Fiction or Non-fiction?

I ask myself this question, everytime I go to the library. I usually read fiction, but sometimes I feel like reading a good non-fiction. I usually pick a non-fiction, from which I might learn something.


Now you may ask, what is the difference between fiction and non-fiction? The answer is simple: Non-fiction is all true, while Fiction is not true.


Hint: Fiction: Fake
        Non-Fiction: Not fake


Non-fiction is books, that are written about things that are true. It might be about people's personal experiences like biographies, drug abuse, anorexia, bulimia etc. In these books people tell their stories from first hand experience. Reading these books, will give you insight into a world of pain and troubles, which you might not have been aware of. If you are experiencing one of these conditions, reading books about other people's experiences, might help you to handle your situation better.


Fiction is stories that are not true, like fantasy, sci-fi, etc. There is also historical fiction. This is a story that is based on a historical event, but is still considered fiction. Love stories, are a good example of fiction. I love reading those 140 page love stories, which you can finish in one day.

How do you know if a book is fiction or non-fiction? The easiest way to find this, is at the back of the book, somewhere at the bottom. There you will see the word fiction or non-fiction.

The story

Her father's hand around a glass of whiskey, is the first thing that comes into her mind, when she thinks about her father. She can't remember his face, she only remembers the soud of him snoring, with his head on the kitchen table.

Her life on "Grootvlei", was burned into her memory: the dark house, the ghosts of her childhood, Grandma Sarie, Lena and the "Katkoppie". The "Katkoppie", took away all the people she needed, without lifting a finger.

Her mother Bella told her stories, while the two of them were sitting alone by the river. She used to tell Carli, that one day the two of them will go and visit their family who live overseas. After she had lost everything, Carli did go overseas to walk in her mother's footsteps.

Her mother Bella and the "Katkoppie", were buried in "Grootvlei's" cemetery and it seemed that her father tried to drink himself to death. Dora took care of her, until "Oudominee" and the welfare came to take her away from the farm. In the years she had to live with "Oudominee" and his wife, she constantly had to fight against his sweaty hands and Evelyn was the one who saved her time and again.

Through all of her life, she had Wimpie, Dora's Wimpie. They fell in love, althoug it was against the law back then. Love doesn't ask for a good time or date and thus made Wimpie take his own life.

Years later, Carli lived overseas with a big whole in her chest where "Grootvlei", Dora, Lena, her mother and Wimpie used to be.

For the whole story read: "Die naamlose by Mariël Le Roux.

"Die naamlose" (Mariël Le Roux)

This is the name, of the latest book I have read. After completing the book, I still don't understand why it is called "Die naamlose". I couldn't link the name to a specific character or
place in the story. None the less, it was a great book to read. The writer knows, how to take a reader's heart in a firm grip and how to keep it right there until the very end.

If you read a lot of books, you might have learned somewhere along the way, never to judge a book by its cover. This particular book, had a very dull cover. It consists of basically four boring colours: black, brown, pale pink and something between yellow and green. It is not very clear, what the picture on the front of the cover should be, but for me it looked like flowers with their heads hanging, as if they were dying. After reading the book, I thought that picture suited the book perfectly. I took the book from the shelve in the library and turned it over, to read the shortened form of the story on the back. Those little white words, immediately grabbed my attention and the only thing I needed was a couch, a pillow, a warm blanket and a steaming cup of coffee.

The main character Carli, had dark hair and dark skin that was too dark for her father's liking. Her childhood consisted of tears, tears, tears, being scared, burying her loved ones and images of the "Katkoppie" that haunted her everywhere she went...(To be continued)

Reading since childhood

Starting this blog was quite difficult. If you have not blogged before, this may be a bit frustrating. This is a new experience for me and I am looking forward to what I can learn from it.

My blogs's name is "Lover of books". That three words is a good description of me and my hobby. I loved reading and books, since my childhood. My grandma was actually the one who planted the love for books and reading in me. She gave me this little books, with lots of pictures and those soft parts that you can  touch and I loved reading them. Today I read all kinds of books, especially thick ones, but I also like to read magazines.  I read both fiction and non-fiction books. If I choose a non-fiction book, it is usually about drug abuse, anorexia or autism. I like to read about other people's experiences and I learn quite a lot from it.

Reading helps me to relax, especially after a long hard day. Even if I am very tired at night, I will still read a few pages before going to bed. I love going to the library, to look for new books to read. I usually read the short description of the story at the back and then I decide if I want to read the book or not. There is one important thing that I learned in a library: Never judge a book by its cover. The oldest and ugliest books, have the best stories hidden in their pages.