Additions to the Library

Chibundu (left) at Sytris

As I stated in my review of July's Reading and Literary Activities, I attended a fair number of book readings. One beautiful thing about attending a book reading is that you get to meet the author, ask him or her questions and then finally, and most importantly, you get autographed copies of the books. Autograph copies for readers is the 'thing'. Reading a book whose author you have met adds a different 'vibe' to the reading. I am digressing. I purchased the following two books at a reading I attended at the PAWA (Pan-African Writers Association) House, which was organised by Invisible Borders under their Trans-African Project:

1. The Spider King's Daughter by Chibundu Onuzo. This book was buzzing all over the book blogging community on the internet. From the blurb: Seventeen-year-old Abike Johnson is the favourite of her wealthy father. She lives in a sprawling mansion in Lagos, protected by armed guards. A world away from Abike's mansion, in the city's slums, lives a hawker trying to support his family by selling ice cream from the side of the road. When Abike buys an ice cream from the hawker one day, they strike up a tentative romance. But as they grow closer, dark revelations from the past threaten their relationship and both must decide where their loyalties lie.
2. Farad by Emmanuel Iduma. This book was published by a young publishing house in Nigeria, Parresia. Parresia is working to take the Nigerian publishing industry by storm. It is a great adventure by the young men and women behind it. From the blurb: Farad, named for the unit of an electrical charge, is a novel that cuts laser-like through a multilayered society. Touching biographies of ordinary citizens - young academics and ageing psychiatrists, Christian editors and call girls, strange women and music artistes - told in stylish, interrupted narratives, are woven into a detailed mosaic of modern Nigerian. Reminiscent of Plutarch's Parallel Lives, Farad eases to a climax when key characters from individual stories become participants in a conflict at a University Chapel - a conflict in which the nature of power and the strength of love are tested. Farad is an assemblage of of fresh narratives woven around simple questions and open-ended complexities. It is, ultimately, a story of love and essence.

I will be bringing you reviews of these books. However, you could also decide to get copies for your reading pleasure.