BOOK NERD PROBLEMS

       

Dealing with books can be a sensitive issue to bibliophiles, investing in books and handling them is not a walk in the park. Book nerds take books for precious gems in their life and mishandling a book can cause emotional turmoil so next time I lend you a book take good care of it, a mere dog ear or highlighting my book can be the end of our good friendship. It’s ‘MY BOOK!’

You can judge us for being petty but we live a thousand lives through books and we can’t risk going down to nine hundred and ninety-nine.Reading takes us through a roller coaster, a bumpy ride, name it..but that’s the most interesting part because normal is lethal to any book dragon. Returning to the real word is always a nightmare, our hearts pound furiously,  adrenaline rush gets the better part of us and if your heart is not as strong you are left drained. That was my experience with A thousand splendid suns by Khaled Hosseini.

When I have a little money, I buy books; if I have got any left I buy food and clothes. That’s the typical life of any book lover. We will have twenty unread books at home but still be in dire need to buy a new book. Your watt pad or kindle has fifteen books in waiting yet we keep promising ourselves no more till we are done with our first list. The devil twerks every time we break the promise, that must be a daily routine to him how about the book nerd angel? She weeps in a fetal position.

Getting wet is a word that a book lover hopes will never exist in their vocabulary. Every time we get a book wet, it feels like we are walking barefoot on rusted needles. I vividly recall a weekend I got hold of this book I had coveted for some time and I headed to a salon only for the clumsy stylist to unceremoniously splash water on it, well that was the last time I saw him. It’s a bliss to have a cup of coffee or a soft drink while reading but we are careful not to soil a page .

Do you have sharing a book boyfriend? I hope they are dynamic, loyal, conscientious and have what it takes to be an ideal partner. Finding a person you can exchange books with can be quite hectic as we all have a wide variation from, the genre of books we read, reading speed, preferred authors, soft copy, hard copy just to name but a few. It's undeniable we have pests in this relationship who will expect you to part with a good amount to acquire a certain book so that they can trade in for a cheaper one. It’s a two-way traffic boyee! What's worse than a book boy fee moving to another city?

‘One more chapter,’ and that’s how a book lover ends up not sleeping a wink and dawns on him it's daybreak, and they have commitments that have to be completed that day. Eye bags are real on such days but life has to go on. No matter how disciplined you are, there’s that one book that gets the better part of you and you forget everything else is as important.

Bookmarks are like a driving licence, and whenever we fail to trace it, it drags us back.it irritates when you pick my books, reading the synopsis or whatever you claim to be doing and you can’t put my bookmark in the correct page.

Travelling with books is all fun and merry until you forget to bring along one of your favorite read or you lose it in your hotel room, beach or even worse a plane or a matatu. You can only pray it will not find its way into a dustbin.

THE SECRET LIVES OF BABA SEGI'S WIVES

Baba Segi is a hardworking, uneducated husband to three wives: Iya segi,Iya Top, Iya Femi and father to even children. Their lives take place in Ayikara as the 20th century is drawing to a close. When Baba Segi takes a fourth wife,whose mother is furious for throwing herself away to such an oaf, Bolanle’s university degree creates tension between her and the other semi-illiterate wives: and her inability to become pregnant after Baba Segi’s ‘pounding’ is the predicament that sets emotions roiling and schemes in motion .Baba Segi’s ignorance and sexism are a source of hilarity particularly in the hospital scenes, as well as inducing belly laughs.

Being the 21st century where a good number believe in monogamy, I wasn’t sure this tale of a Nigerian patriarch, boorish and unsophisticated man and his wives would have much for me. Still, once I flipped the first page it was nearly impossible to put the book down. It was a beautiful peek into the life of polygamy! It's a crazy write with African history woven throughout the novel not forgetting the entertaining cast of characters.

After two years of marriage, each of Baba Segi’s flowers knows the other like a wolf in a sheep’s skin. However, Baba Siegi does not know the naked truth at the time as much as they unmistakably mumble but without formal identification .I think Baba Segi should have got his wives me and my big mouth by Joyce Meyer…but you don’t expect a man who believes a collection of wives and gaggles of children implies prosperity and validation of his manhood to invest on books. Illiteracy pervades all he does( even in bed ), and this is what entertains the reader and smell the odor his life produces.

Jealous and resentful, the three wives plan on the downfall of the fourth wife. The interloper who was stealing their husband's attention agitated them more when she offers to teach them how to read. They are not aware that the cagey graduate has a secret that unwittingly unfolds the deception and lies upon which the household rests. Bolanle starts to heal immediately she reveals her secrets: keeping secrets is a source of deep emotional harm to the keeper and others .Hearteningly,Bolanle advises Segi,a teenager:"a real woman must always do the things she wants to do, and in her own time too. You must never be rushed into doing things you are not ready for"Another unexpectedly edifying moment occurs when Baba Segi tells his teenage son ‘only a real man can admit his weakness,’

Laymen will claim the read is obscene and lewd, but I think Lola Shoneyin’s work is factual and open. The book kept me glued to the ebb and the only time I kept it down was when sleep engulfed. It’s a stirring tale of men and women, kids, servitude, and independence. The book illuminates the threads joining what all women experience, from hardships they bear, struggle to define themselves and the fierce desire to protect those they love. These could be four ladies working together or four childhood friends and how they treat each other as they are carving their path of life .It offers plenty food for thought no matter your continent. It’s a book worth reading!