I have scoured through my collection and decided that there are some books worthy to be re-read and others that are worthy of a fresh read. As complicated as the world is becoming, fiction, non-fiction and poetry continue to hold our hands through tough times and dealing with strange people who have lost their humanity. I am particularly intrigued by short stories whose turns surprise or whose endings drive us to tears or to raucous laughter. Books never cease to hold my hand in times of pain and in times of multiple excitement. I am in that place today where I feel a surge of multiple excitement and a tinge of just a very mild pain not unexpected of citizens of today’s world of complexes. As we continue in our journey of Ramadan, self-examination, forgiveness and charity as well as abstinence from food and prayers, let’s not forget that a good book is also a good companion at this time. Permit me to share some of the books that have spoken to me at this time.
Here are my recommendations.
- Dear Life is a collection of short stories by award winning 88-year-old Canadian writer Alice Munroe who won the Nobel literature prize in 2013. This collection written much earlier in her life speaks to the various sides of life that affects us all. In her starling and peerless voice, she crafts the stories and delivers them in such a believable manner that it’s hard not to think you have actually met the characters in real life. These tales about departures and beginnings, accidents and dangers and outgoings and homecomings truly beguile us with the essence of life. In one of the stories, a young soldier returning from WW2 to meet his fiancée alights from the train a stop earlier entering into a woman’s farm and another life. In another, she tells of a wealthy woman who falls in love with her father’s lawyer and starts an affair. She has a surprising way of dealing with her blackmailer when she is found out. Life’s ups and downs in a riveting collection of short stories by a master storyteller.
- My Sister, the serial killer is such a hilarious crime thriller written by a Nigerian writer who has won several awards in the past. Oyinkan Braithwaite has written a dark but brilliant novel that has put Nigeria on the map. From page one, it is racy and difficult to put down. One sister is a nurse and the other is a murderer. An amazing read which won the 2019 Rooster prize.
- 49 ways to get rid of the other woman without getting caught, written by Amaka Chika Mbonu, is a book that deals with infidelity and adultery in marriage. Written from the perspective of a wife seeking to oust the other woman, it gives a forty-nine-day programme of warfare both spiritual and temporal to deal with the evil of infidelity. The book is largely based on true stories from the author’s fifteen years as a marriage counsellor. The tone of the book is militant and aggressive. This book is riveting.
- Nocturnes by award winning author and Nobel literature prize winner, Kazuo Ishiguro. This is his first short story collection, having written novels prior. I truly enjoyed this book and I am re-reading it. It contains five stories of music and nightfall. One of the stories “Crooner” is set in Venice. A fading American singer co-opts a Polish café singer into accompanying him to serenade his wife (in a disintegrating relationship) from a Gondola. While I am not a terrific fan of Romance stories, Kazuo’s enchanting stories and his story telling craft takes me into the book and lightens my day.
- Betty Irabor’s book, Dust to Dew. This is a book about lifestyle magazine publisher, Betty Irabor’s seven-year journey with depression. This state of our health is not written on any body’s face. Who would have believed, but here is the entire story of her illness in a slim volume which I read from midnight till 4 am. Well written, well delivered and engaging. If you are looking for a book on mental health, this is the book. It is told from the heart. Grab a copy.
Bonus book:
Any book of faith or from faith. This is a good time to reflect on how much of your faith you understand and when faced with difficulties, where in our holy books should you go to. Read books about faith, feed your soul.
