I find that in the heat of summer there is nothing better to do than find a shady spot and read. And this past summer was definitely a summer of reading.
I read these books over our summer holiday, and there is definitely something here for every reader: An incredible journey, a couple of feisty nuns, a township friendship, a novel that reads like a biography, and a psychological thriller. Read on, read on…
The Journey Big Panda and Tiny Dragon
This extremely giftable book is one of those magical gems that is a bestseller for every age. It is a delightful story about two friends: Big Panda and Little Dragon who go on a journey together. They are on a quest for something better but as they travel through many trials and adventures they realise that they are actually quite sufficient as they are. Throughout their journey they learn to depend on each other and take care of each other… and their friendship is deeper because of it. This is not just a journey through wondrous lands, but a journey that heals the heart. The illustrations in this lyrical story are out of this world… ancient lore, fable and mythology… it is a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Small Miracles
This is the story of three elderly nuns, whose convent is literally falling apart around them… the older the get the more parish responsibilities have been removed from them and one can feel their pain as their world becomes smaller and smaller. Life in the small English town is busy and the nuns are feeling somewhat overwhelmed. One of the nuns is secretly entering the lottery every week and praying for a win. And then, she just happens to win the lottery, not a million pounds, mind you. Just enough to get the ball rolling, so to speak – dreams start to fall into place, characters that seemed as far as the east is from the west, become close. The author makes full use of a lively and funny collection of characters, that she somehow manages to pull together… I enjoyed the first half of this book, loved it in fact… it was light and amusing and let’s face it, a great story idea. But it fizzled somewhat in the second half… I felt it was a little overworked to make sure that every character, and there are a lot, was somehow related to every other character… I would have been happy to read halfway and call it a day!!!
Two Tons O’Fun
This is the coming of age story of Lerato and Janine who are girls growing up in the township of Alexandra outside of Johannesburg. Nothing is easy, life is tough in the poverty strewn, rat infested streets. Lerato’s family is not against committing petty theft and crime in order to keep food on the table and Janine, whose mother is a professor at the local university, lives in the only house in the neighbourhood with a wall around it, and a street address. Across the “wealth divide” within the township, these two become firm friends and while Janine’s wealth means that she is considered to be “white” it is her friendship with Lerato that keeps her away from harm. The girls have many life decisions on their journey through high school together, tragedy hits them from every side, but these two seem to breeze through, relying on each other through it all. There are some heavy topics in this book… but the story is told through Lerato’s eyes and she is a feisty girl, who doesn’t necessarily look on the bright side of life, but she always has a plan and an “escape hatch” in a situation… she is a light hearted delight. This is not easy reading, the tone is light, but the topics are not so much. That being said – this book is just the type of read that South African folk need to read, so we can understand our way across cultural boundaries… It is written from the heart of township life, from Lerato’s heart. We all need a a feisty friend like Lerato.
Carrie Soto is Back
I have been told so many times to read a Taylor Jenkins Reid novel, and until I heard there was “tennis” involved I somehow never got round to it… and that was my great mistake. Her writing is riveting… if you watch Wimbledon for even one match of the year, then you know enough about tennis for this read and you must put this book onto your “to read list.” I literally read it overnight, and could not put it down. It is not so much about tennis but about the human pursuit of excellence. Carrie Soto has given up everything to be the ultimate winner, the greatest player of all time. She has to overcome injury, playing long past retirement age, being a “player of colour,” not to mention being a woman in a “man’s world.” She is way past learning the lesson that there will always be someone better than you, following in your footsteps… she will not bow out gracefully but will fight to the bitter end. This book is about her relationship with her dad, the players around her and her best friends… let me just say she has very few… in the world of competitive sport, cultivating friendship does not appear to be on the agenda at all. This was a thrilling read, and when folk say that they end up googling the characters in Taylor Reid Jenkins novels, because they feel so real – that is the truth. Surely Carrie Soto deserves to be so much more than a character in a book… a gripping read, an interesting topic… and raises the question: “How much is a person able to give up, in order to be the very best?”
The Apartment Upstairs
Well, this is an interesting read… and if you like a mild psychological thriller then this is it. This is the story of Scarlett, who lives in an apartment that has been specially and artfully adapted for her as she suffers from ME. Meanwhile, Scarlett’s Aunt lived upstairs and was brutally murdered, apparently by her fiancé. Scarlett makes the decision to stay in her apartment, because it is the home she loves and cherishes. As Scarlett prepares a memorial for her aunt, things begin to look more than a little sinister. Scarlett inadvertently keeps uncovering mysteries, and uncovering links between other characters in the book, but because of her general fatigue, she can’t join all the dots and she can’t figure out the mystery. Neither can we… it is literally a guessing game of who actually committed the crime. It is a great holiday read… crime, but not graphic enough to keep you awake at night. I chose to review this book, because I so enjoyed her previous book, The Dare. Clearly, if you like psychological crime thrillers then Lesley Kara is an author to watch.
Amazon Affiliate Links for Books Mentioned in This Post.
These books were all given to us for review purposes by Penguin Random House South Africa. This is not a sponsored post and opinions expressed are entirely my own.