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Some more for the Christmas stocking
As was the case last week, this edition of Worth a Read provides a list of books for the holiday season – both for avid readers and for those who put their noses in a book only once a year at the beach. There is a light side to the selection, but it is not for total mindless reading either.
“Should You Judge This Book by its Cover?” By Julian Baggini; R194
Modern philosopher Julian Baggini wonders whether revenge truly is a dish best served cold. Does charity really begin at home, and should you do as the Romans do when in Rome?
“Should You Judge This Book by its Cover?” is a collection of 100 short entries casting new light on old proverbs, sayings and pieces of homespun wisdom.
Considered less philosophical than his successful 2008 book “The Duck that Won the Lottery and 99 Other Bad Arguments”, this latest instalment from Baggini is still considered to be witty and thought-provoking.
- 19/01/2010 09:13 - Worth a read?
- 19/01/2010 08:46 - International justice
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- 05/01/2010 12:30 - A new world
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- 07/12/2009 11:43 - Holiday security
- 03/12/2009 12:39 - The Constant Gardiner
- 03/12/2009 09:30 - Three screens and the cloud
- 01/12/2009 08:49 - Zimbabwe investment
“Resident Alien” By Rian Malan; R185
“Resident Alien” is Rian Malan’s first book since his hugely successful “My Traitor’s Heart”, which was published in 1990. His new book is a collection of his journalism over the past 15 years, containing articles published in the likes of “The New Yorker”, “Rolling Stone” and “Esquire”.
Discussing people as diverse as Sol Kerzner, Jackie Selebi and JM Coetzee, with settings ranging from Tanzania to Yeoville, Malan’s book is fraught with his usual self-doubt and melancholy.
However, Malan is a vivid writer with his own very South African voice, and “Resident Alien” is unlikely to disappoint.
“Wartime Courage” By Gordon Brown; R160
Gordon Brown is not only the prime minister of the United Kingdom; he is also a published author. Following his 2007 book “Courage: Eight Portraits”, which offered short biographical accounts of eight notable people in the civil and political spheres, Brown has this time turned his focus to World War 2.
“Wartime Courage” is a collection of 11 compact essays of people who made a difference to the Allied and British war effort from 1939 to 1945, all in an attempt to fight terrorism.
Although the book has been criticised for its oversimplification of war and its avoidance of controversial issues, the stories are nonetheless simple and directly told, and the book demonstrates the courage of an extraordinary generation.
“Get Her Off the Pitch” By Lynne Truss, R194
Lynne Truss is perhaps best known as chief of the punctuation police given the success of her grammar book “Eats, Shoots and Leaves”, which even included a punctuation sticker set. However, her new book is quite different. As an artsy type Truss was the first to admit that she had no interest in or care for sports, but against all odds she spent four years as a sports writer for “The Times”.
As one of only a few women in the very masculine world of sports journalism, and understanding little of the commentary or statistics, Truss found herself thrown into the deep end. However, as time went on and the number of hours spent covering people like Lennox Lewis and Andre Agassi increased, Truss developed an appreciation, if not love, for sports. A warm and witty book written from an outsider’s perspective, “Get Her Off the Pitch” will awaken the sports lover in even the most unlikely candidates.
