Penguin Books Blog

By now, you should all be in the swing of things as far as the Rugby World Cup is concerned and we hope you’re looking forward to our next clash with Fiji on Saturday!

We’ve got an awesome line-up (or should that be line-out?!) of rugby related books to entertain you, while you’re breaking out the BLITZ or marinating those sosaties for your braai. Impress your mates with some jaw-dropping sports stats from the Penguin Book of South African Sports Trivia (also available in Afrikaans) or for something more inspirational, check out In the Words of South African Sporting Heroes (Afrikaans version also available).

We have also just released the biography of the much loved ‘No.8’ of SA rugby, Pierre Spies. More than Rugby is about faith, family and triumph – the story behind the man.

Spies has been described as one of the most imposing and explosive loose forwards that South Africa has ever produced and in More than Rugby, he shares his own story for the very first time.

We learn about the triumph of being capped a Springbok, the heartache when he was diagnosed with a blood clot and his unwavering faith amidst all of this. Packed with personal photos, a foreword by Victor Matfield and contributions from Morné Steyn, Bryan Habana and Juan Smith – this is the perfect read for fans.

There is also an Afrikaans edition available, which you can read more about here.

And finally, refresh your knowledge of the rules with another great little gift book called The Original Rules of Rugby, which brings together the original rules of the game drawn up at Rugby School in 1845 — very different from the modern game we know and love today!

So dust off those braai tongs, rearrange the lounge and prepare yourself for five more weeks packed with quickening pulses, roars of triumph and fits of swearing. There will be heartache, there will be bloodshed, and at the end, only one champion.

In ‘n onderhoud met Johan Stemmet vra ons hom oor sy lewe, sy onderbaadjies en sy nuwe boek Woord vir Woord.

 Q: Het jy dit geniet om jou boek, Woord vir Woord, te skryf? Wat kan lesers verwag?

A: ‘n Mens vergeet maklik wat als in jou lewe gebeur en as jy n outobiografie aanpak is jy verstom oor alles wat skielik na jou toe terugkom. Lesers kry ‘n humoristiese kykie na die ervarings van ‘n Namakwalandse seun in die 50 en 60er jare. Hulle kan ook verwag om te deel in my ervarings as ‘n student op Stellenbosch, my jare in die onderwys en dan die televisie en die programme wat ons in die 80er jare vervaardig het. Daar is ook ‘n hoofstuk oor Noot vir Noot, my vlieg ondervindings asook meer oor my privaatlewe.

 Q: Ons hoor Noot vir Noot is een van die top 10 speletjies reekse wat die langste al uitgesaai word IN DIE WÊRELD. Wat dink jy is die hoofrede vir die program se sukses?

A: Noot vir Noot is ‘n interaktiewe program en ons is gedurig besig om die samestelling te vernuwe deur die speletjies konstant aan te pas. Dit is ‘n gesinsprogram en ons sorg dat ons musiekkeuses van so aard is dat die hele gesin saam kan speel.

 Q: Hoe het die program oor die afgelope ongeveer 20 jaar verander?

A: Daar is gedurige evolusie in terme van stel en beligting, kostuumveranderinge, nuwe orkeslede, ander speletjies ens. Ons probeer tred hou met die tegnologiese ontwikkeling om sodoende die program vars te hou. So het ons byvoorbeeld wegbeweeg van truprojeksie op ons skerm na geanimeerde rekenaar gegenereerde beelde vir die speletjies.

 Q: Hoe lank neem dit om een reeks te skiet?

A: ‘n Reeks word binne 11 dae in die ateljee geskiet – twee programme per dag. Ons gebruik ook ‘n ekstra dag om die stel te installeer en die klank en beligting op te stel. Die voorbereiding vir ‘n reeks neem 3 maande. In hierdie tyd word al die vrae uitgewerk en geprogrammeer, die kunstenaars word gekies en hul keurspele word deur die orkes beplan, verwerk en ingestudeer. Deelnemers word ook landswyd gekeur tydens hierdie periode.

Q: Wie is die deelnemers wat jou die meeste bybly?

A: Daar was verskeie maar die wat duidelik uitstaan is seker onoorwonne Zelda Meyer van Secunda. Dan was daar ook ons eerste blinde deelnemer, Ferdi Venter, van Stellenbosch en natuurlik Daantjie Dinamiet wat die hele land aan die praat gehad het met sy ongelooflike musiekkennis en die feit dat hy aan Asperger sindroom gelei het.

Q: Na watter tipe musiek luister jy wanneer jy nie werk nie?

A: Ek luister graag na klassieke kitaar musiek van mense soos Andres Segovia, Julian Bream en John Williams. Ek is ook mal oor Portugese Fado musiek.

Q: En laaste (maar verseker nie die minste nie!): Almal onthou jou wonderlike onderbaadjies maar mens sien hul nie meer nie. Dit lyk of jy aanbeweeg het na meer deftige pakke. Wat het gebeur?!

A: Ons verander gedurig kostuums om kykers aan die praat te hou! Ons het begin met grys aandpakke, toe helder hempde, helder hempde met onopgesmukte onderbaadjies, helder onderbaadjies, geverfde onderbaadjies, versierde hempde, gekleurde pakke, gekleurde baadjies met motiewe op … en nou, meer deftige pakke om saam te val met my 60-jarige ouderdom.

Woord vir Woord is die ideale geskenk vir Noot vir Noot aanhangers en mense wat belangstel in hierdie ikoniese Suid-Afrikaanse persoonlikheid.

There are only four days until Roald Dahl’s birthday (on 13 September) and this year, we’ll be celebrating Roald Dahl Day in style. 2011 is a double celebration, as it’s been 50 years since James and the Giant Peach was first published, so our celebrations this year are inspired by the book.

 We hope you’ll get involved during the entire month of September and download this pack or poster, where you’ll find tons of ideas to put on a splendiferous and gloriumptious Peach Party in your school or library.

 What’s more, we’ll even reward you for holding that party (how cool is that?!). Email us pics of your Peach Party (to puffin@za.penguingroup.com) and if you’ve hosted the most whizzpopping-looking party, you could win one of two AMAZING Roald Dahl boxsets (each set contains 15 of his most-loved stories).

 Or if you’re not feeling particularly ‘partyish’ (and why not?!) but still want to get involved, then send a Peach-gram to a friend and watch it travel across the world…

The author of Escape and Triumph, Carolyn Jessop, formerly an escaped member of the FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) cult, is now doing interviews after providing testimony at the trial of the former cult leader, Warren Jeffs. Jeffs was recently sentenced after being convicted of sexual assault and marrying at least two underage “child brides”. Read more about the sentencing on the BBC website.

World champion surfer and successful entrepreneur, Shaun Tomson, will be chatting about his book, Surfer’s Code: 12 Simple Lessons for Riding Through Life this Saturday 10 September at The Book Boutique, 26 Rockview Road in Amanzimtoti at 10am. RSVP: thebookboutique@gmail.com/031-9836692

In Surfer’s Code Shaun shares the life lessons he’s gathered from decades of surfing – from his boyhood adventures in South Africa, to the world tour in the late 1970s, and the business world today.

For Shaun, surfing is a hobby, sport, religion, an obsession and a way of life. His life lessons have guided his career to the top of both professional competition and the world of business. Now, he shares these powerful lessons, born on the world’s best swells, with everyone. These lessons are born of the collective wisdom of the surf community and are a powerful source of inspiration in the face of extraordinary challenges of every day life. They reflect the attitude and outlook necessary to survive not only the ups and downs of life, but to master them and emerge a winner.

Did anyone love Julie & Julia by Julie Powell as much as we did? Do you think the movie did the book justice? Either way, we’re sure you’ll be excited to know that Julie Powell will be attending the Toffie Food Festival taking place this weekend in the Cape Town City Hall.

Toffie Food is a 2-day food festival and conference, including 5 meals, tastings, workshops, food exhibitions, a pinata exhibition, a cookbook shop and a food market. For more information on when and where you can meet Julie, click here.

In August 2002 Powell began the Julie/Julia Project, a blog chronicling her attempt to cook all the recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The blog quickly gained a large following, and Powell signed a book deal. The resulting book, Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen, was published in 2005. The paperback edition was retitled Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously.

A film adaptation, also based on Julia Child’s autobiography My Life in France, directed by Nora Ephron, and titled Julie & Julia, was released 2010 . Amy Adams stars as Powell and Meryl Streep as Julia Child.

Powell’s second book, Cleaving: a Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession, which details the effects on her marriage of an affair she had after the first book’s publication, as well as her experiences learning the butcher trade, was published in 2010.

And the winners of our Saving Chimpanzees newsletter giveaway are Alicia Nell, Thapelo Michael Kaweng, Jo Britz, Adrienne Kitchin and Vanessa Pead. CONGRATS, we know you’ll enjoy the book!

You named it!

Happy spring day everyone! It’s time to reveal the identities of the ‘name that jaw’ competition….Michelle Gross, Michelle Kirshenbaum and Cathy Badenhorst, CONGRATS, you guessed correctly! We’ll be in touch to arrange delivery of your prize.

The jaw on the left does indeed belong to our no. 8, Pierre Spies who flies to New Zealand in a few hours time. GO BOKKE! More than Rugby is about faith, family and triumph – the story behind the man that is Pierre Spies. There is also an Afrikaans edition available, which you can read more about here.

And yes, the jaw on the right belongs to Johan Stemmet, the well loved presenter of Noot vir Noot. Did you know that Noot vir Noot is the longest running television game show (in any language) in the country? Pretty impressive! Johan’s book, Woord vir Woord is available in Afrikaans and tells the story of Johan’s intriguing life.

 Happy reading!

The winners of our August online competition for Saving Chimpanzees by Eugene Cussons are Laurette Lombard and Lindie Smith CONGRATULATIONS!