Stephanie Linus Daily

Tag: books

  • HELLO, SIS! WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING?

    We’ve got some cool recommendations!

    Here are 7 books, recommended by various sites (and a summary), you should own as a black woman discovering more of herself:

    Finding Me – Viola Davis: “the book hides nothing as it unravels a story of hope, survival and acceptance of self”

    I Know Why the Caged Bird Sing – Maya Angelou: “a coming-of-age story that demonstrates strength of character”

    Ordinary People – Diana Evans: “an intimate story of identity and parenthood, building on the fragile architecture of love”

    Becoming – Michelle Obama: “the book captures experiences on racism and sexism, and how it shaped the life of Michelle”

    Americanah – Chimamanda Adichie: “the book focuses on denying true self and emotion, but finding joy in authenticity”

    There Are More Beautiful Things than Beyonce – Morgan Parker: LOL! Shocking title, right? But it’s all for the love of Beyonce. The book is “a dynamic poetry collection that expresses the social narratives surrounding contemporary black womanhood”

    Beloved – Toni Morisson: “the novel chronicles the life of a black woman held prisoner by the memories of the trauma of her life as a slave”

    Happy reading! xoxo

  • WEEKEND READ: “Lean In” – Women Work and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg

    Achieving work/life balance for women has always been a controversial and sensitive topic. That is one reason why I found Sherly Sandberg’s Lean In very interesting.

    Many times, women are made to believe that they have to choose between work and family. This “here or there” approach implies that many women don’t get to live fulfilling lives due to gender biases. The thrust of the book is that women do not have to choose between the two if they don’t want to – because both are equally important. It does not give the ideal fantasy that women can “have it all”, but preaches that women do not have to leave out one quality of life for the other. Rather than pursue perfection, Lean In urges women to push for progress.

    I recommend this book not just for women, but for every man who seeks to know what part he can play in attaining a fairer world.

    Here are my favourite quotes from the book:

    1. “Trying to do it all and expecting that it all can be done exactly right is a recipe for disappointment. Perfection is the enemy.”

    2. “Leadership is about making others better because of your presence, and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”

    3. “Fortune does favour the bold and you’ll never know what you’re capable of if you don’t try.”

    4. “Knowing that things could be worse should not stop us from trying to make them better.”

    5. “If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, you don’t ask what seat. You just get on.”

    6. “Fear is at the root of so many of the barriers women face…Fear of not being liked…Fear of failure….And the holy trinity of fear: the fear of being a bad mother/wife/daughter.”

    7. “Feeling confident – or pretending that you feel confident – is necessary to reach for opportunities.”

    8. “We cannot change what we are not aware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.”

    9. “Instead of perfection, we should aim for sustainable and fulfilling.”

    10. “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”

    This weekend is a good time to grab a cup of coffee and bury your head in this lovely book.

  • 5 Tips To Help You Achieve Your Reading Goals This Year

    At the start of the year, I asked a few people what their New Year Resolutions were and reading more books was at the top of their list. Apparently, the desire to read more and read more frequently is something ingrained in many of us goal-setters.

    Here are a few key tips to working towards increasing how much you read in 2017.

    1. Set A Goal: Don’t just say you’re going to read more, set a specific goal for how much you want to read. For example, if you read 5 books last year, increasing to 8-10 would be a good goal.

    2. Get A Reading List: Determine ahead of time exactly what books you plan to read. You can add or subtract from the list as time goes by but it helps to have a list of what you want to achieve.

    3. Have A Reading Schedule: Create a schedule for reading the books you think are most important. Be specific about what you want to read and when, setting deadlines for finishing each book or even each chapter. These deadlines will help you stay accountable to your schedule.

    4. Join Reading Challenges: I’ve seen a couple of them online like the 52 Books Challenge, in which you read one book a week (give or take) for the year. This comes with the bonus community of r/52book, where fellow readers can cheer each other on.

    5. Carry Your Book(s) Everywhere: There’s always an opportunity to read. Maybe in the car or before a business meeting. Whenever you have a moment, you can bring out your book and read. This is also very possible if you like to read digital versions. I still prefer hard copy. 

    What other methods can you employ to help achieve your reading goals this year? 

  • Book Excerpt: Forever There For You by Chioma Nnani

    I got to know about the Nigerian writer Chioma Nnani some few months back and have been impressed by her fiesty attitude which I see reflected clearly through her writings. She is the author of ‘Forever There For You‘ a Christian Fiction novel and holds a Law (LLB) degree from the University of Kent.

    With her kind permission, today, I’d like to share an excerpt from her book which recounts a young woman’s struggles through a failed marriage, her faith, friendships and success.

    That shame was all-consuming when Tony urinated on her. She returned from the Refuge meeting a bit later than she had anticipated. He was already in a mood and she tried not to antagonise him further. But he went berserk when he searched her bags and saw the Refuge letter-headed papers. He asked her who she thought she was and why she thought she could get away from him. When she said she had only gone to volunteer and showed him a print-out of the email Mrs Troy sent her, he hadn’t believed her. He slapped her, pushed her to the ground and kicked her. When she grabbed his leg instead of just shielding herself from the blows, as he was accustomed to, he was even more irate. He said that she now thought she could fight back so he would show her. He raped her, and when he stood up, she thought that was all he had in mind. Until he urinated on her and called her a ‘filthy, disgusting, foolish creature’.

    This new act of degradation made Nadine feel even more broken. She knew this had to be how Kiranjit Ahluwalia felt. But the erstwhile insignificant, little woman had gone on to gain her freedom and make legal history. No, she hadn’t done it alone and she had the power of sisterhood behind her, there for her and working for her. Nadine wondered how liberated and vindicated she must have felt. To say she hated Tony was an understatement. She wanted to hurt him, not out of revenge – she had no compulsion for vengeance. All she wanted was freedom. When her husband sat down to breakfast alone the following morning, she wondered what would happen if she poured his morning tea over him. Or if she mixed anti-freeze with his cereal. Or rat poison in his dinner that evening. She would watch him squirm and hurt. He would die a painful death. She would probably go to jail, but he would never hurt her again. She wasn’t sure that even then she would be able to bring herself to admit the incident or the extent of the abuse, so if she ever got caught, they might think she did it for financial reasons. That the treatment she would receive would be very harsh, was almost guaranteed. But if she was a man … It was almost unbelievable, the discrepancies in the treatments given to men and women, even in this century. Even in this country that was supposed to be civilised.

    Chioma Nnani is an Award-winning Author, BEFFTA-nominated Writer, Presenter and Producer.

    Remember, this is an excerpt of a book, so there is more to this story. However, what are your thoughts on this excerpt?

  • 5 Ways To Read More Books

    One of the goals I’ve set for myself this year is to read more books. I say this to myself very often and sadly do not go through with it all the time. But since this is a goal worth striving for, I went searching for solutions to get myself motivated to read more and reach my goals.

    It’s a new month and I intend to take this more seriously. If reading more books is what you desire, then I’m sure these 5 points will help you achieve your goal:

    1. Keep Track of What You Want to Read

    It’s one thing to have a goal to read more, its another to actually know what you want to read. Do you want to read motivational books, recipe books, how-to books or fiction books? Write it down and grow your collection of books. This way, you’d be prepared to increase your library and also in a proper frame of mind for reading.

    2. Set Up A Space To Read

    Pick a room free from loud distractions and set up your reading sanctuary. Find a comfortable chair in a well lit room or one outside in your quiet compound. Most important, don’t hide that book away in between reading sessions. Leave it out in the open to keep it at the top of your mind.

    3. Make It Easy: Have it handy on your device.

    Thanks to technology, you don’t always need to hold a ‘book’ in your hand to read a book. There are so many apps on your phone that occupy your time. Why not make reading just as handy. Apps like Pocket and Readability are only a couple that let you keep some e-books ready on your phone.

    4. One Book At A Time

    Don’t waste your time trying to multi-task between books. You may end up not completing any. My rule is that I should continue reading one book until I finish it, or decide to quit it entirely. Putting one book on hold to start another just crowds your to-do list.

    5. Set A Specific Goal

    Write down or have a mental note of how many books you want to read, how fast you want to read them and what format you want them in. This helps you keep track of your progress and brings you back on track when you derail.

    So, do you have a reading goal this month/year? How do you plan to achieve it?

    Please share.