SemiScribbled Podcast

A Burst of Light: An ode to Audre Lorde

December 21, 2022 07:44 - 21 minutes - 50.3 MB

Hello Everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Episode 5 of Season 3 of Semiscribbled Podcast. In this episode, I talk about the book of essays A Burst of Light by Audre Lorde. This book also contains journal entries that describe her journey with liver cancer. These entries really moved me especially to think about fear and agency in the face of a devastating medical prognosis. Audre Lorde was a poet and this book as well as her interviews that are available on YouTube have convinced me to dabbl...

On Rotation aka "What is Romance?"

November 12, 2022 05:17 - 24 minutes - 55 MB

Hello Everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Episode 4 of Season 3 of Semiscribbled Podcast. In this episode, I am falling into romance...get it? Lol. I talk about On Rotation: A Novel by Shirlene Obuobi. 2022 has been a rough year and I was looking for an escape from the usual tough, hard, challenging themes that this book delivered. It also goes with my own personal theme of the year on building community and working with a love ethic. The other themes: first-born African daughters who are...

Anthills of the Savannah feat Sarah (The Bookcast Club)

July 17, 2022 07:10 - 1 hour - 177 MB

Hello Everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Episode 3 of Season 3 of Semiscribbled Podcast. This is my second episode with a Guest. In this episode, I am joined by Sarah of The Bookcast Club. Sarah and I take a deep dive into the Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe. AOTS is one of my favourite books of all time. It is election season in Kenya when this episode goes out so the themes in this book are fitting to discuss right now. I really enjoyed discussing the characters in this book ...

Finding Me..../The Other Black Girl/AKO Caine Prize Shortlist 2022

June 24, 2022 13:08 - 25 minutes - 58.3 MB

Hello Everyone! I'm back and I missed you. Thank you for tuning in to Episode 2 of Season 3 of Semiscribbled Podcast. In this comeback episode, I talk about Finding Me by Viola Davies, a memoir that I can get with. Authentic and so well written that I would definitely place it in my top 10 of 2022 and would easily revisit it. Viola is truly an artist of many talents. The journey of her life is so interesting and lets us into her personality and the choices we have seen her make publicly, w...

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies feat Nyambura (100onBooks)

January 30, 2022 11:22 - 54 minutes - 126 MB

Hello Everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Episode 1 of Season 3 of Semiscribbled Podcast. This is the first episode of 2022 and my first episode with a Guest. In this episode, I am joined by Nyambura of 100onBooks. Nyambura and I discuss the first book that impacted them, the genre of books that they enjoy most, their contribution to the bookspace through 100onBooks, and we talk a great deal about The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw. Our conversation meandered along vari...

A QnA and a Top 10 - 2021 Holiday Special

December 29, 2021 06:59 - 20 minutes - 48 MB

Thank you for tuning in to Episode 9 of Season 2 of The Semiscribbled Podcast. Our final episode of 2021. This is our second Question and Answer Episode. I answered some of your questions about the podcast including: Will I have a guest on the podcast? How do I select what to read? How long does it take to edit an episode? As a bonus, I have my TOP 10 READS OF 2021. What was your favourite read of this year? Thank you so much for being here for two seasons of this podcast! Looking forwar...

Open Water

December 16, 2021 13:50 - 20 minutes - 46.7 MB

Hello Everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Episode 8 of Season 2 of Semiscribbled Podcast. In this episode, I talk about Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson. This book was a pleasure to listen to. Truly. Caleb's prose is magical (his voice is soothing too). As a debut novel, I am looking forward to more of his writing. This was my first deviation from this podcast's dedication to African women or women of black descent and I am not mad at it (but I can't promise more of this straying!). The...

All About Love - A Gathering!

November 14, 2021 07:52 - 31 minutes - 72.7 MB

Hello Everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Episode 7 of Season 2 of Semiscribbled Podcast. In this episode, I talk about All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks. This book gathered me. I want you to read this book. To open your horizons about what love is and how it manifests, what makes sense about love according to your social conditioning, and what love can be if you allow yourself to be open to the possibilities that it embodies. This book has often been described as being about ro...

Semi...what?

October 30, 2021 06:37 - 29 seconds - 1.12 MB

Hi! Thank you so much for showing up. This is just a little sound bite about what semiscribbled pod will be about.

Parable of The Sower

October 30, 2021 06:20 - 28 minutes - 64.1 MB

Hello Everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Episode 6 of Season 2 of Semiscribbled Podcast. In this episode, I talk about Parable of the Sower by Octavia E Butler. I am enjoying my deep dive into the SciFi/fantasy genre and Octavia Butler does not disappoint as the next pitstop in this journey. This book is a gem and quite relevant for what we are facing today even though it was published 28 years ago! Octavia takes us through thoughts on climate change, economic collapse, and seeking new ...

The Broken Earth Trilogy

August 27, 2021 08:46 - 20 minutes - 47 MB

Hello Everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Episode 5 of Season 2 of Semiscribbled Podcast. In this episode, I talk about The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. This was my first foray into SciFi/fantasy genre and I am so glad that I jumped in right where N.K Jemisin is at. This was the right introduction into this wonderful genre and it did not disappoint. There are two clips included in this review in my Something To Note section which is a commentary on news in the book world. The...

Behold The Dreamers

June 06, 2021 09:15 - 17 minutes - 15.9 MB

Hello Everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Episode 4 of Season 2 of Semiscribbled Podcast. In this podcast, I talk about Behold The Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue I thoroughly enjoyed this introduction to the star that is Imbolo Mbue. The themes and plot in this book were right up my alley: immigration, love, and ambition through an African lens! This book embodies real characters with a capital R and life situations that correspond to what we all mull about in current times, is the grass really...

Death of Vivek Oji

March 20, 2021 05:52 - 13 minutes - 19.8 MB

Hello Everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Episode 3 of Season 2 of Semiscribbled Podcast. In this podcast, I tackle The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi. They did it again! Another thought-provoking read that challenges our perceptions about life! The cast of characters in here left me in my feels. There was a lot happening, I must go back and re-listen (re-read)! Would I recommend it? Yes, 10/10. Is this an easy read? No. It will put you in a place to question what you believe love i...

More Than Enough

February 14, 2021 10:37 - 24 minutes - 21.6 MB

Hello Everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Episode 2 of Season 2 of Semiscribbled Podcast. In this podcast, I tackle More Than Enough by Elaine Welteroth. This is our first Non-Fiction Review on the pod. Though I usually do not enjoy autobiographies, this book made its way into being an exception for me. After getting through the foundational chapters getting into the gems dropped here was awesome and definitely something I will be rereading. Another rescue from my TBR. Please follow us...

Homegoing

January 31, 2021 13:56 - 16 minutes - 17.6 MB

Hello Everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Episode 1 of Season 2 of Semiscribbled Podcast. In this podcast, I tackle Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. I give you a breakdown of my thoughts around my reading experience in this book and the story it tells and how it impacted me. Reading this was a bit challenging for me, I did not get into it and had to have several attempts. I cracked it finally and rescued it from both my TBR and DNF lists. Please follow us on Twitter and Instagram (both @podcas...

QNA and Happy Holidays!

December 24, 2020 10:36 - 12 minutes - 19.3 MB

Hello Everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Episode 8 of Semiscribbled Podcast (You can call us "podcastsemi" if you are part of the family!). This our first Question and Answer Episode. I answer your questions about the podcast: How do I read so fast? How do I edit? This is our final episode for 2020 and we will definitely be back in 2021 for more reading and laughter. Happy Holidays! xoxo Akinyi. Please follow us on twitter and instagram (both @podcast_semi) we'd love to engage wi...

The Havoc of Choice

December 23, 2020 10:27 - 19 minutes - 20.6 MB

Hello Everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Episode 7 of Semiscribbled Podcast (You can call us podcastsemi if you are part of the family!). In this pod episode, I review The Havoc of Choice by Wanjiru Koinange. We encounter the Mwangi's and the Muli's who are a family with a history of politics and corruption. The women in the family are trying to chart a new way of living away from the various trappings of the political fate of the patriarch of the family but the men seem to continue to ...

Freshwater

November 22, 2020 10:06 - 12 minutes - 13.4 MB

Hello Everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Episode 6 of Semiscribbled Podcast. In this pod episode, I review Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi. We are taken on a journey through the mind, soul, and being of Ada who is a daughter of a god named Ala, a child that was conceived when the portal to the spiritual world was open and so is inhabited by Asughara, Saint Vincent, and We. Ada also prays and believes that Yshwa (Jesus) will come to her aid. This is a narrative about how Ada learns to balanc...

This Mournable Body

November 07, 2020 10:19 - 13 minutes - 13.6 MB

Hello Everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Episode 5 of Semiscribbled Podcast. In this pod episode, I review This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga. Wow! This book definitely took me through the wringer. I started out thinking I would DNF the book but I hang in there, sat in the feelings that it evoked in me and I am so glad I did because it was worth it! This book follows Tambudzai a 30 something-year-old woman living in newly independent Zimbabwe, in the capital Harare, and her quest...

The Shadow King

October 24, 2020 12:07 - 14 minutes - 15.4 MB

Hello Everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Episode 4 of Semiscribbled Podcast. In this podcast, I review The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste. This was an excellent but dense read and my trying to pull another marathon read made it hectic. I still really loved reading this book although I also listened to a majority of it via audiobook. The audiobook definitely helped with the pronunciation of names and the voicing of characters as Maaza tends not to use quotation marks in her work, don't wo...

Enjoy The Vibes!

October 10, 2020 10:37 - 11 minutes - 12.1 MB

Hello Everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Episode 3 of Semiscribbled Podcast. In this podcast, I give up some tips for listening to audiobooks. I touch on when you should listen to audiobooks, narrators, how reviews help, and what your fave app for listening to audiobooks should offer you in order for you to get the best experience from an audiobook. I also let you know what audiobooks I have really enjoyed so far and some of my favourite narrators. If you would like to me review an au...

Dust: Memories are Ghosts

September 25, 2020 14:56 - 23 minutes - 24.2 MB

Hello Everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Episode 2 of Semiscribbled Podcast. In this podcast, I tackle Dust by Yvonne Adhiambo. I give you a breakdown of my thoughts around themes in this book including complicated family relationships, the real history of Kenya, Memory, and Transitions. You can see the cover of the version of this book that I had on my Instagram page. Shout out in the podcast was to thenook.ke you can see their review of Dust here. Please follow us on twitter an...

Such A Fun Age: What is Ambition?

September 12, 2020 12:22 - 22 minutes - 24.7 MB

Hello Everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Episode 1 Version 2. Lol. The full first episode of Semiscribbled Podcast. In this podcast, I mention what I am reading (Dust by Yvonne Adhiambo) and listening to (Deacon King Kong by James McBride) and what I have completed reading (Heavy by Kiese Laymon). We also take a dive into Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid. Do stick around until the end of the episode when I let you know my thoughts and some questions I still haven't answered from the book ...