Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme that was started by @Lauren’s Page Turners but is now currently being hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog. This meme is quite easy to follow – just randomly pick a book from your to-be-read list and give the reasons why you want to read it. It is that simple.

This week’s book:

A Spell of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀

Blurb from Goodreads

Ayobami Adebayo, the celebrated author of Stay With Me unveils a dazzling story of modern Nigeria and two families caught in the riptides of wealth, power, romantic obsession, and political corruption.

Eniola is tall for his age, a boy who looks like a man. Because his father has lost his job, Eniola spends his days running errands for the local tailor, collecting newspapers, begging when he must, dreaming of a big future.

Wuraola is a golden girl, the perfect child of a wealthy family. Now an exhausted young doctor in her first year of practice, she is beloved by Kunle, the volatile son of an ascendant politician.

Wuraola is a golden girl, the perfect child of a wealthy family. Now an exhausted young doctor in her first year of practice, she is beloved by Kunle, the volatile son of an ascendant politician.

Why I Want To Read It

And the day most dread has arrived. Happy Monday everyone! That is if you find any happiness in the first day of the week; I hope you do though. The weekend flew past us in a flash. Nevertheless, I hope everyone was able to spend their weekend wisely. In my case, I spent Saturday nursing a hangover. HAHA. Anyway, I hope everyone had a great start to the week. Sure, Monday is the least favorite day of most of us. On the brighter side, Mondays also mean fresh starts. It comes with several opportunities to do better. I hope that everyone will have a great and productive week ahead. More importantly, I hope everyone is doing well, in body, mind, and spirit.

The first day of the week also means a new blogging week. Monday is synonymous with a fresh Goodreads Monday update. It has played a seminal role in my discovery of new titles. After a two-month foray into Asian literature, I have commenced a journey across African literature. The last time I hosted an African literature month was back in early 2021. As such, I am very excited about what lies ahead. As I have been doing in my previous Goodreads Monday updates, I will be featuring works of African literature in my Goodreads Monday updates this month. To kick this off, I am featuring Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀’s A Spell of Good Things.

It was back in 2020 – a couple of weeks before the pandemic broke out – that I first came across the Nigerian writer. I obtained a copy of her debut novel, Stay With Me, during the 2020 Big Bad Wolf Sale. I bought the book despite having no iota about what it was. Nevertheless, I ended up loving the book. Because of this favorable experience, I was looking forward to reading more of her works. This came true in 2023 when she released her latest novel, A Spell of Good Things. I was not even aware that she was releasing a new work but I was excited when I saw a copy of her latest works.

There is another reason why I am looking forward to the book. A Spell of Good Things was recently announced as part of the 2023 Booker Prize longlist. This makes Adébáyọ̀ the fifth Nigerian writer to be longlisted for the prestigious literary award. The other writers are Chinua Achebe, Ben Okri, Oyinkan Braithwaite, and Chigozie Obioma with Okri being the only writer to win the award. With this, I am looking forward to A Spell of Good Things. How about you fellow reader? How was your Monday? What books have you added to your reading list? Do drop it in the comment box. For now, happy Monday and, as always, happy reading!