10 Books To Wind Down The Year With

The end of the year is always a great time to unwind, relax and prepare for a new year. It’s also a good time to enjoy the festivities and bond with families and friends creating new memories, and engaging in activities. However, beyond concerts, and other outdoor activities, reading can also be a great way to spend time together. If you’re a lover of African Literature,  Culture Custodian has curated  a list of exciting, thought-provoking books you should read this season. 

My Sister The Serial Killer – Oyinkan Braithwaite

Despite its grim title, My Sister The Serial Killer is a hilarious book that follows two sisters, Ayoola and Korede who are bound together by Ayoola’s propensity to murder her boyfriends, and Korede’s obligation to clean up after.

The book focuses more on the relationship between the sisters than the brutality of the killings. In that way, readers are shielded from a traumatic read and led through  a more easily digestible one. Braithwaite explores  the extent people go for their loved ones, and the talents they may acquire along the way. In an interview enclosed at the end of the book, the author mentioned how she didn’t want the book submerged in darkness, and with the help of comedic relief, she was successful. 

Welcome to Lagos – Chibundu Onuzo

Deep in the Niger Delta, officer Chike Ameobi deserts the army and sets out on the road to Lagos. He is soon joined by a wayward private, a naive militant, a vulnerable young woman and a runaway middle-class wife. The shared goals of this unlikely group: freedom and new life.

As they strive to find their places in the city, they become embroiled in a political scandal. Ahmed Bakare, editor of the failing Nigerian Journal, is determined to report the truth. Yet government minister Chief Sandayo will do anything to maintain his position. Trapped between the two, they are forced to make a life-changing decision.

Full of shimmering detail, Welcome to Lagos is a stunning portrayal of an extraordinary city, and of seven lives that intersect in a breathless story of courage and survival.

Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? – Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? brilliantly subverts the traditional romantic comedy with an unconventional heroine who bravely asks the questions we all have about love.

Wry, acerbic, moving, this is a love story that makes you smile but also makes you think–and explores what it means to find your way between two cultures, both of which are yours. It reflects the societal pressures attached to finding a romantic partner, and could be taken as a hint to be patient on your journey to finding love. The festivities should not be spent dwelling on the absence of anything, but rather on all the love and joy currently in places we do not usually notice. 

Nearly All Men In Lagos Are Mad – Damilare Kuku 

There will be no shortage of Lagos men and their accompanying drama in Damilare Kuku’s  collection of short stories.

Structured as case-studies, and a form of love letter in solidarity with the women who have survived romantic relationships with men in Lagos….it deftly analyzes the various archetypes women are likely to encounter in the dating scene in the city – from serial cheaters, to mummy’s boys, from the ‘fake it till you make it’ adherents to the ones who can’t commit. This book underscores with wit, humor, wisdom, and sensitivity the perils of trying to find lasting love and companionship in Africa’s craziest city that will prove universal and illuminating.

Love is Beautiful When in Bloom – Lara Kareem

Love is Beautiful When in Bloom is a buoyant and soft collection of seven short stories that explore what it means when people meet and form a connection that ultimately blossoms into love.

The collection begins with Full Circle, a story that expresses the sweetness of requited love and beautifully transitions into A Binding Encounter, where the bittersweet and endearing possibility of love and grief coexist. Written with compassion, care and love, these light and sweet stories will keep you captivated as you encounter different facets of intimacy, self-discovery, pain, friendship and joy.

For readers looking to soothe their heavy hearts during the holidays, Love is Beautiful When in Bloom is the Christmas companion you need. 

Nothing Comes Close by Tolulope Popoola 

Confident, sassy, career girl, Lola meets cool, handsome, unpredictable hunk, Wole at a party in London. He pushes all the right buttons for her, and sparks fly. Wole is also irresistibly drawn to Lola, and before long, they get together in a wonderful romance. But Wole is not all that he seems, and  is holding back some dark secrets.

Things start to unravel when Wole’s past begins to catch up with him and Lola has to decide if Wole is worth the trouble that threatens to overwhelm her. Find out in this captivating book if their love will overcome the trials of a murder investigation, an arrest, a meddling relative and a trip halfway across the world, or whether they both give up and go their separate ways.

Honey and Spice by Bolu Babalola 

Sharp-tongued (and secretly soft-hearted) Kiki Banjo has made a huge mistake. As an expert in relationship-evasion and the host of the popular student radio show Brown Sugar, she’s made it her mission to make sure the women of the African-Caribbean Society at Whitewell University do not fall into the mess of “situationships”, players, and heartbreak. But when the Queen of the Unbothered kisses Malakai Korede, the guy she just publicly denounced as “The Wastemen of Whitewell,” in front of every Blackwellian on campus, she finds her show on the brink.

They’re soon embroiled in a fake relationship to try and salvage their reputations and save their futures. Kiki has never surrendered her heart before, and a player like Malakai won’t be the one to change that, no matter how charming he is or how electric their connection feels. But surprisingly entertaining study sessions and intimate, late-night talks at old-fashioned diners force Kiki to look beyond her own presumptions. Is she ready to open herself up to something deeper?

His Only Wife – Peace Adzo Medie

From the opening sentence of this book, “Elikem married me in absentia; he did not come to our wedding.” through the entire story, it’s impossible to not appreciate the richness of Peace Adzo Medie’s storytelling.

Set in Ghana, His Only Wife follows the life of Afi—a beautiful, poor girl whose family’s indebtedness to her groom and his mother, leads her into an arranged marriage. The story explores Afi’s transition into marriage, and the dynamics of her relationship with her new family, and the impact of class, social strata and how it plays out in her life. Other themes highlighted in the book include polygamy, gender roles, and the disparity in societal expectations from men and women.  If you’re looking for an insightful yet spell-binding read this holiday, then this will be a great pick. 

Butter Honey Pig Bread -Francesca Ekwuyasi

In the spirit of family and kinship this season, one book that perfectly bodies and captures the impact of these relationships and their dynamics is Butter Honey Pig Bread. Highlighting themes of spirituality, food, friendship, and faith, it traces the lives of Kambirinachi and her twin daughters, Taiye and Kehinde, and their seemingly estranged relationship. 

Gathering together during holidays can be hard, especially if family relationships are atypical and this book serves as a representation for those who share similar experiences and it also touches on sensitive topics such as death, queerness, and sexual abuse. An unconventional holiday read, but still a relevant and intriguing one. 

Dele Weds Destiny – Tomi Obaro

Aside from holidays, one event that often brings a lot of families and friends together is a wedding, and Africans sure love a good wedding!

In Dele Weds Destiny, we’re let into the lives of three Nigerian women in their 50s, as they’re having a reunion at the wedding of one of their daughters in Lagos. The book is told in two timelines, telling stories from different points of view through the years. The major themes include culture and class dynamics in Nigeria, sex, love, and the power of female friendships.