Welcome to Litsy!

So good. Equally horrified and hopeful. I'm not sure why but this type of unreliable narrator is my fav. If anyone needs one for #Nigeria look for a copy of this.

#DoubleSpin @TheAromaofBooks

This story had wonderful (as well as horrific) characters and gave me insight into Nigerian culture and history. It's very brutal in places, but the author softens the tone with the narrator Adunni's humour and optimism.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Why is it the women of Nigeria 🇳🇬 always suffer but never the men “ all too sad and true even now ; a story of a poor girl sold
into marriage and then to another awful fate in Lagos , I can never understand women treating other girls and women as awfully as misogynistic men. An out standing debut a sad theme but a very important one id like to see this book on the school syllabus. I particularly loved each chapter starting with a Nigerian fact

Mollie always seems to photo bomb 💣 😂nearly finished this for my village bookclub read . Highly rated between the covers bbc book show pick last year ; slightly predictable and all too true & horrid but an amazing debut. I seem to be on a run of slightly depressing books about ladies/girls being abused/used by men I think my next pick needs to be light & fluffy
#mayreads
#bookbingo
#maybingo

I really enjoyed this one! 14 year old Nigerian Adunni is forced into an abusive marriage and then sent to live as a housemaid, along the way trying to educate herself and wanting a better life. A very well written debut novel.

My second #vacationread, and I thought it was excellent. It works for #Nigeria for #readingafrica.

Adunni is a 14 year old Nigerian girl who grew up in a small village. Her mom passed away and her alcoholic father disregards the promise he made and sells Adunni into a marriage with a much older man as a third wife. That‘s just the beginning.

Adunni‘s strong spirit and her wish to do good for her country will stay with me. All the TW though.

Another great #NYWD rec from @Amiable about a passionate young Nigerian woman who is determined to have a “louding voice” and make her own way despite all the odds and abuses stacked against her. Also a great #audiobook.
#Booked2022 #Africa
#ReadingAfrica2022 #Nigeria

This was such a very good read. Written in broken English, it‘s the story of a 14 yr old girl who so desperately wants to go to school to learn to be a teacher. Instead she‘s married off by her cruel father. I learned so much about this culture and this country through this book. #readafrica2022 #Nigeria #travelthroughbooks @Texreader @Librarybelle

Adunni, a 14-yo girl in #Nigeria, was raised by a mom who did everything she possibly could to ensure her daughter could get an education and have a voice in a world ruled by men. When her mother dies, her dreams are shattered when she‘s sold into marriage by her drunk cruel father who finds girls useless. Adunni suffers relentless abuse but works to find her way and her voice, even if it is broken English. An excellent story and I learned a ⬇️

I‘m enjoying a quiet moment with my book and tea at the lakehouse. All the women in my family will be joining me soon for a long crafting weekend here. I‘m looking forward to it but appreciating the quiet for now.

E-book on sale today. Works for #Nigeria for #readingAfrica2022

Beautiful debut from a powerful new voice. Adunni is an unforgettable protagonist that meets the traumas and challenges of her life with strength, humor, tenacity, and optimism. Her story is a difficult one, but avoids the “trauma porn” territory that so many other books like this can veer into. I wish we could know what happens next in Adunni‘s story, but I was left knowing she is on her way to changing the world. 4⭐️

We would all do well to remember Adunni‘s wisdom. 🥰

I‘m a day late, but here are my #AwesomeApril reading goals! My focus this month is catching up on some #Booked2022 and #bookspin selections. Thanks @Andrew65 for keeping us on track and I hope you are doing well. 😀

The author notes that while the quoted book is not real, the facts cited are.

#Nigeria #readingafrica2022 @BarbaraBB @Librarybelle

I‘ve started this one tonight for #Nigeria #readingafrica2022 @BarbaraBB @Librarybelle

5/5 Stars ✨
Hard themes, complex characters and vivid imagery. Excellent book.

My #BlitsySwap #BHMS package finally arrived.❤
@TiminCalifornia thank you for the gifts. I love them. All books are on my tbr and can't wait to read them. Socks are amazing😍😍❤
@Chelleo

Finished this yesterday. I‘m still thinking about it! Adunni‘s thirst for knowledge & passion for helping others makes her a wonderful character. She goes through so much, but comes out with her passion, strength & kindness intact. This is one of those books that has been languishing on my shelf for much too long. I wish I had read it earlier. Definitely check content warnings before reading for triggers.

My second #roll100 book for February.

3.75

1. Tagged above.

This was a bonus book for me this month—I was ahead of my goal of reading 1 book per week with my eyeballs instead of my ears, so I pulled it off the BOTM shelf and just devoured it. An excellent debut with a dynamic, smart heroine that I loved rooting for. I really like that it‘s written in dialectic, but thought that was a little inconsistent at times, which was distracting. Still, a hopeful, shining book that I‘m glad I read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I stayed up until half 4 in the morning to finish this book. It was fantastic.

I can't comment on the authenticity of Adunni's voice, but she is such a marvellous character: straight-talking, intellectually curious, brave, determined and observant. She felt very real to me, as did the world she inhabits. It all came alive on the page.

This book was engaging, smart, heartbreaking, hopeful, witty, infuriating and enlightening.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pickles is also unimpressed by the appalling treatment of women in this book.

So far this story is absorbing, fantastically characterised and making me very angry. I'm reminded of A Thousand Splendid Suns which I read a very long time ago.

I'm about halfway through (lagging very behind my fellow buddy readers), but so far it's excellent.

I can‘t believe I didn‘t read this book before now; I loved it! Adunni is such a wonderful MC, naïve to the ways of the world (and how evil people can be) but also wise beyond her years.

Like my fellow #buddyreaders I can‘t believe that this kind of treatment of women is still allowed and accepted in this day and age. ? Going to read back through spoiler tags now…!

#booked2022 #blackownedpublishinghouse

#loudbuddyread

Sad, but full of hope and heart and you can‘t help cheering on Adunni, a brilliant character. Questioning everything and finally accepting her worth and value.
Shocking, detailed treatment of girls/women with no value or worth 💔😡
Thanks for the buddy read - look forward to your comments/insights.

"When I close my eyes on some days, I see my mama as a rose flower: a yellow and red and purple rose with shining leafs. And if I sniff a deep sniff, I can catch her smell too. That sweet smell of a rosebush sitting around a mint tree, of the coconut soap in her hair just after a washing at Agan waterfalls."
There were so many good passages in this book but this was one of my favorites. The depth of Adunni's love for her mom was so special?

OK buddy readers! I'm going to get stuck in 😊 I can see I've got some catching up to do..

@Cinfhen @Mynameisacolour @TrishB @squirrelbrain @Kdgordon88

Also, looking at my bookspin, for once I actually read the #doublespin book 😁 New Year's Resolution clearly working, hehe.

Set in Nigeria 2015. We meet Adunni, a 14 year old girl from a small village who dreams of an education and helping others. We follow her through heartbreak after heartbreak as she navigates the most harrowing of circumstances in pursuit of a better life and achieving her dream. This was just beautifully written, kept me on pins and needles and reading compulsively, can't reccomend it enough. 💛
#readlouder #booked2022

Looking forward to starting the books @Amiable has recommended for #NewYearWhoDis! I'm a sloooow reader/listener, so probably won't get through them all this year (never mind this month) but there's some really interesting stuff in there! Starting with these three: Lawson and Keefe have written excellent books that I've read previously, and we need as many girls with louding voices as we can get! Bonus: they all fit #Booked2022 prompts.

Really enjoyed this book.. A glimpse into struggles that young girls face specifically in rural Nigeria. Such a bright optimistic young lady navigating is through her story. Stunning read! Heartbreaking and uplifting

And I got these too... yes I am acquiring books quicker than I'm reading them, but I've heard good things 😊💙

Adunni is effortlessly hilarioussssss🤣

“Big Daddy look like he his having air in the top half of his body and no air in the rest bottom half” Adunni makes me cackle with her sharp mouth 🤣🤣🤣

This book is incredible! Such compelling characters and a story that leaves me wanting to use my own louding voice. I cannot recommend this highly enough - this book is magnificent. I read the book but a friend listened to the audio. She said the audio is exceptional and recommends that as well. 10/10. Amazing story!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wonderful! An easy read. Full of heart and hope, despite the darkness our young Adunni faces. A celebration of young women, friendship, and the power of education and perseverance. A lesson in speaking and seeking the truth, and knowing one's worth is not defined by one's class, sex, or past. Lovely writing. Definitely recommend!

"I tear to pieces the paper, and throw it to the floor. Then I swim deep inside the river of my soul, find the key from where it is sitting, full of rust, at the bottom of the river, and open the lock. I kneel down beside my bed, close my eyes, turn myself into a cup, and pour the memory out of me. [...] & when I finish writing, I feel weak, as if I just finished swimming a wide ocean with half of my body: one hand, one leg, one nostril." (p. 275)

"The Balogun market is one long stretch of street, full of so many people and noise. I think that maybe God pack a whole city inside a suitcase, travel to this street, open the suitcase, and let the whole city out. Every single noise in the world must be sounding right here, right now, at the same time: I hear the peen, peen from cars, the meh of goats, "Allah hu Akbar" and "Praise the Lord" from the loudspeakers..." (p. 266)

Love this imagery!

Started this today! In love and aching so much for Adunni, our young protagonist, already.

#FallTreasures Day 5: I find this to be a bit of a #SlowBurn but it‘s working for me.

Starting this for book club next week!
#bookspinbingo

It isn‘t often that I don‘t want a book to end.I loved this book. I loved following the protagonist through her story,and rooted for her the entire time.I wish I could meet her in person. This is the first book that I read that took place in Nigeria. I enjoyed hearing about their culture,but was surprised to learn of the poverty of some,and the extreme wealth of others. I don‘t know what took me so long to read this book, again I LOVED IT!!

Book #54
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book was so good. I absolutely fell in love with the protagonist. I definitely recommend the audiobook, because listening to the South African accent really helped to immerse me in the story. Heartbreaking at times throughout, but ultimately hopeful. 👍

Today's #bookhaul

#ListeningDay
#JulyJourneys

#TBR

Just looking at all my shelves of unread books gives me anxiety that I may not get to all of them!! 😩 Does anyone else feel this way?!

📚❤️📚

This was a sad yet beautiful story of a girls fight for education and freedom from horrific circumstances. Written from the viewpoint and speech of the girl with just a little education, it took a while to become accustomed to the poor grammar, but it was very effective. 4.5 ⭐️ #bipocauthor Also book 2 done for #14books14weeks2021

#curiouscovers #purple

My next up tbr are both purple!

It‘s been a CRAZY past month with my first big post vax trip and seeing so many friends and colleagues again. All amazing and good but wow is it exhausting. This is my first day to do nothing in weeks and I‘m doing it right with some sun and an aperol spritz. This book is quite good once you get into the flow of the writing style, which I wasn‘t expecting.

This book is a must read. I loved the story and the audiobook was phenomenal. I could really feel the emotion and get sucked into the story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️