As you can see, it’s dark days here at WHITE WHALE. I’m trying not to panic, but I’VE LOST MY KINDLE. And I’ve been travelling a lot, so it could be in any one of three countries. It wouldn’t be the end of the world, except I’m stranded in the literary wasteland that is the Abuja Hilton. A sampling of my choices is in the picture here. Inspirational business books, introductory primers on weird subjects, vanity project histories of Nigeria.
I would almost start to consider the inspirational business books, but really: I have total contempt for people who read inspirational business books. It’s one of those things when glimpsed on someone’s lap on a plane, or on their bookcase, consigns them immediately to always being an acquaintance, never a friend. Thus, this current book. When that’s all that’s on offer, CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC starts to look pretty good.
And actually, it was okay. It was quite readable and entertaining, though clearly the author has very little respect for the reader’s intellect or attention span. It was also quite fun to read a novel set in 2000. People spend a lot of time calling each other on landlines, and very little time stalking each other on Facebook.
It did cost some 2500 Naira, which is about $15, and I whisked through it in two days of running on the treadmill. So now I’m back to square one and I still have to live through another five days. I don’t think I’ve been without access to reading material for that long in my entire adult life. I’m trying not to panic.