Book Choice

It’s the first Monday of the month, and we are somewhat gobsmacked to admit that it’s already the Spring edition of Bookchoice. The months have certainly merged into each other this strange year, but if you’re listening I think we can all agree that our constant has been that we’ve been able to turn to a reliable book, whether hard copy, e-book or audio version, to broaden our world when it has often seemed rather frustratingly restricted and small. Happily, here in South Africa we are emerging into warmer weather, fewer rules and regulations and hopefully better health.

We begin with a memoir, reviewed by Vanessa Levenstein, titled Undeniable – Memoirs of a covert war, written by Phillippa Garson. It’s her riveting account of working as a journalist during the early 1990s in South Africa. Melvyn Minnaar found the world of art worth a detailed visit in William Feaver’s The Lives of Lucien Freud: Youth 1922-1968, and Leanne Voysey regales us with her thoughts on Felicity McLean’s debut novel, The van Apfel Girls are Gone. Beverley Roos-Muller remains loyal to one of her favourite writers, Martin Cruz Smith and gives us her take on The Siberian Dilemma, and Philp Todres brings rhinos centre stage with Remembering Rhinos, part of the Remembering Wildlife series of four books by Margot Ragget. Seasoned ornithologist Rob Little recommends Rupert Watson’s Peacocks & Picathartes, Reflections on Africa’s birdlife, for those who’d like to stay in touch with the wonders of our truly rich African bird diversity, and Beryl Eichenberger spoke to Hedi Lampert, author of The Trouble wit

Vanessa Levenstein could not contain her excitement at getting her hands on Hamnet, by one of her favourite authors, Maggie O’ Farrell. Melvyn Minnaar calls The Lost Pianos of Siberia by Sophy Roberts, “a glorious travelogue with a difference”, and Beryl Eichenberger reviewed A Daughter’s Tale by Arnando Lucas Correa, in which seven decades of secrets unravel with the arrival of a box of letters from the distant past. Beverley Roos-Muller grappled with her views on the much anticipated third in trilogy The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel, and Philp Todres was impressed with Jonathan Safran Foer’s ability to give a personal and emotive voice to climate change in his latest offering, We are the Weather. John Hanks calls Warwick and Michele Tartboton’s A guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of South Africa, “one of the best illustrated field guides anywhere in the world”, and Lesley Beake suggests two good reads for the 10-12 year old age group, Tiger Heart by Penny Chrimes and Mirror Magic by Claire

Beverley Roos-Muller gave considerable thought to her choice of books this month, and has even themed her contribution. No prizes for guessing the topical theme, but there may well be a prize for listening closely to her reviews of The Body: a guide for occupants, by Bill Bryson and Plague, Pox and Pandemics by Howard Phillips. Vanessa Levenstein was duly impressed by Chanel Miller’s Know my name, the memoir of the woman previously known as Emily Doe, who was at the centre of a much publicized rape case in the US. Melvyn Minnaar highly recommends Apeirogon by Colm McCann which he describes as “truly uplifting”, giving “hope amid our and all division”, while Penny Lorimer provides our monthly dose of thrillers with Blood Will Be Born by Gary Donnelly and Three hours by Rosamund Lupton. John Hanks gives his sweeping view of Birds of Southern Africa and their tracks and signs, by Lee Gutteridge, and Beryl Eichenberger stays with flying things but takes us across continents with The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy

Book Choice - March 2020

It’s time for another edition of Bookchoice on Fine Music Radio, it being the first Monday of the month of love, and we’re broadcasting from the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town. I’m Cindy Moritz, and as usual we have a diverse and interesting selection of reading for booklovers around Cape Town, or if you’re streaming online, wherever it is you’re listening. Melvyn Minnaar fell under the influence of acclaimed Nigerian author Chigozie Obioma’s An Orchestra of Minorities. Beverley Roos-Muller applauds Sir Salman Rushdie's latest novel, Quichotte (pronounced Key-Shot), loosely based on the classic Don Quixote story, and which was shortlisted for the Booker last year. Philip Todres spoke to John Matisonn about his new book, released in December, titled Cyril’s Choices, Lessons From 25 Years of Freedom in South Africa, and Penny Lorimer discovered Canadian author Louise Penny with her most recent, A Better Man, and also read A Death In The Medina by James Von Leyden. John Hanks found value in Grant Fowld and Graha

It’s time for Bookchoice on Fine Music Radio, coming to you from the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town. I’m Cindy Moritz, and we’re ringing in the new year with a stack of exciting and interesting reads handpicked by our team of reviewers.

Beverley Roos-Muller delved into the world of spies in John le Carre’s latest Agent Running in the Field as well as Jonathan Ancer’s Betrayal: The secret lives of Apartheid spies. Melvyn Minnaar rocked into December with Elton John’s autobiography, Me; and Vanessa Levenstein spoke to Heidi Brauer of Hollard Insurance about a project that uses social media to get parents and children reading together. Nicole Smith interviewed Deon Meyer about his latest book, The Last Hunt and Beryl Eichenberger gives a thumbs up to Death on the Limpopo: A Tannie Maria Mystery by Sally Andrew as well as A Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes for holiday entertainment. Solly Moeng, in his first review for Bookchoice, gives us his thoughts on Crispian Olver’s A City Divided. Lesley Beake recommends two delightful children’s books, It’s Jamela, the complete collection by Nicky Daly, and A Moon Girl stole my best friend, by Rebecca Patterson and Phillippa Cheifitz leaves us with a taste of a vegan Xmas.

Beverley Roos-Muller waded into Booker controversy territory and read both The Testaments by Margaret Atwood and Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo, joint winners for 2019. Melvyn Minnaar devoured Furious Hours, Casey Cep’s literary true crime thriller about Harper Lee’s non-fiction novel that never saw the light of day. John Hanks strongly recommends Gary Goldman & Marieka Gryzenhout’s superbly illustrated Field Guide to Mushrooms & other Fungi of South Africa. Debut reviewer Chegofatso Modika explored what it means to be queer in South Africa in They Called Me Queer compiled by Kim Windvogel and Kelly-Eve Koopman. Lesley Beake could not resist master of language Philip Pullman’s latest, The Book of Dust volume 2. Beryl Eichenberger discovered a sensitive approach to grief in Melina Lewis’s After you Died. The novel, in which four young women go for an early run, and only three return is set in Fish Hoek. Vanessa Levenstein found much that was familiar in Finoula Dowling’s Okay, Okay, Okay. Pe

Penny Lorimer shares the drama of Louise Candlish’s Those People and revisits private detective Jackson Brodie in Kate Atkinson’s latest, Big Sky. John Hanks describes the Field Guide to the Frogs and other Amphibians of Africa by Alan Channing and Mark-Oliver Rödel as an ambitious undertaking that he highly recommends, and then he credits Madkadikgadi Pans: A travellers guite to the salt flats of Botswana for his decision on where to travel next. Beryl Eichenberger was transfixed by Elif Shafak’s Ten minutes 38 seconds in this strange world, in which the reader is exposed to the captivating last moments of Leila’s life under the skies of Istanbul. Phillippa Cheifitz tosses in a bit of culinary sass with a review of Zola Nene’s Simply Zola, and Lesley Beake returns with her choice of children’s books, the delightful “What’s Up Thoko!” written and illustrated by Niki Daly, and Raj and the Best Day Ever by Seb Brown. And Vanessa Levenstein, deeply moved by the passing of American icon Toni Morrison, compares Re

Penny Lorimer shares the drama of Louise Candlish’s Those People and revisits private detective Jackson Brodie in Kate Atkinson’s latest, Big Sky. John Hanks describes the Field Guide to the Frogs and other Amphibians of Africa by Alan Channing and Mark-Oliver Rödel as an ambitious undertaking that he highly recommends, and then he credits Madkadikgadi Pans: A travellers guite to the salt flats of Botswana for his decision on where to travel next. Beryl Eichenberger was transfixed by Elif Shafak’s Ten minutes 38 seconds in this strange world, in which the reader is exposed to the captivating last moments of Leila’s life under the skies of Istanbul. Phillippa Cheifitz tosses in a bit of culinary sass with a review of Zola Nene’s Simply Zola, and Lesley Beake returns with her choice of children’s books, the delightful “What’s Up Thoko!” written and illustrated by Niki Daly, and Raj and the Best Day Ever by Seb Brown. And Vanessa Levenstein, deeply moved by the passing of American icon Toni Morrison, compares Re

It’s midday on the first Monday of Women’s month and what better time to put up your feet and join us for Bookchoice on Fine Music Radio, coming to you from the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town. I’m Cindy Moritz, and I’m delighted to bring you this month’s choice of good books from our switched-on team of readers. Penny Lorimer reviews two unusual thrillers, one by a seasoned British writer and the other by a novice American writer. Joe Country by Mick Herron and Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips “Haunting, poetic and page turning”, is how Vanessa Levenstein describes the much hyped Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, set in a small town in North Carolina in the 1960s. Philip Todres chatted with Getaway Magazine editor Justin Fox about The 30-Year Safari - A celebration of Getaway Photography, published by Jacana. He called it “A very handsome coffee-table book with an impressive range of stunning photographs selected from the past decade of travel images featured in Getaway.” Beverley Roos-Muller read

Beverley Roos Muller delves into the complex world of Artificial Intelligence in Ian McEwan’s Machines Like Me, calling it elegant as well as disturbing. Andrew Brown feels like Alice in Wonderland reading William Boyd’s Love is Blind, which is now out in paperback. Vanessa Levenstein calls Fiona Snycker’s Lacuna “an articulate response to JM Coetzee’s novel Disgrace, finally giving Lucy Lurie a voice, and Philip Todres speaks to Samantha Smirin, author of Life Interrupted: A Bipolar Memoir. He describes it as a “heartbreakingly honest biography of a person confronting bipolar disorder”. From the human condition to the call of the wild, John Hanks flew through African Raptors by William Clark and Rob Davies, and calls it a must-have for dedicated ornithologists. Back down to earth, Beryl Eichenberger explores a dream come true… or a nightmare waiting to happen in Michelle Sacks’s dark fiction, You Were Made for This. Penny Lorimer has discovered a new historical series with Philip Kerr’s Metroplis, featuring

Beverley Roos Muller explores memory and the discovery of home in Julia Martin’s beautifully written memoir Blackridge House. Vanessa Levenstein gets on the line to Evan Ratliff, author of The Mastermind: Drugs, Empire, Murder, Revenge to find out what drove one cyber-genius to choose honour over crime. From crime to culture as Philip Todres turns the spotlight to professional dancer, teacher and choreographer Richard Glasstone and his latest publications and Cindy Moritz welcomed the chance to scratch further beneath the surface in a conversation with Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Written in History: Letters that changed the world, reviewed here last month. Bringing the topical cyber-crime theme home, Beryl Eichenberger entered the web’s dark underbelly in Peter Church’s page-turning thriller, Crackerjack, set here in Cape Town, and Michael Avery spoke to financial journalist TJ Strydom, author of Christo Wiese: Risk and Riches, the day after an eventful book launch.

Beverley Roos Muller gives joyful voice to Vox by Christina Dalcher which she found very readable. Committed conservationist John Hanks wonders whether The Last Elephants by Don Pinnock and Colin Bell really are the last elephants. From last to the next as Vanessa Levenstein so joyfully chats to Mitch Albom about his sequel to The five people you meet in heaven: The Next Person You Meet in Heaven. And Nicky Farrelly comes up with a joyful bundle of great reads. Just right for the fireside or the electric blanket. Melvyn Minnaar chooses two very different books for those of us who thrill to language charm. MR: And Cindy Moritz reviews Written in History – Letters that changed the World, a book for those of us who are in for a feast of history.

Philip Todres takes you into glorious views of an old family estate Constantia Glen with owner Alexander Waiver as they leaf through Constantia Glen - A Timeless Vision by Clare O’Donaghue, with Craign Fraser’s stunning photographs. And it’s one of today’s Giveaways. Cruel as ever, Michael Roche-Kelly hopes to keep us awake at night with three gripping thrillers, one of which – The Senior Advisor by Edmund-George King is also one of today’s Giveaways. Cindy Moritz takes you to a hard-to-find little village in Korea in Karin Cronje’s memoir of her teaching time there in There Goes English Teacher. Vanessa Levenstein munches her way through Have You Eaten Grandma, Gyles Brandreth’s often hilarious take on commas, apostrophes and others of today’s grammar glops. Go game viewing with zoologistT John Hanks via Stuart’s Field Guide to National Parks & Game Reserves of East Africa. rememberingto pack into your pocket Jonathan Leeming’s Scorpions of Southern Africa. Beverley Roos Muller pronounces Washingt

Sad news this month then plenty of good books. Andrew Marjoribanks, MD Wordsworth Books, so very heartregood news aboutndingly died on February 16. He and I started FMR BOOK CHOICE 19 years ago and worked together for all that time. Andrew’s monthly reviews were like him – calm, conversational, intelligent, enthusiastic. In loving and grateful memory of Andrew, Mark Jennings, FMR Station Manager has made a Fine Music Radio donation to Shine Literacy. The good news is that Nicky Farrelly, Manager at Wordsworth Books, Longbeach Mall will be with us each month, as suggested by Andrew. This month Nicky picks four fascinating fiction titles. Michael Roche-Kelly, mean as ever, gives us three thrillers to curl our toes.. has kindly chosen one as one of today’s Giveaways. Beverley Roos Muller pays tribute to the delicacy of award-winning Irish writer Sebastian Barry for the brilliance of his third novel to mine the McNully family history: The Temporary Gentleman. Sally-Ann Creed talks the toxins in our food, pe

Melvyn Minnaar is delightfully set alight by Leonard Cohen’s The Flame. Cindy Moritz finds John Boyne’s A Ladder to the Sky deliciously dark and satisfying. John Hanks journeys through Ian Glenn’s The First Safari – Searching for Francois Levaillant, an account of South Africa’s first and perhaps the greatest ever birder. Lesley Beake brings us a dystopian teen novel and a South African story for younger readers. Briony Chisholm chats about her delightully titled One Night Only, her debut novel that’s a fun and flirty take on the romantic dongs of 33 year old Sarah Trafford. Philip Todres talks to Jay Pather co-editor with Catherine Boulle of Acts of Transgression - Contemporary Live Art in South Africa a wonderfully informative, and accessible book, with some excellent photographs to add to the treat. Peter Soal takes on two local stalwarts in The Indepence Factor by Dennis Worrall, and Graham Viney’s The Last Hurrah – South Africa and the Royal tour of 1947 Vanessa Levenstein takes a delightful tr

Book Choice - December 2018

This happy hour Andrew Marjoribanks, Wordsworth Books brings us great ideas for gifting and getting, Rodney Trudgeon falls hook, line and sinker for Mike Bruton’s The Fishy Smiths – The biographjy of JLB and Margaret Smith. Cindy Moritz much enjoyed Vanessa Raphaely’s beach umbrella thriller Plus One, while Peter Soal takes on two non-fiction books on opposite poles of the political centre: Across Boundaries. A memoir by the brilliantTon Vosloo, Nasionale Per boss, and Truths, Lies and Alibis – A Winnie Mandela Story by Fred Bridgeland. It was World Mental Healtrh Day last month, Vanessa Levenstein chats to Moira Fisher, author of The Enumerations a beguiling and helpful book on the effects of a mental conditions on a family. There’s a Gioveaway copy in today’s easy-peasy competition. Phillippa Cheifitz is enthusiastic about new trends, new tastes in The South African Vegan Cookbook where food is plant-based, using no animal products. We’ve a pre-recorded chat with Zimbabwean writer, Jill Baker, about the fir