Footnotes, May 2020: Book links from around the web

At The Reading List, we’re trainspotters when it comes to interesting book links, and here are a number that caught our eye.

Scroll down for links, and scroll down further for ways you can help South Africa’s indie bookshops survive this crisis.

It’s still all pandemic, all the time at the moment, not so? Hie thee over, then, to the Historical Publications of Southern Africa website for an ebook by historian Howard Phillip, In a Time of Plague: Memories of the ‘Spanish’ Flu Epidemic of 1918 In South Africa, which includes the lyrics to an isiZulu dirge composed during that plague by Reuben Caluza.
Oh hey, and you can listen to Caluza’s ‘Influenza’ here.
Not only should you love children’s book illustrator Axel Scheffler for The Gruffalo, you should also love him for the social distancing cartoons he did with co-author Julia Donaldson, featuring some of their favourite characters, and for the free ebook for primary school kids on the coronavirus he did, which you can download here or here.
She’s gone and done it again – and again in record time. That’s right, the sequel to Lockdown: The Corona Chronicles is already out: take a look at Lockdown Extended on Amazon, and chapeau to Melinda Ferguson for being such a kick-ass publisher.
Speaking of The Gruffalo, here’s Michelle Obama reading it on YouTube. Hell, yes!
If you haven’t read the open letter from South African authors demanding that the SA government (very sensibly) include books on its list of items allowed for trade, well what are you waiting for?
Here’s a bright ray of sunshine that’s only related to Covid-19 because the person in question went and organized a virtual Pan-African literary festival to keep African writers and readers connected during the current plague. It’s because of that and her many other initiatives that Zukiswa Wanner has become the first African woman to receive the Goethe Prize. HOT DAMN!
Not able to read books at the moment? This Vogue article tells you why. Hint: it’s about your hippocampus. Or something like that.
The WEF says that book sales are surging. I dunno, are they?!
South African novelists Deon Meyer and Lauren Beukes have both written books set during fictional pandemics. Read excerpts of them (if you dare) here and here.

HOW TO HELP SOUTH AFRICAN INDIE BOOKSHOPS SURVIVE THIS CRISIS

Kalk Bay Books, 124 Main Road, Kalk Bay, Cape Town. Make a donation: write to kalkbaybooks@gmail.com and ask for banking details. Alternatively, buy a gift voucher via the same address.

Love Books, Bamboo Centre, 53 Rustenburg Road, Melville, Johannesburg. Visit SnapItForward to buy a voucher; redeem it using SnapScan when the shop re-opens. Alternatively, make a donation or buy a voucher via email: orders@lovebooks.co.za.

The Book Lounge, 71 Roeland Street, Cape Town. Make a donation or buy a voucher using PayFast or SnapScan. If you prefer to pay via EFT, email booklounge@gmail.com.

Bridge Books, 90 Commissioner Street & 24 Albrecht Street, Johannesburg. Buy gift cards for books or experiences; get 50% off their famous “underground booksellers” walking tour; or 50% off their online isiZulu classes; support The Johannesburg Literary District’s street cleaners; donate from the USA.

Book Circle Capital, 27 Boxes, Melville, Johannesburg. Buy a voucher; alternatively, DM them on Twitter, or write to bookcirclecapital@gmail.com.

Ike’s Books and Collectibles, 48a Florida Road, 1st Floor, Durban. Write to ikesbooks@iafrica.com for information on how you can help.

Clarke’s Bookshop, 199 Long Street, Cape Town. Buy a voucher, which can be redeemed at any time once the lockdown has been lifted.