One False Move – Harlan Coben

Myron Bolitar is fast becoming one of my favourite characters. The more I read of Harlan Cobens “hero” the more I want to read.

I say “hero” because quite simply Bolitar can be a dork sometimes. His lame one-liners, his near death experiences and the way he responds to it and his internal struggles all make for a good read. He’s a character that you can’t help but believe in.

This is the fourth of the Myron Bolitar books I have read and the former basketball star turned FBI agent turned sports agent just grows on you.

In this story he is asked to represent the hottest thing in womens basketball. Her father has gone missing, the mob is involved and in between this Myron has to try and work out whether to blow it with his present girlfriend Jessica or chase after this would-be client.

In Myron’s case “represent” may have dual meanings.

Suffice to say you get run around on an action packed adventure that will keep you reading to the last page.

Title: One False Move
Author: Harlan Coben
ISBN: 978-1-4091-1710-0

Loved every minute of it and rated it a four out of five – it’s a goodie.

You can buy this book online at Loot for R110.

20 December 2009 - Video game bestsellers

Its the week before Christmas and as usual on a Sunday we gather data from the various online retail platforms to see what video games make the bestseller lists.

Amazon
1. New Super Mario Bros - Nintendo Wii
2. Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board - Nintendo Wii
3. Wii Sports Resort - Nintendo Wii
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Xbox 360
5. Wii Play - Nintendo Wii
6. Assassin's Creed II - Xbox 360
7. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - PS3
8. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks - Nintendo DS
9. Left 4 Dead 2 - Xbox 360
10. Wii Fit Plus - Nintendo Wii

Take2.co.za
1. Dragon Age: Origins - PC
2. Frontlines:Fuel of War - PC
3. Defcon - PC
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - PC
5. Empire Earth 2 Gold Collection - PC
6. Left 4 Dead 2 - PC
7. Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance- PC
8. Super Hits: Bioshock - PC
9. Fallout 3 - Game Of The Year Edition - PC
10. The Sims 3: World Adventures Expansion Pack 1 - PC

Kalahari.net
1. Wii Sports Resort and Motion Plus - Nintendo Wii
2. Singstar: ABBA - PS2
3. New Super Mario Bros - Nintendo Wii
4. Wii Fit Plus (including Balance Board) - Nintendo Wii
5. The Sims 3: World Adventures Expansion Pack - PC
6. Crysis Warhead - PC
7. Mirror's Edge - PC
8. Mass Effect - PC
9. Dead Space - PC
10. Assassin's Creed II - PS3

Bestsellers - 20 December 2009

Its the week before Christmas and as usual on a Sunday we gather data from the various online retail platforms to see what books have made the bestseller lists.

Exclusive Books
1. Captain in the Cauldron
2. Eclipse
3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
4. Breaking Dawn
5. John Platters Wine Guide 2010
6. Twilight
7. Dont Mess with the President
8. The Girl who Played with Fire
9. New Moon
10. The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest

Amazon - books
1. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
2. Going Rogue: An American Life - Sarah Palin
3. The Help - Kathryn Stockett
4. Mastering the Art of French Cooking (2 Volume Set) - Julia Child
5. Under the Dome: A Novel - Stephen King
6. Arguing with Idiots: How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government - Glenn Beck
7. SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance - Steven D. Levitt
8. The Twilight Saga Collection - Stephenie Meyer
9. Have a Little Faith: A True Story - Mitch Albom
10. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days - Jeff Kinney

Take2.co.za
1. Born of Ice - Kenyon, Sherrilyn
2. Twilight - Meyer, Stephenie
3. Lover Avenged - Ward, J. R.
4. Eclipse - Stephanie Meyer
5. New Moon - Meyer, Stephenie
6. The Gabriel Method - Gabriel, Jon
7. Born of Fire - Kenyon, Sherrilyn
8. Eclipse - Meyer, Stephenie
9. New Moon- Meyer, Stephenie
10. Born of the Night - Kenyon, Sherrilyn

Kalahari.net
1. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
2. Captain in the Cauldron - Mike Greenaway
3. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
4. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
5. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
6. The 10 Secrets of 100% Healthy People: Some People Never Get Sick and are Always Full of Energy? Find Out How! - Patrick Holford
7. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson
8. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
9. Karoonag En Ander Verhale - Deon Meyer
10. The Girl Who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson

How Not to Start and Run Your Own Business – Scott Cundill

If you know anybody who is keen to start a small business then an essential book for them to read is Scott Cundills ‘ “How Not to Start and Run Your Own Business”.

Scott is a South African entrepreneur and small business owner who has been through it all. His frank, no-nonsense and hilarious novel is a wake-up call for anybody who has grandiose ideas about launching their venture.

There are some pearlers of wisdom including “Get yourself a hot personal assistant so that you can at least feel motivated to go to work” and you will find yourself laughing through the book while learning as you go.

Scott is becoming an increasingly influential player in the small business sector and with many people now being faced by the reality that they may have to launch their own enterprise to sustain themselves, Scotts book gives some insight into some of the key factors that will be needed to give you half a chance of survival.

You can buy this book online from retailer Loot for R99.

Title: How Not to Start and Run Your Own Business
Author: Scott Cundill
ISBN: 978-1-920153-01-4

We rated the book a four out of five and highly recommend it as a birthday gift or stocking filler!

Death by Leisure - Chris Ayres

Death by Leisure caught my eye from the moment I read its blurb and anybody with a vague interest in the psyche of the American Consumer will also find themselves intrigued.

It sounds a little something like this:

Journalist Chris Ayres - didn’t want much - a supermodel girlfriend, a cliff top bachelor palace and a fleet of chrome-rimmed SUV’s so that he can mingle with the Hollywood elite. The only snag to these lofty aspirations is that he is flat broke and trying to pay off his original student loan on an MG he purchased many years back.

Instead of letting a minor detail get in the way, Chris moves to LA and borrows $1m dollars and sets out to fulfil his boyhood dreams. Unfortunately none of it can last and eventually he is ducking and diving as his life catches up with him and the lenders come seeking their pound of flesh.

I laughed through this whole book - the story line, the writing, the witty one liners - it just all jumped out at me as a really neat and amusing look at how American consumers got themselves into so much trouble. It is one thing to read about it in the financial media about some of the behaviour patterns that these guys indulged in but to read some of the thinking first-hand was brilliant.

A highly recommended read!

Title: Death by Leisure
Author: Chris Ayres
ISBN: 978-0-7195-6016-3

You can buy this book online for R105 or follow the banners right to online retailer Loot.

I rated this book a 4 out of 5 - it was brilliant, witty and just felt very “real”. As one person commented: “Death by Leisure is a savage and hilarious takedown of our times, and a wake-up call to aspiring Leisuretocrats everywhere.”

PS - Ayres also writes about a book called “War Reporting for Cowards” which I see is available from some of the local online retailers and I reckon I will be adding it to my shopping list this month!

Dean Koontz - Dead and Alive

Finally after three years of waiting I have wrapped up the Dean Koontz Frankenstein trilogy!

For those who don't know the third book was due to be released a couple of years back but Koontz' writing about the world coming to an end in New Orleans co-incided with Hurricane Katrina. He decided that it would be a little tastelesss to release the conclusive book so it was held back.

For those who don't know the background to the series, Koontz provides his own take on the Frankenstein tale. Victor Helios - aka Frankenstein - is alive and well and busy building a super "New" Race to replace humanity. However his plans go awry as his creations begin to suffer a series of "malfunctions" and he rapidly begins to lose control.

New Orleans is on the brink of collapse and the only thing standing between the pending havoc are two police detectives and Helios' first creation who has come back to extract revenge.

The book itself was very readable and I got through it quite quickly but I felt it lacked some of the intrigue and punch of the first two books. The conclusion wasn't bad but felt a bit disjointed in getting there. I almost got the sense that Koontz had put in too many characters (presumably to emphasise the havoc) and it all fell apart a bit.

I was almost expecting a tale of running gun battles in the street as the Old Race defended themselves against the New Race but it didn't quite build up enough urgency to get to that point.

Title: Dead or Alive - Book 3
Author: Dean Koontz
ISBN: 978-0-00-720311-6

Rated the book a 3 out of 5 but the first two books are essential reading.

You can buy the book online for R95 or follow the Loot banners on the right hand side of the blog.

Kathy Reichs - 206 Bones

Admittedly I was a little distracted when I read 206 Bones by Kathy Reichs, but truth be told I didn't have a cooking clue what was happening throughout the book.

I won't say that I am a Reichs fan but at least the books are normally tolerable and allow for some brain-dead entertainment - unfortunately not in this case. I am a simple guy and when there are too many characters it all goes pear-shaped for me and in this case there were FAR too many characters... maybe just because there were bloody French names and guys whose aliases were based on beer brand-names?

I dunno - I just didn't get into it at all. Having said that my wife said she got a kick out of the whole medical side of the story so uh don't be shy to get a second opinion.

Below is the synopsis for the book from one of the online retailers. It makes it sound a little more exciting than it really was, but I guess to each their own:

Tempe regains consciousness and discovers that she is in a very dark, very cold enclosed space. She is bound, hands to feet. Who wants Tempe dead, or at least out of the way, and why? Tempe begins slowly to reconstruct...

She and Lieutenant Ryan had accompanied the recently discovered remains of a missing heiress from Montreal to the Chicago morgue. Suddenly, Tempe was accused of mishandling the autopsy -- and the case. Someone made an incriminating phone call. Within hours, the one man with information about the call was dead. Back in Montreal, the corpse of a second elderly woman was found in the woods, and then a third.

Seamlessly weaving between Tempe's present-tense terror as she's held captive and her memory of the cases of these murdered women, Reichs conveys the incredible devastation that would occur if a forensic colleague sabotaged work in the lab.

Title: 206 Bones
Author: Kathy Reichs
ISBN: 978-0-434-01469-9

If you would like to waste your money you can buy this book online from online retailer Loot for R177 but I rated it a 1 out of 5

Devils Peak - Deon Meyer

Devil's Peak is the second Deon Meyer title that I have read in the last couple of months and my opinions of the first title have been reinforced.

The book opens with Thobela Mpayipheli watching his son killed in a armed robbery. After learning the killers have slipped through the legal system, he decides to take action and armed with an assegai he begins seeking out those who have harmed children.

Dubbed "Artemis" by the media he evokes strong support from the community who finally identify a vigilante who is bringing the criminals to book.

But this doesn't sit well with inspector Benny Griessel, a drunk but brilliant South African detective who is looking to bring Artemis down.

The reader is taken on a thrilling chase as Griessel pursues Artemis hoping to catch him before he kills somebody else.

Devil's Peak is an entertaining crime thriller that brings a very South African flavour to readers. The story itself is tightly wound together and the word "compact" seems to be the best way to describe the book. There are no wasted characters and those characters which do feature in the story are developed fluently and with ease.

There is also a more than handy twist or two at the end of the story which will keep the readers enthralled to the end.

Title: Devils Peak

Author: Deon Meyer

ISBN: 978-0-340-82266-1

A nice compact and easy to read story with some twists in the tail. Rated the book a three out of five.

You can buy this title online from retailer Loot for R91. Follow hyperlink or banner right.

The International Rugby Encyclopedia

With the Currie Cup coming down to "the business end" I thought this book would be quite a nice one to highlight courtesy of Fanatics:

The International Rugby Encyclopedia is meticulously compiled and has been 18 years in the making. This book is the complete international rugby encyclopedia that presents every single recognized international rugby game ever played since 1871 when Scotland took on England. It is well illustrated and structured, featuring stories on the great players to have graced the game, the great matches to have captivated the crowds and the great stadiums to have hosted these internationals, as well as a plethora of rugby trivia.

You can buy the book online or at your nearest Exclusive Books store for R399.

About the Author
Andrew de Klerk, with his almost pathological passion for rugby, was born in 1979, and grew up in Grahamstown where Saturday-morning rugby matches were strongly attended and vociferously supported by the locals. He was educated at St Andrew’s, Graeme College and Rhodes University in Grahamstown. He has a BSc (Hons) in Geology. Andrew is an avid bird-watcher and loves the bush (he once spent a year as a game ranger at Mala Mala near the Kruger National Park). He is a member of the Geological Society of South Africa, is married and now lives in Johannesburg.

Books for girls!

As a father to two young daughters, one of the trickiest things is trying to find girls books that they will like.

Part of the problem is not knowing much about what authors would appeal to them and I think the folks over at Fanatics may have solved a part of this dilemma with their latest mailer.

The Little Princess
The Little Princess is an enduring classic and must-read for all young girls. Hilary McKay brings this much-loved story back to life in her own classic and inimitable style. Wishing for Tomorrow, told in Hilary Mackay’s unique light and witty style is a warm and touching as well as hilarious.

Wishing for Tomorrow
In Wishing for Tomorrow Hilary McKay revisits Miss Minchin’s Select Seminary for Young Ladies after the events of A Little Princess and Sara Crewe’s happily ever after. But Sara is much missed - and most acutely by best friend Ermengarde, who laments that ‘nothing is the same as it was before’.

But life must go on at Miss Minchin’s as new friendships are made, rivalries continued, lessons learned and, most importantly, fairytale endings are had.

Fifa 10

For anyone who has been following our bestseller list you will see that Fifa 10 has proven to be a popular choice with gamers over the last week.

As we normally we do we stick up the game and invite readers of the blog to post their views on the game as a guideline to other readers and gamers out there.

Below is the write-up for the game from the retailers:

Last year's game topped the league and now the all-new FIFA 10 is looking to defend its title as the number one football action game.

Brand new this year is the 360 degree dribbling system, giving you the most precise control ever. There are also changes to how the defensive line is formed, as well as improvements to crosses, freekicks and goalkeepers (who can now receive red cards).

Naturally the game retains its hugely successful on and offline multiplayer modes, with new options and better stability for online play. The manager mode has also seen a massive update to make it just as deep and complex as the main game. With all these new features and more EA Sports are betting on FIFA remaining the champions for a long time to come.

You can buy the game online from retailer Loot or follow the banners on the right hand side of the blog.

Hot games - 2009/10/11

Another Sunday is here and as our regular readers know, we like to provide an update on what the bestselling games are on the various online retail platforms.

Fifa 10 appears to be a popular choice with gamers this weekend!

CNA
1. The Fast & The Furious - Tokyo Drift (PS2)
2. Madden NFL 2010 - (Xbox)
3. Fifa 10 (PSP)
4. Fifa 10 (Xbox)
5. Need for Speed: Shift (Xbox)
6. Grand Theft Auto - Vice City Platinum (PSP)
7. Ben 10 Protector of the Earth (PS2)
8. God of War - Chains of Olympus (PSP)
9. Need for Speed - Undercover (PS2)
10. Need for Speed - Pro Street (PSP)

Take2:
1. Guitar Hero 3 Stand Alone Guitar (Xbox 360)
2. Need For Speed: Shift (PC DVD-ROM)
3. Guitar Hero 3 Stand Alone Guitar (PS3)
4. Fallout 3: Game Add-On Pack 2: Broken Steel and Point Lookout (PC DVD-ROM) - *Original Fallout 3 game required to use expansion packs
5. Need For Speed: Shift (PS3)
6. FIFA 2010 (Xbox 360)
7. EA SPORTS Active Accessory Pack (Wii)
8. Two Worlds - Game Of The Year Edition (PC DVD-ROM) - Includes Two Worlds plus Tainted Blood Add-On (plus 1.5 Gig Patch)
9. FIFA 10 Limited Edition Adidas Soccer Ball Pack (PS3)
10. FIFA 2010 (PS2)

Kalahari.Net
1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - PS3
2. Wii Sports Resort and Motion Plus - Nintendo Wii
3. Fifa 10 - Xbox 360
4. Need For Speed: Shift - PS3
5. Fifa 10 - PS2
6. Fifa 10 with Adidas Kopanya Soccer Ball - PS3
7. Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2 - PC
8. The Sims 3 - PC
9. Need For Speed: Shift - PC
10. Fifa 10 - PC

Amazon.com
1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - PS3
2. Wii Fit Plus - Nintendo Wii
3. Limited-Edition Wii Sports Resort Bundle with Two Wii MotionPlus - Nintendo Wii
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Xbox360
5. Halo 3: ODST - Xbox360
6. New Super Mario Bros - Nintendo Wii
7. Demon's Souls w/ Artbook & Soundtrack CD - PS3
8. Demon's Souls Deluxe Edition w/ Artbook & Soundtrack CD - PS3
9. Fallout 3: Game of The Year Edition - Xbox360
10. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - PS3

Bestsellers - 2009/10/11

It's that time of the week where we check out the online retailers to find out what book titles are hot with shoppers.

Looking at the CNA list the things like the Guiness World Records and Top of Everything for 2010 could be nice Christmas presents!

CNA
1. Act like a lady, think like a man
2. Guiness World Records 2010
3. Ena Murray - Omnibus - 23
4. Top of everything - 2010
5. Matters of the heart
6. Alex Cross's trial
7. Stiletto
8. Eclipse
9. Breaking Dawn
10. The lost symbol

Exclusive Books:
1. The Lost Symbol
2. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man
3. Spud - Learning to Fly
4. New Moon
5. Architects of Poverty
6. Breaking Dawn
7. Outliers
8. Eclipse
9. Screw It, Lets Do IT
10. Twilight

Take2:
1. The Lost Symbol - Brown, Dan
2. Covet - Ward, J. R.
3. Born of the Night - Kenyon, Sherrilyn
4. Unseen Academicals - Pratchett, Terry
5. Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest - Larsson, Stieg
6. New Moon - Meyer, Stephenie
7. Breaking Dawn - Meyer, Stephenie
8. Dark Curse - Feehan, Christine
9. Vampire Diaries, V. 1, Bks. 1 & 2 - Smith, L.J.
10. Eclipse - Meyer, Stephenie

Kalahari.Net
1. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest - Stieg Larsson
2. The Gabriel Method: The Revolutionary Diet-Free Way to Totally Transform Your Body - Jon Gabriel
3. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
4. Breaking Dawn - Stephanie Meyer
5. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
6. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
7. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
8. Jesus Van Nasaret - Sakkie Spangenberg
9. Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts
10. The Unseen Academicals - Terry Pratchett

Amazon.com
1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days - Jeff Kinney
2. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
3. Going Rogue: An American Life - Sarah Palin
4. Arguing with Idiots: How to Stop Small Minds and the government - Glenn Beck
5. Wolf Hall: A Novel - Hilary Mantel
6. The Help - Kathryn Stockett
7. Where the Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendak
8. A Touch of Dead (Sookie Stackhouse: The Complete Stories - Charlaine Harris
9. The Amazing Spider-Man Pop-Up: Marvel True Believers Retro Collection - Caroline Repchuk
10. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association - American Psychological Association

The Zombie Survival Guide

Every now and then a book title just jumps out and you and demands that you take a closer look. I was looking at the Loot website this morning and this one caught my eye:

The Zombie Survival Guide - Recorded Attacks by Max Brooks


Write up:
Those who don't learn from history are condemned to repeat it.
From the Stone Age to the information age, the undead have threatened to engulf the human race. They're coming. They're hungry.
Don't wait for them to come to you!
This is the graphic novel the fans demanded: major zombie attacks from the dawn of humanity. On the African savannas, against the legions of ancient Rome, on the high seas with Francis Drake . . . every civilization has faced them. Here are the grisly and heroic stories-complete with eye-popping artwork that pulsates with the hideous faces of the undead.
Organize before they rise!
Scripted by the world's leading zombie authority, Max Brooks, "Recorded Attacks" reveals how other eras and cultures have dealt with-and survived-the ancient viral plague. By immersing ourselves in past horror we may yet prevail over the coming outbreak in our time.

If any one has read the book please give me some feedback but it looks like a really good, quirky book.

In Odd we Trust - Dean Koontz

Upfront I bought this book by accident.... well sort of.

I am an avid Dean Koontz fan and will buy any of his books when they hit the shelves - I just wasn't counting on a comic (or as they term it a "graphic novel") when I bought it.

The idea of reading a comic was something that I thought I was passed and it turned out I was right - the format holds no appeal for me as a title and I'll definately have to double check the next Dean Koontz I buy is not a comic.

Having said that I am sure there are probably many young teenagers who have yet to experience the brilliance of Koontz and might find this a good way to check out whether or not they like the author and the genre.

"In Odd We Trust" features the brilliant Odd Thomas character - a teenager who can see the dead - including the ghost of Elvis Presley. Odd Thomas is probably one of the best characters I have ever come across (in the other Koontz novels not the comic type).

Title: In Odd We Trust
Author: Dean Koontz

Synopsis
When the sad specter of a very frightened boy finds its way to him, Odd vows to root out the evil suddenly infecting the sunny streets of Pico Mundo. But even with his exceptional ability-plus the local police and his pistol-packing girlfriend, Stormy, backing him-is Odd any match for a faceless stalker who's always a step ahead . . . and determined to kill again?

You can buy this book online from retailer Loot (follow URL or banner right) for R85

Rated the book (Comic?!) a 2 out of 5

"The Help" picks up coveted Boeke Award

Kathryn Stockett’s novel, The Help, swept the boards at the 2009 Exclusive Books Boeke Prize Awards, held yesterday at a glamorous lunch for bibliophiles at Pomodoro in the new Morningside Shopping Centre.

The awards were the culmination of a six week competition in which top book reviewers and Exclusive Books Fanatics members were asked to read the following six shortlisted titles and to then vote for their favourite reads:

• The Help, Kathryn Stockett
• Testimony, Anita Shreve
• The Angel’s Game, Carlos Ruiz Zafon
• People of the Book, Geraldine Brooks
• The Children’s Book, A.S Byatt
• The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet, Reif Larsen
• The Help stole Fanatics and journalists’ hearts, scooping first place by a large margin of over 40% of the votes, followed by The Angel’s Game, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and The Children’s Book, by A.S Byatt in third place.

To celebrate the winner of the 2009 Boeke Award, Fanatics members will earn 350 bonus points when you purchase The Help until 18th October.

The Help is set in 1960’s Jackson, Mississippi, a place where lines are clearly drawn and never crossed. A place where black women, like wise Aibileen and sassy Minny, raise white babies and cook in kitchens while white madams play bridge or belong to the Junior League where bossy bullies, like Hilly, rule the roost. It is a place where black women have no voice and where the likes of Hilly decide who is allowed into society circles and who should be snubbed. But Jackson is also a place where things are starting to change...

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women--mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends--view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the rules by which we abide, and those we don't.

“Kathryn Stockett’s ‘The Help’ has significant resonance for those brought up in SA, often spending a great deal of time being brought up by black ‘nannies’ or ‘help’. The complex and complicated relationships between these women, their employers and their charges are skilfully drawn and the many issues that emerge are dealt with courageously” - Fiona Ramsay

“The Help features a moving examination of themes most South Africans are only too familiar with.” - Bruce Dennill, The Citizen

About the Author
Kathryn Stockett was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. After graduating from the University of Alabama, she moved to New York City, where she worked in magazine publishing and marketing for nine years. She currently lives in Atlanta with her husband and daughter. The Help is Kathryn’s first novel and is garnering the most amazing reviews from around the world. Visit http://www.kathrynstockett.com/

www.fanatics.co.za

Championship Manager - 2010 - Game review

I finally got my hands on an updated Championship Manager on Friday when I bought the Championship Manager 2010 Special Edition for PC.

The Championship Manager I bought was the 2006 version of the game, so I wasn't totally sure what to expect with the new version.

Some of the new features include:

# 3D Match Engine
Championship Manager 2010's match engine has undergone a radical overhaul with the prize, a bespoke fully-animated match engine. Created entirely in-house at CM headquarters and designed specifically to bring the management experience to life, the manager now has the perfect viewpoint from which to observe their Matchday instructions taking place on the pitch.

# News & Media
A whole range of messaging in the game enables you to have far greater access to information and news from within the game's world of football. Broadcasting real media references, the latest CM news system delivers in a wide variety of ways. The user gets all the information and all the news that's relevant to their game.

I'll be honest that I found it a little clunky to navigate in certain places but that could possibly be that I am simply used to the old interface.

Far more detail goes into the game and the 3D match engine I found makes you spend a lot more time focus on the game itself. I know with the 2006 game I ramped it up speed wise and didn't focus on much beyond the result and a few casual substitutions.

In some days I could do a season in a day or two. The new engine makes you focus far more on match day and for instance it has taken me two days and I am only halfway through my first season.

You can buy the game online from retailer Loot for R406.00 (follow hyperlink or banner right) which is a R53 discount to the retail price at the shops.

Rated the game a four out of five but with the caveat that the game is only for the serious Championship Manager fans - definately a title to add to the collection though with Christmas around the corner!

T is for Trespass - Sue Grafton

I won't lie - I was probably a little desperate when I pulled an old (November 2008) Sue Grafton off the mother in-laws shelf but truth be told it wasn't actually such a bad read.

The story involves a private investigator Kinsey Millhone and her tangles with a scheming nurse who is taking care of her neighbour Gus.

When Gus has an accident, Millhone is relieved when his niece organises a nurse for him. Verifying a background check on Solana Rojas doesn’t turn up anything suspicious. But Kinsey’s not convinced – especially when Gus seems to be getting worse under his nurse’s tender care.

Realising that her neighbourly concern isn’t going to get her past the front door Kinsey turns to more unorthodox methods to step up her investigation. And gets far more than she bargained for . . .

Not only is Solana not who she seems to be but she’s more than able to play Kinsey at her own game. Suddenly the tables have turned and it’s Kinsey who’s on the wrong side of the law . . .

It wasn't a bad read for some light-hearted action but it did tend to jump around a bit to other cases Millhone was working which seemed to detract from the plot rather than add to it.

It also wasn't one of those books that you just can't put down. I found myself being drawn back to it to read a chapter or two before tonking out for the night but it didn't quite grab me in the way that I would read it until the very early hours of the morning.

Title: T is for Trespass
Author: Sue Grafton
ISBN: 978-0-330-43889-6

You can buy this title online from retailer Loot for R91.

Rated it a 3 out of 5.

October Killings - Wessel Ebersohn

I love using this blog to highlight the achievements and works of South Africans, because it hopefully serves as a motivation to other South Africans.

One South African author who I have not featured on this blog before is Wessel Ebersohn who has recently released a new book called "October Killings".

Interesting piece of meaningless trivia is that I actually worked for three months on contract with Wessel at Succeed magazine in Johannesburg and found he ran a really good business with happy and motivated staff!

Please find below the write-up for the book and if you have read the book please post your comments for other readers.

You can buy this book now online from retailer Loot for R160.

Write up:
Abigail Bukulu, a young star in the Justice Department, receives a visit from Leon Lourens. Many years ago when she was only 15 he saved her life when he was one of a group of South African soldiers sent to attack an ANC safe house in Lesotho. Having paid the price for his rebellion, Leon now needs Abigail's protection. On 22 October each year, the date of the Lesotho attack, another member of the SADF squad is killed. Now, that date is approaching, and only two of them remain: the squad commander, who's serving his sentence in C-Max, and Leon. Abigail immediately knows who is behind the October Killings: a sinister and dangerous man named Bishop who had joined the Struggle for dubious reasons. In a rush against time, over a course with many obstacles, Abigail finds a partner in the eccentric prison psychologist Yudel Gordon, a "veteran" from three earlier Ebersohn novels. And so a fiery partnership is established that is likely to electrify several future books.

Title: October Killings
Author: Wessel Ebersohn
ISBN: 978-1-4152-0074-2

Dan Brown gets a grilling

I won't lie - I am not a big Dan Brown fan and I personally had no clue what was happening in The Da Vinci Code... maybe I am just a simple soul.

I had to laugh though - there were two hilariously funny articles on Dan Brown that I have to share with you.

The first one is the book review of The Lost Symbol courtesy of Shaun De Waal at the Mail & Guardian. His review is a cracker but I loved this paragraph:

The characters have no character. There are quick sketches to tell us what they look like, and background is filled in briefly, but otherwise they are speaking mannequins. The only exception is the tattooed villain, Mal'akh, in whom Brown seems to have more visceral interest than any other figure in the book.

The second one is a scathing crack at Brown and his writing style which is also good for a laugh - go check it out here.

I suppose we shouldn't make too much fun of Brown though - he is probably rolling in his millions and in turn laughing at us plebs!

The Beatles and Batman

Two interesting titles appeared on this weeks' best-seller list and I thought we should post some details on the game plus links back to the official gaming sites as a resource for our readers:

The Beatles: Rock Band

Developer: Electronic Arts

The world's leading music game meets the greatest band in history! The Beatles™: Rock Band™ gives fans what they've been waiting for: a chance to experience the Beatles' legendary story from the inside.

You won't just watch and listen as the Beatles make rock history, create landmark records and conquer the world -for the first time, you'll be part of the band.

The Beatles™ software is compatible with Rock Band™, Guitar Hero and most other instrument controllers, as well as, third party microphones including SingStar and Lips.

45 legendary songs, including:
I Saw Her Standing There
Twist And Shout
Do You Want To Know A Secret
I Want to Hold Your Hand
Can't Buy Me Love
I Wanna Be Your Man
I Feel Fine
Eight Days A Week
Day Tripper
Paperback Writer
Taxman
And Your Bird Can Sing
Yellow Submarine
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
With a Little Help from My Friends
Within You Without You / Tomorrow Never Knows
I Am The Walrus
Back In The U.S.S.R.
Octopus's Garden
Birthday
Revolution
Here Comes The Sun
Dig A Pony
Get Back
I've Got A Feeling

And more...
• Plus additional songs will be available for download through The Beatles™: Rock Band™ music store.
• Advanced Harmonix game technology brings The Beatles™ experience to life
• Sing three-part vocal harmonies with support for up to three mics
• Experience historic Beatles performance venues from the Cavern Club to the roof at Savile Row
• Developed and co-created with The Beatles™, providing a true-to-life gaming experience
• Hear never released conversations among the band during Abbey Road recording sessions

See more on the official site here.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Developer - Eidos Interactive

Descend into the core of the criminally insane as The Joker launches his most diabolical plot ever. The inmates of Arkham have been set free and it's up to the Batman, to bring order to the chaos and take back the Asylum.

Explore the depths of this never before seen island as you experience the darkest journey of Batman's life.

Written by Paul Dini and featuring the voice talents of Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy.

#Utilize the unique FreeFlow combat system to chain together unlimited combos seamlessly and battle with huge groups of The Joker's henchmen in brutal melee brawls

# Investigate as Batman, the WORLD' GREATEST DETECTIVE, by solving intricate puzzles with the help of cutting edge forensic tools including x-ray scanning, fingerprint scans, Amido Black spray and a pheromone tracker

# Face off against Gotham's greatest villains including The Joker, HARLEY QUINN, POISON IVY and KILLER CROC

# Become the Invisible Predator with Batman's fear takedowns and unique vantage point system to move without being seen and hunt enemies

# Choose multiple takedown methods, including swooping from the sky and smashing through walls.

# Explore every inch of Arkham Asylum and roam freely on the infamous island, presented for the first time ever in its gritty and realistic entirety

Visit the official site here.

Hot games - 13 September 2009

So what video games are hot on the various online retail platforms?

Bundu Reviews takes a look at some of the major retailers to bring you this weeks lists. A noticeable new comer is The Beatles Rock Band which is proving popular on both Kalahari and Amazon.com

Take2.co.za
1. Guitar Hero 3 Stand Alone Guitar (Xbox 360)
2. Wolfenstein (PC DVD-ROM)
3. Super Hits: Bioshock (PC DVD-ROM)
4. EA Classics: Mass Effect (PC DVD-ROM)
5. Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare GOTY (PC DVD-ROM)
6. Super Hits: Civilization IV Complete Collection (PC DVD-ROM)
7. EA Classics: Mirror's Edge (PC DVD-ROM)
8. EA Classics: Crysis Warhead (PC DVD-ROM)
9. EA Classics: Dead Space (PC DVD-ROM)
10. Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock Bundle (PS3)

Kalahari.Net
1. Wii Sports Resort and Motion Plus - Nintendo Wii
2. Batman Arkham Asylum - PS3
3. Fifa 10 with Adidas Kopanya Soccer Ball - PS3
4. Batman Arkham Asylum - Xbox360
5. Need For Speed: Shift - PC
6. The Sims 3 - PC
7. Rock Band: The Beatles - Xbox360
8. Ashes Cricket 2009 - Nintendo Wii
9. Halo ODST - Xbox360
10. Need For Speed: Shift - PS3

Amazon.com
1. Halo 3: ODST - Xbox360
2. Wii Sports Resort - Nintendo Wii
3. The Beatles: Rock Band - Nintendo Wii
4. Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box - Nintendo DS
5. The Beatles: Rock Band - Xbox360
6. Scribblenauts - Nintendo DS
7. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - PS3
8. Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story - Nintendo DS
9. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Xbox360
10. Batman: Arkham Asylum - PS3

Bestselling Books - 13 September 2009

Sunday is here and once again we review the hottest books on the various online retailers.

Gotta be honest and point out that this must be one of the first weeks where Amazon didn't include a Twilight book - an amazing run though. However as you can see below the South African retailers continue to be dominated by these books!

Exclusive Books
1. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man
2. Spud - Learning to Fly
3. Architects of Poverty
4. New Moon
5. Breaking Dawn
6. Outliers
7. Eclipse
8. Twilight
9. Spud
10. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Amazon.com
1. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
2. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
3. True Compass: A Memoir - Edward Kennedy
4. Mastering The Art of French Cooking, Volume One - Julia Child
5. The Help - Kathryn Stockett
6. An Echo in the Bone: A Novel (Outlander) - Diana Gabaldon
7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days - Jeff Kinney
8. Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin - Kathy Griffin
9. The Last Song - Nicholas Sparks
10. The Shack - William P. Young

Take.co.za
1. Eclipse - Meyer, Stephenie
2. New Moon - Meyer, Stephenie
3. Breaking Dawn - Meyer, Stephenie
4. Twilight - Meyer, Stephenie
5. Faefever - Moning, Karen Marie
6. Girl Who Played with Fire - Larsson, Stieg
7. The Darkest Whisper - Showalter, Gena
8. Pleasure - Frank, Jacquelyn
9. Heat Seeker - Leigh, Lora
10. Spud Learning to Fly - John Van De Ruit

Kalahari.Net
1. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
2. Fees van die ongenooides - PG Du Plessis
3. Breaking Dawn - Stephanie Meyer
4. Eclipse - Stephanie Meyer
5. Twilight - Stephanie Meyer
6. Spud – Learning to fly - John Van De Ruit
7. Troepie: van Blougat tot Bosoupa - Cameron Blake
8. Jesus word gebore - Gloria A. Truitt
9. The Host - Stephanie Meyer
10. New Moon - Stephanie Meyer

Fuel - Video game

I think almost every guy loves a decent racing game and I've been hearing lots of positive things about "Fuel".

I haven't played it but here is the synopsis for the game. The game is available on PS3 from online retailer Loot for R637 (See banner right).

If you've played it - post your opinions of the game below:

Synopsis

Creating the ultimate competitive go-anywhere racing experience, Fuel will have players competing across wildly different terrain and executing spectacular death-defying stunts as they race dozens of varied two and four-wheeled rides and explore this epic world on an unprecedented scale.

Fuel is set in an alternate present in which whole swathes of the globe have been ravaged by the effects of climate change brought on by decades of environmental abuse.

Here oil prices have rocketed and yet a new breed of racing junkie takes to the wastelands, pitting their grungy home-tuned vehicles against each other in an all-new extreme sport as they compete to win fuel supplies.

* Open-world Racing - The largest open-world racing arena ever, with 14,000 square km of streaming game world and 100,000 miles of trails.

* Vehicles Galore - Drive over 70 unique vehicles in six different classes including: bikes, ATVs, muscle cars, SUVs, buggies and trucks.

* Weather Effects - Experience how extreme weather conditions affect the race from rain to snow to sandstorms and destructive tornadoes.

* Race Types - Compete in multiple categories of race types including: time trials, checkpoint races, circuit races and raid races.

* Multiplayer Support - Fuel features 2-16 player online support via PlayStation Network.

* Online Racing - Compete against friends online in all 70 career races as well as online free rides.

* GPs Technology - Each vehicle in Fuel features onboard GPs functionality ensuring you will never be lost.

The Poet - Michael Connelly

For those who like a good action / thriller read then "The Poet" by Michael Connelly will do the trick.

The book follows newspaper reporter Jack McEvoy who'se brother Sean - a local police detective has just died in an apparent suicide. The more McEvoy digs, the more apparent it becomes that his brother did not die at his own hand and in fact this is the work of an ingenious serial killer.

On further investigation McEvoy finds out that there are a number of other cases across the country were leading police detectives have committed suicides - apparently tortured by grim cases that they are working on.

McEvoy takes his information to the FBI and is quickly drafted in to a high profile task team where he is torn between his desire to write a cracking story for the newspaper or keep mum on the info and try to lead to the arrest of the killer.

"The Poet" was a good solid read without being absolutely gripping. I enjoyed the interaction and character development and there is quite a good twist at the end of the story which keeps you guess to the end.

We rated it a 3 out of 5.

Title: The Poet
Author: Michael Connelly
ISBN-13: 978-1-4091-1693-6

Available from online retailer Loot (see banner right of blog) for R95.

"Summertime" from the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature

A young English biographer is working on a book about the late writer, John Coetzee. He plans to focus on the years from 1972–1977 when Coetzee, in his thirties, is sharing a run-down cottage in the suburbs of Cape Town with his widowed father. This, the biographer senses, is the period when he was 'finding his feet as a writer'. Never having met Coetzee, he embarks on a series of interviews with people who were important to him – a married woman with whom he had an affair, his favourite cousin Margot, a Brazilian dancer whose daughter had English lessons with him, former friends and colleagues.

A rich, funny, and deeply affecting autobiographical new novel from one of the world's greatest living writers. J.M. Coetzee's work includes Waiting For the Barbarians, Life & Times of Michael K, Boyhood, Youth, Disgrace and Diary of a Bad Year. He was the first author to win the Booker Prize twice and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2003.

For more info visit www.fanatics.co.za or www.exclusivebooks.co.za

If you have read the book please feel free to post your comments on it below so other readers can get some feedback on the title!

The Accidental Billionaires - Sex, Money, Betrayal And The Founding Of Facebook

Eduardo Saverin and Mark Zuckerberg were Harvard undergraduates and best friends - outsiders at a school filled with polished prep-school grads and long-time legacies. They shared both academic brilliance in math and a geeky awkwardness with women.

Eduardo figured their ticket to social acceptance – and sexual success – was getting invited to join one of the university’s Final Clubs, a constellation of elite societies that had groomed generations of the most powerful men in the world and ranked on top of the inflexible hierarchy at Harvard. Mark, with less of an interest in what the campus alpha males thought of him, happened to be a computer genius of the first order.

Which he used to find a more direct route to social stardom: one lonely night, Mark hacked into the university's computer system, creating a ratable database of all the female students on campus – and subsequently crashing the university's servers and nearly getting himself kicked out of school. In that moment, in his Harvard dorm room, the framework for Facebook was born.

What followed – a real-life adventure filled with slick venture capitalists, stunning women, and six-foot-five-inch identical-twin Olympic rowers – makes for one of the most entertaining and compelling books of the year. Before long, Eduardo’s and Mark’s different ideas about Facebook created faint cracks in their relationship, which soon spiraled into out-and-out warfare. The collegiate exuberance that marked their collaboration fell prey to the adult world of lawyers and money. The great irony is that while Facebook succeeded by bringing people together, its very success tore two best friends apart.

The Accidental Billionaires is a compulsively readable story of innocence lost – and of the unusual creation of a company that has revolutionized the way hundreds of millions of people relate to one another.

The title is available from online retailer Loot (see banner right) for R160

The Double Crown by Marié Heese

As a reader of history and fiction books Fanatics felt you might enjoy The Double Crown by Marié Heese. It is the gripping, fascinating and true story of Hatshepsut, the female pharaoh who ruled over Egypt for two decades around 1500 BC.

The "double crown" refers to her reign over Upper and Lower Egypt, but also the dual nature of her life: Pharaoh and woman in one person. She relates her story in a series of scrolls, with additions by her scribe, to whom she has given the scrolls for safekeeping. We read about the grievous loss of her children; her thwarted love for Senenmut; the suspicion that impairs her judgement and eventually leads to tragedy.

How did Hatshepsut become pharaoh? And why was her name expunged from her temples and obelisks after her death? The novel answers these questions in rich detail. It is a poignant portrayal of an ambitious and courageous woman and the betrayals she faces, both as a woman and a ruler. The Double Crown is a truly world-class novel by a South African author.

Marié Heese is a much loved author of, amongst others, children’s stories. 2008 saw a new edition of the evergreen Die Pikkewouters van Amper-stamperland. Marié also is the author of several works of fiction for adults, such as the classic Die Uurwerk Kantel (1976) and most recently The Double Crown (2009).

Boeke Prize

Fanatics and Exclusive Books invite you to celebrate the art of superb fiction in September by voting for your choice of the six titles short-listed for this year’s Exclusive Books Boeke Prize awards. You’ll earn 250 bonus points on each short-listed title you purchase this month, saving you a very handy R75 if you feel tempted to buy all six!

The Boeke Prize started out in 1995 as our light-hearted response to the Man Booker Prize, but has since become firmly established as a highlight of the South African literary calendar. Here’s this year’s short-list, selected by our store managers as titles which ‘truly live up to the promise of being compelling reads’:

• Testimony by Anita Shreve
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
• People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
• The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt
• The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen

Let Exclusive Books know which of these six titles you think deserves the coveted Boeke Prize for 2009. Vote for your choice now and you, too, could be a winner! There are over 20 prizes to be won (worth a total of over R40 000) in our free Boeke Awards competition:

• 1st prize – a trip for two to the luxurious Madikwe ‘Big five’ game reserve worth R20 000-00
• 2nd prize – 10 x R2 000 Exclusive Books gift vouchers
• 3rd prize – 10 sets of the six titles on our Boeke prize short list.

You’ll find entry forms on display at all branches of Exclusive Books. Complete your entry form and drop it in the special box provided before the competition closing date of 30th September.

Hot games

Another Sunday has rolled around, here's the bestselling video games at the various online retailers.

wolfenstein is kicking ass this week and its interesting to see the LEGO game franchise getting some play.

Take2
1. Guitar Hero 3 Stand Alone Guitar (Xbox 360)
2. Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare GOTY (PC DVD-ROM)
3. Super Hits: Bioshock (PC DVD-ROM)
4. Wolfenstein (PC DVD-ROM)
5. Super Hits: Civilization IV Complete Collection (PC DVD-ROM)
6. Exclusive: Assassin's Creed (PC DVD-ROM) - Director's Cut
7. EA Classics: Mirror's Edge (PC DVD-ROM)
8. EA Classics: Crysis Warhead (PC DVD-ROM)
9. EA Classics: Mass Effect (PC DVD-ROM)
10. EA Classics: Dead Space (PC DVD-ROM)

Kalahari.Net
1. Wolfenstein - PC
2. Looney Tune: Acme Arsenal - PS2
3. Ashes Cricket 2009 - Nintendo Wii
4. The Sims 3 - PC
5. Fifa 10 with Adidas Kopanya Soccer Ball - PS3
6. Batman Arkham Asylum - PS3
7. Ashes Cricket 2009 - PS3
8. Lego Star Wars - PC
9. Singstar: ABBA - PS2
10. Lego: Batman - PS2

Amazon.com
1. Tales of Vesperia - Xbox 360
2. Wii Sports Resort - Nintendo Wii
3. Halo 3: ODST - Xbox 360
4. Batman: Arkham Asylum - PS3
5. Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box - Nintendo DS
6. Batman: Arkham Asylum - Xbox360
7. The Sims 3 - PC
8. Wii Fit - Nintendo Wii
9. EA Sports Active - Nintendo Wii

Bestsellers

As usual on a Sunday we take a look at the best-selling books on the various online retail platforms:

Two noticeable titles stood out for me this week:

First up was the third book in the Dean Koontz Frankenstein series which has been eagerly awaited after its release date was held back.

Secondly with Edward Kennedy departing the planet earlier this week, I see his memoirs were popular on Amazon

Take2
1. New Moon - Meyer, Stephenie
2. Eclipse - Meyer, Stephenie
3. Twilight - Meyer, Stephenie
4. Breaking Dawn - Meyer, Stephenie
5. Girl Who Played with Fire - Larsson, Stieg
6. Faefever - Moning, Karen Marie
7. Bengal's Heart - Leigh, Lora
8. Twilight - Meyer, Stephenie
9. Dean Koontz's Frankenstein - Book 3 - Koontz, Dean R.
10. Hidden Currents - Feehan, Christine

Exclusive Books
1. Architects of Poverty
2. Spud - Learning to Fly
3. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man
4. New Moon
5. Breaking Dawn
6. Eclipse
7. Outliers
8. Twilight
9. Roadside Crosses
10. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Amazon.com
1. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
2. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association - American Psychological Association
3. Mastering The Art of French Cooking, Volume One (1) (Vol 1) - Julia Child
4. True Compass: A Memoir - Edward M.Kennedy
5. Glenn Beck's Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government - Glenn Beck
6. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
7. The Help - Kathryn Stockett
8. Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks, and Cronies - Michelle Malkin
9. The Vortex: Where the Law of Attraction Assembles All Cooperative Relationships - Jerry Hicks
10. Sookie Stackhouse, Books 1-7 - Charlaine Harris

Kalahari.Net
1. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
2. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
3. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
4. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
5. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
6. Spud Learning to Fly - John Van de Ruit
7. Bittersoet - Natasha Sutherland
8. The Host - Stephenie Meyer
9. Thula-thula - Annelie Botes
10. Now, Discover Your Strengths: How to Develop Your Talents and Those of the People You Manage: How to Develop Your Talents and Those of the People You Manage - Donald O. Clifton; Marcus Buckingham

How do you stack up?

The BBC believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up?

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible -
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot

21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma-Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hossein
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne

41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez -
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan

51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafo
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville

71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Inferno – Dante
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

We are All Made of Glue - Marina Lewycka

Every now and then I get e-mails from the team over at Fanatics with some of the new titles they are releasing and that book fans can pick up at Exclusive Books.

I received the following write-up on the book - We are All Made of Glue - and thought it looked like a potentially interesting read. Have fun:

Marina Lewycka, a previous Boeke nominee for A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian brings us her new novel, We are All Made of Glue. From bonding to bondage, from B&Q to Belarus, along with seven smelly cats, three useless handymen, two slimy estate agents, social workers, a bonker lady, this is the story of a very unlikely friendship.

Georgie Sinclair's husband has walked out; her sixteen-year-old son is busy surfing born-again websites; and, all those overdue articles for Adhesives in the Modern World are getting her down. So when Georgie spots Mrs Shapiro, an eccentric old Jewish emigrant neighbour with an eye for a bargain and a fondness for matchmaking, rummaging through her skip in the middle of the night, it's just the distraction she needs. And although they mistrust each other at first - Georgie doesn't like the look of that past-its-sell-by-date fish, while Mrs Shapiro thinks Georgie needs to smarten herself up and grab a new husband - a firm friendship is formed over the reduced-price shelf at the supermarket.

Then Mrs Shapiro is admitted to hospital and to Georgie's surprise, she is named as her next of kin. But sorting out Mrs Shapiro's semi-derelict mansion in Highbury, home to seven stinky cats with agendas of their own, is no easy job when the handyman called in to change the locks turns out to be not what he seems and his two assistants are doing more breaking than fixing. And what about the two slimy estate agents [one with a charming taste for bondage] who start competing to trick Mrs Shapiro into selling her rickety old house or the social worker determined to commit her to a nursing home? As Georgie steps in to help her new friend, she finds herself unravelling a mystery which takes her from Highbury to wartime Europe to the Middle East, and learning a bit about DIY along the way.

Marina Lewycka was born in Kiel, Germany at the end of the war and grew up in England. She is married with a grown-up daughter and lives in Sheffield. Her two previous novels, A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian and Two Caravans.

We are All Made of Glue is available to purchase or order at your nearest Exclusive Books.

Jim Collins - How the Mighty Fall

Considering the tough economic environment and the impact that this is having on peoples business and personal lives, this might be an interesting book to look at:

Decline can be avoided. Decline can be detected. Decline can be reversed. Amidst the desolate landscape of fallen great companies, Jim Collins began to wonder: How do the mighty fall? Can decline be detected early and avoided? How far can a company fall before the path toward doom becomes inevitable and unshakable? How can companies reverse course? In How the Mighty Fall, Collins confronts these questions, offering leaders the well-founded hope that they can learn how to stave off decline and, if they find themselves falling, reverse their course. Collins' research project - more than four years in duration - uncovered five step-wise stages of decline: Stage 1: Hubris Born of Success; Stage 2: Undisciplined Pursuit of More; Stage 3: Denial of Risk and Peril; Stage 4: Grasping for Salvation; and, Stage 5: Capitulation to Irrelevance or Death. By understanding these stages of decline, leaders can substantially reduce their chances of falling all the way to the bottom. Great companies can stumble, badly, and recover. Every institution, no matter how great, is vulnerable to decline.

There is no law of nature that the most powerful will inevitably remain at the top. Anyone can fall and most eventually do. But, as Collins' research emphasizes, some companies do indeed recover - in some cases, coming back even stronger - even after having crashed into the depths of Stage 4. Decline, it turns out, is largely self-inflicted, and the path to recovery lies largely within our own hands. We are not imprisoned by our circumstances, our history, or even our staggering defeats along the way. As long as we never get entirely knocked out of the game, hope always remains. The mighty can fall, but they can often rise again.

About the author:
Jim Collins is a student of companies - great ones, good ones, weak ones, failed ones - from young start-ups to venerable sesquicentenarians. The author of the international bestseller Good to Great and co-author of Built to Last, he serves as a teacher to leaders throughout the corporate and social sectors. His work has been featured in Fortune, Business Week, The Economist, USA Today, and Harvard Business Review. You can find more information about Jim and his work at his e-teaching site, www.jimcollins.com.


Fanatics Members EARN 100 BONUS POINTS on the Jim Collins titles below, offer valid until 31 August!

• Good to Great
• Built to Last

www.fanatics.co.za

Deon Meyer - Dead at Daybreak

Until earlier this week I had never read a Deon Meyer book and truth be told I probably wouldn't have made much effort to do so.

Fortunately I was bored and there was a Deon Meyer book which materialised - I am still not entirely clear on how - on our bookshelf and I decided to give it a go...

... and I am glad I did.

To see a South African author putting out such good quality work impresses me.

The book was entitled: "Dead at Daybreak" and the synopsis reads:

An antiques dealer is burned with a blow torch, then killed. The contents of the safe are missing and the only clues are a scrap of blank paper and the unusual weapon used, the choice of mercenaries, not burglars. Now ex-cop Zatopek 'Zed' van Heerden has fourteen days in which to fill in the blanks in this dead man's past.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The book itself had a distinctly South African feel to it and you got a good sense of real-life in South Africa. The one area I battled with was trying to place where in time the story was set (I think it had something to do with the jumping around in time and the small-towns which were mentioned) but it became clearer as the story went along.

I actually quite enjoyed the book and would definately go and see if I could pick up other titles by this author.

Details
Title: Dead at Daybreak Author: Deon Meyer ISBN-13: 978-0-340-73943-3

Rated the book a 3 and half out of 5 - an entertaining crime / action read

Hot video games - Sunday 9 August 2009

Another Sunday is here so let's see what video games are selling well on the various online retailers.

We have added the EDreams platform for a bit of variety to our listing. Let us know if any of these game titles catch your eye.

I know I have said it before but I find it interesting to see how often the Amazon platform is dominated by Nintendo and Xbox360 titles while PS2 and PC are still very popular locally. Not sure what to make of that??

Edreams
1. Nintendo Wii Fit
2. Grand Theft Auto IV - XBOX 360
3. Guitar Hero Aerosmith Bundle - Xbox 360
4. Soul Calibur IV - Xbox 360
5. Star Wars The Force Unleashed - PS2
6. Pro Evolution Soccer 09 - PS3
7. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 - PC
8. Xbox 360 Arcade Bundle
9. Singstar Ledgends Stand Alone - PS2
10. NBA 2K9 - PS2

CNA:
1. The Sims 3 - PC
2. EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis - Nintendo Wii
3. Wii Sports Resort - Nintendo Wii
4. God of War II - PS2
5. Gran Turismo 4 - PS2
6. Ice Age 3 - Dawn of the Dinosaurs - PS2
7. Medal of Honor: 10th Anniversary Edition - PC
8. Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen - PS2
9. UFC2009 Undisputed - PS3

Amazon.com
1. Wii Sports Resort - Nintendo Wii
2. Batman: Arkham Asylum - PS3
3. Batman: Arkham Asylum - Xbox360
4. Madden NFL 10 - PS3
5. Wii Fit - Nintendo Wii
6. Madden NFL 10 - Xbox360
7. Halo 3: ODST - Xbox360
8. Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel - Nintendo Wii
9. EA Sports Active - Nintendo Wii
10. Wii Rock Band 2 Special Edition - Nintendo Wii

Take2
1. Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare GOTY (PC DVD-ROM)
2. Super Hits: Bioshock (PC DVD-ROM)
3. Exclusive: Assassin's Creed (PC DVD-ROM) - Director's Cut
4. Super Hits: Civilization IV Complete Collection (PC DVD-ROM)
5. Prince Of Persia 4 (PS3)
6. Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (PC DVD-ROM)
7. Sam & Max - Season 1 (PC)
8. Prince Of Persia 4 (Xbox 360)
9. Fallout 3 (Xbox 360) In Stock
10. Exclusive: Tom Clancy's: Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (PC DVD-ROM)

Kalahari.net
1. Wii Sports Resort and Motion Plus - Nintendo Wii
2. The House of the Dead: Overkill - Nintendo Wii
3. The Sims 3 - PC
4. Looney Tune: Acme Arsenal - PS2
5. Golden Compass - PS2
6. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 - Nintendo Wii
7. Wolfenstein + Free T-Shirt in Wolfenstein Bag (While Stocks Last) - PC
8. Final Fantasy X2 Platinum - PS2
9. Age of Empires Collector's Edition - PC
10. Devil May Cry 4 - PS3

Bestsellers - Sunday 9 August 2009

Another Sunday is here so let's see what books are selling well on the various online retailers:

For those who love cricket the Graeme Smith "A captains diary" should make for some very interesting reading considering the way he is either loved or hated despite being one of the most successful captains in history.

Just looking through the Amazon list, there some very interesting looking titles there - particularly if you have an interest in American politics.

Exclusive Books:
1. Spud - Learning to Fly
2. Graeme Smith: A Captain's Diary
3. Outliers
4. New Moon
5. Breaking Dawn
6. Eclipse
7. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man
8. Twilight
9. Architects of Poverty
10. Spud

CNA:
1. A good woman - Danielle Steele
2. A new earth - Tolle, Eckhart
3. Eat, pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
4. Obama: From Promise to Power - David Mendell
5. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Lechter, Sharon L Kiyosaki, Robert
6. Scarpetta - Patricia Cornwell
7. The Love Dare - Stephen Kendrick and Alex Kendrick
8. The secret - Byrne, Rhonda
9. The Shack - William P Young
10. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - David Wroblewski

Amazon.com
1. Mastering The Art of French Cooking, Volume One - Julia Child
2. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
3. Glenn Beck's Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government, Inspired by Thomas Paine - Glenn Beck
4. Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks, and Cronies - Michelle Malkin
5. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
6. The Help - Kathryn Stockett
7. South of Broad - Pat Conroy
8. In the President's Secret Service: Behind the Scenes with Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect - Ronald Kessler
9. The Shack - William P. Young
10. The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power - Jeff Sharlet

Take2
1. New Moon (Paperback) - Meyer, Stephenie
2. Twilight (Paperback) - Meyer, Stephenie
3. Breaking Dawn (Trade Paperback) - Meyer, Stephenie
4. Eclipse (Paperback) - Meyer, Stephenie
5. Faefever (Paperback) - Moning, Karen Marie
6. Hidden Currents (Paperback) - Feehan, Christine
7. Bengal's Heart (Paperback) - Leigh, Lora
8. Girl Who Played with Fire (Paperback) - Larsson, Stieg
9. Promises in Death (Paperback) - Robb, J. D.
10. Spud Learning to Fly (Paperback) - John Van De Ruit

Kalahari.net
1. Spud - Learning to fly - John Van De Ruit
2. Nuwe Kinderverseboek - Riana Scheepers; Suzette Kotze-Myburgh
3. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment - Steve Harvey
4. Brock Biology of Microorganisms - John M. Martinko; Thomas D. Brock; Michael T. Madigan; David P. Clark; Paul Dunlap
5. Outliers: The Story of Success - Malcolm Gladwell
6. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
7. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
8. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
9. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference - Malcolm Gladwell
10. The Host - Stephenie Meyer

Literary Award Winners

South African literature was recognised and praised at this year’s Sunday Times Literary Awards held at the stylish Summer Place, Hyde Park, Johannesburg on Saturday, August 1. In a Different Time by Peter Harris claimed the prestigious Alan Paton Award for non fiction to mark the 20th anniversary of the prize, while Anne Landsman’s The Rowing Lesson was honoured with this year’s Fiction Prize. The two authors received R75 000 each for their wins.

In a Different Time
In a Different Time tells the story of four young South Africans who embark on a mission that will ultimately take them to Death Row. They are a highly trained and experienced assassination squad reporting directly to Chris Hani. The narrative details their infiltration into the country, their operations, arrest and subsequent trial. These men are the foot soldiers who sacrificed everything. As their trial unfolds with their attorney fighting to save them from the gallows, so too does the story of their own lives and the choices they make. The story is set in a South Africa gripped by unrest and political tension, when the ANC was in exile and repression at its height.

Peter Harris was born in Durban, and grew up in Eastern Cape, and was educated at Michaelhouse, Rhodes and Warwick (UK). He practised law at JNB Bar for 15 years and was legal counsel to Cosatu. Involved in Peace Accord in the early 90s. Head of Monitoring Directorate of IEC in 1994.

"Many people have said that what they enjoyed about the book was that it made them remember a time of hope and ideals and horror and heroism, a time they had forgotten in a kind of cultural amnesia. I didn’t want to write a protest book about protest politics. I wanted to make it a book about ordinary people who ended up doing some horrible things; I wanted to understand what drove them to that point without casting judgment," says Harris.

The Rowing Lesson
Pregnant with her first child, Betsy Klein is summoned from her home in New York to her father’s hospital bed in Cape Town. Once caregiver and physician to a whole community, her father is now slowly slipping to the other side. As Betsy sits and waits for him to stir from his coma, she is compelled to imagine what his life had been like as a young Jewish man, surrounded by farmers on the South African platteland, only a decade since the Second World War. The Rowing Lesson is an utterly convincing and vivid portrait of one man’s life, and also that of a daughter, recapturing the dreams and longings of a father and husband.

Anne Landsman was born and raised in Worcester in the Western Cape and received degrees from the University of Cape Town and Columbia University. Her first novel, The Devil's Chimney, which was nominated for four awards including the M-Net Prize. She lives in New York City with her husband and children.

"In a lesser writer’s hands, this kind of shifting narrative could be problematic, but through the fluidity and sheer inventiveness of her prose, Landsman pulls it off… You finish The Rowing Lesson feeling as if you too have lived through Harold’s last hours. It has the surreal, visceral quality of a life flashing before the eyes – a final montage of an ordinary existence, made extraordinary through the power of imagination." -Irish Times, Catherine

Both books are available from Exclusive Books