7 Chic Reads! What is on your coffee table this year?

Honestly, I am not much of a reader of anything other than magazines. Why is that? As a magazine subscriber, I receive a monthly issue from at least seven different types of magazines and have zero to no time for anything else. Except my bible. Moreover, I think my love for fashion makes me gravitate more towards magazines. There is always something new to discover in Fashion. Last year, a coworker turned friend of mine asked if I had read Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I told her I have heard a lot of good things about the book and hoped to read it one day. God bless Jaslynn’s persistent heart. She got tired of my continuous promise to read the book and came to my office one day to log me into her amazon account so I could have access to the eBook. Unfortunately I could not access it. In order not to sound or look unserious, I decided to visit my local Barnes and Nobles and bought the raved “Americanah” novel. At the book store, I decided on the spot that for 2018 I would only read novels by African authors to support my own so I bought another novel titled “Stay With Me” by Ayobami Adebayo which I have plans to read this January. “Americanah” was an amazing read. I fell in love with the novel so much that I could hardly put it down. All thanks to Obinze, my motivator. He was such a fine character. My anticipation grew as I read and wondered ‘what happens next’. It was an entertaining ‘must read’ but not a life changer.

Who is in your positive circle of influence? Mide Ayeni of Pearl Recycling is in mine. Have you visited her Facebook page? You can either love her or dislike her for her fearless way of expressing her thoughts. She does not mince words. But like a typical Ekiti woman, she no send you if you no like am (Translation: she does not care if you do not like her). Her relentless energy and push for success is very contagious. She has had some form of influence on my thought patterns this past year. She is definitely not selfish when it comes to sharing information. She publicly shares.

“You see, it’s not just their way of thinking about money that’s contagious — it’s their way of thinking about success and failure, in all areas of life, that’s contagious. The Law of Averages says that, as I’m being influenced by certain thought patterns and beliefs about life and possibilities, I begin to believe those same beliefs and experience those same kinds of results.” – Mary Morrissey, The Blog of Mary Morrissey

Today, I paid a visit to Mide’s page and bumped into a two old day post where she asked the question “What are you reading in 2018?” Then I began to read the comments and wrote down the books mentioned. She is right about a reader is a leader. Who has not heard that phrase before? We are always encouraging our children to read but we hardly pick up a book ourselves. Schools have turned reading into a 30 minutes assignment. No wonder the children of today see reading as a punishment. Or we spend so much time reading novels and shunning books that would expand our mind.

Funny I was going to do a post titled ‘Chic Reads’ but suggest books that are fashion related. I changed my mind about book picks when I read Mide’s post. Everything cannot be about fashion and I am very sure all of you agree.

Let us be encouraged! As you grab an ‘Americanah’ or a ‘Stay With Me’ novel also pick up a book that will also challenge you mentally. Below are a mixture of books recommend by Mide and her Facebook friends and leadership books recommended by The Washington Post for 2018. I plan to read at least two of them. So what are you reading in 2018? Please do share with me.

Recommended by Mide’s Facebook Friends