In a fading town, far from anyone he knew or trusted, a young Lemony Snicket began his apprenticeship in an organisation nobody knows about. He started by asking questions that shouldn't have been on his mind. Now he has written an account that should not be published, in four volumes that shouldn't be read. This is the first volume.
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Inspired by Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing, The Guardian asked authors for their writing dos and don'ts. We love Zadie Smith's insights.
Gareth Crocker’s latest novel, Journey from Darkness (October, 2012, Penguin), was co-written with his father, Llewellyn Crocker. It tells the story of two brothers who, after surviving World War I, escape to South Africa. Following in their late father’s footsteps, they devote their time to trying to save the country’s last remaining elephants from savage poaching.
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Penguin Books and Love Books take pleasure in inviting you to the launch of Thinking Up a Hurricane. Martinique Stilwell will be in conversation with Nic Dawes.
Date: Tuesday, 23 October 2012
Time: 6.00pm for 6.30pm
Venue: Love Books, The Bamboo Lifestyle Centre, 53 Rustenburg Road, Melville, Johannesburg
The nineteen-year-old American soldier, Billy Lynn, is home for a short promotional tour across the country with his squad, before he is sent back to Iraq. The story is set in the Dallas stadium on the last day of the tour. Through flashbacks the reader follows his personal growth.
His brave attempt to help a fellow soldier in Iraq is caught on camera and the Bush administration uses the opportunity to get support for the war. The decadence of limos, fancy hotels, and compatriots worshipping them as heroes, depresses Billy.
The book starts with this Sepedi idiom: 'Mabu a u tswitswe' (The soil has been stolen), which simply means something is terribly wrong with the current state of affairs in our country. These words are uttered by a young man during his conversation with Dr Ramphele. The young man seems overwhelmed by frustrations and anguish. He is facing the dilemma of speaking out against corruption at his workplace and jeopardising his great career prospects, or shutting up and focuing on reaching the upper echelons of his career. And somehow this story sets the tone for the rest of the book.
Penguin Books and Exclusive Books take pleasure in inviting you to the launch of Journey from Darkness by Gareth Crocker and Llewellyn Crocker.
Date: Thursday, 18 October 2012
Time: 6.00pm for 6.30pm
Sean Davison made headlines in 2010 when he was arrested for aiding his mother's death. Eighty-four years old and terminally ill with cancer, medical doctor and psychiatrist Pat Ferguson wants nothing more than for her life, which no longer brings her joy, to be over. But when her ailing body refuses to let go, she asks her son Sean to do the unthinkable: to help her to die.
Penguin Books, in conjunction with The Brenthurst Foundation and Love Books invite you to a discussion about the need for Africa's third liberation.