Book blogger and influencer Ezioma Kalu has revealed the secret of how she read 150 books in 2024 against the 122 books she read in 2023.
Kalu also revealed that she reads and reviews books every day because she wants people to know the importance of books, stressing that “You cannot be a leader if you are not a reader because reading teaches you empathy.”
The founder of Bookish Pixie and a Korean enthusiast recently made this known through her Facebook page while reflecting on her 2024 literary achievements.
She said that she achieved the feat of reading 150 books last year by reading every day. She added that when she wakes up in the morning and says her prayer, she reads a book or listens to an audiobook.
“I use the Libby app to read ebooks and listen to audiobooks. And I consistently did it every day for the 366 days in 2024. I am also a fast reader, that is the reason I was able to achieve that.”
Commenting on the societal and cultural impact she wants the books she reviews and publishes on her blog and social media pages to have on her readers, she stated that she wants people to know that books can enrich them and can open up a portal of a new and different world in their minds.
“Books teach us about life. We learn about ourselves and how to live through books. It is very easy for someone to judge a situation they do not understand. But when you read books and understand that people lead diverse lives, you will understand why they behave the way they do.
“So, I want people to read because it shows them how best to live their lives, increase their vocabularies, and make them understand themselves and the world better,” she said.
Reflecting on her earlier journey as a book reader, she said, “It is crazy how a random decision you make on a random day in January 2022 can become a lifestyle. I just wanted to build an audience on Facebook because I thought Twitter was so big for me to conquer.”
According to her, when she started, she had less than a hundred followers on Twitter, adding, “Now, I have 17,000 organic followers on Facebook and 10,700 on Twitter.”
Kalu’s 2024 reading feat attracted encomiums from many Nigerians, evident from the thousands of likes and comments from her Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) pages.
The former Minister of Education and convener of the Bring Back Our Girls Movement, Oby Ezekwesili, was one of the people who, on X, lauded Kalu for her feat.
“What a purposeful being you are, dear Ezioma. You are a model to all of us book lovers and not book lovers alike. May you excel beyond your wildest imagination,” Ezekwesili posted.
Hundreds of other people commented on her commitment and dedication to reading and entertaining people with book reviews and stories, and for the #koreangirl and #koreanspeaking challenge she regularly does via short videos on Facebook.
Ezioma Kalu, a University of Nigeria (UNN) graduate of Public Administration and Local Government, reads and writes from Enugu. She is a flash fiction editor and mentor at Writers Space Africa and the assistant coordinator of Writers Space Africa (Nigerian chapter).
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