Category: Books

What I loved in reading The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

October 20th, 2022

I started reading The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver on October 14th (if you haven’t heard of her or read her works, some of the best known titles she’s written include The Poisonwood Bible, The Bean Trees, The Prodigal Summer and a lot more). I bought this book last year and having moved towns, I stumbled upon the box of books labelled “UNREAD” and it was at the very top.

“A story is like a painting. It doesn’t have to look like what you see out the window.”
Frida to Soli, The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

About the book: The Lacuna is a poignant story of a man pulled between two nations as they invent their modern identities.

Born in the United States, reared in a series of provisional households in Mexico—from a coastal island jungle to 1930s Mexico City—Harrison Shepherd finds precarious shelter but no sense of home on his thrilling odyssey. Life is whatever he learns from housekeepers who put him to work in the kitchen, errands he runs in the streets, and one fateful day, by mixing plaster for famed Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. He discovers a passion for Aztec history and meets the exotic, imperious artist Frida Kahlo, who will become his lifelong friend. When he goes to work for Lev Trotsky, an exiled political leader fighting for his life, Shepherd inadvertently casts his lot with art and revolution, newspaper headlines and howling gossip, and a risk of terrible violence.

And so Sòli goes on to write, of his life as a young boy as Harry, plucked from the United States to Mexico because his mother was restless and while there, he got to meet Lev who opposed Stalin, worked for the painter-Diego, and Frida Kahlo and served as a good cook, typist, secretary, confidant and observer…and then had to return to America because Frida wanted him alive.

🤫: I’d recommend this to anyone who loves stories written in journal format, memoirs, confessions…observations because that’s what I loved most about this book. The stories are not centered around Harry/Soli, but more about what happens daily, the conversations, the turmoil, the love, the people.

Two phrases from the book that I couldn’t help but jot down are:

🖤: “Fury demands fire.”
🖤: “The most important thing about any person is what you don’t know.”

I gave this a 4-star rating on Goodreads.

About the Author: She was born in Annapolis, Maryland, The United States April 08, 1955

Website: http://www.kingsolver.com/
Angola is Wherever I Plant My Field by Joao Melo: Book Review

October 13th, 2022

I was taken by the title of this book, “Angola is Wherever I Plant My Field,” and it kind of reminded me of the feeling of staying true to your roots, so I requested to read it on Netgalley and let’s just say that there are eighteen (18) stories to take you on a trip full of laughter, moments of reflection and most of all, keep you entertained.

My favorite stories include: ‘Why Aunt Lourdes still has no teeth,’ in which she is displeased that there seems to be a lot of unnecessary services but not a dentist in Jamba. Then immediately after there is the story ‘Sheesh’ that up to date, as I write this review we are still waiting to know the whereabouts of Mister X.

For someone who loves to travel, and has an ultimate list then reading ‘The Secret’ and being met with the opening line “This story happened in Haifa. I have never been to Haifa, but I’ve always wanted to write a story that takes place in the city. Likewise, I will not die without writing a story located in Mexico City, in Venice…”

Of changing times and the yearning for moments of reflection as a society, the author has quite some time for this with ‘Three Endings.’ The writing style is something that also caught my attention, it reminded me of the kind of stories you could be told whilst in the company of a long lost friend, there’s accounts of experiences here and there-some you laugh at, others you sigh, others you just nod and look away afraid that whatever you say would not do it justice. All in all, it was a pleasure reading this book.

Rating (Netgalley and Goodreads): 4 stars

Pre-order on Amazon: Paperback at $23

About the author: João Melo, born in Luanda, is an author, journalist, and professor. He studied in Coimbra, Luanda, and Rio de Janeiro. He is a founder of the Angolan Writer´s Association. He was a member of the parliament (1992-2017) and a minister of Angola (2017-2019). His works have been published in Angola, Portugal, Brazil, Italy and Cuba. A number of his writings have been translated into English, French, German, Arabic, and Chinese. He was awarded the 2009 Angola Arts and Culture National Prize in literature.
In Three

September 14th, 2022
1. I finished reading HomeGrown Hero by Khurrum Rahman where the answer to the question, “whose side are you on? could definitely get you killed.
2. I am currently reading “Black Gold: The Dangerous History of Coffee” by Antony Wild whose writing I find much more akin to a Journalist and less of a Historian.
3. I can’t wait to read “White Teeth by Zadie Smith”
Updates on the writing life

August 26th, 2022

It is 9:17pm as I start typing away and I know it will take me twelve minutes to finish writing what I have to say and hit that publish button. However, my love for referencing time in my blog posts stems from writing in my journal every evening and including the snippets of activities I did during the day.

So, here I am having embarked on a new writing project hoping that the part of me that is a bunch of opinions gets an outlet. I set up another blog this week called Achieng Writes.

I received my September book haul comprised of six books bought from Text Book Centre.

There are two things I am doing more often to improve my writing and that’s: one- writing every morning from nine to ten o’clock and two- taking down more notes, snippets of ideas from k-drama, music and my latest fascination are podcasts.

I started drafting a new book and from the very beginning, it oozes nothing but romance and my younger sister read the first chapter and since then I have been unable to look at it without seeing the sneer in her face!

This year, one of my goals was to publish at least two books and I recently published Laana: Daughter of the Middle World and so far, I still struggle with marketing the book and balancing the networks I have established who always buy my books. The greatest feat for me was connecting with Nuria Bookstore- both a physical shop and online store here in Kenya, to enhance accessibility to readers.

As we move into September, I find myself more at peace reading books written by other writers and taking time off my latest draft. In so doing, I am also listening to more music and the album I have on replay is Chike’s The Brother’s Keeper– the one song that speaks to my worries being Pour me a drink
Laana: Daughter of the Middle World

July 2nd, 2022

My name is Laana and where it is a beautiful word to utter and easy on the tongue, it is what my people know as a curse. I am the cursed one. I was born on a stormy night at the exact time that thunder struck and the moon was right above the singing forest. Everyone knows not to utter a sound when it pours but I came into the world screaming at the moon.

My people cannot begin to understand where I draw my powers from and so they would rather call me cursed than stand in judgment of their secrets revealed. My home serves as the boundary between our people and the people of Jirani. They too have someone whom they look up to like we do; their source can make the sun stand still or send the rain away, I wouldn’t know because I have never met their source- these are the stories I hear in the market or in the dance arena when I sneak quietly to attend events, or watch the dance of the maidens every year as hosted by the royal family.

An excerpt from the book, Laana: Daughter of the Middle World
Updates on writing and reading

April 18th, 2022

It is fifteen minutes to three in the afternoon and I’ve had my second cup of coffee.

I woke up with one goal in mind today; to get notebooks and pens from Miniso at Sarit Centre and here’s what I got- 3 writing books, 3 pocket notebooks and 4 pens.

I also passed by the TextBook Centre store and picked two books to read and had to walk out so fast because if I stayed longer I would have spent more money on books and stationery.

I am writing more this week and looking forward to going through the final draft before settling on a publication plan for mid May. Until then, have a great week.
February Updates

February 18th, 2022

Halfway through the month and two things became clear to me; the first is that I have been watching way too many shows on Netflix and the second is that I bought two sets of gym clothes and I have not done even one push-up this year.

I expected a sense of ‘shame on you’ with these two realizations but what I experienced was the intensity of intention. I’ll explain. I love watching Korean dramas, documentaries and animations on Netflix so much so that I find such a sense of joy and calm when I settle down to watch an episode after a long day at work or on Saturdays. On working out, this year I had set out to be more intentional and even set up a reminder and a workout plan. I haven’t adhered to both and I find myself stretching more often with ease, walking or just sleeping instead.

On reading: I am currently reading Tess of the D’Ubervilles by Tom Hardy.

I just downloaded 3 new titles to my Kindle app via Netgalley and these have to be some very beautiful covers.

On Writing: I haven’t written anything since January 25th 2022 and it’s not okay. I do not have the strength to keep asking why or keep jotting sentences that do not align with the novel that I should have completed last year.

Have a lovely weekend.

I look forward to watching the next two episodes of the following shows on Netflix: Twenty Five, Twenty One and Forecasting Love and Weather.
Reading Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things

January 31st, 2022

It’s 7:36pm and I am seated on the floor in this space I rent out in Mbita. The rain this morning brought with it some calm and chills and I am on my second cup of tea. Silver Spoon by BTS is playing as I write this and I am tempted to dance to it and sweat a little, shake off the cold, get rid of the socks and sweater.

I finally got to read The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. The book won the 1997 Booker Prize and has such a vast range of reviews that I could not help but have it on my wish list. Now that I have read it, let’s say that the Writer in me was challenged and in awe while the Reader enjoyed some bits and remains baffled by others.

First things first, I love works of fiction serve a table of contents. It’s like being invited to a buffet, and you can actually read the chapter titles and keep it going. So, this one had me at that.

I love descriptions as a Writer and this is because I struggle with getting it to feel just as right as you read it, and when I come across a description that has me in my feelings then the Writer and Reader are both pleased. Two of such stand out for me, however before I share them, I will let you in on what the book explores. “The book explores the tragic fate of a family which “tampered with the laws that lay down who should be loved, and how.” There’s the grandmother Mammachi, her spoilt Angophile son, Chacko, daughter Ammu and her inseparable twins: Estha and Rahel, then the mother of all drama queens, manipulative as hell bundle of life in form of their aunt called Baby Kochamma.”

Now two phrases that got me in my feelings:

When Margaret Kochamma saw her little daughter’s body, shock swelled in her like phantom applause in an empty auditorium.

The second phrase:

Impelled by feelings that were primal yet paradoxically wholly impersonal. Feelings of contempt born of inchoate, unacknowledged fear, civilizations fear of nature, men’s fear of women, power’s fear of powerlessness. Men’s subliminal urge to destroy what he could neither subdue nor defy.

I am glad that I got to read this book and it’s got me on extreme ends of elation and disappointment. The characters were so well written that even the plot itself offered me surprises, twists and turns and more so driven by hidden desires of the characters- and frankly speaking this book wouldn’t get far without Baby Kochamma. That aunt pulled some stunts that only she could do. What I couldn’t fathom was why the twins; Rahel and Estha were presented as mysteries and this followed them all the way into adulthood- yet Rahel was pretty straightforward even as a child, always speaking her mind- thus earning her the title of the ‘thoughtless one.’

You can buy a copy on : Amazon

Here’s another reason that’d compel you to read this book:
Like Rain falling into the Sea

January 21st, 2022

Look at the rain long enough, with no thoughts in your head, and you gradually feel your body falling loose, shaking free the world’s reality. Rain has the power to hypnotize.
Hajime, South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami

I spent three hours with this book in a bus this morning from Kisumu to Mbita. To the world woven by Hajime, of love, lust, decisions and young love and from the very first time he meets Shimamoto, he knows that she’s unforgettable.

He’s not a character you’d warm up to. It’s in his relationships with women that you could say he’s inconsiderate and selfish and as such ends up hurting the women he interacts with. However, it’s in Murakami’s style of writing that you cannot waver from reading the book to the end. And in a way, Hajime in peeling layer upon layer of the people in his life, perhaps finds the clarity of his own.

This book made me smile at the thought of rain in 186 pages.

Of his love and meeting with Shimamtoto twenty five years later, of the secrets she never let him unravel, of the grief she wore, the song It will Rain by Bruno Mars, is all I had in mind.

And at nine-thirty Shimamoto showed up. Strangely enough, she always appeared on, quiet rainy evenings.
Last week of December 2021: Life updates and stuff

December 29th, 2021
It’s a joy to be writing this.

I’ve had a flu this past week that came with joint pain, exhaustion, headaches and a never ending fever and when I thought the worst was behind me, I get to deal with a never ending cough. For three days I lacked the sense of taste.

So, let me start over: happy holidays! How are you spending the holiday season? We have two days to the end of 2021 and at the back of my mind there is the feeling to strive for more, better, for adventures, for a happier me and all that. I am also looking forward to achieving the goals that I never did this year.

As I write this, it’s 9:33pm and it’s raining in Kisumu. I haven’t had a cup of tea tonight. I just finished watching, The Silent Sea, on Netflix. If you’re looking for a dystopian or sci-fi series to watch- give it a go, it’s worth the time and it’s Gong Yoo on this!

On reading: I have bought more books this month which I hope to include in the books I get to read in the coming days.

This year, I did get to read 202 of the 200 books I had set as my Goodreads Reading Challenge and I would love to read more books next year.

On writing: I would love to do four key things:
- Write daily by adhering to a writing schedule
- Join and commit to a Writers Group
- Publish my #WIP
- Talk more about my writing either on talk shows, podcasts, book clubs.
I look forward to reflecting more on the things I do and have done this year in the next two days.

Until the next post, do have a wonderful time.

Make memories, cherish the good, challenge yourself to learn from the moments that wound you. Give love. Laugh loud. Dance like you’re the wind.