Meet Safa

Dear book lovers,

I'm Safa Al-Hassan and i am so happy to have you here. Ever since I can remember, books have been my companion and one true friend. As an avid reader and writer, i find solace within my books. Growing up, I was totally obsessed with Enid Blyton. I read a lot of her books and raided the school library for more. You need to see my excitement when the school restocks. I'd read in one sitting and exchange books with my book buddy and friend before returning them to the library after  a week. I was so in love with those books, I carried them everywhere, totally oblivious to what was happening around me. My imagination ran wild and in my mind, I was always the main character. I was practically living in her stories. As a child, I was also in awe of the illustrations in the books I read and how I transitioned to reading books in small prints which others my age would term boring still amazes me. 

My dad's bedtime stories were the highlight of my day, especially when he went all-out with character voices and made me sing along to those African folklore tunes. Young me would cling to his legs for dear life at the end of each story, refusing to sleep. I was a handful! Growing up, i came to realise that our home library mostly consisted of history and politics and that was not exactly something i enjoy. But that didn't stop me. I'd go through those shelves like a book-hungry detective on a mission. I remember on a similar quest, I came across this book which was actually a play by Ken Saro-Wiwa. I read that book over and over again. Another discovery I made later in life while growing up was books by Wole Soyinka and The Concubine by Elechi Amadi, along with Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. These belonged to my mother. They had no pictures, and the small print wasn’t particularly appealing. Yet, they became some of the best books I’ve ever read. In my final year of secondary school, our proprietress, who also taught us English, introduced us to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun. I think we even had the first edition of the book. Goodness! I was in total awe of both the writer and the story and i would later go ahead to read every single book she wrote. Since then, I’ve never stopped reading and writing, and I’ve never regretted it.

Fast forward to today, and I have read so many books that it is difficult to pick a favourite. Lately, I've been very interested in Contemporary African Fiction. I feel like these books have evolved and are no longer what they used to be years ago. This is one of the reasons i write my reviews and share my opinions, allowing to make comparisons and an overall critical assessment. My second best thing to do when I'm not reading is to watch movies. I'm all about the thrill of horror. I've seen more movies than I can count. Surprisingly, I have a soft spot for anything that keeps me on the edge of my seat,  books and movies alike. However,  i don't particularly enjoy movie adaptations of books. I always feel like they ruin the experience of reading the book for me,  and for some reason, it bothers me. I love unpredictability, I love the trill of horror. I also love little things; like a gentle breeze on a hot day, rain, a cup of tea, laughter, and kindness. There's nothing quite like seeing someone go out of their way to help another person. It's so beautiful, like a warm hug for the soul.

My academic journey has been as diverse as the books that line up my shelves. I have a solid foundation in Quantity Surveying and a Masters in Project Management. My dedication to creating positive change led me to initiate a project supporting young people and women in vulnerable communities. This project, "Literacy Initiative Hub" focuses on improving literacy and recognising the integral connection between education and mental well-being. From this project, I also founded a book club called "The Book Tribe Nigeria." It's a book club just for women from various backgrounds. We come together to read and discuss books, which we believe can also help improve mental health.

I’m excited to take you along on my literary journey. In this blog, you can look forward to my book reviews, stories, author interviews, thoughtful discussions about literature, and various book-related activities. I believe i have a heart the size of a library and i am delighted that i get to share my stories with you. It brings me great joy to do so.

Through this blog, I hope to inspire love for reading and writing in the hearts of fellow bibliophiles. I invite you to join me in exploring the world of books together.

Thank you for stopping by and i hope you stay.

XoXo