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the joy of reading

Written by tha - bang from the blog blah blah on 01 Aug 2008
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Ive rekindled my love for reading books,something I thought died with my puberty years and bed wetting days mmmh ja anyhow,good books to read,good books ur reading? I'm currently going through Ndumiso Ngcobo , some of my best friends are white ,and i find it more insightful, funnier and provocative than O mandigo that felt a bit too sef rightous in parts. Ndumisos' book got me thinking what other good South African books are out there for me to read.

the madams

I have heard great praise for Zukswa Wanners the Madam and her latest book behind every succesful man. My girl read it in two days,apperantly its that good but it sounds too much like a chick flick in a book for me.But Im willing to try new things and experiment so the two are on my list . behind

But Im willing to try new things and experiment so the two are on my list . Plus the covers for her two books look cool,im simple like that.
zakes1

Then I've read Zakes Mda The madonna of excelsior and Ways of dying. I fell in love with how the man writes; his sense of humour, wit and subject matter but above all how he's book seem to be in a debate with concepts and ideas around South Africa and the South African experience.

So any other good South African books out there that you guys can recommend? My thursday are now my book reading day so let it rip,i'm armed with a pencil and paper?Plus i don't discriminate like Big Pun said "i regulate" so whatever genre it does not matter, even religious stuff i dont mind. As long as its a good book, no matter how relative the idea of good is and it has to be South African or at the least from our continent.

74 Comments

tha - bang
01 Aug 2008 07:56

come now TVSA peeps lets prove the stereotype wrong,hit me with some suggestions and cosmo and drum dont count nhe

Nonny
01 Aug 2008 07:59

"come now TVSA peeps lets prove the stereotype wrong,hit me with some suggestions and cosmo and drum dont count nhe"
ahahahah Tha - bang, now let me read ur blog.

tubs
01 Aug 2008 09:48

Hi,I read a piece from 'some of my best friends are white' from wait for it...Drum(:!and I liked it, so I'm gonna try get a copy of that. Spud was a good one, by John van der Ruit, that's the only one that sticks out at the moment

Toxic
01 Aug 2008 10:17

Aaaaagh!!!!! i have been beggin a fellow blogger to write about The Madams for ages now. I hated that book!!!!!!! Amateurish writing taken to manic proportions. If that book is on any best seller lists, the majority of TVSA BLOGGERS & COMMENTERS can callm themselves novelist.

I don't know who edited her book and i'm willing to bet it's someone that's not a Zulu-speaking person by origins. The way Zulu phrases were written in that book is terrible....they were written just the way most 'foreigners' speak the language and some of the quotes were said to be from taxi-drivers' mouths!!!! E.g MASIHLALISANE, 4-4 was written: Nalihlalisane four four or somthing like that. i'll get the book and give exact quotes on monday.
Sure there's a story there but it's LAME!

Zakes Mda:

If u can get your hands on The Heart of Redness, please READ that book. it'llg et u hooked on Zakes' writing. Holla if u fail to get it elsewhere, i have a copy.

Kopano Matlwa's Coconut has not received that many rave reviews and i struggled to understand why cause i could NOT put that book down. It's written so beautifully and tells a story that needs to be told. i guess in part for Coconuts to have their say and in part to make the rest of us aware of the struggles and battles they go through. It's a great book tha-bang, i won't say much more than that!

Fred Khumalo's Bitch's Brew. I have not read it but i know it's out there.

There's a book by a Motswana woman wako Botswana. I think the name is 1st lady detective (made into a movie starring Jill Scott). A simple tale that reminds us that stories need not be complicated. It's light reading so you can read it in the bus, the toilet (the best place to read) or even while u're waiting for your date.

What else???? Hmm, i'm raiding my bookshelf today, will be back on Monday with more recommendations.

Toxic
01 Aug 2008 10:28

How we buried Puso (pls dbl check this title) Morabo Morojele

Bought this book 3 years ago and have not finished reading it.

Try imagining how Thabo Mbeki's novel would read like and u may get the picture. There is a story that he tries to tell but in telling it he uses 'intelligent' and unnecessarily 'poetic' words so much that reading it becomes too much of an effort.

When you catch yourself reading the same paragraph over and over again, then the joy in reading slowly diminishes. i love reading. I'll read anything and everything and so i can't discard of the book and i still find it a challenge to finish it and i will finish it-in a year or so. i think he made the book complicated by making it feel "academic" but if that's your kinda reading, then get it.

There's a book called Desert Flower that i am struggling to get my hands on. If anyone has a copy or knows where to get it (without me having to go to amazon or kalahari) please let me know.

Beyonce
02 Aug 2008 06:16

I've read Ndumiso's book "Some of my best friends..." Hilarious, on point and very relavent.

SA writers only? Eish

Non SAcan... currently Im reading 'Women & Money by Suze Orman' please Tha Bang buy this book for your lady, and I recommed it to any other honey-making-money or honey- wanting -to- make -money:)!

I just finished Fascinating Womenhood by Helen Andelin... this one is for a woman who is getting married or just got married, I got it as a gift on my engagement party last yr! Beautiful read ladies

Beyonce
03 Aug 2008 05:14

My bad... its 'Fascinating Womanhood'

eish-bo
03 Aug 2008 16:37

Was hooked on Zake's Mda after reading the Heart of Redness, that was a great book, wish I had more time but whenever a chance pops up I make time to read a good novel...

tha - bang
04 Aug 2008 01:21

Ok now,people do read.I need to pull my socks then.As soon as im done with what im reading i'll go shopping for "the heart of redness".due to my ignorance ive never even heard about it but u guys are giving it a glorified thumbs up so i'll give it a try.
As for the madams i havent read it but i hear your issues Toxic and i think they are very valid but i'll check it out nonetheless and let you know what i thought.
@Beyonce my lady is in to money so i think she'll appreciate it,thanks for the heads up.
tubs you are not the first person to recommend spud so i think its about time i take out for a stroll.sweet.

belz
04 Aug 2008 01:33

E.g MASIHLALISANE, 4-4 was written: Nalihlalisane four four or somthing> LOL!, i feel like i have to read this. Im currently reading a non SA book thabang, Losing my virginity, by Richard Branson, love it!!!!

LM
04 Aug 2008 02:14

Haaaa! Toxic, u harsh yazi...anyway it's diff strokes for diff peeps. I loved The Madams so that I read it for the second time two weeks back. I haven't checked Fred's and Zakes' books. I still need to check At Risk by ????

Great article Thabang...I said much about books on Segololo's bookworm blog..if I say something I'll be repeating myself.
come now TVSA peeps lets prove the stereotype wrong,hit me with some suggestions and cosmo and drum dont count nhe" Why don't they? I read anything from Move! magazine, newspapers to Home Owner magazine.....and that's reading, right?

tha - bang
04 Aug 2008 02:26

yes it s readingLM but im looking for booksnot magazines

Toxic
04 Aug 2008 02:44

LM, didn't u find the parts where the Zulu/Xhosa was badly written irritating??? Uh-uh, if someone's writing in a language that's not theirs they should get someone to check their spelling.

As it goes, i forgot to bring the book.

There's a book called INYENZI-set in the DRC-forgot the author.
When the Crocodile Eats the Sun is also well written- about Zimbabwe.

Toxic
04 Aug 2008 02:46

booksnot magazines.......WTF is that??

Hlehle
04 Aug 2008 02:47

I'm not into reading books.

tha - bang
04 Aug 2008 03:02

booksnot magazines.......WTF is that??
i meant books not magazines; i rather have a discussion on books than on what good magazines to read.i prefer books to mags,thats all

Toxic
04 Aug 2008 03:16

oh!! sorry man it really did look like a word: booksnot.

carino
04 Aug 2008 03:32

booksnot magazines.......WTF is that??

ROFL @Tox tl tl tl..

FK
04 Aug 2008 03:56

Miss Kwa Kwa - Traditional Weapon by Stephen Simm.

"Miss Kwa Kwa is a similarly unsavoury character; a beauty queen from rural Kwa Kwa (Qwa Qwa) who travels to the big smoke with dreams of superstardom. She arrives to find it's not quite as she'd imagined; a disastrous debut on television almost sees her dream shattered, but when Miss Kwa Kwa snares the adoration of a high profile politician, he leads her into the world of Johannesburg's elite nightclub, Studio 94. Her career, at appears, is set. But this is not a rags to riches comedy drama; Miss Kwa Kwa is a superbly drawn and utterly despicable character."

One of her Lessons – Never forget where you come from .... That way you’ll always be sure to never go back there.

In this book, Simm attacks all the phonies, and does it deftly; because his novel is so funny, one seldom stops to realise that he is, in fact, saying something really quite serious.

LM
04 Aug 2008 03:59

yes it s readingLM but im looking for booksnot magazines..Okay, I understand Thabang! I was merely asking bcause of these few words.lets prove the stereotype wrong(that blacks don't read?).....

People (read blacks)do read...although it might not be something the other peeps (read intellectualls..*cough*) want them to read! Information does not come packaged in the same way! for example, valuable info you may find in Bona might not be found in Bitches' Brew by F...

myname
04 Aug 2008 04:11

You guys can read nhee..... i wish i were you. I never finished any book but i love reading. Ke ya tswafa

tha - bang
04 Aug 2008 04:17

point taken LM.
FK nice sumary on Miss Kwa kwa its going on the list.sweet

ngwana
04 Aug 2008 04:47

I READ A LOT, and it was only after reading this blog and replies i realized i am missing out on a lot of SA Literature.

The only ones i can think of are:
Spud & Spud: madness continues.
Hits & Missives: The Worst of Ben Trovato
and of course Muzi Kuzwayo

Tha-bang Please can we also recommend non-SA books

FK
04 Aug 2008 04:47

Miss Kwa Kwa 2 : The Dark Side of the Braai is a sequel to Miss Kwa Kwa. I have not read the book yet, but this is what one of the readers (not South African) have to say:

Miss Kwa Kwa (MK, Lisa, she goes by so many names) is getting bored. She needs to move onward and upward from her life as a small time talk show host. Where to go then? Cape Town, of course! After all, when you suddenly wake up with an entire week inexplicably missing from your life, that does seem like the natural place to recuperate. She certainly doesn't see a small part in a local tv show as much of a step on her path to Superstardom (yes, with a capital S!), but since she's around when her friend Mick needs a hand, she agrees to take the part to pass the time.
Krissie Blaine is the American celebutante vacationing in Cape Town. She's rich, beautiful, and knows how to party. What could be more fun that picking up delicious men all over the city? So how did she end up attached to a severely sunburned, chubby Brit named Link? A guy like that must have some dirt to score a hottie like Krissie.
Martie is newly married to Gift Yeni and wants nothing more than to be the perfect wife. Unfortunately, her home cooking can be classified as a lethal weapon. When she sees an ad for a local women's group called W.I.T. (Wives in Training, of course!), she knows they will turn her into a Martha Stewart (hopefully minus the prison sentence) in no time. The group's leader, Jackie de la Rey, happily includes Martie into her group. Martie seems like just the right kind of person.
And who's the mystery man watching every single one of these people and all of their escapades? Is there some kind of evil plan afoot? International espionage? A lunatic on the loose? All of the above? The truth is more fun and dishy than Miss Kwa Kwa's new tv show!

"This book turned out to be quite a treat! It's laugh-out-loud funny at times. Since I'm not from South Africa, I think I got about 75% of the jokes. I'd say that's pretty good for an outsider! There are all kinds of funny little political and cultural jabs. The main characters are charming and engaging. Miss Kwa Kwa is smart (although she doesn't want you to know that) and actually sometimes sweet. The bad guys (who are actually all women) are wonderfully nuts. This book was such fun! It's a great, quirky, read."

tha - bang
04 Aug 2008 04:56

nowFK i really need to get with the programme and get me these books.
@ngwana maybe on the next blog,or am i being selfish? I guess it wont hurt so we can mix then but lets keep the south african ones as a priority

FK
04 Aug 2008 05:04

Askies Bhuti tha - bang (Khethiwe's voice) I know you said South African writers, but had to share this with you guys.

Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Tyler Perry

If you can count on one thing from "Madea" Mabel Simmons, star of the smash hits Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Madea's Family Reunion, it's that she's got something to say. For as long as people can remember, Madea has been in the neighborhood - she's the beloved, hilarious, sharp-witted, pistol-packing grandmother who's watching out and speaking her mind.
Now Madea is telling her own story, dishing her memoirs and hard-won, hilarious wisdom in her own inimitable voice (with a little help from her friend Tyler Perry). Madea covers every topic you want to hear her on, from the art of flirting, to love and marriage (sometimes two very separate topics), and raising kids (including the full story on the bag o' belts). She also opines on beauty tips (featuring her indispensable advice on the miraculous benefits of Vaseline), the healthy choice of a deep-fried diet, and the Bible (including her favourite Bible story, as you have definitely never heard it before) - and pretty much everything else.
Madea has lived quite a life, and she has some stories to tell. And they're all here. As she's fond of saying, "Sometimes life is hard, and you have to laugh your way through it."
For these frequently politically-incorrect words of wisdom come courtesy not of Perry but through the mouth of his famous fictional character. And Madea is not one to think before she speaks.
We learn that Madea has some skeletons in her closet and that she was a single-mom and worked as a stripper to support her daughter. She also shares that she was opposed to Rosa Parks call for a bus boycott to end segregated seating because, “I was too big to be walking all that around.”
It’s unfortunate that someone being touted as a role model would have so many negative traits, even if it’s all just a joke. As for attracting a man, she tells women to, “put on your shortest dress and your longest hair.”
Madea also observes the difference between the way blacks and whites dance. “If you really want to bust your gut laughing,” she says, “watch white people dance to black music.” As for African-Americans, “We have rhythm. I’m talking about real dancing that comes through us, takes us back to Africa, where you have the stripes across your face… your breasts painted and nose pierced.”
Believe you me, it will take you less than 2 days to finish the book.

faraimagic
04 Aug 2008 05:13

mna i read but you can bring me any book by Donald Trump,Bill Gates or any Financial Gurus then we can start talking!

Fluffy Head
04 Aug 2008 05:26

The 1 South African book I'ld recomment:
DON'T PANIC - written by the i-burst CEO and some otehr SA'ns....its very short and you can read it in a few hours. Its about the current situation and has some pisitive things from fellow SA's that can help one keep their sanity...Its about R50 from Exclusive books so cheap...Plus you can do it liek I did - go to a nice exclusive books (Mandela Square being a prefferance....get a cup of coffee and indulge in the books for mahala (well not really cause you buy coffee and snacks) but its a wonderful way to spend a saturday afternoon.

Non- SA'n authors and books I can recommend:
Paul Coehlo (spelling)....all his books are amazing...What I call 'fact-fiction'.

Half of a yellow sun _ i forgot the lady who wrote it...But its an amazing story of nigeria - during the oil civil war, also based on facts.

Then we came to an end- forgot the guy who wrote it, its his 1st...But its an amazing fiction about the work place...and all the drama it brings to our lives. It will change the way you behave in the office. (Think of a more dramatic 'THE OFFICE - the TV series)..One of the few pure fictions that made sense to me.

If you love fantacy and thrillers - do read Chronicles of the Narnia (its amazing)...

tha - bang
04 Aug 2008 07:46

i read most of the chronicles of Narnia when i was still high school.i dont see myself going back there espicially since i can check out the different movies.i'll check out the dont panic and Then we came to an end after im done with most of the local authors suggested here.
oh ja dig paul coehelo, i loved the alchemist.hes other books are good but none has toucheched me as mych as the alchemist.
as for tyler perry i have issues with him FK, i rather even read maya angelou than go through anything with tyler perry on it.

Toxic
04 Aug 2008 08:34

LOL Tha-bang (on tyler). The Alchemist, what's it about hhe?

Thesh
04 Aug 2008 08:40

I feel so bad responding to this blog, as the last time I read SA book was 1997

The book was "Ways of Dying, by Zakes Mda", but I do read, I just finished a book called "And the shofa blew, forgot its author, and now I'm reading "I heard an owl call my name, which I'm loving.

I try to read at least 3 books per year, besides my study books

I hope I'm not off the topic

tha - bang
05 Aug 2008 05:10

The Alchemist ,Toxic is very profound story on achieveing ones goal,lifes moral lessons and self actualization told in a simple story about a young man who goes on a quest to find gold that leads him to all sorts of places.But the fun thing about the book is that the journey becomes part of the lesson that the character learns and we learn about life, wisdom and self actualisation withthe character.its very profound and spiritual without being preachy.It almost feel like a motivational book set as a stor without the bullet points at the end of each chapter.If you ever get it,its worth every cent. did i c that its quite short too?

Toxic
07 Aug 2008 02:05

Mirriam's Story

by Mirriam Mathabathe as told to Mark Mathabathe.

Simmone
07 Aug 2008 02:11

Non- SA'n authors and books I can recommend:
Paul Coelho all his books are amazing...What I call 'fact-fiction'.

One of the great books of his is, "Veronika decides to die". gist of the book is how death influences the way we live our lives and the freedom of insanity.

Nonny
07 Aug 2008 03:07

I'll be honest and admit that I seldom read SA'n books. At the moment I am reading two non SA books that I am so loving.

Book 1: The Prtice Of Honour by Jan Goodwin
This talks about the sad and ugly conditions that women of Islam live under. It's easy to read and very insightful, especially if u are the type of person who likes learning more about ur own as well as other people's religion and way of living. This book makes u appreciate our freedom even more, especially if u are women coz kunzima kabi kubanye abafazi lapha emyango!!!!!

Book 2: Mim Warner Lost Her Cool
This is a destress book for me, it's not too serious yet very interesting, if the idea of knowing what is the standard of rating something as in fashion or not, then this book is for u. It goes deeper in2 the copncept of how something that is hot today then it's history tomorrow. I love it and it's very funny!!!

Nonny
07 Aug 2008 03:10

I 4got to mention the author of Book 2, it's by Lynn Messina.

BTW, Tha - bang, what's ur beef with Tyler Perry??? A friend of mine told me that it's coz he fails to think out of the box, wena what do u say???

tha - bang
07 Aug 2008 07:33

BTW, Tha - bang, what's ur beef with Tyler Perry??? A friend of mine told me that it's coz he fails to think out of the box, wena what do u say???Actually my issue with Tyler Perry is that he thinks inside the box too much. He does good wholesome stuff, which is good but he never adds anything new or innovative about his subjects or themes. But the worst part about it for me is that Tyler Perrys stuff is too idealistic and cliched.
Take 'why did i get married' hes characters are not really characters but cardbord cut out of 'black single woman" or "black man without a job" or "a black succesful man". Although he is trying to portray a middle class -black people are just ordinary beings.he falls into the trap of reproducing what is bad about hollywood,which is the cliches.
The cliches in how people resolve their issues, or how the people are portrayed. He is not daring enough or even provocative to challenge the audiance from their comfort zone.
I know alot of people who enjoy him ,and are ok with that but i cant relate to him.
If youve seen 'this christmas" or "do the right thing" or "antoinne fisher" you'll see these movies are far removed from Tyler Perrys hollywood dream factory.

I dont feel him,but i know alot of people who do.good for them but most of Tyler Perrys stories if they did not feature black people they will be nothing in the story that would interest me.From how the story s told to how the characters are portrayed.

Nonny
07 Aug 2008 07:39

WOW, Tha - bang, thank u so much for an insightful response.

tha - bang
07 Aug 2008 08:25

well Nonny do you like tyler Perry and Why?

Fluffy Head
08 Aug 2008 03:31

Tha-bang: Antwone Fisher for instance is as cliched as any black movie out of hollywood.

Its about a boy
- Raised by grandmom (mom was a junkie)
- Abused by his auntie
- His friend got into a lot of troble with gangs and guns
- He had a dream to be better but was very angry cause of him past
- We see him trying to fight his demons and succeed at his dream of being a Navy....

All black movies about dreams and back follow that exact same sequence....think
Get rich or die trying; Men of honour, Save the last dance etc...If it ain't basketballl its music and football...All cliched..
well Tyler focusses on the comedy side and not much the emotional stuff...
Point is all black movies out of hollywood are one cliche after the other.

tha - bang
08 Aug 2008 03:50

Antowne Fisher was different in the sense that is one of the few films to correlate self hatred and abuse with the legacy of slavery within black families in the US.How many mainstream hollywood movies have done that.
The cliche would have been if antwone had forgiven her mother and they would have all been singing in the rain together.
You could argue to self actualization is a cliche but id say it would be a cliched if it felt unwarranted within the story
Point is all black movies out of hollywood are one cliche after the other.this is a fallacy and you know it, have u seen Eve's bayou, even spike lees She hates me. even college haze.
well Tyler focusses on the comedy side and not much the emotional stuff...
and uve seen Medea's family reunion , the diary of black angry woman, why did i get married and the one with the single father and the three girls and u want to claim its just plain comedy.please fluff.

felfel
08 Aug 2008 04:07

Then Thabang you should try Euripides's Medea, it's a tragedy based on Greek mythology, fascinating stuff, did at varsity for my literature major. Medea is a woman hell-bent on revenge that she would sacrifice her own children (literally) to gain revenge on a man who betrayed her.
I was extremely excited when I first heard about Tyler Perry's Madea cos i think it was an adaptation of the Euripides one, i was looking foward to a 'black' version of it cos it's soooo dark....but i guess not, just another day in the hood.
Check it out....they probably have it in book stores, i got it from school.

felfel
08 Aug 2008 04:13

Thabang is your surname Maqoboi (spelling) ?

tha - bang
08 Aug 2008 04:17

Nah im not that Thabang,why do you ask felfel.
I'll put it on the list, Euripides Medea

felfel
08 Aug 2008 04:22

Just Thabang...... : )

It's "Medea" by Euripides

tha - bang
08 Aug 2008 04:28

that will be giving away too much. heheheeh but im far from being a Maqoboi

felfel
08 Aug 2008 04:40

Just to digress a little, did anyone watch "Headwrap" this week ? I failed to understand what those two were up to, what hapenned at the end, i just saw a piece of carved wood on the floor and those two "actors" giggling saying nothing........?????????

tha - bang
08 Aug 2008 04:48

i didnt , i love the show but my girl loves rhythm city so if shes around it meanswe are all watching rhythm city

Fluffy Head
08 Aug 2008 04:52

Tha-bang: I saw all those movies and yes - cliche's!!!
Those Tyler movies you mentioned are under the genre Comedy and Comedy-Drama...(I think there is a reason for that)
Antwone Fisher: It might not be potrayed all that well in the movie but if you read the biography you'll find out he did forgive his mom.
Eish why are we arguing when we are basically talking about the same thing.....
You -only tyler perry comes up with cliche's
ME- all black movies are cliche's. Its like chinese movies, all you see is karate and kung-fu...
Hehhehheee/......I think we must stop

Nonny
08 Aug 2008 04:57

well Nonny do you like tyler Perry and Why?
Eish Tha - bang, I used to love Tyler Perry for the way he incoroperates a humour element in even the most emotional scenes in his movies. But ke then a couple of valuable opinion holding people have made me realise that he his plots are always focused at one angle and I sense that he is afriad it explore new ideas. Yazi it's sad coz Tyler is 39, and he has been writring plays from the age of 18. So nami I find myself questioning the fact that he has been writing for 21 years and still all his storylines are always black family/community focused. So I'll conclude that i am not a big fan, I just enjoy his movies qha!!!!! It would be interesting to his flexibility and to also show us that he is a creative writer even when he takes completely "out his ordinary challenges*

Nonny
08 Aug 2008 05:00

"i didnt , i love the show but my girl loves rhythm city so if shes around it meanswe are all watching rhythm city"
@ Tha - bang, why do I get the feeling ur gal is around, don't tell me nishaya ama fat-'n-set, or noma wavele kubo *showed ur faceb at her home* .

Nonny
08 Aug 2008 05:03

I menat: "why do I get the feeling ur gal is always around"

felfel
08 Aug 2008 05:05

Nonny do you have the link for the jokes article ? wana post some.......its a friday afterall and i don't wanna laugh alone......

tha - bang
08 Aug 2008 05:08

watch eve's bayou Fluf,its a remarkable film .i dont think uve seen it and then we can talk if all black films are formulae.i wont argue with you but check it out.its a gem.even she hates me or do the right thing. you will notice all these are films done by black people, written by lack people and starringblack peoplebut handle ther subject matter in a very different way to tyler perry

well nonny it happens.even to the best of people but i hear your point.

tha - bang
08 Aug 2008 05:17

nah shes got her own place and so do i,but we spend alot of time together.

Brown Shuga
08 Aug 2008 05:22

Jerr...tha-bang, must you talk about "your girl" in every blog? Mara even though you spend "a lot of time together" at least you spend it watching TV and not doing other things...so the value is not going down.

Sorry for going off topic blockers, I had to vent.

Nonny
08 Aug 2008 05:31

"Nonny do you have the link for the jokes article ? wana post some.......its a friday afterall and i don't wanna laugh alone......"
@ felfel, the link is in ur GB darl, and in future, just use the TVSA search *for instance I just went:"Joke for day", ndayifumana* So nawe uzoyithola into oyifunayo.

"nah shes got her own place and so do i,but we spend alot of time together."
sweet hey.

"Jerr...tha-bang, must you talk about "your girl" in every blog?"
It must be love hey BS.

Simmone
08 Aug 2008 05:31

Personally I feel in America black films must either dispel the so called black people stereotypes or the general black community views anything other than that as promoting the “hatred” held for black people. Tyler Perry is just one of those writers who thinks about the bottom line and scared of crossing the line of being referred to as “boojie” or “anti-black”. This is what is happening to the South African films and media. Where it comes to issues about race relations its either black or white and there is no middle ground. Which then forces writers to think inside the box and not dare to be viewed as controversial or anti their own skin colour.

Take the movie “Crash”, its refreshing at the sense that it doesn’t do the do gooder, happily ever after scenario.

poshspice
08 Aug 2008 05:40

Fred Khumalo-Touch my Blood ....funny and well written. it gives you insight into life of blacks under apartheid in a funny and light-hearted manner.

The Alchemist is good-

my cousin has been persuading me to buy: Secret of Irresistible Woman....
has anyone read the book?

tha - bang
08 Aug 2008 07:27

Secret of Irresistible Woman....
has anyone read the book?
i havent even heard about it,is it local?

LM
08 Aug 2008 07:30

Zakes Mda:

If u can get your hands on The Heart of Redness, please READ that book. it'llg et u hooked on Zakes' writing. Holla if u fail to get it elsewhere, i have a copy. Have ordered it Toxic, it better be good! Lol.

behind every succesful man: This is also on its way Thaba-ng.....hope it is totally different from The madams!
Shameless: Happy Ntshingila
At risk: Writing on and over the edge of South Africa :

Yazi blockers, I once subscribed to Leisure Books and as a result I have to order atleast one book per quarter for two years. So far I'm frustrated (am pulling my hair out 1 by 1) because I never find a book that I really want to read in their catalogues (or atleast one written by a brada)....it's normally these, haaaai, I don't even know how to describe them! Eish I can't wait for these 24months to end. Sorry Thabang, I had to vent!

Nonny
08 Aug 2008 07:35

LMAO @ LM's frustation....hahahahah

tha - bang
08 Aug 2008 07:37

i actually wanted to subscribe to leaisure book,on behalf of my brothers and i noticed they really dont offer titles for the general south african market lets not even start with ones reflecting the so called black experience.
the more things change,the more they stay the same

poshspice
08 Aug 2008 08:04

Tha-bang, have you ever visited Xarra bookshop in Newtown, they do book reviews of african writers on thursdays, once or twice a month. have never attended....am planning to soon

Toxic
08 Aug 2008 08:05

LM, sorry hle!!!

That Zakes Book is good man. i don't want to say more than that mara trust me mogotsi, u'll enjoy it! Also very 'educative' without doing so.

Okay lemme say this as a word of caution:

if u don't enjoy books that tell two stories at the same time (past and present) then don't buy it.

Toxic
08 Aug 2008 08:09

Tha-bang, have you ever visited Xarra bookshop in Newtown, they do book reviews of african writers on thursdays, once or twice a month. have never attended....am planning to soon

Yes posh-spice!!!! how could i forget Xarra!! Went there once to browse while waiting for a companion (reminds me of Cheaters) and they were preparing for the review of some book whose name i can't recall STILL.

There's a wide range of african writers' books in that store!

tha - bang
08 Aug 2008 08:39

nah i have never been,but its not far from where i stay.i'll check it out next week thursday thanks for the heads up

poshspice
08 Aug 2008 08:55

Tha-bang nah i have never been,but its not far from where i stay.i'll check it out next week thursday thanks for the heads up

The shop is open almost daily, not sure about sunday..but Saturday they do..they send invites for book reviews, to be invited you just need to leave your contact details at the bookshop where they can send you an invite...they also hav a nice coffee shop..

for women's day they have a line-up of activities for this weekend and throught women's month, poetry, book reviews etc, visit the shop anytime for info..

Toxic
11 Aug 2008 10:16

Some quotes from the Madams:

Uzaziyenzi uclevah vs ungaziyenzi u clevah
Sthando sami vs sthandwa sami
Sifune muhlale four four vs sifuna nihlale four four
ndiyacela uchel'i umntwana lo vs ndicela utshele umntwana lo
Haa usile mhan Mahintsa. Nawe uyazi kuthi vs Haa usile maan Mahintsa. Nawe uyazi ukuthi

sponono
11 Aug 2008 10:49

a MUST read....Adventures of Carlito, by Vutmi ......available NOW at your neaest bookshop!!! humor, drama, tragedy, all rolled up into a fascinating unputdownable page-turner....(movie rights have already been sold ...)

tha - bang
14 Aug 2008 02:59

Some quotes from the Madams:

Uzaziyenzi uclevah vs ungaziyenzi u clevah
Sthando sami vs sthandwa sami
Sifune muhlale four four vs sifuna nihlale four four
ndiyacela uchel'i umntwana lo vs ndicela utshele umntwana lo
Haa usile mhan Mahintsa. Nawe uyazi kuthi vs Haa usile maan Mahintsa. Nawe uyazi ukuthi
tox u really had issues with the madams nhe,i finished her second book.its not bad, a bit too girly, short and light.but u can read it and he did his vernacular stuff in isisXhosa so its not that bad.But the editors should have proof read it.that is just bad.
im now reading when we ruled about african antiquity.when im done with that i'll check out the heart of redness by zakes mda.sweet

Nonny
14 Aug 2008 03:05

LM
25 Aug 2008 03:13

I finally managed to fetch my parcel at the post office on Friday and the first book that I read whet I got home was Behind Every Successful Man b Zukiswa Wanner. It took me less than 4hrs to finish it! I am dissapointed! I have a feeling that Zukiswa rushed to release a second novel....she didn't put much thought into it.

1. It's got +-195pgs....it was written in a big font and double spaces if not tripple were used. so all in all it should have been +-80pgs but it was stretched!
2. Her characters were too familiar for my liking. The Taus screamed the Motsepes (Doctor for a wife, first dollar billionaire, more money no sense of style). 20yrs old Plastic Penny and 50yrs old Oupa....Khanyi and Mandla Mbau ( Penny lived a very public, tabloid life. fell preggies soon into the relationship to secure her place....was bought a Lamborghini, very stylish....)
3. She concentrated more on the Makanas( main characters) and kind of forgotten to tell us a bit more about the other people she introduced to us.

Am disappointed! The Madams is still the best to me compared to this one.

Toxic
25 Aug 2008 03:32

LM, i am waiting to read her 3rd offering then. I am not going to read Bhind every successful man after this. Thanks!!

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