Recordpub.com - One for the Books: Three Fictional Visits to Africa

There are about as many countries on the continent of Africa as there are states in the United States -- separate nations with many languages, complicated politics, a mix of old and new cultures. Let's take a fictional visit to three of them.

"Wife of the Gods" by Kwei Quartey is a mystery set in the Western African country of Ghana. Detective Inspector Darko Dawson works at Criminal Investigations Department Headquarters in Accra, Ghana's modern capital, located on the Atlantic coast. He's called in on a murder case in a remote inland village, near the place where his mother had "disappeared into thin air" several years before. The case involves the death of a young woman whose body was found on the forest floor. She had been well liked, but controversial, as she tried to protect the rights of the local women and to convince the village men that safer behaviors would prevent the spread of AIDS. The crime-scene evidence points to several suspects, and the local police, who are unhappy to have an outsider intruding on their space, have selected their own designated perpetrator and, ignoring Darko Dawson, are taking matters definitively into their own hands.

The plot takes us into the heart of the old traditions of Ghana, involving witchcraft, magical healers, and the practice of trokosi, from which the book's title comes. Simply put, young girls are sometimes "married" to the gods in order to make up for some misdeed done by another family member, and these girls are destined to bear the children of the high priest. So, in essence, he has multiple wives, but the women are considered to be wives of the gods.

Darko is a complex character -- certainly not bad, but not all good, either. Many fictional detectives have some kind of specialty, and Darko's is his hearing: "He had always had a peculiarly heightened sensitivity to speech. Not only did he hear it but he often perceived it as if physically touching it. He had on occasion told Cairo or Mama that he could feel 'bumps' in a person's voice, or that it was prickly or wet. They were mystified by this, but Darko could not explain it any better than he could describe the process of sight or smell." The book immerses the reader in Ghana's fascinating culture. It's a good, solid mystery, and it promises to be the beginning of a series.

Now let's move on, a little to the east, to Nigeria, where part of "Little Bee" by Chris Cleave is set. This is a truly powerful novel, and the publishers don't want me to spoil it for you. The book jacket reads: "Once you have read it, you'll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens. The magic is in how the story unfolds." What a quandary for a reviewer! Let's just say it asks the question: Would you lift a finger to save someone you didn't know? How far would you be willing to go?

This story of the encounter of a British husband and wife -- Andrew and Sarah -- with a young Nigerian woman -- Little Bee, who has gone through some unspeakable something -- is revealed in bits, not all at once. Little Bee tells her tale in odd-numbered chapters, and Sarah narrates the even-numbered chapters.

This is a book not to be missed. The first half is about as good as any book I've ever read -- powerful, moving and thoroughly engaging. I felt that part of Sarah's story dragged the book down a bit, but everything involving Little Bee packs a wallop. The author's words are sweet but brutal, simple but poetic. I even laughed out loud several times. Some of Little Bee's musings still linger in my mind: "Our stories are the tellers of us," she writes, and "A scar is never ugly ... a scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, I survived."

"Tea Time for the Traditionally Built" by Alexander McCall Smith is the 10th in the series of No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels set in Botswana, which is located just above South Africa. As the book opens, Mma Precious Ramotswe, proprietor of the detective agency, is very sad that her beloved "tiny white van" is dying. Her assistant, Grace Makutsi, is worried because her fiancé, Phuti Radiphuti, has hired her longtime nemesis -- a devious woman with her eyes on Phuti -- to work with him at his store. Mr. Molofololo, who runs the country's best football (soccer) team, hires the lady detectives: "There is somebody in the team who wants us to lose and is making very sure that we do," he tells the ladies, begging them to find the traitor.

As usual, the plot supports the character and cultural portraits of Mma Ramotswe, her acquaintances and her beloved Botswana. Whenever I read one of these books, I feel I've had a lovely, warm, fun visit with the ladies in their peaceful environment. Those who haven't read the previous books will have no problem starting here. But I should explain the title: A "traditionally built woman," as Mma Ramotswe describes herself, is one who is not exactly -- err, ahem -- thin.

Mma Ramotswe often muses about her country: "There was a boy who walked seven miles [to school] and seven miles back, even in the hottest of months, when the sun came down upon Botswana like a pounding fist, when the cattle huddled together under the umbrella shade of the acacia trees, not daring to wander off in search of what scraps of grass remained. This boy thought nothing of his daily journey; this is what you did if you wanted to go to school ... and you did not complain." Her love for her home is ever evident: "Poor Africa; it did not deserve the things that had been done to it. Africa, which could stand for love and happiness and joy, could also be a place of suffering and shame. ... There was a story of courage and determination and goodness that could be told as well, and she was proud that her country, her Botswana, had been part of that."

Find book news, best-seller lists and more online at
www.recordpub.com; click "News" in the menu bar, then "Lifetimes," and find "One for the Books"; or visit my blog at http://blogs.dixcdn.com/shine_a_light; Twitter @One4TheBooks.

------
------
BOOK NOTES, One for the Books Extra Online Exclusives:

------
Follow me on Twitter @One4TheBooks.
------
Check out my new blog on books, inspiration, fun and thought-provoking goodies! It’s called “Shine A Light!”

http://blogs.dixcdn.com/shine_a_light/

If you lose that link, go to www.recordpub.com. Click “Blogs” in the blue bar at the top of the page, and find “Shine A Light.”

------
LOCAL BOOK CLUBS:

The Book Discussion Group at the Randolph Library meets the first Monday of the month, except August, at 6:30 p.m. in the Randolph Senior Center. The group is open to everyone, and new members are always welcome. The library will stock copies of the books each month. Call the library at 330-325-7003.

Pierce-Streetsboro Library’s Book Discussion Group meets regularly on the second Monday of each month at 6:45 p.m. in the library’s meeting room. New members are always welcome to attend and participate in the discussion. The library is located at 8990 Kirby Lane in Streetsboro, next to the administrative offices of the Streetsboro City Schools. For more information, call the library at 330-626-4458.

The Book Discussion Group at the Mogadore Branch of the Akron-Summit County Library, 144 S. Cleveland Ave., 330-628-9228, meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays to discuss books.
------
The Friends of the Brimfield Library will hold sidewalk book sales outside of the library in the Brimfield Plaza from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. July 11 and Aug. 8.
-----
The NCR Online book club now features

THE VEIL: WOMEN WRITERS ON ITS HISTORY, LORE, AND POLITICS at http://ncronline.org/node/13944

------

from Shelf Awareness: New Titles Out July 7:

The Castaways: A Novel by Elin Hilderbrand
Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express by Mark Bittman
The Devil's Punchbowl: A Novel by Greg Iles
Burn: A Novel by Linda Howard
Where the Dead Lay by David Levien
Black Hills by Nora Roberts
You Are Here: Why We Can Find Our Way to the Moon, but Get Lost in the Mall by Colin Ellard
LT & Me: What Raising a Champion Taught Me about Life, Faith, and Listening to Your Dreams by Loreane Tomlinson, LaDainian Tomlinson, Ginger Kolbaba and Patti M. Britton

Now in paperback:

Atlantis Unmasked (Warriors of Poseidon, Book 4) by Alyssa Day

New Titles Out July 14:

Rain Gods: A Novel by James Lee Burke
Best Friends Forever: A Novel by Jennifer Weiner
Born to Play: My Life in the Game by Dustin Pedroia
Sacred Hearts: A Novel by Sarah Dunant
Guardian of Lies by Steve Martini
Jericho's Fall by Stephen L. Carter
Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson by Ian Halperin

Now in paperback:

The Other Queen: A Novel by Philippa Gregory

------

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST-SELLERS
By The Associated Press

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. “Swimsuit” by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown) (F-H)
2. “Finger Lickin’ Fifteen” by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin’s)
3. “The Apostle: A Thriller” by Brad Thor (Atria) (F-H)
4. “The Doomsday Key: A Novel” by James Rollins (William Morrow)
5. “Knock Out: An FBI Thriller” by Catherine Coulter (Putnam Adult)
6. “Robert Ludlum’s: The Bourne Deception” by Eric Van Lustbader, Robert Ludlum (Grand Central Publishing)
7. “The Angel’s Game” by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Doubleday)
8. “Relentless” by Dean Koontz (Bantam)
9. “Shanghai Girls: A Novel” by Lisa See (Random House)
10. “Dead and Gone” by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
11. “A Plague of Secrets” by John Lescroart (Dutton)
12. “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam/Amy Einhorn)
13. “Return to Sullivans Island: A Novel” by Dorothea Benton Frank (William Morrow)
14. “The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane” by Katherine Howe (Voice)
15. “The Host” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown)

HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. “Catastrophe” by Dick Morris, Eileen McGann (Harper)
2. “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment” by Steve Harvey (Amistad)
3. “Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto” by Mark R. Levin (Threshold Editions)
4. “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown)
5. “Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan” by Doug Stanton (Scribner)
6. “Excuses Begone! How to Change Lifelong, Self-Defeating Thinking Habits” by Wayne W. Dyer (Hay House)
7. “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion)
8. “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne (Atria)
9. “Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones for a Hot and Healthy Body!” by Jillian Michaels and Mariska van Aalst (Crown)
10. “Got Fight?: The 50 Zen Principles of Hand-to-Face Combat” by Forrest Griffin, Erich Krauss (William Morrow)
11. “Renegade: The Making of a President” by Richard Wolffe (Crown)
12. “StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now, Discover Your Strengths” by Tom Rath (Gallup Press)
13. “End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite” by David Kessler (Rodale Books)
14. “The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and Friendship” by Jeffrey Zaslow (Gotham)
15. “The Evolution of God” by Robert Wright (Little, Brown)

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS
1. “Hidden Currents” by Christine Feehan (Jove)
2. “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult (Pocket)
3. “Fearless Fourteen” by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin’s Paperbacks)
4. “What Happens in London” by Julia Quinn (Avon)
5. “The MacKade Brothers: Devin and Shane: The Heart Of Devin MacKade 1/4The Fall Of Shane MacKade” by Nora Roberts (Silhouette)
6. “Dead Until Dark” by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
7. “Straight from the Hip” by Susan Mallery (HQN)
8. “Devil Bones: A Novel” by Kathy Reichs (Pocket Star)
9. “Rapture: The Shadowdwellers” by Jacquelyn Frank (Zebra) (F-P)
10. “Fractured” by Karin Slaughter (Dell)
11. “Moscow Rules” by Daniel Silva (Signet)
12. “Bending the Rules” by Susan Andersen (HQN)
13. “From Dead to Worse” by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
14. “Living Dead in Dallas” by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
15. “Club Dead” by Charlaine Harris (Ace)

TRADE PAPERBACKS
1. “Glenn Beck’s Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government, Inspired by Thomas Paine” by Glenn Beck (Threshold Editions)
2. “The Shack” by William P. Young (Windblown Media)
3. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson (Vintage)
4. “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (Dial)
5. “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult (Washington Square Press)
6. “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time” by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin)
7. “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith (Quirk Books)
8. “Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously” by Julie Powell (Back Bay Books)
9. “Olive Kitteredge” by Elizabeth Strout (Random House Trade Paperbacks)
10. “The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel” by Garth Stein (Harper)
11. “When You Are Engulfed in Flames” by David Sedaris (Back Bay Books)
12. “The Time Traveler’s Wife” by Audrey Niffenegger (Mariner Books)
13. “A Summer Affair” by Elin Hilderbrand (Back Bay Books)
14. “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho (Harper)
15. “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel (Workman Publishing Group)
---

WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST-SELLERS
By The Associated Press

FICTION
1. “Swimsuit” by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown)
2. “Finger Lickin’ Fifteen” by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin’s)
3. “Eclipse” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown and Company)
4. “Breaking Dawn” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown for Young Readers)
5. “The Apostle: A Thriller” by Brad Thor (Atria)
6. “The Last Olympian” by Rick Riordan (Disney Hyperion Books for Children)
7. “L.A. Candy” by Lauren Conrad (HarperCollins)
8. “Along for the Ride” by Sarah Dessen (Viking Children’s)
9. “Pretty Little Liars: Killer” by Sara Shepard (HarperTeen)
10. “The Doomsday Key: A Novel” by James Rollins (William Morrow)
11. “Dead and Gone” by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
12. “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam/Amy Einhorn)
13. “The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane” by Katherine Howe (Voice)
14. “Robert Ludlum’s: The Bourne Deception” by Eric Van Lustbader, Robert Ludlum (Grand Central Publishing)
15. “Shanghai Girls: A Novel” by Lisa See (Random House)

NONFICTION
1. “Catastrophe” by Dick Morris, Eileen McGann (Harper)
2. “Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto” by Mark R. Levin (Threshold Editions)
3. “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown)
4. “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment” by Steve Harvey (Amistad)
5. “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion)
6. “Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan” by Doug Stanton (Scribner)
7. “StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now, Discover Your Strengths” by Tom Rath (Gallup Press)
8. “Excuses Begone! How to Change Lifelong, Self-Defeating Thinking Habits” by Wayne W. Dyer (Hay House)
9. “End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite” by David Kessler (Rodale Books)
10. “Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones for a Hot and Healthy Body!” by Jillian Michaels and Mariska van Aalst (Crown)
11. “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne (Atria)
12. “The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and Friendship” by Jeffrey Zaslow (Gotham
13. “Renegade: The Making of a President” by Richard Wolffe (Crown)
14. “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap ... and Other’s Don’t” by Jim Collins (Collins)
15. “Divine Soul Songs: Sacred Practical Treasures to Heal, Rejuvenate, and Transform You, Humanity, Mother Earth, and All Universes” by Zhi Gang Sha (Atria)

The Wall Street Journal’s list reflects nationwide sales of hardcover books during the week ended last Saturday at more than 2,500 Barnes & Noble, B. Dalton, Bookland, Books-a-Million, Books & Co., Bookstar, Bookstop, Borders, Brentano’s, Coles, Coopersmith, Doubleday, Scribners and Waldenbooks stores, as well as sales from online retailers Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.
---

USA Today Best-Sellers
By The Associated Press
Key: F-Fiction; NF-Nonfiction; H-Hardcover; P-Paperback

1. “Glenn Beck’s Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government, Inspired by Thomas Paine” by Glenn Beck (Threshold Editions) (NF-P)
2. “My Sister’s Keeper: A Novel” by Jodi Picoult (Pocket) (F-P)
3. “Swimsuit” by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown) (F-H)
4. “Finger Lickin’ Fifteen” by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin’s) (F-H)
5. “New Moon” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-P)
6. “Hidden Currents” by Christine Feehan (Jove) (F-P)
7. “Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-P)
8. “Eclipse” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-H)
9. “Breaking Dawn” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-H)
10. “Fearless Fourteen” by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin’s Paperbacks) (F-P)
11. “Sooner or Later” by Debbie Macomber (Avon) (F-P)
12. “The Shack” by William P. Young (Windblown Media) (F-P)
13. “The MacKade Brothers: Devin and Shane: The Heart Of Devin MacKade 1/4The Fall Of Shane MacKade” by Nora Roberts (Silhouette) (F-P)
14. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson (Vintage) (F-P)
15. “What Happens in London” by Julia Quinn (Avon) (F-P)
16. “The Apostle: A Thriller” by Brad Thor (Atria) (F-H)
17. “Catastrophe” by Dick Morris, Eileen McGann (Harper) (F-H)
18. “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (Dial) (F-P)
19. “Last Kiss” by Luanne Rice (Bantam) (F-H)
20. “Devil Bones: A Novel” by Kathy Reichs (Pocket Star) (F-P)
21. “Fractured” by Karin Slaughter (Dell) (F-P)
22. “Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto” by Mark R. Levin (Threshold Editions) (NF-H)
23. “Dead Until Dark” by Charlaine Harris (Ace) (F-P)
24. “Three Cups Of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time” by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin) (NF-P)
25. “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment” by Steve Harvey (Amistad) (NF-H)
26. “The Last Olympian” by Rick Riordan (Disney Hyperion Books for Children) (F-H)
27. “Straight from the Hip” by Susan Mallery (HQN) (F-P)
28. “L.A. Candy” by Lauren Conrad (HarperCollins) (F-H)
29. “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith (Quirk Books) (F-P)
30. “Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously” by Julie Powell (Back Bay Books) (NF-P)
31. “Rogue” by Danielle Steel (Dell) (F-P)
32. “Living Dead in Dallas” by Charlaine Harris (Ace) (F-P)
33. “Along for the Ride” by Sarah Dessen (Viking Children’s) (F-H)
34. “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown) (NF-H)
35. “Midnight Sons, Volume 2” by Debbie Macomber (Mira) (F-P)
36. “Relentless” by Dean Koontz (Bantam) (F-H)
37. “Knock Out: An FBI Thriller” by Catherine Coulter (Putnam Adult) (F-H)
38. “The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel” by Garth Stein(Harper Paperback) (F-P)
39. “Olive Kitteridge” by Elizabeth Strout (Random House) (F-P)
40. “Rapture: The Shadowdwellers” by Jacquelyn Frank (Zebra) (F-P)
41. “The Doomsday Key: A Novel” by James Rollins (William Morrow) (F-H)
42. “Dead and Gone” by Charlaine Harris (Ace) (F-H)
43. “Robert Ludlum’s: The Bourne Deception” by Eric Van Lustbader, Robert Ludlum (Grand Central Publishing) (F-H)
44. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw” by Jeff Kinney (Amulet) (F-H)
45. “Wed Him Before You Bed Him” by Sabrina Jeffries (Pocket) (F-P)
46. “The Time Traveler’s Wife” by Audrey Niffenegger (Mariner Books) (F-P)
47. “Don’t Tempt Me” by Loretta Chase (Avon) (F-P)
48. “Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1: The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan (Disney-Hyperion)(F-P)
49. “From Dead to Worse” by Charlaine Harris (Ace) (F-P)
50. “Dust to Dust” by Heather Graham (Mira) (F-P)

Reporting stores include: Amazon.com, B. Dalton Bookseller, Barnes & Noble.com, Barnes & Noble Inc., Books-A-Million and Bookland, Booksamillion.com, Borders Books & Music, Bookstar, Bookstop, Brentano’s, Davis Kidd Booksellers in Nashville, Jackson, Memphis, Tenn., Doubleday Book Shops, Hudson Booksellers, Joseph-Beth Booksellers (Lexington, Ky.; Cincinnati, Cleveland), Powell’s Books (Portland, Ore.), Powells.com, R.J. Julia Booksellers (Madison, Conn.), Schuler.
------

For a list of authors currently visiting talk shows to promote their books, go to "More Books" at http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4625462

Books for Ages 8 to 12 -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4449028

Summer Camp -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4003952

------
Thanks for reading One for the Books. Please let us know what kind of book news you’d like to see on this page. Send e-mail to Books@recordpub.com. Send other mail to Mary Louise Ruehr, Books Editor, Record-Courier, 126 N. Chestnut St. (P.O. Box 1201), Ravenna, OH 44266.

“One for the Books” appears the second and fourth Fridays of the month in the Record-Courier. Extra columns may appear on occasion, especially preceding Christmas and Hanukkah.