This has been my best reading year since I gave birth to my first child. I feel so proud of myself, because this shows how much better I have become at organising my time and prioritising reading.

It has also been my most diverse reading year, as I branched out into science fiction (Kindred by Octavia Butler, Black Stars: A Galaxy of New Worlds – a collection by black authors including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Nnedi Okorafor – and fantasy (Harry Potter).

Cover image of Kindred by Octavia Butler

I also read authors whose books I’d never read before: Private Paris by James Patterson and Mike Sullivan. I can hear you all screaming “Whaaaaat? You’ve never read one of the most commercially successful writers ever?” No, time is short and there are so many books to read that you can’t get to everyone who you think you should read. I’m glad I made the time this year, because the story sucked me in from the second page although the premise of the plot did not make all the sense in the world in my opinion.

I read a few books by first-time authors (Empowered Woman by Adebola Ajao, PhD and Lagos to London by Lola Aworanti-Ekugo), both of whom also happen to be my friends.

Memoirs continue to be a mainstay of my reading, especially when they transport me to another place and time or put me in another’s very different shoes from mine. In this regard, My Mother’s Daughter by Chief Mrs. Taiwo Taiwo and The Warrior Within: A Sickle Cell Story by Banke Alawaye did not disappoint.

From Clueless to Success: Backstories from My Journey in Communications by Adedoyin Jaiyesimi was an incredibly inspiring account of the author’s discovery and subsequent path to her communications career. Seriously, there were gold nuggets on every page. I highlighted that book like crazy. (Fun fact: I had planned on reading that book much later, but my daughter loved the cover illustration so much that she kept moving it to the top of my reading pile and one day shoved it in my face. I took the suggestion and was happy I did.)

From Clueless to Success by Adedoyin Jaiyesimi

As I continued my own writing journey, I realised that writing for children (particularly middle grade i.e. 9 to 12 years) is where I’m at right now. And so, I started reading more in that genre. It’s recommended that aspiring writers read books in their preferred genre published within the last 5 or so years. This led me to Front Desk by Kelly Yang, Drama Queen by Sefi Atta and of course the Harry Potter series.

At the same time, I could not help re-visiting some of my childhood faves like Just William by Richmal Crompton and some other classics that I had never read, such as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle and Anne of Windy Willows by L.M. Montgomery. I loved Judy Blume books as an adolescent (didn’t we all?) and stumbled upon a newer one Double Fudge, while browsing in a children’s bookshop.

One of my most cherished discoveries this year was Thursday’s Child by Noel Streatfeild. I first heard about this author on an episode of the Desert Island Discs podcast from the 1950s. I liked her interview so much that I checked her out online. I was born on a Thursday and naturally the title caught my eye. Her writing was sublime, funny and her characters leap out of the pages. Again, I went crazy highlighting sentences and words. It’s interesting how writing for children has changed through the years from the fairly advanced sentence structure of Richmal Crompton to today’s very direct and simple use of words. This is a topic of conversation for another day though…..

Thursday’s Child by Noel Streatfeild

I consider reading primarily as a vehicle for enjoyment and travel, so fiction is my first love. But, non-fiction is important to me to learn about new concepts or deepen my knowledge about more familiar topics. Collision: GPS for a New Generation by my former pastor, Moses Ida-Micheals was a thought-provoking treatise on faith in the modern, digitally-connected world.

Taking Up Space: The Black Girl’s Manifesto for Change by recent Cambridge grads Chelsea Kwakye and Ore Ogunbiyi was written primarily for black girls studying in universities, where they are ethnic minorities, but I could relate to the feelings of otherness from my time working in the United States and international professional communities I participate in today. I consider the book to be a superb charge for black girls everywhere, because in our shrinking world, if not today, one day you will become the “other” and need to know that you are not alone and understand how to navigate these situations.

Taking Up Space: The Black Girl’s Manifesto for Change by Chelsea Kwakye and Ore Ogunbiyi

Notes on Grief was the beautiful articulation of the experience of being bereaved by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It’s the book I wish I could have written after my sister died. One day, maybe I will be able to put my own experience into words. Maybe….

I almost never re-read books (there are too many new books to explore), but this year I picked up Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain for the second time. There is something to be said for reading something again and have the message reinforced. It had been a few years since my first read and the book’s gems about introversion and thriving in a world that looks down on the quieter folks sank in beautifully like I was reading them afresh.

I started the year with one of my favourite writers Lee Child (A Wanted Man). Mid-way through November, it struck me that I hadn’t read another Jack Reacher book since then. A problem that had to be remedied immediately, so I’m currently making my way through Without Fail.

Without Fail by Lee Child

It’s been a beautiful year in books. I don’t read many new books, but each book I read deposits something (hopefully) special in me. I think that’s what good books should do.