r e s e n s i e s  ADULT NON-FICTION VOLWASSE VAKLEKTUURHierdie is die 
HTML-weergawe van die lêer 
http://www.capegateway.gov.za/Text/2005/12/nd_05_boek_resensie_32-35.pdf.
G o o g l e skep outomaties HTML-weergawes van dokumente wanneer ons hulle op 
die web raakloop.
      Page 1
Cape Libr., Nov/Dec 200532boekr e s e n s i e s ADULT NON-FICTIONVOLWASSE 
VAKLEKTUURBODOANO, BridgetThrift: how to have a stylish home without breaking 
the bank.- Quadrille, 2005.Thrift is now fashionable, and this book shows how 
one can save money while turning your home into a good-looking haven that is not 
a carbon copy of an @ home interior. Bodoano does not have all the answers, and 
her book is not filled with projects or beautiful interiors, what she does is 
points one in various directions so that you will look at what you have and what 
you can find at second hand shops and chain stores too, in a whole new light to 
create a modern stylish interior that recycles and reuses and individualises, 
instead of having everything new and expensive and desirable. She shows how one 
can reuse existing fabrics to make curtains and blinds,use paint to bring an 
array of odd items of furniture into a harmonious group, find new uses for old 
pieces of furniture, for example, using a wardrobe in a hallway. Loads of colour 
photos, sensible advice and ideas to inspire the financially challenged, this is 
a useful and practical title - an antidote to the many aspirational titles on 
interior design.JdeBJewish life in the South African country com-munities.Volume 
II: Boland, Bushmanland,Central Karoo, Fairest Cape, Griqualand West,Kalahari, 
Koup, Namaqualand, Swartland,West Coast.- SA Friends of Beth Hatefutsoth, 
2004.Second volume in a two-part series that research-es the history of the 
Jewish community in the rural areas of South Africa.It covers their role in the 
development of these rural areas and shows how they formed an integral part of 
the community in which they lived. It is based on oral interviews, material 
found in the national archives, libraries and museums as well as Jewish 
organisations.Throughout the book there are subsections featuring dates; 
covering population statistics, lists of names of prominent Jewish families and 
important civic roles played by the Jewish community in build-ing up the 
area.The readable and informative text is accompanied by many black and white 
photographs.Readers of early South African history will enjoy and appreciate 
this gem of Africana paying tribute to early Jewish activity in the now 
fast-changing rural areas.EBLAMBERT, GavinNatalie Wood: a life.- Faber, 2005.A 
new biography of the Hollywood star who died tragically in a mysterious drowning 
in 1981.Daughter of Russian immigrant parents who fled Russia shortly after the 
Bolshevik Revolution, Natalie grew up in Hollywood under a domineering mother 
and became a child actress at an early age when she starred in her first major 
role in 1946 in Tomorrow is forever.Her talents blossomed over the years and she 
would star in major adult films such as Rebel with-out a cause opposite the 
legendary James Dean, and later in Splendor in the grass opposite the dashing 
Warren Beatty. Her role in Gypsy captured on cel-luloid her role in life with a 
domineering, yet loving mother who wished to enjoy via her daughter the life she 
so desired but could not have.Although the author does not reveal any new facts, 
he does much to re-look at the ‘foul’ play speculation hinted at concerning 
Natalie’s death and is more sympathetic to her husband Robert Wagner who dearly 
loved his wife.Gripping and honest, the author has delivered a pleasing 
biography on a celebrity within the context of her time.EBLOURENS,TonyComplete 
climbing manual.- New Holland,2005.An attractively-illustrated and 
locally-published title from New Holland publishers giving a com-prehensive 
overview of all aspects of climbing. The author, who has been involved for over 
thirty years in climbing in various places all over the globe, has also 
published various climbing guidebooks as well as writing a regular climbing 
column for a Cape Town daily newspaper.After a brief introduction to the history 
and types of climbing, the reader learns about terrain, equip-ment and gear, 
before venturing into skills, techniques and ropework. The focus then switches 
to tradi-tional and big wall climbing, revealing the benefits of,for instance, 
the double rope technique and system,before moving on to aspects of 
leadership.Sport climbing is covered with a brief history and styles of 
climbing, followed by boulder and solo climbing. Another aspect not often 
covered is indoor climbing and competitions, which I found interesting and 
useful as this can be done at the local gym.The final chapters then take a look 
at strength training and emergency procedures.One of the best books seen for a 
long time on the topic as it is not only inspirational but also infor-mative and 
useful for readers interested in this sport.EB

      Page 2
Kaapse Bibl., Nov/Des 200533VAN DER ROSS, Richard ErnestUp from slavery: slaves 
at the Cape: their ori-gins, treatment and contribution.- Ampersand P., 
2005.Educationalist and politician, Richard van der Ross is perhaps best known 
for having been the principal of the University of the Western Cape in the 
turbu-lent 1970s and 1980s. He has written an interesting and readable book on 
slavery at the Cape, based not on original research but on secondary 
sources.Most titles on the subject are academic in nature,and it is the author’s 
stated intention to introduce the topic to those who might not readily have 
ac-cess to the more scholarly works, and to lead them on to display greater 
interest in slavery and related matters, indeed matters about ourselves as South 
Africans and inhabitants of the Western Cape. It is this accessibility factor 
that is especially welcome.The author covers the history of slavery at the Cape 
and topics such as punishments and rewards,the treatment of slaves 
(accommodation, schooling,et cetera), emancipation as well as the influence of 
slavery on the Cape in the past and the present. The last chapter presents his 
own family history and as such a case study and of interest to those who wish to 
trace their own ancestors.JdeB ADULT FICTIONVOLWASSE VERHALENDE 
LEKTUURBLAKE,VictoriaCutting blades.- Orion, 2005.This is Blake’s second novel. 
She qualified as a so-licitor but only worked as a lawyer for a short time.Since 
then she has been involved in the book trade - mainly bookselling.Her first 
novel, Bloodless shadow, introduced her very likeable female sleuth, Sam 
Falconer, former world judo champion now private eye who runs the Gentle Way 
investigative agency in London. Sam grew up in Oxford and her family still lives 
there,so the stories often move between Oxford and London. In Cutting blades, 
Sam is approached to investigate the disappearance of one of Oxford University’s 
best rowers, just a couple of months before the boat race. She and her business 
partner are also doing a bit of body-guarding on the side for a stall-holder in 
a London market. This novel is very much a sequel to the first, and not simply a 
crime story featuring the same detective, so it’s better to read them in 
sequence. They are both thoroughly enjoyable crime stories which should be 
popular with readers of British mysteries.SGCONNELLY, MichaelThe closers.- 
Orion, 2005.Fans will be surprised to see series character,Harry Bosch, back in 
uniform. In this latest crime thriller the retired Bosch returns to the LAPD to 
work with his old partner, Kiz Rider, in the Open-Unsolved Unit - to review, 
investigate and try to close cold cases.Their first case is an unsolved crime 
from the 1980s: the kidnapping and murder of a teenage girl.The closers is a 
compelling police procedural - just what we expect from a writer of Connelly’s 
calibre.His many admirers will not be disappointed.SGKELLY, CathyAlways and 
forever.- Collins, 2005.Cathy Kelly, the Irish film critic and agony aunt turned 
novelist, can usually be relied upon for a good beach read and her fans will 
definitely not be disap-pointed with her latest novel. Always and forever is 
another enjoyable, untaxing women’s read about relationships and families - this 
time focusing on three women in the town of Carrickville just outside Dublin. 
Daisy wants a child with her long-time lover,Alex; Mel is struggling to cope, 
juggling her career and her role as a mother; and young Cleo, just out of hotel 
school, is trying to convince her family (without much success) to put some 
money into their small family hotel. All three are likeable characters and the 
story is entertaining and very readable - just what one expects from the popular 
Kelly.SGKELLY, JimThe fire baby.- Penguin, 2005.Moon tunnel.- Joseph, 
2005.Kelly’s first novel The water clock was short-listed for the 2002 CWA John 
Creasey Award. It was the first title in his series of atmospheric mysteries set 
in the Cambridgeshire fens. They all feature Philip Dryden, a former 
high-powered Fleet Street jour-nalist now working for a small local rag. 
Dryden’s wife is in a coma following a terrible car crash. Her condition is 
called ‘Locked In Syndrome’. The reader is always aware of her in the 
background; some-times she can communicate and at other times she’s completely 
closed off from the world. This adds an extra dimension and poignancy to the 
novels. The Observer reviewer wrote of The fire baby: ‘The plot has all the 
right notes: there are murders, there is pornography and people-smuggling, and 
an old mystery is solved.’ The most recent book is Moon tunnel, in which a dead 
body is uncovered at an ar-chaeological dig in an old World War II POW camp.The 
title refers to a tunnel that was discovered at the camp, and the mystery is 
that the corpse was not that of one of the inmates escaping from the 

      Page 3
Cape Libr., Nov/Dec 200534boekr e s e n s i e sprison camp but of someone 
entering it. All three novels are gripping reads with a strong sense of place, 
and Dryden is a sympathetic and complicated character. Jim Kelly is a great find 
for readers looking for a good new crime author. Highly recommended.SG YOUNG 
ADULT FICTIONTIENERLEKTUURROSOFF, MegHow I live now.- Penguin, 2005.This 
cross-over teenage/adult debut novel has garnered awards on both sides of the 
Atlantic and heralds a new voice in fiction. The only comparison I can make is 
to the way I felt when I read David Almond for the first time. Contemporary, yet 
set in the future, realistic yet at times it feels that one is in a dream, 
specific, yet there is so much that is unexplained, the reader’s guide is the 
voice of the narrator - one that is sure and real and unlike any 
other.Fifteen-year-old Daisy, a New Yorker, is sent away by her father as he 
wants to be alone with his pregnant new wife and the anorexic Daisy has become a 
‘problem’. With her bohemian relatives in rural England, she finds herself in a 
totally different world, one where social taboos break down when Aunt Penn goes 
to Oslo to help prevent war from breaking out. Daisy’s immediate attraction to 
her cousin Edmund now develops into an intense love affair, which includes 
underage sex and telepathic communication.An unnamed army invades Britain, the 
farm is taken over and the children are separated with the girls going to live 
with a military family. Daisy is now responsible for nine-year-old Piper, and 
this spurs on her transformation from a cynical self-absorbed teenager to one 
who is willing and able to be caring,responsible and mature.Throughout their 
separation Daisy’s love for Edmond remains as strong as ever and it is this that 
drives her and Piper to risk everything to go back to the farm to be reunited 
with him and his brothers.The children witness the unspeakable horrors of war 
which have devastating consequences on them all,most especially the sensitive 
Edmond.JdeBVILJOEN, FanieBreinbliksem.- Tafelberg, 2005.Nuweling Fanie Viljoen 
smokkel sowaar met lesers se brein met sy titel Breinbliksem, want hy verras en 
skok tegelykertyd met ’n einde waarop lesers geen-sins voorbereid was nie. Geen 
wonder keurders beskou dit as ’n kragtoer nie. En dit is ook duidelik waarom 
hierdie titel, tesame met Francois Bloemhof se Nie vir kinders nie, aangewys is 
as die Sanlam pryswenner vir jeuglektuur vir 2005.Breinbliksem vertel die 
verhaal van drie tieners,Burns, Kerbs en Sky wat op pad is na die BreinBlik-sem 
rockfees wat by die Allemanskraaldam gehou word. Langs die pad tel hulle ’n 
meisie, genaamd Partygirl op. Burns voel onmiddellik aangetrokke tot haar en 
dieselfde aand beleef hy en Partygirl ’n hittige oomblik van passie. Maar met sy 
vriend,Kerbs (nou uiters beskonke) se aankoms by die tent,verander hul 
wonderlike tydjie saam in ’n aand van gruwel...EMW WESTERFELD, ScottUglies.- 
Simon Pulse, 2005.Uglies is the first book in a new science tril-ogy for 
teenagers and older children. Although a post-holocaust scenario, the holocaust 
is many years in the past and the emphasis in the book is on the new society. 
The main character,Tally Youngblood, is eagerly awaiting her 16th birthday, for 
in this strange,image-obsessed society 16 is a pivotal age, the age when one 
leaves Uglytown, undergoes major cos-metic surgery, and emerges beautiful and 
ready to take one’s place in the ‘party towers’ of New Pretty Town, where 
everyone is young and stunning looking and life is one big jol. Of course, as 
the reader can guess, things are not going to run so smoothly for Tally. 
Westerfeld has created a convincing, and rather scary, post-apocalyptic world 
with its interesting social stratifications and futuristic technology. His 
characters are well drawn, and the plot brisk. Ugliesis exciting, thought 
provoking and highly readable.Readers will be eagerly awaiting the next two 
books:Pretties and Specials.SG JUVENILE FICTIONJEUGLEKTUURBLOEMHOF, 
FrancoisNie vir kinders nie.- Tafelberg, 2005.Francois Bloemhof is weer in die 
kollig: sy nuutste jeugroman is onlangs aangewys as die Sanlam pryswenner vir 
2005. Bloemhof, ’n gesoute skrywer,het in die vroeë negentigerjare naam gemaak 
toe hy die De Kat Prys verower het vir sy rillerverhaal,Die nag het een oog. 
Sedertdien het hy al drie-en-twintig boeke die lig laat sien en ook verdere 
literêre pryse ontvang. In Nie vir kinders nie spreek Bloemhof die oeroue 
kwessie van sosiale verval aan soos ervaar deur die sestienjarige Tim en sy 
vriend Ruan. Tim, onderhoofseun by sy skool, word bestempel as ’n voorbeeldige 
tiener. Nie net is hy selfversekerd en aantreklik nie, maar beskik hy ook oor ’n 
besonderse sangstem wat deur Ruan se ma,tannie Trisa ontdek word. Maar ofskoon 
Tim alles 

      Page 4
Kaapse Bibl., Nov/Des 200535het, bly hy soekend na iets groters. En dis juis 
hierdie soeke wat maak dat hy ingetrek word by ’n ATM bedrogspul. En so word hy 
later vasgevang in ’n maalkolk van inbrake, dwelms en uiteindelik prosti-tusie. 
Dit alles het natuurlike tragiese gevolge. Die verhaal is by tye skokkend, maar 
Bloemhof los tog aan die einde van die teks die leser met hoop. Beslis die 
moeite werd om te lees.EMWGRAVETT, EmilyWolves.- Macmillan, 2005.In this witty 
post-modernist picture book, Rabbit goes to the library where he takes out a 
book about wolves. This non-fiction title is so fascinating that he can’t stop 
reading. So he walks along with his nose in it, reading that wolves can survive 
anywhere, that they have bushy tails, 42 teeth, and eat both large and smaller 
mammals. Little does he realise that he is being followed by a wolf and is in 
real danger.The reader is spared the sight of him being eaten by the wolf, but 
we do see the evidence - the torn red cover of that library book.Gravett is 
having too much fun with the reader to stop here. After telling us that no 
rabbits were eaten during the making of this book, she provides an alternative 
ending for more sensitive readers. Torn images from the pages of the book we 
have been reading are rearranged to accompany a caption that tells us that the 
wolf was actually vegetarian and he and the rabbit became best friends and lived 
happily ever after. To reveal any more would be to spoil the reader’s fun.A 
supremely clever picture book for all ages,though there may be some very young 
or sensitive readers who will find it upsetting.JdeBHUSSEY, CharmianThe valley 
of secrets.- Hodder, 2005.Charmian Hussey’s The valley of secrets has caused 
quite a stir in the publishing world, and the lucky readers who chance upon this 
book will understand why.Young Stephen, an orphan, with no memory of his 
biological family, suddenly finds himself the sole heir to a considerable 
Cornish country estate. What awaits him there is nothing short of fantastic.A 
sprawling manor house, acres of impossibly tropical grounds, ancient stone 
circles, and mysteri-ous, mischievous creatures propel Stephen into a world of 
discovery he could never have imagined.Local inhabitants have not entered the 
estate for many years, fearing that it is haunted.The plot evolves as Stephen 
unearths his great uncle Theodore’s journal telling of a past expedition up the 
Amazon River. This holds the key to unlock-ing the secret of Stephen’s past, and 
more impor-tantly his present, explaining what the mysterious creatures and 
their caretaker in the garden might be.The valley of secrets is another of those 
cross-over novels that could be enjoyed by imaginative readers of all ages, much 
like readers of the Harry Potter titles.EBMcCOMBIE, KarenHow to be good(ish).- 
Walker, 2005.This is the first book in a series about a 10-year-old girl called 
India Kidd, Indie for short. She lives with her divorced mother (who works at an 
animal rescue centre), a lodger, Caitlin, and various pets (dogs, fish and a 
cat). Her father, a photographer on the local rag, lives with Fiona, a cookery 
writer, and her nine-year-old son Dylan. When Indie’s teacher asks the class to 
list their three top talents, Indie is at a loss to think of even one. So most 
of the book is concerned with her quest to find something she is good at. The 
story is illustrated with humorous black and white drawings by Lydia Monks.Young 
girls should enjoy this series: Indie is very likeable and reassuringly 
ordinary, and the stories are funny and very readable. I am not sure if there 
will be more titles in this Indie Kidd series, but we have ordered both this one 
and its sequel: Oops, I lost my best(est) friends.SGWILLEMS, MoKnuffle Bunny.- 
Walker Bks., 2005.’Not very long along ago, before she could even speak 
words,Trixie went on an errand with her dad-dy…’ So begins this delightful 
picture book set in New York where a toddler accompanies her father on a trip to 
the laundromat. Her beloved toy rabbit,the Knuffle Bunny of the title, is 
accidentally thrown into the washing machine along with the washing. It is only 
on their way home that Trixie realises that it is missing. She can’t speak, but 
the reader, unlike her father, knows exactly what she means when she raises the 
alarm with ‘Aggle flaggle klabble!’As with his previous picture books,Willems is 
a master at conveying the intense changing emotions of young children as 
reflected in their facial expres-sions and body language. For the illustrations 
he has drawn cartoon-style figures onto a background of sepia photographs of the 
Brooklyn neighbourhood,and this combination of the comic and the real per-fectly 
reflects the experience of Trixie and her father.JdeBNote: At the time of going 
to press, some of these titles were still on order.EB Erich BuchhausJdeB Johanna 
de BeerSG Sabrina Gosling EMW Ethney Waters2 0 0 5