Category: Book chat

Book review by Marisca C

Get to know us through the books we read! We kick off the new year with a book review interview with Marisca Coetzee, an academic literacies lecturer who also coordinates the Language Centre’s Reading Lab. Marisca is a lover of words, books and stories.

You mentioned you read a great book recently. Would you like to tell us more?
I recently picked up this powerful and provocative book, The girl with the louding voice, by Abi Daré. It is the story of the 14-year-old Adunni, who grows up in a rural village in Nigeria.

Throughout her young life Adunni is confronted by overwhelming challenges, but despite what seems to be insurmountable hurdles in her path, she never loses sight of her one big dream: to get an education and to find her voice. And it is not just any voice that she wants. She wants a “louding voice” so that she can speak up for herself and for other girls like her. Adunni wants to break the cycle where girls born into a life of poverty and no future. She dreams of empowering herself through education, and then empowering others like her, to build a worthy life and future.

Even as Adunni has to struggle through the most harrowing experiences, thanks to her courage and determination to succeed, along with a little help and encouragement from an unexpected friend, she finds her “louding voice”.

Why did this book resonate with you?
Adunni’s story touched me in ways I never expected it to. My preferred genre is murder and mystery – stories that are unrealistic and even far-fetched. Adunni’s story is a realistic one, and it hit a nerve. She managed to pull me into her life and into her being. I laughed with her, got angry alongside her, and cried with her. I felt her pain, her shame, her joy and her triumphs. Adunni came to life and managed to transform herself from a fictional character to a real person, someone who has managed to convince me to be a better educator. I talk to people about Adunni as if she is one of my students and share her inspiring story. I want to be the kind of educator that walks the path with other Adunnis.

Have you perhaps learnt a life lesson from Adunni that you would like to share with us?

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Life is not fair, but that this unfairness should not prevent one from dreaming of a better future and working to achieve it; despite undergoing traumatic experiences along the way.

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Adunni has also taught me that we should never lose faith in our own abilities, and when no one is cheering for us, we need to cheer for ourselves. Lastly she taught me that a girl child, a woman, can never be stopped once she has set her mind on something. A determined woman is a force to be reckoned with.

Who else would like this book, do you think?
I believe that anyone who is passionate about education and the empowerment of the girl child, and anyone who fiercely challenges the unfairness towards children and women, will love Adunni’s story. If you need inspiration and would like to read a story about someone who never gave up, about someone who succeeded in finding her voice, you should meet Adunni and walk her path alongside her.

Tell us about your reading list…
I’ll tell you what happened over the December holidays: I reverted to my comfort genre and spent most of my time with a book in my hands. But I did try to add other genres to my reading mix as well, and read both Afrikaans and English, thanks to my amazing book club. And although I haven’t been able to read all of them (yet), these were the titles on my holiday list:

Little white lies – Philippa East

The bat – Jo Nesbo

Run away – Harlan Coben

The monk who sold his Ferrari – Robin Sharma

Misverstand – Marita van der Vyver

Split – Debbie Loots

Skuldig – Martin Sten

Die heelal op my tong – Anoeschka von Meck

Buys – Willem Anker

13 January 2022Tags: Abi Daré, empowering girls, empowerment of women, empowerment through education, girl child, girls and education, life story, The girl with the louding voice

Book chat with Risha L

Get to know us through the books we read! Every first Friday of the month we’re sharing an interview with one of the Language Centre’s staff members on a favourite or memorable book.

This month we chat to Risha Lötter, an educational interpreter who also has her own podcast and blog. Risha says she reads indiscriminately, but has a special passion for stuffy British whodunits, and she daydreams of one day writing an Agatha Christie homage detective novel.

What is the title of your favourite book? (It could also be a book that had a great impact on you, or a book that is memorable for some reason.)
Picking a favourite feels impossible, but the three that have perhaps moved me the most in recent memory are Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus, and Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

Why are these books memorable to you?
Interestingly, all three these books are about childhood, a time in our lives which is ripe for the retelling and laden with nostalgia. The young narrators in each book, and the mixture of innocence and wisdom with which they look at the world, really grabbed my imagination. I think one of the main things a good book does is to transport us into a different but recognisable world, and in the process awaken compassion within us. These books all did that in a poignant manner for me.

Who is your favourite author? Also tell us why?
Again, impossible to pick! But my go-to authors, especially when I’m having a hard day, are Agatha Christie and Terry Pratchett– early 20^th century sleuth stories and fictional fantastical worlds are my favourite brands of escapism.

What are you reading at the moment?
Non-fiction: Martha Beck’s The way of integrity, which so far is both funny and wise. Fiction: Once there were wolves, by Charlotte McConaghy, a bleak and beautiful psychological thriller set in Scotland. I’ve also recently finished reading Strange Fish by Milton Schorr, a magical realism retelling of the Little Mermaid myth set on the West Coast of South Africa. It was a joy to encounter such poignant sense of place and history in a novel, and to also recognise the landscape and references.

Do you have a preference: reading physical books with paper pages or on a Kindle or other electronic platform? Why do you say so?
I’ll read ebooks if I have to, but I much prefer reading physical books, especially since I fold page corners, underline, and in general love interacting with an actual book. Books, according to me, should look weathered and well-loved.

What book have you re-read? Also tell us why?
I am constantly rereading Daniel Ladinsky’s translation of Hafiz’s poems, titled The subject tonight is love. If I could give every person in the world a single book, that would be the book I choose.

Who is your favourite literary character?
Granny Weatherwax from the Discworld novels. A witch, midwife, wise woman and surprisingly complex character – she’s basically everything I want to be when I grow up.

Have you perhaps learnt a life lesson from a book or character that you would like to share with us?
When I was ten I first read Philip Yancey’s What’s so amazing about grace?, then re-read it as a teenager, and it completely changed my life. Yancey maintains that grace is scandalous – a breaking away from the natural laws of cause and effect, the ultimate defiance against a world filled with suffering. I see grace everywhere now: in the daily interactions we have with each other, and especially in the way the Earth maintains and nurtures us in spite of our relentless plundering of her resources.

What other books would you recommend?
All the books I’ve mentioned so far! Also Sula, by Toni Morrison, Antjie Krog’s entire oeuvre, and anything by Mary Oliver. As for non-fiction, I’d highly recommend Bessel van der Kolk’s The body keeps the score, a tender and very well-researched tome on trauma, human resilience, and how we can heal ourselves.

2 December 2021Tags: Agatha Christie, Barbara Kingsolver, British detective stories, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Hafiz’s poems, Neil Gaiman, Purple Hibiscus, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, The Poisonwood Bible

Book chat with Mariann M

Get to know us through the books we read! Every first Friday of the month we’re sharing an interview with one of the Language Centre’s staff members on a favourite or memorable book.

This month we chat to Mariann Maartens, an educational interpreter at the Language Centre, and a board member of the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB). These days, Mariann does not have much time to read, but she is very enthusiastic about the books she does manage to get to.

What is the title of your favourite book? (It could also be a book that had a great impact on you, or a book that is memorable for some reason.)
I wish I could magically produce a favourite book in all honesty and with absolute conviction. Yes, many books have made a deep and lasting impression on me through the years, but there is no way at all in which I can define a favourite book. The way in which I choose books to read, depends directly on the amount of free time I have (and, if I may mention it, my free time has been almost non-existent in recent years). This may sound ridiculous, but there you are.

There are many books (real books with pages that have the unique scent of books), without specifically mentioning the names of authors or books, that regularly find their way to my bedside table, a shady spot underneath a tree in my garden, or, in winter, to where I curl up in front of the fireplace. Who remembers Hettie Smit’s Sy kom met die sekelmaan? Apart from the jolt that goes through my heart when I merely think about it, it takes me back to my years in my former res on campus, Lydia (not to mention the trip down memory lane when I do my work as interpreter in the Krotoa Bluilding (previously the Wilcocks), and the lectures by Prof DJ Opperman, WEG Louw, Prof Lina Spies and other leading figures in days gone by).

But this is not where my hodgepodge ends – I devour books about reincarnation, and I have enjoyed Darwin’s Darwin’s hunch and even Robin Sharma’s The monk who sold his Ferrari.

So, no favourite book or author?
No, I do not have a favourite book at all. There is no way I can imagine myself in a corner of a small room with one book by one author without climbing the walls. I definitely also do not have a favourite author. To me, it is more about the reason for the book’s existence, the content, the revelations, insights, and feelings of joy or sorrow it awakens in me.

What are you reading at the moment?
If only I could have time to read the pile of books that are waiting for me! At the moment I’m reading Hijackers on board by Cynthia Stimpel (it tells how one lone whistle blower took on the hijacking of SAA and reported to the treasury in parliament). Next on my list are A woman makes a plan by Maye Musk (an inspiring memoir about how Elon Musk’s mother, as a single parent, won an emotional and financial battle against almost unsurmountable odds) and Ryan Blumenthal’s Autopsy (life in the trenches with a forensic pathologist in Africa).

Do you have a preference: reading physical books with paper pages or on a Kindle or other electronic platform? Why do you say so?
A Kindle could POSSIBLY work on a long international flight, with the emphasis on possibly! I enjoy nothing as much as the smell of the pages of a book. The only thing that could approach that feeling of utter contentment is when one’s book drops out of your hand at the same moment that your drooping eyelids lose their battle against gravity in the pool of light from your bedside lamp, and your head sinks back onto your pillow.

What book have you re-read? Also tell us why?
Old favourites of mine that are always begging to be reread are Catch 22 by Joseph Heller, My wicked wicked ways by Errol Flynn and all Spike Milligan’s books. Who can forget those famous words, “We don’t have a plan, so nothing can go wrong” or his epitaph, “I told you I was ill”?

Who is your favourite literary character?
Morticia Addams of the Addams family.

Have you perhaps learnt a life lesson from a book or character that you would like to share with us?
Morticia Addams takes up the cudgels for any woman who has her own passionate personality, and who could not care less about what anyone thinks of her, her preferences and her utterances (I wish I could be like that!). She believes in herself – that is the way she is, and she has no intention of changing. Her motto is unambiguous: Accept me the way I am, or go.

What other books would you recommend?
At the very least Cynthia Stimpel’s Hijackers on board. Unfortunately, I have not yet read the whole book, but I did attend Cynthia’s talk about her book and I am the very proud owner of a signed copy that I’m reading at the moment. 😀 It was an eye-opener to hear how this woman took a deliberate decision to take on the ‘SAA-Goliath’ on her own when she realised she could not live with and keep quiet about their problematic ethics and operational processes. She was reviled because of her revelations. She lost her job and her reputation took a knock, but her integrity and self-respect remained intact. Hats off to her, I think! I hope I can find even the smallest grain of those attributes somewhere in my own makeup to nurture and take from strength to strength so that I can live it to the fullest.

4 November 2021Tags: Addams family, Cyntia Stimpel, Hettie Smit, Joseph Heller, Maye Musk, Morticia Addams, reading for pleasure, Spike Milligan

Book chat with Ydalene C

Get to know us through the books we read! Every month we’re sharing an interview with one of the Language Centre’s staff members on a favourite or memorable book.

This month we chat to Ydalene Coetsee, an academic literacies lecturer at the Language Centre. Ydalene is an avid reader who is tempted to read even while walking in the mountains, but, having said that, she quickly admits that she does enjoy the view too.

What is the title of the book you’d like to share with us?
The Overstory by Richard Powers. The book won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Why is this book memorable to you?
Although I have consistently read at least two books a week for the past 50 years, there are not many that will drastically change the way I live. But The Overstory is such a book. It is a novel about trees, and it inspired me to live more proactively for the sake of the natural world.

Who is your favourite author? Also tell us why?
It is Philip Yancey. He applies complicated principles to daily living in such a way that his readers can live a more fulfilled life.

What are you reading at the moment?
I am always reading at least three books. Because Covid-19 has prevented me from travelling over the winter holidays, I’m enjoying warmer climates by reading A year in the World by Frances Mayes; I’m also preparing a book club talk on Confessions by Jaume Cabre, a Catalan author; and I’m reading Vonke uit die koeroeklip by Gert Sarrisam, about somebody I used to know as a child.

Do you have a preference: reading physical books with paper pages or on a Kindle or other electronic platform? Why do you say so?
This pandemic necessitates spending way too many hours in front of a screen. Now I prefer paper books again. They smell and feel better, and sometimes even have beautiful covers!

What book have you re-read? Also tell us why?
I’ve read most of the classics more than once because I read most of them for the first time when I was about 20, and at the time I wouldn’t have understood them fully. Also, I tend to read so fast that I sometimes miss some important information or things to think about.

Who is your favourite literary character?
Huppelkind, because he reminds me of a very happy and uncomplicated time in my childhood. The book also has a lyrical quality that encourages dancing and running in the sun.

Have you perhaps learnt a life lesson from a book or character that you would like to share with us?
The wisest lessons for me are from ancient religious texts: Ecclesiastes, Rumi, Kahlil Gibran.

What book/books would you recommend to your students, friends or anyone else?
There are no limits to the growth that you can effect in yourself and the world if you read books. Read about world changers if you want to change the world. (The last biography I read was Empress Dowager Cixi (by Jung Chang) about the Chinese ruler who opened up China to Western influence.) Read what you enjoy, think about what you read and apply your reading to improve our world.

7 October 2021Tags: Ecclesiastes, Empress Dowager Cixi, Huppelkind, Kahlil Gibran, Reading, Richard Powers, Rumi, The Overstory

Book chat with Alta vR

Get to know us through the books we read! Every first Friday of the month we’re sharing an interview with one of the Language Centre’s staff members on a favourite or memorable book.

This month we’re chatting to Alta van Rensburg, a deputy director at the Language Centre. Alta loves reading and travelling, and if these two loves can be combined, so much the better.

What is the title of the book you’d like to share with us?
Something I recently enjoyed was Lucinda Riley’s Seven Sisters series, currently consisting of seven books. It is based on the star cluster Pleiades, which is described in various cultures. The series starts with the death of the father of seven adopted daughters, and the letters he wrote to each of them with clues about where they had come from, should they wish to trace their biological families. By the end of the seventh book, it becomes obvious that there will have to be an eighth book about the father. The author recently passed away, and readers are still not certain whether that last book has indeed been written and whether it will be published still. The uncertainty reminds me somewhat of Game of Thrones…

Why is this book memorable to you?
Four main reasons: First, the reader travels to various parts of the world with each sister (like Brazil, Scotland, Scotland, Kenia and Ireland), with two captivating story lines: the one in the present and the other in the past, after which these two story lines are combined. Second, it is about strong female characters whose lives are suddenly thrown into disarray, and the reader experiences with each sister her internal journey in her search for her identity and purpose in life. Third, the eldest sister is a translator, as I am. And, finally, I studied music in my undergraduate years, and the second sister is related to Edvard Grieg, the Norwegian composer, so I was unable to resist the rest of the series after those first books!

Who is your favourite author? Also tell us why?
I love fantasy, especially Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. And I burst out laughing time and again when reading Nataniël’s columns.

What are you reading at the moment?
The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron, which has already given me useful ideas about how to rediscover and develop my creativity.

Do you have a preference: reading physical books with paper pages or on a Kindle or other electronic platform? Why do you say so?
There is no option – I definitely want to feel the pages of the printed book in my hands.

What book have you re-read? Also tell us why?
Elders by Erns Grundling, where he describes his pilgrimage on the Camino (the French route). It inspired me to walk the Portuguese Coastal Route with a group from the magazine Weg in October 2019. I am extremely grateful that I didn’t postpone that journey until later. Buen Camino!

Who is your favourite literary character?
The cat Maurice in Terry Pratchett’s The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents. Maurice is a street cat and a swindler who, assisted by of a couple of clever rats, tricks gullible people out of their money. This book is great fun!

Have you perhaps learnt a life lesson from a book or character that you would like to share with us?
The recent death of a dear colleague reminded me of a book I read as a child: Michael Ende’s fairytale novel Momo that was translated into Afrikaans from German. It is a timeless tale about the “grey gentlemen” who steal people’s time. The little girl Momo is the only one who notices what’s happening. She is scared, but brave enough to go and look for the stolen time and give it back to the people. Unfortunately, we cannot recover lost time, which is why I try hard to live every moment to the full in the here and now, and to make memories with my loved ones.

What other books would you recommend?
Tracy Chevalier: She combines historical facts with imagination in Girl with a Pearl Earring to weave a background story about the famous painting by the Dutch artist, Jan Vermeer. Her other books are also very readable. Anything by Marita van der Vyver – including her books about food. And then, especially: Anything that makes you laugh out loud!

3 September 2021Tags: Edvard Grieg, Elders, Erns Grundling, favourite book, favourite character, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Julia Cameron, Lucinda Riley, Marita van der Vyver, Maurice, Michael Ende, Momo, Nataniël, Neil Gaiman, Seven Sisters, Terry Pratchett, The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, The Artist’s Way, Tracy Chevalier, translation, travelling

Book chat with Marisca C

Get to know us through the books we read! Every first Friday of the month we’re sharing an interview with one of the Language Centre’s staff members on a favourite or memorable book.

This month we’re chatting to Marisca Coetzee, academic literacies lecturer and coordinator of the Reading Lab. Marisca loves reading and is a passionate advocate for early reading with children.

What is the title of the book you’d like to share with us?
The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod has had a huge impact on me.

Why is this book memorable to you?
Reading The Miracle Morning was a game changer for me in the sense that it was a habit changer. I’ve always been very skeptical about any book in the ‘Self-help/self-improvement’ category and usually avoid those shelves in a bookshop… nevertheless, by chance, I came across The Miracle Morning. This book has inspired me to be accountable and to transform my life. By implementing Hal Elrond’s Life S.A.V.E.R.S (Silence, Affirmations, Visualization, Exercise, Reading and Scribing), I now have control over those aspects of my life that can be controlled, and acceptance of those aspects I cannot control. I am happier, healthier, less stressed and have energy to tackle each day head on. It has been particularly helpful in this challenging year the world has thrown our way.

Who is your favourite author? Also tell us why?
Trying to choose a favourite author is like trying to choose your favourite child. It is impossible. Favourite authors change like seasons do. At the moment my favourite season is autumn and with autumn comes Camilla Läckberg and Deon Meyer.

What are you reading at the moment?
At the moment I’m reading Prooi by Deon Meyer and The Choice by Edith Eger.

Do you have a preference: reading physical books with paper pages or on a Kindle or other electronic platform? Why do you say so?
Is this even a question??? I associate reading on any electronic devices with work, so when it comes to reading for enjoyment, I want a physical book. I want to feel the pages between my fingers. And smell the paper.

What book have you re-read? Also tell us why?
The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a book that deserves more than one reading. I read it for the first time in my early 20s while travelling abroad. Reading a book for a second or third time at later stages in your life, brings completely different experiences and dimensions. You see the characters in a different light. Your attitude towards them is different from the first time you met them. All books that are larger than life, deserves a second reading.

Who is your favourite literary character?
Currently it is Bennie Griessel. Every time we ‘meet up’ in a novel, he makes me realise how fragile life. By living through him, I realise how important family is and how we should never take anything for granted. He has taught me to never judge someone until you have walked a mile in that person’s shoes. He also taught me that rough diamonds are particularly precious.

What book/books would you recommend to your students, friends or anyone else?
Definitely The Miracle Morning, The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Into the Wild.

5 August 2021Tags: Bennie Griessel, Camilla Läckberg, Deon Meyer, Edith Eger, favourite book, favourite character, habit changer, Hal Elrond, Into the Wild, The Miracle Morning, The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Book chat with Eppie M

Get to know us through the books we read! Every first Friday of the month we’ll share an interview with a Language Centre staff member on a favourite or memorable book.

Eppie McFarlane is a TEFL instructor at the Language Centre and an English as a second language (ESL) teacher. (TEFL is the qualification that enables one to teach English as a foreign language. You can read more about the Language Centre’s TEFL course here.)

Eppie, what is the title of your favourite book?
Outlander
Why is this your favourite book?
It’s a great saga, beautifully written and well researched – believable.
Who is your favourite author? Also tell us why?
Diana Gabaldon at the moment. I’m very taken with her great way of writing and her thorough research.
What are you reading at the moment?
The Outlander Series 7-book bundle. I have the eighth book on my Kindle. I am almost finished with book six. We watched the series and I am thoroughly enjoying reading the books.
What book have you re-read? Also tell us why?
Oh, many! My reading is my escape into a fictional world, so I love good-news stories. I escape into historical fiction as history fascinates me. As long as the English is well written, I will read it. I have read many great modern novels and I enjoy the classics. However I don’t willingly read science fiction, horror, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or watch movies or series about them.
Who is your favourite literary character?
Currently Claire Beauchamp. Why? The way the author has taken the character through the time period that the books span is very interesting.
What book/books would you recommend to your students?
This is not an easy question to answer because it depends on the level of students, their interests and what they like reading. Novels are fine for higher-level students (upper intermediate up) but shorter books, including suitable non-fiction works, work really well for lower levels. For example, I love cooking and have many cook books, so I often share recipes and or cookbooks with students and (in a writing exercise) get students to write up their favourite recipes. I have a collection of them. Travel guides also work for lower levels, and other interesting non-fiction books, like information about plants, animals and places where students are staying or where they plan to visit. Poetry seldom works with EFL students (students who are learning English as a foreign language) and comic books are patently unsuccessful too due to the non-literal meanings. I guess what I am saying is that it is a difficult question to answer, and I would address it on a case-by-case or student-by-student manner.

1 July 2021Tags: Claire Beauchamp, Diana Gabaldon, ESL, favourite book, favourite character, Outlander series, Reading, TEFL