Tag: Bookclub

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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.

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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.

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September

Plug

Kevin Mwachiro’s voice in Nipe Story kills me every time. After taking a long break from the podcast for reasons unknown to me I am back with a bang. I cannot remember the story that brought me back to the fold but listening to blue bra on a samsonite bag got me writing. It brought so much nostalgia and a reminder of Js and how for a period of my life it was my go to entertainment scene.

Js had an unwritten rule, everyone was friendly. It was a place you could go without much money and have a good time. The live performances from the artistes, the bands, the music, the crowd, Js was literally it. This takes me back to when the Alchemist had outdoor movie screenings. I have been out of touch with the art world for a minute and it seems a minute too long. Kindly help me play catchup by plugging me on what’s new and which places are popping. Of Course I am happy that our day one’s the likes of Alliance Francaise and Goethe Institute still got it.

Books

Last Thursday I went to the launch of half portraits under water. Is it only me or would this be a fitting cover?

The moment I heard the book’s title this is the image that came to mind. I arrived on time and unfortunately the event started 30 minutes late. I was exhausted and was debating between going home to rest and taking a cup of coffee to help me soldier through the evening, I went with the latter choice.

This was my first author book reading. I loved the sequence of the interview and getting to know the writer. Much as it is hinted to be our next month’s book club read, I was not ready to purchase the book but as soon as the interview ended, I knew I had to. I am looking forward to reading another Kenyan short stories and since the bar was set low by Joan Thatiah’s confessions of Nairobi series, I hope this one gives something to write home.

Below are the gems the writer dropped during his interview:

  • what is the use of holding time in a photograph if you cannot go back to it. – Before this event, I had read in the invisible life of Addie Larue that photographs do not give context. The photographer was talking about a picture that was taken of him and his younger brother, seated on grass infront of their house, looking at the photographer and smiling. When he sees the photo, it takes him back to that day. His parents were in the house and could be heard shouting at each other. A stranger would pick up the photo and admire the happy boys. The boys were far from happy. They were trying to block all the noise by plastering a smile.
  • Once you write a story, it belongs to the people who read. They in turn hope that something of themselves will be reflected.- When the reflection is achieved, we have a good book, a bestseller.
  • Stories are how we organize our lives. Friends and family meet ups are simply occasions curated for each to give updates on what is happening in their life and their perspective on the commonalities i.e politics, weather, economy etc

Work

I have been really angry at work. I felt that I could not openly say the things affecting me at work and unfortunately I also could not expect better because I was only putting myself up for disappointment over again. There was a day I just wanted to blurt it out and see what the worst was that could happen but wisdom prevailed and I took a walk. The daunting issue which looked like I could not move past became minute and I wondered why I gave as much of a fuss over it. I am tired of complaining about work and my friends and family are tired of hearing me complain. I have now decided that the best work environment is my own and I am actualizing it by practicing what I think my current job lacks as I wait upon the Lord because I know surely when the time is right, he will open a door for me as he does.

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Everything is not Enough

Lola Akinmade Akerstrom in her sequel Everything is not Enough a continuation from In Every Mirror She is Black continues proving that all people are six or fewer social connections away from each other. She has maintained a great pace in the book, she takes time to walk us through the lives of each of the three main characters and their social circles. This book was a huge relief that literature writing has something going for it after reading 3 books that need much work on them.

You’ll enjoy the book more if you start with the prequel. I wrote my own predictions on how the story would end and I was revisiting my notes having finished the book. I’m glad to know I was not completely off tangent but girl, seems like I am scarred. I write that Tina’s phone call to Kemi revealed something because there has to be a story behind Tobias only being in 2 long term relationships before her and either does not materialize in marriage and further that Tobias has never told Kemi he loves her.

proceed if you do not mind spoilers

Turns out the phone call from Tina was only to check on Kemi and set up a lunch date because she wanted to see her and understand why Kemi would hurt Tobias that much. Thankfully Kemi has God on her side with the pregnancy because it would be a terrible shit show. I predicted that Kemi would get a less demanding job, smaller position and that she learns to appreciate lagom.

I am of course happy to have correctly predicted that Astrid is the problem in Johnny’s life. It is also good that the book does not tie all ends and there is lot of room for the characters to determine how their story ends. I see Brittany-Rae fashion collection being a house hold name, heck I think it already is.

Notable mentions from the book:

  • Saloon conversations – How they make saloon trips therapeutic because the clients get to talk and hear stories about other people and much as they hate the prodding by the saloonists, the saloonists in their efforts to understand and get to know their clients ask them questions akin to a therapist that get them thinking even after they leave the saloon. Kemi leaves the saloon not only looking good but also motivated to take up space and light the world with her being.
  • The reminder that women need to always take care of themselves. Kemi was feeling bad because of her actions and losing a good man because she did not trust his love which felt too easy and too effortless. In a bid to find excitement, we mess up. Kemi shares that the person who once made her shiver with desire makes her shudder with disgust. At the time, It felt that she had a chance with Ragnor, there was an illusion that the feeling between them was mutual, he was her equal. After a series of dating men who are considered beneath her finally she has the attention of someone at her level. Kemi stops punishing herself and in just making minor adjustments to her dressing and appearance, she is able to regain control of her life. We see the same with Yasmiin when she stops being a house wife and starts doing hair and makeup. She is exposed, she makes money for herself. Muna is also impacted when Yasmiin does her hair and make up and she sees herself as a beautiful girl worthy of love.
  • Mistakes as women are unforgiveable. I’ll first explain this from the Netflix Series Desperate lies. The husband cheats on the wife and she finds out. the wife begs him to stay so that they work things out but instead the husband flees to spend the weekend with the accomplice. The wife tries calling him severally but all her calls are unanswered. Her best friend tells her that she needs to go out and forget about her worries for a night which she obliges. Unfortunately while out, her best friend leaves her with what she had deemed as good hands but the guy ends up giving her ecstasy and she is completely blacked out and he rapes her. The husband comes back home and requests for another chance and he says they put what happened behind them. The woman agrees but unfortunately the wife’s “mistake” is unforgiveable years down the marriage. Kemi loses her job, she is cut off in her social circles, she sees judgement in everyone’s eyes while Ragnor takes a trip to find himself, comes back home to a loving wife and is offered a job at the same place Kemi was fired knowing well that Ragnor was complicit in Kemi’s actions.
  • Learning that Yoruba ( an ethnic group inhabiting Nigeria, Benin and Togo) have the highest frequency of twin births in the world.

The book’s title is a clear depiction of what the book addresses. For Brittany- Rae its not enough that she married a wealthy man, Its not enough that his name can open doors. She is black and even with the family connections, she needs an outsider to get her footing in the fashion world. For Kemi her work, her family, her friends, are not enough, until she learns her lesson. For Yasmiin being a housewife is not enough, for Yagiz being a Kingpin is not enough, he is still taken down by a close friend.

Muna’s story has a beautiful twist. Her dream has always been to go to university and have a degree in Finance. It does not happen for her in Sweden, Despite being in proximity with Kemi and Brittany they do not really know her, she gets a second chance in life and it opens up new possibilities for her. Its a shame that without her accident it does not seem she would have had this possibility.

Coming back to this draft months later and highly thinking that this writing style lost the reader who has not read the book, my bad, but maybe it works like a blurb and you now want to read the two books. The books are not a waste of your time. Also while reding about immigrants settling in their country of choice, definitely pick up Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi.

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May

Books

This month’s Book Club read was Circe by Madeline Miller . I still remember the discussion we had around its pronunciation. I pronounce it as sass, a fellow book club member pronounced it as s-i-r-s-i, we were informed google pronounced it as suh. see, take your pick.

The book is way out of my comfort zone. I struggled with the Greek mythical characters, personification is not my forte. I am happy to announce that despite the difficulty I finished the book!!!! Announcing this gives me so much joy. It is proof of my endurance, resilience, commitment to the book club, and dedication. I will definitely have this as an example at my next job interview.

The member who suggested said she wanted us to read about strong female characters and true to her word, the book is all about women empowerment without trying too hard at it. We first see Circe’s helplessness and inconsequential existence. She is finally thrown out of the palace and condemned to live in a deserted island by herself. The most impressive thing about the island to me was how supplies never ran out and dirt cleaned itself up. This could make a good modern day fairy tale; most women just want to be. To live their best lives and not worry about the mundane tasks that take up much of our time. The cooking and cleaning men are not subjected to despite women also doubling as bread winners, home finance managers and investment decision makers.

I admired the names the writer came up with for the characters’, they were very befitting of the Greek mythology narrative. The pace of the book was alright, the tidbits of surprises would keep most people going (but me). Much as my reading experience was difficult, I am glad that I know Circe’s story and you too should.

I love June’s book club read, Confessions of Nairobi Men by Joan Thatiah. I have wanted to read this book because of the hype in the Kenyan market and the opportunity to hear men’s stories. Well, It would be better if the book was written by a man but a win is a win, at least we get to read the stories.

Work

A steady growth curve. These days scrap that, I always stand up for myself. This year I have had opportunities where I needed to remind colleagues of boundaries, mutual respect and work ethic. I have gone through the roller coaster of questioning the meaning of life and wishing I could be my own boss to enjoying the perks of an employee and realizing that self employment has its downside.

Life

My face is beaming at the thought of celebrating my birthday tomorrow. I am looking forward to opening my birthday gifts, I sure will get a slice of Art Caffe’s rose something cake. That in itself is growth… chocolate fudge cake has been a birthday staple and celebratory cake since my 19th birthday. The Art caffe cake was gifted by my friends in March and I have never wanted to eat a whole cake by myself until I had a bite of that one. Dear friends, thank you so much for the plug.

On Tuesday I was rather disappointed that I did not have a plan in place on how I will celebrate the day. I came up with a plan then abandoned it, all I know for sure is that I want to look good in a new outfit preferably that will be as new as the day I am born. I want to eat good food, I want to do an activity or two and eat cake.

AOB

Lately I am happy, I am content with my choices in life, I am humbled by some life experiences but mostly I am changing. I am becoming aware of moments when my anger is building up and I decide whether to feed it or let go. I am grateful of the beautiful moments I am experiencing alongside my friends, I am being challenged with decisions that I have to make, I am praying. ( Listen to Nyashinski’s time of my life)

I tried recreating a KFC Chicken recipe and it backfired bigtime. Luckily, I cut my loss early enough and changed tactic so that most of the chicken was still edible. I had major success recreating a pasta dish that I had at a restaurant on valentine’s. The restaurant menu was haphazard and the pasta was being served after the main course (feel free to let me know if I am the one who is clueless about dining etiquette). I felt they wanted to justify the cost of the valentine’s menu considering the price was increased from the previous year’s yet the menu options were limited. This creamy pasta with chicken, mushroom and cheese is comfort food and thinking about it leaves me feeling enveloped in a hug. I should not be spoiling for a fight but I only got the recipe after talking about the pasta and thanks to the Instagram microphone, it appeared on my suggestions. The recipe was in Turkish but thanks to the see translation option, I was able to know the ingredients.

That being all from me, remember to have your heaven down here.

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January in books

I pride myself in starting the year strong and making the best use of those first days before things settle. This January, I managed to get my hands on four books: The girl with the lauding voice by Abi daré, a spill over from 2023, The invisible life of Addie Larue, a secret Santa gift which I had to momentarily pose and dig into Animal Farm by George Orwell, the book club read of the month and lastly Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert, a re-read that feels like a first time reading.

Most people have found it difficult reading the girl with the lauding voice because of the broken English. Having been forewarned and further explained to that the writer was in character with the girl narrating the story, I was in awe because the writing style is certainly hard to pull off. Our brains are trained to correct error. It is an uphill task reverse engineering and having deliberate spelling errors. One can easily blame it on poor editing like I do but not this time.

The innocence of the girl, the unfortunate things that happen to her and the helplessness of her situation keep you rooting for her and turning the pages to find out if she gets a reprieve. That being said, I am taking a break from Nigerian authors because I have reached saturation with their kind of content. The invisible life of Addie Larue is out of my comfort zone. Very mystical and definitely a book that I would not have picked for myself. Addie prays to the Gods who she was warned not to ask from and in the spur of the moment, she asks for the gift of life for as long as she is not tired of living.

Addie is not given parameters for her ask, she does not take time to seek clarification either which is what I would have done in her position. She was just praying and did not expect to be answered and when the answer came, she was not certain of what she wanted. She learns “on the job” that she cannot say her name, she cannot tell the truth, people do not remember her, she cannot have friends, a lover, a relationship only because everyone else’s memory of her is fleeting. She might as well be a ghost, It would be easier because then she would not worry about having a place to live, needing money for food or any of life’s luxuries and a change of clothes. So far, Addie has done the most with the cards life has dealt her.

The length of Animal Farm made reading the book bearable. I was quickly taken back to my high school days when we learnt about personification and symnolism. I was pleasantly shocked that pigs would be the cleverest of the animals, I only know them as dirty and greedy. The book is mostly a mirror and if that is lost to any reader, the writer says as much in the last page. It is insightful on leadership and how the society perceives leaders and rules. I am glad to have been introduced to George Orwell’s works.

I must have written about committed. I remember being smitten with the book then as I am now the only difference being that now marriage is not a far off chance topic as it was then. I have been searching the depths of my soul and interrogating the beliefs I hold about marriage as an institution and everything that grace’s the occasion right from the engagement ring, the white dress, the notion of brides maids, the venue of the wedding, the roles of each party in the marriage and the extent to which the two parties have control on the state of the marriage.

For each couple that is eager to be wedded, there is an equal number of those trying to weed themselves from what they got into. Much thought has been given to the institution and the pertinent questions one needs to have answered leading to the decision to marry/wed. Reading Committed reminded me of the many nuggets I picked from my all time favourite of Elizabeth Gilbert’s books, City of Girls. I have been recommending this book to anyone who has ears to hear and eyes to read to the extent that I got upset when two of those people keep pushing it further down their to be read list and I angrily told them that they should not even get the book because they are unworthy of the Gems in it. I am yet to determine whose choice was more distasteful between them and the person who started and left it halfway.

Committed is well written. Elizabeth allows us to grapple with the same questions she did as she shares her findings with us. I have learnt so much about marriage as an institution but like she says, it is ever changing. You think you now have the tools to do it right but when you put what you have learnt in practise you have totally different players and their response to the tools is completely different which sets us out on another learning curve.

With this good start, I am looking forward to the insights I will get from books in 2024, I hope you are here for the ride.

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Travel in Books 2023

I finally got something to unbox this 26th, a book that would have me flipping pages, engrossed till the very last page. I was home, wondering what I could get my hands on. I flipped through the notes on my phone and settled on the one titled books to read. I was surprised it had only one book, The Other Year by Rea Frey. An author I had not heard of before, no reason as to why I should read the book and whether it would be in tune with the holiday mood I was in search of. Without looking the book up on good reads, I quickly downloaded and finished the first 100 pages in an hour thirty minutes.

Sometimes life changes in a single moment this is the quote written on the bottom of the front page cover. I can point singular moments that have changed my life. I wonder if the singular moments did not happen or if I made different choices in the singular moments whether I would end up in the place that I am. Rea asks us to ponder whether we end up where we are supposed to no matter what or if grief sends us on a different path completely. I like that she specifically asks about grief. For a long time I have believed, heck I still believe that If my siblings were with us today, my family would have taken a different trajectory. Rea makes me think that might not be the case and we would still end up where we are.

The Other Year is dedicated to Rea’s daughter in every life. I found this amusing, that she too believes in the multiverse and that in every version of reality she still chooses to dedicate this book to her daughter. I was also impressed that she starts by telling us how she was vehemently anti-kids for most of her life and that she wrote a column called My daughter the A**hole when her daughter was young. I recognize kids for who they are, adorable at times with the potential of turning into monsters every other time. Every parent’s prayer is that their kid turns out well equipped for this life and most importantly that this prayer is answered. I pray for that too, now and even more when I become a parent.

Rea warned us that the book will take a hard look at grief and for sure the first 100 pages do. I kept wondering why do I torture myself reading of a pain I know too well. Her quote that life is not always about the good stuff reminded me of my description of migraines in this blog ‘sunshine everyday makes a desert’. True to her word, the plenty of light and joy and fun and romance in the book is covered in equal measure.

There are three men in Kate’s life: First, the male best friend who has been around for everything life has thrown at her; second, the ex boy friend whom she saw a future with and intentions to build a family with but has shortcomings that she grapples with whether to suck it up or continue with her search for more and last, the new stranger whom she is getting to know, and who holds a candlelight with a promise of more, something new, but just like a candle, this light could flicker.

I like the style of the book, how Rea writes about two realities back to back. The message that children are their own unique person and never an extension of either parent. A parent’s role which is one I hope to remember is to help them grow but release them. Let them live and then be there if they need you along the way. I hear myself already losing this battle every time I describe the ways I would like to mold my girls. I am already strongly possessive and I know I will have to put in a lot of work to let them live.

I have loved how Rea has brought out each of the male characters. She says she drew inspiration from her husband. I strongly believe that Rea and her husband started out as Michael and Kate only that Rea’s husband made a different choice than the one Michael in the book makes. I currently believe that he is more of a Jason, steady and present. The book builds us up to wonder who Kate will choose and if the choice will be different in the two versions of reality portrayed. Suffice to say, I love the ending in both versions and this would be a good holiday read. It reminds you of the importance of family, the need to put yourself first and it is a good distraction from everything going on good or bad.

This year I have not read much and I know I already wrote about what I have been reading in multiple posts throughout the year. We had Secret Santa in my bookclub, I wanted to gift City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert but the bookshop only had a hardcover version available. The book I was looking forward to reading since it came out is the Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi and I am a few pages in. I was gifted the invisible life of Adie Larue which I would have carried with me but I did not want to have more luggage than I needed. Reading e-books has completely spoilt me but I hold dear the few hard copy books I own.

2023 cannot end before I plug We Need New Names. I completely loved how simple this book was and it is easily among the best book gifts I have given this year. The story took me to my childhood and I agree with the author, the characters do need new names. I am looking to add this book to my collection and I still feel sad that my recommender of books left the office towards the end of the year. We had a good year discussing books and I will miss that.

I am happy that I got to form a new book club in 2023 and I am already in awe of the literary world experiences coming our way. In every mirror she is black which was our first read has a sequel and I will be digging that in 2024. I still have not got a hold of the 30th Candle by Angela Makholwa, I will appreciate any leads as to where I can get this book. 2023 is a wrap, 15 books against my goodreads goal of 40, we live to try again.

Happy New Year 2024 and thank you for always reading.

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The Island of Missing Trees

My reading this year has taken a hit. There was a time I felt saturated with books and I could take in no more. My reading culture has been hanging by the thread of bookclub and this was our October book of the month.

We were sold on a romance book. We had just read Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, a science fiction and we wanted something light. The member who recommended this book had read 3 more by the author and she spoke highly of the writing style. I went in expecting my romance story and my description of this book would not feature romance much as there was a love story. It is more of historical fiction.

Elif takes us to Cyprus. I knew nothing about Cyprus when I picked this book. It’s inhabited by Greeks, Turks and few English people. The story is told by a Fig tree which narrates the ordeals of humans, animals, birds and nature at a time of war. The prose is highly descriptive and it reminded me of a literature tool we learnt of called personification.

Majority of the book club members loved this book and Elif’s writing style. One member hated that about the book but I think mostly so because he consumed the audio version. I had both love and hate. Love that the writing style was not the ordinary. Loved that we got to read about plants, animals and now I can bury and unbury a fig tree. Disliked the overly descriptive text. Disliked personification as it was unrealistic. I could not pin point a specific theme the book was bringing about but during the book club discussion, much came to light.

This writing is not for a surface level reader. A literature student would very much appreciate the text. I struggled reading to the end and I actually finished the book after the discussion. There is not much to write home about the book but I feel I must mention that it pointed out two things for me: Wherever you go, there you are and humans give differential treatment based on appearance.

I plan to give Elif’s writing a second chance but in the meantime, I would be careful recommending anyone to read this book. I look forward to the next book club meeting as I am now pinned to task in reading Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth.

If you are on the verge of a rut, do not pick this up.

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In Every Mirror She’s Black

Finally my book hiatus has been lifted. It has been a struggle to find a book that soaks me in from the onset and keeps me turning the pages. This book my dear readers got me captivated for 3 days and only because I left room for my daily responsibilities. I remember waking up on Monday morning to work and I slot in 15 minutes for a nap which was substituted by book reading. I have enjoyed my commute these 3 days and I seem to be getting back hold of the routine that has steadied me for the past 3 years.

I might have jinxed myself at the beginning of the year when I boldly put out 40 books as my year’s reading challenge. Previously, I have not been committing to the number and the goal was just to read. Then, I easily reached this target. I am yet to check my track but I am far from hitting 15 books. Normally at this time of the year, I would be on my 23rd. To summarize the perks of In Every Mirror She is Black;

  • The writing checks
  • Characters check
  • Delivery of the plot checks
  • The pace of the book checks
  • I am still yet to figure out the reasoning behind the choice of Title

The book is about 3 black girls; Muna is Somali, seeking asylum in Sweden, Brittany is African American first generation immigrants from Jamaica, Kemi is Nigerian but raised in America. Yes, their skin colour makes them stand out. They each face different struggles having found their way to Sweden through different circumstances but all as a result of Johnny Von Ludin and they all come to meet (six degrees of separation at work) which is always the beauty of life. I waited for this meet-up. I think each of them having different circumstances made it hard for the writer to conjure a seamless scene. I liked that the author did not meet my expectation or succumb to the guise of sisterhood just because the girls are black.

This book hit close to home for two reasons: Ever since my first visit to Sweden, I always thought I would go back for either studies or work. It was easy for me to figure my way around, the food was generally of acceptable quality as there were many cuisines to pick from and the provision of drinking water at restaurants was a given. Like Kemi, I did quickly slip into a routine of getting my morning coffee and pastry from one local cafe at the same time each morning. I also noticed that in social places i.e clubs, the men would generally hold your gaze and or stare suggestively without necessarily making a move. It was hard to socialize within the Swedish circles which I now understand is because they generally refrain from indulging in personal conversations. Also, the concept of fika and the lagom lifestyle were ideals that I would want to be part of my life. Brittany’s description of the greys in Johnny’s lavish apartment made me crave colour and personality as opposed to just simplicity which is mostly reflected in neutrals.

We may never put the final nail on the question what do women bring to the table but from Brittany and Johnny’s relationship, it is clear that all their eggs are in one basket and that basket is on top of the table. I am really holding back on having this discussion here as I will reveal some spoilers. I am looking forward to the book club meeting and having this issue discussed.

Kemi seems to have grasped the concept of all that glitter is not gold. In her professional capacity, she is expected to date a certain calibre of men but time and again she is mingling with the exact opposite. During the catch-up call when she informs her twin sister she has met someone, the sister conveys her hope that Kemi did not leave the American electricians to settle for Swede electricians in reference to the profession of her ex-boyfriend who clearly did not have the family’s approval. Kemi translates this as God’s time is right but God’s electricians are apparently not right for her.

Brittany who is dating someone from the upper class is viewed as a gold digger, Kemi is looked down upon for dating men lower than her pay grade. In Kenya when a woman gets her man to listen to her, be a present father and dote over her as should be the case you will hear that the man is bewitched and that he has lost himself. Kemi was left wondering if Sweden was giving her Tobias in exchange for her career.

This book hit close to home because it has been a month since one of my best friends left to work abroad. While reading I am wondering whether she has a softer landing. I would like to have the opportunity like Tanesha to visit often and be part of her milestones. I have had another set of friends go for studies abroad and from them I learnt that it gets lonely and having friends and family checking in is a reprieve. My heart goes out to my other friend who went much earlier during COVID and I hope the feeling of isolation is not drowning.

I believe we should have more books that portray a golden lifestyle, where love triumphs and the male character is rich, kind, affectionate, and free from any hidden intentions. It seems like we are constantly reminded to be cautious of men, and the world could do with one less reason to fear them. I did love the depth of this book. I am perturbed by what a train delay is euphemism for. I cannot wait to walk the streets of Sweden with this book in mind. The suspenseful conclusion was perfect. I am left with Kemi’s relationship and career and Brittany and Maya on my mind.

I love firsts. I am happy to have been introduced to Lolá through her first adult novel. She gave the book a more personal touch with the conversation at the tail end and for that, she will be etched in my mind. Every time I read an author’s first, I re-birth my dream of writing someday and I hope I will be as good an author. Your voice is more powerful than you think… Never, ever let the world convince you that your struggles are invalid. Never stop fighting to be nobody but yourself; she advices.

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A Spell of Good Things – Ayòbámi Adébáyò

My book club is back. It had been a long hiatus and as usual, they point me to books that would have taken me a while to pick up myself. In February when it made its return, we rekindled the flame with Home is not a Country by Safia Elhillo. It was a short easy read that took me a long while. I tend to think it is the writing style, poetry. Maybe it was the mention of the twin Aisha saw and how that made little sense to me until I was more than 100 pages in ( as is the custom with YA books). I thought it was light enough for us to have a discussion on the heavy topics addressed as well as have enough time to catch up after the separation.

A spell of good things was March’s read but I have just managed to finish. I read it slowly because it is Young Adult and I struggle with this genre. I liked that it was very much Nigerian. The phrases and songs referenced, the names, It reminded me of the Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives especially the calling of characters as Iya … which loosely translates to mama… albeit with lots of accents on the names. Additionally, the characters are well brought out. I feel like I can pick out Yèyé in a crowded Market. I am sure I pronounced Wúràolá’s name wrong the entire book much as they tried to guide us in its pronunciation in one of the pages. The families were very relatable and their stories nuanced. The endearing name golden babe stuck with me and Kingsley’s character as the friend zone perfect guy.

The poverty in Eniolá’s family was heartbreaking. I can imagine how he and Bùsólá felt being dragged to beg in the streets. Poverty strips off dignity. Eniolá could not even play with other children because he had to hide from the landlord lest he remembered the rent they were late in paying. Their mum was hardworking through and through and her hardwork did not bear the fruits we were promised it does. I saw education in a different lense when Eniolá talks about how going to a private school gave him better chances to succeed in life despite him being a poor learner. I would feel his pain when they got caned for not paying school fees. I disliked being caned for the flimsy reasons such as failing an exam or noise making and the thought of being canned for something beyond your control is a bit much.

The book does pay homage to the saying bad company ruins good morals but the character was literally pushed to the limit. Politics seems to be same in African Countries with some leaders using every means to get votes in their favour. The ending was sad, I felt bad but also could not lay blame because from the cards the character was dealt, the result could not have been anticipated and through and through we saw the character’s good will. I would not have been able to live with myself afterwards and I would not want my family to have to live with me.

Ayòbámi Adèbáyò delivers like she did with Stay with me only that I did not see the spell of good things in this book. I really waited for tables to turn, I kept reading and hoping maybe, just maybe. She addresses depression in a way that it creeps into an African home. For a long time people have associated depression as a Western disease and Africans are spared because they are hardened moreso the male figures who carry the financial weight of the family and keep everything to themselves. It is humbling seeing your father unable to provide and still having respect for him. It is sad seeing him reduced to a shell of himself and the nudge to do something just to provoke a reaction which will show that somewhere in the shell of the man, is the father you grew to admire.

Ayòbámi shows us how fate changes and life is no longer the same. We see Kids like Sàámú who are forced to be adults at a very young age and fend for themselves. She addresses domestic violence in a way that reminded me of Colleen Hoover’s It ends with us. The man you love hits you, then hits you again and you love him because the hitting stems out from the love you know he has for you and he never gives you a reason to doubt the love he has for you. You believe you are doing the right thing covering up the bruises and not burdening your loved ones who know he is a gentleman. You want to relieve them from worrying about you and you hope he will change because that is what he says each time as he holds you and nurses your bruises.

I did not write the phrases that caught my eye from the book because I had not planned to review it then. I hope the snippet I have given is enough for you to decide to read the book.

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