The Bibliophiles' Emissary

 Feminist:   A person who  believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes. Author : Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie My Rating : 5 Stars Number Of Pages : 48 Year Of Publication : 2014 SUMMARY This is a modified version of a talk I delivered in December 2012 at TEDxEuston, a yearly conference focused on Africa. Speakers from diverse fields deliver concise talks aimed at challenging and inspiring Africans and friends of Africa. I had spoken at a different TED conference a few years before, giving a talk titled 'The Danger of the Single Story' about how stereotypes limit and shape our thinking, especially about Africa. It seems to me that the word feminist,  and the idea of feminism itself, is also limited by stereotypes. When my brother Chuks and best friend Ike, both co-organizers of the TEDxEuston conference, insisted that I speak, I could not say no. I decided to speak about Feminism because it is something I feel strongly about. I suspec...

***Me in a bookshop*** "My heart says yes, but my account says otherwise." Most readers can relate to this quote. I  can personally testify that most times when I step into a bookshop I always see seven- if not more- books I want to get. Sadly, the case is always that I budget for only two books :') Oh well, that's life Lol. Below is a list of books I wouldn't mind Santa leaving under my tree . (oh and if anyone is feeling benevolent and would like to get me one of these brilliant novels for Christmas, you can contact me here: chiamakaamonye@gmail.com or chiamakaamonye@yahoo.co.uk ) Thank you in advance. God Bless xx The List  1.   Odufa by Othuke Ominiabohs 2. Efuru by Flora Nwapa 3.  Last Night In The Viper Room by Gavin Edwards 4.  Sixty Percent Of A True Story by Osisiye Tafa 5. The Outcasts by Lubega Bonnie 6. Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur 7. Bridge to Haven by Fran...

Author : Tsitsi Dangarembga Genre : African Fiction My Rating: 3.5 Stars Year Of Publication : 1988 Number Of Pages : 204 Followed by: The Book of Not SUMMARY This stunning first novel, set in colonial Rhodesia during the 1960s, centers on the coming of age of a teenage girl, Tambu, and her relationship with her British-educated cousin Nyasha. Tambu, who yearns to be free of the constraints of her rural village, especially the circumscribed lives of the women, thinks her dreams have come true when her wealthy uncle offers to sponsor her education. But she soon learns that the education she receives at his mission school comes with a price. At the school she meets the worldly and rebellious Nyasha, who is chafing under her father's authority. Raised in England, Nyasha is so much a stranger among her own people that she can no longer speak her native language. Tambu can only watch as her cousin, caught between two cultures, pays the full cost of alienation.  ( Source...

Author : Clare Mackintosh Genre : Thriller | Crime My Rating ; 4 Stars Year Of Publication : 2014 Number of pages : 371 SUMMARY       A  tragic accident.   It all happened so quickly. She couldn't have prevented it.         Could she.... In a split-second, Jenna Gray's world descents into a night mare. Her only hope of moving on is to walk away from everything she knows, to start afresh. Desperate to escape, Jenna moves to a remote cottage on the Welsh coast, but she is haunted by her fears, her grief and her memories of a cruel November night that changed her life for ever. Slowly, Jenna begins to glimpse the potential for happiness in her future. But her past is about to catch up with her, and the consequences will be devastating... MY VERDICT I seldom read crime and the likes, but this book didn't disappoint . It had me staying up late, telling myself things like "Okay, after this chapter I'll go t...

Author : Dan Brown Genre : Conspiracy Fiction My Rating : 3.5 Stars Year Of Publication : 2013 Number Of Pages : 461 SUMMARY 'Seek      and     ye      shall       find' With these words echoing in his head, eminent Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon awakes in a hospital bed with no recollection of where he is or how he got there. Nor can he explain the origin of the macabre object that is found hidden in his belongings. A threat to his life will propel him and a young doctor, Sienna Brooks, into a breakneck chase across the city of  Florence. Only Langdon's knowledge of the hidden passageways and ancient secrets that lie behind its historic facade can save them from the clutches of their unknown pursuers. With only a few lines from Dante's dark and epic masterpiece, Inferno, to guide them, they must decipher a sequence of codes buried deep within some of the most celebrated artifacts of the Renaissan...

I don't know why this picture appeals to me, but oh well :) Sourced from:  www.blackfabulousity.com Author : Christie Watson Genre :Contemporary/ African Fiction Year Of Publication : 2011 My Rating : 4 Stars SUMMARY Blessing and her older brother, Ezekiel, are wrenched from their pampered life in Ikeja when father leaves home for another woman. They move to a village near Warri to live with their grandparents. The sprawling family compound is a place of wonder and mystery. Grandfather Alhaji is a firm believer in the healing properties of Marmite, while Grandma has a secret profession. And then there's Alhaji's new wife, Celestine. But as Blessing settles into this new life, she realises that things are not as idyllic as they seem. Ezekiel and Mama are drawn into separate worlds of fear and love that threaten to tear the family apart Tiny Sunbirds is an evocative novel about the political and environmental catastrophe taking place in the Niger Delta and th...

Author : Leslie Gould Genre : Fiction ( Contemporary) Year Of Publication : 2005 My Rating: 3.5 Stars SUMMARY In 1975, an American girl named Genevieve loses her mother when a plane full of orphans crashes in war-ravaged Vietnam. Miles away in the countryside, seven-year-old Lan, a Vietnamese girl, is forced out of her family home by her own brother who has joined the Viet Cong. Worlds apart, these two girls come into womanhood struggling to recover a sense of family- until their journeys suddenly converge. Lan has grown up in the harsh realities of post-war Vietnam, but she yearns for a better life for her children. Meanwhile, Genevieve marries and, faced with infertility, decides to adopt a child from the country her own mother loved so deeply. But the uncertainty and risk of international adoption threatens to overwhelm both women before their hearts and their families can be healed. Beyond the Blue is the story of enormous losses, unthinkable choices, and the trans...

Author : Francine Rivers Genre : Fiction (Christian) Year Of Publication : 1997 My Rating : 5 Stars SUMMARY Dynah Carey's life is just as she'd always dreamed it would be. Engaged to a wonderful man, the daughter of doting parents, a faithful child of God, she has it all.  But in one horrific, terrifying moment, Dynah's world is shattered by rape, her future irrevocably altered by an unwanted pregnancy, her family torn apart by the tragedy and the long-held secrets it brings to light.  As the firm foundations around her shift and crumble, Dynah's faith is pushed to the limits, and she faces the most momentous choice of her life- to embrace or to end the untimely life within her. "Rivers proves once more she can keep readers transfixed and wanting more." -Christian Retailing MY VERDICT This story literally had me in tears :') I guess it's quite obvious now that i'm obsessed with christian fiction, because I always award them 5 sta...

  Hi! Happy new month everyone! To quote on of my favourite bloggers, Demilade Aina of Coco-Bella Blog; September is the month of new beginnings! And what better way to celebrate the new month than to start a few new habits and regimens. Below is a list of five things I think every reader should own or incorporate whilst reading ! (Demilade's Blog  Here ) 1. Chamomlie Tea Chamomile tea has been consumed for hundreds of years. It is made by infusing German chamomile (Matricaria recutita), a member of the sunflower family, in hot water. Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) is also beneficial, but most research has been done on German chamomile and it is the most commonly used in teas Better Sleep Chamomile tea’s most well-known benefit is as a sleep aid. It is known for its relaxing and soothing properties and is often taken before bed to promote restful sleep. Chamomile Tea has other benefits too; it helps with menstural cramps, it's also a cold fighter and even ...

  Author : Sefi Atta Genre : Fiction Year Of Publication: 2008 My Rating: 3 Stars SUMMARY It is the mid 1980s in Lagos and the governement's War Against Indiscipline and austerity measures are fully in operation. Tolani Ajao is secretary working at Federal Community Bank. A succession of unfortunate events lead Tolani's roomate and colleague, Rose, to persuade her to consider drug trafficking as an alternative means of making a living. Tolani's subsequent struggle with temptation forces her to reconsider her morality and that of her mother Arike's, as she embarks on a turbulent journey of self discovery .- Written by author. "The bustle, choas and fast rhythm of Lagos jump from the pages of Swallow, Sefi Atta's new book. It is fiction steeped in life."  - Veronique Tadjo, author of As the Crow Files MY VERDICT Don't judge a book by It's cover. That's one thing I learnt from reading this novel. I guess I was so allured by the ...

-Sourced from http://www.marjoncarlos.com/diary/ Author: Taiye Selasi Genre: Fiction Year Of Publication : 2013 My Rating : 3.5 Stars SUMMARY     Ghana Must Go is doleful tale about reunion, love and misunderstanding. - Written by Chiamaka Amonye    Meet the Sais, a Nigerian-Ghanaian family living in the United States. A family prospering until the day father and surgeon Kweku Sai is the victim of a grave injustice. Ashamed, he abandons his beautiful wife Fola and their little boys and girls, causing the family to fracture and spiral out into the world- New York, London, West Africa, New England - on uncertain, troubled journeys until, many years later, tragedy unites them. Now this broken family has a chance to heal - but can the Sais take it ? - Written by Taiye Selasi MY VERDICT The author's summary says it all. I didn't quite enjoy the beginning of the book, because it was a drag (long and boring) but my friends convinced me to contin...

    Hey there! I hope everyone is having an awesome week, I know I am :)  I just checked my O' Level result; glory be to God I did well (5As and 4Bs) Anywho, onto more important things. My bestfriend, Enenma -Enny for short- is into writing .She's a literary enthusiast, she is all for peoms, art, music and so much more ! Her blog will be launched on the 20th of this month- yay :). Here are two of her short stories. Enjoy x LATE      I stood on the bridge waiting for you to come Freidrich. Why weren't you there    ? You promised you'd be there waiting by noon.  I'm so worried now Freidrich, you know I'm a paranoid person. They told me it would happen, but I didn't believe it. Am I going mad because of    you   ?   Yes, I am . Freidrich please come. Don't leave me waiting on the bridge. The fog is too thick to see anything. I need you now. Why haven't you come yet   ? I can see a fi gure now. He's coming close...

    I have decided to show a few books I have read, of which I will not be posting a full review on. The reason being, I cannot remember the full story line of some of them, but I do not want you guys to see some of these novels and turn a blind eye, simply because I failed to inform you about how good or how bad the book is.Whatever the case may be, here are a few books from  my near infinite list of good reads.... :)   5 stars This has to be the best book I have ever encountered.  It has a wonderful story line and an inspiring conclusion.  Get it. 4.5 stars This book gave me so much life;  I am totally itching to read the sequel. Get it. 4.5 stars I loved the traditional igbo setting. Get it.                             4 stars Get this novel. That is all I have to say. Get it. 4 stars Lovely story, sad ending. Nonetheless, John Green deserves all the l...

Author :  Ben Okri Genre : Fiction Year of publication : 2007 My rating : Four and half stars Summary   Starbook tells a magical tale of a prince, a maiden and  her artistic clandestine  tribe. The prince was not from her tribe though, but he grew to be a member. The maiden on the other hand ,was on her own journey of self discovery; born into the family of one of the most respected artists in the tribe - a legacy rested upon her shoulders ,but she was a very odd girl awaiting her own destiny and legacy. Read to find out  more! -Written by Chiamaka Amonye    At one level, Starbook tells the delicate story of a prince and a maiden who are both tested by trails in a mythical land where art, initiation and dynamic stillness are supremely important.     At another level, this rich and stimulating novel opens up the nature of reality, where the essence of life is  revealed, and the source of enchantment can be ours- where...