To be a great writer you have to be an even greater reader (in my opinion). I made this discovery back in 2007, when thanks to an old friend (Chairman and Founder of a reputable UK asset management firm), re-opened my eyes to the world of literature. I was fortunate to have bagged a sit next to him at a closing dinner we had thrown at Sketch, to celebrate the successful UK listing of a Vietnamese hedge fund firm. All night, he charmed me with great tales of his trips to Nigeria and other African nations and challenged my knowledge of African Literature which at the time was nil. Having always had a preference for all things foreign, I found my mini library of novels constituted mainly of UK and US chick lit authors which my friend referred to as jargon. So I did what every book lover would do, I went out and bought an extensive list of books from recommended African authors and also picked up a couple of African American titles too. It was during this time that my love for words, reading and writing took a whole new turn and I found myself getting my writing groove back. For anyone who wants to write, you have to feed yourself not just with other books but with life. Travel, go out, watch a play or musical, meet people, learn a new language, drink a little, explore and don't forget scribble, scribble, scribble cause you just never know when it will ALL come together :-)I leave you with a list of my top rated reads. You will find majority of them are centred around characters that have been displaced from where they would naturally call "home" and find themselves adapting to circumstances, cultures, people and relationships in their new homes. I find these stories immensely insightful given the dynamic world we now live in, where globalisation means a lot of us will reside in different countries or continents at some point in our lives for the sake of education, work, relationships and leisure to name a few. It is interesting to see how this decision impacts us and those around us.
1. A Day Late and A Dollar Short, Terry McMillan
2. Purple Hibiscus, Chimamanda Adichie
3. Half of a Yellow Sun, Chimamanda Adichie
4. The Thing Around Your Neck, Chimamanda Adichie
5. Everything Good Will Come, Sefi Atta
6. The Interruption of Everything, Terry McMillan
7. A Life Elsewhere, Segun Afolabi
8. Mama, Terry McMillan
9. Sundowners, Lesley Lokko
10. Milk in my Coffee, Eric Jerome Dickey
