book-reviews – Dimples Migraines and Aahs

January 26, 2026

2025 in Books

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies – Deesha Philyaw
The Pearl That Broke its Shell – Nadia Hashimi (Most Memorable)
Dream Count – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ( Collector’s Item)
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine – Gail Honeyman
City of Girls – Elizabeth Gilbert (2nd Time Reading , Still got its Charm)
Here One Moment – Liane Moriaty (DNF)
The Death of Vivek Oji – Akwaeke Emezi (Total waste of Time)
Someday, Maybe – Onyi Nwabineli (Unrealistic)
A Woman is No Man – Etaf Rum (Vaguely Remember)
Call Me Legachi – Adesuwa O’man Nwokedi (Easy Read)
The 30th Candle – Angela Makholwa ( 1st Book is better; Blessed Girl)
The Marriage Class – Adesuwa O’man Nwokedi
God Shaped Hole – Tiffany De Bartolo ( Heart Wrenching)
Golibe – Adesuwa O’man Nwokedi (DNF)
My Name is Maame – Jessica George (Most Impactful)
Confessions of Nairobi men – Joan Thatiah
Confessions of Nairobi women Book 1 – Joan Thatiah
Confessions of Nairobi women Book 2 – Joan Thatiah
The Vanishing Half – Brit Bennet ( 2nd Time Reading and I Barely Remember)
The Wedding People – Alison Espach ( Most Easy Going Read)
Daisy Jones and the Six – Taylor Jenkins Reid ( DNF)
Emmah – Jane Austen (DNF)
How we met – Huma Qureshi
Can’t Look Away – Carola Lovering (Loved it, got me out of reading slump)
Patsy – Nicole Dennis Benn

I have had a hard time recollecting the books I read in 2025. I started with a list that I abandoned, half way through the year I decided recording my reads on wordpress would be the easiest but turns out for a reader who reads for reading sake counting is the last thing on my mind. To make it worse, I have realized there are books I read and completely forget about them.

An author’s first book is most of the time the best.. Beginners luck perhaps? Collen Hoover though has managed to churn book after book that is at par with her writing. Well, some better than others, others more memorable and others fall under the I completely forget I read them. I want to believe so hard that we get better in our writing and I will still give authors a chance. In December, a book club member had hinted she would want a romance book and I said one would never go wrong with Colleen and right at the store, we were looking at her new release; Never Never. Turns out the book failed in the assignment. I was bummed we could not get Wedding People or God Shaped Hole because they would have been bangers. My lesson learnt is not to recommend a book I have not read even from an author whose books I have enjoyed.

God Shaped Hole

Tiffany! Tiffany! My heart is wrung, my tears are free flowing and my morning commute to work has been made better reading your book. I feel like Trixie.. wandering the earth realizing I had so much depth in my world but now I have lost it and I just want Jacob Grace.

The Vanishing Half

How is it that I cannot remember ever reading this book yet with each flipping of the page, the story unfolds like a distant memory. I have never completely forgotten a book I have read, this is a first. I was in utter shock when I came across a review of the other year by Rea Frey and not only did I not remember reading the book, I could have swore I had never heard of it. Yet there was my prose reviewing the book. My fellow book club members call it the curse of reading too many books. If I cannot remember the storyline, what then is the point of picking up any book?

Can’t Look Away

A beautiful love story especially if you grew up watching Camp Rock, High School Musical and Hannah Montana. You get to live being the girl who gets noticed by a boy in a band. Not just any boy in the band, the hottest, the songwriter basically the star of the band. I can’t remember names apart from the protagonist Sabrina. We always know of the girl who got away but the girl did not just get away, she chose herself. She chose stability, she chose presence not just when things were good but daily presence let’s walk in the mud together until we get to rinse our feet presence. A very mature ending but feeds all our delusions.

The Wedding People

Also cannot remember names other than the main character really wanted to commit suicide or is unalive herself the better euphemism. This was after a failed marriage, the husband having cheated and gone to start afresh of course leaving her to pick up whatever pieces of the life she thought she would have. She books herself into a resort she has always wanted to visit but could not afford and now no longer having need for money in the forseeable future decides it is now affordable. I enjoy the lives people live when money is no longer a problem. You can shop the clothes you thought were hideous or deserved a model like body, you can drink champagne at 6.00am, you can book the pent house and not the affordable room without views and you can order room service every meal because you do not mind the extra charge. I know I have mentioned how I hate that books are being made into movies at an alarming rate but this one, this one should be on Netflix for wider coverage and ease of access.

The Pearl that Broke its Shell

The suffering of the women and realizing how far we have come and what pleasures we enjoy that some are yet to have. It made me think differently about what it means to sire a boy or a girl. Boys have been for continuation of the family name. but boys in this world also signified freedom. Boys could be children, they could go to school. Boys were allowed to make mistakes, live carefree and become whoever they wanted to be. A girl on the other hand was a symbol of failure. You had failed to give the better gender, and she too would have to endure what the mother and the lineage of women endured. The book ends when the third generation character gives birth to a boy and everyone heaves a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, that was the only way to break the cycle of suffering, pain and shame.

Someday, Maybe

Found this book very unrealistic. I know writer’s write from lived experiences or things that have been shared but basically someone’s truth but even then No way. I could easily count 10 people who have gone through grief that would agree with my POV but maybe we are all birds of a feather. I would not recommend this book thinking about it upsets me but not as much as the Death of Vivek Oji.

The 30th Candle

you know when you obsess over a celebrity and everyone says you should continue in your obsession but never want to meet them in person because then you will realize they are made of flesh and bone and not demi gods; that is the best description of this book. I have spent years looking for it and wondering why can’t I find it anywhere.. so the scarcity made me hype it more as a gem. I know understand why loved ones want keepsakes of things they saw one value when they were alive than that expensive one off special occassion gift the person gave you. A reminder to take the everyday… in this case, the Blessed Girl forever a 10/10 in my books.

and with that we officially start 2026 in books. I hope I have less books that I do not finish. I hope I stumble upon new genres and writing styles. I hope more books bring me joy, give me an alternate reality and better yet help me forget to scroll Instagram.

July 31, 2025

Dream Count

I did join the rest of the literary world in celebrating the release of Chimamanda’s Dream Count. I was eager to read what she has released to be published and more so because it was dedicated to her mother. The relationship between girls and their mothers is a complex one; love hate. As a child you look up to them, copying everything they do. As a teenager rebellion kicks and you form your own opinions and act differently from what she advices. As a woman, you understand your mother and hold a special place for her and only hope you can even be a fraction of the woman she is.

The biography does not give much. We only know we would be reading about the lives of black women but we did not know if they are connected in any way. I am particularly in awe of the writing style. The book is divided into 4: Chiamaka’s life, Zikora, Kadiatou and Omelegor. Each part is divided into chapters that delve deeper into the character and their story. We also get to see each characters perspective of events that transpire in all their lives. The major thread wound in all their stories is life during Covid, where they were when they heard about the virus and how it impacted their lives.

Starting particularly with Covid was Nostalgic. Having lived through it, reading about it was a throw back. It made me relate easily with each of the characters. Chimamanda writes in such a way that she is able to give a back story to a dialogue a character is having with another without losing you. She further ties that dialogue and carries it forward to another chapter when we get to hear the responding character’s POV. I found this very tasteful.

As usual there were thought provoking quotes

Keep your house clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy – This is the perfect balance. Do not fret over the few things that are out of place.

It is easy to be sad; sadness is a low hanging fruit. Hope and Happiness you have to reach higher for.

what charms you is eventually what will irritate you – This was in relation to a romantic relationship. For resentment to grow, it requires knowledge of each other.

We inherit our parents scars more often than we know.

The author did not leave us without food for thought. What does it mean to you to say that you have been to a country? Is it interacting with the locals? Or maybe having your passport stamped in that country? Is it eating the local food or doing the tourist activities? In the book Chiamaka is a travel writer and she writes about countries she has visited focusing on lighter topics. Chimamanda giving us an African character whose life is of ease was a breath of fresh air. I am tired of reading about hardship, suffering, failed marriages, miscarriages or settling in life which is what most African authors tell in their stories.

Dream Count breathes life into stories of successful women. Women who are thriving in and of themselves. Women with brilliant minds. Women with a laissez faire perspective. Women who are dreaming of great futures and creating those futures. Dream Count is of course not aloof to all that is happening in society. It taps into miscarriage, loss of a husband, the unsupportive male once a child is sired, sexual assault. We do get to see men make choices that are seemingly void of consequences and at times that is just life. We get to see women not wallow in self pity, acknowledge their misfortune and continue chartering a path of their own.

I have heard both hate and praise for the book. It is not one of those books I will push down your throat as a must read but I would recommend it for a more nuanced reader.

May 27, 2025May 27, 2025

Dare to Dream

Tuckman, a psychologist identified four stages of group development: Forming which is defined by polite, cautious interaction; Storming which encompasses power struggles or clashes in personality; Norming which happens when the group begins to resolve conflicts and establish norms for working together and lastly, Performing which is when members are competent thus needing minimal supervision.

While attending the studio launch of my wedding photographer, I had an epiphany. For him to get where he was, he was first employed. The constant earning and saving of income is what brought his studio to fruition. Okay, that, support from family, friends, well wishers and him daring to dream. I do get wild ideas. Wild enough with potential to take off. I do research, I develop interest but I never commit my finances to see the idea into fruition. If I did, I would currently have at least 5 flourishing or failing business under my belt but here we are. I remember reading in big magic something to the lines that ideas are like butterflies. They visit us and stay with us but when we do not implement them, they take leave and land on someone else. This was the explanation to why later in life we come across someone who implemented “our idea”.

Still while at the launch, the guest speaker cautioned us against sharing our profound ideas with friends and family for validation. He mentioned, and I will borrow from the butterfly analogy above; The idea only came to you. You are the one the butterfly visited. It is pointless asking friends and families what they think about a butterfly that did not land on their porch because it was on yours. He said when you have that idea, sit down with yourself, understand the idea as best as possible, execute it.

I am liking the flow of this post. It enables me touch on the various tidbits. My current read is a book called Execution. I am forced to put a pause on it because I have to finish The Pearl that Broke its Shell, my until 2025 consistent book of the month book club read and quicky re read Before I let Go by Kennedy Ryan the book of the month for my until 2025 inconsistent book club. In Execution, the author points out how several companies have a strategy but a failure to execute the strategy leads to the downfall of most companies. The book gives scenarios of various companies failing to execute strategy. It does this by looking at the leadership strategy employed by various CEOs faced with similar challenges.

Earlier in the year, my strategy was to focus on the book club reads of my consistent book club as I had limited time and anyway this book club had a proven track record of hosting the discussions each month without fail thus my reading would not be in vain. I attended the first meeting of the inconsistent book club because I thoroughly enjoyed their December book pick and also to reconnect with the members as it had been my OG book club. As the year carried on, my inconsistent book club consistently read, discussed and picked books each month while the so called consistent book club met only once. My strategy going to the next half of the year is to read and show up for each as one or the other might fail to meet.

I pride myself in being so confident, I do things scared. Lately, I also developed the confidence that whatever I channeled my energy in was bound to succeed. Safe to say, I have currently had 3 humble pies and the pies were not so humble. I did have egg on my face. The egg I was sure will miss my face has now landed and as usual, I lack wet wipes or tissue papers with me. At the very least, I tell myself, I should at least have wet wipes or tissue. a handkerchief even. Oh well, maybe this is the lesson that I learn from and better yet, a colleague has plugged me on the best smelling affordable shea butter in the market, I am about to unlock girl 101 habits.

While I have not been getting egg on my face, I have been listening to Kenyan True Crime documentary called Silent Shadows on Youtube. This of course heightened my apprehension of humanity because people are willing to go great miles. My memory of Nairobi roads is now anchored on the true crime I was listening to while on that road.

I may no longer be attending book club discussions of my inconsistent book club. Last week I kept time only to wait for an hour thirty minutes. It is one thing to be thirty minutes late but one hour thirty minutes in and no show?! A book club member who joined me an hour into my wait time shared that she only waits for 30 minutes and then leaves. Her resolve is far grounded than mine because even when you walk in as she was getting up, she will not seat for the meet up. This exact scenario happened to us and as I was now taken under her wing, we both left. to say the least I am still very disappointed in the utter disrespect of people’s time but I should not have expected any better.

more egg on my face even this week but you know what, punda huchoka.

February 27, 2024

Literature

The title sounds so academic but it is the best I could come up with to cover the three things I would like to write about.

The weekend after valentine's, I watched a play titled an Ideal Husband by Igiza Arts Production. It is not the title of the play that drove me to buy the ticket, neither is it the producers of the play, but knowing that it is an adaptation from Oscar Wilde and trusting the capability of the Producers and the director who is well known to me, I knew I had to have a ticket. I considered reading the book before watching the play but my hands were full as I had 3 other books that I needed to finish within the month, I ended up watching the play having not read the book and I was thoroughly entertained.

Of the three books I was reading, I managed to finish Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi. I loved the pace of the book, the coming to age storyline, the experiences Soila had being born and bred in Kenya and getting an opportunity to study in the USA. I bet my Kenyan friends with similar fates would relate to her experiences, if only I can get them to read the book. I am having trouble freely addressing my reservation about the book, mostly because I already know the critic that would come from it. At this juncture in my writing, I cannot ruffle feathers and much as it bothered me while reading the book, it did not prevent me from enjoying the author's work, her first.

There is much I am dying to talk about but I feel gagged because I would spoil it for those who intend to read, which I think you should. Was Soila really Lucky? How has our Kenyan upbringing affected our values as adults and the choices we make? The African setting of having family around and their approval and how growing up detached from one side of the family impacts our lives. The position of 'the second family' and how one choses whether or not to relate with them.  The choice of a partner and how much family approval should weigh in on that choice. How can we create a family from two individuals with glaring differences in their beliefs, and culture?

I was having a conversation with one of my girlfriends about the last question and she strongly believes that two people cannot walk together unless they are in agreement. Her position is hinged on Amos 3:3 and 2nd Corinthians 6:14 which says  "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" I shall leave it at that as this is a conversation that requires more depth.

My book club read for the month was Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden.  I really struggled with this one. I had tried reading it before and it proved difficult even then. My book club members encouraged me to just start page one and I was happy to have reached page 190. The tea parties were too many for me and the process for each was similar, she gets an invitation, she dresses up, we learn about the guests present and the conversations they have, and then there is the next tea party or even up to three in  a day and then we repeat, or have breaks when she is learning.

There is a lot of plotting by the characters. I thought office politics is where it is at but I could sure learn a thing or two from the Geishas'. The discussion about the book sure did heighten our perception. Going in, only two members had been thrilled by it but through the discussions, we realized there was more depth to the book and the characters and indeed there was much to love. It was my first seating where I had not finished a book, I did not mind the spoilers and I feel that I would have been satisfied if I had read it all the way to the end.

The writing style is highly descriptive, the people who help Sayuri along the way each have something they are getting. We see how naivety affects our choices and how unfortunate being constantly exposed to schemers develops you into a schemer. We loved it when a character finally learnt how to play the game. We loved it when a poorly written character still had a role to play, we loved discussing the long game and grappled answering if the best thing and worst thing that happened to a character was an encounter they had. Sayuri's humor is really a plus for the book.

We never got to discuss our beliefs in consulting an almanac to know auspicious days. From the book it seemed that our actions or inactions although inconsequential at first glance affect our destinies. I will leave you with the book club read I selected for our March read, The Mothers by Brit Bennet which I have now read twice and written as much about it in my posts. By now you are in agreement that literature is how best I could title this post.