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There's a special place in my heart for African publishers, and the work they do. Recently I came across The Small Publishers' Catalogue, 2013 which will be produced by the South African publishers Modjaji Books, who I showcased last year. This is an updated version of one which was produced in 2010.


The 2010 edition "was a first attempt at collating small or indie African publishers'. It had 43 publishers, which were mainly South African, sold and distributed 500 copies, and its online version has had over 4200 visits. But according to Colleen Higgs, publisher and founder of Modjaji, "it was rather limited and had enormous gaps in it". Based on that, this new edition "is designed to be more comprehensive".


On why we need this catalogue, Colleen Higgs says:



" ... Many people not even those in the book world, such as librarians, booksellers, larger publishers, and books page editors are not aware of the extent and fertility of this part of the book world ... The Small Publishers Catalogue is a way of letting more people know about the work of independent and small publishers in Africa. Unless the information is collated it is difficult to find contact details or to know who is involved and who is doing what and where.

 ... There are lots of publishers who do amazing work, getting out the stories and experiences and writings of people all over the continent which enable us to understand our worlds and ourselves differently. By putting all of these publishers onto the radar of all of those who are interested, you will assist in growing readership, and in funding these publishers in a sustainable way".
As someone who is a lover of African books and a big supporter of local publishing houses, I think this is a beautiful initiative and I absolutely love that Colleen Higgs and Modjaji are putting together a catalogue that showcases the diversity of the African publishing industry. I for one cannot wait for it to be released.

While the Indiegogo campaign is finished, if anyone is interested in learning more about, or supporting, this campaign, definitely check it out here and you can see the 2010 catalogue online edition here.
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There's a Yoruba myth which states that a baby who falls off her mothers back, while being carried, "would face the death of all men she marries until the eighth one".  The only way out of the curse is for the mother to "run round a large market seven times, naked". So Amani Bashorun finds out from her parents when she is fifteen. To break the curse, her mother convinces her father to let the family visit Nigeria for a few weeks. Once in Nigeria, a tragic incident happens, and Amani has to fight to survive in this new, and cruel, environment she finds herself in. 

Two Gone ... Still Counting, is Oyindamola Affinnih's debut novel and while superstition, and its hold on an individual, forms the backdrop to this tale, it is really about the plight of a young girl in a contemporary Nigerian society. Amani moved from a relatively affluent background in England, to a place where she was forced to grow up much too quickly. Her story also introduced certain aspects still prevalent in Nigeria - family fighting over property (particularly after the loss of an affluent family member) and the torturing of children accused of witchcraft.  

This was an interesting debut, exploring a range of issues that could be overlooked in a more modern setting. By the end of the novel, it did make me wonder if things that happened to Amani (especially later on in her life) were due to superstition, or just merely a coincidence.


3.5 out of 5.
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With a new year usually comes resolutions, which I am sure for many book lovers includes new reading resolutions.  Last year I was able to read quite a number of books (my 2012 reads can be found here).  I also signed up for a few challenges.  I didn't do that well in those, and quickly realised that I might actually be terrible at reading challenges, which made me quite sad. I'm not sure how many books I'll get to read this year, but it will be fun at the end of 2013 to know how many I did end up reading. Also for now, I haven't signed up for any challenges, which is not to say I might not change my mind later on in the year.

I don't tend to make new year's resolutions, as I've never really stuck to them. So this year, my  reading resolution is to just read, discover and learn more about African literature. There are a few authors I am yet to read (Helen Oyeyemi, Jude Dibia), which I really hope I get the chance to. I also want to read books from countries I didn't get the chance to last year (Kenya, Morocco and more). I'm excited to see what this year will bring in terms of reading, but what are your reading resolutions? Would love to hear!!!

 
 
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If 2013 wasn't going to be exciting enough with Americanah, as well as Ghana Must Go and Love is Power, or Something Like That, here are a few more books to look out for this year. 


Tomorrow I Will Be Twenty Years Old, a humorous and poignant account of an African childhood, drawn from Alain Mabanckou's life, will be released in May. 

Michel is ten years old, living in Pointe Noire, Congo, in the 1970s. His mother sells peanuts at the market, his father works at the Victory Palace Hotel, and brings home books left behind by the white guests. Planes cross the sky overhead, and Michel and his friend Lounès dream about the countries where they'll land. While news comes over the radio of the American hostage crisis in Tehran, the death of the Shah, the scandal of the Boukassa diamonds, Michel struggles with the demands of his twelve year old girlfriend Caroline, who threatens to leave him for a bully in the football team. But most worrying for Michel, the witch doctor has told his mother that he has hidden the key to her womb, and must return it before she can have another child. Somehow he must find it. 

NoViolet Bulawayo, winner of the 2011 Caine Prize for African Writing, debut novel, We Need New Names, will also be out in May.

Darling is only 10 years old, and yet she must navigate a fragile and violent world. In Zimbabwe, Darling and her friends steal guavas, try to get the baby out of young Chipo's belly, and grasp at memories of Before. Before their homes were destroyed by paramilitary policemen, before the school closed, before the fathers left for dangerous jobs abroad. But Darling has a chance to escape: she has an aunt in America. She travels to this new land in search of America's famous abundance only to find that her options as an immigrant are perilously few. 


 

Happiness, Like Water is Chinelo Okparanta's debut collection of short stories out in August. 

Happiness, Like Water offers a portrait of Nigeria that is surprising, shocking, heartrending, loving, bringing us life across social strata, dealing in every kind of change. Among her characters are a young woman faced with a dangerous decision to save her mother, children slick with oil from the river, a woman in love with another despite the penalties. Their world is marked by electricity outages, lush landscapes, folktales, littered roads, Land Rovers, buses that break down and never start up again. They fight their mothers and their husbands, their own shame and their own sexuality, the power of religion and the pull of love.These are startling, challenging stories filled with language to make your eyes pause and your throat catch. 
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Once in a while I like to showcase African publishers, and today I'm going to Nigeria. Parrésia is "interested in fiction of the highest quality by new authors from Africa that capture the contemporary African reality in all its nuance and detail". They are a new addition to Nigeria's publishing landscape, late 2011/early 2012 if I am not mistaken, and already they have published books that I have been wanting to read for a while now. You can find out more about Parrésia on their website and blog, but here are their wonderful novels.






If you are a lover of Nigerian writing, and are interested in reading some new books from there, Parrésia recently announced that, with the exception of Helon Habila's Oil on Water, their books are now available on Amazon (as paperbacks or e-books). Might be my New Year's gift to myself!!!!
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 And the lucky winners of the celebrating one year of bookshy book giveaway are:  





Ashley K who has won 'a debut novel/collection', and can choose between The Spider King's Daughter OR Tropical Fish. 

Frances Uku who has won 'a book that I absolutely loved', and can choose between What the Day Owes the Night OR Night Dancer.  

Nomalizo Ngwenya who has won 'a book that I realised after reviewing is not available outside of Nigeria', and can choose between The Phoenix OR Every Day is for The Thief.


A message has already been sent, but just in case, please send an email to bookshy@gmail.com to let me know which books you would like and I can get them sent to their new homes. 

Congratulations and I really do hope you enjoy reading your new book. 
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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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