Book Blitz: Abundace (Food from the Cape) by Marlene van der Westhuizen

 

I live in Cape Town, so I would love to get my hands on this book.

ABUNDANCE by Marlene van der Westhuizen

At last another big cookbook from Marlene van der Westhuizen!

In Abundance Marlene shares all new recipes and her love and passion for Cape Town and its food.

Writing from her home in Green Point, on the slopes of Table Mountain, Marlene celebrates the simple joys of city living with 89 new, delicious and easy-to-make recipes to cook for family and friends. The photographs capture the romance of Marlene’s Cape Town – walks on the Sea Point promenade and through the Green

Point Park, and visits to all her favourite restaurants. Rediscover Cape Town through Marlene’s eyes. Visit the markets and meet the chefs.

City food and city living at its best!

About the author

Marlene van der Westhuizen, is a well-known chef and author of a number of very successful cookbooks – Delectable and Sumptuous are the best-known. She divides her time between Greenpoint in Cape Town and Charroux in France where she runs very popular cooking courses.

About the photographer

Johan Wilke is a professional photographer with 21 years’ experience working in the fashion, food, décor and advertising worlds.

 

PUBLICATION	September 2012
ISBN	9781920434441
PRICE	R325.00
CATEGORY	Non-Fiction/Cookery
FORMAT	Landscape, soft-cover

Also see:

Delectable 9781920434090

Sumptuous 9781920434106

Lazy Lunches 9781920434069

Decadent Dinners 9781920434052

Delightful Desserts 9781920434212

For marketing enquiries contact Thando Nkosi at thando@panmacmillan.co.za

For Publicity enquiries contact Tarryn Talbot at tarryn@panmacmillan.co.za

For orders contact Precious Legoabe at precious@panmacmillan.co.za

Or call 011 731 3440

Book Review: Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Title: Tantalize
Author: Cynthia Leitich Smith
Series: Tantalize #1
Genre: Paranormal YA
Publisher: Pan MacMillan
Publication date: 13 February 2007
Author’s website:  http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/
Source: Review Copy from Pan MacMillanSA

Goodreads blurb:  
Are you predator or prey?
CLASSIFIED ADS: RESTAURANTS
SANGUINI'S: A VERY RARE RESTAURANT IS HIRING A CHEF DE CUISINE. DINNERS ONLY.
APPLY IN PERSON BETWEEN 2:00 AND 4:00 PM
.
Quincie Morris has never felt more alone. Her parents are dead, and her hybrid-werewolf first love is threatening to embark on a rite of passage that will separate them forever. Then, as she and her uncle are about to unveil their hot vampire-themed restaurant, a brutal murder leaves them scrambling for a chef. Can Quincie transform their new hire into a culinary Dark Lord before opening night? Can he wow the crowd in his fake fangs, cheap cape, and red contact lenses — or is there more to this earnest face than meets the eye? As human and preternatural forces clash, a deadly love triangle forms, and the line between predator and prey begins to blur. Who’s playing whom? And how long can Quincie play along before she loses everything? TANTALIZE marks Cynthia Leitich Smith’s delicious debut as a preeminent author of dark fantasy.

My thoughts:  
Warning – contains possible spoilers

This is not your normal vampire story.  Yes, there are vampires and were-creatures but not everyone is who they seem.

Quincie is a 17 year old orphan that seems to be very mature for her age.  She almost single handily runs the family restaurant and takes care of her very absent minded uncle.   

She is in love with her best friend, Kieran but they never become more than friends . . . so romance is not part of this story. Maybe in the sequels we will get a glimpse of the love we can clearly see between Quincie and Kieren (here is hoping!).   Although there seems to be hints about a lovers triangle, this never happens either. 

For me it is important to love the characters in a book, especially the main heroine.  Unfortunately Quincie and her choices quickly changed my opinion of her.  She was portrayed as a very mature girl and so it was difficult to accept her attitude and actions.   After that it was difficult to keep focused on the story.

I am not sure if it is just because I am an adult, but I guessed early on who the bad guys were.  Easy clues, like a guardian that keeps giving wine to his 16 year old niece, should send up warning lights even to the 17 year old!

Once again, I felt that this book was just the beginning and was mostly character building for the sequels to come.

The second book in the series is:  Eternal

When the Sea is Rising Red by Cat Hellisen

South African author, Cat Hellisen has released her new book and it sounds FABULOUS!!  Just look here.

After seventeen-year-old Felicita’s dearest friend, Ilven, kills herself to escape an arranged marriage, Felicita chooses freedom over privilege. She fakes her own death and leaves her sheltered life as one of Pelimburg’s magical elite behind. Living in the slums, scrubbing dishes for a living, she falls for charismatic Dash while also becoming fascinated with vampire Jannik. Then something shocking washes up on the beach: Ilven's death has called out of the sea a dangerous, wild magic. Felicita must decide whether her loyalties lie with the family she abandoned . . . or with those who would twist this dark power to destroy Pelimburg's caste system, and the whole city along with it. 

About the Author:
Cat Hellisen lives in Cape Town, South Africa, near the sea, and drinks a lot of tea. She tends not to start revolutions. This is her first novel.

Fated (Soul Seekers #1) by Alyson Noel

FATED BY Alyson NOËL
SOUL SEEKERS 01

Publication date: June 2012

The spectacular new YA series from the phenomenally successful author of THE IMMORTALS.

Strange things have been happening to Daire Santos. Animals follow her, crows mock her, glowing people appear from nowhere. Worried that Daire's having a breakdown, her mother sends her to stay with the grandmother she's never met, who lives on the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico.There Daire crosses paths with Dace, a gorgeous guy with unearthly blue eyes.

Her grandmother recognizes Daire's episodes for what they are - a call to her true destiny as a Soul Seeker, a person who can navigate between the living and the dead. Guided by her grandmother, Daire must be quick to learn how to harness her powers, because Dace's brother is an evil shape-shifter, out to steal them.

Daire must embrace her fate as a Soul Seeker and discover whether Dace is the guy she's meant to be with . . . or if he's allied with the enemy she's destined to destroy.

• Alyson Noël's sexiest YA series to date get ready for hot new characters and a sizzling storyline!
• THE IMMORTALS is a bestselling series across the globe. There are 6 million copies in print in fifty different countries and thirty-six different languages
• Film and TV rights in THE IMMORTALS and RILEY BLOOM series have been bought by the makers of the Twilight saga.
• Alyson Noel speaks to her fans at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pan-Macmillan-South-Africa/284796235887

Book two, Echo, will be available in late 2012

To participate in the blog tour please contact Tarryn Talbot.

For publicity enquiries contact Tarryn Talbot at tarryn@panmacmillan.co.za

For marketing enquires contact Thando Nkosi at thando@panmacmillan.co.za

For orders contact Precious Legoabe at precious@panmacmillan.co.za

Or call 011 731 3440

 

 

 

The last Rhinos by Lawrence Anthony

Jeffrey Archer is doing a book tour in South Africa

Pan MacMillan South Africa has announced that Jeffrey Archer will be visiting South Africa to promote his new book.  How exciting is that!!

Blurb:
New York, 1939. Tom Bradshaw is arrested for first degree murder. He stands accused of killing his brother. When Sefton Jelks, a top Manhattan lawyer, offers his services for nothing, penniless Tom has little choice but to accept his assurance of a lighter sentence. After Tom is tried, found guilty and sentenced, Jelks disappears, and the only way for him to prove his innocence would be to reveal his true identity – something that he has sworn never to do in order to protect the woman he loves.
Meanwhile, the young woman in question travels to New York, leaving their son behind in England, having decided she'll do whatever it takes to find the man she was to marry – unwilling to believe that he died at sea. The only proof she has is a letter. A letter that has remained unopened on a mantelpiece in Bristol for over a year.
In Jeffrey Archer's epic novel, family loyalties are stretched to their limits as secrets unravel, and the story moves from the backstreets of Bristol to the boardrooms of Manhattan.

The events are as follows:

Sunday 15 April 2012

17h00   Open event, free of charge, at Skoobs book store in Monte Casino, JHB

Monday, 16 April 2012

07h30-09h00      Sheba breakfast at the Hyatt Hotel in Rosebank.  This is open to the public but they have to book and pay through Joy Simpson at jsimpson@netactive.co.za

18h30    Sunday Times Exclusive Books Reader’s Event.  Open to the public but will have to be booked and paid for.  Adverts for these events will be found in the Sunday Times and The Times.

Wednesday, 18 April 2012

19h00       Durban Country Club.  Will have to be booked and paid for through Janine O Connor at Janine@booksandbooks.co.za

Book Review: Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

 

 

Title: Dark Inside
Series:  Dark Inside #1
Author: Jeyn Roberts
Genre: Dystopian YA Fiction
Publication date: 02 September 2011
Source: Book received from PanMacMillan SA for review

Goodreads blurb:
Four teenagers on the same road in a world gone mad. Struggling to survive, clinging on to love and meaning wherever it can be found. THE DARK INSIDE is a stunning, cinematic thriller: 28 DAYS LATER meets THE ROAD.

Since mankind began, civilizations have always fallen: the Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs…. Now it’s our turn.

Huge earthquakes rock the world. Cities are destroyed. But something even worse is happening. An ancient evil has been unleashed, hooking on to weakness, turning the unwary into hunters, killers, crazies.

Mason: His mother is dying after a terrible car accident. As he endures a last vigil at her hospital bed, his school is bombed and razed to the ground. Everyone he knows is killed.

Aries: A school bus, an aftershock and a crash. Pulled out of the wreckage by a mysterious stranger, she’s about to discover a world changed forever.

Clementine: An emergency meeting at the town hall that descends into murderous chaos. Outside the rest of their community encircle with weapons. How can those you trust turn into savage strangers?

Michael: A brutal road rage incident. When the police arrive on the scene they gun down the guilty and turn on the by-standing crowd. Where do you go for justice when even the lawmakers have turned bad?

My thoughts:
I am a big fan of dystopian/zombie books and Dark Inside did not disappoint!  I took it along on a little mini holiday in December and when I starting reading, I found myself stealing moments where I could go sit in a corner and read.  I loved this book. 

The story starts with an earthquake which unleashes all kinds of evil when life as we know it, ends.  Most people are turned by this evil and starts murdering people without any reason.  They are not really zombies – zombies can be identified immediately and are usually out to bite you :)  These “baggers” look very normal . . .  until they turn on you.

Dark Inside is told from the different points of view of our main characters which are all very likeable.  The mysterious Daniel who only occasionally drops in to save the day, was especially intriguing and I hope to see lots more of him in the second book.  This book ends with many loose ends and I kind of felt that it was just an introduction to where the real story is going to start.   I cannot wait for the second book in the series to be published.

Thank you to Kelly from PAN MacMillan South Africa!

Author Info:
Jeyn Roberts (pronounced Jen - the Y is silent)grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and started writing at an early age, having her first story published when she was 16 in a middle-grade anthology called LET ME TELL YOU.
When she was 21, she moved to Vancouver with dreams of being a rock star, graduating from the University of British Columbia with a degree in Writing and Psychology. For the next few years she played in an alternative/punk band called Missing Mile before moving to England where she received her MA from the prestigious Creative Writing graduate course at Bath Spa University. Jeyn is a former singer, songwriter, actress, bicycle courier and tree planter.
An avid traveller, she’s been around the world, most recently, teaching high school in South Korea.
A lover of animals, Jeyn volunteers regularly with helping abandoned and abused animals, especially cats.

The Unlucky Lottery by Hakan Nesser

Just got this press release from Pan MacMillan South Africa.  Doesn’t this sound like an awesome book!

Four pensioners celebrate the fact that they have won 20,000
kronor in the lottery. Just hours later, one of them – Waldemar
Leverkuhn – is found in his home, stabbed to death. With Chief
Inspector Van Veeteren on sabbatical, working in a second
hand bookshop, the case is assigned to Inspector Münster. But
when another member of the lottery group disappears, as well
as Leverkuhn’s neighbour, Münster appeals to Van Veeteren
for assistance. Soon Münster will find himself interviewing the
Leverkuhn family, including the eldest – Irene – a resident of a
psychiatric clinic. And as he delves deeper into the family’s history,
he will discover dark secrets and startling twists, which not
only threaten the clarity of the case – but also his life...

Håkan Nesser is one of Sweden’s most popular crime writers,
receiving numerous awards for his novels featuring Inspector
Van Veeteren, including the European Crime Fiction Star Award
(Ripper Award) 2010/11, the Swedish Crime Writers’ Academy
Prize (three times) and Scandinavia’s Glass Key Award. The Van
Veeteren series is published in over 25 countries and has sold
over 5 million copies worldwide. Håkan Nesser lives in Uppsala
with his wife and two sons, and spends part of each year in the UK.

In my Mailbox (25)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren every Sunday. It is a weekly meme that lets everyone see what books you have received in the mail or bought that week.

This week I received Dark Inside from PanMacMillan.  I am sooooo happy and have in fact already started reading!  You know how much I love dystopian/apocalyptic stories!!

Thanks a million, Kelly!  You are a star!!

What was in your mailbox?

Switched by Amanda Hocking

Here is a new book for us to pine for!  Isn’t the cover gorgeous!!

Goodreads blurb:
Switched - the first book in the Trylle Trilogy...

When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mother might have been right.

With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - a world both beautiful and frightening, and Wendy's not sure she wants to be a part of it.

Pan Macmillan is bringing this book to us – here is what the press release says:

Pan Macmillan is pleased to announce that we will be publishing the million-copy bestselling eBook Trylle Trilogy from Amanda Hocking. The books will be available in all formats for the first time, after being acquired through an intense international auction. The Trylle Trilogy will be published in quick succession followed by the launch of Watersong in September 2012 - the first of a brand new series.

Amanda Hocking is twenty-six years old, lives in Minnesota and had never sold a single book before 15 April 2010. She has now sold over one million. Her books have been a self-publishing phenomenon - according to The Observer, Amanda is the most spectacular example of an author striking gold through eBooks. She has a huge social media presence which will be fully integrated with all promotional activity.

“Her character-driven books which feature trolls, hobgoblins and fairy-tale elements keep the pages turning, and have generated an excitement not felt in the industry since Stephenie Meyer or perhaps even J. K. Rowling”
- THE NEW YORK TIMES