Best Summer Read 2025 – Gaslight

The theme of this year’s Summer Reading Group was Crime, Murder Mysteries, and Thrillers. Readers had very differing opinions on all four shortlisted books which made for a highly interesting discussion. Not surprisingly, the Best Summer Read was chosen by a narrow margin. “Gaslight” by Femi Kayode (Nigeria) was voted Best Summer Read 2025. A crime novel set in Lagos, the protagonist Philip Taiwo, an … Continue reading Best Summer Read 2025 – Gaslight

Best Summer Read 2022 – The Promise

The four shortlisted Summer Reads this year all had highly original writing styles and structures, making each one of them a treat to read despite some serious themes, such as racism, trauma, and death. After an in-depth discussion on each of them, “The Promise” was voted Best Summer Read by a majority of readers. “The Promise” by Damon Galgut (South Africa) was chosen as Best … Continue reading Best Summer Read 2022 – The Promise

Human Acts

“Human Acts” by Han Kang (South Korea) Review Readers described this book as a lyrically written account of a horrendous event and its aftermath. They felt that the descriptions swayed from hard and heavy – with the passages on decomposing corpses and torture – to ethereal – with the ghost reflecting on what happens after death and the survivors’ memories. Readers found the linked stories … Continue reading Human Acts

Best Summer Reads 2012

The four shortlisted books for this year’s Summer Reading Group all had very different writing styles and, as a result, our summer readers were divided over them! So it was no surprise that, when it came time for voting for Best Summer Read 2012, two books tied for first place: “Open City” and “Please Look After Mother” “Open City” by Teju Cole (Nigeria) is a … Continue reading Best Summer Reads 2012