7 Books Every True Romantic Should Read | The Republic
7 Books Every True Romantic Should Read
In our latest book recommendation, we have compiled a list of books every true romantic should read this Valentine’s season. These books are sure to reward you with all the lovey-dovey emotions.
The season of love is upon us, and it can be quite tricky for some of us without partners. If, like me, you don’t even have a ‘talking stage’, then it’s time to stop holding out and start thinking about alternative ways of enjoying the season. Because let’s be for real, what are the chances of meeting the ultimate love of your life in the few days before Valentine’s! So, maybe you would be better off enjoying the season vicariously through characters in books. After all, one good thing about not having a ‘Val’ is that you can spend the money you’d have otherwise spent on gifts to buy books instead! And if you actually do have one, a good romantic novel is an even better addition to your Valentine’s week plan.
In our latest book recommendation, we have compiled a list of books every true romantic should read this Valentine’s season. From an anthology of African love stories edited by Ama Ata Aidoo to a collection of love stories from around the world retold by Bolu Babalola, these books are sure to reward you with all the lovey-dovey emotions.
Read our recommendations below.
AFRICAN LOVE STORIES: AN ANTHOLOGY EDITOR: AMA ATA AIDOO GENRE: FICTION
African Love Stories is an anthology of 21 love stories by African women edited by late Ghanaian author, Ama Ata Aidoo, in 2006. It contains stories by many prominent African women authors, such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Nawal El Saadawi, Helen Oyeyemi, Leila Aboulela, and Sefi Atta, spanning across the continent. This award-winning book has been described as a ‘radical departure from conventional anthologies’, with themes that reject the stereotypical image of African women as passive, ‘impoverished victims’.
The stories explore a vast array of subjects, including same-sex marriage, female circumcision, and domestic violence, amongst others. In this anthology, you find loves stories with depth, addressing important social issues.
LOVE IN COLOUR AUTHOR: BOLU BABALOLA GENRE: FICTION
Before British-Nigerian author Bolu Babalola’s 2022 dazzling debut novel, Honey & Spice, she had intrigued readers in 2020 with her exciting collection, Love in Colour: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold. In this book, Babalola selects the ‘most beautiful love stories from history and mythology’, presenting them to readers in an entirely new light.
Whether writing about the passion of love-at-first sight, the story of a successful businesswoman taking great risks in her love life, or even the story of a Nigerian goddess seeking more attention from her lover, Babalola brings to the table a lively imagination and great attention to detail. From African magical tales to Middle Eastern legends and Greek myths, the stories in this collection span the world, and are retold in a way that decolonizes ‘tropes inherent in our favourite tales of love.’
YOU MADE A FOOL OF DEATH WITH YOUR BEAUTY AUTHOR: AKWAEKE EMEZI GENRE: FICTION
Nigerian author Akwaeke Emezi has earned a reputation as one of the most prolific contemporary African writers. You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty is their fifth novel and first romance fiction, published in 2022. In it, we meet Feyi Adekola, a young woman in her fifth year of widowhood. After losing her soulmate to an accident, she has managed to reinvent herself. She now shares an apartment with her best friend Joy, who relentlessly tries to get her back in the dating scene. Feyi is not interested in seeing anyone seriously, instead focusing all her time on her career as an artist. She has even managed to get her own studio!
When she attends a rooftop party one night, she does not expect to have a steamy encounter that marks a turning point in her life. What was supposed to be a one-time encounter stretches into an unforgettable summer, featuring a luxury trip to a tropical island, exotic meals, and an intense love triangle that will change her life. The questions Feyi must answer now is whether she is willing to let go of her grief to find new love, and just how far she can she go for the sake of love?
NOT JUST ANOTHER INTERLUDE AUTHOR: LARA T. KAREEM GENRE: FICTION
Not Just Another Interlude is Lara T. Kareem’s 2020 romance novel that follows the life of Sewa, a 23-year-old working class woman. Tired of her dull encounters with love, Sewa makes one last move to get the kind of love story she desires. When that doesn’t work, she gives up and decides to focus on more important things like getting a job. But just then she meets Jide.
A wealthy 28-year-old, Jide knows what he wants and is not afraid to go after it. He crosses Sewa’s path several times, determined to get involved in her life, which he eventually succeeds at. But what is a love story without some complications? When a series of events threaten to destroy their beautiful relationship, Jide will have to convince Sewa just how much he loves her.
IN DEPENDENCE AUTHOR: SARAH LADIPO MANYIKA GENRE: FICTION
In Dependence is British-Nigerian author Sarah Ladipo Manyika’s debut novel, published in 2008 and set in the 1960s Nigeria and England. It tells the story of a young Nigerian man, Tayo, who travels to England on a scholarship to study at Oxford University. Tayo is the bright, intellectual type who believes himself to be one of the vanguards of his newly independent nation. In England, he meets Vanessa Richardson, the daughter of an ex-colonial officer, with whom he falls in love.
Theirs is a bittersweet love affair between two people trying to figure out just who they are and want to be in the world.
THE KELEWELE CONNECTION AUTHOR: KWATEMAA TWENEBOAH GENRE: FICTION
In Kwatemaa Tweneboah’s heart-warming romance novel, two students bond over their love for Ghanaian delicacy kelewele.
Hungry for some kelewele, Afriyie, hurries to the campus kelewele joint. But when she arrives, she is disappointed not to find the exact kind she loves. Her hope of munching on some kelewele while watching a movie in her room is dashed. But when, at the joint, Nana Yaw offers her some of his kelewele, it turns out to be a pleasant impromptu date.
Nana Yaw, who ordinarily never shares his kelewele, cannot stop himself from offering it to the cute girl he’s been observing on campus for some weeks now. But though their little impromptu date sparks a connection between them, Afriyie has to go back to Edinburgh to resume her studies. It seems like their love story will be painfully brief. Will they be able to develop the instant spark into something more profound and long-lasting?
SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE AUTHOR: TIA WILLIAMS GENRE: FICTION
Eva and Shane are two Black authors in the United States. While Shane is an award-winning literary author, Eva is a bestselling erotica writer who’s also a single mom. They both meet at a literary event in New York, piquing the interest of New York’s literary community.
But it is not Eva and Shane’s first meeting. Two decades ago, as teenagers, they had fallen madly in love. Now, when they reconnect, they can’t deny the attraction that still exists between them. They also can’t deny that they’ve been secretly communicating with each other through their books. But Eva is wary about trusting the man that broke her heart twenty years ago. She needs Shane out of New York so that her life can go back to normal. But just before that, they need to have a candid conversation⎈
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