Book Review: Good As Gone by Amy Gentry

PURCHASE~GOODREADS

This year, I've read and dropped and didn't finish a lot of thrillers. I was scared the same would happen with Good As Gone, but then I read the first page, and I knew this was one thriller I'd be finishing in a long while. You have my review:

This book was one hell of a good one! I loved it entirely! From start to finish! The kind of book that when done you just have to read the author’s acknowledgement note to get more of a glimpse of her than her bio allows. 😉 Amy Gentry writes well! This year I’ve started and stopped, started and not finished a lot of thrillers, because they weren’t well-written. I mean, if you want to keep me glued to my seat holding your book whilst ignoring a splitting backache, your book has got to be literary and well-written! Suspenseful! Original story-telling! 😉 Imagine This: Your daughter gets kidnapped, according to the version of events of your youngest daughter who must have stayed hidden in the closet and screamed three hours later after the shock wore off. Though with help of the media, the cops, the posters you put around, the fake callers who tell they might just have spotted an exact girl being clubbed somewhere, the search is getting nowhere. Now, years later, you have got to keep on living. Even though your life has become this unfeeling void. Now that you’re done with hope you’ve got to reclaim the pieces of what is left of your family: a daughter who changes her hair colour than she does her underwear, a husband whose hoping you’re beginning to find cloying and irritating. Then one day, YOUR DAUGHTER APPEARS. You’re happy and relieved. But there’s this nagging thought that her eyes are a shade darker than the original. Who’s this girl and what does she want with your family?😄 #Goodasgone #amygentry #bookstagram #malemodel #bookporn #bibliophile #menwhoread #African #KNUST #thrillers #goodmorning #blackman

A photo posted by Kobby Ben Ben (@bookworm_man) on Nov 14, 2016 at 2:55am PST

Book Review: The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen

GOODREADS~PURCHASE

I did enjoy this book so, so much! I'm highly recommending it for lovers of anything geriatric (hopefully, the term is not as demeaning and there are a lot of young at heart fans out there!). Check out my review on instagram:

"Another year and I still don't like old people. Me? I am eighty-three years old." 😀 Haha! The quote above! This book is just so quotable! It's funny! It's all kinds of humorous! I have never read something funny like this in a while. It documents the life of Hendrik Groen, his diaries, full of heart, full of charm, and an expose of what goes on inside the walls of an old people's home! Hendrik's almost ninety and he's not mastered the art of cantankerousness, unlike all his contemporaries! There's Evert, the friend behind the goldfish murders, Eejfe the nicer old Lady our main character has a crush on (—Yes, stand the risk of your parents falling in love when you've locked them up!), Mrs Stewalgen the director whose known to abuse the seniors in the home (—you'll find lots of startling statistics on bullying seniors at  homes). It's very hilarious! With people from the dementia unit getting lost and found! It's what you get when you decide to pick up a book on old people and more. Lots of philosophies from the old on how to live, lots of gibes against policy-makers who make laws affecting finance of their children so the children do not visit as much! All through it's soulful as well, you'll find it gutting that contrary to popular belief old people have heart and all the exposure in the media these days are all very crippling, says Hendrik 😞😙 GO GET THIS BOOK! 5★ 😀 #hendrikgroen #old #pension #pensioners #bookstagram #funny #humor #bookporn #bookish #bibliophile #bookworm #malemodel #Ghana #africanman #actionhero #jamesbond #gorgeous #black #fashion #mensuits #jackets #menwhoread #readingissexy #menreading

A photo posted by Kobby Ben Ben (@bookworm_man) on Oct 3, 2016 at 12:30am PDT

Book Review: Under The Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta

Purchase|Goodreads 

Imagine This: Who do you love most? Your religion? Or your sexuality? If you love both, could  there be a reason to merge the two? What if your religion does not accept your sexuality? What would you do then? 😩

It's the year of the Biafra war, Which has taken your dad. And left your mother to become this sour bitch readers cannot recognize. She goes to leave you in the care of some other family. As most poor widows did during the war so they can sort themselves out and come for their kids afterwards. Then you meet this amazing Girl you fall in love with. Like you she's lost so much. Unlike you though, she's from a different tribe. The tribe warring against yours. Difficult. But you love her anyway because you can't fathom your life without her. But your mother, society, all of who are religious extremists, decide it's not possible for a girl and another to be in an intimate relationship. Pray the gay away. Avoid all things gay at all costs. But whatever you do, the gay finds you, catches up with you and once again you're restless! The time has come for you to decide what to choose: religion, your family, blind culture or sexuality 😩

God! This is such an emotional read! It starts out very literary with experiences of Ifeoma with the Biafra war. And how the war affected her community. And her family. Could get graphic at times, so reach for your tissues! Then it peters into upmarket fiction (a sad move for me really, as the writing became more commercial) documenting the mechanisms of Ifeoma's relationship with Amina! This book offers insights into Africa and Homosexuality! Africa's first LGBT book! You'd be moved! You'd be awed. And you'd be gutted! I recommend this to all you looking for insightful reads into other cultures in relation to controversial almost taboo topics! So bookclub fiction! And sadly, like Homegoing, one of those books that didn't make the Manbooker selection this year, but you'd be darn sad if you miss out  of it! 😝