BOOK SA – News

BOOK SA members Lisa Lazarus,Gregory Fried, Hamilton Wende and André Brink caught the attention of the Witness’ book reviewers this year – along with a healthy number of other SA authors.

Here are the reads of the year from Julia Denny-Dimitriou, Christopher Merrett, Janet van Eeden, Moira Lovell, Stephen Coan, Stephanie Alexander and Yves Vanderhaeghen. One question: where are Margaret von Klemperer’s picks?

The book that affected me most has to be The Book of Jacob — a journey into parenthood by Lisa Lazarus and Greg Fried. It was painful but cathartic to read about this couple’s struggles as they navigated the treacherous waters of new parenthood. Like many, they were completely unprepared for the storm they sailed into when they had their son, Jacob. A courageous and beautifully written book.

I do sometimes get a chance to read works I want to read, as opposed to those I have to read. One is A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka. I laughed so hard in places that my husband came to find out if I’d finally gone completely loony. I wasn’t brave enough to tell him that the eccentric main character reminded me a lot of my father-in- law.

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Book details

• The Book of Jacob: A Journey into Parenthood by Greg Fried, Lisa Lazarus
  EAN: 9781770200227
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• The Virus, Vitamins and Vegetables: The South African HIV/AIDS Mystery edited by Kerry Cullinan, Anso Thom
  Book homepage
  EAN: 9781770096912
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• South Africa’s Brave New World: The Beloved Country Since the End of Apartheid by RW Johnson
  Book homepage
  EAN: 9780713995381
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• Choice, not Fate: The Life and Times of Trevor Manuel by Pippa Green
  Book homepage
  EAN: 9780143025337
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• House of War by Hamilton Wende
  Book homepage
  EAN: 9780143026099
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• We are All Zimbabweans Now by James Kilgore
  Book homepage
  EAN: 9781415200711
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• The Double Crown by Marié Heese
  Book homepage
  EAN: 9780798150361
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Scribd.com book preview:

The Double Crown: Secret Writings of the Female Pharaoh

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• Summertime by JM Coetzee
  EAN: 9781846553189
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• A Fork in the Road by André Brink
  Book homepage
  EAN: 9781846552441
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Alert! The Book Lounge has a big week coming up, with four events from Tuesday through Saturday. Let’s get right to it, courtesy their newsletter:

On Tuesday, 13 October, hip-hop performance poet Creamy Ewok Baggends will drop by here on his way to the Earthdance Festival, Poetry Africa and Rocking the Daisies, to wow us with his rhymes.
Date & Time: Tuesday, 13 October, at 5:30 for 6:00pm

Like many we’ve been somewhat bemused by some of the goings on in the judiciary over the last few months, so we’ve asked Judge Dennis Davis to come and share some of his thoughts in a talk entitled ” The past 2 years – how much damage has been done to our judiciary : is the crisis over? ” Judge Davis will be here on Wednesday, 14 October.
Date & Time: Wednesday, 14 October, at 5:30 for 6:00pm

Then, on Thursday, 15 October, we are welcoming Fiona C. Ross for the launch of her book, Raw Life, New Hope: Decency, Hope and Everyday Life in a Post-Apartheid Community. Ross has compiled a varied and entertaining ethnographic study of life in the Cape Flats, with a theoretical core, but also interspersed with recipes, anecdotes, photos etc.
Date & Time: Thursday, 15 October, at 5:30 for 6:00pm

Lastly, on Saturday, 17 October, at 3:00pm well-known Cape Town holistic therapist Dr Raoul Goldberg will be here to introduce and launch his new book, Awakening to Child Health: Nurturing Children’s Well-being. Drawing on Rudolf Steiner’s understanding of child development, health and holistic medicine, the book sets out the work Dr Goldberg has been doing at his Syringa Health Centre since 1983.
Date & Time: Saturday, 17 October, at 3:00pm

Book Details

• Precedent and Possibility: The (Ab)Use of Law in South Africa by Denis Davis, Michelle le Roux
  Book Homepage
  EAN: 9781770130227
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• Awakening to Child Health: Nurturing Children’s Well Being by Raoul Goldberg
  EAN: 9781903458815
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Alert! Kalahari.net has launched a new SA Lit promotion called “South African Books to Shout About” that bears a more than passing similarity to the Exclusive Books Homebru promotion – both in its number and range of featured titles.

BOOK SA members on the list include André Brink, Simon Gear, Dora Taylor, JH Thompson (Jacqui Mansfield), John van de Ruit, Megan Voysey-Braig and Zukiswa Wanner.

There’s more hullabaloo with Homebru, of course, but it’s nice to see Kalahari getting in on the SA Lit cheerleading act.

Currently, Kalahari is running a promotion-within-the-promotion, too: order Spud: Learning to Fly and buy any book from the “South African Books to Shout About” list and you’ll get a total 30% off your Spud order. A clever way of hitching the SA Lit wagon to the the Spud star…

Here’s the complete list:

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