May – a bad month for reading, a horrible one for blogging. I knew it was going to be suboptimal, but it turned out worse than I expected. The pace at work combined with losing my iPad meant I didn’t manage to post even the things I had half-prepared and taken photos for. I had very little time for reading and when I did, I was somehow distracted and jittery, not finishing things I had started.

That said, I still managed to read things I enjoyed and I’m continuing my project of getting through all the 50 Penguin Moderns – I’m really liking them so far. So here is the wrap-up for the past month:

1. Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet by Ta-Nehisi Coates. I was so excited to read this: Black Panther! Ta-Nehisi Coates! Comics! And it was an interesting and enjoyable read, but not quite as amazing as I expected. It was maybe inevitable that as a new start for the character, there would be a lot of ground to cover and much exposition. Still, compared to the movie, the comic seems scattered and somewhat confusing. It’s promising though and I’m looking forward to seeing where Coates will take things next.

2. Mythos by Stephen Fry. Fry has done for the Greek myths what Gaiman did for the Norwegian ones – written an accessible, charming, modern retelling. Sometimes the style works better than others and if you are an old fan of mythology, most of it will be familiar. That said, it’s a very enjoyable and easy read, great for newbies and (former) obsessives alike. I especially like how Fry reminds us of the centrality of female players and doesn’t gloss over the less mainstream sexual and gender identities (of course he doesn’t).

3. Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot. This is one of the books I am glad to have read, without necessarily having loved it. It is what I would call a literary memoir, written in a fragmented, emotional and raw style. Mailhot has faced childhood abuse, mental health issues, poverty and discrimination and it’s an enlightening read. Unfortunately, I failed to connect with it fully (especially with the sections that focus on her marriage). Many have loved it, though, and I would still recommend it for those who want to understand what it means to be a First Nation woman in North America today.

4.-5. Binti: Home and Binti: The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor. I read Binti, an afrofuturistic novella by Okorafor, a while back already. I had issues with it, but I liked it enough to continue the series. I think the second book is in fact stronger than the first, with lots of backstory and interesting cultural stuff (aliens in Africa!) that is Binti’s strongest point overall. The third instalment is the weakest of the lot, anticlimactic and disappointing in terms of character development. On balance, the atmosphere and world-building still make it worth reading. The books are also short and don’t take long to read.

6. Africa’s Tarnished Name by Chinua Achebe. These four essays/speeches by the eminent Nigerian writer are a required reading for anyone interested in the past and present of Africa. Actually, slash that, these are strongly recommended to everyone, as it’s high time we all developed some interest in and understanding of the continent. Personally, I’m tired of reading Western takes on Africa, so this was a welcome little volume. Achebe writes with such clarity and intellectual and moral force that his Things Fall Apart is now firmly on my list.

7. Three Japanese Short Stories by Akutagawa and others. A nice little collection of stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Kafu Nagai and Koji Uno. I liked all three stories (Akutagawa’s possibly the least, in fact), I’m just a little unsure why these three were selected. There is very little to connect them either thematically or tonally and that’s a bit jarring.

8. Glittering City by Cyprian Ekwensi. The 60s Lagos in the book is fascinating and that alone justifies reading it. In the end I found the protagonist, they lying Fussy Joe, so intensely unlikeable (as I’m sure was the intention of the writer) that I couldn’t fully enjoy the story, but that’s more my problem than the book’s.

9. Madame du Deffand and the Idiots by Javier Marias. Five witty character sketches of writers that I really enjoyed. Madame du Deffand was my favourite, partly because I didn’t know her (there are also bigger stars like Nabokov and Wilde), partly because I have a soft spot for fabulous literary women, even if they happen to be somewhat difficult. I really enjoyed Marias’s style and plan to read more from him.

Was your month better than mine? Any standouts?