Why am I passionate about this?

I am a Scottish writer who enjoys travelling and meeting people of different cultures and beliefs. I have always been a fan of adventure stories, particularly those with a strange or supernatural bent. My travels to The Ivory Coast and North Africa, hearing accounts of various witch stories, and encountering strange events and practices firsthand inspired me to write The Witch’s List Trilogy: the first two books published and the third in progress. 


I wrote

The Witch's List

By Andrew Cairns,

Book cover of The Witch's List

What is my book about?

Young Scot, Sandy Beech doesn't believe in witches and the supernatural. However, certain strange events occur which put his skepticism…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of In Search of King Solomon's Mines: A Modern Adventurer's Quest for Gold and History in the Land of the Queen of Sheba

Andrew Cairns Why did I love this book?

If you haven’t discovered Tahir Shah’s work yet, then this is a great place to start. It is about a quest the writer sets himself to discover the lost Solomon’s Mines in Ethiopia after purchasing an old map in a bazaar in Jerusalem. Shah goes off the beaten track venturing to a cliff-face monastery where the monks pull visitors up on a leather rope, to the ruined castles of Gondar, and to the rock-hewn churches at Lalibela. Most striking of all are his descriptions of an illegal gold mine that he visits where the miners dig with their bare hands. The people he meets, the strange circumstances he finds himself in, and the interesting historical and geographical background he provides all contribute to a rich and compelling account.  

By Tahir Shah,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked In Search of King Solomon's Mines as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

King Solomon, the Bible’s wisest king, possessed extraordinary wealth. The grand temple he built in Jerusalem was covered in gold from the porch to the inner sanctum, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. Long before H. Rider Haggard’s classic adventure novel King Solomon’s Mines unleashed gold fever more than a century ago, many had sought to find the source of the great king’s wealth. In this new adventure—“a hybrid of Indiana Jones and Herodotus” (Sunday Times, London)—Tahir Shah tries his hand at the quest. 
Intrigued by a map he finds in a shop not far from the site…


Book cover of A Month and a Day: A Detention Diary

Andrew Cairns Why did I love this book?

This is an interesting and moving account by Nigerian writer, Ken Saro-Wiwa, which describes his non-violent struggle against big petroleum companies and the military dictatorship who were involved in human rights and environmental abuses of the Ogoni people. He describes his detention and the events leading up to it in harrowing detail and gives lucid convincing arguments against his accusers. A truly inspirational message, especially given that much of it was written in secret in prison, and knowing that he was unjustly tried and executed in 1995, shortly after the book’s publication. 

Book cover of Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela

Andrew Cairns Why did I love this book?

Perhaps the most inspiring African figure of the twentieth century, this is Nelson Mandela’s story written in his own words. The book allows you to find out a lot more about his childhood, his struggle against apartheid, and most of all his resilience and strength of spirit during his 27-year imprisonment. Despite all his suffering and mistreatment, Mandela never gave up hope and refused to give in to hatred, even forgiving his tormentors once released. A book to be read and a message/example that we should all endeavour to follow.  

By Nelson Mandela,

Why should I read it?

11 authors picked Long Walk to Freedom as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

2018 is the centenary of Nelson Mandela's birth

'The authentic voice of Mandela shines through this book . . . humane, dignified and magnificently unembittered' The Times

The riveting memoirs of the outstanding moral and political leader of our time, A Long Walk to Freedom brilliantly re-creates the drama of the experiences that helped shape Nelson Mandela's destiny. Emotive, compelling and uplifting, A Long Walk to Freedom is the exhilarating story of an epic life; a story of hardship, resilience and ultimate triumph told with the clarity and eloquence of a born leader.

'Burns with the luminosity of faith in…


Book cover of What the Day Owes the Night

Andrew Cairns Why did I love this book?

This is a story of love and friendship set in 1950s Algeria before and during the Algerian War of Independence. The main character, Younes, is an Arabic Algerian but forms friendships with some European boys and falls in love with Emilie a beautiful European girl. Great descriptions of the environment and the characters’ feelings make for an engrossing and moving read as Younes has to make choices about his loyalties towards his friends and family from the two different cultures. 

By Yasmina Khadra,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked What the Day Owes the Night as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Darling, this is Younes. Yesterday he was my nephew, today he is our son'.

Younes' life is changed forever when his poverty-stricken parents surrender him to the care of his more affluent uncle. Re-named Jonas, he grows up in a colourful colonial Algerian town, and forges a unique friendship with a group of boys, an enduring bond that nothing - not even the Algerian Revolt - will shake. He meets Emilie - a beautiful, beguiling girl who captures the hearts of all who see her - and an epic love story is set in motion.

Time and again Jonas is…


Book cover of Paradise

Andrew Cairns Why did I love this book?

Set in East Africa in the late 19th century, this novel follows the adventures of Yusuf, a young boy who is sold by his father in repayment of a debt, to an Arabic trader called Aziz. 

It describes the harsh conditions of ‘uncle’ Aziz’s trading trips from the coast to the interior including attacks by wild animals, and dealings with hostile tribes and the almost alien-like European colonialists. What I loved most about this book was the great balance between the subtle development of the diverse characters, the descriptions of the environment, and the eventful adventure story. Overall a fascinating and ultimately sad story of an Africa at the end of an era before the onslaught of massive European colonialism.

By Abdulrazak Gurnah,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Paradise as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Sold by his father in repayment of a debt, 12-year-old Yusuf is thrown from his simple rural life into the complexities of precolonial urban East Africa. Through Yusuf's eyes, Gurnah depicts communities at war, trading safaris gone awry, and the universal trials of adolescence.


Explore my book 😀

The Witch's List

By Andrew Cairns,

Book cover of The Witch's List

What is my book about?

Young Scot, Sandy Beech doesn't believe in witches and the supernatural. However, certain strange events occur which put his skepticism to the test: a burning book, a falling crucifix, a mysterious illness, and a fire in a convent that kills all twelve nuns. On her deathbed, Bernadette, the last surviving nun, warns him to control his lusts and avoid African women. He pays no heed though, and marries Rocky from the Ivory Coast. On a visit to her home country, Sandy is drawn into a world of strange beliefs and practices, notably the Witch's List - a list of people destined to die imminently. He delves further and further into the realm of African witchcraft, but the horrific truth remains obscure...

Book cover of In Search of King Solomon's Mines: A Modern Adventurer's Quest for Gold and History in the Land of the Queen of Sheba
Book cover of A Month and a Day: A Detention Diary
Book cover of Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela

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Songbird

By Laci Barry Post,

Book cover of Songbird

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Laci Barry Post Author Of Songbird

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Group fitness instructor Mom of two Travel consultant Hiker

Laci's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

It's 1943, and World War II has gripped the nation, including the Stilwell family in Jacksonville, Alabama. Rationing, bomb drills, patriotism, and a changing South barrage their way of life. Neighboring Fort McClellan has brought the world to their doorstep in the form of young soldiers from all over the country and German POWs from halfway around the globe.

Songbird is an inspirational, historical fiction novel, dealing with family, faith, strong women, and the American home front. It explores many historical elements of the World War II era, such as women's aid groups, the writings of Ernie Pyle, D-day, radio…

Songbird

By Laci Barry Post,

What is this book about?

When the perils and social changes of World War II confront a small southern town, faith, family, and love sustain the lives of one young woman and her family. Can those left behind endure?

"I'm waiting for my life to begin. Waiting for the train to come in," Ava Stilwell, a young woman eager for life, sings a popular song with the big band that reflects her heart. In the midst of a world at war, Ava finds love, a passion for her music, and new opportunities, but the war still looms over her, threatening to take it all away.…


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Interested in Africa, Nigeria, and gold mining?

Africa 265 books
Nigeria 68 books
Gold Mining 8 books