Tope Owolabi

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Category: Book Review

CRAZY RICH ASIANS by Kevin Kwan

My initial idea for props for this photo was to attempt to use some designer stuff I have but then it occurred to me that with #CrazyRichAsians designer and designer aren’t quite on the same level so I respected myself. #CrazyRichAsians is your typical love story – Boy meets girl, girl has no clue boy…

BIRTHMARKED

Author – Marvellous Michael (Nigerian) Genre – Crime fiction Number of pages – 317 Independently published at Patridge Africa. My very first thought while reading Birthmarked last year was that the dialogue is better suited for film.

PACHINKO REVIEW

Author – Min Jin Lee. Publisher – Apollo (an imprint of Head of Zeus) Number of Pages – 537 Pachinko has been quite tough for me to review because it is quite easy to hate it for the very reasons you love other books like it, and I will explain what I mean….

Sympathy is more complicated then we think: A Review of THE THINGS WE NEVER SAY: A Family History, by Amara Nicole Okolo.

Alithnayn Abdulkareem has written this review on Amara Nicole Okolo’s spectacular memoir story – THE THINGS WE NEVER SAY; A FAMILY HISTORY, published in August by Catapult. You can read here if you haven’t or just for a refresher to understand it better. The story is so heavy and so dense a second read has had me…

APRIL BOOK REVIEW – HOMEGOING

AUTHOR: Yaa Gyasi (Ghanaian) GENRE: Historical Fiction PUBLISHER/YEAR OF PUBLICATION: Viking (Inprint of Penguin) PRICE: £12.99 NUMBER OF PAGES: 305 (my copy)

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Earlier today, I was at @popplagos, an amazing playschool for kids age 0-5 to read and share a few hacks with parents and carers on raising children who read and what kind of book to read for each age. I was accompanied by my daughter who had such a beautiful time, she didn't want to leave the beautiful space. Even I had the most enjoyable time and wished I could stay back for messy play which was right after my session. If you are a parent with kids of pre-school age in Lagos, you should definitely check out @popplagos . . . . . #popplagos #kids #playschool #playandlearn #earlyreaders #littlereaders #bookstagram #parenting #books #bookish #library

Going on a trip to Lagos today and Michelle Obama's spanking new memoir which I bought immediately it came out in stores yesterday will be accompanying me. I'm so excited to read this. Although this trip is mainly so my daughter can see her grandparents, I'm excited to see Lagos too as I haven't been there in a while. Mostly looking forward to food to be honest. Jollof rice or asun @teraculture. My prawn/avocado salad from @goeatangelos. I need someone to be waiting for me at immigration with shawarma and cold chapman please, with ice cubes dancing at the top. One hotdog inside the shawarma please. Going to binge eat all my favourite snacks. Granola and bites from @ohsonutrition, caramel popcorn from @soyummyng, fruit n' nut mix from @reelfruit and lemonade from @wilsonslemonade I hear they have a new flavour now. Finally @losheschocolate. This one needs no preliminaries, I'm really just going to enter into the factory, wear my hair cover and gloves and get straight to business. Na my sister get am. Anyway I'm rubbing my palms in anticipation. Looking forward to seeing my Lagos bookshelf and bringing a few of my books back with me. Definitely bringing some back. I have an empty suitcase ready. If you see me, make sure to holla. I will be the girl hiding indoors, away from the horrible Lagos traffic. . . . . . #bookstagram #michelleobama #memoir #becoming

If you are in London and want a ticket to attend @titilope 's OPEN raise your hand 🙋 Bought my ticket since last month but absolutely gutted I won't be able to make it, urghhh I could cry, but the date won't change now, would it? 🙁 Thought I would give it to someone who wants to go. So if you live in London and are certain you can attend on Friday, 23rd November, let me know. I'll email my ticket to you. Hurry up, before I change my mind, because I'm actually quite sad I can't make it anymore. . . . . . #Open #Opentour #Poetry #London #bookstgramevents #bookstagram #titilope

Hey everyone. It has been a little bit, hasnt it? I know this sounds cliche and even pretentious but I've been crazy busy. Meeting deadlines and chasing people who owe me money. You know, the whole works. And I haven't read as much as I would like so I basically had nothing to post. I would normally read 3-4 books in a month but I'm currently still reading the #Goldfinch which I've been at since forever but which I love. I've managed to squeeze a few smaller non-fiction in between plus some poetry too, but I haven't finishd any yet. Fingers crossed I improve this month. Can't kill myself sha. I see a couple new followers. Yayyy, thank you and welcome. If you are a new follower give me a big wave🙋 in the comments. Old followers, give me a fist bump👊 in the comments. Anyway out and about last week, I saw these #EnidBlyton books and thought yup, I'm definitely getting those. Plus they were even on sale @ 3 for £5. Can you belive that? I get the sense that the booksellers really wanted to get rid of them. Oh well, thanks, I'll take them off you. Did you love Enid Blyton as a kid? I sure did. My first copy of her book I remember was called "The Banana Robber" which I read when I was 6/7. Fun fact - I called her name Gnid Blyton when I was a kid because of the signature way her name was written on her books. Don't remember how I found out it was Enid but yea, for a long time I said Gnid. Oh, and yea, Enid Blyton was a woman. Also, Enid Blyton is the 7th best selling fiction author of all time. All time.!!! . . . . . . #bookstagram #Englishliterature #famousfive #Childrensbooks #fiction #Adventure ##youngerreaders #bibliophile #bookish #cactus #plant

Made it to @shakespeareandcoparis yesterday. Happy to have actually gone in this time around. No photos allowed inside the building, unfortunately. It was such a beautiful and magnificent space to take in. The century old wooden stairs and the heady smell of old books. There's literally no book you won't find in there. Old and new. A few names like Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce and T.S Elliot are listed on the wall as aspiring authors who used the space in the library. Some of the furniture remain till today. And it is where Sylvia Beach, the founder first published Ulysses by James Joyce. On the mirror in the upstairs library you are encouraged to leave a note, and I wrote words from the poem, Lazarus in @hernameissutra 's poetry collection Marrow which I am currently reading after seeing @tobijaiyesimi tweet about it. It says "Look at you, Surviving everything. Walking. God be praised." I wrote it in the hope that someone would see it when they visit and remember how far they have come. Needless to say that I bought a book, a William Shakespeare book no less which the librarian graciously stamped with Shakespeare's legendary bearded face. A collection of his tragedy works in the @everymanslibrary edition which includes works like #Macbeth, #Hamlet and #Othello. #gooday . . . . . #bookstagram #poetry #paris #girlstrip #Shakespeare #bookish #bibliophile

I've had the most intense year and naturally, writing has helped to ease the pressure. Only this time, I've found myself writing essays instead of fiction which I sort of consider my "forte." It's weird, because my first stint at writing in 2011 was non-fiction. But writing this genre now and sending the work out terrifies the crap out of me. Maybe its fear that my writing will be judged a little more harshly with real stories. I stay in my fiction lane jejely. But I had the most patient and most incredible editor in @adebolarayo who worked with me to smoothen the rough edges of this essay - "The Smell of Oxford." Happy to have this work out in the wild. Took me months to finish as I struggled through the most powerless time in my mental state ever. Learned lessons in friendship, humanity and love while navigating the crippling fear of being somewhat inadequate especially while living in a city like Oxford. Special thanks to the spectacular artist that is @muslimahanie for this cover image. This could very well be me and my friend at a cafe for real. Glasses and hair, check √ Plus my bag is always under the table. Never hanging on the chair because I cannot come and let armed robber snatch my Louis Vuitton, plis dear. 😂 Thank you @thebookbanque for being a safe house for my work. Was travelling yesterday and arrived to my Twitter and WhatsApp already buzzing. Link to essay in their bio and mine. #SlightlyLongRead. It's not a book review but its my work. So you better read it😋 Thanks. . . . . #bookstsgram #essays #longreads #memoir #Nonfiction #friendship #humanity #love #Oxford

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