My Summer
BOOKS
DECEMBER 2020
25
GREAT HOLIDAY READS COMPILED BY Hedda Mittner Dark Tides by Philippa Gregory
Simon & Schuster
Trio by William Boyd
Viking
Bestselling author Philippa Gregory’s new historical novel tracks the rise of the Tidelands family in London, Venice, and New England. Midsummer Eve 1670. Two unexpected visitors arrive to see Alinor, the poor owner of a shabby warehouse on the River Thames. The first is a wealthy man hoping to find the lover he deserted 21 years before – and the one thing money can’t buy: his son and heir. The second visitor arrives from Venice, claiming to be the widow of Alinor’s son Rob who has drowned in the dark tides of the Venice lagoon. Alinor writes to her brother Ned, newly arrived in faraway New England, that she knows – without doubt – that her son is alive and the widow is an imposter. – simonandschuster.com From the award-winning, best-selling author comes a rollicking novel with a dark undertow, set around three unforgettable individuals – a producer, a novelist, and an actress. It’s summer 1968 – a time of war and assassinations, protests and riots. While the world is reeling, our trio is involved in making a disaster-plagued, Swingin’ Sixties British movie in sunny Brighton. All are leading secret lives. Pressures build inexorably. The FBI and CIA get involved. Someone is going to crack – or maybe they all will. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, this exhilarating novel asks the vital questions: What makes life worth living? And what do you do if you find it isn’t? – penguinrandomhouse.co.za
As the Kettle Boils
The Searcher by Tana French
Viking
The Sentinel by Lee & Andrew Child
Bantam Press
In the latest from the author of The Wych Elm, a retired Chicago police officer, Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a bucolic Irish village would be the perfect escape from his old life (high-pressured job, collapsed marriage, possibly estranged daughter). But before long, a local boy from the resident family of ne’er-do-wells disappears. No one seems to care apart from the boy’s brother, who begs the officer for help. Working on the case, Cal uncovers layers of darkness beneath his picturesque retreat. The missing boy is not quite as straightforward as he might initially have seemed; nor, it transpires, are the locals.
– inews.co.uk
When the wandering Reacher ends up in a town near Pleasantville, Tennessee one morning, he discovers there’s nothing pleasant about the place. Spotting a hapless soul being ambushed by four thugs in broad daylight, he intervenes with his own trademark brand of conflict resolution. The man he saves is Rusty Rutherford, an unassuming IT manager, recently fired after a cyberattack locked up the town’s data, records, information… and secrets. Reacher is intrigued. There’s more to the story – something serious and deadly, involving a conspiracy, a cover-up, and murder—all centred on a mousy little guy in a coffee-stained shirt who has no idea what he’s up against. – goodreads.com
Good for Chaz!
A Time for Mercy by John Grisham
Hodder & Stoughton
A Life on our Planet by David Attenborough
Penguin Random House
– penguinrandomhouse.com
A legacy-defining book from Sir David Attenborough, reflecting on his life's work, the dramatic changes to the planet he has witnessed, and what we can do to make a better future. ‘The tragedy of our time has been happening all around us, barely noticeable from day to day – the loss of our planet's wild places, its biodiversity. A Life on Our Planet is my witness statement, and my vision for the future. It is the story of how we came to make this, our greatest mistake – and how, if we act now, we can yet put it right. We have one final chance to create the perfect home for ourselves and restore the wonderful world we inherited.'
– penguinrandomhouse.co.za
Cat among the Pigeons
The Cape Leopard Trust (CLT) Environmental Education (EE) Project recently celebrated 10 years of its innovative experiential education programme of activities. However, in March the EE team was forced to curtail all direct contact work as a result of lockdown restrictions, and had to adapt and rethink their teaching model. While e-learning became the order of the day, the lockdown also presented an ideal opportunity to work on a longstanding dream – that of creating a children’s book that could double as a teaching resource in the EE programmes. The delightful result is Footprints in the Fynbos (English version) and Voetspore in die Fynbos (Afrikaans translation), a collaborative effort drawing on 16 years’ worth of CLT research, the writing art of children’s book author Liza M Roux and the engaging illustrations of Judy Maré. Aimed at children between the ages of 7 and 14, this accessible and entertaining activity book introduces youngsters to leopards and the CLT, explaining the importance of conservation and encouraging them to take an interest and pride in their natural environment.
David Muirhead’s cat may as well be the Cape leopard. The survival of these creatures in our area is much cause for celebration and is thanks to the efforts of many organisations, such as the Cape Leopard Trust. To celebrate its successful conservation efforts, we have a special gift for you this season! As a way of saying thank you to all those who’ve supported us during this tough year, The Book Cottage is offering David’s latest book, Cat among the Pigeons, for the give-away price of just R75*, normally selling at R190 – more than 50% discount. Furthermore, for every copy sold, we will contribute to the Trees for Tourism project on Farm 215, located near Baardskeerdersbos, in the hills overlooking Walker Bay, where these fabulous creatures live. David’s book of “animal myths, musings and matters of fact” is a delightful collection of bedside stories all about the marvellous world that is the animal kingdom. Of the elusive, fascinating and endangered Cape leopard, David writes that its species is the last of the great land-based predators to be unconfined, “now living, alas, by the light of a waning moon”. * While stocks last
A children’s story about Cape Chacma Baboons living in Fernkloof Nature Reserve Hermanus, South Africa.
Illustrated by Sandy Rogerson. Story by Pat Redford HERMANUS BABOON ACTION GROUP www.hermanusbaboons.co.za
The Hermanus Baboon Action Group (HBAG) is delighted to announce the launch of their children’s story and activity book, Good for Chaz. Targeted at children between 4 and 10 years, the story relates to Hermanus’ beautiful Fernkloof Nature Reserve, residents living on the urban edge, and the dilemmas faced by baboon troops in the area. Pat Redford, spokesperson for the HBAG, developed the story book, and Sandy Rogerson illustrated each page with wonderful cartoon-style drawings, designed for children to colour in. “It is the perfect purchase for local children and also for those grannies, unable to see their grandchildren this season, who may want to post gifts to them,” says Pat. As an added bonus the books come with pencil crayon and khoki packs donated by the Overstrand Municipality, which is supportive of the HBAG awareness campaigns to promote refuse management in baboon-affected areas. The beneficiaries of the profits derived from the sale of these books include the Hermanus Botanical Society and Whale Coast Conservation.
Footprints in the Fynbos
GOOD FOR CHAZ !
2020 will surely go down in history as the year when nothing went according to plan! On a worldwide scale, a pandemic of uncertainty, immeasurable morbidity, and an ominous pause. Like many others around the globe, the authors Frank Wardenberg and Charmaine Beukes had exhilarating plans, carefully crafted itineraries, and ambitious dreams. Then a very sudden full stop. In this strange time of restrictions, the only freedom they found was in sharing daily encouragements, inspirations, and positive observations. With 10 000km between Bremen, where Frank lives, and Botrivier, Charmaine’s home, the only means to share these moments were through daily pictures captured during the northern spring and summer of 2020. In the words of Nobel Peace winner Elie Wiesel, “Even in darkness it is possible to create light and encourage compassion.” This little coffee table book is a hopeful reminder of how humans can support each other despite circumstances or distance; of the shared sacrifices that connect us to each other as well as our larger communities.
Jake Brigance, the hero of A Time to Kill, returns in a riveting courtroom drama set in the iconic Southern town of Clanton, Mississippi in 1990. Jake finds himself embroiled in a deeply divisive trial when the court appoints him attorney for Drew Gamble, a timid 16-year-old boy accused of murdering a local deputy. Many in Clanton want a swift trial and the death penalty, but Jake discovers that there is more to the story than meets the eye. His fierce commitment to saving Drew from the gas chamber puts his career, his financial security, and the safety of his family on the line.
