I love books and I've found that sometimes the struggle is in
finding a good book to read. This year has been good to me, so far, so I
thought I'd share a list of some of the memorable ones that I have read
together with short details should you consider getting a copy for yourself
😊
1. The Polygamist
- Sue Nyathi
This was such a fun book to read. It took me two days to go
through it and it literally reads like a heated gossip session with a group of
friends. I loved it. The title really gives off what it’s about and if you are
wondering what the story is like from the women’s perspective this is
definitely the book for you. Sue is actually Zimbabwean and is currently
writing her second book, one I cannot wait to get my hands on!
2. 419 –
Will Ferguson
We have all heard about internet scams or possibly even
received an email or Facebook message ourselves from someone requesting help or
some sort of financial assistance. 419 is a book that dives deep into how
exactly this happens from the side of both the victim and the fraudster. It
intertwines the lives of all the different characters as you follow through
their long journey to ‘justice’ in Nigeria and Canada then ties it all together
at the end. It was a bit of a long read for me and I felt like the end just
wasn’t arriving but it’s a worthwhile book for perspective.
A similar book if you interested in reading more about this
is I
Do Not Come to You By Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, also set in
Nigeria.
3. Happiness,
Like Water - Chinelo Okparanta
This was a very light read. I managed to go through it
within a few days while travelling. What I loved about it most was that the
stories were short enough to keep you engaged and also how she highlighted the
different dynamics within families at home and abroad. Also set mostly in
Nigeria and the USA she touched on several issues spanning from love and
marriage, domestic violence, sexuality and the dreams we all have for a better
tomorrow. It is a book that any African would identify and if you aren’t
looking for depth and considering a light read Happiness, like water is a good
idea.
4. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - Sherman Alexie
 |
"Okay, so it's like each of these books is a mystery
Every book is a mystery. And if you read all the
books ever written, it's like you have read one giant
mystery. And no matter how much you learn,
you just keep learning there is no much more to learn." |
I was initially skeptical about this book. I really felt like it was something I would hand to my son when he was old enough to start reading. I was put off by the drawings and thought it was going to be child’s play. It wasn’t! There were real lessons to be learnt and by the time I got to the end I had grown attached to Junior in all his imperfections. They say it is a book for young adults actually and I guess this is a key group because young adults are more visual and attention spans can sometimes be very short. I read it online and went through it pretty fast considering the only times I was in front of a PC or with my phone are at work or after my son goes to sleep. If you are in search for a light, quick but serious book that you don’t have to buy you could definitely give this one a go.
5. Me Before
You – Jojo Moyes
I picked this book up hurriedly at the airport. I have no
idea why because I generally don’t read romance novels. I often find them mushy
and predictable. It took me ages to go through it but in the end I felt like it
was worth it. The ending was not as predictable as I had anticipated for the
agonizing 3 weeks that I read and stopped reading it only to start again.
HOWEVER, there is a movie and in my opinion this is probably the first book I
have read where I found the movie far more enjoyable than the book. So in light
of that I recommend the movie!
6.
Love
in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel GarcÃa Márquez
 |
"She reminded him that the weak would never enter the kingdom of love,
which is a harsh and ungenerous kingdom,
and that women give themselves
only to men of resolute spirit,
who provide the security they need in order to face life." |
This is another book about love! I have mixed feelings about
this one. I thoroughly enjoyed how it started, however, I didn’t like the
ending and in the middle I felt it sort of became monotonous. As I read it I felt
as though I was exploring romantic love and the different ways it manifests
itself. Love is not always about passion and having butterflies in your
stomach. Love also grows on you. I loved the book for its quotes and the descriptions
of an entirely new setting (a city on the Caribbean coast).
7.
An Elegy
for Easterly – Petina Gappah
This book is a compilation of short stories. A friend of
mine was looking for a book to read and I had initially given her my copy of
this one. I later took it back because I realized that all of the stories were
actually really sad. In light of that it is definitely not a book to read when
you are in search of a pick me up, however, I did enjoy reading it. The stories
were memorable and also set mostly in Zimbabwe such that I could identify with
characters and places. After reading it I was so eager to pass it on to a
friend so we could discuss. This is an ideal book for a book club!
8.
Happiness
is a Four-Letter Word - Cynthia Jele
If you love chic flicks and are looking for a quick read
while you are with company this is the perfect book. It’s a light and nippy
read but also juicy enough to keep you engaged. It narrates the lives of a
group of friends and their love life’s. I think what I enjoyed the most about
it was how as I read I was kinda trying to picture which of my friends was
which character. This book also has a movie which I ended up watching before I finished
the book, bad idea!!! What I didn’t like about the movie was that it was so inaccurate
and left out details from the book (as movies do) which I felt were so critical.
9. The Book of Memory – Petina Gappah
I loved this book! Although there were times I felt so sad
and partially gripped with depression and had to stop reading for a while. I
loved how it was set in Zimbabwe and so I could identify with a lot of the
scenery and language used. In some instances I could even picture the setting.
I love how her story is so unpredictable from the very beginning to want to
follow so you can find out more about her characters and how they ended up
where they did. I love her creativity and how she stings the story together. In
this books she uses unpredictable yet lovable characters tackling indirectly
issues to do with family, mental health, love, homosexuality, race and
identity. If you are looking for depth, this is the book!!
10.
Beneath
the Lions Gaze - Maaza Mengiste
 |
When you are convinced that everything that happens
is the will of God,
what is there to do but wait until God has mercy? |
This book was actually set in Ethiopia at a time when the
country was going through a revolution. Given what is currently going on in
Zimbabwe (I started reading it at the height of the #thisflag movement) I was
so enthusiastic! I was all viva viva as events started to
unfold but at the end I was literally in tears. I sent heartbroken messages to
my friends at 1AM urging them to pray for a better way out for Zimbabwe. Therefore,
if you consider yourself a revolutionary or would just like to find out more
about the goings on when a government is overthrown (I’m not insinuating anything
here) this is a good book to read. I think we can learn a lot from the
experiences of others and this is a book from which I learnt. This book also
highlighted that life and relationships can be very complicated and that
sometimes ‘loyalty’ is not so straight forward.
11.
Kite
runner - Khaled Hosseini
 |
"We are melancholic people, we Afgans,
aren't we? Often we wallow too much in ghamkhori
and self pity. We give into loss, to suffering,
accept it as fact of life, even see it
as necessary. Zendagi migzara, we say, life goes on." |
This was a book club book and when my book club did it I
actually had exams. I watched the movie trailer and had initially decided that
I wasn’t going to read it. It seemed far too disheartening. Needless to say my
book club loved it so much and literally forced me to read it. For some reason
the world loves this book. There must be something wrong with me though because
I wasn’t that much in awe. I did appreciate it though because it gave me
insights about issues and occurrences in Afghanistan, there are lessons to be
learnt about friendship and loyalty and you also get to explore a lot about
society and racial inequality. It’s a deep book I suppose and if these issues
are something up your drive I recommend you get yourself a copy. It’s always
good to learn more about distant but topical places in the world.
12. Far from Home - Na'ima B. Robert
 |
"It must be that, one day, no one will be exiled Far From Home,
but all will be Free to Return, with Open Hearts
and Willing hands, to Rebuild a Home called
Zimbabwe, as our ancestors built the city
of stone, Dzimba-dza-mabwe, so long ago." |
I came across this book randomly, a friend gave it to me when I had nothing to read. It is set in Zimbabwe and narrates the lives of two girls, a black girl and a white girl, in precolonial Zimbabwe then transitions to post independent Zimbabwe. I loved that in this book the reader was able to understand life on both sides of the story. Most times the story is often told from the viewpoint of only the oppressed and while I am a black Zimbabwean, I have always wanted to know the other side of the story. It doesn't read like propaganda with an agenda, as most books that narrate this kind of story do, but innocently tells the lives of two girls living their lives when the land was taken from 'us' and when we went to take it back. I highly recommend this book for any young Zimbabwean who would like to find a little unbiased context r.e our land situation.
There are also a few books that are on my line up (waiting
patiently on my bookshelf) so I thought it might be a good idea to list them
here as well just in case none of the above were interesting enough:
The Reluctant
Fundamentalist – Mohsin Hamid
Strife – Shimmer
Chinodya
An imperfect Blessing –
Nadia Davids
Roots: The Saga of an
American Family - Alex Haley
Three wishes - Liane
Moriarty
xoxo
Chido Dziva Chikwari
P.S. If anyone is interested my Book Club meets once every
six weeks or so and all are welcome! It is free of charge, several copies of the
book we will be reading are available for circulation (free of charge as well) and
you don’t even have to have read the book as conversation is always very
stimulating around various themes that arise in the book we would have read.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch with me for more details,
cchikwari@yahoo.com, or you can like our Facebook
page – Harare Open Book Club ( www.facebook.com/harareopenbookclub ).
This piece is dedicated to a very very very special super woman. I shall not mention her name but anyone who is close enough to me or my family will know exactly who she is. There is no one quite like her and for the longest time I've felt so indebted to her and even till today I don't know what I could ever do to express how grateful I am for everything that she does for me and everyone else too. She is a strong woman who takes all the flak but tactfully keeps the wheels on. I don't know what I'd do without her sometimes and pray that when I'm grown (Yes I'm still growing) I can have the kind of strength that she has, her selflessness when it comes to looking out for those dear to me and also enough 'free' time to always be 'available' when my children need a hand. 
She isn't the only one, I have many mothers who no matter what is going on their lives are willing to lay it all aside for me. I have seen and experienced this first hand and over the past two years I have learnt kukosha kwaAmai. Not only because I am now a mother in my own right but for some reason all the little things that my own mother does for me are now amplified. It is true what they say that hapana akakosha saAmai (there is no one as important as a mother). Whe
