Play Book Tag discussion
March 2021: Africa
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Announcing the March Tag
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Nicole R wrote: "@Nancy, I recently read A Girl Is a Body of Water and I thought it was very good!"It sounds great, and I don't think I've read anything from a Ugandan writer before. I read a lot of "own voices" books from Africa, but when I mapped them, I realized that they were all from Nigeria or Ghana.
Holly R W wrote: "@Nicole, That's a good recommendation. You have me intrigued.Yesterday, I went to our art museum and spent a long time in the African art section, perhaps due to thinking about all of the discuss..."
Art museum? Oh, that sounds like a great idea. I've been in lockdown mode for so long, that might be just what I need. Or the Botanical Gardens.
Lots of good recommendations from everyone. I'd like to recommend Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, We Wish to Inform you That We Will be Killed WithOur Families by Philip Gourevitch , and King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild.
I plan on reading Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff and possibly Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.
I didn't make any recommendations! I should have. I have a few Africa books that have made my favourites over the years (all listed below), so here goes: :-) I will separate out the animal books.
Animals:
Babylon's Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo / Lawrence Anthony
The Elephant Whisperer / Lawrence Anthony
The White Bone / Barbara Gowdy
Through a Window: My Thirty Years with the Chimpanzees of Gombe / Jane Goodall
Non-animal books:
Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda / Romeo Dallaire
A House in the Sky / Amanda Lindhout
The Camel Bookmobile / Masha Hamilton
I love the title. I think I also saw something like "my librarian is a camel."
Robin P wrote: "If anyone hasn't read it yet, Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood is wonderful, especially on audio."I totally agree. I also listened to it on audio and I loved it.
Joi wrote: "Looking at Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood or The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency"Good choices!
@Diane We Wish to Inform You was a phenomenal books. I had to really focus and think on it, but it was so eye opening for me. If I thought I could emotionally take it, I would reread it.
I highly recommend the non-fiction Out of America: A Black Man Confronts Africa by Keith B. RichburgI will probably read Say You're One of Them
Theresa wrote: "@LibraryCin - how intriguing is The Camel Bookmobile! Added to my TBR!"Hope you like it!
This is an older book, but is a novel that tells an important story in African 20th C history and is NOT set in Nigeria or Rwanda, Maru by Bessie Head. It's by a South African author and is about racism in Botswana, but not just from white to African, but also the racism that existed between the Batswana and the Masarwa (aka Bushmen). It's about the marriage of a Batswana man and a Masarwa school teacher.
There is one book in the No 1 Ladies Detective agency that talks about the Masarwa as two of their children are the foster children of Precious...
Nicole R wrote: "@Diane We Wish to Inform You was a phenomenal books. I had to really focus and think on it, but it was so eye opening for me. If I thought I could emotionally take it, I would reread it."
We Wish to Inform You is a powerful book as well. It took me awhile to read it as I could only read about the atrocities for so long.
I am going to read a No 1 Ladies Detective Agency book to work on a personal goal of finishing a series.
I meant to recommend American Spy for those who enjoy a bit of thriller. Its about a black female intelligence FBI officer in NYC in the 80's who is mostly relegated coffee and admin until her profile works perfectly to get intel on new leader in Burkina Faso visiting the UN who is doesn't play the US government's game.
An oldie but goodie is The Eight by Katherine Neville set partially in North Africa at the beginning of OPEC and oil embargos
Barbara M wrote: "Robin P wrote: "If anyone hasn't read it yet, Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood is wonderful, especially on audio."I totally agree. I also listened to it on aud..."
OK, you've all convinced me! Now is the time.
It's odd that my library doesn't have the e-audio for such a popular book. They do have a CD, and since he's a talk show host, I'll assume he's a fast talker. I've become spoiled by the faster playback options on audio files.
I have a non-Africa tag related question. I am reading the Exiles this month, not for Africa, but for Fly. Sally is reading it too. But I believe there were one or two others who also were going to join me/us, but I can no longer remember who they were, or onto what thread that was born. Would anyone like to remind me who they were, or would like to join us? Announcing a Buddy Read for the Exiles for March. Perhaps I just start the thread and see who pops on.... But thought to place it here to get it rolling.
Thanks, BC! Anna gets the credit for coming up with wonderful banners month after month . . .
Anita wrote: "Thanks, BC! Anna gets the credit for coming up with wonderful banners month after month . . ."I echo how terrific the banner is! Anna - your work is sincerely appreciated -- and I know it is work! Finding good images that fit the narrow dimensions and requirements for these banners is no easy task.
Theresa wrote: "Anita wrote: "Thanks, BC! Anna gets the credit for coming up with wonderful banners month after month . . ."I echo how terrific the banner is! Anna - your work is sincerely appreciated -- and I k..."
Thank you! I've learned to tweak what I find, and sometimes cobble pictures together in Photoshop. Slowly learning a few tricks and I enjoy it, though I can't manipulate photographs as well as I would like. Glad my efforts are appreciated!
As soon as I saw the new banner I got the Lion King song Circle of Life in my head....now it won't go away
I'm just here to whine because I'm hating my Africa book, but I'm 50% through and don't really want to feel like I totally wasted my time. And worse, I had so many other good options, but I picked this one because it was highly recommended to me and has been on my TBR forever. Ugh.
Now we need to know, Anita....what is the book?!
Nicole R wrote: "Now we need to know, Anita....what is the book?!"Hum If You Don’t Know the Words
There's nothing in inherently wrong with it yet, but I am worried because a lot of people dinged the ending, and I am already not about it.
Anita wrote: "There's nothing in inherently wrong with it yet, but I am worried because a lot of people dinged the ending, and I am already not about it...."Oh no! :-(
@AnitaDNF it. I am determined this year to not keep reading books that are a drag.
Except for BUtB. Lol. I am going to finish it.
Nicole R wrote: "@AnitaDNF it. I am determined this year to not keep reading books that are a drag.
Except for BUtB. Lol. I am going to finish it."
Chuck it and pick up something that excites you. It should not be work to finish.
It’s not work to read BUtB, it is just not a fast read so my brain does not necessarily want to engage with it at the end of a long work day. But, I am enjoying it! I know you despised the Wolf Hall trilogy, but I enjoy them! Definitely not chucking them.
If I decided sooner to quit fine, but now I just feel like I don't want to start over with a different Africa book. I have like 3 Netgalley books I need to get to lol.
Hahaha! I like the time cost-benefit analysis.
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
Hum If You Don't Know the Words (other topics)His Only Wife (other topics)
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood (other topics)
The Eight (other topics)
American Spy (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Katherine Neville (other topics)Bessie Head (other topics)
Keith B. Richburg (other topics)
Aminatta Forna (other topics)
Zadie Smith (other topics)
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Yesterday, I went to our art museum and spent a long time in the African art section, perhaps due to thinking about all of the discussion here about books set in Africa. I'm psyched!