Reading Matters 19 November 2024

John van de Ruit wrote his first ‘Spud’ book back in 2005. He wrote three more and they rocketed around the world, selling up a storm. John Cleese acted in the movies based on the books.

His fans clamoured for more but John took a break, concentrating on acting, directing, writing plays and then Macmillan Publishers told John it was time, 10 years on, for Spud to remerge which he just has in, ‘ Spud The Reunion’.

It has the same crazy characters, some poor, some rich, some odd and they all meet up back at school. Read it now, because John’s working on more and you don’t want to get left behind. I loved it.  You’ll love it!

I’m nuts about ‘The Tidal Pools of the Western Cape’(Rockhopper Books) by Serai Dowling.  If you’ve ever swum at St James or the Overberg: Camps Bay or Cape Point you too will enjoy this glossy book, with its beautiful coloured pix of exquisite views,

But this is not a picture book, it’s crammed with info on open-water swimming, even in winter, the best tidal pools, marine life in them, the illegal beginnings of tidal pools, what to wear and where to eat. Grab a copy now as I’ve no doubt it’ll be a bestseller.

I’m mad about author William Boyd, and his new novel, ‘Gabriel’s Moon’ ( Penguin) about a shy young man who finds himself an accidental spy, in England, Moscow and Europe is elegantly crafted, and satisfyingly unpredictable.  Boyd has been described as ‘the best storyteller of his generation’ and I agree wholeheartedly.

If you remember Bernhard Schlink’s ‘ The Reader’ you’ll want to get your hands on his new book: ‘The Granddaughter’ ( Weidenfeld&Nicolson/ Jonathan Ball). Set in divided Germany in the 1960’s with all the attendant horrors of the time, a young woman escapes from East Berlin to her German lover in the West.

Her death, early on in the book, shatters Kaspar who sets out to look for the daughter she gave up for adoption. He ends up in a rural community of neo-Nazis.  A fascinating, gently told story, set in contemporary Germany. Mesmerising.

Reading Matters with Sue Grant-Marshall