Summer Reading 2022

I have been an enthusiastic reader of fiction since a very young age. The other category that I particularly enjoy is biographies and autobiographies. 

My favorite reading time is just before going to bed. On weekends I may take a book to the park to spend some time outside. If the book is interesting, I read more. If I am not feeling well mentally, I read less.

I rarely discuss what I have read with other people. When books come up in discussion, I feel awkward since I have had almost no experience discussing them with other people. In effect, I read them only for my own enjoyment. To help remedy that, I have created the following blog post of the books that I read during the summer of 2022, roughly May 15 to the end of August. The books are listed alphabetically by author.

These particular books I read while in Botswana. I am grateful for my two main sources of books in Botswana: Exclusive Books (located in the Airport Junction mall), and the BSPCA (for used books). After reading the books, I always give them to the BSPCA as a donation (to help them take care of animals).

Although the books in the list below are mostly crime novels, I am not particularly biased toward reading crime novels. Nor am I particularly biased toward science fiction, even though three of the books below are science fiction. That was just the luck of the draw this summer

My biggest find was Deon Meyer, who writes crime novels set in Cape Town, South Africa. I learned about him while browsing in the BSPCA. Seeing me pour over all the fiction in the store, an elderly South African lady recommended Meyer’s books to me, saying that they are “gentleman novels”. The novels that I read are centered around Benny Griessel who is a white South African detective working in a modern integrated police force. Deon Meyer tries to accurately portray modern South Africa and the challenges it faces. Even though the point of view conveyed is mostly that of the white Benny Griessel, I do not feel that Meyer is making any kind of racist or inappropriate statements.

In his novels, Meyer’s writing is formulaic, in the sense that he is taking characters that he has already developed elsewhere (Benny Griessels and colleagues and family) and putting them into new situations based on different crimes that need to be solved. However, if you are in the frame of mind of wanting to read a detective novel and you are interested in southern Africa, I highly recommend his books to you.

1.

Gardner, Lisa. 2016. Find Her. Dutton, New York.

2.

Hamilton, Peter. 2002. Misspent Youth. Macmillan, London.

3.

Hurwitz, Greg. 2022. Dark Horse. Michael Joseph.

4.

Hurwitz, Greg. 2023. Prodigal Son. Penguin Books.

5.

Lutz, Lisa. 2022. The Accomplice. Titan Books, London.

6.

Meyer, Deon, 2012. 7 Days. Hodder and Stoughton Ltd, London.

7.

Meyer, Deon. 2014. Cobra. Hodder and Stoughton Ltd, London.

8.

Meyer, Deon. 2021. Dark Flood. Hodder and Stoughton Ltd, London.

9.

Pinsker, Sarah. 2021. We are Satellites. Head of Zeus Ltd, London.

10.

Bear, Greg. 2010. Hull Zero Three. Orion.