For my fellow dreamers and overthinkers. A mix of books that made me think, feel, and pause — the ones I’d hand to a friend if they asked what to read next.
Sections
6
African Writers & Diaspora Voices
POC Writers: Contemporary Fiction & Fantasy
Queer Reads / LGBQT+ Themes
Classics + Literary Fiction
Poetry & Meditative Reads
Speculative Fiction / Fantasy
African Writers & Diaspora Voices
Complicated, beautiful, painful. Friendship and identity woven into prose that stays with you long after the last page.
Sula by Toni Morrison
A powerful exploration of language, culture, and the lingering effects of colonialism. Reads like a manifesto and a love letter to African storytelling.
Decolonising the Mind: Politics of Language
Witty, chaotic, and deeply human. A kaleidoscope of Lagos life, love, and madness.
Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad by Damilare Kuku
Small-town life, big human truths. Told with charm, humour, and a keen eye for the nuances of Zimbabwean society.
The Hairdresser of Harare by Tendai Huchu
Sharp, witty, and unapologetic. Essays that dissect life, culture, and personal experience with bite and heart.
DRUNK by Jackson Biko
Intimate, evocative, and real. Stories that stick with you, quietly shifting how you see everyday life.
Thursdays by Jackson Biko
POC Writers: Contemporary Fiction & Fantasy
Dark, eerie, and unapologetically raw. These stories linger like smoke in the corners of your mind.
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez
A masterclass in magic, history, and consequences. I felt every word in my chest and my brain at the same time.
Babel by R.F. Kuang
Sharp, biting, and unflinching. Explores ambition, ethics, and the cost of erasing voices. I couldn’t stop turning pages.
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Sharp, suspenseful, and timely. A thriller about ambition, race, and the politics of the workplace that I couldn’t put down.
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
Queer Reads / LGBQT+ Themes
A retelling of myth that broke my heart and stitched it back together. Tender, epic, and impossible to put down.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Glamour, secrets, and heartbreak. I devoured this one like a guilty pleasure I didn’t want to end.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Reid
Honest, bold, and life-affirming. Challenges you to think, feel, and reimagine identity in the most beautiful way.
Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon
Classics + Literary Fiction
Brilliant, heartbreaking, and oddly hopeful. A story that asks what it truly means to be human.
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Rebellion, chaos, and humanity trapped inside systems. Reads like a punch to the gut in the best way.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
Timeless, painful, and necessary. A story about justice, empathy, and the small acts that change everything.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Poetry & Meditative Reads
Meditative, poetic, and comforting. Every page feels like a whispered life lesson.
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
Gentle, wise, and endlessly observant. Poetry that teaches you to notice the little things that make life luminous.
Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver
Speculative Fiction / Fantasy
Heartfelt, introspective, and quietly devastating. A meditation on grief, life, and everything in between.
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca
A gentle, wistful journey through time, love, and choices we wish we could redo. Perfect for reflective mornings.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Twists, suspense, and heartbreak. I didn’t see the ending coming—a perfect mix of summer nostalgia and sharp revelations.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Magic, grief, and revolution. I felt every battle and every loss as if I were walking alongside the characters.
