Numbers Selected

[Carolien]

I'll be reading The Opposite House

[Jo]

I will be reading Beneath the Lion's Gaze by Maaza Mengiste

[Wim, French Readings]

And my February read will be I Do Not Come to You by Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani.

[Orgeluse]

Anetq wrote: "Orgeluse wrote: "Great to hear you also enjoyed On Black Sisters Street, it's on my TBR-to-be :)))"

I liked it! And while the country is yet again in more lockdown, I am trying to c..."

I can very much relate to what you say. I think short story collections are a good way to discover new writers but I also struggle reading them front to back in a relatively short period of time because if it is a good collection I find myself emotionally involved in every story and the quick change from one story to the next is often exhausting.
After having finished Speak Gigantular which I thought was really good but intense, I felt the urge to read a novel next.
I am not too keen on reading another collection BUT my no 5 is Animalia Paradoxa. I will stretch that collection over the entire month and hope that will make sense...

[Diane , Head Librarian]

I will be reading The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta.

[Anetq, Tour Operator & Guide]

Oh, me too Diane! My number 5 is also The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta
I've had it on loan from the university library for ...I suspect 2 years?! Great that there is finally a reason I have to read it :)

[Annette]

My number 5 is Welcome to Lagos by Chibundu Onuzo

[Diane , Head Librarian]

Anetq wrote: "Oh, me too Diane! My number 5 is also The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta
I've had it on loan from the university library for ...I suspect 2 years?! Great that there is finally a..."

Ha! We'll have to compare notes.

[Tinea, Nonfiction Logistician]

I'll be reading Tropic of Violence-- Comoros!

[Anetq, Tour Operator & Guide]

Tinea wrote: "I'll be reading Tropic of Violence-- Comoros!"
Ooooh one of the last countries I'm missing... Just finished Burkina Faso, on to Lesotho, but I need an Island for the bingo anyway, so will check this out!

[Anetq, Tour Operator & Guide]

Anetq wrote: "Tinea wrote: "I'll be reading Tropic of Violence-- Comoros!"
Ooooh one of the last countries I'm missing... Just finished Burkina Faso, on to Lesotho, but I need an Island for the b..."

Oh wait, I read her already - for Mauritius!

[Orgeluse]

Tinea wrote: "I'll be reading Tropic of Violence-- Comoros!"

This is on my tbr! Looking forward to your thoughts!!

[Cam]

So I did make a list but might have to keep it for next year as not-for-work reading is not happening at the moment. And I still have three unread books from last year's TBR - yikes.

I love this challenge though so might rejoin a bit later in the year if that's allowed? I've noted down the numbers, for me they would have been Afrotopia by Felwine Sarr, and Le Vent du Sud (ريح الجنوب) by Abdelhamid Benhedouga.

[Anetq, Tour Operator & Guide]

Cam wrote: "So I did make a list but might have to keep it for next year as not-for-work reading is not happening at the moment. And I still have three unread books from last year's TBR - yikes.

I love this c..."

Well I didn't make the rules for this one, but my personal interpretation of challenges is always something along the lines of: if it makes you read, it's a good thing! So if saving some for later and reading them later (or just picking up on current numbers) when you have time - that'd be my strategy :)

[Orgeluse]

I fully agree! My strategy would also be to end up with more books read at the end of the year ;))

[Annette]

My number 5 is The White Nile by Alan Moorehead.

[Diane , Head Librarian]

Anetq wrote: "Well I didn't make the rules for this one, but my personal interpretation of challenges is always something along the lines of: if it makes you read, it's a good thing! So if saving some for later and reading them later (or just picking up on current numbers) when you have time - that'd be my strategy :)

"

I completely agree.

[Diane , Head Librarian]

March's number is 24.


What will you be reading?

[Annette]

I'll be reading Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits

[Diane , Head Librarian]

I will be reading Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor. I was a little disappointed at first, but I saw that it has really good reviews.

[Orgeluse]

I will be reading Shut Up You're Pretty by Téa Mutonji, another short story collection.

[Carolien]

I'll read What We Lose

[Wim, French Readings]

Diane wrote: "I will be reading Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor. I was a little disappointed at first, but I saw that it has really good reviews."

Zahrah the Windseeker is absolutely fabulous, I really loved it!

[Wim, French Readings]

I'll be reading Il n'y a pas de petite querelle : Nouveaux contes de la savane by Amadou Hampâté Bâ

[Anetq, Tour Operator & Guide]

Oooh my #24 is David's Story by Zoë Wicomb - here's hoping I can get it out of the library (Lockdown is loosening slightly, but they're only open for 'study use', but it should be doable)

[Carolien]

Anetq wrote: "Oooh my #24 is David's Story by Zoë Wicomb - here's hoping I can get it out of the library (Lockdown is loosening slightly, but they're only open for 'study use', but it should be doa..."

Our libraries opened for 3 days just before Christmas (for the first time since March 2020) and then promptly closed again.

[Wayne]

Carolien wrote: "Anetq wrote: "Oooh my #24 is David's Story by Zoë Wicomb - here's hoping I can get it out of the library (Lockdown is loosening slightly, but they're only open for 'study use', but it..."

In the Western Cape, at least in the Mossel Bay region public libraries have opened on the 8 February, which is a great relief. No inter-library loans yet though. But there is light.

[Carolien]

Wayne wrote: "Carolien wrote: "Anetq wrote: "Oooh my #24 is David's Story by Zoë Wicomb - here's hoping I can get it out of the library (Lockdown is loosening slightly, but they're only open for 's..."

You can hand in books at ours, but no crossing the doorstep...

[Wayne]

Carolien wrote: "Wayne wrote: "Carolien wrote: "Anetq wrote: "Oooh my #24 is David's Story by Zoë Wicomb - here's hoping I can get it out of the library (Lockdown is loosening slightly, but they're on..."

Hopefully back in full swing soon

[Tinea, Nonfiction Logistician]

Diane wrote: "March's number is 24.


What will you be reading?"

I'll be reading Agõtĩme: Her Legend, for Benin.

[Diane , Head Librarian]

April's number is 1. What will you be reading?


I will be reading Efuru by Flora Nwapa.

[Wim, French Readings]

And I'm happy to be reading The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives by Lola Shoneyin.

[Orgeluse]

I will be reading Our Women on the Ground: Essays by Arab Women Reporting from the Arab World which I am really looking forward to 😊!

[Anetq, Tour Operator & Guide]

My April read #1 will be Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

[Diane , Head Librarian]

I enjoyed both Baba Segi's Wives and Purple Hibiscus. Great choices!

[Carolien]

I'll be reading A Sin of Omission by Marguerite Poland.

[Orgeluse]

Diane wrote: "April's number is 1. What will you be reading?


I will be reading Efuru by Flora Nwapa."

The author's biography is quite impressive! I'm looking forward to your take on the book!!

[Orgeluse]

Purple Hibiscus is also on my long-term TBR and I guess it will be quite good.

I remember having dnf-ed Baba Segi, ses épouses, leurs secrets but cannot remember why, so I'm looking forward to your take on it, Wim :))

[Annette]

My #1 April read is Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

[Tinea, Nonfiction Logistician]

Tinea wrote: "Diane wrote: "March's number is 24.


What will you be reading?"

I'll be reading Agõtĩme: Her Legend, for Benin."

I ended up traveling before this book arrived, so instead I read another from my list, The Edge of Eden for the Seychelles, and for April I'll read the next one in my suitcase, Les rochers de Poudre d'Or, for Mauritius.

[Diane , Head Librarian]

May's number will be 8. What will you be reading?

[Orgeluse]

OMG! This is what I call an early bird :)))! I have not even started my April pick but can of course declare that I will be reading Wole Soyinka in May. I have a collection of his plays on my shelves and I will pick at least one of them.
Collected Plays: Volume 1: A Dance of the Forests; The Swamp Dwellers; The Strong Breed; The Road; The Bacchae of Euripides: 001

[Carolien]

I haven't read April or February yet, but May should be Swallow.

[Wim, French Readings]

My May read will be Nehanda by Yvonne Vera. Looking forward!

[Annette]

My May book is Leaving Before the Rains Come by Alexandra Fuller. I really enjoyed Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight and have been wanting to read her other books. I’ll be reading my April book selection next month as well as this month has been extremely busy for me.

[Diane , Head Librarian]

June's number will be 18. What will you be reading?

[Carolien]

I've just finished April, so am behind, but June should be The House at Sugar Beach which has been on my TBR for years.

[Wim, French Readings]

I just finished my May read. In June, I'll be reading Aspects De La Civilisation Africain by Amadou Hampâté Bâ

[Diane , Head Librarian]

I will be reading The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso.

[Tinea, Nonfiction Logistician]

I haven't yet started May's The World and a Very Small Place in Africa: A History of Globalization in Niumi, the Gambia (my original pick for The Gambia wasn't available & it took awhile for this to come in) and I'll be reading Nomads and Nation-Building in the Western Sahara: Gender, Politics and the Sahrawi for June. I think I'm about to get a lot smarter!