Month: December 2020

How did I read 100 books in 2020?

I set myself an extreme ambition to read 100 books in March 2020. I have always loved reading but never seemed to have enough time to read as much as I wished. This year, however, I tried to make time for what it is that I claimed to enjoy. How did I read the 100 books?

By goal setting: I wanted to “improve my reading habits” and the obvious step was to read. However, as all other things, I claimed to enjoy I assumed reading was done when time remained from doing all the other “important things”. By setting this goal, writing it down, and also making it public, I knew there was something I had to work intently towards. I made a Facebook post about reading 100 books and asked friends to join me.

Making time: There is no time unless you make out time. As a single mom, I am pressed for time. I am careful (or try to be careful) of how I spend my time. Time is precious to me. However, setting this goal and seeking to attain it made me realize how much time I spent on unproductive events and people. One of the major time distractions for me was Social Media: Whatsapp and Instagram. I limited my time on these platforms and when I was on there I decided to be more purposeful. Establishing relationships and connecting with others as compared to mindless scrolling. I also dedicated time say at least 1 hour a day to read or listen to an audio book. I incorporated it into daily activities such as riding the bus, at the playground, cooking, cleaning, and mindless staring 😉.

Being disciplined: It took a lot of discipline to read 100 books. Sometimes I had to turn my data (internet) off or even switch my phone off. My son goes to bed at 8pm (also something of necessary discipline), and if I do not have housework or office work to attend to, I have a couple of hours say 2-4 hours before I turn in. I try to make good use of this time by doing things like reading, concentrating on reading, and not giving in to the temptation to check emails or Instagram posts.

Staying focused: “I can do this” and “I will not give up” were my guiding quotes. Fixing my focus and concentrating on the path I set was necessary. It can get overwhelming when you see other persons reading profiles and get tempted to veer towards what others are reading. As a wise woman said to me “You can’t read them all”. I focused on the books I wished to read, made a couple of guiding lists. The website Goodreads was also helpful in keeping track of what I read and wanted to read. I explored all possible book formats such as eBooks, paperbacks, audio, etc, and always had a form of a book on me all the time, on my phone or in my bag. There are many platforms where one can read books for free or download pdf versions of books. Additionally, I borrowed books from the library which is also very cost-effective.

Here is a list of books I read this year.

1. The Fire Next Time–Baldwin, James
2. The Arrangements–Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi
3. Say Her Name–Elliott, Zetta
4. Lord of the Flies–Golding, William
5. Let’s Tell This Story Properly–Makumbi, Jennifer Nansubuga
6. The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts–Chapman, Gary
7. Their Eyes Were Watching God–Hurston, Zora Neale
8. The Money Challenge: 30 Days of Discovering God’s Design For You and Your Money–Rainer, Art
9. Blood Child, and Other Stories–Butler, Octavia E.
10. Changes: A Love Story–Aidoo, Ama Ata
11. The Kickass Single Mom–Johnson, Emma
12. How to Have That Difficult Conversation: Gaining the Skills for Honest and Meaningful Communication–Cloud, Henry
13. Relationship Goals: How to Win at Dating, Marriage, and Sex–Todd, Michael
14. She Would Be King–Moore, Wayetu
15. The Death of Vivek Oji–Emezi, Akwaeke
16. The Girl with the Louding Voice–Daré, Abi
17. Beloved–Morrison, Toni
18. A Spot of Bother–Haddon, Mark
19. The Woman Next Door–Omotoso, Yewande
20. Zikora–Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi
21. Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination–Morrison, Toni
22. Born on a Tuesday–John, Elnathan
23. Was Nina wusste–Grossman, David
24. Small Country–Faye, Gaël
25. The Why Cafe–Strelecky, John P.
26. Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha, #1)–Adeyemi, Tomi
27. Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth–Shire, Warsan
28. Rules of Engagement: Preparing for Your Role in the Spiritual Battle–Prince, Derek
29. Fisch aus Gold–Le Clézio, J.M.G.
30. God Is a Matchmaker–Prince, Derek
31. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones–Clear, James
32. Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions–Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi
33. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance–Obama, Barack
34. Houseboy–Oyono, Ferdinand
35. The Kangaroo Chronicles–Kling, Marc-Uwe
36. Fierce Faith: A Woman’s Guide to Fighting Fear, Wrestling Worry, and Overcoming Anxiety–Worthington, Alli
37. Song of Solomon–Morrison, Toni
38. Kitchen–Yoshimoto, Banana
39. Becoming–Obama, Michelle
40. The Five People You Meet in Heaven–Albom, Mitch
41. Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America–Byrd, Ayana
42. Outliers: The Story of Success–Gladwell, Malcolm
43. Master Your Money–Blue, Ron
44. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles–Pressfield, Steven
45. Love–Morrison, Toni
46. Kintu–Makumbi, Jennifer Nansubuga
47. Friday Black–Adjei-Brenyah, Nana Kwame
48. How to Write Dazzling Dialogue: The Fastest Way to Improve Any Manuscript–Bell, James Scott
49. Home–Morrison, Toni
50. Sick of Me: from Transparency to Transformation–Capps, Whitney
51. How Music Works–Byrne, David
52. The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons and an Unlikely Road to Manhood–Coates, Ta-Nehisi
53. Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them–Prose, Francine
54. Lying–Harris, Sam
55. The Treasure Principle: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving–Alcorn, Randy
56. The Gifts of Imperfection–Brown, Brené
57. The War is Over: Stop Struggling and Accept the Privileges of Peace with God–Wommack, Andrew
58. The Elements of Style–Strunk, William Jr.
59. This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America–Jerkins, Morgan
60. Ayiti–Gay, Roxane
61. The Fishermen–Obioma, Chigozie
62. The Moor’s Account–Lalami, Laila
63. The Screwtape Letters–Lewis, C.S.
64. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft–King, Stephen
65. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou’s Autobiography, #1)–Angelou, Maya
66. Becoming Nigerian: A Guide–John, Elnathan
67. A Raisin in the Sun–Hansberry, Lorraine
68. The Lies That Bind: Rethinking Identity–Appiah, Kwame Anthony
69. The Joys of Motherhood–Emecheta, Buchi
70. Educated–Westover, Tara
71. Indigenous Research Methodologies–Chilisa, Bagele
72. God Help the Child–Morrison, Toni
73. An American Marriage–Jones, Tayari
74. The Hundred Wells of Salaga–Attah, Ayesha Harruna
75. Behold the Dreamers–Mbue, Imbolo
76. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life–Lamott, Anne
77. The Collector of Treasures and Other Botswana Village Tales–Head, Bessie
78. The Practice of the Presence of God In Modern English–Davis, Marshall
79. Girl, Woman, Other–Evaristo, Bernardine
80. Patchwork–Banda-Aaku, Ellen
81. Switch On Your Brain: The Key to Peak Happiness, Thinking, and Health–Leaf, Caroline
82. How to Win Friends and Influence People–Carnegie, Dale
83. Raising Giant-Killers: Releasing Your Child’s Divine Destiny Through Intentional Parenting–Johnson, Bill
84. Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds–Goggins, David
85. The Scattering–Kubuitsile, Lauri
86. Allah is Not Obliged–Kourouma, Ahmadou
87. American Spy–Wilkinson, Lauren
88. A Woman Is No Man–Rum, Etaf
89. A Taste of Love–Gowon, Sifa Asani
90. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed–Gottlieb, Lori
91. Mere Christianity–Lewis, C.S.
92. The Bold New Normal: Creating The Africa Where Everyone Prospers–Quist, Lucy
93. Queenie–Carty-Williams, Candice
94. The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?–Warren, Rick
95. A Room of One’s Own–Woolf, Virginia
96. The Death of Ivan Ilych–Tolstoy, Leo
97. The Confident Mom: Guiding Your Family with God’s Strength and Wisdom–Meyer, Joyce
98. Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science–Gawande, Atul
99. Battlefield Of The Mind: Winning The Battle In Your Mind–Meyer, Joyce
100. The Memory of Love–Forna, Aminatta

My five top books in no particular order

1. The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré for its originality, uniqueness and entertainment.
2. Battlefield Of The Mind: Winning The Battle In Your Mind by Joyce Meyer  for teaching me to master my mind
3. Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins for the motivation to move beyond my past and present limitations
4. Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination by Toni Morrison for the wisdom
5. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones for keeping my mind up at night even when I had finished reading it