Shark - Carel van der Merwe

As a South African I was really proud to see a book of this quality coming out particularly in the business fiction genre.

Being a financial journalist, the story-line and characters rang true for me and I think that is the tribute to author Carel van der Merwe who, apart from being an author, is also a leading local businessman himself.

The book revolves around a South African businessman who runs a high-profile JSE listed IT company. The story takes us through the challenges of running a high profile business as well as the touchy topic of black economic empowerment (BEE) and the award of government tenders.

"Shark" unravels at a great pace and you'll find the story not only believable but captivating. There is a great African quote in it that sums up the story - "When elephants fight, the grass gets trampled" and this is exactly what happens to the various role players.

Character development itself was also good - you found yourself being wrapped up in the traumas faced by the protagonist without the drama going over the top.

Title: Shark
Author: Carel van der Merwe
ISBN: 978-1-4152-0076-6

Loot price: R160.00 (Eligible for free delivery on orders over R200)
You save: R35.00 (18%)

Rated the book a four out of five.

I really enjoyed "Shark" and I reckon that anybody with a passing interest in SA business and the stock market would really enjoy it.

Last year I called "Mushy Peas on Toast" as the best South African book of the year in terms of those that I read.... I suspect "Shark" is going to take that title this year...

... Well done Carel

Panic - Michael Lewis

"Panic" is the follow-up to the best-selling "Liars Poker" from Michael Lewis and is an absolute must-read for anybody who

has an interest in the stock-market and other financial markets.

For those who didn't read the first book and don't know Michael Lewis, he was a trader at one of the top trading firms in the US. He became disillusioned with the whole corporate culture on Wall Street and he jumped to the other side of the fence where he became a financial journalist.

Lewis' ability to interpret and get the inside story on Wall Street made for hellishly entertaining reading in Liars Poker.

"Panic" is the latest offering and here he details some of the most recent financial crises and tries to put in perspective much of the spin that the financial industry and media are putting out to justify recent events.

It is intriguing because it includes names like Bernie Madoff and his take on the markets prior to him being unveiled as a fraud in the latest crisis.

I found it lots of fun because it included different articles spanning nearly 20 years worth of financial news and the ability to chronicle financial events from a whole lot of different perspectives. It included all the hype before the Asian crisis, the tech bubble etc and then the review of what went wrong

Title: Panic - The Story of Modern Financial Insanity
Author: Michael Lewis
ISBN: 978-0-14-104231-2

Loot price: R123.00 (eligible for free delivery on orders over R200 - see banner right)
Normal retail price: R150
You save: R27.00 (18%)

This book is lots of fun and if you have even a passing interest in financial markets then you will love this one.

Rated it a 4 out of 5

Hot games

The Sims 3 and Prototype seems to be regular features on the top sellers at the online retailers this week. Let's see what else made the cut:

Amazon.com
1. The Sims 3
2. EA Sports Active - Nintendo Wii
3. Wii Fit - Nintendo Wii
4. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 Wii Motion Plus Bundle - Nintendo Wii
5. Wii Sports Resort - Nintendo Wii
6. Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel - Nintendo Wii
7. Infamous - PS3
8. Ghostbusters: The Video Game - Xbox 360
9. Wii Play with Wii Remote - Nintendo Wii
10. Mario Kart - Nintendo DS

Take2
1. The Sims 3: Standard Edition (PC/MAC DVD-ROM)
2. Prototype (PC DVD-ROM)
3. Sam & Max - Season 1 (PC)
4. Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor (PC DVD-ROM)
5. Infamous (PS3)
6. World of Warcraft 60 Day Pre-paid Game Card (PC)
7. Mass Effect (PC DVD-ROM)
8. DCS: Black Shark (PC DVD-ROM)
9. Exclusive: Age of Empires: Collectors Edition (PC)
10. Prototype (PS3)

Kalahari.Net
1. The Sims 3 (PC)
2. EA Grand Slam Tennis with Wii Motion Plus - Nintendo Wii
3. EA SPORTS Active - Nintendo Wii
4. Prototype - Xbox 360
5. Infamous - PS3
6. Prototype - PS3
7. Prototype - PC
8. Lego Star Wars - PC
9. CSI - PC
10. Cricket 2007 - EA Sports

Bestsellers

Another Sunday means another bestsellers book list and we have combed the various online retailers to find out what's hot!

Spud - Learning to Fly is still pumping on the local retailers and I must tell you that I had a tingly "Proudly South

African" feeling when I was walking through the airport at OR Tambo and watched a touring Pom buy the work of a local author!

Also thought that the Stiletto book listed under the Kalahari listing could make for interesting reading - not sure if it comes in English though....

Here they are:

Exclusive Books
1. Spud - Learning to Fly
2. New Moon
3. Spud
4. Breaking Dawn
5. Eclipse
6. Twilight
7. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man
8. Spud - The Madness Continues
9. Between a Rock and a Hard Place
10. Gone Tomorrow

Amazon.com
1. Glenn Beck's Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government, Inspired by Thomas Paine - Glenn Beck
2. Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto - Mark R. Levin
3. Finger Lickin' Fifteen (Stephanie Plum) - Janet Evanovich
4. The Shack - William P. Young
5. Sookie Stackhouse, Books 1-7 - Charlaine Harris
6. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society… - Mary Ann Shaffer
7. Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4) - Meyer, Stephenie
8. New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2) - Meyer, Stephenie
9. Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3) - Meyer, Stephenie
10. Outliers: The Story of Success - Malcolm Gladwell

Take2
1. Breaking Dawn (Trade Paperback) - Meyer, Stephenie
2. New Moon (Paperback) - Meyer, Stephenie
3. Eclipse (Paperback) - Meyer, Stephenie
4. Spud Learning to Fly (Paperback) - John Van De Ruit
5. Twilight (Paperback) - Meyer, Stephenie
6. Hidden Currents (Paperback) - Feehan, Christine
7. Eclipse (Paperback) - Stephanie Meyer
8. Twilight (Paperback) - Meyer, Stephenie
9. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man - Harvey, Steve
10. New Moon (Paperback) - Meyer, Stephenie

Kalahari.Net
1. Spud - Learning to Fly - John Van De Ruit
2. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
3. Bittersoet - N. Sutherland
4. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
5. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
6. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
7. Thula Thula - Annelie Botes
8. Bittersweet (English) - N. Sutherland
9. Stiletto: in die onderwereld van die seksindustrie - Carel F. Cronje; Karin Eloff
10. 13 Uur - Deon Meyer

Zoo Tycoon

One of the biggest challenges I have faced as a parent to a six-year old child is finding decent entry-level games that he can play without:

A) Spending a fortune on the latest, hippest games
B) Spending money on games embracing gratuitous violence
C) Having to spend the whole time sitting next to him trying to show him how to play the game
D) Simply buying platform games where no strategy is involved.

Not the easiest ask around but I was going through my daughters room today and I found her copy of Zoo Tycoon for PC and I can't believe it but it has done the trick!

After giving him 10 minutes instruction and occasionally checking back on him when he has a problem, he has become completely immersed in the game and what it has to offer.

For those who don't know the game, you basically get to develop a Zoo from scratch. You build fences, paths, stores etc. Next you get to populate the zoo with animals and zoo-keepers and all those other fine things.

It is such an easy interface for a child to learn to interact with and do a bit of strategy and planning and the content is of such a nature that you're not worried about the child learning negative habits from the game.

It is an old game - you can pick it up from online retailer Loot (see banner right) for R83 which in terms of the hours of entertainment the game offers is not bad at all.

Kids of most ages will love it!

NOTE - Shark - Carel Van Der Merwe

I haven't yet completed the book yet so I'll save the book review until when I am finished but I have to say that I am really enjoying this book "Shark" by local author Carel Van Der Merwe.

I am always a little sceptical about South African books possibly because I have an "inferiority complex" of sorts when it comes to SA material.

If you love business / action type books then I recommend you get your hands on this book. It's quick based and fun and the kind of book that will make you want to go back and get your hands on another SA book simply because the quality is so good.

Spoil yourself!

The Sims 3

I remember one of the first PC games I ever played was Sim City - in black and white if you can remember those days.

I was addicted to the game and I remember sneaking into my dads office and booting up his old PC just to get a few hours of gameplay in. Loved the idea of building a virtual world and making all of the inhabitants happy and functional!

I had a big lull in terms of "Sims" game time until my daughter got The Sims 2 for her birthday and some of the old memories came flooding back. It has something addictive about it.

The latest installment is the Sims 3 and if you've been following our Best-sellers list, you will see that the game is on top of a number of the rankings.

In this day where decent kids games - which don't involve gratuitous violence are few and far between - I reckon if the Sims franchise carries on ticking over, we will be on to a good thing.

I haven't played it myself but I thought it would be a nice "post" for users to give some feedback on the game and some of the functionality - is it as good as people say it is?

Synopsis from online retailer Loot (see banner left - note free delivery option):

Loot price: R305.00 (Delivery is free)
You save: R44.00 (13%)

In The Sims 3, Sims can go beyond the boundaries of their home lot, and immerse themselves in an open, living neighborhood, interacting with other Sims using the new deeper personality system. In addition the new goals and rewards systems will give players of all kinds from core gamers to storytellers ability to enjoy long-term gameplay.

New Seamless, Open Neighborhood
Explore the neighborhood freely and take your Sims to meet friends in the park, go on a date at the bistro, visit neighbors’ homes, converse with less-than-savory characters in the graveyard and more. Who knows what might happen?

New Create A Sim
Create any sim you can imagine with easy-to-use design tools that allow for unlimited customization of facial features, hair color, eye color, and more. Fine tune your Sims’ body shape from thin to curvy to muscular.

New Realistic Personalities
Create over a million different personalities with traits such as evil, insane, kleptomaniac, romantic, and more. Influence the behaviors of your Sims with the traits you’ve chosen. Will you create a neurotic romantic with a heart of gold, or a geeky super-genius with an evil streak?

New Unlimited Customization
Everyone can customize everything - design and build your dream house and decorate it to fit your Sims’ personalities.

New Gameplay That’s Rewarding and Quick
Face short and long-term challenges and reap the rewards as your Sims can pursue random opportunities to get fast cash, get ahead, get even, and more.
Choose whether, or not, to fulfill your Sims’ destinies by making their wishes come true. Will your Sims be thieves, rock stars, world leaders? The choice is yours.

Two hot new titles available from Fanatics

Fanatics members can now get their hands on two book which have been recommended by Oprah in her latest book selections.

The two books are:

• Always Looking Up - Michael J. Fox
• Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man - Steve Harvey

The Steve Harvey book has been a regular on the Amazon bestseller lists over the last few weeks.

We've got the synopsis of the two books below:

Always Looking Up
Struck with Parkinson's - a debilitating, degenerative disease - at the height of his fame, Michael J. Fox has taken what some people might consider cause for depression and turned it into a beacon of hope for millions. Now, in Always Looking Up, he writes about the personal philosophy that carried him through his darkest hours, and speaks with others who have emerged from difficult periods with optimism to spare. With the humour and wit that dazzled fans and reviewers alike in his bestselling memoir, Lucky Man, Fox shows how hebecame a happier, more satisfied person by recognising the gifts of everyday life.

Michael J. Fox is best known today for his hit Channel Four sitcom Spin City that he also produced. In the eighties he became an international mega-star, first through TV shows such as Family Ties, then through the record-breaking Back To The Future movies. He launched the Michael J. Fox foundation for Parkinson's Research in 2000 , which has leapt to the forefront of the effort to find a cure. He lives with his family in New York City.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man
Steve Harvey can't count the number of impressive women he's met over the years, whether it's through the "Strawberry Letters" segment of his radio program or while on tour for his comedy shows. These are women who can run a small business, keep a household with three kids in tiptop shape, and chair a church group all at the same time. Yet when it comes to relationships, they can't figure out what makes men tick. Why? According to Steve it's because they're asking other women for advice when no one but another man can tell them how to find and keep a man. Sometimes funny, sometimes direct, but always truthful, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man is a book you must read if you want to understand how men think when it comes to relationships.

Steve Harvey began doing stand-up comedy in the mid -1980’s. He is widely known as the host of the Steve Harvey Morning Show which is broadcast in America and has more than seven million listeners. Harvey continues his unending pursuit and commitment to furthering opportunities in high schools throughout the country with generous contributions from the Steve Harvey Foundation.

Hot games - Sunday 6 June 2009

Another Sunday has rolled around and as usual we highlight the best-selling games on the various online retail platforms.

The Sims3 has arrived and it has plenty of fans topping all three lists - wow!

Check out the list:

Take2.co.za
1. The Sims 3: Standard Edition (PC/MAC DVD-ROM)
2. Sam & Max - Season 1 (PC)
3. Age of Empires III: Gold Bundle (PC) - AoE III + Warchief Expansion
4. Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition (PC DVD)
5. Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor (PC DVD-ROM)
6. Crysis (PC DVD-ROM)
7. Mass Effect (PC DVD-ROM)
8. Infamous (PS3) In Stock
9. Sacred 2: Fallen Angel (PC DVD-ROM)
10. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3 Platinum)

Amazon.com
1. The Sims 3 - PC
2. EA Sports Active - Nintendo Wii
3. Wii Fit - Nintendo Wii
4. Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel - Nintendo Wii
5. Infamous - PS3
6. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 Bundle - Nintendo Wii
7. Wii Sports Resort - Nintendo Wii
8. The Sims 3 Collector's Edition - PC
9. EA Sports Active Multiplayer Pack - Nintendo Wii
10. Punchout - Nintendo Wii

Kalahari.Net
1. The Sims 3 - PC
2. Infamous - PS3
3. EA Sports Active - Nintendo Wii
4. Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor - PC
5. Singstar ABBA - PS2
6. Guitar Hero Metallica - Xbox360
7. Lego Star Wars - PC
8. Prototype - Xbox360
9. Demigod - PC
10. Ben 10: Alien Force - PS2

Bestsellers - Sunday 6 June 2009

Another Sunday has rolled around and as usual we highlight the best-selling books on the various online retail platforms.

It is interesting to see that Spud is back on the local charts with lots of Pre-Orders coming in for "Learning To Fly".

Check out the list:

Exclusive Books
1. Spud - Learning to Fly (Pre-order)
2. New Moon
3. Breaking Dawn
4. Eclipse
5. Twilight
6. The Winner Stands Alone
7. Oh, the Places You'll Go!
8. The Shack
9. Eat, Pray, Love
10. First Family

Take2.co.za
1. New Moon - Meyer, Stephenie
2. Eclipse - Meyer, Stephenie
3. Breaking Dawn - Meyer, Stephenie
4. Twilight - Meyer, Stephenie
5. Spud Learning to Fly (Paperback) - John Van De Ruit
6. Eclipse - Stephanie Meyer
7. Ashes of Midnight - Adrian, Lara
8. Burning Wild - Feehan, Christine
9. New Moon - Meyer, Stephenie
10. Twilight - Meyer, Stephenie

Amazon.com
1. Cook Yourself Thin: Skinny Meals You Can Make - Lifetime Television
2. New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2) - by Stephenie Meyer
3. Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto - Mark R. Levin
4. The Shack - William P. Young
5. Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4) - Stephenie Meyer
6. Excuses Begone!: How to Change Lifelong, Self-Defense - Wayne W. Dyer
7. The Twilight Saga Collection - Stephenie Meyer
8. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer
9. The Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3)- Stephenie Meyer
10. Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1) - Stephenie Meyer

Kalahari.Net
1. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
2. Spud Learning to Fly - John van De Ruit
3. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
4. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
5. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
6. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think about Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment - Steve Harvey
7. The Shack - William P. Young
8. Spud - John Van De Ruit
9. Spud - The Madness Continues - John Van De Ruit
10. Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian - Rick Riordan

Harlan Coben "Three Great Novels"

Had a great weekend with the Harlan Coben "Three Great Novels" trilogy and I'm definately planning to get my hands on more books by this author!

The three stories:

• Deal Breaker
• Drop Shot
• Fade Away

all focus around the Myron Bolitar character, who has quickly become one of the best I have ever come across in the action genre.

Bolitar is a former basketball prodigy whose career was cut short by injury. He got involved with some shady government spy work that allowed him to hook up with a some-time psychopath who also partners with him in his new sports representation business.

He brings a rather unique mix of business and investigative tools to help him get his company off the ground and his clients out of trouble - especially when they get mixed up with the mob and other unsavoury characters.

For me the real standout in this book was the witty dialouge and writing style - it all just flowed really easily and kept me interested the whole way through. It such a pleasure when you keep reading to pick up the next witty one-liner!

The individual titles are available from South African online retailer Loot (see banner right) for as little as R55, but I recommend ordering the trilogy because the stories all tie into one another and there is a GREAT twist at the end of Fade Away which ties the whole thing together.

Title: Three Great Novels
Author: Harlan Coben
ISBN-13: 978-0-7528-4733-7

Rated the whole series as a four out of five and a definate "must-read" for those who love the action thriller genre.