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Or, I’m from Uttar Pradesh

Reader,

I went rambling outside Nairobi on Saturday with a friend and it was lovely to be out in nature but between the day’s exhaustion and that of the pre-menstrual variety (none who reads this newsletter will escape mention of this phenomenon!); I’m only just getting round to writing this. On the way, I read Commute: An Illustrated Memoir of Female Shame by Erin Williams and when I tell you I should have taken my advice to stay away from memoirs… The insight I have is that my issue is the particular memoir style of femaleness in relation to maleness that always frames the former as the site of suffering without agency. But I knew this, didn’t I?

Almost 2 weeks ago, Orhan Pamuk wrote about the (then just one) earthquake in Turkey and it reminded me about how every author is from somewhere in a way that commentary that focuses our gaze on the West (as with African book events off the continent) can sometimes elide. In reminding us of the past and drawing our attention to the particular horror - and hope - of the present, Pamuk situates himself firmly in Türkiye in a way that I found particularly moving.

Some exciting things coming up: Wanjeri’s film club presents films tomorrow and you can see some past offerings on this Letterboxd list I made.

The book donation party planning committee (PPC, a la The Office) has been constituted and we have a date and time - save it! You can sign up and get more details here.

Quick news/ things that may be of interest:

• I’m back to Scribd (signed up to do a hybrid read of Leila by Prayaag Akbar) for the first time after my 30 day trial in the early days of the panini ended. If you aren’t on yet, use my code to get 2 free months.

• I have a new address: you can send me books, postcards, letters, and assorted gifts via PO Box 102439, Jamia Posta 00101, Nairobi, Kenya 

• The HarperCollins Union members returned to work this week. Solidarity forever to all workers everywhere!

• The Economist is no longer available on Libby/OverDrive. On one hand, I’ll miss reading it; on the other, I barely read magazines.

• I got a new shelf this week and already I want more/ I see why folks put books on horizontally but I’d rather have more shelves 

• Much to be said about empire &c but today I got an email that there’s a new space inside the U.S. Embassy Nairobi at the American Center Nairobi (ACN) that has books, board games, devices to borrow, and even a Makerspace, if those things sound interesting to you. You can sign up here.

I have finished five books since I last wrote, reviews forthcoming (this is starting to feel like a threats haha) - Commute: An Illustrated Memoir of Female Shame by Erin Williams, The Wall by Marlen Haushofer (translated by Shaun Whiteside, narrated by Käthe Mazur), D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins (narrated by Rebecca Lee), Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Difficult, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson and Cabin Fever by Jonathan Franklin & Michael Smith. Here’s hoping I’m back on YouTube soon to talk about them!

As ever, please write back to me and tell me what books you’re reading or looking forward to reading — it’s always a great time talking about books.

Enjoy the rest of the week and have a lovely time reading. Talk to you soon!