Daily Reading (19th January)

[ironed_orchid]

What have you been reading today? Everything counts, from the user's manual to the back of the cereal box!

Comments

[nou]

Since last report, I have read:

• Under The Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta. It took me a couple of tries to get into this, for some reason — the first chapter just wasn’t going in, no matter how hard I tried to focus, but I’m glad I perservered.
• Horrible Words: A Guide To The Misuse Of English by Rebecca Gowers. This was pretty interesting, though I found the framing story (“this is a guide to annoying pedants”) a bit irritating. Having said that, it is right there in the title, so I shouldn’t complain.
• Longthroat Memoirs: Soups, Sex And Nigerian Tastebuds by Yemisi Aribisala. A collection of essays on Nigerian food and other subjects that food brings to the author’s mind. It’s a very personal collection, and at some points reveals more about the author than she perhaps intended (apparently she doesn’t realise that not all non-heterosexuals are gay men), but due to its nature as a compilation it’s easy enough to skip to the next essay if one of them isn’t working for you. The food parts are great, though.
• Things Fall Apart and Arrow Of God by Chinua Achebe. The first was a re-read, the second new to me. Both reads were partly inspired by having recently read two other very different Nigerian books, as noted above. There’s a really interesting comment by Ainehi Edoro in a discussion with the author of Longthroat Memoirs, which I didn’t see until after reading all of this, but with which I totally agree: “I like using Things Fall Apart as the classic example of a novel that we credit with so much representational value but that almost completely excludes the question of food. There are the usual references to people cooking and eating mounds of pounded yam and roasted cricket but nothing memorable, nothing like Pip in Dicken’s Great Expectation going and on about godawful bread his sister forced him and her husband to eat.”
• An Accident Of Stars by Foz Meadows. I loved how bisexuality and polyamory were just part of the world, nothing special, and I liked the differing viewpoints throughout the book. I did feel the ending was a bit rushed and implausible, but I’ll definitely read the next one in the series once it’s out.

[nou]

A question: would people prefer me to be more concise about making reports here? I realise the above is a bit “wall of text”.

[fred_mouse]

I am happy with your Wall'o'Text - I find it interesting to read your commentaries as well as just get the names.

[nou]

Thank you!

[ironed_orchid]

I'm happy for members to use this community post in whatever way feels useful to them.

I don't always leave expansive replies due to life and time zones, but it makes me happy when people comment on the check in posts.

[nou]

Great, thanks :)

[elynross]

I enjoyed reading what you liked/didn't like, which is much more likely to spur me to take a look at something myself, so I'd love for you to continue!

[nou]

Thank you — glad to hear people find it useful rather than annoying!

[ironed_orchid]

Nice!