Geeks logo

7 Must-Read Nigerian Books of 2020.

For every book lover.

By Jide OkonjoPublished 4 years ago 14 min read
2

For every book lover.

I am an avid reader. I love books. It's one of those things I wish more people were into. The advent of movies and television as great as it is has made a lot more people opt for that mode of storytelling. But to me, books will forever be the O.G.

Some of my favorite TV shows and movies are adaptations from books. In fact, one of the quickest ways to win me over when advertising a movie or TV show is to point out that it's an adaptation from a book. I think I feel this way because I know the thought that goes into writing a book. When you read a book, the possibilities are endless. There are no budget constraints that the production team has to worry about. Everything and anything is possible as long as your mind can conjure it up. It is still in my opinion, the most immersive form of storytelling we have. 3D with the glasses, '4D' where you're put into a "situation room" where things can splash on you or the temperature can increase, etc, they are immersive but not nearly as immersive as reading a good book and for a few minutes/hours, getting to live in the skin of a new character. You get to see what they see, have access to their thoughts. It's a wonderful experience and I think it's something I highly recommend to you if you aren't already a reader.

My favorite types of books to read are Mysteries/Thrillers because I like to figure out who did it, why, etc, and books that are Nigerian. There is nothing better than reading a book that feels familiar. With characters that speak your language, that look like you, that are in situations you too may have found yourself in.

I'm subscribed to everything book-wise: Amazon Kindle Unlimited, Bambooks, I regularly buy books on Okadabooks.

I say all this to say that I KNOW books. I've read a LOT in my time to be able to feel confident enough to successfully recommend books to you as must-reads.

Seeing that I've already talked enough, I guess it's time to dive right into the list and give you a run-down of my top must-read Nigerian book recommendations this year.

Before you jump in, be sure to like and follow me on Facebook so you don't miss out on any new funny, exciting, interesting stories that I post every single day.

1. Moving Targets - Victor Daniel-Kalio

This is my favorite book of ALL TIME that I have ever read. I think I'm definitely biased because the book is a combination of my favorite things. It is a Mystery Thriller book set in Nigeria.

Literally a mesh of my favorite things in books and it's done so SO well.

It breaks my heart that the book isn't as popular as some other books on this list, but at the same time maybe that is what makes it so special to me. That it's almost like this hidden treasure that only I've found. It's a wonderful book.

I found it on OkadaBooks. I loved the cover and thought it was really intriguing. There is another cover of the book that I just saw on Amazon, but there's something about this one with the woman that I just absolutely love.

The blurb of the book reads:

Everyone is talking about it.

Two weeks ago, Toyosi Okunlade got a thirteen-year-old girl handed into her care by the church. Now that girl is missing -- mysteriously vanishing after Toyosi sent her into the kitchen to examine a gas leak that resulted in a violent explosion.

Toyosi doesn't know what happened in that kitchen, but she is eager to find out, because the masked man suddenly chasing her down empty streets, her daughter's rapid decline in health, her husband's change in attitude, the herbs she discovers under her mattress…these things cannot be a coincidence.

But it seems that the more she digs, the twistier the story gets. It's as though everyone is hiding something. Her husband, the church. Questions are leading to only more questions.

Then, her own daughter goes missing and all gloves come off in this tale of hatred, murder, and red-hot revenge.

Set in complicated Nigeria, MOVING TARGETS is a fast-paced domestic thriller that readers have been finishing in record times. It is a phenomenon you do not want to miss out on.

It's SO GOOD! I finished it in ONE sitting. That has never happened to me before. It's such a good book. I recommend this over and over and over again. It's an absolute must-read!

Buy "Moving Targets" on Amazon.

Buy "Moving Targets" on Okadabooks.

2. The Thing Around Your Neck - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Of all the Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie books I've read (and I have read all of them), this is forever my favorite one.

At the heart of it, the book is a compilation of several short stories spanning different genres. As usual, the thing that really sells it the most is Chimamanda's voice.

The way she writes. The richness in her words. The choices that she makes with the sentences and words she chooses and the overall rhythm of her books, there is something so truly and apologetically Nigerian about it, and it is the thing that stood out the most to me and what makes this book such an absolute must-read for me forever. You have to read it, it's so so good!

The blurb reads:

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie burst onto the literary scene with her remarkable debut novel, Purple Hibiscus, which critics hailed as "one of the best novels to come out of Africa in years" (Baltimore Sun), with "prose as lush as the Nigerian landscape that it powerfully evokes" (The Boston Globe); The Washington Post called her "the twenty-first-century daughter of Chinua Achebe". Her award-winning Half of a Yellow Sun became an instant classic upon its publication three years later, once again putting her tremendous gifts - graceful storytelling, knowing compassion, and fierce insight into her characters' hearts - on display. Now, in her most intimate and seamlessly crafted work to date, Adichie turns her penetrating eye on not only Nigeria but America in 12 dazzling stories that explore the ties that bind men and women, parents and children, Africa and the United States.

In "A Private Experience", a medical student hides from a violent riot with a poor Muslim woman whose dignity and faith force her to confront the realities and fears she's been pushing away. In "Tomorrow Is Too Far", a woman unlocks the devastating secret that surrounds her brother's death. The young mother at the center of "Imitation" finds her comfortable life in Philadelphia threatened when she learns that her husband has moved his mistress into their Lagos home. And the title story depicts the choking loneliness of a Nigerian girl who moves to an America that turns out to be nothing like the country she expected; though falling in love brings her desires nearly within reach, a death in her homeland forces her to reexamine them.

Searing and profound, suffused with beauty, sorrow, and longing, these stories map, with Adichie's signature emotional wisdom, the collision of two cultures and the deeply human struggle to reconcile them. The Thing Around Your Neck is a resounding confirmation of the prodigious literary powers of one of our most essential writers.

Buy "The Thing Around Your Neck" on Amazon.

Buy "The Thing Around Your Neck" on Okadabooks.

3. Impostor Alert - Uduak Akpabio Umoren

I have no recollection of how I found this book, but I'm so happy I did. The book tells the story of two women who get on a bus. One dies, and one who has a striking resemblance to the other survives, and seeing how wealthy the dead girl's family is, assumes her life.

It is such an exciting book. I had SO MUCH FUN reading this book and I laughed a lot. I think, after Moving Targets, this is my second favorite book. It has such a blend of everything. The entire book is set in Nigeria with very Nigerian characters. The characters are very well fleshed out. The tension keeps rising, there's never a dull moment.

Urgh! This is a book that when it ended, I just couldn't stop smiling. It's everything and more that I could wish for in a book. Superb! Will absolutely recommend.

Here is the blurb:

Two women meet on a bus heading for Lagos – one to continue her poor-paying job as a prostitute, and the other to visit a long-distance boyfriend. Both women discover that they share an uncanny resemblance and become fast friends. But before the end of that day, there will be a fatal crash. One woman will die and the other – following a case of mistaken identity – will impersonate her.Gently navigating the chasm between the lives of the oblivious rich and desperately poor, Impostor Alert! is a finely wrought tale about grief, forgiveness, and redemption.

Buy "Impostor Alert" on Amazon.

4. Children of Blood and Bone - Tomi Adeyemi

I'll be the first to admit it: I'm not the biggest fan of Fantasy books. This is why I think the fact that I'm recommending this book should hold more water to you.

The buzz around "Children of Blood and Bone" was overwhelming. The book was being talked about EVERYWHERE in the reading community. When I heard the name of the author, Tomi Adeyemi, of course my Nigerian ears pricked up. A Nigerian author wrote a book set in Nigeria and it's a fantasy adventure? Nobody told me twice to buy and read the book.

Talk about action-packed. Chapter to chapter, the author never lets you go. It's always something happening, and the book is so exciting, you just want to keep flipping and flipping.

The book was definitely worth the hype and I highly suggest you read it.

The blurb reads:

They killed my mother.

They took our magic.

They tried to bury us.

Now we rise.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.

Buy "Children of Blood and Bone" on Amazon.

5. My Sister, The Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite

Another book that's been getting a whole lot of press and awards.

The title of this book makes it sound a lot darker than it actually is. The book is set in Nigeria and tells the story of as you guessed it: 2 sisters and 1 is a serial killer. The twist though is that now, the serial killer sister has her eyes set on the boy that the other sister likes.

It's such a fun book. It took me a minute to get used to how uneven the chapter lengths were. Some chapters would have only 5 lines and then the next 35, then 7, and so on. It takes a minute to get used to, but you'll get used to it.

Also, the book finishes a lot faster than you'd expect. A testament to how gripping the book is. I own a Kindle so I read digitally not knowing how many pages I have left or how far in the book I've gotten. With this book, I remember reading it and then it was over, and I was like "Oop!".

It's a really good book. Highly recommend.

The blurb reads:

"Femi makes three, you know. Three and they label you a serial killer."

Korede is bitter. How could she not be? Her sister, Ayoola, is many things: the favorite child, the beautiful one, possibly sociopathic. And now Ayoola's third boyfriend in a row is dead.

Korede's practicality is the sisters' saving grace. She knows the best solutions for cleaning blood, the trunk of her car is big enough for a body, and she keeps Ayoola from posting pictures of her dinner to Instagram when she should be mourning her "missing" boyfriend. Not that she gets any credit.

Korede has long been in love with a kind, handsome doctor at the hospital where she works. She dreams of the day when he will realize that she's exactly what he needs. But when he asks Korede for Ayoola's phone number, she must reckon with what her sister has become and how far she's willing to go to protect her.

Sharp as nails and full of deadpan wit, Oyinkan Braithwaite's deliciously deadly debut is as fun as it is frightening.

Buy "My Sister, the Serial Killer" on Amazon.

6. No Heart Feelings - Sally Kenneth Dadzie

If you're an avid Nigerian reader, especially if you reside on OkadaBooks, then you know who Sally Kenneth Dadzie is. She is a mother in this game, and she writes books that are SO thrilling, they stay with you after you're done.

Oh, she also writes books that are very sexual so consider yourself warned before you start reading.

No Heart Feelings is classic Sally, but it has a lot more of that Mystery Thriller thing that I love. It's a book that grabs you from the first chapter. Right off the bat, the craziness starts and it doesn't stop until the book ends. So so so good. A high recommendation from me.

The blurb reads:

Jimi's darling wife, Marie, passes away and he buries her. He's left to pick the shards of his life and at the same time care for their baby. He thinks his life is over, until watching the news one day, he spots Marie in the arms of another man. She is pregnant and they seem in love. The twist that follows next is not something you would expect.

Buy "No Heart Feelings" on Amazon.

Buy "No Heart Feelings" on Okadabooks.

7. Boss Up!: A Guide to Conquering and Living Your Best Life - Chika Ike

If you'd rather read a non-fiction book, then this one is for you.

Chika Ike's "Boss Up" is a very revealing tell-all book and guide written by Nollywood actress, Chika Ike.

Reading the book gave me a lot more insight and a new respect for Chika Ike. I think public perception is something I always find interesting. The people we are and the people the world thinks we are, and how different those two people might be.

This is a book that shows the other side to a life of fame, as well as how bad decisions, past wounds, and hardships in life can either make or break a person. Chika does a wonderful job of telling her story, and then doing more by extending a hand and giving tips on how some of her experiences can help, teach, and inform you the reader to live your own best life, and 'Boss Up!'.

It's definitely a recommended read I give to anyone who either loves Chika or hates her. Both ways, there is something to be learned from this book.

The blurb reads:

Boss UP! is a 41 chapter book that cover most of the obstacles we all confront--fear, convention, love, money, self-esteem. Some are internal, existing only in our minds, and some are external, found in other people's attitudes.

It gives you a guide on how to overcome such obstacles by some of the lessons and experiences of Chika Ike .

Bossing Up and changing her attitude, She changed my life. She chose to be happy, successful, ambitious, and driven, and you can too. This book will show you how to work around the obstacles and get your life moving smoothly . Chika Ike explains how She failed, how other people failed her and how she sometimes, somehow, got it right. Hoping that by sharing her mistakes, you won't have to make them. Mistakes such as allowing relationships to define her ,hiding away because she hated her looks, wondering whether all the hard work was worth the effort, being bullied because she was different, and more.

Part 1 starts with 'Chikadibia, ' (which is my full name), explains my starting point and introduces the rest of the book in more detail (Self, Business, Society and Grace). Please dip in with both feet, and feel good. I hope your outcome is greater health, wealth, and happiness.

Buy "Boss Up!" on Amazon.

Buy "Boss Up!" on Okadabooks.

THAT'S ALL.

I hope you get to read all, or at least some of these books. They are by far my favorite books and a book I'll recommend for anyone who is interested in reading current (from this decade) Nigerian books. I hope you enjoy them.

To make sure you don't miss out on any new fun, exciting stories and lists that I post every single day, be sure to like and follow me on my Facebook page.

To read more interesting stories right now, click here to see all my posts.

Until next time, have a wonderful rest of your day!

literature
2

About the Creator

Jide Okonjo

I have ONE account and MANY interests. My page is a creative hodgepodge of:

🇳🇬 Nigerian news stories for my dedicated Nigerian readers.

🎥 Movie and music recommendations, listicles, and critiques

📀 Op-eds, editorial features, fiction

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.