Review – Crafters Rooftop Bar @ The Factory on Grant

Beverages – Crafters Bar

Ok so I went M.I.A again,  I have been somewhat crazy busy baking and cooking and visiting new things and places however no great pics came of it so no blog post.

It’s really strange or even difficult to hold off a group of people or hungry family when you’re trying to take a pic of dinner. So some of the things I made this past week includes:

• Brownies
• Chocolate Fudge Cake
• Doughnuts
• Sundried Tomato Stuffed steak and…
• Dorito Enchilda Casserole

to name some of the more exciting dinners and treats. I also managed a pleasant brunch at Dobbs at the Val Bonne Country Estate in the Modderfontein Nature Reserve. Which is actually an amazing little oasis of nature in the midst of Johannesburg. It’s super popular with cyclists, I didn’t even know about it but I think I’ll definately be going back at some point. Alas no pics of brunch either I was too involved with friends and food and the beauty.

Bar

Crafters Rooftop Bar View

I did however manage to chronicle a great rooftop bar in my neighbourhood of Norwood. It’s called Crafter’s and sits at the very top of the Factory on Grant. It’s a very simple, unpretentious bar with great views across the Northern suburbs, it’s also a good place to catch a chilled drink with friends on a Sunday afternoon.

Rooftop Bar

Crafters has a small bar with a variety of cocktails, drinks and craft beer draughts on offer. The Vovo Telo caters you all your food, meal or snack needs, although since there’s multiple levels in between it does mean a bit of a wait and there’s no quick orders.

Burger with sweet potato fries – Vovo Telo

None the less, I am really happy to have an easy, relaxed place to go right around the corner. The great view is a total bonus!

Read Everyday – Karin Slaughter

I love to read!!! I am the quintessential internet meme on reading. There is no better feeling than to get absolutely absorbed into a story, live in a far away place, be friends with the characters…to be fully lost in a book. Better yet, a set of books!!

I am also not fussy about the types of books I read, I’m pretty keen on most genre’s and I find I go through phases so I get through quite a variety. In the last month I’ve read a murder/crime thriller, the maze runner series including the prequel, a drama about a family with secrets and I have just started the Roald Dahl book set for a trip into childhood with The BFG.

This blog post though is to highlight a particular author. I think crime thriller’s are generally an easy read and are definately very popular. If I walk into my local bookstore the range is almost overwhelming. So it can be difficult to find a stand out book. I at some point, a few years ago stumbled across Karin Slaughter, I bought one of her older books and came home, I started and finished that book the same day. I naturally went back the next day to get any of her other books and ended up placing an order for all the books they didn’t have. Over the past few years I have read and re-read almost all of her books, both from The Grant County series and the Will Trent series and the books that didn’t fall into a series.

Her writing style and her ability to tell a story through the characters is something special. The language and stories themselves draw you in and keep you with every page and every chapter. The quality of her writing is consistent with every book. Honestly at no point have I struggled to finish a Karin Slaughter book.

My best Karin Slaughter book was part of the Will Trent series. Criminal, this book was so well written, it really brought together the characters with a detailed history, whilst simultaneously entertained with a somewhat disturbing murderer that comes a bit to close to home. I’m not going to review the book right now but I do suggest that if you haven’t read a Karin Slaughter book, you do so as soon as possible!!

What brought this blog post on, is that Karin Slaughter recently announced that her new book “pretty girls” will be released (in the UK…) mid July, which means I just need to hold out until mid August for it to be released here in Johannesburg. I almost cannot contain myself. I just would like to make it known that for roughly 24 hours in approximately mid-August I will be hidden somewhere with a new Karin Slaughter book!!