Tag Archives: book reviews

‘Five Quarters of the Orange’, soars like a kite on a taut string

This afternoon I watched my son fly a kite, pure joy soared observing a flutter of colour held aloft by a taut string.  Last night I stayed up late to finish reading “Five Quarters Of the Orange” by Joanne Harris.  Reading this book was a lot like watching that kite dancing in the blue.  Thoughts, metaphors and beauty soar above …

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How did I get out of the habit of going to the library?

I don’t know how it happened but we have not visited the library for a long long time, certainly not this year.  I guess homework is largely to blame, Fjord has a ridiculous amount of homework in Gr 1 and the afternoons fly by.  He has been nagging me to return to the library, yesterday we rushed to get homework …

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‘500 Cupcakes’ – review

I will aways choose quality over quantity and the recipe book ‘500 Cupcakes’ is a perfect example.  I would rather have 5 excellent cupcake recipes than 500 which are below par.  Most of the recipes are very variations of the same.  This would be acceptable if the recipes were great, but judging from the 2 which I have tried I …

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Ulysses and Marilyn Monroe have me licked

What pisses me off about James Joyce’s Ulysses is that it makes me feel dumbassthick.  For 13 years it has stuck its tongue out at me from the ‘Top 100 books of the century’ list.  Having now thrice tried to pagewade Ulysses I wave a white flag, roll over in defeat.  This time committed to reach pg 50, at times …

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5 Sales don’t make a success

  Two weeks ago my children’s picture book ‘Snuffles and the Cloud People‘ was released on the Amazon platform.  I was relieved that the culmination of years of work had finally made it to this point.  I was excited to send this infant child of mine out into the world.  If one swallow doesn’t make a summer, 5 sales certainly …

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The Shining Girls – Lauren Beukes

Over the past year I have read many books by South African authors.  It helps belonging to a book club.  All of these books have make me feel very proudly South African.  Deon Meyer is brilliant.  Redi Tlhabi’s book ‘Endings and Beginnings‘ was one of the most moving books I’ve read.  Yesterday I finished reading ‘The Shining Girls’ by Lauren …

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On the Road – Jack Kerouac

After reading the 50 Shades trilogy my IQ was sucking its thumb and singing nursery rhymes.  On The Road is a joyous journey back to thought and life.  It is a book to luxuriate in.  So many quotes which strike a resonating chord in the soul. “most of the time we were alone and mixing up our souls ever more …

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40 winks is better than ’50 Shades Freed’

Actually being in a pit of spiders is probably better than ’50 shades Freed’.  Sorry the book has killed my brain I can’t write coherent sentences but some descriptive words would be puerile, trite, tripe, boring, trash, thin, pathetic. I was rather kind about the 1st book in my previous review and still think that the 1st two are reasonable …

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50 shades better than 40 winks

I blush to confess that I rather enjoyed ’50 shades of Grey’.  When I took it from the book club box I made a point of saying that I too just wanted to form an opinion.  Before reading it the only reviews which I read said how boring, lame and rubbish it is.  Look this is not high literature, it’s souffle …

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The Secret History

The Secret History has been on my reading list for a few years since my husband recommended it.  I have also seen it on a few top 100 book lists and it is most deserving to be there.  I was a little apprehensive when I saw that the book is dedicated to Bret Easton Ellis as ‘American Psycho’ is my …

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