Bundu Reviews

I am seeking some inspiration for a book to get for my wife and I thought it might be a bit of fun to throw this post out to the blogosphere and find out what the Bundublog.com community is reading?

At the moment I am reading the third book in the Stieg Larsson trilogy – The Girl who kicked the Hornets Nest.  

A few of the people I had chatted to had said that the third book was not as good as the first two but I have to say that I am finding it absolutely enthralling. It took the first book to introduce the characters, the second book to hash out the plot and the third one has me completely intrigued.

Post what you are reading and give us your thoughts on the title.

Likewise we missed out on listing the bestselling video games for the week so here is an up-to-date listing.

It looks like Mass Effect 2 is all the rage:

Kalahari.Net
1.  Mass Effect 2 – PC
2.  Mass Effect 2 – Xbox360
3.  Mass Effect 2 Collector’s Edition – PC
4.  Singstar: ABBA – PS2
5.  Wii Sports Resort and Motion Plus – Nintendo Wii
6.  Battlefield Bad Company 2 Limited Edition – PC 
7.  Wii Fit Plus (including Balance Board) – Nintendo Wii
8.  Shark Tale – PC
9. Singstar Queen – PS2
10. Mass Effect 2 Collector’s Edition – Xbox360

Take2.co.za
1.  Mass Effect 2 (PC DVD-ROM) 
2.  Empire Earth 2 Gold Collection (PC) 
3.  Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance (PC DVD-ROM) – Standalone Expansion Pack
4.  Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360) 
5.  Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare GOTY (PC DVD-ROM) 
6.  Comfy – Easy PC Keyboard (includes First Steps CD in the Package) 
7.  Frontlines:Fuel of War (PC DVD-ROM) 
8.  Super Hits: Civilization IV Complete Collection (PC DVD-ROM) In Stock 
9.  World of Warcraft 60 Day Pre-paid Game Card European Server Version (PC)
10.  Wipeout Fury HD (PS3) 

Amazon.com (Hardware only options excluded)
1. Mass Effect 2 – Xbox 360
2. New Super Mario Bros – Nintendo Wii
3. Wii Sports Resort – Nintendo Wii
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Xbox360
5. Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board – Nintendo Wii
6. Wii Play with Wii Remote – Nintendo Wii
7. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – PS3
8. Bioshock 2 – Xbox360
9. Just Dance – Nintendo Wii
10. Assassin’s Creed II – PS3

You can buy Mass Effect 2 for PC at online retailer Loot for R305 or XBox360 for R525

We were slacking last week and didn’t do our bestseller listings.

So here are the bestselling books for this week according to some of the leading online retailers.

I’m not sure if it is just a case of the time of year or what but you can see that text books are proving popular and diet books like “Food Rules: an Eater’s Manual” and Alicia Silverstones “The Kind Diet” are proving popular.

Exclusivebooks.co.za
1. Invictus
2. Eclipse
3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
4. Breaking Dawn
5. The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest
6. Committed
7. The Girl who Played with Fire
8. Outlier
9. Do You Think You’re Clever
10. Twilight

Kalahari.Net
1.  Twilight – Stephenie Meyer
2.  The Metabolism Miracle: 3 Easy Steps to Regain Control of Your Weight…Permanently – Dianne Kress
3.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson
4.  Eclipse – Stephenie Meyer
5.  Breaking Dawn – Stephenie Meyer
6.  A Student’s A-Z of Psychology – Kate Grieve; Vasi Van Deventer 
7.  SAICA Legislation Handbook 2009/2010
8.  SAICA Handbook 2009/2010
9. Economics for South African students – Louis Fourie; Philip Mohr
10. New Moon – Stephenie Meyer

Take2.co.za
1.  Vampire Diaries, V. 1, Bks. 1 & 2 – Smith, L.J.
2.  Street Game – Feehan, Christine
3.  Vampire Diaries, V. 2, Bks, 3 & 4 – Smith, L.J.
4.  The Gabriel Method – Gabriel, Jon
5.  The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – Larsson, Stieg
6.  Born of Ice – Kenyon, Sherrilyn
7.  Eclipse – Meyer, Stephenie
8.  Lover Avenged – Ward, J. R.
9.  Shades of Midnight – Adrian, Lara
10.  The Simple Art of Napkin Folding – Hetzer, Linda/ Penny, Robert

Amazon.com
1. Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual – Michael Pollan
2. Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime – John Heilemann
3. The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great- Alicia Silverstone
4. The Help – Kathryn Stockett
5. The Catcher in the Rye – J. D. Salinger
6. A People’s History of the United States: 1492 to Present – Howard Zinn
7. Dear John – Nicholas Sparks
8. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson
10. A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles – Thomas Sowell

Matt Hunter was rebuilding his life. After nine years in jail after a fight which saw a young man killed, Hunter just wants to get on with his life.

Things seem to be going swimmingly and he is besotted with his pregnant wife Olivia. That is until he suddenly receives a video clip on his cellphone showing his wife in a seedy motel bedroom with a notorious underworld character.

Suddenly Hunter doesn’t know who to trust and he finds himself suddenly fighting to get out of an increasingly complex situation with the bodycount rising.

The Innocent is a good read. Not spectacular but its definately enjoyable and if you enjoy the Harlan Coben action writing then this will be right up your alley with some nice twists at the end.

Title: The Innocent

Author: Harlan Coben

ISBN: 978-1-4091-1703-2

There is nothing over the top about this book. It’s easy paced – you can read it over a weekend and you’ll finish up feeling sufficiently satisfied.

Rated 3 and a half out of 5.

You can buy the book online from retailer Loot for R94.

Sunday is here and again we bring the Bundublog.com community a list of the bestselling video games with the various online retailers:

Amazon
1. Just Dance – Nintendo Wii 
2. New Super Mario Bros – Nintendo Wii
3. Mass Effect 2 – Xbox360
4. Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board – Nintendo Wii
5. Wii Sports Resort – Nintendo Wii
6. Wii Fit Plus – Nintendo Wii 
7. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Xbox360
8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – PS3
9. Star Trek Online Collectors Edition – PC
10. Wii Play with Wii Remote – Nintendo Wii

Kalahari.net
1. Darksiders  – PS3
2. Singstar: ABBA – PS2
3. Wipeout HD Fury – PS3
4. Buzz Brain of the World – PS2
5. Darksiders – Xbox360
6. Forza3 – Xbox360
7. Wii Fit Plus (including Balance Board) – Nintendo Wii
8. Wii Sports Resort and Motion Plus – Nintendo Wii
9. Singstar: Volume 3 – PS3
10. Call Of Duty 4 – Modern Warfare Game Of The Year – PC

Take2.co.za
1.  Defcon (PC) 
2.  Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare GOTY (PC DVD-ROM) 
3.  Empire Earth 2 Gold Collection (PC) 
4.  Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance (PC DVD-ROM)
5.  Dragon Age: Origins (PC DVD-ROM) In Stock 
6.  Frontlines:Fuel of War (PC DVD-ROM) 
7.  Singstar: Volume 3 (No Microphones included) (PS3) 
8.  Super Hits: Civilization IV Complete Collection (PC DVD-ROM) 
9.  Lucas Star Wars: The Force Unleashed – Ultimate Sith Edition (PC DVD-ROM) 
10.  Guitar Hero 3 Stand Alone Guitar (PS2)

Want to know which books are hot with the online retailers? As usual on a Sunday we compile lists of some of the bestselling books on offer.

It’s interesting to see that the Stephenie Meyer books have bounced back on the Kalahari listings and the textbooks have also proven popular purchases.

Exclusive Books
1. The Girl who Played with Fire
2. The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest
3. Breaking Dawn
4. New Moon
5. Eclipse
6. Captain in the Cauldron
7. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
8. Twilight
9. John Platters Wine Guide 2010
10. Outlier

Amazon
1. Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime – John Heilemann
2. The Help – Kathryn Stockett
3. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association – American Psychological Association
4. Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual  – Michael Pollan
5. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson
6. The Belly Fat Cure: Discover the New Carb Swap System and Lose 4 to 9 lbs. Every Week -  Jorge Cruise 
7. Dear John – Nicholas Sparks
8. Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time – Greg Mortenson
9. Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books – Greg Mortenson
10. Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage – Elizabeth Gilbert 

Kalahari.net
1. Eclipse – Stephenie Meyer
2. Breaking Dawn – Stephenie Meyer
3. About Financial Accounting – LexisNexis South Africa
4. Management Principles: A Contemporary Edition for Africa – P.J. Smit; G.J.De J. Cronje; T. Brevis; M.J. Vrba
5. Introduction to business management – J. Strydom; G. du Toit; B Erasmus
6. The Alternate-Day Diet: Turn on Your “Skinny Gene,” Shed the Pounds, and Live a Longer and Healthier Life
7. Twilight – Stephenie Meyer
8. The Girl Who Played with Fire – Stieg Larsson
9. Captain in the Cauldron – Mike Greenaway
10. A Student’s A-Z of Psychology – Kate Grieve; Vasi Van Deventer

Take2.co.za
1.  Street Game – Feehan, Christine
2.  Breaking Dawn – Meyer, Stephenie
3.  Twilight- Meyer, Stephenie
4.  Vampire Diaries, V. 1, Bks. 1 & 2- Smith, L.J.
5.  Vampire Diaries, V. 2, Bks, 3 & 4- Smith, L.J.
6.  Shades of Midnight – Adrian, Lara
7.  Eclipse Meyer, Stephenie
8.  New Moon Meyer, Stephenie
9.  Born of Ice -  Kenyon, Sherrilyn
10.  The Gabriel Method – Gabriel, Jon

Earlier this week the South African press were very excited by the story of a Cape Town businessman who gave up his R1.2m Audi and his home and handed them over for charity on the back of a dream he had had.

There a couple of interesting books where authors have done similar things and we thought we’d highlight two of them for consideration for our blog readers:

How to be a better person – Seb Hunter

Why is it so difficult to find the time to help others? When Seb Hunter became aware of a nagging ache in the place where his soul ought to be, he embarked on a two year odyssey of volunteering – with hilarious results. He collects litter, teaches pensioners how to use the internet, works at Oxfam (where he meets Gladys, his septuagenarian nemesis), mans a steam train line, becomes a star DJ on hospital radio, visits prisoners, and runs a very long way for charity…But will his quest for self-improvement be successful? “How to Be a Better Person” is the tale of a cynic’s attempt to become a better person by helping others. For nothing. It’s a volunteering call-to-arms! Oh no it’s not! Well it is, sort of.

The monk who sold his Ferrari – Robin S. Sharma

An internationally bestselling fable about a spiritual journey, littered with powerful life lessons that teach us how to abandon consumerism in order to embrace destiny, live life to the full and discover joy. / This inspiring tale is based on the author’s own search for life’s true purpose, providing a step-by-step approach to living with greater courage, balance, abundance and joy. / It tells the story of Julian Mantle, a lawyer forced to confront the spiritual crisis of his out-of-balance life: following a heart attack, he decides to sell all his beloved possesions and trek to India. On a life-changing odyssey to an ancient culture, he meets Himalayan gurus who offer powerful, wise and practical lessons that teach us to: – Develop joyful thoughts – Follow our life’s mission – Cultivate self-discipline and act courageously – Value time as our most important commodity – Nourish our relationships – Live fully, one day at a time

You can buy both these books online and both come highly recommended.

As usual on a Sunday we check out some of the bestselling video games from some of the online trading platforms

Take2.co.za
1.  Defcon (PC) 
2.  Dragon Age: Origins (PC DVD-ROM) 
3.  Empire Earth 2 Gold Collection (PC) 
4.  Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare GOTY (PC DVD-ROM) 
5.  Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance (PC DVD-ROM) 
6.  Frontlines:Fuel of War (PC DVD-ROM) 
7.  Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PC DVD-ROM) 
8.  Left 4 Dead 2 (PC DVD-ROM) 
9.  Singstar: Volume 3 (No Microphones included) (PS3) 
10.  Company of Heroes: Anthology Pack (PC DVD-ROM) 

Amazon.com
1. Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board – Nintendo Wii
2. Just Dance – Nintendo Wii
3. New Super Mario Bros – Nintendo Wii
4. EA Sports Active – Nintendo Wii
5. Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel – Nintendo Wii
6. Wii Sports Resort – Nintendo Wii
7. Wii Fit Plus – Nintendo Wii
8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Xbox 360
9. Wii Play with Wii Remote – Nintendo Wii
10. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – PS3 

Kalahari.net
1.  Singstar: ABBA – PS2
2.  Wii Fit Plus (including Balance Board) – Nintendo Wii
3.  Wii Sports Resort and Motion Plus – Nintendo Wii
4.  Singstar: Volume 3 – PS3
5.  Assassin’s Creed II – PS3
6.  The Sims 3: World Adventures Expansion Pack – PC
7.  Lucas Star Wars the Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition – PC
8.  WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010 – PS2
9.  Mass Effect 2 Collector’s Edition – PC
10.  Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – PC

The second Sunday in January has just rolled around and as has become our tradition, we check out the various online retailers to find out what tops the list of bestselling books for the Bundu Reviews community.

Exclusive Books
1. Eclipse
2. Breaking Dawn
3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
4. The Girl who Played with Fire
5. The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest
6. New Moon
7. Twilight
8. Captain in the Cauldron
9. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man
10. John Platters Wine Guide 2010 

Take2.co.za
1.  Street Game – Feehan, Christine
2.  Twilight – Meyer, Stephenie
3.  Shades of Midnight – Adrian, Lara
4.  Born of Ice – Kenyon, Sherrilyn
5.  Eclipse – Meyer, Stephenie
6.  Vampire Diaries, V. 2, Bks, 3 & 4 – Smith, L.J.
7.  Vampire Diaries, V. 1, Bks. 1 & 2 – Smith, L.J.
8.  Lover Avenged – Ward, J. R.
9.  The Gabriel Method – Gabriel, Jon
10.  Hunting Julian Frank, Jacquelyn

Amazon.com
1. Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime – John Heilemann, Mark Halperin
2. The Help – Kathryn Stockett
3. Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual – Michael Pollan
4. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association – American Psychological Association
5. The Belly Fat Cure: Discover the New Carb Swap System and Lose 4 to 9 lbs. Every Week – Jorge Cruise
6. Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage – Elizabeth Gilbert
7. The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl – Ree Drummond
8. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson
9. Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1 – Julia Child
10. The Lost Symbol – Dan Brown  

Kalahari.net
1.  Economics for South African students – Louis Fourie; Philip Mohr
2.  About Financial Accounting – LexisNexis South Africa
3.  The Gabriel Method: The Revolutionary Diet-Free Way to Totally Transform Your Body – Jon Gabriel
4.  A Student’s A-Z of Psychology – Kate Grieve; Vasi Van Deventer
5.  Captain in the Cauldron – Mike Greenaway
6.  The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest – Stieg Larsson
7.  The Girl Who Played with Fire – Stieg Larsson
8.  Information Systems in the South African Business Environment – A. McGee; E. Grobbelaar; P WESSELS; G.T. Prinsloo
9.  Breaking Dawn – Stephenie Meyer
10.  Eclipse – Stephenie Meyer

I some how ended up on the mailing list for Amanda Pattersons’ “Writers Write” crowd which every now and then seems to have some interesting things on the go.

Today I got the following e-mail competition below which I thought would appeal to any aspiring writers or even people who would like to try and get their creative juices flowing.

Basically you take the following text and complete it with a “Galactogram” of 12 words. The winner wins a bottle of wine. Please send the response plus a full set of contact details to amanda@writerswrite.co.za before 25 January 2010.

You have just arrived on Planet Moana.