Literary Blog Hop

by imsonotablogger

Yes, it is that time of year again! It is time for the Literary Blog Hop hosted by leeswammes.

You can hop over to 50 different book blogs, all offering one or more giveaways of books or bookish items. All books will be literary (non)fiction or something close to that. Follow the links at the bottom of this post to find the other participating blogs. The blog hop will be running from the 27 October until the 31st October. The winner will be chosen by random.org or by pulling a name out of a hat and will be announced on the 2 November. The winner will be contacted via email and if there is no response within 3 days another winner will be chosen.

So, what can you win??

I have chosen three books which I have read over the last few years, which I really enjoyed. I hope one of them tickles your fancy too…!

One of my favourite South African authors Rosamund Kendal with Karma Suture

Sue Carey is a driven, twenty-something doctor struggling to preserve her sanity, sobriety and humanity in the corridors of one of Cape Town’s biggest public hospitals. Finding imaginative ways of saving patients is her life’s work. Finding a man who wants more than a one-night stand would be nice as well. Sue’s journey of self-discovery is both harrowing and hilarious. The Karma Suture visits the bedsides of the patients who make her weep and the men who make her weak. She discovers that all she ever wanted is waiting for her … if only she can learn to see beyond the hard science into the mysteries of the heart.

Karma Suture is a uniquely South African story about pain, sex, love, and hope that could only be written by a doctor who has been there and lived to tell the tale.

One of my all time favourite Murakami novels – Kafka on the Shore

Kafka on the Shore follows the fortunes of two remarkable characters. Kafka Tamura runs away from home at fifteen, under the shadow of his father’s dark prophesy. The aging Nakata, tracker of lost cats, who never recovered from a bizarre childhood affliction, finds his pleasantly simplified life suddenly turned upside down. Their parallel odysseys are enriched throughout by vivid accomplices and mesmerising dramas. Cats converse with people; fish tumble from the sky; a ghostlike pimp deploys a Hegel-spouting girl of the night; a forest harbours soldiers apparently un-aged since WWII. There is a savage killing, but the identity of both victim and killer is a riddle. Murakami’s novel is at once a classic quest, but it is also a bold exploration of mythic and contemporary taboos, of patricide, of mother-love, of sister-love. Above all it is an entertainment of a very high order. (from Kalahari.net)

Scarlett Thomas books are enchanting novels, this -The End of Mr Y- is one of my favourites by her

When Ariel Manto uncovers a copy of The End of Mr. Y in a second-hand bookshop, she can’t believe her eyes. She knows enough about its author, the outlandish Victorian scientist Thomas Lumas, to know that copies are exceedingly rare. And, some say, cursed.With Mr. Y under her arm, Ariel finds herself thrust into a thrilling adventure of love, sex, death and time-travel. (from Kalahari.net)

A BOOK OF YOUR CHOICE UP TO THE VALUE OF $15 FROM BOOK DEPOSITORY (just check if they deliver to your country)

What do you need to do in order to win a copy of your choice out of these books is:

1) Tell us which book you would like to win and WHY it appeals to you. (please note that this must be part of your comment otherwise it will be disqualified as an entry) Same goes for if you are choosing your own!

2) Together with no 2 please tell us ONE (or more if you can’t decide) book that you have thoroughly enjoyed this year that you would describe as ‘you have to read this!’ (required)

3) Please leave an email address so that we can contact you if you are the winner (required)

4)Like us on Facebook (additional entry)

5) Follow us on Twitter (additional entry)

If you already follow us on Facebook and Twitter, please say so in your comment, so we can put your additional entries into the give away.

Please note that all books are also available as e books (for South Africa ONLY) otherwise it will be a paper copy sent via snail mail worldwide.

So, HAPPY HOPPING and get commenting, Here’s hoping we all win a book or two!

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Year of the Gherkin – John Dobson. A review

by imsonotablogger

For the Winter Book Swop the requirements were to post one book by a South African author and one essential item that you use during Winter. Well, this was my Book Gift and I was very pleased as I had seen it in Exclusive Books and had even read the first page. I did ponder buying it for myself, luckily not! (my essential Winter item was a lovely hat from Ginger Mary, which also arrived at just the right time as I had just that week lost mine…Thanks Karen!)

Anyway, lets get back to the review.

Year of the Gherkin is written in diary format, think ‘Spud’ which is always an interesting and humorous way to write, about Jason Brydon aka the Jasonator. Set in Cape Town, Jason is a rep in the paint retail industry, doesn’t have a girlfriend and needs to lose a few kilo’s. But is this the year that it all changes for the better?? I won’t spoil it for you suffice to say the ending was not quite what I was hoping for but definitely stays in line with the story, and I guess you could even call it tongue in cheek.

What I found interesting about this book was how very aptly the author has got the drinking mentality of its protege so very correct. It sums up the South African drinker and while this book was rather amusing, I admit to having laughed out loud in various excerpts, I do find it rather sad how we are (generally) a nation of drinkers. How one Needs one (or two and most likely three) drinks in order to ‘ease the nerves’ of a job interview, or going on a first date or blind date at that, or any other excuse that one can think of!

Should you read this book? Hell, why not? It is funny and though I struggled through the first month or so, I then got into it and enjoyed it. As I said, I was a little disappointed by the ending but nothing drastic that I wouldn’t recommend it. Has anyone else read it? What did you think?

So, what did you get in your Book Swop? Have you read your book yet? And if so, how about sending in a review?

Lastly, to spread the love this cold Wintery Sunday, I would like to pass this book on for one of you(anyone, anywhere) to read, we are a Book Club after all, and all you need to do is to leave a comment telling me why you would like to read it. The one reason that makes me laugh out loud is the winner, so, no pressure! I will pick a winner on Wednesday the 11th July.

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And the winner is….

by imsonotablogger

THANK YOU to everyone who entered this give away, I just wish I could have a book for each of you:-(

But, we do have a winner

Well, we have two actually… drum roll please…

the winner of Perfume is…

MYSTICA

and the winner of Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend is….

BAREFOOT MED STUDENT

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

If I don’t hear back from you by 3rd July, another winner will be chosen.

Happy Reading!

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The Literary Blog Hop

by imsonotablogger

The blog hop, which is being hosted by Judith at Leeswarmes, is open from June 23th to June 27th. I missed out on the last one, but am back for this one!

So, what am I giving away and who am I giving it to? Well, that’s easy, a book… to YOU! If you want it, of course….

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was an easy read, it had me gripped and there was a twist which I so had not expected. I also thought it was a beautiful story, but yet poignant. Read it, even if you don’t win it!

This is one of my all time favourite books. It is fascinating and surreal but completely understandable at the same time. And did you know that a movie was made of it too?

This giveaway is open to everyone, wherever you may live in the world. Here’s what you need to do:

1) Leave a comment telling me which book you would like to win and why, and I don’t mind a little creativity in your reasons…

2) In that same comment, tell me what your most favourite book is, of all time!

3) Make sure you have a postal address. You do not need to have a blog to enter this give away but I will need an email address in order to get hold of the winner.

4) BLOG HOP AND HAVE FUN!

5) You are very welcome to tweet about this give away – @thebookclubblog

There are many other book bloggers who are taking part in this blog hop so if you fancy your chances of winning yourself a book, take a blog hop around, you will find a list of the participating bloggers at the end of this post, you never know, you may just find yourself a fabulous new blog to read as well.

The blog hop closes on the 27th June. Winners will be announced and contacted via email by the 29th June at the latest. If I have not heard back from the winner within 3 days another winner will be picked.

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WINTER MYSTERY BOOK SWAP

by imsonotablogger

Hello, my wonderful readers!

Yes, its been ages and I do blame being internet-less for about a month and then just being slack in getting back into blog land. And what better way to arrive back than with a Winter Mystery Box Swap.

Seeing as though it is Winter here again in the Southern Hemisphere, and almost half way through the year, can you believe how Quickly this year is flying by?? I thought it was high time to get another Book Swap going on but this one is going to be slightly different to our last one.

DETAILS:

1) The book that you send must be written by a South African author and preferably one that you enjoyed. (I am loving discovering new SA authors and I’m sure you will too)

2) Your book swap parcel must contain ONE item that you find crucial to survive your Winter. It could be a certain type of lip gloss, a specific chocolate or a family soup recipe but must be the ONE thing that you really do feel that you would be at a loss without it in your Winter months. But please keep the spend down to maximum of R100 but remember that you may not even need to spend money for this one.

3) Books may be gently read, second hand but please ensure not in terrible condition.

HOW IT WORKS

1) You leave a comment in the comment section saying ‘I’m in’,together with your name and email so we can contact you. Your commenting automatically places you as a participant. The next commenter will then get a bookish gift from the first commenter. It doesn’t matter if there is an odd amount of people taking part because each commenter will receive a book from the previous commenter. The last commenter will send a book gift to the first commenter. Easy Peasy as my daughter says…

2) This is only for South African residents.

3) Anyone can participate, you do not need to have a blog, just a postal address and email in order to contact you and let you know the details of the person you are sending it to.

4) You must be committed to participating if you leave a comment

5) The closing date for all comments will be on the 2nd June and you will have two weeks to send your parcel out. All parcels must be posted by the very latest on the 15th June.

6) Spread the word and get commenting. Everyone will receive the details of who they need to post to by 12am 3rd June.

And lastly, Have Fun!

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Indigo Fields Bookclub Competition

by imsonotablogger

OK, so who would like to spend a day at a spa, spend the night there and have all meals included?For Free?

Yes, I though that might appeal to all the ladies out there;-)

Well, you can at Indigo Fields check out their website here

And I bet you are wondering why I have this on the book club blog? Well, see there is just a little bit more to it, this is a chance for you and your entire book club to win. Head over here: www.facebook.com/indigofields to fill in all the details and find out what you need to know and well, you never know but you do need to be in it to win it, as they say!

I have added all the info here, but you need to enter on the facebook page…

Well, here is your chance, all you need to do is enter this competition to stand a chance of winning your bookclub a day at Indigo Fields Spa with overnight stay and all meals included up to the value of R12 400!! The competition is open to anyone, you just need to pay your own travel expenses.

Let’s go Book Clubs! and please send us some of the photos of your book clubs too and let us know once you are up and in the competition so we can come and like you to help you win!!

Good luck!

What a wonderful way to celebrate your book club and especially before Christmas!

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WOW!

by imsonotablogger

What a fantastic, overwhelming response to the literary give away blog hop!

I certainly entered many give aways so here’s hoping I win one…

but, there are many people who have entered to win either The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood or Have a little faith by Mitch Albom and I am sure that you are all itching to know who the winners are. Well,before we get there, I would just like to say thank you to everyone who visited The Book Club Blog, who took the time to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. I look forward to keeping in touch via books. And also a huge thank you to Judith for organising the whole shebang, it was an honour to be part of something so fabulously bookish, even down here at the tip of Africa!

So, with no further ado, the winner of THE PENELOPIAD is…

Rebecca from Rebecca Reads

And the winner of HAVE A LITTLE FAITH is…

Darlene from Darlene’s Book Nook

CONGRATULATIONS AND HAPPY READING! I would love it if you would let me know what you think once you have read them, always nice to know other reader’s opinions on a specific book.

I will have notified you of winning via email and if you could get back to me with postal addresses within the next 48hours, that would be hugely appreciated. Please also note that the books will be coming through international postings so may take a couple of weeks to arrive.

Once again, congrats! It was great to play along:-)

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Literary Giveaway Blog Hop

by imsonotablogger

The blog hop, which is being hosted by Judith at Leeswarmes, is open from June 25th to June 29th and I have two books to be given away and both internationally! So, you get to choose your title and because there is nothing nicer that receiving a gift in the post, I am throwing in a book mark too.

So, without any further ado, the first book I am giving away is… drum roll please…

HAVE A LITTLE FAITH – MITCH ALBOM

I recently read this book and it is a nugget of a book. In fact, any of Mitch Alboms books are little gold nuggets.

I particularly enjoyed this book as it is a true story, his first non fiction book since Tuesdays with Morrie and the story begins with and unusual request: an 82-year-old rabbi from Albom’s old hometown asks him to deliver his eulogy.

This book is about a life’s purpose; about losing belief and finding it again; about the divine spark inside us all. It is one man’s journey, but it is everyone’s story.

A beautiful poignant story which even the most hardened atheist would enjoy!

I also have a copy of… another drum roll please…

THE PENELOPIAD-MARGARET ATWOOD

I really enjoyed the retelling of the myth of Penelope and think that it should be one book that everyone should read, hence my reason for adding it to the literary giveaway blog hop.

“Now that all the others have run out of air, it’s my turn to do a little story-making.”

In Homer’s account in The Odyssey, Penelope – wife of Odysseus and cousin of the beautiful Helen of Troy – is portrayed as the quintessential faithful wife, her story a salutary lesson through the ages. Left alone for twenty years when Odysseus goes off to fight in the Trojan war after the abduction of Helen, Penelope manages, in the face of scandalous rumours, to maintain the kingdom of Ithaca, bring up her wayward son, and keep over a hundred suitors at bay, simultaneously. When Odysseus finally comes home after enduring hardships, overcoming monsters and sleeping with goddesses, he kills her suitors and – curiously – twelve of her maids.

In a splendid contemporary twist to the ancient story, Margaret Atwood has chosen to give the telling of it to Penelope and to her twelve hanged Maids, asking: ‘What led to the hanging of the maids, and what was Penelope really up to?’. In Atwood’s dazzling, playful retelling, the story becomes as wise and compassionate as it is haunting, and as wildly entertaining as it is disturbing. With wit and verve, drawing on the storytelling and poetic talent for which she herself is renowned, she gives Penelope new life and reality – and sets out to provide an answer to an ancient mystery.

All you need to do to enter this give away is to

a) like us on Facebook

b) follow us on Twitter and tweet about this give away (let us know when you have tweeted about it)

c) tell me which book you would like to win and why in the comments section.

If you do all three that gives you three chances to win! Nothing like making it extra easy, now is there??

So, go on, tweet, facebook and blog hop to your hearts content, it is weekend after all!

And on the morning of the 30th I will notify the winners.

List with all the Participants:

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Another successful giveaway winner…

by imsonotablogger

And here is the winning mystery:

My detective story goes back many many years. My best friend started dating my now husbands best friend. Her dad – a pastor – found out about him and grounded her and wouldnt let me see her for days! Me, being the fantastic detective that I am, shoved a cooler box of food into my car, got my now hubby and her boyfriend into the car and then we drove through to her house and started “investigating”. We parked up on this hill just outside her house, with the car lights off, just edged up enough to view the house. All the lights were off in the house, so her then boyfriend and I decided to sneak around the propery to see if she was ok. This included us jumping over the wall, trying to keep oogies (her tiny maltese poodle) quiet and then knocking on her bedroom window, very quietly.

She wasnt there. They went camping for the weekend!

Well done,Lauren, from Life or Something Like it! Please send me your details so I can get the book to you asap!

And keep your eyes open for our next give away which is international and is part of the LITERARY GIVEAWAY BLOG HOP. I am just one of sixty blogs which will be giving away a book between the 25th and 29th June. So head on over here and there next week and see if you can win a book!! Happy book blog hopping!

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The Manservant Mysteries Give Away!

by imsonotablogger

So, a little birdy told me about a new South African author who resides in Pretoria and has just recently published his first book. Yep, you guessed it, its called The Manservant Mysteries and it is written by Lee Herrmann. I was lucky enough to receive a book sent to me kindly from his publisher and I have just finished reading it and now, I get to tell you all about it:-)

Inspector Beauregard Pilkington is a retired Scotland yard detective. He and his loyal manservant Marmaduke are invited for a weekend away at an old friend’s summer retreat and while there, is called apon to solve a murder. This book is humerous and engaging. It is a short and easy read and as the back cover says: ‘And absurdly funny mystery that involves a detective. His Manservant . And an African Nile parrot’.

And a little about the author…

Lee Herrmann was born and raised in South Africa. He has been heavily influenced by comic books, movies, television and popular culture over the years and finally decided to make his ideas a reality with this book. He originally conceived the characters as a radio serial titled Murder in the Morning at the University of Pretoria while working on the breakfast show at the campus radio station TuksFM (2001-2003). The adventures were wildly popular and Lee knew he would make use of them again someday. He has a varied writing background and has experience in copywriting, writing for web, radio and magazines. Hopefully this is the start of many more adventures to come. And yes, hopefully it is just the start as I really enjoyed his first one!

Lee lives in Pretoria with his wife Dina and son, Max and can be found going to the movies every Saturday night with his friend Steve-Dave.

And just to end off this Fabulous Saturday, I have one copy of The Manservant Mysteries to give away. Yes, to you, my loyal readers all you need to do is leave a comment in the comments section telling me when you had to be detective like… in any way shape or form. From sneaking out when you were a teenager to solving the mystery of who ate the last chocolate biscuit which you were certain was left in the biscuit tin…I will get a third party to read through them and the most absurdly funny comment will win! Winner will be announced on Saturday 17th June.

This offer is unfortunately not international, keeping it within South Africa! Good luck and happy commenting!

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The Local Lit Scene

celebrating South African Literature beyond our past

Literary Blog Hop

Year of the Gherkin – John Dobson. A review

And the winner is….

MYSTICA

BAREFOOT MED STUDENT

The Literary Blog Hop

WINTER MYSTERY BOOK SWAP

Indigo Fields Bookclub Competition

WOW!

Literary Giveaway Blog Hop

Another successful giveaway winner…

The Manservant Mysteries Give Away!

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