Cape Town Book Fair

Giiselle Willcox, author of Three, joined best friend Shelli Nurcombe-Thorne for a celebration – of the launch of three and of the celebration of motherhood, which, Giselle admitted in her honest and conversational dialogue, is something we don’t always feel like celebrating.

In her humorous introduction, editor of joburg.co.za, Shelli described the book as being like “a long afternoon session with [her] best friend”. And every mother needs a best friend.

As with any good party, sweets and cupcakes were the order of the day – and Cape Town-renowned Charly’s Bakery made sure that each guest received a vanilla cupcake, each one iced with the word “three” in red icing in keeping with the book’s title and branding. But the real highlight for these adult party-goers was a game of pass-the-parcel that Giselle played with audience members. Hidden inside each layer – layers being Spiderman wrapping paper, of course – was a kiddies’ gift, along with a question directed at Giselle, one that the winner was required to read out. The prizes included a bag of marbles and, fittingly enough, Giselle was asked if she ever lost her marbles – to which she smartly answered “No, never!” and a Winnie-the-Pooh lunchbox, whose winner read out the following: “Just because an animal is large, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t want kindness; however big Tigger seems to be, remember that he wants as much kindness as Roo.” The gist of Giselle’s talk was that moms need to be kind to themselves too – and not just to their kids – and that that, she believes, is the essential ingredient in being a good mom – not that she would have any clue of course, she acknowledged! The last winner got to take home a copy of Giselle’s book and after a question-and-answer session, this particular “party” was brought to an end. The session proved entertaining and something a little well, out of the (party) box!

Quote of the hour: “Parenting is a negative thing. Keep your children from killing themselves or anyone else, and hope for the best,” by Erma Bombeck, American columnist and author.
-Giselle Wilcox

The Electric Book Works stand at the Cape Town Book Fair hosted the temporary launch of Tania van Schalkwyk’s Hyphen, the sixth book in the UCT Writer’s Series. Temporary because the books were not yet available – but can be preordered at the fair at a discount – and because the official launch will take place at the Two Oceans Aquarium in July.

EBW accounted both artistically and effectively for the lack of the book by printing several single pages of van Schalkwyk’s poems which the author gladly signed, as well as postcards featuring the book’s cover.

Quote of the hour:“I once walked into the Gucci store in my pyjamas”
-Tania van Schalkwyk on the Waterfront “Walk of Shame”

Imraan Coovadia, who arrived in Cape Town from Italy this morning, was interviewed by author Damon Galgut about his new novel, High Low In-between. Galgut introduced the rather tired looking Coovadia and explained why gave an explanation as to why their conversation might be somewhat jet-lagged. Despite this, Galgut said that they did promise a chance for some questions from the audience after the session; and answer to which Coovadia responded, “I think we promised the questions but not necessarily the answers.”

Quote of the hour: “Growing up seems like such an exaggeration in my case”
-Imraan Coovadia

“Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean” – the essence of being a crime writer. Or is it? Some of these sound meaner than they will admit…

Deon Meyer, winner of the first annual M-Net Film Award, Margie Orford, Roger Smith, Joanne Hichens, and Mike Nicol joined Joe Muller for a panel discussion on the thrills and spills, dirty details and occassionally all-out violence of South African crime fiction.

“I like guns,” said Joanne Hichens, “they are iconic for all crime fiction. Guns and sex.” On Bad Company, a recent collection of South African crime short stories, Hichens said: “The writers came up with a whole lot of interesting ways of killing, which is very South African.”

Quote of the hour: “It takes a very long time to become an overnight success.”
-Margie Orford

Although Sarah Lotz’s Exhibit A is a crime story with a witty edge, it does not make light of violence. It is handled in a mature, sensitive manner.

According to Helen Moffet, writer and research fellow at the African Gender Institute, this is especially important when someone writes about rape as Lotz has done. Moffet spoke at the launch of Lotz’s book at the Cape Town Book Fair. Lotz read from Exhibit A and signed books for the many fans that attended.

“A rape survivor, or someone who knows a survivor – and there are many, believe me – will be comfortable reading Sarah’s book,” Moffett said. She also liked the fact that Lotz did not “wrap everything up with a sickly sweet bow in the end”.

Moffett encouraged people who like thrillers, animals, and especially court crime thrillers to read the book.

Quote of the hour: “If you like John Grisham, rather read this, because it is better AND it is from South Africa!”
-Helen Moffett

Zukiswa Wanner, most recently author of Behind Every Successful Woman, led a panel of three Jacana authors on the topic of “New Fiction”: Megan Voysey-Braig, Till We Can Keep An Animal, Elana Bregin, Shiva’s Dance, and Lauren Beukes, Moxyland.

Wanner asked each author to reduce her book to its basic elements after which she summarised it herself in terms of a theme that could be traced between the three works: that of difference. She used the example of Moxyland in which a criminal is given “corporate service” as punishment.

Quote of the hour: “Branding is viral and literally addictive”
-Lauren Beukes

John van de Ruit brings us Spud – Learning to Fly, the third instalment of the incredibly successful series of novels that started with Spud. Feeling worn out and somewhat drained of his creative spirit, van de Ruit spent two months backpacking around South East Asia, and while exploring the streets, markets and quirks of Hanoi, Vietnam, found his inspiration again. The result? One year later: here he is, reading to happy fans from Spud – Learning to Fly. Catch him signing books at the Penguin Books Stand at 12 noon today.

Quote of the hour: “I’ve just had the first launch of Spud – Learning to Fly. My publishers told me 2000 people attended, and I signed 1800 books… So the hand’s been hanging at a funny angle ever since.”
-John van de Ruit

From IOL Tonight:

Gather at the Dalro Forum to hear authors discuss their book about the TRC testimony of the mother of one of the Guguletu Seven, There was this Goat. Duncan Brown, Nosisi Mpolweni and Kopano Ratele will be in discussion.

If you prefer chick-lit, meet Fiona Snyckers who is being hailed as the first South African writer of this genre. Her character, Trinity Luhabi, will have you laughing (and shedding the odd tear) when Snyckers talks about her book Trinity Rising.

• Read the complete article

Book details

• There Was This Goat: Investigating the Truth Commission Testimony of Notrose Nobomvu Konile by Antjie Krog, Nosisi Mpolweni, Kopano Ratele
  Book homepage
  EAN: 9781869141660
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

• Trinity Rising by Fiona Snyckers
  Book homepage
  EAN: 9781868423170
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

UK Chick-lit queen Adele Parks is coming to the Cape Town Book Fair to promote her latest, Love Lies.

Jennifer Crocker – who, it must be mentioned, works on the CTBF PR team at HWB – liked the book:

Lovers of chick-lit will be thrilled by Adele Parks’s sassy new novel Love Lies.

Just in case you don’t know what chick-lit is, Wikipedia defines it as “a term used to denote genre fiction within women’s fiction written for young women, especially single, working women in their 20s and 30s. Although usually including romantic elements, women’s fiction … is generally not considered a direct subcategory of the romance novel genre. Because in women’s fiction the heroine’s relationship with her family or friends may be just as important as her relationship with the hero”.

This puts Love Lies mostly in the chick-lit category.

It’s the story of Fern who thinks that her relationship with her long-term boyfriend Adam is amazing, but then begins to realise that the only dust in their home is under the bed and not body glitter.

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Get ready for a feast of reading, meeting authors, and talking books at the fourth annual Cape Town Book Fair.

This year Adele Parks, international author of seven best-selling novels including her latest, Tell Me Something, will be at the fair, which runs from 13 to 16 June at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

This is the largest book fair in sub-Saharan Africa.

Entry costs R50 for adults, R20 for pensioners, while children accompanied by adults and students with valid student cards gain free admission. Exclusive Books Fanatics members get a 50% discount on presentation of their membership card.
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