Most Notable Books in My Library
Photo by Aliis Sinisalu on Unsplash
What are you reading during this pandemic season?
I’ve been a sucker for books for as long as I can remember! In fact, I was so obsessed with words when I was younger, I would read anything and everything in sight! Growing up, my dad worked as a lecturer at a Kenyan parastatal. All of our neighbours were colleagues and lived in a huge compound at the edge of Karura forest housing over a hundred homes. We co-existed with monkeys, often peacefully and sometimes not so much. It was a pretty serene and sheltered childhood.
When we got sick, we would go to the dispensary or what my dad often referred to as ‘The Infirmary’. It was either a 15-minute walk or 10-minute drive away from home. At the Infirmary, they stuck little posters on the notice board describing the symptoms of different ailments or chronic illnesses with tips on care or how to prevent them. They also had those basic ones that teach hand hygiene and that sort of thing. While waiting to see the doctor, I would read every single one! It might have fed the mild hypochondriac tendencies I’m sometimes accused of exhibiting.
Since childhood, I was really drawn to fiction and would read most genres except the scary ones. Anything from comic books, to murder mysteries and law fiction novels! I was a huge fan of ‘Nancy Drew’, read all the ‘Sweet Valley’ series and at some point I read all the books I could find by John Grisham. Every Sunday morning I would knock on my parent’s bedroom door for money to go and buy the newspaper. I read the Comic section (including Modesty Blaise which I had absolutely no business reading), and my two favourite features: ‘Surgeons Diary’; and ‘Whispers’ by the late Wahome Mutahi. In a sense, books have raised me, influenced my way of thinking and how I process information. But they were also great to give a little break to those around me as I was a really inquisitive child!
I’ve stayed loving books even though I don’t run through as many as I used to when I was younger. I’d like to think that it’s because I take more time to really immerse myself in the story, and because my library has diversified even more, to include non-fictional books. Quality over quantity, right?
So my fellow book lovers, I thought I’d share some of my all-time favourites. This list is not exhaustive!
My All-Time Favourite Books (so far…)
Reading this memoir was like sitting with Trevor over a cup of tea as he recounts tales of his childhood! It really feels like he’s having a conversation with you, and being the comedian that he is, he gets you bursting out in laughter, even in public places! Embarrassing yourself.
Americanah – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
I’ve often heard of and even read about the sometimes icy, other times conflicted relations between Africans in America and African Americans. It was even addressed on a scene in the Box Office hit, Black Panther. Different people have their own theories about why the two hardly seem to get along. In this book, Chimamanda explores this and other ways that African Americans and their complexities can be rather perplexing to an African, through the eyes of a character who is bold, intelligent and articulate without seeming condescending.
I hadn’t really enjoyed reading a book in a long time, by the time I got this copy. It was very timely as it spoke of things that I needed to hear at that point! Paulo’s style is reminiscent of old tales that contain mysticism and magic while speaking to human emotion and experience, self-discovery and chasing your dreams! Hardly the kind of book you read once!
3.5 Notable mention: More recently, I read The Prophet’ by Khalil Gibran, and it was a sort of similar experience with lots of lessons on how to navigate this ride called life.
And the Mountains Echoed – Khaled Hosseini
Khaled has that ancient gift of storytelling that very few people in a lifetime possess. He weaves tales so layered but with such simple beauty that you can’t help but be in awe of his superpower. His particular strength is in building characters you get so attached to, you root for, and are heartbroken when they don’t seem to win. After reading these 3 books, I bet there’s nothing he would write that I will not be utterly enthralled by.
London Cape Town Joburg – Zukiswa Wanner
I did an African Literature class in university and was very fascinated by books about South Africa and Lusophone countries like Angola. Though South Africa had a similar history as far as being colonised by the British (and in their case, the Dutch) the stories, culture and experiences seemed very different from those I was familiar with reading about (mostly East Africa and Anglophone West Africa). This book is a trip through the different cities in a way that lets you explore South Africa and weave the tapestry of its people, culture, and the prints left behind by its colonial history.
Most of us love a good road trip, and if anyone has created that experience in a book, it’s Velma Pollard! This might actually fit at the top of this list for me because I’ve read it about six times already! I was introduced to this gem in high school, it was one of those alternative set books for high school literature class. I have hardly put it down since. It was also how I first read a book by a writer from the Caribbean. Velma Pollard showcases all the different sides of Jamaica through some of my favourite things: people, food, music, culture, language and nature! One of it’s side-effects was that I wanted to learn to speak ‘Patois’. It’s really one of those underrated books that everyone should read at least once!
I’d love to hear about yours too, so please comment below and share why you love the ones you do!
