Book Choice

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.