CutieBliZZ:
Anthill of the Savannah
was a very boring novel
did underatand n't it

Haha.
This book together with the joys of motherhood were a required reading in one of my electives at the university.

Even now I can't remember a single plot in the anthill of the savannah


Meanwhile, I can't seem to forget that old woman boasting about her kid being in America in the joys of motherhood.

dairykidd:


I feel you bruv...and i really blv that reading is a way of life that should be instilled in kids by the parents and elderly ones in a home setting.I can still remember as a kid under 7 yrs @ the time that when ever my dad would even travel out of the country and back,asides from the clothes and puma shoes i looked forward to the books & the classic movies (till date there are movies/music and foreign popular acts i can discuss abt with the movies and roles they took which majority of ppl don't even know,even some so called foreigners ) ,he always came back with lots of books beautiful and educative,interesting reads...i always looked forward to the books from Fairy tales to Aesop's Fables which always had moral lessons to teach within the interesting stories.Dad had his library at home and was open to all of us so before eleven i had read through and reread most of the world's encyclopedia which Numbered from A-Z on every topic concerning human existence...and it helped me know a lot more about the culture,beliefs,history,myths & legends,science,Music,sports,lifestyle and whatever..one book was as heavy as a bucket of water and that room was covered in countless of them in different sets..every weekend we younger kids would run up to the library and pick one and take positions in the room even b4 we had breakfast,they would have to send for us to come and eat before we would reluctantly leave that room.There are a whole lot of things i know i learned from reading encyclopedias that even thousands of professors don't have the slightest idea about..i know so cos i meet lots of people both rich and poor even the so called enlightened ppl sef i have discussed history and folklore of foreign nations with foreign nationals and they find it had to blv i have never traveled extensively to know what i know and even till today there are some things i can talk about like i have been around the world while everyone will be listening perpetually in awe of everything that comes out of my mouth and when these things happen i just feel blessed for having to come out from the family i have and am still very grateful to God and my Old man..Honestly parents should inculcate reading in their kids & stop blaming the world for not doing their jobs as parents.. doesn't have to be print books there are eBooks,internet wow i wonder if i had internet as a kid i wonder what i would have been able to do with it!! Make it more fun for the kids it won't ever depart from them and they will always love u for that

Guy your head dey there, we had the same childhood, apart from reading encyclopaedias, Guinness book of records was another great source. Its unbelievable the way those things we read just come up in day to day lives and in conversations. People just wonder how possible you could just know so much about so many things. It makes you feel great always and immensely improves your self esteem. You are hardly intimidated by anyone. Am kids are still small but i will definitely strive to build a great library for them. Yeah ebooks, my printer should roar back to life.

Who else remembers the incorruptible judge by D. Olu Olagoke

ChappyChase:


Mine is BENARD SHEW.

Cool.

rabzy:


Guy your head dey there, we had the same childhood, apart from reading encyclopaedias, Guinness book of records was another great source. Its unbelievable the way those things we read just come up in day to day lives and in conversations. People just wonder how possible you could just know so much about so many things. It makes you feel great always and immensely improves your self esteem. You are hardly intimidated by anyone. Am kids are still small but i will definitely strive to build a great library for them. Yeah ebooks, my printer should roar back to life.

Nice one bruv..Yeah Guinness book of records too.These knowledge kids cant find in any school tho so it makes them stand out among their peers and gives them great confidence too..That library would be one of the best gifts you can ever give them..

Mimzyy:


Your sobriquet is kinda strange. Care to unveil?

Good morning.

Strange? Nahh... nah

This is just me, myself and I

But you are bigger now

Potter's Wheel by Chukwuemeka Ike, Sailas Manner... can't remember the author's name though. Mine Boy by Peter Abram...about South Africa's discrimination of the blacks.

frodobee:


Lawd your post summarised my childhood. In my class, I had a challenge wt two of my mates- who will read the most novels. Fortunately, my Dad was a contractor and publisher. For every single book he supplied, he kept a copy in his library which he bequeathed me. For that I read almost all the books in AWS(african writers series) aside a few- not up to ten. I read biographies, autobiographies, collection of poems, novels etc. Just like you said, almost all the novels mentioned here including the one written by the famous slave Equiano (Equiano's travels).
From their I attempted to write my first novel in JSS3, lol. From AWS, to Mills and Boon, to Pacesetters, to Hadley Chase, to 1000+ paged novels, Corgi books, Bantam books, authors like Danielle Steel etc I remember reading an american philosophical novel that changed my views on money, it was written by a lady( I don't know her name again or the name of the novel.) One popular quote or exclammation in that novel is "who's galt?", I just googled it, the novel is 'Atlas Shrugged' by Ayn Rand. People need to read that novel. From their, my banker friend - actually my account manager- introduced me to asian novels. Hmmm, that was when I started soft-pedalling, because I started seeing other worlds and views that can shatter your belief system.
In all, it is nostalgic the feeling one gets looking back through the years. Glad to know people walked your path and lived in your dream worlds and shared your loneliness.

I tell you once you start reading wide and have read so much, you realize that not everything should be read, there are some things that is safer left unread. I remember the Ghanaian bros that first told me about olaudah equaino, martins Ashanti, he also gave me the book think and grow rich and stories of opoku ware, kweku ananse, ashantehene, the fante, dentchira and ashante wars. I had a togolese bros that taught me many songs in ewe and twi. Am going to check out 'atlas shrugged'.
I used to see myself as Umslopogaas, the black dude in King Solomons Mine, in fact his name was my password for my first email.

Is anybody familiar with 'she who must be obeyed'.

dairykidd:
Who else remembers the incorruptible judge by D. Olu Olagoke

Why not if not? The judge that refused to be bribed by his son-in-law. Worse case scenario: he was the one that presided over the case`,

Aaaaah. You guys are making me nostalgic. Person don old o.

Nyengi Koin also wrote another beautiful book that I enjoyed during my childhood, the Second Chance. Main characters were Richard Pepple and Mina Erein.

Who remembers these lines from Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities":

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way...."

myweb:


Strange? Nahh... nah

This is just me, myself and I

But you are bigger now

Who are you please??

Mimzyy:


Who are you please??

This is a public forum now.

I pm you..check it

Mindfulness:


African Literature is world-class. There are many prestigious authors that I am very fond of and they enjoy international fame and recognition.

I have all Sefi Atta books at home Damiso.

I also recommend

- “I do not come to you by chance" by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani
- "Night Dancer" by Chika Unigwe
- "On Black Sister's Street" by Chika Unigwe
- "Swallow" by Sefi Atta
- "The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives" by Lola Shoneyin


And of course all of Adichie's books. Do I have to mention Chinua Achebe? I don't think so.


Has anyone read "The other hand" by Chris Cleave (also known as "Little Bee"? He is British but grew up in Cameroon. The book is about a Nigerian girl / asylum-seeker. I have read the first few pages and it's promising. I heard it's taught in European schools. A film adaption is being developed and will be produced by Nicole Kidman. I guess, a book is always a better option. Most films disappoint when you have read the book but I will give it a try after I read it.

Cc: EfemenaXY

Cococandy, are you into litertaure?
Shaybebaby, Nubian999, HaneefahRN, MizMycoli, Mimzyy, what about you ladies?

I will definitely check out all the recommendations thank you I am actually excited again about reading and I hope I am able to continue even though I do know life sometimes gets in the way.

I have also read most of Adichie's work except Americanah and I will definitely get to it soon.

You are right, I almost always prefer books to film adaptations and would always prefer to read a book before seeing the movie.

dairykidd:


Yeah pacesetters books tho i remember Evbu my love (later had a chic with that name in my ss1 )and the concubine.Lolsss Mills & Boon when they make my sisters burn food for house so we the boys had to investigate wetin dey omo na so boys hook ooo,we actually never read them sha just skipped straight to the sexy n erotic parts and my sisters had lots of them so they wont even know when its missing untill matter cast so they started handing it down to us after reading it felt weird tho when my sis would be like hve u read this one? lolss.I still loved comics sooo much and i don't play with my DC comics and Marvel too but i preferred DC.My best novels of all time where James Hadley chase novels, i had a lot of them i really don't think there's anyone i didn't read cos my elder bro was like addicted and he got me hooked on it too..it always felt like watching a movie while reading it & i would be in my bro's room playing jazz music that has heavy bass and good sax non stop on low volume..senior bro introduced me to this kind of music too (guys like Wynton Marsalis,earl klugh,Michael franks,Miles Davis,Louis Armstrong and the likes)..growing up was so much fun tho

It was a great memory and experience for me for those wonderful days...!!Bt none of you made mention some of these stories...Harvest of shame,jimmy johnson,the drummer boy,govt inspector,sons and daughter,sigwe bansi death,hamlet,even the litireso yoruba...sisi jetue,talodaran,iyawoalarede,ijapa tiroko,olorunsogo etc...great memories I cnt forget...

afolayan22:
It was a great memory and experience for me for those wonderful days...!!Bt none of you made mention some of these stories...Harvest of shame,jimmy johnson,the drummer boy,govt inspector,sons and daughter,sigwe bansi death,hamlet,even the litireso yoruba...sisi jetue,talodaran,iyawoalarede,ijapa tiroko,olorunsogo etc...great memories I cnt forget...

Yes great mentions,u know u cant just remember all @ once na...it will all be coming back that's why i asked u guys to help me name the rest of them

U was a pure literature student, oh! Good memories..
Tess of D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
Murder in the cathedral by T.S Elliott
Macbeth William Shakespeare
The black hermit by Ngugi wathiongo
Merchant of the Venice
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
things fall apart, No longer at ease, the man of the people, Antilles of the savannah all Achebes work.
The beautiful ones are not yet born by Ayikwe A of Ghana
poems

mumoftwo:
Aaaaah. You guys are making me nostalgic. Person don old o.

Nyengi Koin also wrote another beautiful book that I enjoyed during my childhood, the Second Chance. Main characters were Richard Pepple and Mina Erein.

Who remembers these lines from Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities":

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way...."

In short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

I was a pure literature student, oh! Good memories..
Tess of D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
Murder in the cathedral by T.S Elliott
Macbeth William Shakespeare
The black hermit by Ngugi wathiongo
Merchant of the Venice
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
things fall apart, No longer at ease, the man of the people, Antilles of the savannah all Achebes work.
The beautiful ones are not yet born by Ayikwe A of Ghana
The secret deal by Jerry Agada
The trial of brother hero, the lion and the jewel all by Wole S.
African night entertainment by Cyprian E
Abiku by Wole S
De count of Monte cristou, Shakespeare
poems

two look at two
is my thing plaguing?
no coffin no grave
our to plough not to plunder

U was a pure literature student, oh! Good memories..
Tess of D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
Murder in the cathedral by T.S Elliott
Macbeth William Shakespeare
The black hermit by Ngugi wathiongo
Merchant of the Venice
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
things fall apart, No longer at ease, the man of the people, Antilles of the savannah all Achebes work.
The beautiful ones are not yet born by Ayikwe A of Ghana
The secret deal by Jerry Agada
The trial of brother jero, the lion and the jewel all by Wole S.
African night entertainment by Cyprian E
Abiku by Wole S
De count of Monte cristou, Shakespeare
poems

two look at two
is my thing plaguing?
no coffin no grave
hour to plough not to plunder

To mention but few
I have even forgotten some and the spellings, its been really long. Beautiful memories, tnx to OP.

Many of these novels and plays can be found in modern secondary school curriculum. You do not need to school in the 90s to be familiar with them. I cannot say that I feel nolstagic because I reread most of these books every now and then. But I think the one which really left an enduring mark was Things Fall Apart.
I also liked Sizwe Bansi Is Dead.

dfrost:


Maybe it can but imagine having a softcoy of collection of wines made by famous distillers but you don't know how the wine tastes. The feeling cannot be the same.

hahahaha.I ran into a 1946 Irish cream. The man that owns treasure s it as if it is an oil well

Guys , what about poetry...
Ajanaku. An irish man who foresee his death. Washer woman's prayer..
Sweet old days..

The Incorruptible Judge...............

I never liked the book.....

basingstoke:
hahahaha.I ran into a 1946 Irish cream. The man that owns treasure s it as if it is an oil well

That's the feeling brother. . I've started keeping some bottles myself but feel tempted atimes to touch it.

It just has to be at least 20 bottles before I get to 45.

darkenedrebel:
But I think the one which really left an enduring mark was Things Fall Apart.
I also liked Sizwe Bansi Is Dead.

“...that boy calls you father.”

rallymento:
The Incorruptible Judge...............

I never liked the book.....

Why if I may ask?

Memphis357:

An African Night Entertainment

Thanks brotherly. Cheers.

buffalowings:


Haha atlas shrugged . I have the epub version on my tab. When I saw that it was 1000pages I noped the Bleep out. I can't seem to find the time to read these days. For the past months I have only been able to read the girl on the train.

Maybe I will give it a try sometime soon

I really enjoyed it. Just keep a note where you will en down quotes like "money is a tool with which you can buy into the best abilities around".

rabzy:


I tell you once you start reading wide and have read so much, you realize that not everything should be read, there are some things that is safer left unread. I remember the Ghanaian bros that first told me about olaudah equaino, martins Ashanti, he also gave me the book think and grow rich and stories of opoku ware, kweku ananse, ashantehene, the fante, dentchira and ashante wars. I had a togolese bros that taught me many songs in ewe and twi. Am going to check out 'atlas shrugged'.
I used to see myself as Umslopogaas, the black dude in King Solomons Mine, in fact his name was my password for my first email.

Is anybody familiar with 'she who must be obeyed'.

Damn, the asian novels leaned towards mystics. Very good books but definitely will change your cosmic view, that's when I knew I have to soft-pedal.
I have not come across "she who must be obeyed", but I've come across the phrase severally. Usually applied to authoritarian women. I will check it up though.
*smile* at your password.

Funny enough I was a science student, but my late mum loved literature a lot and passed it on to me. I remember playing Antonio in Shakespeare's Ceaser and Odewale in The Gods are Not To Blame. My favourite lines in Caesar when Antonio addressed the Roman's at the Capitol after Caesar's death he said "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interrèd with their bones. So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus Hath told you Caesar was ambitious. If it were so, it was a grievous fault, and so grievously hath Caesar answered it. Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest— For Brutus is an honorable man; So are they all, all honorable men— Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral. He was my friend, faithful and just to me. But Brutus says he was ambitious, And Brutus is an honorable man.
He hath brought many captives home to Rome Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill."

In the Gods are not to blame, I played Odewale and I remember my favourite after the Ifa priest confirmed my paternity I took hold of the floor and began on a strong but sorrowful note "no no, do not blame the gods, let no one blame the powers my people. Learn from my faults. The powers would have failed if I would not let them use me.
They knew my weaknesses, the weaknesses of a man easily goes to the defense of his tribe against others. I once slew a man in my farm in Ede, I would have spared him,but he spat on my tribe. He spat on the tribe I thought was my own tribe. The man laughed. And laughing he called me a bush man from the tribe of Ijekun, and I lost my reason.
Now I know that that very man was my father, the king who ruled this land before me. It was my run to calm the hurt of my tribe that brought me to this land to do more horrors. (I then plucked my eyes and concluded by saying) give her my wife, my mother, a burial of honour."
One funny thing happened when we were preparing for this drama. My school was a missionary sch but we went outof our way to invite a juju priest to teach the guy acting the Ifa priest role how to incant. Omo in our presence this man did incantation and smoke from no where land. We laughed it off. But now I am older, I look back and say mehnnnn.


Cc rabzy buffalowings

frodobee:


Cc rabzy buffalowings

That Antonio's speech wasexceptional . Flawless oratory skills, enough to sweep Cleopatra off her feet. More than enough to incite the Roman citizens to attack the coup plotters.

Marcus Antonius - General and Politician rolled into one. Respect.