Hi All

• Everyone Here is Lying (by Shari Lapena)

I’m quite sure most of you folks have told a few White Lies in your lifetime. Did I hear you think “Not Me?” They are mostly told about inconsequential matters to avoid hurting someone’s feelings. Real lies, on the other hand, are intended to deceive and most times cause major problems. The storyline in this great book starts off with an affair that goes wrong and the resultant spin-offs from Real Lies that introduce all sorts of fatal happenings in one small neighbourhood. 56 shortish chapters that seem to each bring in a new dimension. Definitely one of those books that keep your bedroom light on till the early hours of the morning.

• Antarctica (by Claire Keegan)

Claire Keegan was one of those authors that my daughter’s friend introduced me to during our bookshop tour of Sydney a few months ago. Antarctica is an anthology of short stories – each regaled over about a dozen pages and all ending with that traditional, unexpected “Sting in the Tail” that makes you want to read the next yarn. 

• How to Identify Trees. (by Braam and Piet van Wyk)

I have always felt kind of “inadequate” with my inability to identify trees whilst out walking or driving through our National Parks – in my mind we, in Southern Africa, with over 2100 indigenous species, are blessed to have so many “Proper Trees”. Over the years I bought all sorts of Tree books each promising to enlighten me but have always given up when they started filling these pieces with fancy Latin words that went straight over the top of my head. I bought this new softcover book whilst browsing around the gift shop at Kapama Game Reserve a few weeks ago. Simplistic to say the least and presented in an easy-to-assimilate format with basic diagrams. I’ve already learnt such elementary details as the difference between a Simple Leaf and a Compound one; and found out that there are different levels of compound leaf from Pinnately to Palmately, Trifoliate and Bifoliate. I now must move on to Tree Shapes, Bark and Fruit before contending with 2-page summaries of 43 distinct Tree groups.

               Ideally, I should plan a short walk around the Mukuvisi Woodland soon so that I can put my new knowledge to the test. Ciao Mike G.