The Shack - William P Young

The Shack by William P. Young has been a popular choice via the various online retailers.

Waine, has done a review of the book here but I thought I would post his concluding comments on the book. Read the full review on his site and give him the feedback if you've read the book!

Waine's comments:
I highly recommend the book, even for the sheer reading pleasure. It also has a fantastic way of challenging “Religion” and highlighting the nature, and love of God in a real world where pain, in so many forms, is so prevalent, in so many lives, including my own. I want every person that I know to read this book which in my opinion will certainly be an ageless classic!

Details of book
Format: Paperback
Pages: 248
ISBN-13: 978-0-340-97949-5

Hot games

As usual on a Sunday we check out the retailers to find out what games are hot:

Kalahari.Net
1. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriot - PS3
2. Race Driver GRID - PC
3. We love golf - Nintendo Wii
4. CSI: New York - PC
5. SBK08 - Xbox360
6. Pool Party with Cue - Nintendo Wii
7. Soulcalibur IV - PS3
8. Medal of Honor: Airborne - PC
9. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2008 - PS3
10. Turning Point - PC

Take2.co.za
1. Sam & Max - Season 1 (PC)
2. RaceDriver GRID (PC)
3. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack (PC)
4. Guitar Hero 3 Stand Alone Guitar (Xbox 360)
5. Bioshock (PS3)
6. Devil May Cry 4 (PC DVD-ROM)
7. CSI: New York (PC DVD-ROM)
8. Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition (PC DVD)
9. Another World: 15th Anniversary Edition (PC)
10. Guitar Hero Aerosmith Bundle (Collectors) (Xbox 360)

Amazon.com (Excludes hardware)
1. Wii Fit - Nintendo Wii
2. Mario Kart Wii - Nintendo Wii
3. My Fitness Coach - Nintendo Wii
4. Wii Play - Nintendo Wii
5. Killzone 2 - PS3
6. Pokemon Platinum - Nintendo DS
7. MadWorld - Nintendo Wii
8. Street Fighter IV - PS3
9. Wii Rock Band 2 Special Edition - Nintendo Wii
10. We Ski - Nintendo Wii

Bestsellers

As usual on a Sunday we check out the retailers to find out what books are hot.

Have a look at how successful the Asterix range is on Kalahari.Net

Kalahari.Net
1. Asterix in Corsica - Rene Goscinny
2. Asterix and the Great Crossing - Rene Goscinny
3. Asterix the Mansions of the Gods - Goscinny; Rene Goscinny
4. Asterix and Caesar's Gift - Rene Goscinny
5. Asterix and the Soothsayer - Rene Goscinny
6. Asterix and the Laurel Wreath - Rene Goscinny
7. Die sirkel van liefde: Vir Ma’s en Ouma’s - Nina Smit
8. Economics - Michael Parkin; Melanie Powell; Kent Matthews
9. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
10. Juices & Smoothies: Over 200 Delicious Drinks for Health and Vitality - HAMLYN; Nikoli

Take2.co.za
1. Breaking Dawn (Trade Paperback) - Meyer, Stephenie
2. Eclipse (Paperback) - Meyer, Stephenie
3. New Moon (Paperback) - Meyer, Stephenie
4. Dream Warrior (Paperback) - Kenyon, Sherrilyn
5. New Moon (Paperback) - Meyer, Stephenie
6. Twilight (Paperback) - Meyer, Stephenie
7. Kiss of a Demon King (Paperback) - Cole, Kresley
8. Coyote's Mate (Paperback) - Leigh, Lora
9. Darkness Unknown (Paperback) - Morgan, Alexis
10. Murder Game (Paperback) - Feehan, Christine

Amazon.com
1. The Shack by William P. Young
2. Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4) by Stephenie Meyer
3. Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3) by Stephenie Meyer
4. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment by Steve Harvey
5. The Love Dare by Stephen Kendrick
6. Watchmen by Alan Moore
7. New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2) by Stephenie Meyer
8. The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life by Ben Sherwood
9. Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1) by Stephenie Meyer
10. Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution by David Zinczenko

Madagascar 2 - Escape 2 Africa

Are You Ready To Get WILD?.

Join the zany crew on an all-new adventure that takes you through the movie Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa and beyond!.

Play as all your favourite Madagascar characters, including Alex, Marty, Gloria, Melman, those crafty Penguins, new friend Moto Moto and more!.

Adventure and laugh your way through 12 levels of action-packed fun!.

Play with up to 4 friends in 8 multiplayer mini-games available in the Africa Arcade

Vendor: Activision
Retails on Loot for R510. (Xbox360 platform)

Give us your feedback on this game below.Madagascar 2 - Escape 2 Africa

A psychotic ex-SAS man assassin - Geoff Howells - is sent to Hong Kong by MI5 to kill a triad leader Simon Ng who is also operating as a freelance agent for several governments. When he disappears, Ng's brother-in-law Patrick Dugan, a Hong Kong policeman, becomes caught in the middle of international spy feud.

In the process of killing Ng, Howells takes his daughter hostage which adds some intrigue to the story as it creates a bit of a race against time.

Basically you have the triads, the Chinese intelligence agency and the US and UK intelligence sorts hunting for Howells.

Not much in the way of character development and if you're looking for a story with a lot of depth and substance then this is probably not the story for you. If you're looking for a bit of fun and a nice old fashioned spy and action thriller then this one isn't bad.

Title: Hungry Ghost
Author: Stephen Leather
ISBN-13: 978-0-340-67224-2

Not a bad story if you like an action read. Rated it a 3 out of 5.

Retails for R120 at online retailer Loot.

Meet Andy Petersen

Exclusive Books and Penguin Books invites you to come and meet 16 year old Johannesburg school boy, Andy Petersen, and listen to him speak about what inspired him to write his debut novel Daniel Fox and the Jester’s Legacy

Venue: Exclusive Books, Rosebank Mall
Date: Monday, 2 March 2008
Time: 5:30 for 6pm
RSVP: Exclusive Books on 011 447 3028

About the Book
When Daniel Fox woke up on Monday morning in his house in New York City, he hoped that he would have an ordinary day. Little did he know that was the day he would die. After a day in which he witnessed the murder of an old man and was kidnapped from the Museum of Ancient History, Daniel Fox ended up in a waiting room, the waiting room that lead to the capital of the underworld, the great and most noble city of Arison. Gradually the world of Arison is revealed to Daniel, the classification by number and rule by the elite lower lords. He seems to have a special role to play, but why? And can he do what is needed of him?

About the Author
Andy Petersen is a 16 year old Johannesburg school boy who has always enjoyed reading and writing. He wrote his first novel at age seven!

There has been great international feedback for the Daniel Fox manuscript. A European children’s literature scout raves: "Just to let you know that I have finished Daniel Fox… and loved it! It’s so imaginative and the fantastical elements are just so whimsical and wonderful. What a great debut for such a young author!"

Fanatics don’t forget: You will earn 100 bonus points for any children’s book bought in March.

Please don't forget to RSVP (see above)

We look forward to seeing you there!

Sincerely,

Yoshlin Francis
Deputy Marketing Manager
www.exclusivebooks.co.za

40 Fabulour Fabers

Faber and Faber who are turning 80 this year, is one of the last independent publishing houses in London. It can justifiably boast about its achievements over the years. With no fewer than eleven Nobel Laureates and six Booker Prize-winners, as well as a thriving stable of newcomers, there’s still plenty of life in the house that’s published T.S. Eliot, Sylvia Plath, Kazuo Ishiguro, Peter Carey, Orhan Pamuk and P.D. James.

To celebrate their milestone, we’d like to showcase 40 of Faber’s most-loved classics as well as their best and freshest new voices. Think of books like The Lord of the Flies, The Poisonwood Bible, The Last King of Scotland and, winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize, The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and you’ll get the picture.

Books that you’ve read and loved, have always wanted to read, have heard about or can’t stop thinking about. That’s Faber and Faber. That’s 80 years of reading pleasure.

Fanatics members stand a chance to win a full set of the Forty Fabulous Faber worth over R6000. All you have to do is buy any of the Forty Fabulous Faber titles in store or online and you will automatically be entered into our members-only competition. In addition, if you vote for your favourite Faber title you also stand a chance to win a mystery prize. Look out for the 40 Fabulous Faber booklets in store.

The 40 Fabulour Fabers:

• The Wasted Vigil - Nadeem Aslam
• Maps for Lost Lovers - Nadeem Asalm
• The New York Trilogy - Paul Auster
• Brooklyn Follies - Paul Auster
• The Secret Scripture - Sebastian Barry
• Waiting for Godot - Samuel Beckett
• The Uncommon Reader - Alan Bennett
• The Melancholy Death of the Oyster Boy - Tim Burton
• True History of the Kelly Gang - Peter Carey
• Oscar & Lucinda - Peter Carey
• Sacred Games - Vikram Chandra
• Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You - Marcus Chown
• Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard - Kiran Desai
• The Brief & Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz
• Alexandria Quartet - Lawrence Durrell
• The Old Possum's Book of Cats - T.S. Eliot
• The Waste Land - T.S. Eliot
• The Last King of Scotland - Giles Foden
• QI: Pocket Book of General Ignorance - QI Team
• Lord of the Flies - William Golding
• Cooking with Fernet Branca - James Hamilton-Paterson
• The Observations - Jane Harris
• The Iron Man - Ted Hughes
• The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
• Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
• The Private Patient - P.D. James
• Zorba the Greek - Nikos Kazantzakis
• The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
• Prodigal Summer - Barbara Kingsolver
• The Book of Laughter & Forgetting - Milan Kundera
• The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera
• The Buddha of Suburbia - Hanif Kureishi
• A Grief Observed - C.S. Lewis
• A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
• A Beautiful Mind - Sylvia Nasar
• Snow - Orhan Pamuk
• The Black Book - Orhan Pamuk
• Vernon God Little - D.B.C. Pierre
• The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
• The Collector of Worlds - Iliya Troyanov

More info can be found here: http://www.exclusivebooks.com/features/40fabers.php

Hot games

As usual on a Sunday we check out the retailers to find out what games are hot!

Here they are - let us know if you've played any of them and give us your feedback:

Take2.co.za
1. RaceDriver GRID (PC)
2. Sam & Max - Season 1 (PC)
3. Devil May Cry 4 (PC DVD-ROM)
4. Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition (PC DVD)
5. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack (PC)
6. Bioshock (PC DVD-ROM)
7. CSI: New York (PC DVD-ROM)
8. Okami (Wii)
9. Guitar Hero 3 Stand Alone Guitar (Xbox 360)
10. Bioshock (PS3)

Amazon.com
1. Wii Fit - Nintendo Wii
2. Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel - Nintendo Wii
3. My Fitness Coach - Nintendo Wii
4. Wii Play with Wii Remote - Nintendo Wii
5. Killzone 2 - PS3
6. Wii 5-In-1 Fitness Bundle - Nintendo Wii
7. Wii Rock Band 2 Special Edition - Nintendo Wii
8. We Ski - Nintendo Wii
9. Street Fighter IV - PS3
10. Active Life Outdoor Challenge - Nintendo Wii

Kalahari.Net
1. Race Driver GRID - PC
2. CSI: New York - PC
3. We Love Golf - Ninento Wii
4. Devil May Cry 4 - PC
5. Bioshock - PS3
6. Pool Party with Cue - Nintendo Wii
7. Condemned 2 - Xbox360
8. Guitar Hero III Stand Alone Guitar - Xbox360
9. SBK 08 - PC
10. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriot - PS3

Bestsellers!

As usual on a Sunday we check out the retailers to find out what books are hot!

Check out the Kalahari.Net rankings this week! Asterix and South African authors absolutely cleaned up... It's brilliant.

Here they are - let us know if you've read any of them and give us your feedback:

Exclusivebooks.co.za
1. Twilight
2. New Moon
3. Eclipse
4. Breaking Dawn
5. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
6. Eat, Pray, Love
7. The Shack
8. Dreams From my Father
9. The Audacity of Hope
10. A New Earth

Take2.co.za
1. Eclipse - Meyer, Stephenie
2. New Moon - Meyer, Stephenie
3. Breaking Dawn - Meyer, Stephenie
4. Dream Warrior - Kenyon, Sherrilyn
5. Twilight - Meyer, Stephenie
6. Eclipse - Stephanie Meyer
7. New Moon - Meyer, Stephenie
8. Kiss of a Demon King - Cole, Kresley
9. Coyote's Mate - Leigh, Lora
10. Twilight - Meyer, Stephenie

Amazon.com
1. The Shack by William P. Young
2. Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4) by Stephenie Meyer
3. Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3) by Stephenie Meyer
4. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment by Steve Harvey
5. The Love Dare by Stephen Kendrick
6. New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2) by Stephenie Meyer
7. The Yankee Years by Joe Torre
8. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
9. Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1) by Stephenie Meyer
10. Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution by David Zinczenko

Kalahari.Net
1. Die Groot Dagboek Vir Die Vrou Na God Se Hart - Nina Smit
2. Die Nuwe Bybel Vir 'n Geesvervulde Lewe: Toegerus vir die koninkryk deur die krag van die woord
3. Leefstyl-Bybel vir vroue - Christina Landman
4. Asterix in Corsica - Rene Goscinny
5. Jabes - Dieper Gedelf: Die kragtige gevolge van die kort gebed - Bruce Wilkinson; Brian Smith
6. Asterix and the Great Crossing - Rene Goscinny
7. The New Spirit-filled Life Bible: Kingdom equipping through the power of the word
8. Asterix and the Laurel Wreath - Goscinny; Rene Goscinny
9. Asterix and Caesar's Gift - Rene Goscinny
10. Die sirkel van liefde: Vir Ma’s en Ouma’s - Nina Smit

Jonathan Kellerman: Bones

Bones is the latest from Jonathan Kellerman and in my opinion it was no great shakes.... promised a lot, delivered less than expected.

In a nutshell, a couple of bodies turn up in a marsha after an anonymous tip-off - a couple of hookers and a piano teacher.

That sets detective Milo Sturgis and Dr. Alex Delaware off to find the killer.

They find a good suspect in the groundsman who works for a loaded family and having had a "juvey" record, they focus all their attention in on him.

Anyway the story winds through the predictable and doesn't seem to be going anywhere until they get a hot tip from a PI who is supposedly working for "the other side".

Dunno - found it all a bit aimless.

Title: Bones
Author: Jonathan Kellerman
ISBN-13: 978-0-7553-4268-6
Loot price: R171 - normal retail price R210 (see banner - side of blog)

Rated the book 3 out of 5... guess it's something to read if you are bored....

Hot games

As usual on a Sunday we review the best selling games across a few of the online retailers to give our readers some idea of what's hot:

Take2
1. RaceDriver GRID (PC)
2. Sam & Max - Season 1 (PC)
3. Devil May Cry 4 (PC DVD-ROM)
4. Bioshock (PC DVD-ROM)
5. Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition (PC DVD)
6. Okami (Nintendo Wii)
7. Mirror's Edge (PC DVD-ROM)
8. CSI: New York (PC DVD-ROM) In Stock
9. Clive Barker's Jericho (PC DVD-ROM)
10. Devil May Cry 4 (PS3)

Amazon.com (excludes pure hardware options)
1. Wii Fit Wii Fit - Nintendo
2. Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel - Nintendo Wii
3. Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned - Xbox360
4. Wii Play with Wii Remote - Nintendo Wii
5. My Fitness Coach - Nintendo Wii
6. Killzone 2 - PS3
7. NASCAR Kart Racing - Nintendo Wii
8. Samba De Amigo - Nintendo Wii
9. Active Life Outdoor Challenge - Nintendo Wii
10. We Ski - Nintendo Wii

Kalahari.Net
1. Race Driver GRID - PC
2. Unreal Tournament 3 - Xbox360
3. Race Driver GRID - Xbox360
4. Turning Point - PC
5. NBA 08 - PS3
6. EyeToy Play 3 (Platinum with camera) - PS2
7. Tomb Raider: Underworld - PS2
8. Okami - Nintendo Wii
9. SBK 08 - Xbox360
10. Devil May Cry 4 - PC

Bestsellers - 2009/02.08

As usual on a Sunday we review the best selling books across a few of the online retailers to give our readers some idea of what's hot:

Exclusive Books
1. Twilight
2. New Moon
3. Eclipse
4. Breaking Dawn
5. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
6. Eat, Pray, Love
7. The Shack
8. Dreams From my Father
9. The Audacity of Hope
10. A New Earth

Take2
1. Eclipse - Meyer, Stephenie
2. New Moon - Meyer, Stephenie
3. Twilight - Meyer, Stephenie
4. Dream Warrior - Kenyon, Sherrilyn
5. Kiss of a Demon King - Cole, Kresley
6. New Moon - Meyer, Stephenie
7. Eclipse(Pb) - Stephanie Meyer
8. Coyote's Mate - Leigh, Lora
9. New Moon - Meyer, Stephenie
10. Breaking Dawn - Meyer, Stephenie

Amazon.com
1. The Yankee Years by Joe Torre
2. Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4) by Stephenie Meyer
3. Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3) by Stephenie Meyer
4. The Shack by William P. Young
5. New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2) by Stephenie Meyer
6. The Associate by John Grisham
7. Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution by David Zinczenko
8. The Love Dare by Stephen Kendrick
9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney
10. Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1) by Stephenie Meyer

Kalahari.Net
1. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
2. I Am Not Going To Write Any Words Today!: The Back to School Range - Dr Seuss
3. The Shack - William P. Young
4. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
5. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
6. Die Groot Dagboek Vir Die Vrou Na God Se Hart - Nina Smit
7. Asterix and the Laurel Wreath - Goscinny; Rene Goscinny
8. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
9. Asterix in Switzerland: No. 16 - Rene Goscinny
10. Fundamentals of Business Information Systems - Ralph M. Stair; George Reynolds

Aaaaaaahhhh Asterix - how timeless is this character and series?!

David Baldacci - Last Man Standing

I'm a late convert to David Baldacci's books but since "seeing the light" I've found some really good stories and some excellent characters.

In fact the characters - as opposed to the story lines - in Baldacci's books are probably what draw me to buying other books of his.

Last Man Standing is a slightly older book from Baldacci but it had a cracking story line to go with some good characters.

In a nutshell, Web London (weird name but it works I guess) is an officer in the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team. On what should be a routine mission, he freezes just before entering an alley behind the rest of his team.

Seconds later his team have been obliterated in a high-tech ambush and he's the last man standing. In the middle of this ambush he has managed to hustle a little boy to safety.

Suddenly all the fingers are pointed at London... Why did he freeze? Why isn't he dead? Did he know about the ambush?

London is facing pressure from all sides as he soon discovers the boy he rescued from the alley is related to one of the prominent drug dealers in the area and the boy has gone missing...

A cracking thriller.

Title: Last Man Standing
Author: David Baldacci
ISBN-13: 978-0-330-41970-3
Loot price: R80 (follow banner on side of blog)

We rated it a 4 out of 5... thriller with no holes in the plot or the characters.

2009 Flux Trend Review

Wanting something a little more intellectual or thought provoking for a read?

Dion Chang's Flux Trend Review may be just what you are looking for.

According to its synopsis "The Flux Trend Review will be essential reading for anyone actively involved in trend analysis and forecasting, business and political observers, analysts, or any readers trying to take stock of the world around them, and make sense of the chaos of 21st century living."

I'll be honest - When I read the above description I pondered whether I would actually get into it or not.

The contributors included thought leaders from a wide range of industries such as Ferial Haffajee, Justice Malala, Toby Shapshak, Edwin de Lange, Andrea Bergener, Chris Maroleng and others from various fields of business.

But after a while I got into it and it is interesting to see how people see 2009 playing out.

Definately worth buying as an easy read.

Title: 2009 Flux Trend Review:
Author: Deon Chang (and other contributors)
ISBN-13: 978-1-77010-082-4
Loot price: R144.00 (Follow banner on side of blog)

Rated the book a 3.5 out 5 simply because there were parts I found interesting and others that held no appeal for me. I suspect most readers will find certain "Thought Leaders" who hold similar views to their own and will enjoy more than others.

The Best South African book of 2009

It takes a brave guy to admit that he enjoyed a book called "Mushy Pea's on Toast"...

... Let me put it this way, I'm going to stick my ... uuummm neck... on the block and say I reckon this book is going to be the top South African book in 2009.

I literally cackled my way through this book from cover to cover.

First impression was that the book was going to be a "chick" book but once you start turning the pages you find yourself completely engrossed in the story.

Anyone who spent a night of drunken revellery at the Jolly Roger or had an argument with their "better" half outside of News Cafe will be able to associate with events in the story.

I think that was what made the book such a unique read. South African readers were immediately able to recognise the sights and sounds and the - for want of a better word - South African personality coming through.

For bloggers or the "new" generation, "Mushy Pea's on Toast" was written by a blogger. We find ourselves drawn to the real life drama attached to bloggers record of their daily lives... This book is written in a similar format and you're taken through the author's experiences in various blog entries.

I promise you that you are going to laugh all the way through the book - I know I did. The one-liners and the events that are described are brilliant.

Book details:
Laurian Clemence
Paperback, 272 pages
197 x 132 x 21mm (L x W x H)
ISBN-13: 978-1-77010-067-1

Sells on Loot for R113.

We rated the book a 5 out of 5 and reckon this is going to be one of the best books released by an SA author in 2009.