I just finished Gaile Parkin's Baking Cakes in Kigali. What a treat! Angel Tungaraza, the main character & cake-baker of the title, will remind readers of Alexander McCall Smith's Precious Ramotswe. Angel is the lynch pin of her community & learns the stories of many of her neighbors through her baking business. This is a gentle, life-affirming read, though Angel deals with, on a daily basis, issues like children living in dumpsters, AIDS, & the aftereffects of the Rwandan genocide. Baking Cakes in Kigali is an interesting look at African politics & culture, chock full of quirky characters & dilemmas for Angel to help sort out (at one point, Angel wears a dress with a pattern that says Help me & let me help you, which could be her motto). Expect to be truly charmed by Angel, her delectable cakes, her spicy tea, & her indomitable spirit.
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