Writers Write – Our Book Reviews – December 2016

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

If you’re looking for reviewing tips, read our popular post: How To Write A Great Book Review.

Here are the reviews:

1. 113 Minutes by James Patterson with Max DiLallo (Book Shots)
2. Adam’s Navel by Michael Sims (Penguin)
3. ADHD Nation by Alan Schwarz (Little, Brown)
4. Africa Solo: my world record race from Cairo to Cape Town by Mark Beaumont (Bantam Press)
5. Agents Of The State by Mike Nicol (Umuzi) 4/5
6. Andy And His Magic Phone Visit The World Next Door by Kim Ebner (Struik Children)
7. Awakening The Heroes Within by Carol S Pearson (Harper Elixir)
8. Beyond The High Blue Air by Lu Spinney (Atlantic Books)
9. Born A Crime by Trevor Noah (Macmillan) 5/5
10. Bridget Jones’s Baby: The Diaries by Helen Fielding (Jonathan Cape)
11. Broke And Broken by Lucas Ledwaba and Leon Sadiki (Blackbird Books)
12. Christmas Under The Stars by Karen Swan (Pan Macmillan) 4/5
13. Conclave by Robert Harris (Hutchinson) 5/5
14. Dead To Me by Lesley Pearse (Michael Joseph)
15. Double Echo by Francois Bloemhof (Penguin)
16. Duty And Honour (Jack Ryan Universe #21) by Grant Blackwood (Michael Joseph)
17. Elephant Dawn by Sharon Pincott (Jacana) 5/5
18. Fear Of Dying by Erica Jong (Canongate)
19. Feminist Fight Club by Jessica Bennett (Penguin) 5/5
20. Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum (Mantle) 4/5
21. Here I Am by Jonathan Safran Foer (Hamish Hamilton)
22. Insanely Gifted by Jamie Catto (Canon Gate) 5/5
23. Jack Simons: Teacher, Scholar, Comrade by Hugh Macmillan (Jacana) 4/5
24. Lament For The Fallen by Gavin Chait (Doubleday)
25. Managing Diabetes by Dr Arien van der Merwe (Human & Rousseau)
26. More Braai The Beloved Country by Jean Nel (Jacana) 5/5
27. Never Go Back by Lee Child (Bantam Press)
28. Never Never by James Patterson and Candice Fox (Century)
29. Nomad by James Swallow (Macmillan) 4/5
30. Nutshell by Ian McEwan (Jonathan Cape) 4/5
31. Orphans Of The Carnival by Carol Birch (Canongate) 4/5
32. Ratner’s Star by Don Delillo (Picador)
33. Reacher Said Nothing: Lee Child and the Making of Make Me by Andy Martin (Bantam Press)
34. Sbonelo Snoop by Sarah Groves (Struik Children)
35. Shepherds And Butchers by Chris Marnewick (Umuzi) 4/5
36. South by Frank Owen (Corvus)
37. Tall Oaks by Chris Whitaker (Twenty7)
38. Tannie Maria & The Satanic Mechanic by Sally Andrews (Umuzi) 4/5
39. Terrestrial Game Birds & Snipes Of Africa by Rob Little (Jacana) 5/5
40. The Affair by Sue Hickey and Philippa Sklaar (MF Books) 5/5
41. The Bedside Ark by David Muirhead (Penguin)
42. The Black Widow by Daniel Silva (Harper Collins) 4/5
43. The Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig (Canongate)
44. The Comet Seekers by Helen Sedgwick (Harvill Secker) 5/5
45. The Face On The Cutting-Room Floor by Cameron McCabe (Picador Classic)
46. The Fireman by Joe Hill (Gollancz) 4.5/5
47. The Ice Lands by Steinar Bragi (Macmillan) 4/5
48. The Insect Farm by Stuart Prebble (Alma Books) 4/5
49. The Last One by Alexandra Oliva (Michael Joseph) 4/5
50. The Last Star by Rick Yancey (Penguin)
51. The Long Wave by Tom Dreyer (Penguin Books)
52. The Owl Always Hunts At Night by Samuel Bjork (Doubleday) 4/5
53. The Safest Place You Know by Mark Winkler (Michael Joseph)
54. The Shadow Sister – Star’s Story by Lucinda Riley (Macmillan) 4/5
55. The Steel Kiss by Jeffery Deaver (Hodder & Stoughton) 5/5
56. The Street by Paul McNally (Macmillan)
57. The Supernotes Affair by Agent Kasper (A&U Canongate)
58. The Woman In The Photo by Mary Hogan (William Morrow)
59. Thrive! by Dr Greg Venning (Vital Press) 5/5
60. To Quote Myself by Khanya Dlanga (Macmillan) 4/5
61. Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty (Michael Joseph)
62. Trump & Me by Mark Singer (Allen Lane)
63. Zodiac by Sam Wilson (Michael Joseph) 4/5

We want to thank PanMacmillan South Africa, Jonathan Ball Publishers, Penguin Books South Africa, RHS and Jacana Media for the review copies.