The Elephant Whisperer
An old friend kept telling me to read this book as not only was she captivated by the tale of a passionate conservationist taming a herd of rogue elephants, but the vivid picture of the bush setting had reignited a deep desire to return to her Zululand roots. And then the connection was made. The author, […]
Water for Elephants
Jacob’s life seems laid out before him – he will shortly complete his veterinary studies and join his father in his veterinary practise. Just prior to his final exam, however, life takes a cruel turn and both parents are killed in a car accident. To compound matters, it turns out that his kind-hearted father was […]
A beginner’s guide to dying in India
Levi’s house burns down, his fiancé dumps him for the nunnery and he gets fired from his job – all in quick succession. When his long lost brother requests that he join him in India post-haste, he does so without hesitation – he doesn’t have a lot going for him back home and the adventure […]
Bendable Learnings: The Wisdom of Modern Management
A worthwhile read this Christmas is Don Watson’s book, BENDABLE LEARNINGS: THE WISDOM OF MODERN MANAGEMENT. ‘Watson returns to his study of management language: the non-language that began in management theory and spread like an ineradicable weed into politics, the civil service, hospitals and classrooms.’ If you’re accustomed to management language or operate in the […]
Aussie, actually now available in South Africa
www.aussieactually.co.za South African born, Lois Nicholls and her daughter Lara, have produced a book on the trials and tribulations of emigrating to Australia from South Africa. Called Aussie, actually, the book is an honest and humorous account of life as new Australians. “My intention was to relay our 12-year sojourn through a series of thoughts […]
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
It is 1946. London writer and war-time columnist, Juliet Ashton is searching in vain for her next project when per chance she receives a letter from Dawsey Adams of Guernsey. In the letter, he tells her he has a copy of a book she once owned by Charles Lamb and wishes to know how he […]
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
If there’s one book you read this year, make sure it’s this one. It took me a month of Sundays to finish on account of the detailed content, (and reading another book in between) but wow, was it worth it! I came away inspired, informed and far more aware of the adage, ‘you are what you eat’. […]
A couple’s journey into parenthood
Cape Town writer Lisa Lazarus doesn’t mince her words when explaining why she wrote The Book of Jacob—her joint memoir of a couple’s journey into parenthood. ”I wrote it because I was cross, in truth I was furious—the book really burst out of me,” she said at the recent launch of the book, which was […]
The Last Chinese Chef
‘A story of food, healing and love’ reads the blurb. It’s that … and more. Food writer, Maggie goes on a quest to Beijing, China, to discover the truth behind her late husband’s infidelity and subsequent paternity suit. The search coincides with the opportunity to interview rising culinary star, Sam Liang for a magazine. The story […]
Pomegranate Soup
Three sisters flee Iraq in the midst of political and personal turmoil and settle in a quaint little Irish town called Ballinacroagh. Reminiscent of Joanne Harris’s Chocolat, the sisters open The Babylon Café serving exquisitely created Iranian fare that transcends the bland local offering. Gradually, they win over the jolly Father Ferber Mahoney and a number […]
