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Books are life. Good books are heavenly. A stack of books? - indescribable. The following are the books I have purchased since I last talked about new books  I have acquired : The Maestro, The Magistrate & The Mathematician  by Tendai Huchu. I came to know Tendai when he published The Hairdresser of Harare .  I interviewed him then. And I have an interview with him on this new book, which I am yet to post here. I was therefore surprised to find that the book organization, of which I am a member, Writers Project of Ghana, has copies of his book for sale, courtesy Farafina.  The Maestro, The Magistrate & The Mathematician  was published in 2015. My interest in reading Tendai's second book is to really understand the path his writing will take. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. John Banville describes the book as "unlike anything I have read in recent years, an extraordinary, breathtaking achievement." It has been considered as a great American novel...

How do you justify your book purchases with limited book budget? Especially, when you want to break your promise to yourself? My excuse is that I am using the new books to ginger up the drastic drop of interest in reading. And who can argue against this reason? Once I have filled up my unread shelf again, I will be forced to deplete it. Though I know it really does not work. Cognitive dissonance?  The following are the books I have in the past weeks and months: My Watch by Olusegun Obasanjo . This is a three-volume work by the former Nigerian president. I usually do not like biographies and autobiographies. They are a nice of rehashing people's deeds. It's as if the person is telling you how to remember him, which is like hacking into the minds of the people and rearranging the thoughts they have of you. It is unfair. However, it is also a way of learning from people. Others have retold completely doubtful biographies. Others have been called out on certain aspects of ...

I love books. I can spend hours in a bookshop. Unfortunately, Ghanaian bookshops don't offer much in terms of titles and sometimes the attendants could be so arrogant. They come directly to you demanding what you want, as if you should want a title or two and just walk out like a student in search of a text book. To all you bookshop attendants, this is the 'wrongest' way to treat a bibliophile. It is more painful than a womaniser on the verge of losing his member. It denigrates us. It demeans us. This class of Mammals, referred to as Bibliophiles, make life so simple. Their Christmas and birthday wishes are the same: books. If they begin to talk about books, their eyes twinkle and bulge out, their mouths move faster than Twista and drops of saliva could be seen leaking out from the corners, and their face is set in perpetual laughter. However, getting new titles in bookshops in Ghana is more difficult than putting man on Mars. After all, NASA has started with Curio...

When it comes to reading, I am omnivorous. I read a lot of materials. However, even omnivores have their choicest food if it comes down to choosing. And no one makes me realise this than  Kinna . More than 98 percent of our discussions are centred on books and most often that is my most amazing moments. I love to talk about books - read, unread, released, newly published, etc. I just love books. When Kinna saw a post of some books I have read, she wondered whether my shelf is depleted of books. And alas, she was right. If you have fewer books to choose from, you have to make do with all books you have skipped over time. Consequently, when I saw that a Used Books dealer has spread his wares on the pavement of the Madina New Road road, I decided to take a look. What I have found, after years of searching and buying books, is that one could find strange and sought-after titles in such obscure locations. Except that the condition of the book cannot be guaranteed. In a country wh...

Between my last report on newly acquired books and now, I have come into possession of several books. This has come about because, first, I ran out books - the remaining few being those I am not keen on reading; besides these are basically non-African authored books. Left with the option of choosing between reading western authors I am not keen on and repleting my library (at moderately significant cost), I chose the latter. However, not all the books I have come to own were purchased.  An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen . This was sent to me - in a soft copy format - by a friend. Every body has heard of that Ibsen's statement about the majority being stupid rather than being right. Yes! If you haven't then there you have it. It is in this play that that famous statement was made. The story is a metaphorical take on the cause of rot and deterioration in a society. Guess what it is. This book is worth the read. African Roar 2013 by Emmanuel Sigauke . Every year, sinc...

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: 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...

Planet Books, Lusaka Zambia One thing I like to take with me from any journey (outside Ghana) is a book. I buy books at airports and at identified bookshops in the countries. In Zambia I buy books at Planet Books located within the Arcades Shopping Mall, Lusaka. I have always been surprised at the wide-range of titles one could get at Planet Books. Though their floor space is incomparable to that of EPP Bookshop at Legon, they have by far more titles including several Man Booker books and other important titles not easily found in Ghana. The downside is that their stock of general African fiction is poor and when available are generally expensive. On the other hand, they have some quintessential African titles. What therefore makes such difference? There seem to be a dearth of excellent titles - literary fiction, poetry anthologies, essays, and others - in Ghana. Sorry, I am drifting from the main issue. The following are the books I have purchased: The Fountainhead by A...

Last year I purchased fewer books in a month than read. In this way I reduced the number of unread books on my shelf, somewhat. I will continue that principle, in spirit, but only in so far as I have enough books to meet my reading objectives. The implication of this caveat is that because I don't have unread African books (only one or two remain on my shelf) and Russian novels, I would have to buy them to meet my reading goals. Thus, though I will purchase fewer books, books that contribute to the achievement of a reading would would of necessity be purchased. The following are the books I have added to my library: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. This is to be read for the Year of Russian Literature. Tolstoy considered this to be his first true novel, considering War and Peace as more than a novel. From the blurb: Anna Karenina is one of the most loved and memorable heroines of literature. her overwhelming charm dominates a novel of unparalleled richness and destiny. Rubble b...

EPP Bookshop Legon After a thorough discussion of A Question of Power by Bessie Head on the WPG 's Twitter Book Discussion , I decided to read more of her works. I was fascinated by the depth of this discussion and how wide the story is and how varied the issues people took from the book. In addition to Bessie Head, I added one more book to Soyinka's pile and the WPG book for its discussion in June. The following therefore are the books purchased: Kongi's Harvest by Wole Soyinka. Soyinka's plays are not easy to breakthrough. However, they are still worth the read. From the blurb: Kongi's Harvest is to be the official of the Five Year Plan. President Kongi has the spiritual leader King Danlola under preventive detention. He is anxious that Danlola should be seen by the people at the festival to bring him the new yam with his own hands. With Danlola and Kongi increasingly involved in image building, the festival comes to a shattering climax.  [...] Tales an...

This year is supposed to be the Year of Russian Literature , meaning that I begin to read and acquaint myself with Russian Literature and be able to talk on them. No particular Russian authors were listed; the only requirement is for the author to be from Russian. So far, I have only two books:  War and Peace  by Leo Tolstoy and  The Government Inspector  by Nikolai V. Gogol. Regardless, Russian Literature will be incomplete without certain classic names and it was only a matter of time that I read some of these names. This week I have added two Russian books - by the same author - to my library. They are those that were over-recommended by friends and which I (or a friend) happen to find at the Legon Bookshop. I am ultra-conservative when it comes to books and so when I say I have purchased a book or added a book to my library, I mean a physical book to a physical library. The following are the books: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. [From th...

The rate at which I acquire books has declined. Now I look carefully, think a zillions times through before I make a decision. Now all books I purchase have to meet my reading objectives; though these same criteria was used in times past, I wasn't insistent. I don't know if I can maintain that discipline this year since I can justify why every book was purchased. Within the last week, I've purchased the following two books: Smouldering Charcoal by Tiyambe Zeleza . My Book and Discussion Club is reading this book for the month and together with Tolstoy's War and Peace, will be the only two books I will read in March. The only thing I know of Zeleza was his essay in the anthology Fathers & Daughters  titled Memories of Death and Other Stories.  The back page of the book reads "This compelling story which lays bare the corruption and tyranny which bedevil many African countries, yet celebrates the forces of renewal that are germinating in the teeming slums and...

The last time I shared books I've acquired was in September, though I've acquired a few and have read some already: October, 2012 Women Leading Africa - Conversations with Inspirational African Women by Nana Darkoa Sakyiamah (Editor).  November, 2012 Search Sweet Country by Kojo Laing . I've read this book already. However, I bought it because the author is unique in his approach to the novel and was challenged by Big Bishop Roko and the Altar Gangsters . Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf . I once heard that no one can say she/he has sat in a Literature class without reading Woolf. I'm not a student of Literature but I love literature (the small 'l') so I decided to just try it and I didn't regret it. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather . I chose this book because I've seen the author's name on some list before. I really don't know where but I chose it and read it and was, again, not disappointed. It's simple an...

Chuma On Septeber 26, 2012 I attended a book reading organised by the Writers Project of Ghana at the Goethe Institute dubbed the Ghana Voices Series. There I happened to meet one of Nigeria's great writers Chuma Nwokolo, whose short story Quarterback and Co  I read and reviewed in the first edition of the African Roar anthology . If there was an author who was in charge of his work and who read with passion, vigour and complete control, it was Chuma Nwokolo. I followed Chuma on his facebook page ever when I read that phantasmagorical short story of his and heard of his works, some; however, I never really took the time to search more about him. In fact, after that short story, perhaps because I erroneously thought most of the contributors were new authors, I didn't delve deeper into any of them until recently when his collection of short stories - The Ghost of Sani Abacha - popped up again. Chuma read from this and also from his Diaries of a Dead African and a poe...

When one takes up blogging it is to act as a place to share his or her thoughts; a place to give voice (or words) and meaning (sometimes not) to whatever he feels and wants to share. For some it is a way to get an audience; others use blogging to develop their writing skills. As I have said, I used blogging to help me contribute my quota to the promotion of African Literature. Reading is a passion and it comes to me naturally. I was privileged enough to have literate parents who understood the essence of education but was not privileged enough to have parents who had a passion for reading; hence, I wasn't born with that reading culture. But I took up reading earlier in life because I understood then that one's ability to read is key to many things. However, if the little things one do get recognised by the people who matter to such an extent that one is given attention then one could say that the little he did was done well. For book bloggers, it is always about being re...

This year I've been slow on the book-purchasing front. Very slow. However, I've been lucky to have been gifted with some books.  The first three books have all been read and were purchased in Tanzania. My reminder of that country.  The following are books I've come to possess but which I haven't shared with you: The Black Swan - the Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb . The book is about how important some events are and how to protect yourself against them, especially Black Swan events that occur in Extremistan. I hope this will mark the beginning of my slight shift towards non-fiction.  The Rational Optimist - How Prosperity Evolves by Matt Ridley . This book challenges the usual perception of a deteriorating world, of a world heading toward destruction. It gives hope back by figures and examples. It shows how prediction of doom have failed to materialise - beginning far before Malthus prophecy - and yet people will not stop predicting. T...

The second quarter of the year has begun and I've still not shared with readers any book I've come into possession of. I have acquired fewer books compared to this time last year. Below are the books I've acquired since the beginning of the year: Paradise by Toni Morrison. [January] This is the first book I got. It was sent to me by a friend. Morrison is an author of whom I would be proud to say ' I've read the entire works of ... '. So far I've read three: Song of Solomon , Beloved  and Sula , and have two. Birds of Our Land by Virginia W. Dike. [February] I've already read this short but educative book. I got it from the publishers. Diplomatic Pounds and Other Stories by Ama Ata Aidoo. [March] I got an autographed copy of this book at a reading organised by the Writers Project of Ghana and the Goethe Institute of Ghana. This will be the second book by Ama Ata Aidoo I've read, after Changes . Amsterdam by Ian McEwan. [April] This book won...

Quotes for Friday will be back next week; haven't marked enough lines for a serving this week. In its place, I would want to share my newly acquired books with you instead. It has been a month since I shared my list of acquired books on this blog. The reason for the time lag being that I have acquired fewer books over this period. However, there is a person out there who has been sending me some of the books on my challenge list. And I have recently some books from her. Thanks very much for your kindness. Mad Libs by Roger Price and Leonard Stern . This is a workbook of grammar. After having the fun, I'd work it out with my son. Don't you just love it when a child you don't know send you a book? This is why I am against any sort of book burning. I am beginning of forming an online movement (if one has not already been formed) about Bloggers Against Book Burning. Let me know what you think. The Conservationist by Nadine Gordimer . This book is on the list ...

Unexpectedly, and perhaps as a sign of appreciation - am I beating my own chest here? - of what I've been doing on this blog, several individuals - both far and near - have gifted me with books. I have already talked of those I received from Martin and Geosi . For me, as a reader, the best gift one can give me, and which I'm bound to always talk about, is books. I love them. My wife keeps saying that it seems my books come first, though it only SEEMS so. Okay, so I've received several books within the past month, which I want to share with you. From Martin: Martin had already given me these books . He also left these books at our fortnightly meeting place for me to pick up: I Write What I like by Steve Biko . I had already purchased a copy of this book. However, his has a different foreword and clearly more spacious and well-trimmed texts that doesn't look like the ink soaked the paper. Steve Biko is a black South Africa political activist during the apart...

Most of the books I have reported on (or received) lately, with the exception of one or two titles, do not fit the vision and mission of this blog, so that if I should review them in that order, people will begin to question my tagline Promoting African Literature.  To keep true to my vision, whilst fulfilling my challenges and reading aspirations, I hit the bookshop to restock my depleting African titles. Death and the King's Horseman by Wole Soyinka . This book is on my Top 100 Books Reading Challenge. It has also been read for Amy's Nigeria Independence Day Reading/Reviewing Challenge . The Trouble with Nigeria by Chinua Achebe . This slim book of essays was purchased with Amy's Bloggers Alliance for Non-Fiction Devotees (BAND) in mind. I want to use this group/challenge to read a lot of non-fiction. Madmen and Specialists by Wole Soyinka . This is another of the Nobel Laureate's play.  Burning Grass by Cyprian Ekwensi . I have heard a lot about his Jagu...

By some strange coincidences, I have been offered a lot of books for the past month. Geosi of Geosi Reads has given me a pack of Booker-Winning books to help me achieve my Top 100 Books Reading Challenge . Some of the books are not on the list but are on the authors to be read list, which is not - in essence - a challenge but one that guides me in my purchases. Life of Pi by Yann Martel . This books is on my Top 100 Books Reading Challenge . Apart from being a winner of the Booker, I was drawn to this book by the word 'Pi'. I had always imagined it to have something to do with mathematics or at least geometry, until I read the review some time ago. Yet, I still think of the book in such realm. Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre . This was a late addition to the Top 100 Books Reading Challenge. This book replaced V.S. Naipaul's In a Free State.   The Famished Road by Ben Okri . A friend sent this book to me but a mistake in the postal address ensured that the book nev...