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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.
I dream of…

January 20th, 2026

Daily writing prompt
What’s your dream job?
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A life rich with heartfelt experiences.

Walking into my highest and truest self- in peace and love, kindness, light, truth…choosing to treasure right, loved ones and moments.

And so I hope that when the time is right and my season comes to an end, that I shall have lived as though working for my highest self.

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The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna: Two down, one more to go.

January 17th, 2026

I love a series just as much as I can complete one. If I come across a book in a store and it’s part of a series, I never buy a copy until I see all the other books there- and this bugs me a lot especially when I go to Text Book Center and there is either book two but no book three or one, or four in stock.

That said, allow me to tell you the overaching theme in this second book of #TheGuildedOnes, and it is as White Hands calls it, “When gods dance, humanity trembles.”

Deka, now does everything in her power to awaken the Mothers, but along the way she comes to learn that there is more to the story- there is more to be uncovered about the gods, the alaki and the endless wars and what if the mothers lied to them? To Deka she’s learned the hard way and if there is anything about her upbringing that she knows for certain it’s that: A woman who cannot earn for herself is a woman without choices or recourse.

There are some scenes that I couldn’t shake for example when Melanis goes at Deka for being caught up in memories of her torture. “Burn for a thousand years, Deka. Become so familiar with the odour of your flesh that it is a constant perfume. Know intimately how each part of your body crumbles, then heals. Then you can tell me of foolish things like battle fatigue and torture.”

“One last thing Deka: be sure to put names to things.” She explains, “Names are what gives things power. Even gods.” She walks closer. “For instance, if I call you a god, then you are one. Never forget that.”

I wonder what next for Deka, she is growing into her powers and each betrayal sends her spiralling into a search for answers and I think the final book has her going back to where it all began- facing the past that the gods kept hidden and choosing what path to take, but I can’t help but wonder will she become a god too?

What I truly want is to be a blade- the blade that strikes down all the gods. The Gilded Ones, the Idugu- all the beings that wish to lay claim to the people of Otera.
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna: Insights on reading

January 9th, 2026

Outcasts by blood. Warriors by Choice.

I saw these two phrases on the front cover of the book and I couldn’t resist getting the whole trilogy. So, I walked out of TextBookCenter with three books and a smile on my face because I couldn’t wait to read about female warriors. Let me tell you, I just finished reading The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna.

The story starts out with a coming-of-age ceremony, The Purity Ritual, where girls who turn sixteen are presented before Oyomo, and the priests make a cut above their chests and if the color of their blood is pure red, they are pure and if it’s anything else then they are cast out. Deka, the heroine of this story, is nervous- we meet her in this chapter and she’s anxious because she lost her Mother and her Father is ailing, so she prays and prays that she is pure until her turn comes and she bleeds gold!

Suddenly she’s a demon- they kill her not once or twice but nine times and she comes back to life and that proves everyone but her right- she’s vile, a demon spawn and as she is trying to make sense of it all, she is rescued by White Hands, a lady who promises her absolution is she agrees to train as a warrior for the Emperor to fight Deathshrieks…and as her journey unravels so does her understanding of who she truly is and why she wields so much power.

“Don’t you dare. They might need us now because we’re valuable, might pretend to accept us, to reward us- but never forget what they did to us first. If they did it once, Deka, they’ll surely do it again, no matter the flowery promises they give.”

And let me tell you, Deka fights!

I love how the author wove the history of The Gilded Ones into the book, of what oppression did to the women in the book- and all through we get Deka asking questions and not settling for answer simply because they are given, she probes and probes and doesn’t let go- and perhaps that’s what makes her an interesting heroine.

I loved this first book and can’t wait to start reading the second one- The Merciless Ones- because I want to know what comes next for Deka and the Gilded Ones.

Have a great weekend.
Africa is not a Country by Dipo Faloyin: Thoughts on this

January 5th, 2026

We are five days into 2026, happy new year! This is my first post on this blog this year and I am looking forward to an interesting year and to take on more challenges and opportunities.

I stepped into the year reading Africa is not a Country by Dipo Faloyin and if you are from the continent, this book is what I would like to thrust into people’s hands who have for some reason always thought that Nigeria is Kenya’s neighbor, that every Kenyan dresses like the Maasai and would be shocked when I say I do not eat red meat- and the question and shock would be ‘you? what do you mean you don’t eat meat, isn’t that like what you take and fresh blood from cows?’ Oh and have you heard of Kibera? Or I have a friend in South Africa- like Kenya is the living room and South Africa is the Kitchen?

My apologies, I am back to my senses…or not, maybe just a little- bottom line is that this book is long overdue, backed with research and recent insights into the quirks of most of the African countries.

Faloyin does not attempt to sanitize Africa. He presents it as he sees and understands it and that is what makes this such a delightful read. He says:

This book is a portrait of modern Africa that pushes back against harmful stereotypes to tell a more comprehensive story- based on all the humanity that has been brushed aside to accommodate a single vision of blood, strife, and majestic shots of rolling savannahs and large yellow sunsets. It will unspool the inaccurate story of a continent, dragging this bludgeoned narrative towards reality.

He challenges the preconceptions people have of Africa and calls for better understanding of the continent and the people, the chapters shed light on history, culture and geography and relations of the countries in the continent.

I am glad that I started my year reading this book and look forward to reading more interesting books across the year. Last year I got to read 71 of the 100 books I’d set for the #GoodreadsChallenge and I have consistently participated in these challenges, this year however I am not setting a target. It is my hope that I encounter interesting worlds, enrich my vocabulary and meet many more characters in the books I get to read this year.

Have you read Africa is not a Country? Thoughts?