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2013 has been another great year for African literature, and since my reading this year was pretty awful, I decided instead to look back at the year - new releases, festivals, awards and more. Enjoy!!!

New Releases


It seemed like every other week a new novel came out this year - The Hired Man by Aminatta Forna, The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes, Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,  Love is Power by A Igoni Barrett, Tomorrow I'll be Twenty by Alain Mabanckou and The Orchard of Lost Souls by Nadifa Mohamed to name some. There was also a lot of firsts - There is a Country: New Fiction from the New Nation of South Sudan and debut novels from Taiye Selasi with Ghana Must Go and NoViolet Bulawayo with We Need New Names. 

Nominations and Prizes
In January, the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (the Arabic Booker) shortlist included Tunisian author Husein Al-Wad's His Excellency the Minister. In April, Granta Best Young British Novelist 2013 announced its list of the 20 best British novelists under 40. This was more diverse than usual with the authors coming from a wider range of ethnic backgrounds and women forming the majority of authors. Included on the list was Somali-born Nadifa Mohammed, Nigerian born Helen Oyeyemi and Taiye Selasi, born in London to Nigerian and Ghanian parents. Also in April, the Kenyan-born Somali poet Warsan Shire was announced as the first ever winner of the Brunel University African Poetry Prize. In May, E E Sule was announced as the African Regional Winner for the 2013 Commonwealth Book Prize for his novel Sterile Sky. In May, Marie NDaiye's Three Strong Women was longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize 2013. Also in May, Mozambican author Mia Couto was announced as the winner of the 2013 Camões Prize for Literature, one of the most prestigious international awards honouring the work of Portuguese language writers. 

In July Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was awarded the 2013 Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for Fiction for Americanah, which was described as 'a novel that engages with important ideas about race, and does so with style, wit and insight'. Also in July, Nigerian-American Tope Folarin won the 2013 Caine Prize for African Writing for his short story  Miracle.  
In the same month, Uganda's Jennifer Nansubuga Makumni won the Kwani? Manuscript Project, a new one-off literary prize for unpublished fiction from African writers, for her novel The Kintu Saga. In September NoViolet Bulawayo's We Need New Names made it on to the Man Booker Prize 2013 Shortlist and The National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35 List. In November Mia Couto was announced as the laureate of the 2014 Neustadt International Prize for Literature. Also in November, the winners of the Golden Baobab Prizes for African Children's Literature were announced. Golden Baobab also launched their prize for illustrations. In December, the innaugural Etisalat Prize for African Literature announced its longlist including We Need New Names, Bomboy, Daughters Who Walk this Path  and The Spider King's Daughter. 

Events and Festivals
In May, there was a huge contingent of African authors in Etonnants Voyageurs in France. A couple of other events/festivals this year included the Royal African Society's literature and book festival in London in July and the inaugural Ake Arts and Book Festival in November, which also included the stage adaptation of The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives by Lola Shoneyin.

In the News
Cordite Books, a Pan-African Crime and Spy Fiction was launched this year. It was announced in March that the deadline for submissions for AfroSF Vol 2 will be March 2014, which means a second anthology will be coming our way in 2014. In May, the Small Publisher's Catalogue, Africa was published. Also in May The Shining Girls was acquired by MRC and Appian Way to be adapted for TV. In July an interview Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie did with Aaron Bady on Americanah and more led to some reactions from some of the Caine Prize Shortlistees on her views of the Caine Prize. In September Half of a Yellow Sun premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Also in September, Taiye Selasi opened the ilb 2103 festival with a speech 'African Literature Doesn't Exist'. There was also The Shining Girls Charity Art Show. In October, Volume 25 of Paradoxa Africa SF was published, which let us know that '[if] African sf has not arrived, it is certainly approaching fast'. Adichie really was everywhere this year - her TEDxEuston Talk 'We Should All Be Feminists' was sampled on Beyonce's Flawless. 

Saying bye to the greats
There was also some sad news this year. In March, Chinua Achebe passed away, while in September during the StoryMoja Hay Festival Kofi Awoonor died at the terrorist attack at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi. 

While there is probably a lot more I have missed and I know I haven't really included North African literature, it really has been another interesting year in African literature.  With over a week to go before the year ends, I'm looking forward to what 2014 has in store. 
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It has been pretty quiet here for the last month or so - as I'm trying to finish up my thesis, which really feels like it will never end (but my family and friends constantly tell me it will). Although I've been really bad with blogging of late, I wanted to do a really quick post because today bookshy turns two. I wasn't going to let my PhD or work, get in the way of me celebrating it. It will be a quiet one this year, but a celebration none-the-less. 

In spite of my patchy blogging, thinking back over the last 12 months, it has been an awesome year for bookshy. Big, big thank you once again to everyone who reads this blog, who likes the facebook page or follows me on twitter. Thank you also to the publishers and author's who have asked me to read and review some amazing books. I still absolutely love doing this and it really has been a great year. There have been some wonderful and unexpected things that happened, so I'm just going to do very brief highlights of bookshy's Year 2. So please join me in celebrating (even though it's quiet).


If it isn't clear by now, I absolutely love literature from Zimbabwe, so when I had the opportunity to 'Meet' Tendai Huchu, author of The Hairdresser of Harare and Bryony Rheam, author of This September Sun, to say I was ecstatic is an understatement. I haven't done many interviews on this blog, but Tendai Huchu's interview was really fun and I loved learning more about the diverse genres he writes in. This September Sun honestly is probably one of the most beautiful stories I have read so when Bryony agreed to be interviewed for the blog I was so honoured and it was great to learn more about the book, especially its historical element and what inspired Bryony Rheam to write the novel. I would love to meet both in person - although knowing me I would have no idea what to say. 


Seeing my tumblr - African Book Covers - which I am extremely proud of being featured on The Millions Guide to Artistic and Literary Tumblrs, Part III, as well as AfriPOP's Six Sites Where to Check Out African Literature was another highlight for me. I love, love, love both sites, so the fact that they knew about my tumblr and featured was so amazing. It will never get old seeing something I love and enjoy doing being featured in spaces that I truly admire. So thank you The Millions and AfriPOP.

Then I was asked to be a 2013 Golden Baobab Prize Search Hero to support the 2013 Golden Baobab Prize for African children's literature. That was such a huge honour and there was the added bonus of getting to read some unpublished manuscripts on children's literature. There were some gems there - one of which was Kanengo Rebecca Diallo from Tanzania.

I would also like to say a big thank you to Tundun Adeyemo, who at the beginning of the year interviewed me when bookshy turned 1, and then invited me to speak on her radio show, Outspoken. I was so nervous, especially the day leading up to it - asking myself why I agreed to it. But it was really fun and not as nerve-wracking as I thought, so thank you.  


A final highlight would be writing a book review of The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes for Paradoxa (Volume 25), Africa SF edited by Mark Bould. Paradoxa publishes articles on genre fiction: sci-fi, horror, romance and more. So when I was contacted and asked to provide a review, I couldn't say no! And seeing my review in print, in honestly one of the coolest looking journal I have ever seen was pretty much amazing. 

Like I said it's been a great year, and I'm looking forward to another year - and one in which I can read and blog more. 
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The Mantle, an online forum 'for the next generation of critics and leaders to be heard' is looking for help to publish Gambit: Newer African Writing. Said to be the first book of its kind, this is a unique collection of nine interviews and original short stories by writers from across Africa. Gambit stands out from other anthologies of African literature, such as African Love Stories edited by Ama Ata Aidoo and The Granta Book of the African Short Story edited by Helon Habila becuase it not only focuses on young writers, but also features interviews.

Here's what the editors of Gambit - Mantle contributor and novelist Emmanuel Iduma and The Mantle’s editor-in-chief Shaun Randol - had to say about it on their Indiegogo page:

"The stories in Gambit reflect the nuances that arise from living in a post-postcolonial Africa, where stereotypes are crumbling and writers are willing to tackle themes that are more social than political. Furthermore, unlike other anthologies, Gambit's writers are mostly based in their home countries, putting them closer to the social themes they lyrically confront.

Why include the interviews? Because we want to inform and inspire. Stories are not written in a vacuum: they are drafted out of experience by real people living complicated lives. We hope that the interviews in this volume not only shed light on the experiences and inspirations of the authors, but also encourage young writers to take up the pen and share their stories.

Reading literature from around the world helps to bridge cultural divides and increase understanding and appreciation of other cultures and experiences. In a world that is increasingly interconnected, it is crucial that we build respect and awareness of the lives and lands with which we are ever-more connected. Gambit is one project toward this effort".

As a young reader, I am excited at the prospect of an anthology which combines the different voices and experiences of young men and women from five different African countries into one volume. I think it's also great that the anthology aims to provide a space to introduce some emerging young writers to new and wider audiences.

The nine writers in the anthology are: Novuyo Rosa Tshuma (Zimbabwe); Abubakar Adam Ibrahim (Nigeria); Donald Molosi (Botswana); Suzanne Ushie (Nigeria); Dango Mkandawire (Malawi); Ayobami Adebayo (Nigeria); Richard Ali (Nigeria); Abdul Adan (Somalia) and Dami Ajayi (Nigeria). A few of their works are showcased below.


     

If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, head over to their Indiegogo page, which is raising funds until November 25th 2013.

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Back in April I wrote that Nnedi Okorafor, author of Zahrah the Windseeker, Who Fears Death and Akata Witch next novel Lagoon would be published March 2014 - although now I think it might be next April. Well, a few days ago Nnedi Okorafor shared the gorgeousness that is the book cover on her blog - Nnedi's Wahala Zone. 

Designed by award-winning South African illustrator and designer, Joey Hi-Fi, this cover is absolutely gorgeous. Lagos above and all the life and activity under the sea, how tentacles have been used in the outline of LAGOON and the creatures everywhere and in between the title. I want to know what's going on, what's going to happen, especially with that person at the bottom of the sea.The cover is both daunting and fascinating.  I love it!  

I fell head over heels for the UK cover of Zoo City (black and white), as well as the UK, US, SA and international edition of Moxyland which Joey Hi-Fi did. Then I  saw Jungle Jim 16, the South African Sci-Fi edition. Earlier this year were the SA covers of The Shining Girls ... and now this!!! This judger of book covers is extremely happy. While we wait for Lagoon, hope you enjoy this cover as much as I do. Then when you're done, get lost in Joey Hi-Fi's amazing work here. 

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Happy to announce that the 2013 Golden Baobab Shortlist has been ... announced. The judges - Bernardine Evaristo, Esi-Sutherland-Addy, Nonikiwe Mashologu, Zetta Elliott, Annette Hansen and Osayimwense Osa - must have had a tough time turning the 25-strong longlist to the 8 shortlisted stories. The shortlisted authors come from five different countries (Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe) and include thirteen year old Kanengo Rebecca Diallo from Tanzania story Pieces of Africa for the Rising Writers Prize. The winners will be announced November 13th. Congratulations to all shortlisted authors. 

Past Picture Book (for ages 8-11) Prize winners include Lauri Kubuitsile in 2009 with Lorato and her Wire Car and Edyth Bulbring in 2011 with Sour Worms, while in the Early Chapter Book category (for ages 12-15) Ivor Hartmann won in 2009 with his story Mr Goop. All past winners can be found here.



Here's the press release via Golden Baobab. Also check out this article by Deborah Ahenkora, co-founder and Executive Director of Golden Baobab on Huffington Post asking 'Where Are the Stories for African Children?'.


Golden Baobab Prizes Shortlist 2013
Accra,Ghana, November 1, 2013: 180 stories were submitted to this year’s Golden Baobab Prizes. Of these, 25 made it onto the longlist and 8 to the shortlist. The 8 shortlisted stories are:
The Golden Baobab Prize for Picture Books
The Princess with a Golden Voice - Phillip Begho (Nigeria)
The Little Hippo - Liza Esterhuyse (South Africa)
Grandma Mimo's Breakfast - Carol Gachiengo (Kenya)

The Golden Baobab Prize for Early Chapter Books
Seven – Sabina Mutangadura (Zimbabwe)
Rhino – Richard Street (South Africa)
What’s going on at 179 Jabulani Street? – Karen Hurt (South Africa)

The Golden Baobab Prize for Rising Writers
The Little Secret – Fego Martins Ahia (Nigeria)
Pieces of Africa – Kanengo Rebecca Diallo (Tanzania)

Chair of judges for the Picture Book Prize, Zetta Elliott, whose first picture book, Bird, won the Honor Award in Lee and Low Books’ New Voices Contest, commented on the shortlist saying, "I'm very impressed with the range and originality of the stories. This year's shortlist suggests that there are plenty of emerging authors who take seriously the task of nourishing the imagination of African children. These stories have magic, mystery, and important lessons about the value of community. They confirm what we already know: Africa's literary landscape is rich and diverse!"

The Golden Baobab Prizes, now in its fifth year, were set up to find the very best writers of African children’s literature. This year’s shortlist suggests that the judges; Bernardine Evaristo, Esi-Sutherland-Addy, Nonikiwe Mashologu, Zetta Elliott, Annette Hansen and Osayimwense Osa, all have varying ideas about what constitutes good fiction for children. This has ensured a very diverse 2013 shortlist.

Osayimwense Osa, founding author of the Journal of African Children’s and Youth Literature (JACYL), is a firm believer in the power of literature. He says, “It transform the world from confusion and violence to peace is immense and so it is wise to get children reading in their formative years. They must have access to literature which is in touch with social functions, individual lives, and world realities and some of the stories in the shortlist do just that.”

The shortlist comes out after over 8 weeks of the rigorous Golden Baobab Prizes evaluation process. It is evident that African writers are passionate about creating beautiful stories to ignite the imaginations of African children everywhere. The winners of the 2013 prizes will be announced on 13 November.
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"The Tejuosho bus stop is a stone’s throw from where I stand. It is a tangle of traffic – mostly danfos and molues – that one might be tempted to describe as one of the densest spots of human activity in the city, if only there weren’t so many others: Ojuelegba, Ikeja, Oshodi, Isolo, Ketu, Ojota". (Teju Cole, 'Every Day is for The Thief' p.150)

This month I'm celebrating Nigeria's literary history and my second post pays homage to the city where I was born and raised, which as the quote above shows can be pretty dense. I love cities and I've always been fascinated by them - probably why I study them in the context of development. I also love how you can learn about new cities through the work of fiction. So if you've never been to Lagos, what better way to explore the city than through the pages of a novel. 

For this list, I'm focusing solely on books in my library - which means I'll probably miss out on quite a bit (e.g. Odio Ofeimun’s Lagos of the Poets). As I'm looking at books published since 1960 I am unable to include Cyprian Ekwensi’s People of the City (1956). I also was not sure whether to include books that begin in Lagos and then spend the rest of the story in a different place (e.g. A Squatter's Tale by Ike Oguine and Eyo by Abidemi Sanusi). In the end, I decided to include the books that are either solely set in Lagos or at least spend a substantial amount of time there. 


These books tell tales of Lagos from Independence to present day, with the military years in between. There are stories of corruption, the stark contrast between rural and urban life, young love, slums and street life, the informal economy, challenging tradition, high society, power cuts, public transport and traffic. To borrow the title of the 2010 BBC documentary 'Welcome to Lagos'. I hope you enjoy it. 

No Longer At Ease by Chinua Achebe (1960)

The story of Obi Okonkwo, the grandson of Okonkwo from Things Fall Apart who returnd to Nigeria after four years studying English in England. He gets a job as a civil servant in Lagos and here is where corruption (which is made all the more easier by the moral and physical isolation of family in a big city like Lagos) comes a-knocking. There's also a focus on how the growth of post-Independent Lagos is money and the desire for prosperity and money - something not found in rural Nigeria.



The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta (1979)

Through the life of Nnu Ego, 
The Joys of Motherhood explores what it means to be a mother (and a woman) in a Nigeria where traditions and customs are changing. Largely set in Lagos, we also get to see the contrast between rural Ibuza (traditional values and lifestyles are maintained here) and urban Lagos (traditional values succumb to the pressures of Western education, capitalism and the mixing of different ethnicities and cultures. 


Waiting for an Angel by Helon Habila (2002)

Set in Lagos in the 90s during military rule, Waiting for an Angel is based around Lomba - a young aspiring writer and poet working for a local newspaper and now political prisoner. Through a number or interconnected short stories we not only learn about Lomba's life as a prisoner, but also his life prior to becoming one. Like the Lagos neighbourhood of 'Poverty Street' where he lives and his neighbours, as well as general life in Lagos during the military regime - curfews, petrol scarcity and subsequent queues, jungle justice. To further show the ability of literature to introduce you to aspects of a city's history, there is a part in the story where Lomba visits the old slave port of Badagry.


Graceland by Chris Abani (2004)

Elvis, is a teenager living in the slums of Lagos with his father, his girlfriend and her kids. He spends his days not in school but on the beach trying to make a living as an Elvis impersonator. As his job as does not seem to make him enough money, he turns into a life of crime - thanks to his friend Redemption. More than life in a Lagos slum, this one shows the influence of American culture (music, film ... Elvis) on a young boy in Nigeria. 


Everything Good Will Come by Sefi Atta (2005)

Set in Nigeria (well Lagos) and then the UK and then back to Nigeria again, Everything Good Will Come (told through Enitan) is about an unlikely friendship between Enitan and Sheri which starts from childhood and continues to adulthood. Their friendship may form the backdrop, but this novel gives a sense of life in Lagos and of Lagosians. Similar to Waiting for an Angel, it is set during a time of military rule in Nigeria. 



Every Day is for The Thief by Teju Cole (2007)
Part-fiction, part-memoir, Every Day is for The Thief is an account of a Nigerian returning home - to Lagos - after many years in the States. It explores the narrators experiences of contemporary Lagos life. Power cuts, noisy generators, traffic, bus conductors, bookshops, corruption, the Muson centre, the Jazzhole and the slave trade. Possibly one of my favourite books on Lagos. 
London Life, Lagos Living by Bobo Omotayo (2011) 

This is a collection of 37 short Lagos-life observations turned 'stories'. If you ever wanted to know how the other half lives. By that I mean the wayfarer wearing, Veuve Clicquot drinking, social climbers in Lagos high society this satire on today's Lagosians - where image is everything - does just that. 

The Spider King's Daughter by Chibundu Onuzo (2012) 

A tale of young love in modern-day Lagos. 17-year old Abike Johnson is the daughter of the Spider King - Olumide Johnson, a business tycoon. On the other side of the city is Runner G, a street hawker selling ice-cream ob the busy Lagos roads. An unlikely friendship develops between Abike and Runner G which blossoms into love. The novel comes alive in its descriptions of Lagos and portrayal of a street hawker's life, the informal economy, the surroundings in which hawkers and most of the urban poor in Lagos live in. 

Love is Power, or Something Like That by A. Igoni Barrett (2013)

There are nine stories in this collection and while not all are set in Lagos (or even Nigeria - one is set in Nairobi), Lagos does run through Love is Power. There's The Dream Chaser  about a young boy who spends his days in a cyber cafe pretending to be a woman and online and possibly one of my favourite short stories on Lagos, My Smelling Mouth Problem, on the daily troubles a young commuter faces getting around Lagos thanks to his 'smelling mouth'.



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African Roar 2013 is the fourth Anthology from StoryTime, which was first published in 2010. It has been described as 'a multi-genre annual anthology of African authors'. The fourth anthology is edited by Emmanuel Sigauke - the founding editor of Munyori Literary Journal. 

African Roar 2013 contains 13 beautiful short stories which took me on a journey I enjoyed so much that I devoured it in one sitting. It was also a nice treat at the end of each story to find out more about the authors behind them.  While I was drawn to some stories more than other, I found that as a whole this was a strong collection with well-thought out and well-written pieces. I could go into each and every story, but then that would spoil it for anyone who wants to read it. Instead I'll say a little bit on a few of the stories in this anthology. But first, thank you to Ivor Hartmann for the review copy.

My favourite would have to be Home  by Alison Erlwanger, especially becasue of its theme of African identity and figuring out where your home is. I really enjoyed this and found this to be a great opener which set the tone for the rest of the Anthology. Fungisai (a coloured woman from Zimbabwe) and Neville (her Nigerian boyfriend) both live in America. I say coloured not to be offensive but becasue Fungisai called herself coloured as 'mixed felt like a borrowed term to conform ro American interpretations of such a fluid identity' (p.6). Reading it made me think about what it means to be African. Fungisai with her thick lush locks  and 'coloured' identity was not 'African' enough in some circles, like Neville's Nigerian academic elite friends. Which begs the question, what is African enough? What does an African look like? And are you less African if only half of you is African? 

I also loved the way there was a seamless transition between the three characters in the story. When it first begun I thought it would be all about Fungisai, but then part way we move to Neville's perspective and then as the story goes on we get introduced to a third character -  Neville's ex-girlfriend (and first love) whose memory he can't shake. So while Fungisai is focused on her hair and identity, Neville is caught up with seeing his first love for the first time in year. And his ex? She's interested in 'fine wine and beautiful jewellery' (p.22). A lot can happen in one night, as shown in this story, but it does end with Fungisai claiming 'Africa is an ideology'  for both her and Neville as they both have not been there for ten years but still having it 'in our minds, in our arguments, in our dissapointments' (p.24).

Speaking of transitions, Transitions by Barbara Mhangami-Ruwende was another story I enjoyed. In Transitions, we see the changes in Portia's life from 1979 when she was seven and her family moved from Luveve - a black neighbourhood with 'radios blasting the music of the Soul Brothers, children playing on the streets, and vendor hawking Ice Mints, Bazooka bubble gums, and matches' (p.83) - to Killarney - a quiet, all-white suburb.  Portia did make a friend - with Theo - the kid next door, but they could only play when his parents were not around. To understand this you need to be aware that Portia's family were the only black family in this all-white neighbourhood - the only other black people were maids, gardeners or cooks. Moving to this new neighbourhood also changed Portia's family, as they never quite fit in. Her mother did not want clothes dried on the bougaineillea bush infront of the kitchen, 'Do you want these people to think we are filthy pigs?' (p.87), her parents argued for the frirst time and their mother constantly fussed over their state of cleanliness. As time goes on the neighbourhood changes and we read how this quiet, sleepy suburb transitions into a busy bustling place. 

Another story with the theme of race was Green Eyes and an Old Photo by Ola Nubi - although this was about a man looking back on his time in England when he was younger. Here is where he met his first wife, and possibly his real love, on a cold day when he was being harrassed by four or five men who threw racial slurs and asked 'blackie to clear off and go back to your country where you live in trees?' (p.160). It is interesting how something so negative (racism) can somehow lead to something so positive (true love). Sandra (who eventually became his wife) might have assumed Nigeria was closer to Jamaica, asked if he lived with lions and tigers and was very impressed that he talked posh, but despite her ignorance they were both curious about each other. Plus, they both loved the Beatles. They did experience more racism - occassional looks and dissapprovign glances from outsiders, and it did not help that her family also did not approve of the relationship. All this we learn (and more) as he looks back on this time in his life while staring at the green eyes in the old photo. 

The Faces of Fate by Abdulghani Sheikh Hassan was an interesting tale which made me wonder if I am where I thought I would be as a child (not, really). The story starts with the female narrator who shares a desk with 'the two most jovial girls in the class, Njeri and Atieno' (p. 55). Atieno and the female narrator both wanted to be accountants and Njeri a pilot. As the story unfolds we see the path her life goes down, which is nowhere close to  what she envisioned as she sat in class with Njeri and Atieno. As her life unfolds she would imagine that Atieno was pursuing an accounting course in Kenya's finest college. I found this aspect interesting because of the fact that sometimes if we are not where we thought we would be as children we end up assuming that everyone else is doing better than you and living up to their childhood dreams and expectations. Yet a chance encounter with Atieno and Njeri, and them sharing their experiences, makes our female narrator realise just how different all their paths became.

I really enjoyed reading this anthology and I found it refreshing. I will hold my hand up and say I haven't had the chance to read the first three African Roar Anthologies - and I should probably do so - especially as I am such an admirer of Ivor Hartmann, StoryTime and the work he does regarding original short story fiction from both new and established writers. Thank you also to Emmanuel Sigauke for editing this beautiful volume. I didn't get the chance to read his introduction to the anthology, but it would have been great to know his perspective and thoughts on the stories and the threads he saw weaving through the anthology.  All that's left is to say is grab a copy. The e-book, if I'm not mistaken, is out now.

4  out of 5 stars. 
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A couple of weeks ago I decided enough was enough. I had been working in Brighton for about six weeks, but due to commuting from London all I had seen was the train station. 

So I made a decision  to spend a weekend exploring what the other city I'm going to spend a lot of my time in had to offer - and I absolutely loved it. It also helped that it was a lovely, sunny weekend - everything is so much better with a little sunshine. While I didn't plan to, I obviously ended up finding one bookstore, and then another, and then another. 

The first one I walked into was PSBrighton, in North Laine, which sold some amazingly beautiful art and design books at ridiculously low prices. I forgot to take a picture of the store front- which had a brick foundation, red frames and huge windows. The inside was as spectacular. 



Next was Brighton Books - also in North Laine - a second hand bookshop spread over two floors. Hard-wood floors, books from floor to ceilings. The shopkeeper was in his own little world doing his own thing - didn't really pay attention to anyone in the store. It also had a good selection of books -  fiction, art, poetry, memoirs, travel, cookbooks. 



By far my favourite was Kemptown Bookshop a stunning independent bookshop in Kemptown. 
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About me

Founded in 2011, bookshy represents two things: the young me who was so shy I escaped through books, and the older me whose shelf is always one book shy of being full.

bookshy is a space where I celebrate, promote and recognise contemporary African literature - although sometimes I go back in time to commemorate the greats. It is about the books I love, the books I have read and the books that I am dying to read.

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