bookshy

As my partner was heading home for the holidays, and I needed to step back from my thesis and clear my head, I took some time off work and spent pre-Christmas in Victoria, BC - which is an absolutely gorgeous city.

2011 - Snowy Victoria/2013 - Sunny (for Winter) Victoria

The last time I was there in January 2011, it was covered in snow and absolutely freezing. So imagine my joy, when I got there and it was warmer than England.

Remembering Russell books and the gorgeous Munro Books - which I found out during this trip was founded by Alice Munro and her then husband, Jim Munro - I had to check them out again. At Russell books I found a copy of Aya: The Secrets Come Out. I know it's not the first in the series but I've been dying to read this graphic novel. Now I have one, I am hoping the rest will follow.

Russell Books was also a great place to buy Christmas gifts. My partner wanted to give his mum and sister novels written by Nigerian authors and I thought Adichie would be a great female author for them. So we got Half of A Yellow Sun for his mum and Americanah for his sister. I wasn't there on Christmas day when they opened it, but he said they absolutely loved it :D.

Renaissance Books and UVic Bookstore

We also checked out Renaissance Books, a used bookstore tucked away in an alley just off Bastion Square. Here I got a copy of Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin. There were some gems here, and what really stood out was the really cool illustrated book section. It also has a great selection of 1st edition books. I've recently got interested in collecting books, so I've started keeping my eye out for places where I can find reasonably priced, first edition and rare books - and this is certainly one I will keep in mind for the future. There was also this cute independent coffee shop and bookstore, James Bay Coffee and Books - really warm and inviting. One bookstore that actually caught me by surprise - UVic Bookstore. It was certainly not what I was expecting when we were at the University of Victoria campus. It's definitely a bookstore I wish I had at my university - it's got a nice mix of books - academic, fiction, non-fiction etc and nicely laid out. I have to say though, there's one thing I don't get about Canada - why are new books so expensive. I wonder if that's why there is such an abundance of used bookstores?

As part of my escape from thesis, I was treated to a trip to Seattle - as it wasn't too far (2 hours and 45 mins to downtown Seattle). We left Victoria late Wednesday afternoon and got back Friday morning. So what can you do in 36 hours in Seattle? Surprisingly, quite a bit. Catching up with friends on the first night, spending the whole of the next day cruising the city - coffee drinking (well hot chocolate for me, as I don't drink coffee), seafood eating, a stop at Pike Place Market, and obviously bookstore hopping along the way - and then sleeping on the journey back. Would I go to Seattle again? Definitely!!! Hopefully for much longer. So the bookstores we checked out!

Globe Bookstore, Revolution, Arundel and Lamplight Books

In Pioneer Square, there was the Globe Bookstore, Arundel Books and Revolution Books. All independent stores, specialising in different things. The Globe Bookstore is small with a great selection of used books, Arundel Books is underground and has tons and tons and tons of used books and nooks (yes nooks) with even more books, while Revolution Books had books on Women's Studies, Violence Against Women, Globalisation, US Imperialism and more. It had a cool Fiction section as well where we got John Steinbeck's Dubious Battle and Working Days: The Journals of the Grapes of Wrath for my partner's father. In Pike Place Market we checked Lamplight Books and Left Bank Books and Lamplight Books. Left Bank Books was awesome - no idea how to explain it other than calling it a left-y bookstore with range of books on politics, environmentalism, feminism, workers' rights and more. Lamplight Books is further inside the Market but is another adorable used bookstore.

While in the downtown area, we also stopped by the Seattle Public Library - awesome building and great views if you go up to the 10th floor. It's huuge and

Pike Place Market, Left Bank books,
Inside the Seattle Public Library,
The Elliot Bay Book Company

probably the coolest public library I have ever seen and been to.

By nighttime, we were in Capitol Hill - and our last stop before dinner and drinks was The Elliot Bay Book Company. Unfortunately my pictures do not do any justice to how beautiful it is. It's so spacious with books everywhere, reading areas for customers ... and there's a cafe - have I mentioned I have a thing for bookstores and cafe's.

All the bookstores, were uniquely beautiful in their own ways, and more and more as I get the opportunity to visit different books stores in different parts of the world, I am reminded how much I absolutely love bookstores. Overall, it was a great break - really what I needed.

Here are a few more photos of the bookstores on the inside.

Tempted to touch.

The Elliot Bay Book Company

The Globe Bookstore

Seattle Public Library

Left Bank Books ... and just in case you were ever curious about what a Gnome reading looks like.

There's more!!!! Following on from my post on six new releases for 2014, there are two more books to look forward to this year - The Secret History of Las Vegasby Chris Abani, published by Penguin Books and out now and then All Our Namesby Dinaw Mengestu - published by Knopf and out March 4th.

Before he can retire, Las Vegas detective Salazar is determined to solve a recent spate of murders. When he encounters a pair of conjoined twins with a container of blood near their car, he’s sure he has apprehended the killers, and enlists the help of Dr. Sunil Singh, a South African transplant who specializes in the study of psychopaths. As Sunil tries to crack the twins, the implications of his research grow darker. Haunted by his betrayal of loved ones back home during apartheid, he seeks solace in the love of Asia, a prostitute with hopes of escaping that life. But Sunil’s own troubled past is fast on his heels in the form of a would-be assassin.

Suspenseful through the last page, The Secret History of Las Vegas is Chris Abani’s most accomplished work to date, with his trademark visionary prose and a striking compassion for the inner lives of outsiders.

From acclaimed author Dinaw Mengestu, a recipient of the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 award, The New Yorker’s 20 Under 40 award, and a 2012 MacArthur Foundation genius grant, comes an unforgettable love story about a searing affair between an American woman and an African man in 1970s America and an unflinching novel about the fragmentation of lives that straddle countries and histories.

All Our Names is the story of two young men who come of age during an African revolution, drawn from the safe confines of the university campus into the intensifying clamor of the streets outside. But as the line between idealism and violence becomes increasingly blurred, the friends are driven apart—one into the deepest peril, as the movement gathers inexorable force, and the other into the safety of exile in the American Midwest. There, pretending to be an exchange student, he falls in love with a social worker and settles into small-town life. Yet this idyll is inescapably darkened by the secrets of his past: the acts he committed and the work he left unfinished. Most of all, he is haunted by the beloved friend he left behind, the charismatic leader who first guided him to revolution and then sacrificed everything to ensure his freedom.

Elegiac, blazing with insights about the physical and emotional geographies that circumscribe our lives, All Our Names is a marvel of vision and tonal command. Writing within the grand tradition of Naipul, Greene, and Achebe, Mengestu gives us a political novel that is also a transfixing portrait of love and grace, of self-determination and the names we are given and the names we earn.

I first heard about Three Strong Women the beginning of 2013. When I was given a review copy by Quercus mid last year I was really excited. Unfortunately, I was not able to read the book until a month ago - so this review is coming in much later than I ever anticipated. Better late than never I say ... and thank you Quercus for the review copy.

Born in France to a French mother and Senegalese father, French novelist and playwright Marie NDiaye published her first novel Quant au Riche Avenir (Regarding the Rich Future) at 18. Her most recent novel, Troise FemmesPuissantes, published in 2009 and translated into English as Three Strong Women in 2012, won France's most respected literary prize - the Prix Goncourt in 2009. She was also a finalist for the 2013 Man Booker International Prize.

Three Strong Women is a three part novel set between France and Senegal and told from the perspective of its three main characters. In Part 1, we meet Norah - a bi-racial French-Senegalese lawyer in her 30s returning to Dakar, Senegal at the request of her elderly father. A wealthy businessman, once immaculately dressed and groomed, he is now aged, overweight and unkempt. From the get-go there is a sense that Norah doesn't really like her father and over the course of her story we find out why. For starters he never found Norah and her sister attractive. More than that, he left his two daughters and their working-class mother in France when they were younger to return to Senegal with his only son, Sony (Norah's younger brother). This one act ruined the family - he may have let his daughters visit their brother a few times, but he did not let his wife visit for the longest time. When he eventually did, the relationship was strained and awkward. Also, while Sony was spoilt and pampered, Norah, her sister and mother struggled to survive in France. Which begs the question, why then has he asked Norah to come to Senegal?

In Part 2, we meet Rudy - a Frenchman married to a Senegalese woman, Fanta. This part happens over the course of the day and we go in and out of Rudy's thoughts learning a bit about Fanta - the strong woman in this tale. Rudy has returned to France after being sacked from his job in Senegal after an incident at the school he worked. He made Fanta and his son, Djibril, move to France with him - even though he was aware Fanta would be unable to get a job in France. While Rudy thinks she is having an affair with his boss, we get a sense of Fanta's frustration and boredom in France. Part 3, tells the story of Khady. Khady is Fanta's cousin, but we also meet her briefly in Part 1 in Norah's father's house as a worker caring for her father's children. We meet Khady a few years later as a young widow whose husband's family decide to send her to France to her cousin Fanta. This story focuses on her not so smooth journey to France.

I'll be honest, the title threw me off a bit - especially after reading Norah's story. I was expecting all stories to be told from a female perspective ... and well, one part is told by a man. So I was reading Rudy's part waiting in anticipation to hear Fanta's voice, her side of the story. Instead I got Rudy's endless stream of consciousness. This made me wonder, what was she going through? As an immigrant in France, unemployed, frustrated, bored. And did she know why her husband was sacked from his job? As for Norah, what happened with her family? And then Khady, did she ever make it to France?

This is definitely not a happy novel, but one thing that struck me while reading it is that in spite of these women's struggles, their strength comes from them just trying to survive their individual battles.

After having the honour last year of reading stories for children (courtesy of the Golden Baobab), I realised that I really did not pay enough attention to Children’s Literature. While I was thinking of a way to rectify that, a few months ago Kate Iffy Chukwu contacted me asking if I would review her new collection of stories for children. Her request could not have come at a better time.

A Week of Tortoise Tales is a collection of seven short stories, which can be told over the course of the week. The inspiration for this book, which Kate Iffy Chukwu explains at the beginning of the book, is clearly remembering her grandmother’s night-time stories about the tortoise – clever, greedy, silly, or tricky. She writes:

‘In A Week of Tortoise Tales, I have kept to the oral tradition of storytelling while also making it relevant for modern young readers and listeners. Older children will find the tales fascinating. Parents and grandparents will also find the tales appealing to share with children of all ages. These short and simple tales are just right for everyone’.

Each story is described as ‘five minutes of fun!’ and boy are they fun.

On Monday, tortoise learns to fly purely because he ‘was bored. He wanted to do something exciting’. On Tuesday, Tortoise was hungry and helps himself to some sizzling stew made by goat. Sadly on Wednesday, Tortoise was very sad as his cousin was getting married soon and ‘he had no money for a good outfit’. But clever Tortoise finds a way to get some money. By Thursday, Tortoise decides he is not going to play any more tricks, but come Friday, Tortoise finds himself in another competition. On Saturday, tortoise seems to be getting fatter and fatter thanks to his secret magic tree and on Sunday, Tortoise tries to help catch a thief in the animals’ farm. The book ends with a blank page where children can draw their own tortoise or favourite animal. In between the stories, there are fun and interactive questions – some based on the stories themselves and others on more broader themes raised in the stories, such as the kindest thing ever done, an important lesson learnt today and so on.

Honestly, the idea of a story a night for the week is brilliant. I also love the illustration. I know its meant for kids, but I really enjoyed reading it and finding out what tortoise was up to. I even gave it to my mum and asked her to read it – as she used to read bedtime stories to us so I wanted to know what she thought – and she really enjoyed it as well. Now all Kate Iffy Chukwu needs to do is publish Another Week of Tortoise Tales.

Here's one for the kids!!!!

Published in 2013 by Flying Eye Books, this best selling French comic (published in English for the first time) follows the adventures of a naughty West African girl.

Poor Akissi! The neighbourhood cats are trying to steal her fish, her little monkey Boubou almost ends up in a frying pan and she's nothing but a pest to her older brother Fofana ... But Akissi is a true adventurer, full of silliness and mischief, and nothing will scare her for long!

The Akissi series for kids aged 5-7 years, is written by Marguerite Abouet, creator of the popular Aya comics

Images via Flying Eye Books

The FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival (formerly The Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival) is an annual literary festival where you can meet and listen to authors and public figures in ... well, Oxford.

This year it's happening March 22 - 30 and already the line up includes the Children's Laureate, Malorie Blackman, Alexander McCall Smith, author of The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series and more. They also have scheduled an India day and an Italian day.

As the title of the post states, Taiye Selasi will also be there. Her talk is scheduled for 10am on Sunday 23rd March at Bodleian: Divinity School.

Selected as one of Granta's 20 Best Young British Writers in 2013, Taiye Selasi's debut novel Ghana Must Go a story about the Sais - a broken family - was selected as one of the best books of 2013 by the Wall Street Journal and The Economist. In 2005, her text on Afropolitans', Bye-Bye, Babarwas published in The Lip Magazine. She has also written two short stories, The Sex Lives of African Girls, which was published in Granta in 2011 and appeared in Best American Short Stories 2012 and Driver - also in Granta.

It's a good thing the beau lives in Oxford. Now I'm just going to have to convince him to see Taiye Selasi at 10 am on a Sunday. Wish me luck!!! Also must remember 1) to bring my copy of Ghana Must Go, 2) not be too shy to ask her to sign it if the opportunity arises, 3) get said beau to do it as most certainly I will be too nervous to approach her.

Rhumba South African film director and screenwriter, Elaine Proctor’s, first novel was published in 2012. This is another novel that I really wanted to read when it first came out, but never got a chance to until recently. This is also another review coming in much later than I anticipated. Thank you also to Quercus for the review copy.

Set in an immigrant Congolese community in North London, Rhumba is the story of Flambeau – a ten year old boy who was smuggled out of Congo to live with his mother’s family in London for a better life. Flambeau’s mother, Bijou, was meant to come soon after him, but she never showed up. While waiting, Flambeau experiences abuse at the hands of his uncle. He eventually decides to go look for her and feels the sapeur he meets called Knight, might be able to help. He also meets Eleanor, Knight's Scottish girlfriend. With time, Flambeau and Eleanor develop a bond.

I seem to be reading a lot of 'not-so-happy' stories lately. Here's a little boy who has been smuggled into London, is abused, is homesick and misses his mum. Yet, through Flambeau’s youth and innocence Elaine Proctor manages to write a story about hope.So while this could have been a depressing immigrant story, from Flambeu's eyes it makes you realise that there is hope even in the darkest circumstances. Another thing I loved was how through her writing I could ‘see’ what I was reading - the rooftop where Flambeau hunts down pigeons, his conversations with Eleanor. Most of all, while reading it I felt that there really was rhumba playing in the background. Honestly, I probably should have listened to some Rhumba while I was reading it. Elaine Proctor even selects some of her favourite Congolese rhumba music and artists mentioned in the book.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, with equal parts of pain and hope.

There are some authors whose works I am just really must own and must read. One of them is the Aya series written by Marguerite Abouet and illustrated by Clément Oubrerie. The original six were published by Gallimard between 2005 and 2010, with English versions published by Drawn & Quarterly between 2007 and 2013. D&Q published the first three volumes, and then a reworked edition with the first three volumes in one (Life in Yop City) and another with the last three volumes (Love in Yop City). Aya tells the story of its 19-year old heroine, the studious and clear-sightd Aya, her easy-going friends Adjoua and Bintou and their meddling neighbours and relatives. In an interview on Bookslut, Marguerite says Aya is:

'autobiographical in the way that it's the Ivory Coast I know. The characters are based on my neighours. They had complicated stories and affairs with men. So the characters and places are things I know in real life. The story itself is fiction'.

On the series, Marguerite Abouet also explains:

'That's what I wanted to show in Aya: as Africa without the ... war and famine, an Africa that endures despite everything because, as we say back home, life goes on'.

Aya won the 2006 award for Best First Album at the Angouleme International Comics Festival. It also won the Children's Africana Book Award in 2008 and the Glyph Award (in 2008 for Rising Star Award, 2010 for Best Female Character and in both years for best Reprint Publication) and was adapted into an animated film.

Aya (2007)

Ivory Coast, 1978. Family and friends gather at Aya's house every evening to watch the country's first TV ad campaign promote the fortifying effects of Solibra, "the strong man's beer." It's a golden time, and the nation, too - an oasis of affluence and stability in West Africa - seems fueled by something wondrous.

Who's to know that the Ivorian miracle is nearing its end? In the sun-warmed streets of working class Yopougon, aka Yop City, holidays are around the corner, the open-air bars and discos are starting to fill up, and trouble of a different kind is about to raise eyebrows. At night, an empty table in the market square under the stars is all the privacy young lovers can hope for, and what happens there is soon everybody's business.

Aya of Yop City (2008)

This continuation of the dynamic story by Marguerite Abouet and Clement Oubrerie returns to Africa's Ivory Coast in the late 1970s, where life in Yop City is as dramatic as ever. Oubrerie's artwork synchronizes perfectly to Abouet's funny and lighthearted writing, which together create a spirited atmosphere and scenarios that, however unique to the bygone setting, remain entirely contemporary in their effect.

The original cast of characters is back in full force, with a case of questionable paternity fanning the flames of activity in the community. The new mother Adjoua has her friends to help with the baby, perhaps employing Aya a bit too frequently, while a new romance leaves Bintou with little time for her friends, let alone their responsibilities. The young women aren't the only residents of Yopougon involved in the excitement, however; Aya's father is caught in the midst of his own trysts and his employer's declining Solibra beer sales, and Adjoua's brother finds his share of the city's nightlife.

Aya: The Secrets Come Out (2009)

Secrets and desires cast long shadows in the third volume of Abouet and Oubrerie's warmly acclaimed series about life in the Ivory Coast in the 1970s. It's a world of shifting values, where issues like arranged marriage and gay love have Aya and her friends yearning to break out of the confines of their community, while the ties of friendship and support draw them back into this familiarity.

Aya: Life in Yop City (2012) Book One

This reworked edition offers readers the chance to immerse themselves in the lively world of Aya and her friends, bringing together the first three volumes of the series in Book One.

Aya: Love in Yop City (2013) Book Two

Aya: Love in Yop City comprises the final three chapters of the Aya story, episodes never before seen in English. While the stories found in Aya: Love in Yop City maintain their familiar tone, quick pace, and joyfulness, we see Aya and her friends beginning to make serious decisions about their future. When a professor tries to take advantage of Aya, her plans to become a doctor are seriously shaken, and she vows to take revenge on the lecherous man. With a little help from the tight-knit community of Yopougon, Aya comes through these trials stronger than ever.

This second volume of the complete Aya includes unique appendices, recipes, guides to understanding Ivorian slang, street sketches, and concluding remarks from Marguerite Abouet explaining history and social milieu.

Doesn't it sound fascinating!!!!! Luckily I did get a copy over the holidays while I was in Canada, but it was Volume 3 - so it is all by itself on my shelf waiting for the other volumes to come find it. They will come soon. Until then, here is a look inside Aya:

Source: Comic Art Communication

Source: Words Without Borders

Source: Drawn & Quarterly

And here's the poster for the film:

Jalada Africa is a pan-African writers' collective, made up of writers who took part in a Writing Workshop by Kwani Trust, Granta & British Council in 2013. Jalada Africa's aim:

'to publish literature by African authors regularly by making it as easy as possible for any member to publish anything or execute any literary project as quickly and effectively as possible'.

Their first project, an anthology of twelve short stories, Sketches of a Bald Woman in the Semi-Nude and Other Stories, (loosely themed around insanity) was published in January 2014 and is available to read on their website.

Their next anthology will be published in April 2014 - and their aim is to publish new anthologies every quarter.

Art Work by Laolu Senbajo of Afromysterics

Curated by Brittle Paper, written by Ayodele Olofintuade, with images to accompany the stories by Laolu Senbajo, starting today, February 19th, and for the next six weeks get ready to enter the wondrous and terrifying world of an Abiku. Titled, Adunni: The Beautiful One Has Not Yet Died, this project is an urban fantasy ensemble made up of eight stories and conceptual artwork.

I first learned about Abiku, spirit children, when I tried (and failed) to read Ben Okri's Famished Road as a teenager. As Brittle Paper explains:

'Abiku is the Yoruba word for a caste of spirit beings strangely bound to death. They are born to life as human children but die soon after their birth only to be reborn for yet another cycle of death and rebirth'.

In a piece written for Bella Naija, Ainehi Edoro of Brittle Paper goes into more detail on the Abiku phenomenon:

'Is there a standard life cycle for all Abikus? No. Every Abiku tells Mother Earth how long it intends to stay and does everything it can to stick to that time frame. Some Abikus pledge to die a few says after they are born or months. Others might stay till right after their wedding night. They may choose to return to the same family several times until the mother's body dries out with age or decide to make their rounds with different mothers'.

Having given a brief background on Abiku, here's a bit on the project courtesy of Brittle Paper:

'Adunni: The Beautiful One Has Not Yet Died is an eight-story ensemble built on the strange and terrifying world of an Abiku. For millenia, Adunni has had a good run as an abiku - no bereaved family or powerful Babalawo has tried to prevent her return to the spirit world.

Ages of successful, glitch-free comings and goings have made her powerful, envied by fellow Abikus, loved by Mother Earth. But her luck runs out when she is born into the Lamorian family.

Adunni: The Beautiful One Has Not Died is a gripping story of betrayal and lust for power. It is also a story of death and struggle to overcome death. Conniving and power-hungry gods are pitted against weak, selfish, and clueless humans. A pastor's fervor is set against a Babalawo's wisdom. A mother's undying love is tried by a child's terrifying power. Adunni's story is not, for all this, a mythological fable. It occupies that weird place where mythology tips over into urban fantasy. Adunni is set in present day Lagos and written by Ayodele Olofintuade, who knows so much about Yoruba cosmology that she can break the rules in unexpected ways'.

The series sounds fascinating, but I'm also really loving the artwork by Laolu Senbajo. All that's left to say is check out Brittle Paper starting February 19th (and for the next six weeks) to follow the tale of Adunni, which by the way I have always thought is a beautiful name.

Around this time 5 years ago, I made the decision to apply for a PhD in Human Geography (if I am being specific - Gender and Urban Studies). Little did I know what I was getting myself into. My proposal was accepted. Yay!!! I thought - and I began my PhD October 2009. I will be very honest, it has been the toughest 4 and a half years of my life. I have had more downs than ups. I have cried, I have doubted myself, I have cried some more, had my self confidence shattered, cried again, doubted myself some more and throughout the whole period constantly questioned my decision to even embark on this journey.

Minus the coffee - this is pretty much true.

I wanted to quit so many times - after the end of my first year, at the beginning of my second year, the middle of my second year, during my fieldwork, when I came back from my fieldwork. Each time I was talked out of it. And then there was working through it all. Advice for anyone embarking on a PhD - fully funded or don't bother. The PhD is already stressful enough as it is without having to apply for part-funding here and there and also working part-time (and in the case of the last 3 months, full-time). Let's just say it hasn't been easy. And I would not have been able to make it through without my family and friends who kept me sane the entire time.

I am happy to say though, that through it all I was able to survive. The best part, I got my thesis in last Monday. How did I feel? Light. I've watched TV - guilt free. Read - guilt free. I even watched a play - guilt free. Hung out with friends - guilt free. Slept in - guiltfree. Watched movies - guiltfree. Even went to the cinema - guiltfree. Enjoyed the rare sunshine - guilt free.

It's still not over. The thesis is now with the examiners and I still need to have my viva (oral defense), but this last week has been the most relaxed I've felt in years. And I'm really loving it. Also treated myself to a series I've been wanting to read forever - Aya - and also got a review copy of Boy, Snow, Bird courtesy of Picador.

Guess the next question is:

Well, now the thesis is in, I can go back to reading and blogging some more - which is one of the things I was really sad to have to cut back on. More than that I don't know. For now, it just feels really good to have the thesis in.

This novel should come with a warning: Not for the fainthearted.

I will be honest, I don't tend to read a lot of psychological thrillers. But when Joanne Macgregor contacted me asking if I would review her new novel Dark Whispers and sent this excerpt:

'She is so still, so relaxed, so ready as she lies on the stainless steel, her breathing slow and steady, her gaze unfocused. There is just time for a small whisper, a soft encouragement of hope, before the darkness slides her entirely into his honing hands. He leans over and breathes into her ear, "I'm going to do something very special for you now. Cut it all away and make it neat. And when you wake up, you're going to be just perfect."'

... I was very intrigued.

I also was not really sure what to expect and if I would enjoy it. You know what? While it was terrifying, I thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. I picked Dark Whispers up on a Saturday morning and before I knew it I was already on page 178. This is because I had to know more - even though the content was really shocking.

There is no time-wasting in Joanne Macgreor's first adult novel - from the first page we know we are dealing with a crazed gynaecologist, Dr. Trotteur, trying to 'fix' his patients because 'Doctor knows best'. We are then introduced to Megan Wright, a psychologist who has this desire to constantly save others. But it's a new year and she is adamant to stop being so good to other people - pretty hard when her job is to help make her patients better.

One patient - Alta Cronje has been seeing Megan for about 6 months and there still isn't much improvement. We know she was operated on and it was after the surgery that she had developed post-traumatic stress disorder. Although she has blocked it out, Alta unfortunately is a victim of Dr. Trotteur's urge to fix. During one session, Megan finally learns what happened to Alta and is determined to find out who else has been hurt by Dr. Trotteur and also try to stop him. Stopping him is not that easy and there's also a price to pay for getting in Trotteur's way.

Joanne Macgregor does not hold back in this novel and do not think you will spared any of the gory details - this doctor sexually mutilates women and ruins not only their bodies, but their minds and their spirits. I wonder if being a Counselling Psychologist, who works primarily with victims of trauma and crime, enabled Joanne Macgregor to be able to delve into the physically traumatic experiences these women face but also the more human experiences after the fact - the impact on the women and their loved ones.

What makes this novel even more terrifying is the fact that it is a doctor, a trusted doctor. A gynaecologist, who has access to the most intimate parts of women's bodies when they are probably the most vulnerable. Whose patients and their families trust to do the right thing. That a qualified doctor can do such horrible things, get a way with it and continue practicing medicine also adds to the shocking nature of this story. Yet, the scariest thing is that Dark Whispers is inspired by an online news report Joanne Macgregor read in 2010 about the 'Butcher of Bega' - an Australian doctor who abused and sexually mutilated his patients. While Joanne Macgregor was inspired by this event, she writes on The Spark, that this 'isn't an account of the Australian "butcher"'. As Dark Whispers is set in South Africa, she explains that this story also gives 'glimpses into the shocking scenes in our public hospitals ... and the horrors of my public hospital scene were drawn directly from real experiences by patients at one or other of our state hospitals'.

This is definitely a terrifying novel, made even more so by the real-life events that inspired it. But this is also a novel that pulls you in and is pretty hard to put down once you start reading it - even if along the way you might get a bit squeamish. I know I did. Dark Whispers is currently out in South Africa, but will be available via Amazon in the UK and US July 18th.

Super excited to announce that over the next coming months I will be a books feature writer for Agnes and Lola on their blog - The Playground.

They even ran a feature of me on their website with a mini-interview on the inspiration behind the blog, female vs. male authors and the first book I ever read. Here’s a blurb:

‘My grandma, Agnes, yes that same Agnes :), was an African Children's author, besides her love of fashion, books were her guiding light, it was the one criteria she never skimped on and when guests would visit there was plenty to borrow from her eponymous library. When I stumbled and I call this a very lucky stumble, upon Bookshy: an African book loverI was emailing Zahrah within minutes of reading her blog because it was everything I was looking for in a book blog. She is blessed with wit, a way with words that is so refreshing. Over the coming months we will be featuring her reviews and other suggestions on Agnes and Lola but before we dive right in, meet Zahrah’

Agnes and Lolais an independent online boutique selling items by young designers from across the African diaspora. On their website they explain that it was ‘born from a love of two things; independent fashion and the diverse cultures across the African continent’. As for the name:

‘The name spans three generations; grandmother Agnes and granddaughter Lola, both creative spirits influenced through the travels as documented in their love for literature and fashion’.

It’s a super cool website with some unique one-of pieces and I feel pretty honoured to be able to contribute to their blog. So head over to Agnes and Lola for the feature ‘A Love of Books’ and for my soon-to-be features.

I first heard about Nnedi Okorafor through a friend who saw her novel Zahrah the Windseekerand thought of me - it was YA, fantasy and the main character not only had my name, but it was spelt the exact same way as mine. Obviously I had to read it! Unfortunately I didn't get to read it until I was in Lagos and from the first page I was in love. All I kept on thinking as I read it was where were you when I was younger.

Sadly, I haven't been able to read Nnedi Okorafor's other novels, which is why they are in my Must Own, Must Read list. I thoroughly enjoy her Wahala Zone Blog and her website, The Wahala Zone, is so cool. I honestly go to both sites to learn more about her. There's about eight novels (she writes for children, young adults and adults - so it's like everyone is pretty much covered :) - with two more on the way this year (Lagoon and Akata Witch 2). This is not even mentioning numerous short stories - which can be found here. She's also won tons of awards. And did I mention she's a professor. Amazing!!!! Enough gushing on my end. Here's a look at her novels that I must own and read.

Shadow Speaker (2007)

When 15-year-old Ejii witnesses her father's beheading, her world shatters. She embarks on a mystical journey to track down his assassin. But she soon discovers that her journey has greater purpose. Spontaneous forests, polygamy, strange insects, Nigerian 419 scammers, really fast cars, a different kind of Sahara Desert, male beauty contests, the apocalypse, life, death, sword fights, fat chiefs, assassins - The Shadow Speaker is a wild story of mind-blowing technology and tantalising magic, set in an alternate version of the country of Niger.

Who Fears Death? (2010)

In a far future, post-nuclear-holocaust Africa, genocide plagues one region. The aggressors, the Nuru, have decided to follow the Great Book and exterminate the Okeke. But when the only surviving member of a slain Okeke village is brutally raped, she manages to escape , wandering farther into the desert. She gives birth to a baby girl with hair and skin the colour of sand and indistinctively knows that her daughter is differnt. She names her daughter Onyesonwu, which means 'Who Fears Death'? in an ancient African tongue. Reared under the tutelage of a mystery and traditional shaman, Onyesonwu discovers her magical destiny - to end the genocide of her people. The journey will force her to grapple with nature, tradition, history, true love, the spiritual mysteries of her culture - and eventually death itself.

Akata Witch 2011 (What Sunny Saw in The Flames - Nigerian Edition)

Twelve-year old Sunny lives in Nigeria, but she was born American. Hear features are African, but she's albino. She's a terrific athlete, but can't go out into the sun to play soccer. There seems to be no place where she fits. And then she discovers something amazing - she is a 'free agent', with latent magical power. Soon she's part of a quartet of magic students, studying the visible and invisible, learning to change reality. But will it be enough to help them when they are asked to catch a career criminal who knows magic too?

Kabu-Kabu (2013)

Kabu-Kabu unregistered illegal igerian taxis-generally get you where you need to go. Nnedi Okorafor's Kabu Kabu, however, takes the reader to exciting, fantastic,

magical, occasionally dangerous, and always imaginative locations you didn't know you needed. This debut short story collection by an award-winning author includes notable previously published material, a new novella co-written with New York Times-bestselling author Alan Dean Foster, six additional original stories, and a brief foreword by Whoopi Goldberg.

Lagoon (2014)

Three strangers, each isolated by his or her own problems: Adaora, the marine biologist. Anthony, the rapper famous throughout Africa. Agu, the troubled soldier. Wandering Bar Beach in Lagos, Nigeria's legendary mega-city, they're more alone than they've ever been before.

But when something like a meteorite plunges into the ocean and a tidal wave overcomes them, these three people will find themselves bound together in ways never imagined. Together with Ayodele, a visitor from beyond the stars, they must race through Lagos and against time itself in order to save the city, the world... and themselves.

'There was no time to flee. No time to turn. No time to shriek. And there was no pain. It was like being thrown into the stars.'

Who Fear's Death is also set to become a feature film and directed by award-winning Kenyan filmmaker, Wanuri Kahiu - writer and director of the short sci-fil film Pumzi.

Concept Art for Film Adaptation by Yvonne Miunde. Image via Shadow and Act

On April 8th 2014 at the London Book Fair, Africa39 (a Hay Festival and Rainbow Book Club Project) unveiled its list of 39 of the best African south of the Sahara writers under the age of 40. A list of all the writers can be found here.

The anthology, which will be published by Bloomsbury, edited by Ellah Wakatama Allfrey, with a preface by Wole Soyinka will be launched at a festival in UNESCO's World Book Capital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria in October 2014. Exciting!!!

Since Tuesday a number of articles have been written on Africa39 and I think it's great the coverage it has been getting. Here I've compiled a list of some of the articles on it, which I will update as it goes on.

1. Top African Writers Under 40 Announced by James Murua gives a list of all 39 writers.

2. Mohlele, Mzobe and Watson Join Adichie, Megestu, Selasi on the 'Most Promising' African39 List via BooksLive

3. Making Lists: Africa39 by Kate Haines on list culture and the writers who made the list. The article asks interesting questions on why 40% of the writers are from Nigeria and Kenya, embraces the inclusion of writers from Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea and Cote d'Ivoire, but notes that there are only two Lusophone writers and no Francophone writers on the list.

4. Africa39: how we chose the writers for Port Harcourt World Book Capital 2014 by Margaret Busby describes how the three judges (Elechi Amadi, Margaret Busby and Tess Onwueme) selected 39 African writers to represent the continent.

5. Africa39 and Caine Prize Authors by Lizzy Attree looks at the 16 authors involved with the Caine Prize (either taking part in a workshop, being shortlisted or winning) on the list.

I first heard about Karen Jennings Finding Soutbek October 2012 at the African Book Festival. At the event, a representative from the publishers, Holland Park Press, read an excerpt, in which Soutbek's 'troubles, hardships and corruption, but also its kindness, strong community and friendships' was introduced. While I didn't buy the book then, as they say good things come to those who wait - and I finally got a chance, courtesy of a review copy from Holland Park Press to read it.

In the acknowledgements, Karen Jennings writes:

'At all times I have been careful to remember that though this is a work of fiction, it is a tale nonetheless, which represents a sore reality, and I have tried my utmost to relate it in a sympathetic and sensitive manner'.

After reading the book I struggled to find words to describe how I felt about it. I've only recently been able to figure out. This was a really depressing read. Even the cover signifies the bleakness you are about to enter as you get introduced to the imaginary town of Soutbek and its people.

Set in South Africa, Soutbek is a small fishing town on the western coast, which has been devastated by a huge fire. The upper town, which is inhabited by the towns poorest residents, is the area that has been affected. Having lost their homes and much of their livelihood they are left to survive off of the charity of the richest people in Soutbek who live in the lower town. Yet, after the fire came floods and now the town has been cut off making things even more difficult for the upper town people who have been sleeping in damp, unhygiening conditions and the lower town people who complain about the state of the town now that the upper town is destroyed.

Soutbek's first ever coloured Mayor - Pieter Fortuin, who worked to get himself out of poverty, is doing his best to get things back on track but also bring in much needed investment to Soutbek. The Mayor and a professor Dr. Pearson have written a book together - The History of Soutbek drawn from the diaries of Pieter van Meerman, a vryburgher (freeman) and seventeenth-century Dutch explorer. This book is what the Mayor is counting on to drive tourism and bring investments into their small fishing town, which will also help him rebuild the upper towns lost homes. There is, however, something else lurking behind the Mayor’s act of kindness. The History of Soutbek, in turn, is the other story that run's parallel to the fire stricken modern-day Soutbek. Set in the 17th century, this part of the novel reads like it's fallen straight out of a history book. We follow the adventures of Pieter, a group of Dutch explorers and some locals they meet on the way, eventually marry and establish what is today Soutbek. Towards the end of the book the modern and historical accounts merge with consequences for the modern-day inhabitants of Soutbek.

The Mayor’s story and the historical accounts, are not the only tales in Finding Soutbek. There is his wife, Anna, who he isolates from the rest of the inhabitants of Soutbek in her own private beach. They also have a son, David, who is in boarding school. She is bored, lonely and miserable until the mayor takes in Sara, a homeless girl (not from Soutbek). With time Sara and Anna develop a bond with Sara also teaching Anna how to read as they delve into the History of Soutbek. There is also the Mayor's nephew, Willem, who lives in the lower part of the town.

I’ll say it again. This book was depressing and I had visions of a grey and bleak town with grim inhabitants, a stressed Mayor and a lonely housewife. But I guess it was showing the harsh reality of the lives of people living in this fictional town. Calling it grey and depressing should not be taken to mean this is a terrible book. Far from that, it is well-written, the blending of the historical narrtives with contemporary Soutbek was done brilliantly and Karen Jennings definitely captured the morsoness of the town, the sadness of Anna and the stress of being a Mayor in what seemed like an ill-forsaken town.

Almost a month ago, Africa is a Country published this fascinating article - The Dangers of a Single Book Cover: The Acacia Tree Meme and 'African literature'. In it, they credit Simon Stevens:

' ... a reader who put together the picture [below] and pointed out that whoever you are, wherever you're from, whatever kind of writing you do, if you write a novel "about Africa, " chances are you're going to get the acacia tree treatment. And the orange sky.'

Source: Africa is a Country (via Simon Stevens)

The same article also points out that:

'Another reader, Alice Kewellhampton, added that when it comes to Chimamanda Adichie, she also gets a special meme for her UK edition, the "soulful-black-woman-with-colourful-smudges" look.'

Without sounding like a broken record, I found the article, and the accompanying images, fascinating and loved it for getting me to question the world of African book covers. I mean, until the article pointed it out I never thought of it. A number of articles followed on after this main one - Why do all these books about Africa look the same?, The reason why every book about Africa has the same cover - and it's not pretty, Need a cover for a your book about Africa? Just add an acacia tree - to name a few.

The book desgins if I am being honest make me pretty sad when I look at them. As someone who judges books by their covers, they do not inpsire me to pick up or even read them. So I went to look at my bookshelf to see how many acacia covered books I have and then went to look at my Tumblr to do the same - not surprising little or none of both (hence, why I probably never noticed the acacia tree treatment).

While I do not doubt that we are in the age of the acacia tree, or even the "soulful-black-woman-with-colourful-smudges" look in the UK, I also think we should ask ourselves the regions these book are marketed for and what they say about those regions view of 'Africa'? As I have pointed out in earlier posts, there are different book cover designs for different regions and would be interesting to know who these covers are for.

I also wanted to step away from the single acacia tree book cover and decided to take screenshots of the covers I love, and have showcased on my Tumblr, to show that there are some publishers and designers out there that are not afraid to do something different. Nnedi Okorafor's Lagooncover is beautiful. So is Noo Saro-Wiwa's Looking for Transwonderland. I loved the SA covers of The Shining Girls, as well as Zoo City and Moxyland - actually I love the covers of Lauren Beukes' novels. Modjaji Books also publishes some beautiful books. These covers, might not be in abundance, but they do exist and they give me hope that there is more to African Book Covers than the Acacia Tree.

Mostly Abani and one Achebe: The first set of book covers I showcased on African Book Covers

A range of different book cover designs

Hello 'soulful black woman'

A look at some of the Caine Prize Anthology covers

The most recent covers showcased on African Book Covers

This Thursday (June 5, 2014) at 11am GMT, James Murua will be hosting an African Author Google Hangout discussion centred on crime and crime fiction. The following authors will be joining the discussion and will discuss crime and its sleuths, the authors motivations and more. There will also be a chance for Q&As with the audience:

From L-R: Hawa Golakai, Kinyanjui
Kombani, Richard Crompton

Kenyan-based English author, Richard Crompton, whose debut novel The Honey Guide(UK)/Hour of the Red God (US) was published in 2013. Set in Nairobi against the backdrop of the turbulent 2007 elections, The Honey Guide is said to introduce a truly unforgettable leading character in crime fiction - Mollel, a Maasai police detective.

Cape Town based Liberian author, HJ Golakai whose debut novel The Lazarus Effect centres on Voinjama "Vee" Johnson, a journalist and Liberian migrant investigating the disappearance of a teenager.

Kenyan, Kinyanjui Kombani, whose novelThe Last Villians of Molo, is told against the backdrop of the 1992 ethnic clashes in Kenya and five friends who have fleed the violence and fin themselves in the slums.

This looks like an interesting forum that will stimulate conversations about the African crime fiction genre. The hangout address will be publicised closer to the event, but you can join the discussions on Twitter using #AAGH #AfroCrimeFiction, or chat with the authors Richard Crompton (@racrompton) and Kinyanjui Kombani (@KKombani). Read more on James Murua's blog.

In July, Faber & Faber will be reissuing The Palm-Wine Drinkard, Amos Tutuola's debut novel - first published by Faber in 1952 - along with the release of Tutuola's complete works into ebook for the first time.

The Palm-Wine Drinkard is the story of an alcoholic man and his search for his dead wine tapper. As he travels through the land of the dead, he encounters a host of supernatural and often terrifying beings - among them the 'complete gentleman' who returns his body parts to their owners and the insatiable 'hungry-creature'. Mixing Yoruba folktales with what T.S.Eliot described as a 'creepy crawly imagination', The Palm-Wine Drinkard is regarded as the seminal work of African literature.

Amos Tutuola was born in Abeokuta, Nigeria, in 1920. The son of a cocoa farmer, he attended several school before training as a blacksmith. He later worked as a civil servant. His first novel, The Palm-Wine Drinkard, brought him international recognition. From 1956 until retirement, he worked for the Nigerian Broadcasting Company while continuing to write. His last book, The Village Witch Doctor and Other Stories, was published in 1990. He died in Ibadan in 1997.

Also available in paperback from Faber & Faber: The Village Witch Doctor and Other Stories; Pauper, Brawler and Slanderer; The Brave African Huntress; The Witch-Herbalist of the Remote Town; My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. Such pretty covers ... and I kinda want them all.

Published in April by Kwela Books, London-Cape Town-Joburg by Zukiswa Wanner was written in three weeks. Here's the synopsis via Kwela Books:

“I would’ve been able to live like this if Zuko hadn’t been born . . . London was good. Is good. I love London. But . . .”

1994

The world is about to change. The first truly democratic election in South Africa’s history is about to unite Nelson Mandela’s rainbow nation at the ballot box. And, across the world, those in exile, those who could not return home, those who would not return home, wait. Watch and wait . . .

London

Martin O’Malley isn’t one of those watching and waiting. He is too busy trying to figure out if Germaine Spencer really is the girl for him and why his best friend is intent on ruining every relationship he gets involved in. And then . . . And then Germaine is pregnant and suddenly the world really has changed for Martin O’Malley.

South Africa

A land of opportunity. A place where a young black man with an MSc from the London School of Economics could have it all, would have it all. But what does Martin O’Malley, London born and bred with an Irish surname, really know about his mother’s country? His motherland. A land he has never seen.

Out September 2014 and published by Pantheon, The Moor's Account by Moroccan author, Laila Lalami, has been described as 'a stunning piece of historical fiction: the imagined memoirs of the New World's first explorer of African descent, a Moroccan slave known as Estebanico. Here's a short piece from Laila Lalami explaining where the idea for the novel came from and a synopsis via Amazon:

In 1527, Pánfilo de Narváez sailed from Spain with a crew of six hundred men, intending to claim for the Spanish crown what is now the Gulf Coast of the United States. But from the moment the expedition reached Florida, it met with ceaseless bad luck—storms, disease, starvation, hostile natives—and within a year there were only four survivors, including the young explorer Andrés Dorantes and his slave, Estebanico.
After six years of enslavement by Native Americans, the four men escaped and wandered through what is now Florida, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

The Moor’s Account brilliantly captures Estebanico’s voice and vision, giving us an alternate narrative for this famed expedition. As this dramatic chronicle unfolds, we come to understand that, contrary to popular belief, black men played a significant part in New World exploration, and that Native American men and women were not merely silent witnesses to it. In Laila Lalami’s deft hands, Estebanico’s memoir illuminates the ways in which stories can transmigrate into history, even as storytelling can offer a chance at redemption and survival.

A Pacific Book Crawl: Victoria and Seattle

Two More for 2014: Chris Abani's 'The Secret History of Las Vegas' and Dinaw Mengestu's 'All Our Names'

Book Review: Marie NDiaye's 'Three Strong Women' (Translated by John Fletcher)

Book Review: Kate Iffy Chukwu's 'A Week of Tortoise Tales'

One for the Kids: 'Akissi' by Marguerite Abouet and Mathieu Sapin

Taiye Selasi at the FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival: March 23rd 2014

Book Review: Elaine Proctor's 'Rhumba'

Must Own, Must Read: The Aya Series by Marguerite Abouet and Clément Oubrerie

New Release: Jalada 00 'Sketch of a Bald Woman in the Semi-Nude and Other Stories'

Brittle Paper Short Story Series: 'Adunni: The Beautiful One Has Not Yet Died'

The Thesis is In!!!!!

Book Review: Joanne Macgregor's 'Dark Whispers'

Books Feature Writer on Agnes and Lola's 'Playground'

Must Own, Must Read: Nnedi Okorafor

Africa39 - Who is Writing About it and What are they Saying?

Book Review: Karen Jennings 'Finding Soutbek'

Beyond 'The Acacia Tree' Book Cover

James Murua to Host an African Author Google Hangout

Faber & Faber Reissue of Amos Tutuola's 'The Palm-Wine Drinkard'

From North to South - More New Release for 2014