My favourite books

Todays blog post goes to @henry_Abuya who has taken over the task of supplying me with E-books to keep me away from trouble. He was kind enough to ask for book suggestions in return for this kind gesture. I offered to give myself (that’s how much I love books) but being the principled guy that he is he refused. You would think it would make me hate him but it makes me like him even more.lol. Anyway here’s a list of books which have made a big impact on my life.

1.The mixers by Mwangi Gicheru

It’s the first novel I read by a Kenyan writer. Long before I disvovered kina Ngugi wa Thiong’o binyavanga wanaina, Grace Ogot, Margaret Ogola, Marjorie Oludhe, David Mulwa etc
It was about white settlers and their interactions with the natives. I was young so I cant really remember the significant lessons. I learned the vulgar kikuyu words from the book. Like some Mzungu asked the locals to tell him how to say good morning in kikuyu and he was told its “niatia nugu ino”. I can’t translate. Theres also a part where the Mzungus cow goes to mate with the local bulls and he gets pissed and tries to chase it away. lol. The poor horny bull didn’t know the boundaries. I have tried looking for this book but I can’t find it.

2. Sophies heart by Lori Wick

The first Christian Romance novel that I read and it brought tears to my eyes. It was so beautifully written, forget the soaps they show on telly every nite, this is what you shoud be reading. I just wish someone would turn it into a movie already. Its a womans(sophie) journey from Czechoslovakia to U.S.A as an emigrant and a series of events see her finding love and blah blah blah. I remember a part where a mr-too-damn good proposes by putting a ring in a jar full of fireflies at night…no marriage proposal has ever topped this for me. Just thinking about it makes me tear-up.

3.The Best a man can Get by John Ofarrell

A good friend of mine in Campus gave it to me. I read it so many times av lost count. I even remember the cover had the picture of a goldfish in a bowl(guess that's how the rotagonist felt) It revolves around Michael Adams who lives a double life and no one knows. He is a musician who creates jingles for ads (like Charlie in two and a half men), he has a young family- a wife and two kids in the North of London in Kentish and marriage life overwhelms him. On the South of London he has a flat which doubles up as his studio which he shares with three other guys. When not working(which is most of the time) they just play computer games or watch telly and just generally do guy stuff. His wife is not aware of is living arrangement and everything is going well until his wife gets pregnant with the third child and his world starts spiraling out of control. It’s not sad though, its full of humour from beginning to end.

4. Harris and Me by Gary Palsen

The friend who gave me the above book also gave me this one. It’s meant for kids but I love it kabisa. My inner child was entertained af. Its about an 11yr old boy from the city dropped off by his parents at his cousins(Harris) who lives in the farm. Together they get from one mischief to another(it reminds me of the adventures of moses by Barbara Kimenye). Harris is undisciplined, rough, curses too much but exciting to a point that you dont even hate the character. It’s like a comedy and am talking Charlie-Chaplin-or-Mwala kind of fun. There’s a part where one of them pees on an electric fence and gets electrocuted. Haris keeps referring to his uncle who almost went to war- hilarious.

5. The catcher in the Rye – by Jerome Davis Salinger (J.D. Salinger)

In college,in literature classes, we were required to choose some elective courses and being the lazy woman that I am I used to collect all the course outline and choose the one with the least books to read. That’s how I accidentally ended up in the American literature class.

These books changed me in more ways than one. I come from a background where English grammar is sacrosanct. Far be it from me to dare break any rules. Then I “meet” J.D. an all that changed. I love his style of writing, subjective – from the point of view of the protagonist. The writer uses the teen colloquial speech of the time- words and phrases that frequently appear include phony(superficial), That killed me(hilarious), Flit(homosexual) etc. Even the title of the book is the corruption of some poem. I just love the freedom to write that J.D had, I wish I could have met him. This book came at the right time in my life when I was going through some funny phase (for lack of a better term). I saw my self in the main character Holden who the whole story revolves around. Holden is erratic , confused, unreliable, restless and caught between adolescence and adulthood. He seems to know what he doesn’t want but can’t tell what he wants and keeps on changing schools. Issues of identity, belonging, connection, alienation, isolation, disillusionment and restlessness of the post-war generation in America are brought forth.
I wish every teen could get their hand on this book.

Here's my old copy, it stays in my purse always, i never leave it behind. Am even afraid to lend it to other people.lol

6. Sunset in Africa – by peter M. Nyarango

I am currently reading this one. Am at page 26 and am already in love. Its written by a doctor(reminds me of Yusuf Daewood). Through it I have learnt a few Kisii words and some culture too. Like kitambo if you had ring worms they'd shave your head then apply cow dung from a black cow(don’t ask me why) and you had to let it stay there for 48hrs!!! Jeez!how do you spell torture.Anyways let me get back to reading.