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Osho

Osho

I read widely and in most genres but romance and westerns. Here you'll find my reviews since 2007, with a few reviews of previously read books as well.

 

In 2012, I completed an "authors of the world" challenge, reading a book for every country (and a few other entities) by someone who'd lived there for at least two years. I expect to tag these books by challenge and country in the near future. I'm still refining my list by adding books that better meet my challenge criteria.

The Thing Around Your Neck

The Thing Around Your Neck - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie I enjoyed this collection of 12 short stories by the author of Half of a Yellow Sun. The audiobook was well-narrated by Adjoa Andoh. Some stories stood out for their content, notably the daily details showing the effects of intra-Nigerian conflicts. Others ably unfolded internal dialogues and emotions that show the strain of balancing different aspects of identity and experience, such as US vs. Nigerian ways of understanding or enacting relationships. What I found most effective, though, was the effect Adichie creates by layering the 12 stories, whose related topics and themes accrue across the collection. I'd have ended about half the stories earlier to increase tension or uncertainty. Since many already include substantial tension and uncertainty, I'd have wished for a stronger emphasis on language and rhythm at the end of at least several pieces. The endings often seemed deflated, which I do not think was Adichie's intention.