10. Read five books.

Awhile ago, I promised to fill you in on the fourth book I’ve finished towards my goal of five before I turn 34. (Click here for numbers one and two, and here for number three, if you’re interested.) Although five sounds like such a modest number for one year, I’m glad I tore through so many this summer, because now that I’ve officially started with my PhD, it’s probably going to take me months to finish number five.  But let’s get one with the show — here’s a little bit about number four: Half of a Yellow Sun.

I chose Half of a Yellow Sun because it was listed on the Times’ 100 Best Books of the Decade, and I wasn’t disappointed.  The novel covers the fight for Biafran independence in Nigeria in the 1960’s, as told by three different characters: a houseboy from the village, the privileged and educated  woman he works for, and a British expatriate.  Normally I find stories whose narrators switch back and forth to be annoying, but in this book, it made the storyline much more complete and full.  I was completely drawn into a period of African history that I knew nothing about, and was grateful that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie drew such a careful and elegant balance between the glories of fighting for independence and the true horrors of actual war.  The novel is completely engaging and well worth the read.