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Reading Pleasure

~ A Blog of Books and Literature

Reading Pleasure

Monthly Archives: August 2012

#Friday Fictioneers – Harmattan Rain

31 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by readinpleasure in Fiction, Friday Fictioneers

≈ 56 Comments

Tags

Harmattan, rain

The fun is on at Madison Woods‘ today and thanks to the photo prompt by Stacey Plowright the Friday Fictioneers are at it once again. Join me, and them as you read their riveting 100 words prose or poetry fiction. My humble offering is below: (Try as I did, I could not reduce the words from 106 to 100). Critiques are welcome.

Harmattan Rain

I sat in the hut, trying in vain to ignore the rumblings in my stomach when I saw a shadow loom across the open slit in the wall, obliterating the hazy sunlight that was streaming in. The room darkened in response and suddenly I felt a warm breeze fluttering in, as I smelt the earthy irresistible aroma of the first drizzle.

Unusual, the harmattan had been ravaging for months now, shriveling our cocoa farms to nothing; the little livestock that were spared had since died from thirst.

Looking through the slit, I saw the angry clouds. The gods were finally smiling.

To see what the rest of the Fictioneers are up to, do click on the little linky below. Thanks!

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Of Awards and Book Wins

30 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by readinpleasure in Awards, The Classics Club

≈ 30 Comments

Tags

Anna Karenina, Booker Award

Over the past week or two, I have received lots of awards from my some of my lovely blogging friends which made me sit back and concluded that I must be doing something right on this blog after all. For a while now, writing has become a difficult chore for me; I struggle over words and ponder the meaning of my posts, whether they would make enough sense out there. Many are the posts I had drafted and deleted, especially poems, because I thought they were in poor taste or did not meet the criteria I wanted them to. I know, don’t say it, but that is how I have been feeling lately. I have been doubting my talent and writing skill, so much that I have hesitated in submitting the first two chapters of the novel I am writing for editing and review. On the brighter side, I can only guess that writers (at least some of them) go through these doubting bouts and so I would surely come out if them.

The various awards have sort of lifted my fallen spirits and to crown it all, I won lately, two novels, a Classic and a romance, through a giveaway and blog tour respectively. (these bring to five (5), books I have won since I started blogging in March this year) If these do not dispel my gloom, then nothing will, my friends. So without much ado, I will do the honours with the awards first as follows:

The Awards

  • Reader Appreciation Award from Kim of silentlyheardonce. Thank you so much Kim for appreciating my humble writing.
  • Beautiful Blogger Award from Christina of reconstructingchristina. Thank you dear, for thinking so highly of my blog
  • Inspiring Blog Award from Mack of The Diary of Me
  • Super Sweet Blogger Award from Mack of The Diary of Me. Mack, I am ever so grateful for thinking me worthy of all these lovely awards. Gracias!
  • The Booker Award from Susan of Susan Daniels Poetry. I feel honoured by this award, Susan, and thanks a million for thinking of me. This award mandates me to 1) nominate other blogs, as many as I want but 5-10 is fine and to let the recipients know. 2) post the Booker Award picture and 3) share my top 5 books of all time

These are all lovely and amazing blogs of fine, exquisite and yet powerful writings and I urge all my friends to have a peek-over to taste of their offerings.

I will skip the bits that says the nominee should say seven or ten (10) things about herself mainly because I have already said it all in previous posts. However, I will oblige my friend Susan and reveal the top five books that make me tick. This is not going to be easy, you know as I have read so many genres voraciously in the past (not so now) and therefore cannot pinpoint any five that are my favourites, but I will try.

  • Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon
  • Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
  • Holcroft Covenant by Robert Ludlum
  • Godfather by Mario Puzzo
  • Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Adichie (recent past)

And now my five (5) nominees:

  • Boomie
  • Geosi Reads
  • Stacy Michelle
  • aquaturtle me
  • Mary Okeke Reviews

The Book Wins

  • I won the Classic, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy in the Classics Giveaway Contest organised by a fellow Classic Clubber, Meredith of Wandering in the Stacks. I am seriously over the moon by this win. I have been searching bookshops in Accra here for a copy of this much talked about Classic up to no avail and then, bingo! I won a copy, just like that. Well, I am yet to take delivery of it, by what the heck! I’ve as good as got it already. 🙂
  • The Playboy Baby, a romance novel written by Joanne Stewart was mine for the taking when I won it in a Blog Tour organised by Empi Baryeh. Guys, I love a good romance and you can be rest assured that I shall do justice to it when I finish reading it.

I appreciate your patience with me as I catch up on your blogs. Thanks a million! Shalom! 🙂

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Review: Faceless By Amma Darko

28 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by readinpleasure in African Women Writers, Fiction, TBR List

≈ 205 Comments

Tags

Faceless, Poverty, Streetism

Title: Faceless
Author: Amma Darko
Binding: Paperback
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 199
Publication Date: 2003 This Edition 2010

Publishers: Sub-Saharan Publishers

Reasons for Reading: Won the book in a Reading Relay organised by logo-ligi and also from my TBR

Faceless is the third novel written  by Amma Darko, with an introductory essay  by Prof. Kofi Anyhidoho. It tells of the death of Baby T, a child prostitute whose naked, beaten and mutilated body is found dumped behind a marketplace in Agbogbloshie, a slum area in Accra, the capital of Ghana. Details of the murder and Baby T’s life, are skilfully revealed by the author through two sources: one, Baby T’s younger sister Fofo, herself a street child; and through the rehabilitative intervention of an NGO, known as MUTE whose efforts through one of its Programme Officers, Kabria, unearth’s the proverbial can of worms that is the whole story of Faceless

Baby T’s story is heartbreaking. The third child of Ma Tsuru, Baby T is sexually abused by her mother’s live-in lover, Kpakpo. Confused and betrayed, she confides in a family friend and co-tenant, Onko, who takes advantage of her trust and rapes her. Baby T’s mother, Ma Tsuru, a tragic figure destroyed by the men in her life, is helpless to do anything. Weighed down by poverty, illiteracy and shame, she takes money from Onko, and matters take a drastic turn when Kpakpo, always on the loose for fast money manipulates Maa Tsuru and Baby T is sold into prostitution, to also appease his ‘guilt’. It seemed a nasty situation has been tidied up. But has it? Subsequent events, leading to the tragic death of Baby T proves otherwise.

Discrimination against women is a pervasive theme in the novel. Symbolically Baby T carries the sins of her parents, as well as  those visited upon women in a society where culturally men are the masters and women bear the brunt of injustice; Maa Tsuru, Baby T’s mother whose husband abandons her penniless, as a result of a ‘curse’ is also a victim of discrimination whose hapless predicament is made more poignant by superstition, poverty and illiteracy. Thus though we have most of the male characters in the novel being murderers, rapists and irresponsible fathers, yet it is the female characters that suffer in a community of drifters and hustlers where characters like Poison, the local thug and Kingpin reign supreme.

Faceless is also the tragic, unfortunate story of a social canker in Ghana and indeed, the bane of developing countries, streetism in a metropolitan and urban environment; and a powerful social commentary and insight into the multifaceted issues underlying streetism, that is broken homes, rape, poverty, illiteracy AIDS, etc. She leaves no stone unturned in exposing and analysing the characters for their various behaviours and at the end, people like Maa Tsuru would receive thee sympathy of the reader and well some disgust, while Fofo would earn admiration for her brevity and courage in wanting to seek the truth and nothing but the truth behind her sister’s murder despite threats on her life from shady characters like Poison, who bring up only abhorrence. I do believe also that Kabria’and her children from the ‘urban posh’ environment are a foil to Fofo and her gang, the contrast created presenting a cruel view of the two worlds.

The fate of Baby T only strengthens her sister Fofo who, through the interventions of MUTE is given a new lease of life, so to speak. And the author seems to buttress this point further by quoting: “The future promise of any nation can be directly measured by the present prospects of its youth.”  John F. Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963)

English: Ghanaians working in Agbogbloshie, a ...

English: Ghanaians working in Agbogbloshie, a suburb of Accra, Ghana. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Faceless is a well-researched novel, with the narration drawing on real-life events and places/slums like Agbogbloshie, Market, Makola Market, Korle-Gonno, and the all-notorious Sodom and Gomorrah (named after the Biblical city that God destroyed because of its numerous sins) of all which are in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The characters are real and believable enough and though some, like Poison are stereotyped I do believe the portrayal of such characters  highlight the predominant truth and nastiness of the whole streetism and gang phenomena

The writing is brilliant, with simple easy to understand Ghanaian English, interspersed with the vernacular, giving the reader a feel of the Ghanaian culture and what makes her tick. I particularly like the narrative style, which though straight forward draws the reader in, building tension as the author takes us through dizzying moments of intrigue and suspense to reveal the hidden truth behind Baby T’s murder.

I believe Amma Darko is a force to reckon with and I recommend this book wholeheartedly.

About the Author: She was born in Koforidua, Ghana, and grew up in Accra. She studied in Kumasi, where she received her diploma in 1980. Her first novel was published in a German translation in 1991, and was published in its English original in the Heinemann African Writers Series in 1995 as Beyond the Horizon. In between Beyond The Horizon and Faceless, we have The Housemaid, also published in both a German Translation and in the Heinemann African Writers Series in 1998. There is more than ample evidence that these three works constitute an important trilogy and must be read as such.

I appreciate your patience with me as I catch up on your blogs. Thanks a million! Shalom! 🙂

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Haiku #2

27 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by readinpleasure in Haiku

≈ 23 Comments

Tags

Haiku

Hi my lovely friends, this is another shot at Haiku. A big shout out and thanks to Elizabeth and Kimmy for their useful suggestions. I hope you enjoy it.

The misty dawn dew
Seeps through the warmth of the morn
Sizzling melting force
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Poet At Play – Motherhood

26 Sunday Aug 2012

Posted by readinpleasure in Poetry, Uncategorized

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

Motherhood

Motherhood

Fresh kiss
Of fullness
Her lot
She embraces
Glad
To be
A woman
 
Agony
Her name
Is sweetness
Birthing
Joy and
Sorrows
 
Fulfilled
Is she?
 
Time and
Her reward
Glowing
Or
Fading
Will tell
 
(C) Celestine Nudanu
26th August 2012
 
 
 
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#FridayFictioneers – Light On The Hill

23 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by readinpleasure in Friday Fictioneers, Non-Fiction

≈ 77 Comments

Tags

Aburi, Light On The Hill, Mist

Friday Fictioneers, we are at it again and the fun continues unabated at Madison Woods. Thanks to the beautiful photo prompt by Maggie Duncan, I bring you a day earlier, my 100 word short story on the misty beauty of my Alma Mata, Aburi Girls Secondary School. Do feel free to critique, but gently please.

Light On The Hill

The grey dawn of the morning heralded the billowing presence of the mist as it rose gently and languorously up the hill, full and thick, enveloping trees, buildings and humans alike.

My school was not spared; she was bathed in this wordless wonder, stirring us awake as the cold dewy wetness hissed  kissing us into frenzied activity. The rising bell, hardly penetrating becomes a dull reminder of rules that must be obeyed as we trudged over the connecting bridge, our yellow and brown pinafore brilliantly stark against the misty hue.

Bepow So Hann! We are the light on the hill.

* Bepow So Hann is the motto of my Alma Mata Aburi Girls Senior High School,

Hills overlooking Aburi

Hills overlooking Aburi (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

located in Aburi, in the Eastern Region of Ghana. It means The Light On The Hill.Being a hilly area, Aburi is always cold and travellers passing through are fascinated by the rising mist of the dawn as it glides beautifully over the hilly terrain. The photo prompt sent me down memory lane and these words true enough, capture the students, even today, as they trudge over the bridge separating the main site from the annex, blurring with the billowing mist.

To see what the rest of the Fictioneers are up to, do click on the little linky below. Thanks!

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Poet At Play – Muse In Limbo

22 Wednesday Aug 2012

Posted by readinpleasure in Non-Fiction, Poetry

≈ 37 Comments

Tags

Limbo, Muse

Muse In Limbo

Days Now
I am in limbo,
My muse refuses
To spike up
 
Glued to the screen
Not even the flicker
Will ignite my muse
 
Others, inspiring
Posts and blogs
Only make me
Marvel at
So much creativity
And genius
Out there.
 
Yet my muse
Is silent.
Perhaps
I am under
The weather
Perhaps
It is menopausal
Or a touch of blues
Or the boys
And hubby
Wearing me out
With incessant
Demands
Or I am
Just plain tired
 
Reading a chore
Not the joy
I know
Work a drag
As I lag
 
Wake up
Musy muse
Revive yourself
Blaze the laze
Away
Erase the haze
Dazzle
Thirsty cisterns
An Elixir
Your words
 
 
(C) Celestine Nudanu
22/08/12
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My First Haiku – Love In My Bed

21 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by readinpleasure in Haiku

≈ 39 Comments

Tags

Haiku, love

Today, I am trying my hands at Haiku. Having been reading some wonderful haikus from my blogger friends like Nana, Elizabeth, Susan, Rosie, Kimmy and Boomie, I’ve come to appreciate those simple, short, deep and meaningful lovely words so much. I’ve also realised that conveying wonderful and varied themes in short and precise words demands a great skill and talent and I doff my heart to all haiku writers. So, my dear friends, bear with me as I play around today, imitating you all. And please let me know if I am on course:

Love In My Bed

Soft touch on my cheek
The morning sun kisses me
Love stirs me in bed

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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#FridayFictioneers – The Withered Flower

17 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by readinpleasure in Fiction, Friday Fictioneers, Poetry

≈ 82 Comments

Tags

love, Oak, Shelter, Wilted flower

This Friday the fun is on at Madison Woods and I am bank with the Friday Fictioneers in full swing having been away last week. Today’s prompt from Lura Helms looks interesting and I could not resist it. So dear friends, here is my humble poem. Do feel free to critique as you comment.

Withered Flower

 
I am a flower
Left
By the roadside
Far From
The Great Oak.
Sun baked
Sweaty
Withered
A pitiful
Pitiable flower.
 
No one
Recognises me
My startling
Beauty
Now
A faded shadow.
 
Beauty is
Fleeting
Character
Enduring
And so
I will not
Give up
 
I look to the
Canopied leaves
Swaying
Majestically
To the rhythm
Of the
Whispering
Breeze
Will I find
A place
To hide
Under
Their sanctuary
 
I send
A silent prayer
To the leaves
Sweet rustles
They hear me
Let me find
Shelter
In the crook
Of the Great Oak,
Let me find
Shelter
In your arms
 
(C) Celestine Nudanu
17/08/12
 

To see what the rest of the Fictioneers are up to, do click on the little linky below. Thanks!

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Poet At Play – Inflated Fatherhood

16 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by readinpleasure in Fiction, Poetry

≈ 31 Comments

Tags

Childbirth, Ego, Fatherhood

Inflated Fatherhood
 
Sharp pangs
Of pain,
Breathless
Unbearable,
Heart wrenching,
Fist clenching
Face contorting,
Body overladen
Sweet agony,
 
A searing tear
A cry
From the
Swollen gut
Heard
By the
Perpetrator
He paces
The nearby
Seedy joint
Bath in sweat
Of anticipation
Mingled
With confusion;
 
Push, push,
It is almost here;
One final push.
Whoosh!
It is
A she
Or he.
Does it
Really matter?
 
Ah, she closes
Her eyes
In silent prayer;
He pumps
Inflated chest 
Confusion
Giving way
To misplaced
Pride.
 
A father
Is he
Who loves
Cares
Nourishes
Not he
Who
Pumps
Puffs
Inflated ego
 
(C) Celestine Nudanu
16/08/12
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