Kinna

Sunday: Thoughts and Updates

I came down with a rather bad cold earlier this week.  I’m getting better now but things have been a bit slow here at the Kinna Reads.  I’m reading but I have not been able to post any reviews this week.  I (finally) finished the following books:

Needless to say, my backlog of reviews is growing.  I do hope I’m able to make a dent and post some reviews this coming week.  Next on my pile to read are:

  • The Healers by Ayi Kwei Armah
  • The Tail of the Blue Bird by Nii Ayikwei Parkes
  • Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges
  • Death in Spring by Mercè Rodoreda
  • Measuring Time by Helon Habila

I bought the following two books during the week:

Between the Assassinations is the Indian novelist Aravind Adiga’s second book. It is a collection of interconnected short stories set between the assassinations of  Indira Ghandhi in 1984 and,  her son Rajiv Ghandhi, in 1991.  The Other Crucifix, the third book by Ghanaian novelist Benjamin Kwakye, is about identity and the African immigrant experience in America.

For the next two weeks, Reading the Romantics project will focus on Percy Bysshe Shelley.  I’m more familiar with, and love,  the works of Shelley.  So this week’s offering will be a joy to read.   The selected poems are listed on Reading The Romantics.  As usual, I will post my favorite of this week’s poems on Wednesday.  This project is a lot of fun.  Poetry does the heart a whole lot of good!

Well, that’s all for now.  I wish everyone a restful and enjoyable end to their weekend :).

24 comments

  2. Thanks so much for commenting on our blog, and therefore introducing me to your own. You’ve given me lots of ideas for books to add to my wishlist! 🙂

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  3. Sure! Sure! Sure! Sure! Sure…Kinna. Just finished reading it in a day and a half. The review would be on my blog today. I will also be storming the Sytris bookstore very soon, perhaps I may get some of my collections there… but… are the prices moderate there too?

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    • Already? Well, that was quick. Looking forward to reading your review. The prices at SyTris are okay. Might be better than Silverbird.

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  4. Kinna a wonderful list you have. Geosi has won me over to Benjamin Kwakye and I would be looking out for that author. I hope you would love The Healers. Have you read Two Thousand Seasons? that’s also a good read.

    Where do you buy your books?

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    • Yes, Geosi almost jumped out of the phone when I told him that I bought The Other Crucifix. So I’ve decided to read all Kwakye’s works so that I can have a sane two-sided conversation with him about his favorite author. I buy my books (in Ghana) at Silverbird, EPP and at Legon. Also, I just discovered a new bookstore on Spintex. In fact, Nii Ayikwei Parkes suggested it to me after I told in on twitter that I couldn’t get his books. The store is Sytris. They have a branch in East Legon. They also have a website. You can also order books through them.

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      • Then we share similar bookshops. How come I never do see some of your titles (not all). Silverbirds shook me by their prices… they shook me bad. I started buying from them last year. That’s the only place one is guaranteed to get the Martin Amis, Atwoods and the rest though.

        Yes, I have seen SyTris at East Legon. Bought three books from them last Monday. However, I have never been to the one on the Spintex Road.

        I hardly go to town, afraid of traffic so I guess until EPP gets to East Legon, Madina and its environs I won’t find myself there…

        Thanks

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      • The prices at Silverbird are horrendous but sometimes, with patience, you can get discounts. I bought Broken Glass there and the prices was normal, after discounts. Re; SyTris – If the Spintex store has what you want, you could ask the East Legon shop to pickup it up from Spintex for you. At least, it doesn’t hurt to ask.

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    • When I went to the bookstore, The White Tiger was not available. So I picked up Between the Assassinations. Really glad that I did. Looking forward to reading and reviewing it.

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  7. Between the Assassinations sounds very interesting. I’ve been enjoying short stories more and more lately – and particularly like when they’re somehow interconnected. Can’t wait to read your review.

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    • I love short stories and also interconnected ones too. I recommend Tropical Fish by Doreen Baingana and also The Laws of Evening by Mary Yukari Waters

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  8. Hi Kinna,

    I recently received a couple of awards and I wanted to pass that love on to you. I recently discovered your blog and I love reading it. I’m very interested in African fiction and your blog has helped me discover so much more than I ever have before. I hope to one day visit Ghana, thanks for letting me peak into the country for now!

    Your Award

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    • Thanks so much for recognizing this blog and for the award. And I’m glad that my blog is helping you to discover more African literature.

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  11. Sorry to hear you’ve been under the weather Kinna, I’m glad to hear you are feeling a bit better now. As always, some really great books. I have In Dependence here to read as well actually.

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  12. I ve just got tail of blue bird from library ,I liked between assassinations when I read it ,adiga is a wonderful writer and I preferred this to the white tiger for some reason ,all the best stu

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