What are you reading the week of June 25, 2016?
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1fredbacon
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (born 15 September 1977) is a Nigerian novelist, nonfiction writer and short story writer. A MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, Adichie has been called "the most prominent" of a "procession of critically acclaimed young anglophone authors (that) is succeeding in attracting a new generation of readers to African literature".
Adichie, who was born in the city of Enugu, grew up the fifth of six children in an Igbo family in the university town of Nsukka in southeastern Nigeria, where the University of Nigeria is situated. While she was growing up, her father James Nwoye Adichie was a professor of statistics at the university, and her mother Grace Ifeoma was the university's first female registrar. Her family's ancestral village is in Abba in Anambra State.
Adichie studied medicine and pharmacy at the University of Nigeria for a year and a half. During this period, she edited The Compass, a magazine run by the university's Catholic medical students. At the age of 19, Adichie left Nigeria for the United States to study communications and political science at Drexel University in Philadelphia; she transferred to Eastern Connecticut State University to be near her sister, who had a medical practice in Coventry. She received a bachelor's degree from Eastern, with the distinction of summa cum laude in 2001.
In 2003, she completed a master's degree in creative writing at Johns Hopkins University. In 2008, she received a Master of Arts degree in African studies from Yale University.
Adichie was a Hodder fellow at Princeton University during the 2005–06 academic year. In 2008 she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. She has also been awarded a 2011–12 fellowship by the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University.
Adichie divides her time between Nigeria, where she teaches writing workshops, and the United States. In 2016,she was conferred a honorary degree -Doctor of Humane letters,honouris causa.John hopkins university May 18th 2016.
Adichie published a collection of poems in 1997 Decisions and a play For Love of Biafra in 1998. She was shortlisted in 2002 for the Caine Prize for her short story "You in America".
In 2003, her story "That Harmattan Morning" was selected as a joint winner of the BBC Short Story Awards, and she won the O. Henry prize for "The American Embassy". She also won the David T. Wong International Short Story Prize 2002/2003 (PEN Center Award).
Her first novel, Purple Hibiscus (2003), received wide critical acclaim; it was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction (2004) and was awarded the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book (2005).
Her second novel, Half of a Yellow Sun, named after the flag of the short-lived nation of Biafra, is set before and during the Nigerian Civil War. It received the 2007 Orange Prize for Fiction and the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. Half of a Yellow Sun has been adapted into a film of the same title directed by Biyi Bandele, starring BAFTA winner and Academy Award nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor and BAFTA award-winner Thandie Newton, and was released in 2014.
Her third book, The Thing Around Your Neck (2009), is a collection of short stories.
In 2010 she was listed among the authors of The New Yorker′s "20 Under 40" Fiction Issue. Adichie's story, "Ceiling", was included in the 2011 edition of The Best American Short Stories.
Her third novel, Americanah (2013), was selected by the New York Times as one of The 10 Best Books of 2013.
In April 2014 she was named as one of 39 writers aged under 40 in the Hay Festival and Rainbow Book Club project Africa39, celebrating Port Harcourt UNESCO World Book Capital 2014.
In 2015, she was co-curator of the PEN World Voices Festival.
Adichie says on feminism and writing, "I think of myself as a storyteller, but I would not mind at all if someone were to think of me as a feminist writer... I'm very feminist in the way I look at the world, and that world view must somehow be part of my work."
"We should all be feminists" was a TEDx talk that was given by Adichie in 2013. She shared her experiences of being an African feminist, and her views on gender construction and sexuality. Adichie believes that the problem with gender is that it shapes who we are.
"I am angry. Gender as it functions today is a grave injustice. We should all be angry. Anger has a long history of bringing about positive change, but in addition to being angry, I’m also hopeful because I believe deeply in the ability of human beings to make and remake themselves for the better."
Parts of Adichie's talk were sampled in Beyoncé's song "Flawless" in December 2013. Speaking of the performance during an interview with NPR.org, Adichie commented that "anything that gets young people talking about feminism is a very good thing." Responding to critiques of Beyoncé's feminist credentials in another interview, Adichie asserted that "Whoever says they’re feminist is bloody feminist."
Adichie, who was born in the city of Enugu, grew up the fifth of six children in an Igbo family in the university town of Nsukka in southeastern Nigeria, where the University of Nigeria is situated. While she was growing up, her father James Nwoye Adichie was a professor of statistics at the university, and her mother Grace Ifeoma was the university's first female registrar. Her family's ancestral village is in Abba in Anambra State.
Adichie studied medicine and pharmacy at the University of Nigeria for a year and a half. During this period, she edited The Compass, a magazine run by the university's Catholic medical students. At the age of 19, Adichie left Nigeria for the United States to study communications and political science at Drexel University in Philadelphia; she transferred to Eastern Connecticut State University to be near her sister, who had a medical practice in Coventry. She received a bachelor's degree from Eastern, with the distinction of summa cum laude in 2001.
In 2003, she completed a master's degree in creative writing at Johns Hopkins University. In 2008, she received a Master of Arts degree in African studies from Yale University.
Adichie was a Hodder fellow at Princeton University during the 2005–06 academic year. In 2008 she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. She has also been awarded a 2011–12 fellowship by the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University.
Adichie divides her time between Nigeria, where she teaches writing workshops, and the United States. In 2016,she was conferred a honorary degree -Doctor of Humane letters,honouris causa.John hopkins university May 18th 2016.
Adichie published a collection of poems in 1997 Decisions and a play For Love of Biafra in 1998. She was shortlisted in 2002 for the Caine Prize for her short story "You in America".
In 2003, her story "That Harmattan Morning" was selected as a joint winner of the BBC Short Story Awards, and she won the O. Henry prize for "The American Embassy". She also won the David T. Wong International Short Story Prize 2002/2003 (PEN Center Award).
Her first novel, Purple Hibiscus (2003), received wide critical acclaim; it was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction (2004) and was awarded the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book (2005).
Her second novel, Half of a Yellow Sun, named after the flag of the short-lived nation of Biafra, is set before and during the Nigerian Civil War. It received the 2007 Orange Prize for Fiction and the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. Half of a Yellow Sun has been adapted into a film of the same title directed by Biyi Bandele, starring BAFTA winner and Academy Award nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor and BAFTA award-winner Thandie Newton, and was released in 2014.
Her third book, The Thing Around Your Neck (2009), is a collection of short stories.
In 2010 she was listed among the authors of The New Yorker′s "20 Under 40" Fiction Issue. Adichie's story, "Ceiling", was included in the 2011 edition of The Best American Short Stories.
Her third novel, Americanah (2013), was selected by the New York Times as one of The 10 Best Books of 2013.
In April 2014 she was named as one of 39 writers aged under 40 in the Hay Festival and Rainbow Book Club project Africa39, celebrating Port Harcourt UNESCO World Book Capital 2014.
In 2015, she was co-curator of the PEN World Voices Festival.
Adichie says on feminism and writing, "I think of myself as a storyteller, but I would not mind at all if someone were to think of me as a feminist writer... I'm very feminist in the way I look at the world, and that world view must somehow be part of my work."
"We should all be feminists" was a TEDx talk that was given by Adichie in 2013. She shared her experiences of being an African feminist, and her views on gender construction and sexuality. Adichie believes that the problem with gender is that it shapes who we are.
"I am angry. Gender as it functions today is a grave injustice. We should all be angry. Anger has a long history of bringing about positive change, but in addition to being angry, I’m also hopeful because I believe deeply in the ability of human beings to make and remake themselves for the better."
Parts of Adichie's talk were sampled in Beyoncé's song "Flawless" in December 2013. Speaking of the performance during an interview with NPR.org, Adichie commented that "anything that gets young people talking about feminism is a very good thing." Responding to critiques of Beyoncé's feminist credentials in another interview, Adichie asserted that "Whoever says they’re feminist is bloody feminist."
2fredbacon
Last weekend, I made the mistake of taking "The Most Dangerous Book in my Library" off of the shelf: The New York Times Sunday Crossword Puzzles Volume 35. So I read nothing this week. I also ended up staying up until the wee hours of the morning, so I didn't get much sleep either. I may have to hide it from myself again. If anyone ever creates a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle that is also a crossword puzzle, I will be doomed.
3hemlokgang
Lol, Fred! I like Adichie'so writing very much!
4PaperbackPirate
>1 fredbacon:
I've had the good fortune of reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's short story, "The Arrangers of Marriage," in The Granta Book of the African Short Story. Thank you for sharing!
I've had the good fortune of reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's short story, "The Arrangers of Marriage," in The Granta Book of the African Short Story. Thank you for sharing!
5PaperbackPirate
This morning I finished Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. I loved the unique mystery and, thanks to JulieLill for pointing it out, the glow-in-the-dark cover.
Next up is Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin for what's left of Pride Month. I have had this on my wishlist since I read about it in Sassy magazine in high school, and it's been on my tbr pile for 6 years.
Next up is Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin for what's left of Pride Month. I have had this on my wishlist since I read about it in Sassy magazine in high school, and it's been on my tbr pile for 6 years.
6TooBusyReading
>1 fredbacon: Thank you for the start - another author I've meant to get around to, but haven't yet. And now I want a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle that is also a crossword puzzle.
I started reading Did You Ever Have a Family?, an e-book I borrowed from the library, and am enjoying it despite the darkness.
I started reading Did You Ever Have a Family?, an e-book I borrowed from the library, and am enjoying it despite the darkness.
8JulieLill
Still reading-
Night Film by Marisha Pessl
The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells by Andrew Sean Greer
What You Can When You Can: Healthy Living On Your Terms by Carla Birnberg and Roni Noone
Onions In the Stew by Betty MacDonald (Re-read)
Night Film by Marisha Pessl
The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells by Andrew Sean Greer
What You Can When You Can: Healthy Living On Your Terms by Carla Birnberg and Roni Noone
Onions In the Stew by Betty MacDonald (Re-read)
9framboise
>5 PaperbackPirate: I loved Sassy Magazine. Pretty sure I had a subscription at one time!
>6 TooBusyReading: I recently read Did You Ever Have a Family and thought it was really well-written particularly for a debut novel.
Just finished the nonfiction Do No Harm by neurosurgeon Henry Marsh. About to start The Lake House by Kate Morton.
>6 TooBusyReading: I recently read Did You Ever Have a Family and thought it was really well-written particularly for a debut novel.
Just finished the nonfiction Do No Harm by neurosurgeon Henry Marsh. About to start The Lake House by Kate Morton.
10hemlokgang
Just finished the absolutely lovely Our Souls At Night.
Next up for listening is Between The World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Next up for listening is Between The World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
11mollygrace
I will finish See Now Then by Jamaica Kincaid before I go to bed. In the morning I will begin Penelope Fitzgerald's The Beginning of Spring.
12ahef1963
>1 fredbacon: Thanks for the intro, Fred! I have read Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun, which was a harrowing tale, but well worth reading. I have Purple Hibiscus on my reader to be read this summer.
My 2,000 mile move is in just nine days, and I'm excited and anxious and sleepless. Am reading comfortable favourites to help me stay somewhere near calm. Finished my fourth or fifth re-read of Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman yesterday, and have picked up Alexander McCall Smith's The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party and am enjoying it again.
My 2,000 mile move is in just nine days, and I'm excited and anxious and sleepless. Am reading comfortable favourites to help me stay somewhere near calm. Finished my fourth or fifth re-read of Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman yesterday, and have picked up Alexander McCall Smith's The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party and am enjoying it again.
13mollygrace
I was awakened early this morning by a mysterious noise in my book room. I assumed it was an avalanche on Mt. TBR, but no, it was a shelf of H's having a family quarrel, jockeying for position, and in the process knocking over an old pencil box perched on the edge. No damage done, but as I put everything back in order, 84 Charing Cross Road reached out and tapped me on the arm and reminded me I hadn't reread it lately. So that's how my morning began -- reading those marvelous letters. The paperback is over forty years old (cost: $4.95) but of course the book is still a treasure.
So now I'm going to start The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald.
>10 hemlokgang: I love Our Souls at Night, too. Makes me smile just seeing the title. Still can't believe Haruf is gone.
>12 ahef1963: Good luck with your move. Good idea to stick with old reliables -- Precious Ramotswe is a good companion to have by your side when negotiating life's bumpier patches.
So now I'm going to start The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald.
>10 hemlokgang: I love Our Souls at Night, too. Makes me smile just seeing the title. Still can't believe Haruf is gone.
>12 ahef1963: Good luck with your move. Good idea to stick with old reliables -- Precious Ramotswe is a good companion to have by your side when negotiating life's bumpier patches.
14PaperbackPirate
>9 framboise: Sassy was the best! I read every issue cover to cover.
15nhlsecord
>2 fredbacon: Fred, I don't have a jigsaw/crossword puzzle, but I do have an 8000 piece jigsaw puzzle of the history of the last 2000 years. I haven't done it yet. It's very BIG. And mostly just 2 colours. Sadistic.
16fredbacon
>15 nhlsecord: I have no place large enough to assemble such a puzzle. Thank god. I do have a jigsaw puzzle that is nothing but a pile of buttons. Many, many, many buttons. If I start it, I know that I'll loose an entire week of my life. Perhaps this winter. I passed over a puzzle that was nothing but a pile of steel sewing needles with a single straw of hay on top.
17NarratorLady
>13 mollygrace: I'm very picky about re-reads but 84 Charing Cross Road is on the list.
18JulieLill
Finished Night Film by Marisha Pessl 4/5 stars but would have given this a better rating but had problems keeping track of the multitude of characters.
19Copperskye
>13 mollygrace: >17 NarratorLady: A reread of 84 Charing Cross Road sounds like an excellent idea.
I finished Fangirl and didn't like it nearly as much as Eleanor & Park. I am halfway through All the Light We Cannot See and love it.
I finished Fangirl and didn't like it nearly as much as Eleanor & Park. I am halfway through All the Light We Cannot See and love it.
20ahef1963
>13 mollygrace: 84 Charing Cross Road - so glad you picked it up and reminded me of it! It's a great idea for a comfortable re-read. I think my copy is about 30 years old. Thank you for your good wishes. It's only eight days now till we leave.
Finished The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party tonight, and picked up The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection for another Precious Ramotswe fix. These books always make me feel happy and grateful for the little things of life.
Finished The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party tonight, and picked up The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection for another Precious Ramotswe fix. These books always make me feel happy and grateful for the little things of life.
21cdyankeefan
#13 - good luck with the move ahef!
Currently reading Village Nooks by Craig McLay; Everyone is Forgiven by Chris Cleave; end of Watch by Stephen King; and Watership Down by Richard Adams
Currently reading Village Nooks by Craig McLay; Everyone is Forgiven by Chris Cleave; end of Watch by Stephen King; and Watership Down by Richard Adams
23hemlokgang
Finished listening to The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son on Life, Love, and Loss. I really enjoyed it.
Next up for listening is Euphoria by Lily King.
Next up for listening is Euphoria by Lily King.
24seitherin
Also added Baby Doll by Hollie Overton to my reading rotation.
25mollygrace
I finished Penelope Fitzgerald's The Beginning of Spring -- another extraordinary novel by Penelope Fitzgerald. A perfect gem of a book.
Now I'm reading Peacekeeping by Mischa Berlinski.
Now I'm reading Peacekeeping by Mischa Berlinski.
26NarratorLady
>25 mollygrace: How did I miss this one? Thanks for the recommendation!
28enaid
I'm having an extremely busy week for a woman who prefers a sloth-like pace. When I am able to find a few moments, I am reading Disclaimer by Renee Knight. It's a darn good read so far although none of the characters seem very likable.
I'm also choosing bulbs for fall planting and am, guiltily, spending hours pondering garden/ plant websites. I need Vita Sackville-West to come back to life and give me a consult.
I'm also choosing bulbs for fall planting and am, guiltily, spending hours pondering garden/ plant websites. I need Vita Sackville-West to come back to life and give me a consult.
29nhlsecord
>16 fredbacon: I'm glad you stayed away from the needles because we'd likely never hear from you again ;)
I'm reading Not So Funny When It Happened which is not so funny yet, but entertaining none the less.
I'm reading Not So Funny When It Happened which is not so funny yet, but entertaining none the less.
30snash
I finished reading Unfair: The New Science of Criminal Injustice. It looks at the various ways our mind works, often without our awareness, that render our judicial system unjust, from bias based on appearance, to malleable memories. While some of this information was not new to me, seeing it all together with its impact upon the judicial process was sobering. He ends the book with some possible solutions, some simple to adopt, all worthy of serious consideration.
32fredbacon
Oh my lord! A "friend" (and I use the term advisedly) pointed me to this: 1000 piece jigsaw crossword puzzle.
33enaid
>32 fredbacon: Wow!
34TooBusyReading
>32 fredbacon: I changed my mind. I DON"T want a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle that is also a crossword puzzle. I feel, some days, like I'm already teetering on the edge of insanity.
36nhlsecord
>32 fredbacon: Fred, that's a painful one-piece-at-a-time lesson in patience and why-did-I-ever.
37windwalkcarol
Just discovered this website, look forward to connecting with everyone. I love psychological suspense. Just finished, The Truth and Other Lies by Sascha Arango.
38hemlokgang
Welcome, Carol!
40Copperskye
>37 windwalkcarol: Welcome!
41mahayes
At this moment in time I am currently reading The Art Of Work by Jeff Goins and How To Live On 24 Hours A Day by Arnold Bennett
