nilichoandika

The Road to the Country by Chigozie Obioma

February 25th, 2026

The story of a war can only be fully and truly told by both the living and the dead. – Igbo Proverb.

I did not come to read this book with a list of expectations. The truth is I have always had such an experience reading Mr. Obioma’s writing- and I have become one of those readers who would light up when I see someone posting any of his books. I met him through The Fishermen, after that I got so immersed in An Orchestra of Minorities and so when I picked The Road to the Country– I had to read it.

We meet Kunle who goes out in search of his brother, Tunde. He leaves home guilty because of the circumstances that led to Tunde being involved in a car accident that rendered him wheelchair bound. His desire is to bring Tunde home. What he does not know is that he will be walking into war, and what would start as a search would wind up being something he was unprepared for- loss, bloodshed, survival, fear, courage, sadness, guilt. He gets conscripted into the Biafran war (this happened 1967-1970). He finds love in Agnes, he makes friends who become his brothers, loses some- gets hit by a shrapnel…and all this is seen through the Seer’s eyes- his divination a close watch and reality that Kunle lives.

“If it shocks you, then it can haunt you; if it haunts you, it can damage you. A soldier who is already hurt by his own mind, how can he stand a chance against a vicious and well-equipped army?”

When I got to part three of this book, I felt numb- a certain kind of gloom washed over me because of the front row experience of killing, of death and dead bodies that is war. At some point, I set this book aside and read a romance novel to feel a bit lighter, and what I did realize was that each page added onto the nostalgia and numbness that Kunle felt- and also the Seer, not wanting to intervene in his life but seeing the danger and pain coming his way.

If you were to ask me, I would say that in this book, there is no glossing over the reality of war-and that in itself speaks louder than making it through 384 pages of Kunle’s story. This is worth reading, not because it will entertain you- it does not, it’s worth reading because it would get you to stop and ask yourself why do we still go to war?

So, here’s a couple of links that I think you could check out to know more about the book: Author’s website, Review on World Literature Today, Buy the book on Amazon.
Overcoming myself

February 24th, 2026

Daily writing prompt
What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?
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The greatest challenge I will face in the next six months is overcoming myself.

There are lots of things I want to do, there is a phenomenal woman I want to be this year and to get there- the greatest hindrance is me. It’s being disciplined, staying on course, committing to what I want even when it feels like I am being stretched thin.

It’s also knowing that I want better opportunities; and taking those regret emails with grace and continuing to seek more opportunities.

So for the next six months- It’s all me- I have to get out of my way.

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Sunshine

February 14th, 2026

Daily writing prompt
If there were a biography about you, what would the title be?
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For once I am stumped; as a published author of not one or two but nine books- you’d think that coming up with a book title comes easy but for this prompt all I could think of was “Sunshine.”

I wonder, would the book radiate warmth or bring smiles to the faces of those who read it?

Will they see me smiling through the pages? Or would they chapter after chapter simply ask “how did she get through it all?”

For now….I think I am drawn more towards sunshine because my maiden name is practically sunshine as I was born when she was high up in the sky.

Image: http://www.pexels.com
I have a couple of wishes

February 12th, 2026
Daily writing prompt
If you had the power to change one law, what would it be and why?
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Oh anything to do with government…. I don’t know why something about it has me in knots.

So indulge me please:
- passports and visas; that you’d need to move from one country to another and pay exorbitant amounts in processing visa fees just to get approval for a short term stay or not.
- election and government...who bewitched us?
- security and abundance for politicians– I think the day I learned that after grovelling and seeking votes most elected officials in Kenya get a whole army to support them using tax payer money- they’d have a PA, office, team, representatives and body guards….
A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum: Heartbreak in Prose

February 10th, 2026

Reader be warned, this book will break your heart and you will be angry, sad, in pain- unbearable pain that anyone seeing you weeping while holding such a colorful book will think you are going through it. They are very right, from the first page- you go through it. From Palestine in 1990, to Brooklyn in 2008- three generations of women who have given everything only to receive silence, beatings, erased by the men whom they hail as their protectors.

“Where I come from, voicelessness is the condition of my gender, as normal as the bosoms on a woman’s chest, as necessary as the next generation growing inside her belly.

I should have walked away when I saw: Palestine, Women and Immigration- bolding staring at me, but I read Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, A Little Life– those three books destroyed me, making me weep and cry at every turn my latest stint was meeting a guy named Jude at a workshop and I couldn’t help but think of Jude in A Little Life.

The novel alternates between the lives of Isra, a Palestinian immigrant, and her daughter Deya, who grows up in Brooklyn. Isra is married off at a young age to Adam, a Palestinian-American, and moves to New York with dreams of love and happiness. However, she quickly finds herself trapped in a life of domesticity, facing the oppressive expectations of her mother-in-law, Fareeda, and the harsh realities of her marriage, which becomes increasingly abusive as she bears daughters instead of the desired sons.

“Where I come from, we’ve learned to conceal our condition. We’ve been taught to silence ourselves, that our silence will save us.

I have so many questions, why did Fareeda let her daughters-in-law suffer abuse? How much did it take Isra, Fareeda and Sarah to look the other way, head bowed as they were insulted by the men in their life? What is wrong with having girls? How much value do sons bring to their families- and if Adam is anything as an example, why did they work him, grind him to the floor of depression with family responsibility?

I got to know that this was the author’s debut book and trust me, if Etaf Rum comes across this post I just want to ask, how many pages of her manuscript were soaked in tears as she wrote this.

My next read is non-fiction- I wonder what are you reading this week?
Seasons of Life

February 4th, 2026

Daily writing prompt
How do significant life events or the passage of time influence your perspective on life?
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I once came across the line, “stopping people’s mouths is more difficult than stopping a flowing river,” and it came to mind in response to this question.

I have come to see everything as seasonal, and when times are tough, I find comfort by telling myself, “this too shall pass.”

I get frustrated, sometimes I retreat by distancing myself from people and the situation and sleep- other times I face it head on- a reckless abandon that has my close friends thinking I am a force of nature. When I get to look back, weeks or months later it always feels like I had thought too much of it.

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Push-ups

February 3rd, 2026

Daily writing prompt
Something on your “to-do list” that never gets done.
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I said it push-ups.

The second thing that comes to mind is waking up daily at 5AM, and this is because it’s been fluctuating sometimes, I wake up at 6AM, 7AM or even 10AM when I sleep in during the weekends.

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The 10 Rules of Successful Nations by Ruchir Sharma: Book Review

February 2nd, 2026
Do you want to venture into politics?” This question has come up frequently as I’ve been reading Ruchir Sharma‘s book “The 10 Rules of Successful Nations.” My answer has consistently been “No.” While I am already a leader in my sphere of influence, I find myself more intrigued by economics.

For a nation to succeed on the world stage, what does it take? According to Mr. Sharma, a nation doesn’t need to fulfill all ten rules but would benefit from adhering to most of them. He identifies several key factors:
- Population
- Politics
- Inequality
- State Power
- Geography
- Investment
- Inflation
- Currency
- Debt
- Hype
Mr. Sharma emphasizes a fundamental principle that underpins all these rules: the recognition of the impermanence of economic trends and the regular rhythms of change.

Reflecting on Kenya in relation to these ten rules reveals significant gaps. It’s not that we lack understanding of the trends; rather, our systems have made a select few comfortable. This comfort often hinders the refinement and implementation of necessary policies, as change can be perceived as a loss or discomfort to their gains.

I found it particularly thought-provoking when reading about State Power. “Successful nations, as Mr. Sharma notes, build governments that are right-sized—not overly bloated and smothering, nor too small to provide essential services like police, schools, roads, and telephone networks. Their government spending is balanced compared to other nations within their income class.”

After engaging with this book, I am left with more questions, especially regarding inflation and currency trends. I am curious about what it would take to maintain a sense of balance in these areas.

About the Author: Ruchir Sharma penned the international bestseller Breakout Nations and is a contributing op-ed writer at the New York Times. His commentary has also appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, and other publications. He is chief global strategist at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, based in New York.
The Eternal Ones: The finale of The Gilded Ones Trilogy by Namina Forna

January 29th, 2026

I have finished reading #TheGildedOnesTrilogy as January comes to an end, and I am pleased with having such a great start to the year in books.

The last book in the series is The Eternal Ones, and it set out to answer the question: Deka holds the power to defeat the gods, but can she become one?

Something stuck with me on Deka’s evolution, she started out as a young girl just turned sixteen wanting to be declared pure by the gods at Oyomo so she could continue in the expected order of women to get married, have children and serve their husbands- and then she bleeds gold and is declared a demon, only to learn that she is a by-product of the gods and she has to fight deathshrieks- and as the war intensifies she learns that everything she knew about the benevolence of the gods were lies, and that there were many more gods.

Yet, for someone who was cast out, looked down upon and killed eleven times- she could choose vengeance instead of granting the people choice…it’s interesting that she had the power to destroy and compel people to worship her and grow stronger as a result, but instead she gave them the chance to choose and honoured their choice.

It’s been a splendid journey and I am so team Deka! This trilogy stays in my personal library as an absolute favourite. There is a character that I believe made this epic even better and that’s White Hands, don’t call her Fatu- because if anything is true about her as a warrior and strategist is that she doesn’t get angry, she gets even.

I cannot end this flowery review without sharing a phrase or moment that I would remember from this book, and that is the conversation between Sayuri and Deka where she says:

And do you know, madness is illuminating. Because when you no longer think like others, you are forced to think like yourself. To see things in ways you might not have seen before. To see the truth. And that brings understanding, painful though it may be.

Have a great day and I can’t wait to delve into the next read.
Top 8 Things I’m Loving This January

January 24th, 2026
Saturday is laundry and house cleaning day for me- but what do you do when you wake up and the taps are dry? You write.

Well, that is what I have chosen to do. So, we are a week to February, and this January has sped past with lots of activities reminding me that I am yet to pursue the goals I set for myself this quarter. However, I am loving a couple of things, and I thought why not list them?
1. Stationery shopping: There are new pens, erasers and notebooks that I am loving.
2. Reading more non-fiction books and I am currently obsessed with Ruchir Sharma’s – The 10 Rules of Successful Nations.

3. David Perell’s podcast- I especially loved the conversations he had with Elif Shafak and Fareed Zakaria

4. Namina Forna- listen I am on the last book of The Guilded Ones trilogy and cannot tell you how much I love a story that has strong women characters that fight! I know, it speaks a lot about me- and yet there is something about Deka’s journey that I cannot shy away from.

5. Buying books that I have always wanted to read and first on that list is Pachinko.

6. Mocktails: I discovered that sugar, sprite and some flavor topped with mint makes me smile, so I am exploring various flavors once in a while when I step out.

7. Bathroom/ Mirror selfies- I am getting the hang of this and it’s my fun way of trying so many things that I think would be a treat- that I can look back on and have a laugh. I am still at taking over 10 photos and only loving one of them- so if you can share tips on how to take good mirror selfies, please let me know.

8. Crocheting. I am making a scarf while watching my k-dramas on Netflix and yes while we are at it, what happened to the change in making shorter episodes that we moved from the 16-episode run to 12 or worse off 10 episodes and we think that’s sufficient?

That’s it for the eight things I am loving and doing right now, have a great weekend and stay safe.