‘A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say’ Italo Calvino
Hi fabs,Great weekend yeah? Mine felt like a total rush but still it was, for want of a better word, ‘eventful’. I made plans on paper and wound up doing a complete 360 but not to worry I made healthy choices I promise.So time for some confessions...I made my hair a week early on Saturday which wasn't part of the plan - I know I suck but my mom made me do it and there's no saying no to that mama of mine! So after trying to be tough for all of about five minutes, I caved and decided to do something simple and fast but I think I got it all wrong when I thought this was it cos this do took 5hrs, most of my patience and then some. I know I asked for a bob but somehow I ended up looking like a poodle…not one of my finest moments but it’s going to have to suffice for the next three weeks. Oh and we will probably get down to details in another post cos today’s post is all about something totally unrelated to hair troubles and broken hearts.
Sundays apparently, are for church and whatever atrocities you can fit in right before it begins to set in that you have work the next day and that reality isn’t as glamorous as you were made to believe as a kid. That said I decided to put my Sunday yesterday to better use and what better way than my fantasy two-way – Art plus Literature, best combo ever. And just in case you are wondering, my all-time favorite fantasy three-way is the best hands down – Fashion x Art x Literature, my very own idea of perfection.
Registration Desk
Rele Gallery, located at Military Road Onikan, had their very first book reading yesterday evening since they opened up in February early this year. The book reading featured two authors and their two books of two different genres – fiction and non-fiction. The authors, Toni Kan (fiction) and Victor Ehikhamenor (non-fiction), both amazing and renowned writers basically had what we might call a face-off (or a battle like dance battles lol) where each read excerpts from their respective books while we were left to soak it all up with lots of questions to ask and plenty of fun all around. Oh and of course as with every battle there was a moderator so things don’t get too brutal, the lovely Wana Udobang and she did a pretty great job moderating might I add.
Victor Ehikhamenor, Wana Udobang and Toni Kan
Some might be wondering- ‘A book reading? That’s mighty boring’…but trust when I say it totally wasn’t boring, it was rather fascinating and controversial. The book by Toni Kan was titled ‘Nights of the creaking bed’ while Victor Ehikhamenor’s book was called ‘Excuse me!’. Toni’s book was full of vibrant characters with a lot of drama surrounding each, but I think the one that got the most of my attention was the girl who’s love story didn’t exactly work out because she had three brothers to care for; there were a couple other characters in the book but mostly, each was hoping for a better reality amidst all the cruelty and corruption in their lives.
Victor’s book had a lot of humor to it because it was centred around the reality that is Nigeria, breaking down more complex issues into simpler terms and it makes for very interesting reading. It’s also fascinating how he plays between the past and the present while still infusing said humor around the areas of politics, immigration, and love amongst many other subjects surrounding modern Africa. The book factors in all the change Nigerian is going through and has gone through alongside corruption, humor and a selection of words that speak their very own language.
It was really fascinating how both separate books spoke to the individual mind and of course book lovers present gladly delved into the entire dialog and put their thoughts and questions out there. Oh I almost forgot to mention I was somewhat late to the book reading and the place was filled up to capacity. I stayed at the back pretty determined and I did my best to catch every bit of juicy gossip and literary banter; just so I could feel I had achieved something beautiful at the end of the day, cos it was a miracle I made it to the gallery at all that evening.
Both books were really great reads and I wanted to get copies but then I held myself back when I realised I had just purchased three books last week and I’m still on page 4 of the first book…I’m a horrible book-reader these days no need to say it. I know I decided that no matter how tired I am in the evenings I would try to at least read a chapter of a book every night but so far it hasn’t quite worked out as planned…please any suggestions will be greatly appreciated cos I hate this feeling of being a total fail when it comes to not meeting up.
It was getting late so I left just before the reading was over around 6.30pm or thereabout, not too sure. I headed back home just in time to get ready for the new week but not before I took pictures of my casual outfit for a typical Sunday evening.WARNING: Picture Overload coming up in 5...4...3...2...1...please endure.
I went for something boho and simple with this navy blue paisley-print kimono, paired with a sunglasses-print boxy white tee, blue high rise acid-wash skinny jeans, comfy tan thong slippers (try saying this fast 10 times lol) and of course my yellow bucket bag from the5kshop which I'm so in love with right now.
Photography – Omoregie Osakpolor VisualsOutfit details Kimono – SheInBoxy Tee – MonkiJeans – Forever21Bucket Bag – Copped on the5kshopSlippers – Soda copped on Jumia
So here it is guys, my Sunday evening in a few words...okay not-so-few words but you get the idea. I would love to know your thoughts on these two books if you've read them or any other suggestions on new books to read and how to go about reading them lol.
As per usual let's keep it interesting in the comment section and until my next post,
Kisses from Lagos,
Ify*
