Thursday 19 January 2012

Botswana Time (Will Randall)


Title: Botswana Time
Author: Will Randall
Publication Date: 2005
Publisher: Abacus
Pages: 288
Source: Book club borrowed
Genre: Travel
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Botswana Time follows Randall as he finds himself teaching a class of young children at The River of Life school in Botswana. Full of football antics, school trips and animal encounters it is the perfect kind of read for long summer days.

Surprisingly funny I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and anecdotes in this little travel novel. The descriptions of Botswana are simply stunning and he helps recreate not just a place but a culture and a way of living that you wouldn't encounter on a tourist bus ride through Africa. He goes into great detail about the kids that he teaches and who they are, their passion for football and travelling around different schools even when they barely win. The little kid who tires easily and has a 'break' and promptly falls asleep during each game is so cute.

It is a fast read and one that is very hard to put down. This isn't his first novel having written books set in India and The Solomon Islands which I would be more than happy to source out and read. Highly recommend.


Read It



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Wednesday 18 January 2012

January Readalong Update

It is with sad regret that I'm removing myself from the January readalong hosted at Reading Rambo. Unfortunately January has turned into a manic month which is requiring all of my free time and I just can't dedicate myself to a readalong as I would want to and I certainly don't want to do things by halves!

On the upside from this month I've been to Melbourne, I'm off to a wedding this weekend, I'm moving house and cities in less than two weeks (!!!) and it looks like I am all booked in to be in Sydney for the month of February (where I hope to meet my first fellow blogger). So I can tell you right now you won't find a dull moment round here! :)

Friday 13 January 2012

New Releases - January 2012

Good reads new release for January

NEW RELEASES BY GENRE

The Orphan Master's Son
A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty
The Flight of Gemma Hardy: A Novel
A Walk Across the Sun
The Thorn and the Blossom: A Two-Sided Love Story
fiction
The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great
The Bungalow: A Novel
The Baker's Daughter
At the Mercy of the Queen: A Novel of Anne Boleyn
The Crown
historical fiction

I really like the sound of both The Orphan Master's Son (set in North Korea) and The Flight of Gemma Hardy (a modern day homage to Jane Eyre). A great start to a new year!

Hello 2012!

Image source
Happy New Year my wonderful readers! They do seem to come by so quick! We are a good two weeks into the new year and already so much has happened. I am currently in Melbourne for work which has meant an overseas trip, our car has blown up, we are moving house (and cities) in two weeks and we have two weddings to attend in the near future. And 2012 has only just started! I think this is going to be a busy year.

On the reading side of things I'm really excited to get stuck into a few challenges I have signed up for. It's going to be a big year of the classics and I'm excited about trying out some new genres. I'm already behind in the Norwegian Wood read along in that I haven't even got the book! So I better get onto that as soon as I'm back in my own country. I'm really looking forward to blogging through the year and can't wait to see where 2012 takes me.