February & March 2009

Writer’s Quote of the Month

Some people go to priests; others to poetry; I to my friends.
~ Virginia Woolf

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Contents

1. News
2. Guest Speaker – March 2009
3. Amanda Patterson: On Writing
4. Courses & workshops
5. How to Become a Subscriber
6. Book Reviews
7. Author Interviews
8. Soul Signs - Aquarius, including full January forecast
9. Competitions
10. Students Write
11. Classified

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1. News

Chronic Tone. . .

For Soul Path Readings, contact info@thewrite.co.za

read by Anton Joubert

Why do you repeat losing patterns?

How can you achieve the balance to make your life the best life you can possibly live?

A basic reading is an hour's consulation and your chart analysed.

This includes a printed report of your natal chart, and the key indicators affecting you in an immediate 6 month period.
Relationship synastry (hot spot analysis), chronic tone analysis and soul path analysis are all available.

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2. Guest Speaker March 2009

Gwynne Conlyn

Date: March 2009
Time:
Venue:
Cost:

RSVP: info@thewrite.co.za

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3. Amanda Patterson: On Writing

Is anybody listening?

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4. Coming up in Writing

Writers Write - 42 published graduates:

Johannesburg

March
31st (Tuesday & Thursday Mornings) from 09:00 – 11:00

April
11th (Saturday Mornings) from 09:00 – 12:30
20th – 24th (Mornings) from 09:00 – 13:00

May
9th (Saturday Mornings) from 09:00 – 12:30
18th – 22nd (Mornings) from 09:00 – 12:00

June
13th (Saturday Mornings) from 09:00 – 12:30

July
18th (Saturday Mornings) from 09:00 – 12:00

August
15th (Saturday Mornings) from 09:00 – 12:30

Cape Town

1 - 5 June from 09:00 - 13:00 daily
22-26 June from 09:00 – 13:00 daily
27 – 31 July from 09:00 – 13:00 daily

Durban

20th - 24th April from 09:00 - 13:00 daily
6 – 10th July from 09:00 – 13:00 daily

Creative Writing One-day Workshops from 09:00 - 15:00

Short & Sweet : 22 March

Plot LUCK: 21 March (Johannesburg)

Business Writing One-day Courses

Finishing School: 11 March (Johannesburg)

Strategic Press Release: 18 March (Cape Town) / 21 March (Durban) / 24 March (Johannesburg)

Business Plans: 26 & 27 March (Johannesburg)

Send & Receive: 27 March (Johannesburg)

Contact Anton Joubert for all business writing enquiries on 0798753719

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5. How to Become a Subscriber

Mail info@thewrite.co.za

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6. Reviews

Our reviewers rate books from 1 – 5

1 - For use as a doorstop only
2 - Keep for publishers’ & booksellers’ strikes
3 - A great holiday read
4 - You’ll remember this with enthusiasm a month later
5 – Unforgettable

Going it Alone by Clare Dowling (Headline) ISBN: 9780755345281

Tick tock. Millie’s mad to have a baby. As this funny romance opens, she and Andrew are late blooming newly-weds going through some life changes. Millie’s obsessed with fertility charts, pregnancy tests and slutty nighties, but Andrew’s feeling alienated and is scrambling for an escape hatch. Eventually he admits he’s not ready to be a Dad. Having downed pints of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and slurped lots of g&ts, Millie decides to “go it alone”. Off she goes to a fertility clinic in Spain but while she’s there, romance strikes in the form of scintillating Simon.
This upbeat book is full of lighthearted banter, funny observations and mellow characters that overlay some wry insights into relationships. You’ll laugh out loud.
A great holiday read

Anne O’Meara
3/5

The Comfort of Saturdays by Alexander McCall Smith (Little Brown) R200, 00 ISBN: 978-1-4087-0066-2

I have grown accustomed to the Dalhousie series. Set in Edinburgh, McCall Smith writes his magic into the streets and the pages of his creation.
Isabel Dalhousie, Edinburgh philosopher and amateur sleuth, is settling into her role as a new mother. However, a conversation at a dinner party leads her to meet with the wife of a doctor whose career has been ruined. Her lover, Jamie, wishes she would keep out of it, but she can’t ignore what may be a travesty of justice.
Even as a philosopher of note, morals and ethics are not just a concept for Isabel. They are a matter of life and death. Isabel’s own life becomes challenging as she attempts to unravel the scandal surrounding the inaccurate results given by the doctor when testing a revolutionary new antibiotic.
Her baby son Charlie is growing. Jamie’s ex-girlfriend and her niece, Cat, complicate things. A mysterious interloper, a composer seems to have charmed Jamie. She also has to cope with the fallout from her takeover of the Journal of Applied Ethics, after she declines to publish a sub-standard article written by her rival, Christopher Dove.
McCall Smith charms readers. He understands kindness, and forgiveness, in an age where there is very little to be had.

Amanda Patterson
4/5

Players by Paul McAuley (Pocket Books) ISBN 978 1 4165 1140 3

The plot has promise, set in the world of computer gaming with a rookie female detective, Summer Ziegler, as the protagonist. But somewhere it all goes wrong. The bad guy, Dirk Merrick, has had plastic surgery to make him look like an overlord from his game. He enjoys hunting and prefers people as his quarry. The problem is that his driver Carl is almost as sick as he is. Apart from setting up the hunts for Merrick, Carl kills even more people than Merrick does. Too many bodies and not enough suspense lead me to conclude that one bad guy would have been far more effective. Too difficult to keep up with all the characters required for the number of corpses the author produces.
Readers become numb and the suspense is lost.

Paddy McAllister
2/5

Zen Omnibus by Michael Dibdin (Faber and Faber) ISBN 978-0-571-24158-3

Master of the crime novel, three of the late author’s winning titles, are rolled into one. They all feature that ‘crumpled anti hero’ Aurelio Zen. He’s a cop with a mission, doggedly sticking to his case like a limpet.
Zen has an uphill battle trying to enforce the law in a society where it’s constantly being bent. But it’s all part of the charm that is Italy, spilling out over 700 pages.
In Ratking Zen single handedly solves the mystery of a missing industrialist. In Vendetta he’s off to a Sardinian fortress where a private party has turned into a massacre. In Cabal a rich aristocrat falls to his death from the dome of St Peters.
The author’s plotting is polished and matched only by Zen’s brilliant detective work. It’s a great read taking us to the heart of the Italian psyche and the darker side of the moon.

Jackie Kelly
4/5

Odd Hours by Dean Koontz (Harper Collins) ISBN: 9780007267545

“The nice young fry cook with the occult powers is Koontz’s most likable creation." New York Times

Dean Koontz’s likeable and quirky character, Odd Thomas, returns. This character is a young man who "sees dead people". Don’t be put off by the Sixth Sense overtones. Odd Hours sees Koontz is at his best. He introduces several new characters who are almost as quirky as Odd Thomas. The plot is well-paced and catches a reader from the first page.
Odd Thomas’s is once again caught up in a situation where he is forced to become the reluctant hero. Koontz draws him so well that he becomes endearingly effective in the role. Odd Thomas has to grapple with the concept of reality itself when he finds the veil that separates him from his soul mate, Stormy Llewellyn.
Odd had wanted to return to a life of anonymity with his dog Boo. However, even humble heroes must meet with their fate. Odd is drowning in dreams of an all-encompassing red tide. This leads him to the sea, to a small California coastal town. Nothing here is as it seems. He learns that the forces against him share both an official and a hidden sinister thread.
Odd’s dark night of the soul will only come to the light after the most terrifying of revelations. Koontz knows how to construct a page turner. Highly recommended.

Greg de Villiers
4/5

Twenty Chickens for a Saddle by Robyn Scott (Penguin) ISBN: 978 1 86842 306 4 R179

When six, Robyn Scott moved with her family to Botswana. Educated at home by her mother, she did not begin her formal education until the age of fourteen.
This is the story of growing up in Africa. It tells of her bohemian family, from her eccentric grandfather to her mother, a woman of strong, if unconventional, beliefs. Her father is a doctor having to deal with the initial onset of HIV/Aids and the difficulty in balancing local beliefs in traditional healing with modern medicine. They are witness to racial discrimination, the unthinking arrogance of ex-patriots and the resistance to change found in all sectors.
This is childhood as it should be, a huge adventure filled with danger, humour and larger than life characters. From the moment it began with the three travel-weary Scott children watching their grandfather feed moths from his mouth, I was hooked. The account is hilarious yet honest and no-one, least of all the author, is spared her fair appraisal.

Jacqui Aldersley
4/5

The Private Patient by P.D. James (Faber & Faber) ISBN 978-0-571-24245-0

Rhoda Gradwyn books into a Dorset clinic for a discreet op. An investigative journalist, she makes enemies faster than her plastic surgeon can stitch her up. Sadly she doesn’t see the result of her nip and tuck. A midnight caller sabotages her post operative care and she leaves in a casket.
Set in the grounds of a creepy manor house, the clinic is home to the usual array of suspects. Ranging from weak willed relatives, to staff with attitude, they all have a motive for knocking Rhoda off. Dalgliesh and his team have their work cut out when another gruesome murder follows.
It’s not as psychologically gripping as James’ previous best but she brings all her characters to life - love or hate them! The 14th in the series and fast approaching 90, James is tying up loose ends. Dalgliesh heads for the altar with sidekick Kate not far behind!

Jackie Kelly
3/5

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (Penguin) ISBN: 978-0-340-93575-0 R214

The book certainly lives up to the title. Josey Cirrini is addicted to sweet treats, but more than that the story is a sweet tale, with a little of the popular ‘Ugly Betty’ thrown into the mix. Josey is the not-so-attractive rich daughter of a small town hero. More importantly, she is in love with the mailman.
It’s a pleasant read, and would work well on rainy afternoons on the couch. The novel centres on Josey’s love life, her red cardigan and her relationship with her mother. Do not expect a literary adventure or stunning insights, the end is pretty predictable. However, it’s an enjoyable book on the whole. If nothing else, it will make you want to raid your pantry for something delectable to eat.

Reviewer: Anrica Mills
Rating: 3/5

Reviews

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7. Interviews