Jay Heale works in children’s literature as an author, researcher and general enthusiast.
The honest answer is that I’m reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.
I’ve been reading it for about two weeks now and I’m still only three-quarters through.
Something must happen soon. All the Russians seem to do is talk and think about talking. I can’t say I’m enjoying it.
The book I have enjoyed is Desert Varnish by Karen Cochlovius (Kwela Books).
It’s supposedly fiction but clearly based on a lot of harsh, real life lived by a woman geologist in places such as Namaqualand and Namibia.
Of course I spend much of my life reading all (I hope) of South African children’s literature. See my website www.bookchat.co.za for full details.
The best picture book from 2010 is definitely Just Sisi, written oh-so simply by Wendy Hartmann and illustrated oh-so deliciously by Joan Rankin (Human & Rousseau). Our local literature keeps climbing to new heights.
For light relief (before the Russians send me to sleep) I re-read and giggled my way through The Uncommon Reader, Alan Bennett’s satirical novella about Queen Elizabeth catching on to the delight of reading. We were amused.