of control], dictates his wifeโ€™s diet, activities etc).

But really, who is the wife? Is she simply the role she plays to both Temi and her husband? Or is she a woman of her own volition? Sheโ€™s someone who hates the control of her parents, but is definitely being controlled by Temi and her husband. She essentially lacks integrity, and is living her life just to fulfill the roles to those around her. I find this quite sad and miserable, but real.

None of these characters are supposed to be like-able. While the ending/cliff-hanger is slightly anti-climatic, it brings to light key traits of the 3 characters – it shows just how inauthentic the wife is, it reveals how transactional the husband is towards his wife/their marriage and it shows how persistently childish and manipulative Temi is.

Wine plays a huuuge role in this book. Iโ€™m a wine lover (WSET level 1 certified, thankyouverymuch), so I enjoyed a glass or two while reading. About 7 or 8 bottles of wine were consumed by the characters in this book, so it only makes sense that the wine fueled that tannic ending – pun intended.

I took the writing style of this book for what it was- different, unique. No quotation marks demarcate the various charactersโ€™ speech, but this is something I got used to after the 1st page. For the life of me, I donโ€™t understand why this book has such low ratings. Sooooo much can be said about these characters! It’s an excellent book club read.

The Three of Us was an engaging read for me, and a great (also annoying, because of the shitty characters hahaa) addition to books on friendship that Iโ€™m really loving at this point in my life.

โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… (4 stars) โ€“ Great book. Highly recommend!

Purchaseย The Three of Us onย Amazon

Book chat, Book Covers, Kwatemaa Tweneboah

Book Chat :: Black/African romance with Kwatemaa Tweneboah

by Darkowaa1 Comment on Book Chat :: Black/African romance with Kwatemaa Tweneboah

February is a great time to indulge in the romance genre. Even though Valentine’s Day is over, I consider the whole month of February to be the month of love!

Back in 2015, I highlighted The Valentine’s Day Anthology 2015 which was published by Ankara Press. Stories in this anthology are translated into Pidgin, Kpelle, Kiswahili, Yoruba, Igbo, French and Hausa. For every story in English, there is a translated version in either of the languages previously listed.

Some of the writers of the stories include: Hawa Jande Golakai, Sarah Ladipo-Manyika, Chikodili Emelumadu, Edwige-Renรฉe Dro, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim and my favorite- Binyavanga Wainaina, amongst others. A lot of work went into publishing this collection – translating stories is not easy. It’s been 9 years since the publication of the anthology and I think it’s still worth the read!

โ€ขโ€ขโ€ขโ€ขโ€ขโ€ขโ€ข

In 2016, I read and reviewed African Love Stories: An Anthology edited by Ama Ata Aidoo. I still consider this anthology to be one of my ultimate favorite collection of stories. It introduced me to amazing authors like Leila Aboulela from Sudan, Vรฉronique Tadjo from Cรดte d’Ivoire and Doreen Baingana from Uganda, just to name a few.

I know what you were thinking when you saw the title, โ€˜African Love Storiesโ€™ โ€“ no, this is not a collection of sappy, romantic, unrealistic, happily-ever-after tales. African Love Stories: An Anthology is a collection of 21 contemporary short stories laden with breathtaking originality.

A quote from my 2016 book review of the anthology

I stand by this quote. African Love Stories: An Anthology was published in 2006 and is still worth the read! I must give it a re-read soon.

โ€ขโ€ขโ€ขโ€ขโ€ขโ€ขโ€ข

This year, I had the honor of chatting withย a pair of writer-friends who love reading and writing romance and also co-host a bookish romance podcast called –ย 2 Hearts In A Pod – Kwatemaa Tweneboah (this is their joint pen name). In case you missed it, I highlighted the fact that they published their debut – The Kelewele Connection last year. I’m not a huge fan of the romance genre, so I found their romance-enthusiastic responses quite informative! Enjoy the book chat below – and get your TBR lists ready!

[Kwatemaa Tweneboah = the joint pen name of Abena Kwatemaa Karikari & Nana Adwoa Tweneboah Amponsah-Mensah]

note โ€“ โ€˜NAโ€™ represents Nana Adwoa Tweneboah Amponsah-Mensahโ€™s responses; ‘AK’ represents Abena Kwatemaa Karikari’s responses

  • Whatโ€™s your favorite romance novel by a Black author?

NA: A very tough question. I’ll make a list instead – Reel by Kennedy Ryan, Seven Days in June by Tia Williams, Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan, Behind the Scenes by Christina C Jones, and Call Me Legachi by Adesuwa O’man Nwokedi.

AK: Definitely Reel by Kennedy Ryan. All her books are great but Reel is a masterpiece for me. If I could add a second, Seven Days in June by Tia Williams.

  • Who are your top 3 Black romance writers and which of their work is your favorite?

NA: I think I answered this at question 1 without realising! Read above.

AK: In no particular order –

1. Beverly Jenkins – Forbidden, To Catch a Raven

2. M. Monique – Blu

3. Adesuwa O’man Nwokedi – Any Love

  • What about the romance genre appeals to you? Do you think thereโ€™s a difference between romance novels written by Black/POC writers and white writers?ย 

NA: The simple answer is the guaranteed joy at the end ie the Happy Ever After. I love reading a book, going through all these wild emotions, angst, sometimes pain, knowing that in the end, it’ll be ok. I love the assurance. It’s an assurance we don’t often get in real life and it’s soothing.

There is definitely a difference between books written by white authors and black or writers of colour. There is often the overarching sense of being the ‘main character’ that you get from stories by white authors. Their characters are self assured and don’t often question their place in their world. I enjoy both works by white and black authors equally but you can’t help picking up on this. Books by black authors often have a lot more riding on them. they have to be the ones representing their culture. Sometimes, that burden comes out in the story.

AK: The fact that the genre is the only one which can contain other characteristics of other fiction genres while maintaining its goal of a happily ever after. Example fantasy romance, historical romance, paranormal romance and so on. The diversity of themes the genre is able to address fascinates me and gives me so much joy.

There is definitely some difference between romances written by black/POC writers and white writers and this is especially evident from the themes addressed. There are also slight differences in terms of language and style particularly in black/POC authored romances that portray black love, it just hits different in a way that excites me as a black reader of romance.

  • Given that both of you are relatively well-read in the romance genre, what else/more (or less) would you like to see in the (Black) romance genre?

NA: I would like to see more whispy black romance. A story that doesn’t feel the need to be an ambassador but just is. I want to see black romance that is soft, kind and all about two people connecting and choosing to love each other kindly. They exist, I just want more.

AK: I would love to see traditional/mainstream publishing opening up to black romances that don’t dilute the black experience and also I would love to see more black romance writers experimenting with the fantasy romance sub-genre.

  • Did any African/Ghanaian romance writers influence The Kelewele Connection?

NA: By the time we were halfway through with The Kelewele Connection we had discovered Adesuwa Nwokedi. Her style definitely influenced us and continues to. I hope she can see some of her influence when she reads our works going forward as well.

Adesuwa O’man Nwokedi is a prolific romance writer of Nigerian descent! Above are some of my (Darkowaa) favorite book covers of her work.

AK: Adesuwa Oโ€™man Nwokedi was and continues to be a big inspiration for us having more confidence about self-publishing. She has published so many herself and actually accepted to read the advanced reader’s copy , and gave us encouraging feedback before we put it out.

Purchase The Kelewele Connection on Amazon

Literature News

2024 NEW RELEASES TO ANTICIPATE!

by Darkowaa6 Comments on 2024 NEW RELEASES TO ANTICIPATE!

Happy New Year, everyone!

New year, new books to anticipate.

Below is my annual collage of new books to anticipate this year. Iโ€™ve compiled 121 new African, African-American, Black-Brit and Caribbean books that look very promising. This list/collage is just aย snippetย of books by Black authors 2024 has to offer!

Be sure to pre-order/purchase these books from your local bookstore, or you can use my affiliate link.

Pharmakon by Teju Cole

What new releases are you excited about? Please do share!

Check out the new books highlighted in:

2023 | 2022ย |ย 2021ย |ย 2020ย |ย 2019ย |ย 2018ย |ย 2017ย |ย 2016ย |ย 2015

SUPPORT AFRICAN BOOK ADDICT!

To support the book blog with a one time contribution, kindly go to:ย paypal.me/africanbookaddict

#ReadGhanaian๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ญ, Book Covers, Book Hauls, Ghanaian writers, Jeffrey Bones, Kobby Ben Ben, Kwatemaa Tweneboah

Friends With Books!

by Darkowaa11 Comments on Friends With Books!

Long time, no blog! (more on that at the end of the blog post)

I never thought I’d ever make a blog post on books written by my own friends. Since 2014, I’ve been blogging about books written by Black authors I either have para-social relationships with online, or who are acquaintances. This year, three of my Ghanaian friends published their debuts, and I couldn’t be more proud of them!

#ReadGhanaian๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ญ

The Kelewele Connection by Kwatemaa Tweneboah

Synopsis

What starts out as a quick trip to the kelewele joint on campus, leads two kelewele lovers to discover a connection like no other.


Afriyie just wanted to get some kelewele to munch while she enjoyed a movie in her room but is disappointed when she doesnโ€™t get the exact kind she loves. Her disappointment turns into a pleasant impromptu โ€˜dateโ€™ with the guy who offers to share the last bit of kelewele he bought.


Nana Yaw never shares his kelewele. Never. So when he catches himself offering to do just that with the cute girl heโ€™s been spying for the past few weeks, he knows this is a connection he cannot ignore.


They donโ€™t have much time till Afriyie has to go back to resume her studies in Edinburgh but the connection they share is too strong to ignore. Will their brief time together be all they have or will their instant spark turn into something long-lasting?

One of my favorite and smartest bookish friends – Abena Kwatemaa Karikari, (or better known as @BookwormInGH on her Bookstagram and Booktube channel) wrote a book with one of her good friends – Nana Adwoa Tweneboah Amponsah-Mensah. Their joint pen name is Kwatemaa Tweneboah. These two friends love reading and writing romance and also co-host a bookish romance podcast called 2 Hearts In A Pod.

Even though Abena and Nana Adwoa separately have their work published in a number of anthologies, The Kelewele Connection is their debut self-published novel under their joint pen name. Not only will readers of romance love this book, but I have a feeling food lovers (especially plantain/kelewele lovers) will enjoying reading this novel as well!

Kwatemaa Tweneboah (Nana Adwoa on the left & Abena Kwatemaa on the right) on a panel at Pa Gya! discussing their debut, in October

The book cover is very endearing – the natural hair, the skin tones of the characters and even the bowl of spiced plantain. I’m sure Kwatemaa Tweneboah have more books up their sleeve, waiting to be published. In fact, they have a Christmas novelette in the works called A Kelewele Christmas! Stay tuned!

Purchase The Kelewele Connection on Amazon or Akenkan Books

God’s Spear by Jeffrey Bones

Synopsis

A story about God, a spear and an angel’s thirst for unruly power.

Not forgetting, the return of Earth’s greatest saviour.

Head to the first page and I’ll meet you inside.

I normally do not review or highlight religious novels – mostly because I know people of ALL religions read this book blog. No discrimination here. But I would be remiss if I didn’t highlight God’s Spear by my good friend, Jeffrey Bones. I had the privilege of reading the book back in April of this year, when it was in its final editing stages.

Jeffrey Bones at his book launch in September

Without giving away any spoilers, God’s Spear is a 60 page graphic novel that follows an angel’s quest for power via a spear. I enjoyed the dialogue between the characters, as well as the gradual rise of suspense towards the end. The writing is pretty descriptive, which allows readers to use their imagination to visualize the text and interpret the storyline through their own understanding.

God’s Spear is suitable for readers of all ages; readers who appreciate animation would especially love the illustrations in the book! As with any graphic novel, the illustrations pleasantly augment the reading experience, as we actually get a glimpse into Jeffrey Bones’ (and the illustrator’s) vision for the characters we experience.

Purchase God’s Spear by contacting Jeffrey Bones for a copy

No One Dies Yet by Kobby Ben Ben

Synopsis

A genre-breaking novel from a powerful new African voice.

2019. The Year of the Return. It has been exactly 400 years since the first slave ships left Ghana for America. Ghana has now opened its doors to Black diasporans, encouraging them to return and get to know the land of their ancestors.

Elton, Vincent, and Scott arrive from America to visit preserved sites from the transatlantic slave route, and to explore the country’s underground queer scene. Their activities are narrated by their two combative guides: Kobby, their guide to Accraโ€™s privileged circles; and Nana, the voice of tradition and religious principle.

The pair’s tense relationship sets the tone for what becomes a shocking and unsettling tale of murder that is at times funny, at times erotic, yet always outspoken and iconoclast.

Last but not least, No One Dies Yet was published in August via Europa Editions. This book has been featured in so many of my ‘New Books to Anticipate‘ posts, so we are all elated that it’s finally out in the world! It will be published in the US in February of 2024.

No One Does Yet is a big book (over 380 pages) that’s basically the embodiment of Kobby’s complex, inspiring mind. Trust and believe that as soon as I finish this book, the review will be up. From my discussions with Kobby on the inspiration behind the book, one of the ideas behind the novel is slightly akin to an article another friend of mine wrote during Ghana’s Year of Return celebrations, in 2020.

Me and Kobby with an ARC of his book, back in January

Purchase No One Dies Yet on Amazon (UK), or contact Kobby for a copy

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African Book Addict will be 10 years old in 2024! Time flies. I plan on setting up a series of posts and (maybe) events to celebrate the 10 years. Stay tuned (and keep your fingers crossed because [traditional] blogging is quite challenging nowadays).