Reading Matters

Ivan Vladislavic, author extraordinaire and winner of many – if not most – of SA’s literary awards, has in ‘ The Near North’( Picador Africa), in Jacob Dlamini’s words delivered ‘ some of the most moving prose ever written about this former mining town.’

The author has, often notebook in hand, rambled through Joburg’s city streets, from Troyeville to Houghton, capturing their essence, from sordid dilapidation to moneyed glory. He looks Joburg straight in the eye as he describes fear, violence, death but also a vibrant charm and elegance, rich with astonishing personalities.

Bush lovers alert! The updated, glossy, ‘ Tracker Manual – a practical guide to animal tracking in southern Africa’  ( Struik Nature) has landed. It’s by Alex van den Heever: Renias Mhlongo: Karel Benadie and Ian Thomas – all experts in their fields.

A gem of a book for wild animal and veld junkies and boffs.

Poor sleepers can be more susceptible to dementia and Alzheimer’s if they do not enjoy a good night’s sleep, writes famous British doctor Michael Mosley, in ‘ Four Weeks to Better Sleep’ (Short Books/ Jonathan Ball).

His plan includes food, ways to boost your sleep and even how to overcome jet lag.

That Irish delight of an author, John Boyne, he of ‘ The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ fame, has in ‘ Water’( Doubleday/ Penguin Random House) created a woman in hiding from a monster of a husband that rings so true she could be living next door to you.

But, is she, unknowingly, complicit in his crimes? ‘ Water’ is a novella, one of four using the elements. So, three to come, thank goodness!