As usual, if you want to buy any of these books, please click through to order from Kalahari.net and support my Holiday Savings Fund

Blindness – Jose Saramago

A driver waiting at the traffic lights goes blind. An ophthalmologist tries to diagnose his distinctive white blindness, but is affected before he can read the textbooks. It becomes a contagion, spreading throughout the city. Trying to stem the epidemic, the authorities herd the afflicted into a mental asylum where the wards are terrorized by blind thugs. And when fire destroys the asylum, the inmates burst forth and the last links with a supposedly civilized society are snapped. No food, no water, no government, no obligation, no order. This is not anarchy, this is blindness.

OMW, this is a frightening book! The idea of society breaking down after a disease of white blindness is a horrific concept but it’s brilliantly captured by the author. It took me a little while to get used to his style of writing – the exclusion of any punctuation to denote dialogue was a bit unsettling at first – but after I fell into the rhythm of this sparse writing, the book was completely absorbing and thrilling to read. I watched the movie afterward and although it was “OK”, it certainly didn’t evoke the same tension and horror as the book.

A Special Relationship – Douglas Kennedy

Sally Goodchild is a thirty-nine year old American journalist who suddenly finds herself pregnant and in London, married to an English foreign correspondent, Tony. Sally’s adjustment problems are soon overshadowed by a troubled pregnancy. When she goes into premature labour, there are doubts whether her child will survive unscathed. She is then hit by an appalling post-natal depression and when she manages to extricate herself from this personal hell, she finds herself in a fresh new nightmare – as she discovers that everything can be taken down and used against you.

The single most amazing thing about this book is that it was written by a man. Seeing as the story is narrated by woman and involves the depiction of deep emotions connected to motherhood and post-natal depression, I found this fact absolutely astounding. And quite brilliant. I really thought this was going to be a real “chick book” but it took me by surprise and turned out to be an intense psychological thriller, loaded with shock factor. For me, this was a compulsive read – I absolutely *had* to know what was going to happen next. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

Anyway, I thought it may be a good idea to start sharing with you the books that I rate most highly for the month, and why.

Oh, and if you want to buy any of them, please click through to order from Kalahari.net and support my Holiday Savings Fund

The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger

This extraordinary, magical novel is the story of Clare and Henry who have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-two and Henry thirty. Impossible but true, because Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder: periodically his genetic clock resets and he finds himself pulled suddenly into his past or future. His disappearances are spontaneous and his experiences are alternately harrowing and amusing. The Time Traveler’s Wife depicts Clare and Henry’s struggle to lead normal lives in the face of a force they can neither prevent nor control.

I loved this book! Not only is the story interesting and the characters complex, but it’s brilliantly written. It’s narrated by the two main characters, who obviously age over time (backwards AND forwards) and the author has managed to capture their voices at their various ages just perfectly – from a 5 year-old boy to an 82 year-old woman. At its core, this book is a simple boy meets girl love story but the twists that time travel throw into the plot make it an engaging read and one that I highly recommend.

Shantaram – Gregory David Roberts

Greg Roberts turned to heroin when his marriage collapsed, feeding his addiction with a string of robberies. Caught and convicted, he was given a nineteen-year sentence. After two years, he escaped from a maximum- security prison and became Australia’s most wanted man. Hiding in Bombay, he established a medical clinic for slum- dwellers, worked in the Bollywood film industry and served time in the notorious Arthur Road prison. He was recruited by the Bombay mafia for whom he worked as a forger, counterfeiter, and smuggler, and fought alongside a unit of mujaheddin guerrilla fighters in Afghanistan. His debut novel, SHANTARAM, is based on this ten-year period of his life in Bombay. The result is an epic tale of slums and five-star hotels, romantic love and prison torture, mafia gang wars and Bollywood films.

After reading the synopsis and discovering that Shantaram was a true story, I just had to read it. The author has an incredible story to tell and I was far from disappointed. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that this is one of the best books I’ve ever read and I can’t recommend it enough. Don’t let the nearly 1000 pages put you off in any way – Gregory David Roberts is an extraordinary writer and his tale is indeed epic. This book has everything – romance, suspense, humour, mystery, and brutal truth. I know a lot people, from all walks of life, who’ve read Shantaram and every one of them agrees that this book is a “must read.”

Somebody visited My Bookshelf, clicked through and bought some books

THANK YOU, Person

And I *do* keep it up to date with everything I’m reading, so come back soon, mmk?

Oh, and if you want to buy any of the books, please click through from the images or titles to the Kalahari.net site to place your order.

I’m kinda hoping that I can make a few extra sheckles this way

OMG … READING PORN!!

I can’t wait

The Cape Town Book Fair starts tomorrow, Saturday 13 June and continues through to Tuesday. I’m SO amped to get there and do some seriarse shelf stocking w00t! Plus, as an Exclusive Books Fanatics member, I’ll be getting 400 bonus points on each title I buy there. HELL YEAH!

I know a couple of people who’ll be there promoting their books, so that’s going to be interesting too … Sally Partridge and Marcel Oudejans – good luck guys

The Cape Town Book Fair is open at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Saturday 13^th to Monday 15^th June and from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Tuesday 16 June 2009. For more information and daily event programmes visit www.capetownbookfair.com

I make use of a website called Audible.com. I signed up for the Platinum Monthly plan and it currently costs me about R170 per month (depending on the exchange rate, of course). For this, I get 2 credits per month, which accumulate if I don’t use them. Most books cost 1 credit, so I can normally download 2 books a month.

One handy thing about being a member is that even if I use up my monthly credits I can buy additional downloads at a discounted price (30% off). They also have regular sales with substantial markdowns so you can pick up some real bargains.

Audible.com has have a massive library – there are over 40 000 titles to choose from in a wide range of categories and including newspapers and podcasts, so there’s definitely something for everyone. Audio downloads from the site are immediate and simple to manage, either through iTunes or through their free software. Once downloaded, the files, although in proprietary format, can be burnt to CD, streamed from your computer or transferred to many different portable devices.

I’ve been very happy using Audible.com for the last 3 years. Their site is generally user-friendly, their frequently updated range of titles is more than adequate, the quality of their products are good and I think that the whole service offering is a clever, cost-effective and convenient way for me to get more “reading” done. Two thumbs up from me!

And no, I am not getting paid to say this =)