Hello everyone! I read a lot of books in May and here are 7 books, my favorite reads.
1. The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
This series a is dystopian story set in what was once North America, the Capitol of Panem maintains its hold on its 12 districts by forcing them each to select a boy and a girl, called Tributes, to compete in a nationally televised event called the Hunger Games. Every citizen must watch as the youths fight to the death until only one remains. The plot is highly gripping. Read it already!! Highly recommended!!! Here are some interesting facts of the book:
- Suzanne Collins got the idea for the books while flipping between war coverage and reality shows.
- Collins didn’t originally plan to make The Hunger Games a trilogy. When she got to the end of the first book, she knew there had to be a sequel.
- The Hunger Games is currently the third-most highlighted Kindle book of all time.
- The first Hunger Games movie was banned in Vietnam.
2. Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri
I was appalled while reading this book. This book is not a story, it is made up of fragments of snippets of other characters. The story is about a woman in her 40s living life on her own and reflecting on her thoughts in a journal. Did you know that:
- Author Jhumpa Lahiri began writing “Whereabouts” in 2015 while she was living in Rome.
- She first wrote and published in Italian, in 2018, as Dove Mi Trovo.
- This is the first novel she has written in Italian and translated into English.
3. Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
I don’t know if I’ve said it enough: THIS BOOK IS AWESOME! It’s a retelling of the Trojan War centered around Achilles and Patroclus. It took Madeline Miller ten years to write this book. Woooorth it! You will definitely root for the characters. Read my review on this book, click here.
4. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
This is a French novella that follows a young prince who visits various planets in space, including Earth. This book addresses themes of loneliness, friendship, love, and loss. Despite its style as a children’s book, this book makes observations about life and human nature. Here are some fascinating facts about the book:
- The Little Prince has been translated into over 300 languages making it the third most translated book in the world.
- Saint-Exupéry wrote while in a self-imposed exile in the United States during World War II.
5. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This is a love story and a story that addresses issues like racism and gender bias. I was totally immersed in the writing. This book is an absolute stunner! This book has the characters that you will root for. Read it already!!
6. Dear Ijeawale by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This is another awesome work of Adichie. Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions is an epistolary manifesto. In this book, Adichie attempts to challenge the prejudices of gender roles and expectations.
- Dear Ijeawele was posted on her official Facebook page on October 12, 2016, was subsequently adapted into a book and published in print on March 7, 2017.
- Before becoming a book, Dear Ijeawele was a personal e-mail written by Adichie in response to her friend, “Ijeawele”, who had asked Adichie’s advice on how to raise her daughter as a feminist.
- Dear Ijeawele was listed on NPR’s ‘2017’s Great Reads’ list.
7. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This is a gem! Everyone should read this book and Dear Ijeawale. I cannot emphasize it enough! We Should All Be Feminists is a book-length essay adapted from Adichie’s 2012 TEDx talk of the same name, first delivered at TEDx Euston in London. Did you know that this talk has been viewed more than six million times? Additionally, Audio from Adichie’s talk was included in Beyoncé’s 2013 song “***Flawless”. Adichie was credited with a featured role on the track.
Well, these were my best reads from May month. Let me know what you think of them. Until then, Happy Reading 🧡
~Botopsy
