Reading Matters (week 32) August 9 2026

André Hattingh has for decades entertained us with her singing and acting, as well as dressing us in her designer ethnic clothing. Now this creative spirit has written a story for all ages, The Journey to Find MEM and the Secret of the Angeltree (Jubapress). It’s about a gloriously happy village, nestled in the shade of Table Mountain, that is suddenly invaded by evil. Three children and a dog defy ruthless Gloth. Beguiling illustrations on good paper make this a delight.

The Nun of Ravensbruck (Hachette Books / Jonathan Ball) is based on the true , courageous, story of Irish nun and French Resistance fighter, Sister Kate McCarthy, by Cathi Fleming.

I researched Ravensbruck, the infamous concentration camp created by Himmler for women, and felt ill. No wonder then that when Kate McCarthy was buried in Ireland in 1971 the funeral cortege was three kilometers long.

No surprises that the prolific novelist, Alexander McCall Smith, he of the famous No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency has now written 100 books. His latest, in the Isabel Dalhousie novels, is The Subtle Pleasures of Indiscretion (Abacus Books / Jonathan Ball).

Philosophy, a handsome husband, two little boys and a curious fox, spin a tale of scheming, DNA and real harm. Delightful.

Fireflies in Winter (Headline Publishing / Jonathan Ball) by Eleanor Shearer, set in 1796 Nova Scotia , takes us from Jamaican slavery to two women hiding in snowy forests where they fight for survival from the wilderness.

Reading Matters with Sue Grant-Marshall