In the simplicity, Lies Brilliance

Baking Cakes in Kigali was a pleasant surprise.  It is quite admirable to read books with intricate story lines and plots weaving in and out, up and down, east to west and the like. I am always left in awe when I read such books…in awe of the authors’ obviously intelligent and highly complex mind. 

This book is not one of those. Rather, it is a series of stories all centred around one woman who is …you guessed it….Baking cakes in Kigali. The stories are simple, every day stories. The characters in the book, every day characters. People you know…have met…probably live with. People like yourself. 

In my opinion, it takes an even more brilliant mind to tell stories simply... with no bells and whistles. To tell them as they are without any spins, twists & cartwheels yet still managing to keep the interest of the reader.  Brilliance sometimes comes dressed in simple attire. 

Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin..READ IT. 

Baking Cakes in Nairobi

The truth is..I have never baked anything in my life. It has always been one of those things that was just not me...the baking part...not the eating one. However, I think as I grow older the art of cooking is connivingly attaching itself to me and I find myself thoroughly enjoying it and producing wonderful meals to boost! I suppose that means I need to bake a cake soon. Now my family still find it hard to believe I can produce a great meal. Even when they are seated right there eating it! I used to tell my mum that I had no talent for cooking. To prove it was true, I made terrible meals. Not on purpose though :-)..well at least not all the time. Therefore, it became a written rule. Cooking was not one of my chores as I grew up! Yeah!! On the other hand, I cleaned up pretty well. As a child, I was obsessed with keeping my parents room neat. It was so frustrating because neither one of them had any such obsession with neatness. In fact, they were both very good at creating messes and I was very good at cleaning up after them. Eventually, I stilled myself and managed to stop doing it. It seem like a hopeless task. My mum misses it though :-).  Oh yes...back to cooking. So, if I am NOT baking cakes in Nairobi, what is this post about?

Baking cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin

To begin with, I need to find out if Gaile is white because if she is...she is doing pretty well telling the story of a Tanzanian woman who has relocated to Kigali with her husband post the genocide..and you guessed it! She is now Baking cakes in Kigali.

Other than attaching the beautiful photo of the book below...I have nothing else to share because am still reading it. Am on page 76 to be exact, so will be back with a bit more detail!

The Common Lawyer

By Mark Gimenez

I love me some law drama! And this one was no different.

Initially, the books starts off really slow….as in REAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLY SLOW. I almost give up at some point and then suddenly…the pace picks up and it goes up all the way to 200kph till the end. 

 

Andy Prescott is not your typical lawyer. He does not wear Italian tailored suits or drive the larest BMW. He does not work from a posh corner office nor does he live in an upmarket neighbourhood. He does not even handle typical law cases! Andy is just a guy stuck in between college and adulthood…and totally refusing to grow up. He gets by through taking up traffic cases. Andy is brilliant though. 

Bang! One day he lands the case of a life time. Too good to be true...and indeed, it does turn out to be too good to be true. I don’t know how to explain the story….there are surprises all over the place. Once you think you have understood the story…it changes and takes up a whole new life of its own. Brilliant writing…though I found the ending rather bland and predictable. 

In the end, you realise that Andy is no common lawyer in every sense of the word. 

A lost wife’s tale

By Marion McGilvary

Edith has been married for many years…and then one day, she just vanishes from her life with her husband.  She takes up a job as a housekeeper to a divorced publisher…and soon they fall in love.

Little does he know about her past life….She admits to being previously married but lies that her husband passed away. UNTIL…until one day….she is hosting dinner for her boyfriend…when an invited guest comes with her friend….Edith’s husband!

Well ...all hell break’s loose….and she has to run again. From her husband….from her new lover….from everything. It turns out she is really running from her daughter who she gave up for adoption many years ago. That doesn’t make sense to me. Why would anyone do that? i.e. mess up their lives….lie….move around…etc just because they do not want to face their own child? I suppose there are people like that in life..sad. 

I honestly didn’t get that bit at all…but would still recommend the book.

Meanwhile...

I hate starting my posts like this-----> It has been a while...

Am tempted to though, because indeed...it has been a while. And when "it has been a while", it also means it has been busy...it has been crazy...and sometimes it means it hasn't been good either. It is 3 months since my last post and I am deeply ashamed.

The good thing though is I have still been reading and I have managed to read 5 books at least. Not too bad eh?

So let's see how well my memory serves me on the first two...

The Girl Next Door by Elizabeth Noble

The title of the book lies. This book is hardly about the girl next door but more about each and everyone living in an apartment complex in New York's Upper East Side and their lives! I think a more appropriate title would have been "All about the Neighbours" :-) but that not withstanding, it's a wonderful book.

The main focus of the book is Eve who is English and has just moved to New York with her husband who is taking up a high flying job. Soon, Eve finds herself stuck in the house with not much to do (In bloody NEW YORK????). She eventually befriends Violet, one of her elderly neighbours who is originally from England.Violet has lived in the US for a long time.

INTERLUDE: At this point, I rudely discover that a Peanut butter & Jelly sandwich is really just bread with Peanut butter  and JAM...Yes..JAM! Why the Americans call it jelly is beyond me. All these years I have secretly relished having one...even anticipating its deliciousness (otherwise why do they...the Americans.... talk about it all the time?). At this point...I think about Chimamanda Adichie's TEDEx presentation on "The danger of a single story". It takes me reading a book written by an English author and set in America to know this basic fact...that there are no pomp and bells involved in a peanut butter & jelly sandwich! Even recalling this annoys me. Back to the story......

What is the essence of this book then? The Author interweaves Eve's story with that of Violet and all their other neighbours. There is the gay couple (for political correctness I suppose otherwise there isn't much to tell about them) one of whom is a lawyer, then there are the single girls (the introvert, the drop dead gorgeous girl and the diva). There is also the rich boy with a trust fund, the perfect couple with two little perfect children and the imperfect couple who hardly speak to each other any more and are contemplating divorce. There is also the old man who hates the gay couple and would send them to hell himself if he could. He later on dies in his apartment and nobody notices until he has been dead for a number of days. The classic American tale. The book is simply a medley of stories and not a moment of boredom!

At some point in the story, Eve gets pregnant and is happy to have something to focus on. As the story progresses and the readers are busy waiting for the wonderful birth of Eve's baby....the author gives the story a twist. Eve goes into premature labour and delivers a baby girl who lives only for a month. At this point of the story....I have to stop reading the book for a little while because as the story unfolds...it only makes me cry. As a mother, I deeply relate to Eve's anguish and pain. I also like to cry every once in a while for reasons that do not involve my own life. It's healthy. A healthy excuse to cry :-) i.e.! To top it all, the author brings out Violet's own pain and anguish story about loosing her husband and her 5 year old daughter. Am happy when the book finally ends and I can stop crying! YES..YES! I cried about fictional characters Elizabeth Noble created in her head but that right there...THAT is the power of a true author.

All in all it is a good read...though not the kind of book that will keep you up late into the night because you simply cannot put it down.

The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama

Take a good look at the cover. Take another good look. Not exactly attractive...makes you wonder what kind of book this really is. I picked it up...then put it down again but something drew me back and I decided to give it a try. Boy am I glad that I did!

The book is set in rural India. First problem....rural India? Second problem...Marriage Bureau? Still...something keeps me going. And here is why.....

Bored with retirement, Mr. Ali sets up a desk, puts up a sign, and waits for customers for his new matchmaking business. You would think with all the online sites available, a matchmaking business (its all analogue) wouldn't make sense at all. But this is India and that is what makes a difference. Any Indian family with a daughter looks forward to finding a husband for her. Its not easy though due to the deeply rooted cultural beliefs THAT COMPLICATE EVERYTHING. Perhaps I should have been born there...then that would be one headache off my mind. I would only need to know these things;Where, What time, What do I wear? Is he human?

Within no time, Mr Ali's business is booming and he makes his first perfect match...then a second...and a third. Soon he is overwhelmed and needs an assistant! It may all sound easy but there is a lot of complexity involved due to the caste system, family preferences, financial capability etc. Not once does love come into the equation. Soon, Mr. Ali is able to get an assistant, thanks to his wife. This book is really about her story.

I will leave you to find out more if you so wish. When I finally finish reading the book, I have a big smile on my face...a high... fueled by a renewed hope and belief in love. It only lasts for the remainder of my evening....but while it last....I ride the wave for all its worth.

Blistering barnacles!!! (You know what am talking about if you followed the Tin Tin series)....I have 3 more books to talk about! Till next time....

Happy New Reading!

So, the New Year is here....and with all the expectations that come with the newness and with the fact that it is a Jubilee Year. I plan on NOT getting disappointed and getting all the jubilee I can! If there will be a measure of how much jubilation one has experienced at the end of the year....I plan on being at the top of the list.

I am done with my first book of this year and I will write about it soon..as soon as the pressure from my boss is off for a little while! :-) . Actually, I have to review my last read of 2012..and then get to my 2013 one. Don't worry though...I will deliver :-)

All in all...am grateful for the ability to read. Something we often take for granted. Yes..am very glad that I can read. It is truly... a beautifully PURE gift!! 

Happy Reading in 2013!

An unexpected delight!

Am strolling through the streets of Nairobi, headed to the salon when I came across a street vendor selling second hand books at a more than reasonable price. Of course, I had to stop. I picked up a couple of books for Levi and 2 for myself. The books I picked for myself were randomly chosen. I had not heard of the authors before and I only briefly read the descriptions. One was a love story (I was in need of one) and the other a detective story. Nice balance...don't you think? Between love and crime.  Both of these books set me back Kshs 100 (slightly over 1 USD). Unbelievable especially given the pleasure I derive from reading. WAY WAY More than my money's worth!

I read the love story first. As I mentioned, I was in need of soapy, mushy story and this was to be delivered by one through DAKOTA HOME by Debbie Macomber. Turns out it's part of a whole series based on a little town [Buffalo Valley] in..you guessed it. Dakota. 

Dakota Home, Dakota Born, Always Dakota, Buffalo Valley etc runs the series. After reading Dakota Home, I must say that I wouldn't mind reading the rest. 

The book surprised me simply because it was not based on one love story....but a couple of them between several couples living in Buffalo Valley though one particular story is given prominence. It's a typical story with an unbelievable ending but oh well, what to do. What I liked about the book though was in between one or two love scenes, the author tells the story of the town..its slow death and eventually it's revival. That's the real story actually.

One of the secondary love stories is a story of a single mum who falls in love and the struggles involved especially with regards to her son accepting her new love. The other story I loved is one of reconciliation between a married couple on the road to a divorce. There is also the story of this cocky,  rich, handsome heir who is totally thrown off by this beautiful lady who hardly cares if he exists whilst he is used to women falling all over themselves to get his attention. 

In conclusion...it's not your usual mundane romance novel and I have had my fair share of those...a carton or two full of Mills & Boons and Harlequins and other titles I cannot even remember. 

PLOTS & ERRORS by Jill McGown

Am sure you have all heard of the phrase or cliche' "The plot thickens". Now...in this book....the plot not only thickens, it balloons into a gigantic maze that leaves the reader REELING! 

I simply loved it! It's been a long time since I have been tempted to take a book to the loo cos I couldn't put it down...but to the loo we went!  The book is based on a thrilling plot based on the rich and wealthy Esterbrook family

Pick it up..if you may and you will not be disappointed. That's all I'll say otherwise I will just spoil it for you. I must mention though that Jill McGown is a real detective...thus I believe, why this story or should I say PLOT is really EXCELLENT. The Esterbrooks do not disappoint.

To quote The Times (London) "McGown always manages to people her books with characters who are entirely believable, fascinating human beings. This is a rare skills....Jill McGown is one of the most seriously underrated crime novelists around". I fully agree.

And now...to my next stop by the Street Vendor's corner.

WHAT DELIGHT!!!