Sunday 16 February 2014

Books, New Releases 2

I called this post Books, New Releases 2 because there is already another post of mine with title Books, New Releases.
New books to look out for in 2014, some are already published, some will be out soon.


After reading A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah I fell in love with him and he became to me an inspirational figure. So, he's published a new book, the one you see above. Below from US.Macmillian.com
At the center of Radiance of Tomorrow are Benjamin and Bockarie, two longtime friends who return to their hometown, Imperi, after the civil war. The village is in ruins, the ground covered in bones. As more villagers begin to come back, Benjamin and Bockarie try to forge a new community by taking up their former posts as teachers, but they’re beset by obstacles: a scarcity of food; a rash of murders, thievery, rape, and retaliation; and the depredations of a foreign mining company intent on sullying the town’s water supply and blocking its paths with electric wires. As Benjamin and Bockarie search for a way to restore order, they’re forced to reckon with the uncertainty of their past and future alike.

With the gentle lyricism of a dream and the moral clarity of a fable, Radiance of Tomorrow is a powerful novel about preserving what means the most to us, even in uncertain times.
Readers really like it on Goodreads doing well on Amazon too. Perhaps, not yet as good as his memoir. All the same I look for to setting my hands on it.



I have been wanting to read Okey Ndibe's first novel Arrow of Rain, very well rated on Goodreads: 
A young woman runs into the sea and drowns. The last man who spoke to her, the curious individual known as Bukuru, is asked to account for the suicide. His shocking revelations land him in court. Alone and undefended, Bukuru has to calculate the cost of silence in the face of stories which must be told.
Though, I have not had the opportunity to lay my hands on it. And he's published his second novel "Foreign Gods INC" very well rated on Goodreads and Amazon too. Click here to visit his official website.

I look forward to reading his books.



Chris Abani published his latest novel last month January 2014. From Amazon:
Before he can retire, Las Vegas detective Salazar is determined to solve a recent spate of murders. When he encounters a pair of conjoined twins with a container of blood near their car, he’s sure he has apprehended the killers, and enlists the help of Dr. Sunil Singh, a South African transplant who specializes in the study of psychopaths. As Sunil tries to crack the twins, the implications of his research grow darker. Haunted by his betrayal of loved ones back home during apartheid, he seeks solace in the love of Asia, a prostitute with hopes of escaping that life. But Sunil’s own troubled past is fast on his heels in the form of a would-be assassin. Suspenseful through the last page, The Secret History of Las Vegas is Chris Abani’s most accomplished work to date, with his trademark visionary prose and a striking compassion for the inner lives of outsiders.
His only novel I have read so far is  "GraceLand" which I really enjoyed. His latest novel is very well rated on Goodreads and Amazon. I also look forward to reading it. Click here to visit his official website. Click here to see and hear him talking on Ted about " Telling stories from Africa" and here "On humanity".



Above is a new novel by Ben Hinson, an author of Ghanaian/Nigerian descent, based in New York City. He's been working on this project for the past 5 years. A gritty piece of literary/historical fiction based on mercenary activity in Africa, Asia, the United States and England during the Cold War era and the 1990s. Which will be available later this year (2014). Please click here for more info.

What about you? Do you look forward to reading any new  books published this year?

11 comments:

  1. Mary, I would like to read "Dust" by Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor.

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    1. Hmmmm that title rings a bell. I look forward to reading your opinion on it.

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  2. I'm going to Okey Ndibe's author event on Saturday! I wasn't familiar with him until I discovered "Foreign Gods" on Goodreads.

    A Long Way Gone has been on my shelf for toooo long. I need to bump it to a 2014 priority.

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    1. You should not postpone it any more. That is one enjoyable... thought-provoking read on your shelf.
      Give it a try.

      And please blog about Ndibe's event plsssss.

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  3. It's always interesting to read new books, though they are always difficult to come by.

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    1. That's true. I suppose the libraries should have some copies.

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  4. OMG Chris Abani is awesome! What a talk he did. I'm doubly happy that I ordered his novel The Secret History of Las Vegas, which was recommended to me by a Goodreads friend. I knew he'd have some things to write about and in the African voice that should be in the forefront these days. Loving your blog Mary! I just did a video on YT called White Authors Writing about the Black Experience. I'm becoming more perplexed by this issue. Abani joined a lot of what I've been thinking. Will definitely be doing a review on it when it comes. Ot seems to be taking forever.... :)

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    1. Hey Didi, wow.. white authors writing about the black experience. Could be interesting. I look forward to seeing it. I am actually subscribed to your blog. Yeah... Chris Abani is one talented writer.

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  5. OMG loved the talk that Abani gave! Amazing! I just did a video on White Authors writing about the Black Experience over on You Tube. I was surprised at the response it received. Abani talked about African voices recounting their stories and I have to agree totally with him. I just wish their voices could be heard in a more mainstream setting. They deserve it. Mary I'm loving your blog! You are my lifeline to reading from the Mother Country. :)

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  6. I'm looking forward to laying my hands on Chika Unigwe's Night Dancer, Achebe's Memoir: There Was a Country, Ngugi's The House Interpreter...quite many others too which would take up more space. But i like your recommendations, i will try and add your reading list to mine.

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    1. Sebeenah welcome here. First time reading from you. I have not read these particular books you mentioned, though, I am aware of their existence and have also read works from the authors. The books mentioned here seem to be very promising. So, I too have addes them to my TBR.

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