Blog | Book chats

Dare we Believe in a Life with a Purpose by August Freidrich Carl Schmiedeskamp and Elmarie Bouwer

Co-authored by August Freidrich Carl Schmiedeskamp Jnr and his grandmother, Elmarie Bouwer, Dare we Believe in a Life with a Purpose is...

The Last Chairlift by John Irving, delivered by Jonathan Ball Publishers in October 2022

I was thrilled to learn that one of my favourite authors of all time, the inimitable John Irving, had released a new novel for the first...

Her Husband’s Son by Aviva Gat

As with Aviva Gat’s previous novels, her latest and sixth one, Her Husband’s Son, is an equally easy read offering an original plot with...

Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Daniel Silva

Despite my lukewarm enthusiasm for suspense thrillers, I follow a few writers in this genre, including local greats Deon Meyer and Rudi...

Across the Kala Pani by Shevlyn Mottai

Across the Kala Pani, a novel by Shevlyn Mottai, recently published by Penguin Random House South Africa, was one of those that fell into...

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan, received from Jonathan Ball Publishers, is among my favourites from the Picoult...

Lost Property by Helen Paris

Author Helen Paris once spent some time in a lost property office on a research project. These offices are where a city’s lost property...

Mr Entertainment - The story of Taliep Petersen by Paula Fourie

Mr Entertainment by Paula Fourie, published by Lapa Publishers (part of Penguin Random House South Africa), is a pioneering biography...

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara Kingsolver’s latest novel, Demon Copperhead, published in October this year and received from Jonathan Ball Publishers, is set in...

Forever Home by Graham Norton

Graham Norton is one of the great modern-day storytellers. He spins a yarn that draws you in from the first page and keeps you glued to...

Die kapokdokter deur Francois Loots

Die kapokdokter deur Francois Loots wat in Oktober vanjaar uitgegee is deur Penguin Random House South Africa, is ‘n historiese roman...

Violeta by Isabel Allende

Let me start with a disclaimer: I’m a long-time devotee of Allende’s, so this review might be tinged with a dash of bias. Along with at...

Notes on Falling by Bronwyn Law-Viljoen

I recently read Notes on Falling by Bronwyn Law-Viljoen, published in August this year by Penguin Random House. In their press release,...

The Errors of Dr Browne by Mark Winkler

The Errors of Dr Browne was written by South African author, Mark Winkler, and published in August this year by Penguin Random House. It...

Unstraight by John Thurlow

Unstraight, a debut novel by John Thurlow, published by Ninestar Press in August, is a heart-wrenching, and equally heart-warming, tale...

Madwoman by Louisa Treger

It is safe to say that historical fiction is my favourite literary genre by some distance. Perhaps it’s for the very fact that they are...

Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen

Received from Jonathan Ball Publishers, Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Not having read Chen before, I...

The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn

The Diamond Eye, received from Jonathan Ball Publishers for review, is the new historical novel by Kate Quinn, author of such bestsellers...

Rhino War by Major General Johan Jooste (Ret.) with Tony Park

Rhino War was written by Major General Johan Jooste with Tony Park, and published by Pan Macmillan South Africa in June this year. For...

Gathering Blossoms Under Fire: The Journals of Alice Walker - edited by Valerie Boyd

Gathering Blossoms Under Fire: The Journals of Alice Walker, edited by award-winning writer Valerie Boyd and received from Jonathan Ball...

Book Chats with Salomé