Bookeesh Banter

Sn 2 Book 7: Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

This week, we're diving into one of the most delightfully chaotic books we've ever read — Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto. 💐Meddy Chan is trying to navigate the impossible balancing act of family expectations, a blind date gone spectacularly wrong, and the wedding business she runs with her mum and aunties. Then one accidental death turns her already complicated life into complete and utter chaos. What follows is a hilarious, high-stakes adventure involving a body, a luxury wedding, and four fiercely protective aunties who will stop at nothing to keep their family together.This book had us laughing from start to finish. We talked about the wonderfully dysfunctional Chan family, the aunties stealing every single scene they were in, and how Jesse Q. Sutanto manages to blend mystery, romance, and comedy into one wildly entertaining story.We also got into the pressures of growing up in a close-knit family, the expectations placed on first-generation children, and how love can sometimes look a little... unconventional. Beneath all the outrageous situations is a heartfelt story about loyalty, belonging, and the messy ways families show up for one another.Whether you're here for the mystery, the romance, the family drama, or simply want a book that will make you laugh out loud, Dial A for Aunties is a wildly fun ride that never takes its foot off the gas.We want to know: were you Team Aunties through all the chaos, or did they take things just a little too far? And which auntie was your favourite? Tell us in the comments! 👇

Sn 2 Book 6: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

This week, we're leaving Earth behind and putting our trust in one very unlikely hero — a middle school science teacher who wakes up alone in space with no memory of who he is or why he's there. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is the kind of book that reminds you why science fiction can be so special. Ryland Grace slowly pieces together the impossible truth: the sun is dying, humanity is running out of time, and he may be the only person capable of saving the world.This book gave us everything. The science is fascinating without ever feeling overwhelming, the stakes are enormous, and somehow, in the middle of a story about the survival of an entire species, Andy Weir delivers one of the most heartwarming friendships we've ever read.We talked about Grace's journey from reluctant hero to humanity's last hope, the problem-solving that kept us turning pages, and the balance between humor, suspense, and emotion that makes this book so difficult to put down. We also got into the themes of sacrifice, courage, loneliness, and what it really means to choose others over yourself.And of course, we had to talk about Rocky. 👽💛Few characters have captured readers' hearts the way Rocky has, and we spent plenty of time discussing why this unlikely friendship has become one of the most beloved relationships in modern science fiction.Whether you're a longtime sci-fi fan or someone who usually avoids the genre, Project Hail Mary has a way of pulling you in and refusing to let go. It's clever, funny, surprisingly emotional, and ultimately a story about hope when everything seems impossible.We want to know: did Project Hail Mary live up to the hype for you? And where does Rocky rank among your all-time favorite book characters? Let us know in the comments! 👇

Sn 2 Book 5: Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

We're staying in Chimamanda's world and this time, we're going back to where it all began. 🌺Purple Hibiscus is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's debut novel, and it is anything but a debut. Set in post-colonial Nigeria, it follows fifteen-year-old Kambili — quiet, obedient, suffocated growing up in a home ruled by a father who is beloved by everyone outside its walls and terrifying within them. A man who is deeply religious, generous to his community, and brutal to his family.This book wrecked us in the best way. We talked about Eugene — one of the most complex, difficult characters in African literature — and how Adichie makes you hold two completely opposing feelings about him at once. We talked about Kambili's silence, Aunty Ifeoma's fire, and what it means to finally find your voice when you've been taught your whole life that speaking is dangerous.Faith, freedom, trauma, family, and the slow, painful bloom of a girl coming into herself. Purple Hibiscus asks big questions quietly and that's exactly what makes it so powerful.If you thought Americanah and Dream Count were good, wait until we get into this one. We want to know where does Purple Hibiscus rank for you in Chimamanda's body of work? Tell us in the comments! 👇

Sn 2 Book 4: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This week, we're revisiting the one that started so many of our reading journeys — Americanah. 🖤Ifemelu and Obinze. Two young Nigerians, deeply in love, until life and an ocean pulls them apart. Ifemelu moves to America and discovers something she never had to think about back home: race. Obinze heads to London, undocumented and invisible. Years pass. Lives change. But some things don't.This book is so much more than a love story. We talked about Adichie's razor-sharp take on race in America, what it means to be African vs. Black in the Western world, the loneliness of the immigrant experience, hair, and that ending that still has people divided to this day.Whether you read it years ago or you're picking it up for the first time, Americanah is one of those books that leaves a mark. We're breaking down why it still hits differently and why Chimamanda remains in a league of her own.Drop your thoughts in the comments, especially that ending. We need to know where you stand! 👇

Sn 2 Book 3: Dream count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Four women. Four lives. One pandemic that forces them all to stop, look inward, and reckon with the choices they've made in love, work, and everything in between. Chiamaka is a Nigerian travel writer stranded in America, replaying her past loves in her head. Zikora is a sharp, brilliant lawyer who has mastered everything — until one man undoes her. Omelogor is bold, financially powerful, and starting to question whether she truly knows herself. And Kadiatou, a Guinean housekeeper raising her daughter in America, faces a hardship that could cost her everything she's built.This book is deep. We're talking about love, grief, womanhood, identity, the immigrant experience, what it means to want more and whether we ever really know the lives we could have lived.Did Adichie deliver? Which of the four women hit closest to home for us? We're getting into all of it: the beautiful moments, the parts that had us in our feelings, and yes, the conversations this book stirred up long after we closed it.Come through and join the discussion! 👇