My leeslys: ’n oorsig

Ek het die afgelope weke ’n paar boeke klaargemaak (meeste benodig nog ’n resensie). Ek het van meeste gehou en dink ’n paar is uitstekend. Hier is my huidige lys:

"Old Books 3" by T. Fazakas

• God’sPhilosphers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science deur James Hannam
• NoPlace for a Lady deur Anne Harries (Lees dieresensie hier)
• ’nAnder land deur Karel Schoeman (Lees die resensie hier)
• LostLanguages: The Enigma of the World’s Undeciphered Scripts deur Andrew Robinson
• Eat,Pray, Love deur Elizabeth Gilbert

Resensies vir die ander drie boeke sal in die volgende paar weke volg.

Wat ek tans lees

Op die oomblik lees ek When Languages Die: The Extinction of the World’s Languages and theErosion of Human Knowledge deur David Harrison (baie interessant). Daarbenewens wonder ek of ek dadelik met die Kalevala moet begin en of ek eers weer een van my gunsteling Discworld boeke wil lees…

Ander boekgoeters

Ek het op hierdie film van OxfordUniversity Press afgekom waarin gewys word hoe ’n boek vervaardig word. Beslis die kyk werd!

My Reading List: An Update

I’ve recently finished a couple of books (most of which still need reviews). I liked most of them and even loved a few. Here’s what is on my “just read” list:

• God’sPhilosphers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science by James Hannam
• NoPlace for a Lady by Anne Harries (Read my reviewhere)
• ’nAnder land by Karel Schoeman (Read the [Afrikaans]review here)
• LostLanguages: The Enigma of the World’s Undeciphered Scripts by Andrew Robinson
• Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

 Reviews for the other three books will follow in the next few weeks.

My Current Reads

I’m currently only busy with When Languages Die: The Extinction of theWorld’s Languages and the Erosion of Human Knowledge by David Harrison (very interesting). Now I’m also pondering whether I should plunge into the Kalevala straight away, or whether I first want to reread one of my favourite Discworld books…

In Bookish News

I came across this silent film from OxfordUniversity Press about the production of a book. Well worth the watch!

Book Review: No Place for a Lady by Anne Harries

“The Boer War is razing South Africa to the ground. In the midst of these horrors are three women fighting for love, survival and justice: Sarah, an angelically beautiful nurse from England; Louise, her madcap friend; and the dynamic campaigner Emily Hobhouse.”

Perhaps I started reading the book with too many pre-conceived ideas about what the story would be like, but I just couldn’t really get into the book. Some of the melodramatic passages in the book jarred me out of the story even though I understand that the writer wanted the meetings between Sarah and Patch to be different from the rest of the book. For much of the book it also moved too slowly, while the denouement and ending was again too rushed and abrupt. The urgency I expected from a novel set in the midst of war just wasn’t there and some of the characters simply remained little more than shadows.  

That said, the book was interesting simply for being from the viewpoint of British nurses who came to South Africa and showing (some of) the work of Emily Hobhouse and other women. But the book also gives an array of viewpoints with regard to the war and war effort through the eyes of the characters as they move from Britain to South Africa to the Cape hospitals and at last the concentration camps.

All in all, I wouldn’t say it’s a bad book. The writing just isn’t completely my taste and the book didn’t stay with me after reading it as I thought it would. As I say – I might have started reading with too many pre-conceived ideas. But if you really enjoy historical fiction and don’t mind some melodrama, this might be the book for you.

Book Gnomes out of ten:  Five

Check out Goodreads for this and other books. 

Available online from Kalahari, Takealot and Amazon.