7 Great books Nigerians should read this month

11:51 - 08 October 2015

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For those who have no idea what to read this month, here are titles worth adding to your bookshelf.

Its October Yaay! It’s time for another edition of recommending good books to read.

For those who have no idea what to read, here are titles worth adding to your bookshelf.

1. Tales of Two Cities: The Best and Worst of Times in Today’s New York edited by John Freeman

The book is collection that includes both fiction and non fiction from writers from Nigerian Teju Cole to Zadie Smith, Bill Cheng, Edmund White and Dinaw Megestu and other brilliant writers including one piece by a 15 year old girl from a NYC writing program.

Through memoirs, short fiction, essays, poems, and more, this collection illustrates the realities of living in New York today.

2. Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta

Under the Udala Trees is a debut novel from Chinelo Okparanta. This book tells the story of Ijeoma, a young girl growing up in the ’60s and ’70s in the aftermath of Nigeria’s civil war. At odds with her mother, her community, and her religion, Ijeoma falls in love with a girl who, if their love wasn’t already taboo enough, is from a different ethnic community.

This book tries to cover the issue of Gay and homosexual relationship in modern day Nigeria.

3. Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

From Amazon: "With a singular voice and twists you won't see coming, Luckiest Girl Alive explores the unbearable pressure that so many women feel to "have it all" and introduces a heroine whose sharp edges and cutthroat ambition have been protecting a scandalous truth, and a heart that's bigger than it first appears."

4. A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

After completing 19 novels, Pulitzer Prize winner Tyler is back with another book that promises to be masterful, too. This capacious novel takes us across three generations of the Whitshanks family, their shared stories and long-held secrets, all the unguarded and richly lived moments that combine to define who and what they are as a family.

5. I do not come to you by chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani

This book tells the story of Kingsley Ibe, a First son with responsibilities. He is faced with difficulties as times are bad in Nigeria, and life is hard. Unable to find work, Kingsley cannot take on the duty of training his younger siblings, nor can he provide his parents with financial peace in their retirement. And then there is Ola. Dear, sweet Ola, the sugar in Kingsley's tea. It does not seem to matter that he loves her deeply; he cannot afford her bride price.

6. And The Mountains Echoed, by Khaled Hosseini

Khaled Hosseini has published three books and I have loved each one of them more than the one before it. His first release, The Kite Runner , was extremely powerful, moving and unforgettable. A Thousand Splendid Suns was even better, in my opinion, and beyond that And the Mountains Echoed might be my favorite of the three.

7. Say You’re One Of Them, by Uwem Akpan

At this time Akpan’s sole published work is a novel that was released in 2008 and ultimately took the literary world by storm. Say You’re One of Them (Oprah’s Book Club) is a compilation of stories that introduce us to a world beyond our understanding. With intense and powerful writing, we’re drawn into the lives of several struggling young children in Africa. It’s not described as an easy read, but with the topics covered one wouldn’t expect it to be.

Check out other book suggestions for September, August and July.