Her first adult thriller, First Lie Wins, has burst onto the book scene and immediately became a New York Times bestseller. According to her website, Elston’s novel will also be adapted by Hulu for the big screen by Grey’s Anatomy’s showrunner, Krista Vernoff and actress Octavia Spencer.

ALSO READ: ‘Maria’s Keepers’: An escape from the Jehovah’s Witnesses church

ASHLEY ELSTON SHINES IN HER FIRST ADULT THRILLER

Evie Porter has everything a nice, Southern girl could want: a perfect, doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence and a garden, a fancy group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist.

Winter is always a time for diving into thrillers and mysteries for me, and First Lie Wins is perfect for this time of year. Not only does the story grip you and keep you engaged, but the characters are also realistic and compelling.

I am a big fan of a morally grey main character and Evie Porter is just that. You cannot help but be on her side and be rooting for her but the reader is conflicted as well. The way that Elston reveals more and more about Evie as the story unfolds is genius.

But what is a good thriller, if there is no mystery? Elston has this covered with a mystery with many twists and turns. She has written a book that you really struggle to put down because you just need to know what happens next. First Lie Wins is definitely worth the hype.

PRAISE FOR ‘FIRST LIE WINS’

“Buckle up. ‘First Lie Wins‘ features some of the best cat and mouse suspense I’ve read in years, while serving up plenty of heart along this wild ride. I’m still breathless”.

Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of ‘One Step Too Far’.

“Ingeniously plotted. . . Elston whips up plenty of suspense and delivers a satisfyingly serpentine finale. This promises more good things from Elston to come”.

Publishers Weekly

“’First Lie Wins‘ is the most suspenseful game of deception I’ve ever read…. Ashley Elston peeled back layer upon layer of a carefully crafted plot, revealing a series of twists and reveals I never saw coming. Brilliant”.

Elle Cosimano, ‘New York Times‘ bestselling author of ‘Finlay Donovan Is Killing It‘.

‘FIRST LIE WINS’ SYNOPSIS

The identity comes first: Evie Porter. Once she’s given a name and location by her mysterious boss Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it. Then the mark: Ryan Sumner. The last piece of the puzzle is the job.

Evie isn’t privy to Mr. Smith’s real identity, but she knows this job will be different. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she’s starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie can’t make any mistakes—especially after what happened last time.

Because the one thing she’s worked her entire life to keep clean, the one identity she could always go back to—her real identity—just walked right into this town. Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there’s still a future in front of her. The stakes couldn’t be higher—but then, Evie has always liked a challenge.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

According to her website, Ashley Elston is the author of #1 New York Times bestseller and Reese’s Book Club pick, First Lie Wins. First Lie Wins has also been optioned for television by ABC Signature with Octavia Spencer and Krista Vernoff attached to the project. She is also the author of six YA books. Ashley lives in Louisiana with her husband and three sons.

First Lie Wins is published by Headline Publishing Group and is available for purchase from Exclusive Books stores.

Buy the book HERE.

Human tenderly unpacks Maria’s story of trauma, abuse and her eventual escape from the controlling religion and its followers that ruled her life for so many years.

ALSO READ: ‘The Women’: Author shines light on forgotten women in war

AUTHOR TELLS MARIA’S STORY WITH SENSITIVITY AND RESPECT

Sam Human knows how to tackle really difficult topics with sensitivity and honesty. She tells Maria’s traumatic story with a tenderness that touches the reader’s heart.

My favourite part of the book was that Maria’s words were authentically hers. Sometimes with biographies, authors can take over the story they are trying to tell and you lose the real voice of the person whose story it actually is. Human keeps Maria and her actual words as the focus of the story, letting her story shine.

The only element of the book that I did not enjoy as much were the frequent historical sections expanding on church history and doctrine. Even though these give important details and help explain context, they sometimes broke the flow of Maria’s narrative.

‘MARIA’S KEEPERS’ SYNOPSIS

A worldwide, Christian-based religious group that professes an unparalleled dedication to Jehovah (God), the Jehovah’s Witnesses have a strong sense of community and appear to embrace a disciplined yet loving way of life with the promise of eternal salvation for those who follow the way of Jehovah. It is a seemingly benign religious movement, claiming to be politically neutral, racially and ethnically transcendent, with a membership of eight million people worldwide. 

Yet, at its core, many former Witnesses claim that it is a fear-based doomsday cult that considers itself above all other belief systems. Allegations of secular, cultish behavior, homophobia, money laundering, brainwashing and countless accusations of institutionalized sexual abuse abound.

It seems that membership is managed and retained mostly by way of information control and manipulation, extending to the shunning of higher education and preaching their own version of the Bible. Entering the church is easy, but leaving it can be a matter of life or death, as Maria and countless others discovered.

“To all who are trapped and feel alone in the Jehovah’s Witnesses Church, I hope this book gives you the strength to find a way out and the courage to leave”.

Maria

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Sam Human is an author, academic researcher, and a post-graduate research supervisor in the Psychology Department of the University of South Africa. She holds a PhD in psychology with a particular interest in psychobiographical research.

Maria’s Keepers is available for purchase from Exclusive Books stores for R290.

BUY the book HERE

Hannah is best known for her gripping historical fiction novels. Her most famous novel is the international bestseller, The Nightingale. Even though Hannah has proven time and time again that she is a writing whiz, her latest work, The Women, has cemented her as the queen of historical fiction.

ALSO READ: Debut author stuns with international bestselling thriller ‘Anna O’

‘THE WOMEN’ IS A TRIUMPH IN CHARACTER WRITING AND STORYTELLING

I have always been an avid reader of historical fiction. Because I have read my fair share of these types of novels, finding a really good one that stands out and stays with you has become rare.

However, Kristin Hannah has done it once again with her triumphant novel, The Women. We are not halfway through the year yet and already this novel is on my favorite books list for 2024.

The way Hannah writes the deeply rich and realistic inner lives of characters is utterly gripping. Her stories have a way of drawing you in and absolutely shattering your heart with its sadness. Her characters feel so real that you share in their pain and joy, and you learn their hard life lessons with them.

It is no surprise that The Women has become one of Hannah’s bestsellers as it is, in my opinion, her best work to date.

SYNOPSIS: ‘THE WOMEN’

From master storyteller Kristin Hannah, a #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale comes the story of a turbulent era in America: the 1960s. The Women is that rarest of novels―at once an intimate portrait of a woman coming of age in a tumultuous time and an epic tale of a nation divided by war and broken by politics.

Raised on idyllic Coronado Island and sheltered by her conservative parents, twenty-year-old nursing student Frankie McGrath has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965 the world is changing, and she suddenly imagines a different choice for her life. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows him.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on the story of all women who put themselves in harm’s way to help others. It is the story of women whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has all too often been forgotten.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kristin Hannah is an award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels. She is best known for her international blockbuster, The Nightingale, which was named Goodreads Best Historical fiction novel for 2015 and won the coveted People’s Choice award for best fiction.  It was also a selection in Reese Witherspoon Book Club in 2023. Her other famous works are The Four Winds, The Great Alone and Firefly Lane, which all became bestsellers.

Her stories have also been adapted for the big screen. The Nightingale is currently in production at Tri Star, with Dakota and Elle Fanning set to star. Tri Star has also optioned The Great Alone and it is in development.  Firefly Lane, her beloved novel about two best friends, was the #1 Netflix series around the world, in the week it came out.  

The Women is published by Pan Macmillan and is available from Exclusive Books stores for R375.

The anthology will contain various stories by LGBTQ+ writers.

South Africa has a lot of unique stories. What about yours?

Are you an author?

Do you have an unpublished short story somewhere?

Submit your story to Just LGBTQ+ and they might include it.

Its compilers, which include Hermione le Roux, ask local LGBTQ+ writers for their stories.

Here’s more about the short story collection, and where to submit your stories.

LGBTQ+ writers asked to submit stories

Short story compilers are asking for authors to send their stories for possible publication. The upcoming anthology will contain stories by LGBTQ+ South Africans.

Stories can be from any genre, but preferably must have an LGBTQ+ theme.

“Please distribute far and wide,” the collection asks. “We would like as many voices as possible in our anthology.”

The collection is currently collecting stories.

The publication date will still be determined, and royalties will be announced once the collection has enough stories for its publication.

Submit now and make sure you’re on time!

“The call is for original short stories by LGBTQ writers in Southern Africa.” says an email from the compilers.

Writers: LGBTQ+ Stories wanted

The future collection aims to focus on LGBTQ+ voices.

The collection’s working title is Just LGBTQ+.

Anyone can submit a story to the collection. Stories must be original. You can submit to the collection’s address.

Include your contact details in the message.

Make sure you include a way for the compilers to contact you. Send only your very best stories!

Writers: Where to send your short stories

Stories must be less than 20, 000 words per story.

You can submit up to four stories. Submit your stories if you’ve got something to say.

Stories must be original and previously unpublished. Submit your stories in English to the email address.

You must submit your stories as a Word document, according to the compilers.

You can send your story (or request more details) from stories.submissions.lgbtq@gmail.com.

The future collection could include one of your stories!

Tell us your thoughts

What do you think about this story? Are you a South African author? Do you want to be a published author? Tell us your thoughts and feelings. Send an email to: info@thesouthafrican.com.

READ MORE ARTICLES BY FRANCOIS JANSEN (ALEX J COYNE)

Joining the ranks of Gillian Flynn, A. J. Finn, and Alex Michaelides, Blake delivers the thriller of the year: a shocking mystery about a young woman who commits a double murder while sleepwalking, and then never opens her eyes again. With great tension, characters and a compelling mystery, this novel is not one to miss.

It is no wonder this novel was quickly snapped up by Netflix and will be adapted for the big screen. According to Deadline, Warner Bros have already secured the rights to Anna O, so watch this space!

ALSO READ: ‘I am Ella’: A remarkable story of survival from Auschwitz to Africa

BLAKE CAPTIVATES WITH DARK, TWISTY AND FAST-PACED WRITING

Blake’s writing is a bit of a marmite item. Some people will love it and some people will hate it. I, for one, loved it. He writes characters so well, he builds tension expertly and his dialogue quickens the pace of the novel, making the reader fly through the book.

The only issue I had with the book was the chapter length. Most of the chapters were very short which broke the flow of the story many times. Several chapters could have been joined together, but despite this, the novel still reads easily.

My favorite feature is that Blake uses a flashback structure to slowly reveal more and more about the characters and develop the mystery. You cannot help but want to keep reading. Anne O is the definition of a ‘just-one-more-chapter’ reading experience.

‘ANNA O’ SYNOPSIS

What if your nightmares weren’t really nightmares at all?

We spend an average of thirty-three years of our lives asleep. But what really happens, and what are we capable of, when we sleep?

Anna Ogilvy was a budding twenty-five-year-old writer with a bright future. Then, one night, she stabbed two people to death with no apparent motive—and hasn’t woken up since. Dubbed “Sleeping Beauty” by the tabloids, Anna’s condition is a rare psychosomatic disorder known to neurologists as “resignation syndrome”.

Dr. Benedict Prince is a forensic psychologist and an expert in the field of sleep-related homicides. His methods are the last hope of solving the infamous “Anna O’” case and waking Anna up so she can stand trial. But he must be careful treating such a high-profile suspect—he’s got career secrets and a complicated personal life of his own.

As Anna shows the first signs of stirring, Benedict must determine what really happened and whether Anna should be held responsible for her crimes. Only Anna knows the truth about that night, but only Benedict knows how to discover it.

For more book reviews, visit our BOOK PAGE

PRAISE FOR ‘ANNA O’

“Will keep you turning pages well past your bedtime”.

Nita Prose – bestselling author of ‘The Maid’.

“An irresistible concept beautifully executed”.

Lee Child, bestselling author of the ‘Jack Reacher’ series.

“Extremely entertaining and terribly twisty”.

Cecelia Ahern, bestselling author of ‘PS. I love you’.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

After discovering that the average person spends thirty-three years of their life asleep, Matthew Blake felt the pull of a story. He began extensive research into sleep-related crimes and into the mystery illness known as resignation syndrome, research that sparked a thrilling question: if someone commits murder while sleepwalking, are they innocent or guilty? And so his novel, Anna O was born.

Before writing fiction, Matthew worked as a researcher and speechwriter at the Palace of Westminster. He studied English at Durham University and Merton College, Oxford.

Anna O is published by HarperCollins and is available from Exclusive Books stores for R390.

It means to make up, to make amends, or to bring something to closure. People reconcile after crimes – and it’s essential to the healing and rehabilitation processes that follow prison sentences.

But what about reconciliation and fallen artists?

Die Antwoord’s Waddy Jones and Yolandi Visser have made up, according to their documentary. It’s a similar story compared to other disgraced artists.

Reconciling is a powerful thing – but why doesn’t it seem to count for abuse victims too?

Here’s why reconciling doesn’t fix fallen artists, and makes art seem less good.

Reconcilliation what it means

Reconciliation means making amends.

It means putting away differences, and moving on. It’s part of the Correctional process, which puts criminals and victims in the same room – do you both forgive one another?

Unfortunately, claiming that you’ve ‘made up’ can be a one-sided argument.

Sometimes ‘reconciling’ is used as a clever public relations stunt, while other times an apology is genuine.

The problem?

It can be very difficult to tell.

Why ‘reconciliation’ doesn’t fix fallen artists

Musician R. Kelly will be remembered for his charge sheet, and not his music. Rapper 2Pac faced rape charges, though remains a popular musician and inspirational figure. Waddy Jones is back to making pretty music – but is this good or bad?

Where do you think fans should draw their line?

‘Fallen artists’ have fallen for their crimes.

Is their music still good?

Some artists seem almost untouchable. Other artist have soared above bad publicity. Does it depend on public perception, the goodness of their art, or the truth behind their apology?

Reconciliation and acceptance

Moving on is beneficial, says SACAP, for replacing animosity with acceptance.

It’s an important part of human psychology. It lets victims move forward, and criminals rehabilitate.

However: what if it’s a one-sided deal?

Victims should have a platform to voice their thoughts

Without this, reconciling is a one-sided deal and only the offenders move on and keep selling their art.

A feature asks, ‘What do we do with the art of bad people?’

It’s not just the art that matters, but the person(s) who made it.

Sure, Eugene Terre’Blanche was an average poet – but does he deserve accolades, or to be ignored until the end of time for his crimes and racism? Adolf Hitler could paint, but who wants to remember that when his crimes are so horrifying?

More about this story

Tell us your thoughts on this story. Send an email to: info@thesouthafrican.com. We love hearing from our readers, and we love hearing from you!

READ MORE ARTICLES BY FRANCOIS JANSEN (ALEX J COYNE)

Based on years of research and startling new evidence, this masterpiece of narrative non-fiction details an investigation full of sinister secrets and twists. Killers of the Flower Moon is an utterly compelling and emotionally devastating story of greed, betrayal and injustice that still resonates today.

ALSO READ: ‘I am Ella’: A remarkable story of survival from Auschwitz to Africa

NARRATIVE MEETS NON-FICTION IN ‘KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON’

When it comes to non-fiction, especially historical non-fiction, reading can be tedious at times. Sometimes readers feel the urge to skip ahead a few pages if the author is taking too long to “set the scene”. But critically acclaimed author David Grann almost tricks the reader with his writing style and before you know it, you have read through 60 pages of witness statements, quotes, and reporting without a second thought.

His writing style keeps you engaged and will have you flying through the book in no time. He perfectly blends history with the narrative flow of a fiction novel.

A welcome surprise in Killers of the Flower Moon was an inside look into the inner workings of the early days of the FBI and their criminal investigation. Fans of older mysteries solved without computers and CCTV, will love this book as it dives into the world of cowboy justice, Texas Rangers and more.

ALSO READ: ‘The Age of Decay’: A realistic yet hopeful look at our looming future

‘KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON’ SYNOPSIS

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.

Then, one by one, the Osage were murdered. The family of an Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, became a prime target. One of her relatives was shot. Another was poisoned. And this was just the beginning. More and more Osage were dying under mysterious circumstances, and many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered.

As the death toll rose, the newly created FBI took up the case, and the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including a Native American agent who infiltrated the region. Together with the Osage, White began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Grann is the author of #1 New York Times bestsellers Killers of the Flower Moon and The Lost City of Z.

He is also the author of The White Darkness and the collection The Devil and Sherlock Holmes. Grann’s storytelling has garnered several honors, including a George Polk Award and an Edgar Allen Poe Award. He lives with his wife and children in New York.

Killers of the Flower Moon is published by Simon and Schuster and is available for purchase from Exclusive Books stores for R260.

Financial analyst and author Shamil Ismail invites readers on a surprisingly hopeful look at our present and future in light of all the contributing factors. This book is a must-read for every young entrepreneur, businessman or woman and investor.

ISMAIL BALANCES FACTS, STATISTICS AND HUMANITY IN LATEST BOOK

Ismail writes with a passion for research and change that makes this book almost impossible to put down. He breaks down initially overwhelming topics into bite-size chunks which makes this book easy to read and even easier to remember.

Far from drowning in page after page of graphs and stats, readers are carefully guided through complex issues as Ismail explains the state of our world.

ALSO READ: ‘I am Ella’: A remarkable story of survival from Auschwitz to Africa

‘AGE OF DECAY’ SYNOPSIS

The Age of Decay is a provocative read that will stimulate debate over the impact of shifting demographics on society. It is an indispensable factor in strategic planning for business leaders, investors, and governments.

Drawing on seemingly isolated instances of essential worker shortages developing around the world, investment analyst Shamil Ismail joins the dots to build a compelling and well-researched narrative explaining why aging and declining birth rates are leading to a shrinking workforce of essential workers that will massively disrupt our societies and economies.

Ismail methodically unpacks the factors driving this escalating crisis, and shows why proposed solutions such as automation, AI, and raising the retirement age will not fix the problem. Ultimately, attitudes to immigration must change, as more and more affected countries will need to “import” workers and consumers to prop up their economies and maintain their standard of living.

When are we likely to see the first major signs of this new reality? How will companies and investment markets be affected? How could the world look in the decades to come? And what will this mean for the future of our children? Sifting through the data, trends and forecasts, Ismail answers these intriguing questions allowing us to prepare for the daunting future that lies ahead.

PRAISE FOR SHAMIL ISMAIL

“Peeling back the layers of life in a rapidly depopulating world, the unique writing style reveals a complexity that catapults you into a future scenario that cannot be ignored”.

Dr Pali Lehohla, Head of Statistics South Africa (2000 to 2017) and Chair of the UN Statistics Commission (2008 to 2009).

“An intriguing analysis of how our lives could be impacted by the changing demographic trends. A must-read for anyone interested in how the future could unfold. Captivating, carefully considered, and well-argued”.

Darrell Bricker, co-author of ‘Empty Planet: The Shock of Global Population Decline’.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shamil Ismail is an investment analyst and qualified as a chartered accountant and financial analyst. Over the past 30 years he has been involved in various aspects of consumer markets. He founded Primaresearch in South Africa in 2015, a specialist research firm focusing on consumer companies. The global trends in demographics and how this will impact consumer markets are of particular interest to him, culminating in this book.

The Age of Decay is published by Quickfox Publishing and is available for purchase from Exclusive Books stores for R360.

With tenderness, sensitivity and accuracy, Jowell takes readers into one woman’s survival of the Nazi regime. Blumenthal’s feisty character is brought to life with Jowell’s writing and together, they have made I am Ella a tour de force of non-fiction.

Blumenthal’s extraordinary story has also been brought to life in a feature film, I am Here, which will open at Ster Kinekor Nouveau Rosebank on the 27th of January.

ALSO READ: ‘Taxtopia’: A no-nonsense, witty look at the murky world of tax crime

JOWELL MASTERFULLY COMBINES STORYTELLING AND HISTORY

Some biographies read like history textbooks. The person the words are meant to bring to life is a one-dimensional character which seems unreal somehow. I was nervous that this biography would be the same. However, Joanne Jowell enchants with keen observation and respect for the remarkable person that is Ella Blumenthal.

Jowell is no stranger to non-fiction. Her non-fiction work includes bestsellers like Zephany, the story behind the kidnapping of Zephany Nurse. In I am Ella, however, Jowell truly shines. In her trademark way, Jowell perfectly captures complex humanity and the power of the human spirit in this heartbreaking yet inspiring story.

“Joanne has masterfully ordered memory into a compelling book, with keen observation, reflection and attention to historical detail. We feel as if we have truly met Ella”.

Richard Freedman

‘I AM ELLA’ SYNOPSIS

‘I survived the Warsaw Ghetto, the gas chambers of Majdanek, the depravity of Auschwitz and the utter hopelessness of Bergen-Belsen. I lost my parents, my brothers, my sisters, their spouses and children. But for me, while abnormal, this is not extraordinary. That I went on to love, to talk, to write, to have toast and tea and to live my life – that is what is extraordinary’.

Ella Blumenthal’s story of surviving the Holocaust and building a new life in faraway South Africa is a lesson in resilience, bravery and – perhaps unexpectedly – joy. From the dying embers of the Warsaw Ghetto to the gas chambers of the Nazi concentration camps; from Poland to Paris, Palestine and eventually Cape Town, Ella’s 100 years of life have been nothing short of extraordinary.

Under the shadows of shame and trauma with which so many survivors lived in the years immediately following the war, Ella made a happy home where few knew her suffering or shared her history. After decades, Ella is finally ready to tell her full story to bestselling author Joanne Jowell.

I am Ella is the staggering tale of a real-life superheroine.

“Ella Blumenthal has a unique soul. Her inspirational tale of resilience and survival and her zest for life is a lesson for us all”.

Mandy Wiener

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

According to her website, Jowell has always written, even as a small girl. She grew up in Johannesburg, with her family’s roots firmly set in the South African hinterland.

She studied English and Psychology at the University of Cape Town. She worked in management consulting in South Africa and London. She returned to South Africa to read, write, start a family and work for good causes. She obtained a Masters degree in Creative Writing and co-founded a literacy program called Word 4 Word.

These days, Jowell is happily combining her fascination with human issues and her background in psychology, with her love of the written word: she specialises in writing biography – of real people, with real issues. She lives in Cape Town, South Africa, with her husband, their three sons and two wire-haired dachshunds.

I am Ella is published by Kwela Books and is available for purchase from Exclusive Books stores for R330.

This is not a boring and bland trek through complex tax laws, but is a thorough exploration of the true atrocities of tax loopholes which make the rich richer and the poor poorer.

Taxtopia opens with the quote: “Everyone needs to read a book about tax, but no one wants to” which perfectly summarizes the majority of people’s response to the topic but stresses the importance of knowledge around tax systems.

ALSO READ: ‘Fractal Noise’ by Christopher Paolini: a thrilling space adventure

THE DARK WORLD OF TAX CRIMES LAID BARE IN NEW RELEASE

If you were anything like me, tax laws was a scary and confusing topic which I knew that some people out there understand but I was not really one of them. However, the Rebel Accountant has explained the complex inner workings of tax and tax laws in a way that every person can and should understand.

My favorite element of this book was not just that it made a complicated topic understandable, but it was also surprisingly funny. The hilarious moments of the writing take the edge off of the serious and sometimes disheartening topic of tax systems and tax crimes.

“We have a situation where people who don’t understand tax rules vote for politicians who don’t understand tax rules who then come up with new tax rules. No wonder it’s a mess”.

The Rebel Accountant in ‘Taxtopia’

PRAISE FOR ‘TAXTOPIA’

“Shocking, enraging”

Piers Morgan

“Really quite brilliant”

Tom Peck

‘TAXTOPIA’: SYNOPSIS

In Taxtopia, a rogue accountant breaks ranks to share his journey from clueless naïf to skilled tax consultant -and in doing so blows the lid on the murky world of making the tax burdens of the ultra-wealthy disappear.

In the topsy-turvy world of tax avoidance, you can get richer by buying a yacht, the world’s biggest exporter of coffee is Switzerland, and billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Donald Trump and the Duke of Westminster often pay less tax than you do.

Written with sharp wit and brimming with insider secrets, the anonymous author shows us that not only does the global tax system encourage dubious practices which favour the rich, but that it was specifically founded with that in mind.

If you suspect that tax is a rigged game, a con, designed to fleece the little guy, you are about to find out just how shockingly true that really is.

Welcome to Taxtopia!

Taxtopia was published by Octopus Books and is available from Exclusive Books stores for R365.

Matthee wrote from a young age, achieving fame with her four Forest Novels that included Fiela’s Child and Circles in a Forest.

Her 13 books speak to Southern African heritage in a way that few authors have managed to.

Here’s more about her work, and getting to know this great local author.

Dalene Matthee: Who was the author?

Dalene Matthee was born in 1938, raised in the Cape province where she soon discovered her writing talents.

ALSO READ: What is a blue moon — and why do we care?

Her first book would publish in 1970, but her first ‘Forest Novel’ would appear in 1984 with ‘Circles in a Forest’.

ALSO READ: Afrikaans: Songs that didn’t age well

She’s one of the country’s most translated writers, with Matthee’s work stretching to almost all corners of the globe.

All four of Matthee’s ‘Forest Novels’ have been translated into English.

Matthee’s Forest Novels

Dalene is best known for her creation of the four Forest Novels, which are meant to be read as four stories within the same universe: the famous Knysna Forest.

ALSO READ: Read them now: Five books that were banned in apartheid SA

Based in her local environment, Dalene wrote about the local forest people after years of research.

The four Forest Novels are, in order of appearance:

• Circles in a Forest
• Fiela’s Child
• The Mulberry Forest
• Dream Forest

Some of Matthee’s work has also been adapted to film.

[Watch] Fiela’s Child Trailer

Fiela’s Child (Afrikaans: Fiela se Kind) is one of Dalene’s most famous works, adapted to film twice.

ALSO READ: What was that dot near the Super Blue Moon?

Watch the trailer for the latest remake of her classic second Forest Novel below.

Knysna and Matthee

If you want to know the Knysna forest, you will certainly also know about Dalene Matthee. Her official memorial is located in the Knysna forest, and might be worth a visit for anyone in the area – yes, even if you haven’t read the book or seen the movie yet.

READ MORE ARTICLES BY FRANCOIS JANSEN (‘ALEX COYNE’)

Here are some of the most popular current book releases, what they’re about, and why you might want to read them when you’re making up your reading list for the last part of the year.

Afrikaans: Deur die tonnel van twyfel (Koos Kombuis)

English: Through the tunnel of doubt

ALSO READ: South African music in FIVE great documentaries

‘Deur die tonnel van twyfel’ or ‘Through the tunnel of doubt’ is the new essay collection by masterful singer-songwriter and author Koos Kombuis. If you’re familiar with the Voëlvry-movement or Lisa se klavier, then you’re already on the right track – and if you don’t know what that means, you’re about to discover a whole new facet of South Africa.

ALSO READ: Women’s Month: Five must-read fiction books by SA female authors

ALSO READ: Read them now: Books that were banned during apartheid

The book explores thoughts of the author’s religious upbringing. He talks about Christanity, identity, the church, and the future of what could be a very confused generation.

English: Son of a Whore (Herman Lategan)

‘Son of a Whore’ is the life story of author Herman Lategan, whom you might not know yet (but will want to several pages into the book). It’s a story of a very powerful and interesting life – and this makes it a wonderful exploration of life in South Africa told from the perspective of someone who is living it.

ALSO READ: Local literature: 7 must-read South African classics

Originally released in Afrikaans as ‘Hoerkind’, the memoire has also made it to a successful stage production

Afrikaans: Leo (Deon Meyer)

English: Leo

If you’re into hard-boiled mysteries and late-night action movies, ‘Leo’ by Deon Meyer is the Afrikaans novel right up your alley. According to Goodreads, the tale tells the story of several found bodies – and of course, the trail that leads from them to the murderer (or is it murderers?).

From the author also responsible for the highly successful television adaptation of Orion.

Afrikaans: Erf en Elders (Kleinboer)

If you’re into poetry and might be learning Afrikaans, try Kleinboer – a fascinating poet who often jokes that he might be the last white man living in Yeoville. According to an introduction on LitNet. this is his latest poetry collection – about life, the universe, and everything.

READ MORE ARTICLES BY FRANCOIS JANSEN (‘ALEX J COYNE’)

ALSO READ: Bible Study: Five Bible verses about love

Did you know you can read the Bible in isiZulu online?

Here’s where to find the Holy Book in Zulu, and what other religions consider their most holy texts.

The Bible in ZULU here

The Bible is an important book for many South Africans, but many grew up reading the book in a language other than the language they are most familiar with. Access to literature can be difficult, and access to reading in your own language can sometimes also present a challenge.

ALSO READ: Bible Study: Six vital verses about strength

An isiZulu translation of the Holy Book can be found at Bible.com.

· isiZulu Bible

The book was first translated into isiZulu during the late-1950s.

ALSO READ: Local literature: 7 must-read South African classics

If you’re wondering, yes, the message of the Bible remains the same – regardless of which language you might be reading the text in!

The Bible in OTHER languages

What if you stil want to read the book, but don’t speak a word or two of isiZulu?

ALSO READ: Local author sheds light on silenced voices in groundbreaking novel

Other translations of the Holy Book exists, including isiXhosa and Afrikaans-language translations of the Old and New Testaments.

Other modern translations are available at the below links for reading:

· isiXhosa

· Afrikaans

· Setswana

If you can’t find the book in your language, simply visit the website and search for what you’re looking for. Most world languages are available through the same website.

Other holy books you can read

The Bible isn’t the only religious book that’s popular in South Africa. Have you ever wanted to know more about another religion, or what they read?

Islam reads the Quran, while the Tanakh, Torah, and Talmud are some of the religious books read by the Jewish faith worldwide.

Here’s where to find some of the other holy books for reading:

· The Quran

· The Bhagavad Gita

· The Tanakh (Jewish Texts)

· The Torah and Talmud (Jewish Texts)

READ MORE ARTICLES BY ALEX COYNE

TOOL FOR PARENTS AND CHILDREN

The book is meant to be a tool for parents and children, especially teenagers, to equip them to use social media in a safe manner. Available in all 11 official languages, it is accessible to all. 

According to The Citizen, Oluwasola Obagbemi, corporate communications manager at Meta, said the book is a demonstration of Meta’s determined and serious effort to encourage a safer online environment for young people.

ALSO READ: Cybersecurity: Beware the dangers of online schooling

ONLINE SAFETY AN ONGOING FOCUS

“The comic book would fall under our resources, and resources are there to promote more awareness for people who are using our platform about how to stay safe online … We will continue to ensure that we are sharing good materials … to ensure that they stay safe online,” said Obagbemi.

ALSO READ: Online safety: Three software security programmes you should know about

LINK BETWEEN SOCIAL MEDIA AND DEPRESSION

According to IOL, Carey van Vlaanderen, ESET Southern Africa’s CEO, said increased exposure to harmful content, cyberbullying and age-inappropriate advertising online, can have a very negative impact on the mental well-being of young people. ESET Southern Africa is an IT security software company.

“Because the benefits and potential threats of the online world don’t exist separately from one another, it can be difficult for teens and their parents to navigate an ever-changing digital landscape. It’s all about finding a good middle ground between promoting healthy online use and taking a proactive approach against the risks,” said Van Vlaanderen.

ALSO READ: Instagram seeks to curb mental harm to teenage girls

META BOOK AVAILABLE FREE OF CHARGE

The #EbaSafeOnline comic book is available to all and is free of charge. To download an electronic version of the book, click here. 

ALSO READ: How bad is cyberbullying in South Africa?

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES BY MARZANNE JANSE VAN RENSBURG

Two-time Olympic gold medalist, Caster Semenya is on the cusp of releasing her first-ever book. Titled The Race to Be Myself: A Memoir, the book will tell the stories of Semenya’s 15-year-long career including her challenges, controversies, losses and victories.

ALSO READ: ‘Elated at the outcome’: Caster Semenya wins discrimination case

The 32-year-old athlete has faced a difficult 18 months following a lengthy battle with World Athletics about her fitness to compete in women’s events. In 2019 She was barred from competing in her chosen track-and-field women’s disciplines unless she agreed to undergo hormonal treatment.

This follows a career that has seen her in the spotlight over questions about her genetics. Despite this, Semenya has stood her ground and is proud and loud about the gender she identifies as.

ALSO READ: Caster Semenya wins appeal against testosterone rules

Caster Semenya sets the record straight

For as long as we’ve known her, Semenya’s sexuality and gender have been at the forefront of the media conversation. From “transgender” to “intersex”, many onlookers have tried to label her gender and part of this speculation may have led to the intense scrutiny she’s faced from sports bodies like the IAAF over her eligibility to run against other women.

Nonetheless, in her new memoir, the Limpopo-born athlete has taken a moment to set the record straight. She declares that she is a woman – and proudly so.

ALSO READ: ‘Finally telling my truth’: Caster Semenya to release memoir

“From day one, I’ve understood I’m a different woman.” wrote Semenya in an edited extract from her book published in the New York Times. She continues, “Even though I understand that those in the medical community call me an intersex person because of the way my internal organs are structured, I do not call myself intersex. That identity doesn’t fit me; it doesn’t fit my soul.”

What next for Mokgadi?

The year 2023 proved to be an important one for Semenya and her fans which saw her finally overturn the verdict made by both World Athletics and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Although it remains to be seen when she can compete again, her followers will be eager to get their hands on her memoir when it hits shelves on 31 October 2023.

ALSO READ: HBD! Caster Semenya celebrates daughter’s 2nd birthday [photos]

In the meantime, the athlete who also goes by her birthname, Mokgadi, continues to enjoy a quiet life away from the media with her wife Violet and their daughter.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES BY TINASHE VENGE

Ready for some fiction and fear done the South African way?

Here are some of the best horror flicks to see for this years’ scarefest.

Parable

Watch the Trailer

Parable is a uniquely South African horror tale.

ALSO READ: Killers: The most notorious South African criminals

It tells the story of Esther, a young girl forced into gay-conversion therapy. Unfortunately, her “therapy sessions” soon lead the Reverend to discover a case of demonic possession.

The movie might be farfetched, but it’s everything you’d want from The Exorcist if it happened on local soil.

Pinky Pinky

Watch the Trailer

If you’re South African of a certain age, you might have grown up with the story of Pinky Pinky. Better known as the ghost that hides in toilets, it is said to steal naughty children in the dark.

ALSO READ: Comedy: Laugh with these LOCAL comedies!

If that sounds like something you don’t want to think about at night, you’d be right. That’s why it’s made one of the most interesting horror movies you’ll ever see.

You might want to leave lights on for this one.

Mamtsotsi Bird

Watch the Trailer

The Mamtsotsi bird is based on the legend of a bird that can be summoned by witchcraft. In return, you will get one wish for your troubles – but be very careful what you wish for.

This excellent short horror movie is directed by Jo Horn.

What happens if you wish someone to death, but with serious consequences?

ALSO READ: Haunted or NOT? Go here to see SA’s ghosts!

It’s more than enough to make sure this October sticks in your mind for a while.

Die Ontwaking (The Awakening)

Watch the Trailer

Die Ontwaking (The Awakening) is a 2016 horror movie.

ALSO READ: Witchcraft in SA: Is gogo bewitched…or ill?

This great film tells the story of Abel Lotz, a serial killer obsessed with collecting skin. Morbid and fantastic, this flick stars actor Gys de Villiers in one of his most unsettling roles.

Do they ever catch old Abel?

You’ll have to watch the film on Showmax to know for sure.

READ MORE ARTICLES BY ALEX COYNE

Fractal Noise is set in the year 2234 and tells the story of a version of the future where humans live on spaceships and far-away planets. Do not be put off by the seemingly heavy science fiction label of this novel. It is surprisingly easy to read and the story is jam-packed with tension and mystery.

Even if you have never read any of this genre before, Fractal Noise will be the perfect way to test the waters of the wonderful world of science fiction.

‘FRACTAL NOISE’: PAOLINI SHINES WITH SUPERBLY TENSE WRITING

Fractal Noise is a companion novel to Paolini’s bestselling novel To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, but you do not have to read one novel to understand the other. Even though Fractal Noise is a prequel to To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, both novels can be enjoyed on their own.

What Paolini truly excels at in his writing is building tension. Often in science fiction, readers are so busy trying to keep up with the plot, all the characters and the world building that any and all tension just goes out the window. But Paolini slowly creates atmosphere and tension through his suspenseful writing. Even with complex history and politics being woven into the storyline, Paolini makes it easy for readers to keep up with the fast-paced plot.

If you are a die-hard sci-fi fan, you will adore this novel and if you are just starting out in this genre, consider Fractal Noise the perfect place to start.

ALSO READ: Debut young adult novel explores grief through Japanese folklore

SYNOPSIS: ‘FRACTAL NOISE’

July 25th, 2234: The crew of the Adamura discovers the Anomaly.

On the seemingly uninhabited planet Talos VII a circular pit has been discovered, 50 kilometers wide. Its curve is not of nature.

Now, a small team must land and journey on foot across the surface to learn who built the hole and why. But they all carry the burdens of lives carved out on disparate colonies in the cruel cold of space. For some, the mission is the dream of the lifetime while for others, it is a risk not worth taking. But for one person, it is a desperate attempt to find meaning in an uncaring and dark universe.

Each step they take toward the mysterious abyss is more punishing than the last and the ghosts of their past follow.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christopher Paolini was born in 1986 in Los Angeles, California. After he graduated from high school, he began working on Eragon, his debut novel, at the young age of 15.

The first Christopher Paolini book was published in 2002 by Christopher’s parent’s publishing house, Paolini International LLC. From here, Paolini’s career took off.

The Inheritance Cycle, including his novel Eragon has sold over 35 million copies. The last book in the series has been translated into numerous languages and has been published in over 50 countries. All of Christopher Paolini’s books have been bestsellers on the charts of The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly.

Fractal Noise is published by Tom Doherty Publishing and is available for purchase from Exclusive Books stores for R350.

Catfish Rolling follows the story of Sora, a young girl whose home has been destroyed by an earthquake. As Sora and her father try to put their lives back together, disaster strikes again when Sora’s father goes missing. Now, she has no choice but to venture into forbidden spaces to find him.

Do not be fooled by the young adult label of this book. This is far cry from a shallow book for teenagers. With tender explorations of grief and trauma, Catfish Rolling is an incredibly powerful novel that everyone should read.

ALSO READ: ‘Truth to Power’: André de Ruyter exposes Eskom’s dark secrets

AUTHOR CLARA KUMAGAI TRIUMPHS WITH STRIKING WRITING

This novel initially intrigued me with what looked to be like a unique take on Japanese folklore mixed with mystery and magic, but Catfish Rolling turned out to be so much more than this. An unexpected element in the novel was its incredible exploration of trauma and grief. These themes gave the story a depth beyond what is typical of young adult novels.

Kumagai really shines in her prose. Her writing is unique and has a way of gripping your attention and not letting go. Kumagai’s writing can only be described as beautifully lyrical without being overly flowery.

Catfish Rolling truly deserves all the acclaim it is currently receiving. With stunning prose and strong characters, this novel is a tour de force.

‘CATFISH ROLLING’: SYNOPSIS

Magic-realism blends with Japanese myth and legend in an original story about grief, memory, time and an earthquake that shook a nation.

There’s a catfish under the islands of Japan and when it rolls the land rises and falls.

Sora hates the catfish whose rolling caused an earthquake so powerful it cracked time itself. It destroyed her home and took her mother. Now Sora and her scientist father live close to the zones – the wild and abandoned places where time runs faster or slower than normal. Sora is sensitive to the shifts, and her father recruits her help in exploring these liminal spaces.

But it’s dangerous there – and as she strays further inside in search of her mother, she finds that time distorts, memories fracture and shadows, a glimmer of things not entirely human, linger. After Sora’s father goes missing, she has no choice but to venture into uncharted spaces within the time zones to find him, her mother and perhaps even the catfish itself…

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Clara Kumagai is from Canada, Japan, and Ireland. Her fiction and nonfiction for children and adults has been published in The Irish Times, and The Kyoto Journal among others. Catfish Rolling is her debut novel.

She is a recipient of a We Need Diverse Books Mentorship and was a finalist for the Jim Wong-Chu Emerging Writers Award in 2020. She currently lives and works in Tokyo.

Catfish Rolling is published by Bloomsbury Publishing and is available for purchase from Exclusive Books stores for R255.

Avid bookworms might recognize Julia Bartz’s surname. She is actually the sister of New York Times bestselling author Andrea Bartz, who penned the gothic thriller We Were Never Here. Passion for writing clearly runs in the family!

ALSO READ: ‘Truth to Power’: André de Ruyter exposes Eskom’s dark secrets

‘THE WRITING RETREAT’: READERS HAD HIGH HOPES

The synopsis of The Writing Retreat had me immediately intrigued. I had high hopes going into this novel. Stories about writing and authors are always fascinating to me and I rarely read a gothic noir novel that I do not enjoy. But even though this novel had a deliciously dark setting, readers were left with many questions after the novel wrapped up.

Bartz’s writing is very much a Marmite item; some will love it and some will hate it. Her writing gives a lot of information, leaving very little for the reader to discover about the characters and their backstories on their own. But with elements like the novel’s plot, the reader is left in the dark because of the odd pacing and story development.

But despite a rocky start, Bartz’s writing shows promise and with more time and practice, we can expect great things from her in the future.

‘THE WRITING RETREAT’ SYNOPSIS

A book deal to die for.

Five attendees are selected for a month-long writing retreat at the remote estate of Roza Vallo, the controversial bestselling author of feminist horror. Alex, a struggling writer, is thrilled to be invited.

Upon arrival, they discover they must complete an entire novel from scratch, and the best one will receive a seven-figure publishing deal. Alex’s long-extinguished dream now seems within reach.

But then the women begin to disappear.

Trapped, terrified yet still desperately writing, it is clear there is more than a publishing deal at stake at Blackbriar Estate. Alex must confront her own demons – and finish her novel – to save herself.

ALSO READ: Local author raises awareness for conservation in newest novel

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Julia Bartz is the New York Times bestselling author of The Writing Retreat, a practicing therapist, and a creative coach.

Her fiction writing has appeared in The South Dakota Review, InDigest Magazine, and many other publications. For more information, connect with her on social media @JuliaBartz.

The Writing Retreat is published by Oneworld Publications and is available for purchase from Exclusive Books stores for R320.

From neglected equipment, ageing power stations and crippling corruption on a massive scale, de Ruyter has seen it all and, luckily, wrote it all down. Truth to Power is a revolutionary book that reclaims the truth around South Africa’s current energy crisis written by someone who was on the inside.

DE RUYTER’S MEMOIR UNCOVERS DARK UNDERBELLY OF POWER

Tackling something as complicated and ever-shifting as SA’s power problem ran the risk of being difficult for readers to follow. However, de Ruyter unpacks complex bureaucracy, history and politics with simple language and humour.

Besides being well-written, Truth to Power is also extremely comprehensive. The reader is left with a clear understanding of our current energy crisis and a gratefulness to the man who has pulled back the curtain on the inner workings of the energy giant.

ALSO READ: Local author raises awareness for conservation in newest novel

That being said, this is not an easy book to get through. Readers go behind the scenes and see the dark underbelly of power, fuelled by staggering corruption, clear disregard for fellow South Africans and heinous lies.

However, de Ruyter ends his book with a message of hope to his successors and to his fellow countrymen.

“I rest secure in the knowledge that I have left it all on the field. To my successors I say: You have no shortage of challenges, but the right building blocks have been laid- if you choose to build on that foundation. […] I know the scoreboard doesn’t look that great right now, but the second half is yet to be played”.

André de Ruyter in his memoir, ‘Truth to Power’.

‘TRUTH TO POWER’: AN OVERVIEW

When André de Ruyter took over as Eskom CEO in January 2020, he quickly realised why it was considered the toughest job in South Africa.

Aside from neglected equipment, ageing power stations and an eroded skills base, he discovered that Eskom was crippled by corruption on a staggering scale. Fake fuel oil deliveries at just one power station cost Eskom R100 million per month. Kneepads retailing for R150 a pair were purchased for R80 000. Billions of rands of equipment supposedly housed in the company’s storerooms was missing.

Faced with police inaction, he was compelled to plunge into a world that was foreign to him – a world of spies and safe houses, of bulletproof vests and bodyguards. In Truth to Power, De Ruyter tells the behind-the-scenes story of how he launched a private investigation that exposed at least four criminal cartels feeding off Eskom. While fighting this scourge, he had to deal with political interference, absurd regulations, unfounded accusations of racism, sabotage and a poisoning attempt.

De Ruyter takes the reader inside the boardrooms and government meetings where South Africa’s future is shaped. He explains how renewable energy truly is the cheapest and quickest solution to our power crisis. As someone who worked at the highest levels of the state, he is uniquely placed to speak truth to power.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

André de Ruyter was raised in Bronkhorstspruit and Pretoria. After holding executive positions at Sasol and heading up Nampak, he served as Eskom CEO from January 2020 to February 2023.

He remains keenly interested in synchronizing economic growth, job creation and environmental benefits through a just energy transition.

Truth to Power is published by Penguin Books and is available for purchase from Exclusive Books stores for R350.

Jam-packed with adventure, mystery and beautiful South African pride, this is not a novel to miss! Readers pick up right where they left off with the enigmatic character of Nonhle Ngubane in the first book and the excitement begins right away.

‘THE LEOPARD IN THE LALA’: A SOUTH AFRICAN ADVENTURE

At the centre of McCarthy’s work is a strong passion for young minds and nature conservation. Her stories always place a clear focus on strong characters, role models and the celebration and protection of nature.

My favourite part of this book series is McCarthy’s focus on the South African identity. Her characters, their stories and the plot are all immersed in local flavour, making The Leopard in the Lala a joy to read.

Her novels are perfect gifts for those budding bookworms in your life but they can also be enjoyed by adults.

According to her website, McCarthy says that she never intended The Poacher’s Moon Crime Series to be a series. She states “The first book, Down at Jika Jika Tavern, took eight years to write. I fitted writing in and around my life and my ‘real’ work. But then readers began demanding answers to very important questions”.

I realised that the characters were no longer just mine; they were alive and well in the minds and hearts of readers”.

Author Ashling McCarthy on her latest novel “The Leopard in the Lala”.

ALSO READ: ‘Cleopatra and Frankenstein’ unpacks dark side of modern romance

‘THE LEOPARD IN THE LALA’: SYNOPSIS

It’s been a year since Nonhle Ngubane was held hostage on a windswept mountain by two crooked and murderous men. She’s settled into her new job at The Last Outpost Lodge and her greatest concern is whether the man she loves, feels the same way. While she contemplates matters of the heart, the rhino poaching war continues to escalate and kingpins are partnering with corrupt judges.

Her friends, Thomas McKenzie and Senzo Mdletshe, find themselves fighting a daily battle to keep the poachers at bay. Then Nonhle discovers that leopard populations are also under attack. While their skins are worn with pride as a symbol of power and royalty across the African continent, farmers destroy leopards that threaten their livestock, and big game hunters offer illegal hunts to paying guests.

When a university acquaintance unexpectedly arrives in Zululand, Nonhle finds herself involved in a case that brings the past roaring back into her present.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In 2010, Ashling McCarthy founded an education non-profit based in a rural community in Zululand. It provides children and youth with opportunities to expand their horizons, through relevant and creative programs, encouraging problem-solving and personal accountability.

McCarthy offers courses to high school learners (aimed at Grade 10 -12) where she discusses the power of using creative writing to explore social challenges and also provides tips and advice for aspiring writers. She lives in the coastal town of Durban with her husband and five rescue spaniels.

The Leopard in the Lala is published by Blue Weaver and is available for purchase from Ashling McCarthy’s website.

Readers loved the article so much, we have decided to make our latest quiz all about this interview. 

But how carefully did you really read the article? All of the quiz answers can be found in the article so make sure you go back and scan for clues to the quiz answers. 

READ THE ARTICLE HERE: Capetonian author celebrates overlooked voices in latest novel

BOOK QUIZ: WIN ONE OF THREE R500 EXCLUSIVE BOOKS VOUCHERS

Keen bookworms who enter our quiz this month will stand the chance to win one of three R500 book vouchers from Exclusive Books!

So, what are you waiting for? Get quizzing!

Check out all the previous quiz winners HERE

BOOK QUIZ: HOW TO ENTER

All entrants who score 6 out of 6, will go into a draw where a winner will be chosen and contacted via e-mail. So, make sure to supply your e-mail address along with your contact number.

The closing date for the book quiz is 28 July 2023

PLEASE NOTE THAT BOOK VOUCHERS CAN NOT BE EXCHANGED FOR CASH.

Don’t delay, enter our Book Quiz TODAY… Good luck!

For more book news and new book reviews, visit our BOOK PAGE.

Her latest novel, What Happens on Vacation, tells the deliciously romantic and devilishly funny story of a classic enemy-to-lovers romance. It is the perfect novel to take with on vacation or to cuddle up with on the couch and pretend you are on a beach somewhere.

In an exclusive interview with The South African, Watson unpacks her writing process behind What Happens on Vacation, shares her literary heroes and dishes on her writing pet peeves.

‘WHAT HAPPENS ON VACATION’: WATSON’S INSPIRATION

What Happens on Vacation tells the hilarious story of overworked journalist Margaret who gets the chance to go on an all-expenses-paid trip to Zanzibar. But there is one catch: she has to go on the trip with Jagger Villain, a man she cannot stand. Away from the office and in a tropical paradise, Margaret beings to wonder if her archnemesis maybe has some good qualities. Could the holiday from hell turn into the vacation of her dreams? Readers will have to find out…

ALSO READ: Local author sheds light on silenced voices in groundbreaking novel

When asked about the inspiration behind her bestselling new novel, What Happens on Vacation, Watson laughs and says “You know, I can’t pinpoint one moment where inspiration struck. My inspiration comes from absorbing other stories and people-watching. I love people-watching”. She goes on and says that she has always wanted to write a book set in Zanzibar but was waiting for the right story.

As a writer, I am always on the lookout for inspiration. I don’t sit around waiting for it to hit me; I go and find it. I absorb stories and these stories then become other stories.

Author Jo Watson on her writing process.

AUTHORS ON AUTHORS: WHAT’S ON WATSON’S READING LIST

As well as a prolific writer, Watson is a voracious reader as well. When asked about her favourite authors, Watson stated that she reads anything and everything she can get her hands one. It might be a shock to fans to find out that the one genre Watson does not read often is romance. She said, “I prefer dark stories. Ones that confront you and make you think”.

She enjoyed reading the gritty dark noir novel Any Man by Amber Tamblyn as well as Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka.

ALSO CHECK OUT: ‘Cleopatra and Frankenstein’ unpacks dark side of modern romance

WATSON REJECTS STIGMA AROUND ROMANCE NOVELS: ‘ROMANCE IS NOT A GUILTY PLEASURE’

As a writer who began sharing her stories with the world on Wattpad, Watson is very passionate about dismantling the stigma that comes from reading (and writing) romance novels. She says, “People need to get over it. Reading romance is not a guilty pleasure that you need to do in secret. Heaven forbid someone finds out!”.

Watson goes on to say that the romance genre is one of the most popular genres in the world and this is for a reason. People love love. Looking down on readers who enjoy romance stories is just ridiculous, Watson says.

With her incredible romance stories, jam-packed with humour and many life lessons, Watson is certainly showing that the romance genre is not one to be snubbed.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR WATSON: ‘I HAVE MANY OTHER BOOKS IN ME’

When asked about her future writing plans, Watson smiles and says, “I have many other books in me”. As a fan of young adult fiction, Watson says she would like to write more in this genre. “I would also like to write something dark, maybe. Who knows what the future holds?”.

Well, one thing is for sure, Jo Watson is a writing tour de force and the future looks bright for this author.

What Happens on Vacation is published by Headline Publishing Group and is available for purchase from Exclusive Books stores for R335.

Anne is no novice when it comes to the world of fiction. She has written several young adult novels and she was the 1995 Joint Winner of the “Young Africa Award”. In 2020, one of her short stories was longlisted in the Kwela Corona Competition.

In an exclusive interview with The South African, Anne unpacks her writing process, her inspiration for her stories, her future writing plans and much more!

Read our review of Bloomer HERE: Capetonian author celebrates overlooked voices in latest novel

ANNE SCHLEBUSCH: ‘LOCKDOWN PUSHED OLD PEOPLE ASIDE SO I PUSHED BACK’

In her interview, Anne unpacked the experiences shared by old people during lockdown. She states that they were seen as a big problem because they were more susceptible and because of this, they needed to be contained and locked away.

“When the first statistics came out and people saw that it was mostly older people who were most affected, the world breathed a sigh of relief and tried to lock them away”, Anne explains. This inspired her to write a story of older people saying, “We are not dead yet, so we might as well live the lives we want”.

In Bloomer, the characters show that life does not stop when you are over 60. In fact, life still holds romance, fun, heartbreak and the chance for reinvention.

SCHLEBUSCH ON HER WRITING PROCESS AND FUTURE WRITING PLANS

When Anne was asked about her writing process with Bloomer, she laughs and says that it was chaos initially but that she soon had all her chapter headings mapped out. As a 70-year-old herself, she felt that her writing about the elderly was authentic and real. Even though the main character of Maggie is not based on Anne herself, she wanted to keep the characters as true to life as possible. “I felt comfortable writing about aging because I am aging”.

In the midst of hard lockdown, Anne wrote and wrote. While on the daily allotted walks, she planned the plot of the story. She states that it was “a journey of the mind as I wanted to write something realistic but also thought-provoking and fun”.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR ANNE?

But Anne is far from being done with writing. She is currently busy working on another young adult novel. She will also have a new short story out later in the year that will be published by Tattoo Press.

In an exciting turn of events, an agent took Bloomer to the London Book Fair has suggested that Anne get writing on a sequel as soon as possible. There is also the possibility of a TV series for Bloomer in the future, so watch this space!

AUTHORS ON AUTHORS: FAVOURITE BOOKS

When asked about her favourite authors and books, Anne states that she reads far and wide. “I have a very eclectic reading taste. I read everything”.

Some personal favourites of Anne include famous page-turners by Liane Moriarty and she is currently reading Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Anne also loves diving into African fiction, current fiction as well as a good ol’ crime novel.

MORE ABOUT ANNE SCHLEBUSCH

Like Maggie, the protagonist in her exciting debut novel for adults, Anne Schlebusch is 70 years old. This deft author is no stranger to writing though, having been a co-author of language textbooks and a curriculum guide. She has also written 3 young adult novels. In 2020, her short story was longlisted in the Kwela Corona Competition.

Anne has always been one for the world of words. After completing her MPhil in Applied Language Studies at UCT in 1995, Anne left teaching to join the Western Cape Education Department. She concluded her long and illustrious career with a decade as Director for Business Strategy.

Bloomer is published by Modjaji Books and is available for purchase from Exclusive Books stores for R330.

Mellors, despite being a debut novelist, writes with the depth of an experienced writer and an old soul. Cleopatra and Frankenstein is a romantic tour de force boasting a unique writing style and gritty realism.

‘CLEOPATRA AND FRANKENSTEIN’ TV ADAPTATION IN THE WORKS

According to Coco Mellors’s website, her debut Cleopatra and Frankenstein is currently being adapted into a TV series with Warner Bros Studio. Variety reports that Maggie Kiley is to be the director.

In his article for Variety, Joe Otterson states that Kiley is a highly sought-after director. Her directing credits include the Netflix survival drama Keep Breathing starring Melissa Barrera. She has also directed series episodes for Pretty Little Liars, Dr. Death and Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story.

With Mellors’ characters and Maggie Kiley’s eye for visuals, a Cleopatra and Frankenstein series will surely be nothing short of perfection.

ALSO READ: Capetonian author celebrates overlooked voices in latest novel

PRAISE FOR COCO MELLORS

“Insistent, stylish and utterly captivating, the prose just sings.”

Heidi James, author of ‘The Sound Mirror’.

“Luminous. A great, swooning love story, a shattering depiction of how addiction and mental illness warp our lives and a perceptive, witty portrait of globalized New York. Mellors has written a devastatingly human book. An unforgettable read.”

Sam Lansky, author of ‘The Gilded Razor’ and ‘Broken People’.

“A character-driven epic, thoroughly engrossing and entirely magnificent.”

Adam Eli, author of ‘The New Queer Conscience’.

‘CLEOPATRA AND FRANKENSTEIN’ SYNOPSIS

Twenty-four-year-old painter Cleo left behind her life in England and fled to New York City. She is still finding her place in the sleepless city when, a few months before her student visa ends, she meets Frank.

Twenty years older and a self-made success, Frank’s life is full of everything Cleo’s lacks. He offers her the chance to be happy, the freedom to paint, and the opportunity to apply for a Green Card. But their impulsive marriage irreversibly changes both their lives, and the lives of those close to them.

Each compulsively readable chapter explores the lives of Cleo, Frank, and an unforgettable cast of their closest friends and family as they grow up and grow older. In the middle of all the chaos of two lives colliding, Cleo and Frank try and find each other and themselves.

As hilarious as it is heart-breaking, entertaining as it is deeply moving, Cleopatra and Frankenstein marks the entry of a brilliant and bold new talent.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Coco Mellors was born in London and moved to New York as a teenager. During her fifteen years in New York, she received an MFA in Fiction from New York University. In 2020, Mellors moved from east to west and settled in Los Angeles.

Cleopatra and Frankenstein is her first novel.

Cleopatra and Frankenstein is published by HarperCollins and is available for purchase from Exclusive Books stores for R270.

With her gang of lovable and slightly batty friends, Maggie and the other pensioners of Hazyview Mansions set out to reinvent themselves. With humour, wit and important life lessons, Schlebusch’s characters show the world that age really is just a number.

‘BLOOMER’ PROVES THAT COMING OF AGE HAS NO AGE LIMIT

As we celebrate the increasing diversity of voices in South African fiction, the elder voice is often overlooked. Bloomer is a refreshing antidote to that. Schlebusch’s Maggie is a delightful character with an internal life as full and rich as her external exploits. This book deals in second, third, and fourth chances at everything from family life to romantic love, to a career in the arts. I found it both inspiring and stimulating”.

Fiona Sncykers, award-winning author

The voices of the older generation are often disregarded and ignored. In our fast-paced world of miscommunication and isolation, the stories of the older generation get put aside because there is no one to listen.

With a tender look at the joy, pain and wisdom that comes from living a long life, Schlebusch teaches the important lesson that there is so much we can learn from our elders.

ALSO READ: ‘Signal Fires’ – a poignant novel of family grief and forgiveness

Schlebusch has that uncanny talent of creating characters who are so wonderfully complex that they feel real. The character of 70-year-old boomer Maggie has such a rich internal life that you will forget that she isn’t actually out there busy with mischief. Even though Maggie is my favourite, all of the characters truly tug at your heartstrings.

Everyone, young and old, should read this incredible novel. Bloomer is a revolutionary work that will have you laughing out loud and reminds us that youth fades, but humour and love last a lifetime.

‘BLOOMER’ SYNOPSIS

Locked down in an old age home, 70-year-old boomer, Maggie, ditches her bra, browses an old diary and reconnects with her artist self. While the world is happier with its oldies locked away, the lovable elders of Hazyview Mansions, galvanised by Maggie and her four close friends, have their own ideas.

Individual, local and global issues (with a touch of romance) drive the story of this consequential novel with sustained and gentle humour. Bloomer is both enormously fun and truly weighty.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Like Maggie, the protagonist in her exciting debut novel for adults, Anne Schlebusch is 70 years old. This deft author is no stranger to writing though, having been a co-author of language textbooks and a curriculum guide. She has written 3 young adult novels, becoming a 1995 Joint Winner of the “Young Africa Award” with one of them. In 2020, her short story was longlisted in the Kwela Corona Competition.

Anne has always been one for the world of words. After completing her MPhil in Applied Language Studies at UCT in 1995, Anne left teaching to join the Western Cape Education Department. She concluded her long and illustrious career with a decade as Director for Business Strategy.

Bloomer is published by Modjaji Books and is available for purchase from Exclusive Books stores for R330.

Upon its release, Signal Fires became an instant bestseller and was later awarded the National Jewish Book Award. According to Shapiro’s website, this novel is also being developed into a TV adaptation.

Signal Fires is definitely worth all the attention and accolades it is receiving. With tender explorations of the haunting power of generational pain, Shapiro’s newest novel invites readers into the heart of one family’s battle with the past.

‘SIGNAL FIRES’: THE PERFECT NOVEL FOR BOOK CLUBS

Signal Fires is the perfect book club pick because there is so much more to it than meets the eye. The story continues to develop even long after you have turned the last page. The characters stay with you and force you to think about your own life.

Shapiro’s power as a writer lies in her characters. In just a few lines, she creates people who seem so real that the reader forgets they are fictional. The characters are truly what drives Signal Fires. Their rich inner worlds and the rawness of their pain makes this novel a must-read.

Even though the plot of Signal Fires is slow at times, it is worth it. You will not regret picking up this novel but it is a good idea to keep the tissues nearby.

“An urgent and compassionate meditation on memory, time and space. In Shapiro’s elegant convergence of narrative threads, she creates a world that’s as wrenching as it is wonderous”.

Ruth Ozeki – winner of the 2022 Women’s Prize for Fiction

SYNOPSIS

Signal Fires opens on a summer night in 1985. Three teenagers have been drinking. One of them gets behind the wheel of a car, and, in an instant, everything on Division Street changes. Each of their lives, and that of Ben Wilf, a young doctor who arrives on the scene, is shattered.

For the Wilf family, the circumstances of that fatal accident will become the deepest kind of secret, one so dangerous it can never be spoken.

On Division Street, time has moved on. When the Shenkmans arrive—a young couple expecting a baby boy—it is as if the accident never happened. But when Waldo, the Shenkmans’ brilliant, lonely son who marvels at the beauty of the world and has a native ability to find connections in everything, befriends Dr. Wilf, now retired and struggling with his wife’s decline, past events come hurtling back in ways no one could ever have foreseen.

In Dani Shapiro’s first work of fiction in fifteen years, she returns to the form that launched her career, with a riveting, deeply felt novel that examines the ties that bind families together—and the secrets that can break them apart. Signal Fires is a work of haunting beauty by a master storyteller.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dani Shapiro is the bestselling author of eleven books, and the creator of the hit podcast Family Secrets.

Her memoir, Inheritance, was an instant New York Times bestseller, and was named a best book of 2019 by Wired, Elle Magazine and Vanity Fair. Her most recent novel, Signal Fires, won the esteemed National Jewish Book Award. Shapiro also won this award for her memoir, Inheritance. Her non-fiction book on the process and craft of writing, Still Writing, has been reissued on the occasion of its tenth anniversary.

Signal Fires is published by Vintage Books and is available for purchase from Exclusive Books stores for R340.

Her newest novel,Those People Next Door, promises readers a domestic thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. With twists and turns you won’t see coming as well as characters you will love (and hate), this is not a novel to miss.

ALSO READ: ‘The Winter Dress’ – a historical fiction tour de force

KIA ABDULLAH’S LATEST THRILLER A TRIUMPH OF DOMESTIC NOIR

This novel has everything you want from a thriller and more. It has the basics: a gripping plot, intriguing characters and lots of courtroom drama. This book, however, goes deeper than your average thriller. It tackles complex issues we have to face today like cancel culture and online hate.

Abdullah is truly a master at building tension and keeping the reader hooked throughout the novel. You will find yourself reading late into the night and telling yourself “Just one more chapter”.

In Those People Next Door, Abdullah cleverly brings together a story that forces you to examine your own life and makes you uncomfortable in the best way. This is definitely a must-read!

SYNOPSIS: ‘THOSE PEOPLE NEXT DOOR’

You can choose your house, but not your neighbours.

Salma Khatun is extremely hopeful about Blenheim, the safe suburban development to which she, her husband and their son have just moved.

Not long after they move in, Salma spots her neighbour, Tom Hutton, ripping out the anti-racist banner she put in her front garden. She chooses not to confront Tom because she wants to fit in. So, Salma takes the banner inside and puts it in her window instead.

But the next morning she wakes up to find her window smeared with paint. This time she does confront Tom, and the battle lines between the two families are drawn. As things begin to escalate and the stakes become higher, it’s clear that a reckoning is coming and someone is going to get hurt.

A gripping thriller about nightmare neighbours, Those People Next Door explores the loss of innocence and how far we’re prepared to go to defend ourselves and the people we love.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

According to her website, Kia Abdullah is British bestselling author and travel writer. Her novels include Take It Back, which was chosen as The Guardian thriller of the year, and Truth Be Told, which was shortlisted for a Diverse Book Award. One of her other novels, Next of Kin, was longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award and went on to win the Adult Fiction Diverse Book Award 2022.

Abdullah graduated university with a degree in computer science. She left behind the world of code when she began working for Penguin Publishing. From here, she built a following through her travel blogs. Through all these twists in her career, Abdullah never stopped writing.

These days she spends her time hiking, mentoring pupils from Tower Hamlets and writing (of course).

Those People Next Door is published by Harper Collins and is available for purchase from Exclusive Books stores for R340.

Chater’s latest novel dives deeply into the past as it is inspired by a real shipwreck off the coast of Texel Island in The Netherlands. The Winter Dress invites readers into the world of historical fashion, family trauma, and mystery.

This novel will enchant you and take you back in time to a ship that sank almost 400 years ago and one dress that made history. With Chater’s trademark prose and intriguing characters, this is not a book to miss!

ALSO READ: ‘Silence of the Shadows’: SA author wins esteemed literary prize

PRAISE FOR LAUREN CHATER

“From a few shimmering strands of truth, Lauren Chater has spun an intriguing story of love, loss and fulfilment”.

Pip Williams, bestselling author of ‘The Dictionary of Lost Words’.

“Vivid, expansive and richly imagined, ‘The Winter Dress’ weaves together a fascinating historical mystery and an uncompromising portrait of the possibility and price of female autonomy with remarkable and deeply affecting results”.

James Bradley, author of ‘Wrack’.

“Wrap yourself in Chater’s prose. ‘The Winter Dress’ is a captivating tale of discovery and obsession by one of Australia’s very best historical fiction authors. Absolutely essential reading”.

Melissa Ashley, author of ‘The Birdman’s Wife’.

‘THE WINTER DRESS’ SYNOPSIS

CHECK THIS OUT: BOOK QUIZ: 2023 Women’s Prize Longlist – WIN R500 vouchers!

Jo Baaker, a textiles historian and Dutch ex-pat is drawn back to the island where she was born. A shipwreck has been discovered and Jo was asked to examine a 17th century silk dress. Retrieved by local divers from a sunken shipwreck, the dress offers tantalizing clues about Holland’s famous Golden Age.

Jo’s research leads her to Anna Tesseltje, a poor Amsterdam laundress turned ladies’ companion who served the enigmatic artist Catharina van Shurman. The two women were said to share a powerful bond, so why the two part ways?

Jo is convinced the truth lies hidden between the folds of this extraordinary dress. But as she delves deeper into Anna’s history, troubling details about her own past begin to emerge.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

According to her website, Lauren Chater is the author of several bestselling historical fiction novels, including The Lace Weaver and Gulliver’s Wife.

In 2018, Chater was awarded a grant by the Neilma Sidney Literary Fund to travel to the Netherlands to research her third novel, The Winter Dress.

She has made appearances at the Brisbane Writers Festival and the Tamar Valley Writers’ Festival, as well as many others. She is currently completing her master of Cultural Heritage through Deakin University.

The Winter Dress is published by Allison & Busby and is available for purchase from Exclusive Books stores for R333.

WHO WAS NONI JABAVU?

Noni Jabavu was born in 1919 in Alice, the then-Cape province of South Africa. South Africa had become the Union of South Africa in 1910 and the devastating Native Land Act was passed in 1913 which exacerbated the displacement of Africans in the region. She was the eldest daughter of Florence Thandiswa Jabavu (born Makiwane) and Don Davidson Tengo Jabavu. Her mother was one of the pioneers of the Zenzele self-help groups for women in rural areas. Her parents were prominent figures who often appeared in newspapers and public platforms.

ALSO READ: Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple lives on in short story collection

Her father was a politician, writer, and academic at Fort Hare College (present day University of Fort Hare). The college was extremely important as a space for black thinkers and African leaders. She comes from a network of families who were the pioneers in African modernity through their links at Lovedale, Healdtown, Fort Hare and travels abroad. These early intellectuals, teachers, and journalists shaped the cultural exchange as early recipients of missionary education while holding onto African traditions.

She left South Africa aged 13 for Mount School, a girls boarding school in York, England. She writes about this departure in her columns where she meets Jan Smuts whom she describes as “Oom Jan”. It is at his house where she meets Arthur Gillet and Margaret Clarke who would be her guardians while she is abroad. In her columns she explains that her family in England were “English tycoons, upper class, bankers, industrialists, conservative liberals”. She remained in England and studied further until her education was disrupted by World War II. It was also during this period where she worked for the BBC radio. In 1941 she married her first husband and a year later gave birth to her daughter Tembi.

ALSO READ: Activists condemn Malaysia’s ban on LGBTQ books

Her literary career began while she was in England when her first memoir, Drawn in Colour, was published in 1960. The success of this publication precipitated her appointment as the editor of the New Strand, a literary magazine published in London. This made her the first woman and black person to hold this position in 1961. Her appointment was so significant that she was featured in Ebony Magazine. An Italian translation of the book was published in 1962, further demonstrating an interest in her work. In 1963 her second memoir was published, The Ochre People. Throughout her life she lived in Uganda, Jamaica, Kenya, Zimbabwe to mention a few. In writing she explains the effects of her transnational life on her life as a writer. She returned to South Africa in 2002 and passed away in 2008 while living at the Lynette Elliott Frail Care Home in East London.

WHY IS SHE IMPORTANT?

Noni Jabavu’s life is significant because she was a pioneer writer both in South Africa and abroad during the 1960s. Much of her adult life was spent traversing the world, making her part of a network of transnational writers. She crafted a literary career which was unusual for women in the 1960s. Her career inspired the likes of Margaret Busby (editor of Daughters of Africa who became the first black woman to enter publishing as a career in London. On one of her visits home to work on her father’s biography, Jabavu began writing for the Daily Dispatch. She contributed 49 columns to the Daily Dispatch. Her readers were varied and openly shocked by the cheekiness and forthright opinions she held in her columns. They were particularly fascinated by her unconventional love life and the friends she mentioned in her columns. Nineteen seventy-seven was a tumultuous year in South Africa with the 1976 student uprising and the death of Steve Biko in 1977.

ALSO READ: ‘Silence of the Shadows’: SA author wins esteemed literary prize

HOW DID YOU COME TO BE INTERESTED IN HER COLUMNS?

We were both working on long term projects on Noni Jabavu. Makhosazana Xaba began working on Noni Jabavu while she was pursuing her Masters in Creative Writing in 2006. I began my research in 2017 and much of my research is possible because of Makhosazana Xaba’s work. Many people became increasingly interested in our work but it was frustrating that both her memoirs were out of print. It seemed that one of the ways of addressing this was to garner interest around a collection of her columns which would hopefully ensure that there would be a renewed interest in her work. The columns also presented a different genre to the memoirs she was known for.

WHAT DOES SHE ADDRESS IN THE COLUMNS?

Jabavu’s columns present a variety of themes ranging from the political commentary of the 1970s, to a nostalgia of the life she missed out on as someone who had lived abroad since she was 13 when she left for boarding school in England. She writes about the everyday concerns of a black woman living with apartheid in columns such as “Getting used to colour again”, and “The Special Branch Call”. She addresses the absurdity of apartheid head on. Her columns are also quirky and playful with reference to her love life which her readers are curious about. In “Why I’m not marrying” she responds to readers who “ask me in friendship rather than enmity to tell you more about my personal love life, I respond. Nothing in it to hide”.

ALSO READ: BOOK QUIZ: 2023 Women’s Prize Longlist – WIN R500 vouchers!

WHY DO HER COLUMNS MATTER TODAY?

This collection is historic. Jabavu had planned to compile such a book herself as she shared in a letter to a friend, but this didn’t happen. These columns demonstrate that Noni Jabavu’s concerns from 1970s are still relevant today. Her family’s friendships with politicians such as Jan Smuts as well as upper class English peers complicates how we think about our history and the nature of friendships and race relations. Her frankness about not wanting to marry again is reflective in many women’s choices today who choose not to marry and pursue their careers and friendships instead.

By reintroducing her to a new audience almost 50 years since the columns were published the collection also poses questions about who is remembered and why. This collection is a restorative project in response to the erasure of black women’s writing. Only one of Jabavu’s book was published in South Africa in 1982 (The Ochre People). This is only the second. These gaps in our knowledge of black women’s intellectual labour need to be addressed in order to have a better sense of our history.

The book is published by NB Publishers

Article by: Athambile Masola. Lecturer, University of Cape Town

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Click here to read more articles by The Conversation.

According to the Women’s Prize website, “The Women’s Prize for Fiction is the UK’s most prestigious annual book award celebrating & honoring fiction written by women”. From former judges returning as writers, debut authors and even previous prize winners, this year’s list of sixteen must-read novels shines with literary genius.

From a novel about the tragedy of the Vietnam War to a story about the beauty of dolphin communication, the 2023 Women’s Prize for fiction truly has something for every type of reader. But how well do you really know the authors on this list and their incredible novels?

Test yourself with our 2023 Women’s Prize Longlist Quiz and stand a chance to win one of three R500 vouchers from Exclusive Books!

ALSO READ: New thriller from bestselling author Holly Jackson fails to shine

2023 LONGLIST BOASTS MIX OF NEW VOICES AND RETURNING WINNERS

The 2023 longlist practically bursts with new voices as nine out of the sixteen included works are from first-time authors. This year’s list even sees the return of two former Women’s Prize winners, Maggie O’Farrell and Barbara Kingsolver.

According to Good Housekeeping UK, Louise Minchin, this year’s chair of judges, stated that “This year’s longlist is a glorious celebration of the boundless imagination and creative ambition of women writers over the past year. Every one of these 16 books is excellent and original in its own individual way; they all offer fresh perspectives on history and humanity, exploring hard truths with empathy, sensitivity, directness, and sometimes infectious humor”.

These are the amazing books and authors included in this year’s longlist:

• Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris
• Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova
• Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh
• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
• Fire Rush by Jacqueline Crooks
• Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo
• Homesick by Jennifer Croft
• I’m a Fan by Sheena Patel
• Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow
• Pod by Laline Paull
• Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
• The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
• The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie
• The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
• Trespasses by Louise Kennedy
• Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin

The judges now have the difficult task of whittling these sixteen books down to a shortlist of six novels, which will be announced in April. But until then, happy reading and happy quizzing!

WOMAN’S PRIZE LONGLIST BOOK QUIZ: HOW TO ENTER

All entrants who score 6 out of 6, will go into a draw where a winner will be chosen and contacted via e-mail. So, make sure to supply your e-mail address along with your contact number.

The closing date for the book quiz is 31 March 2023

PLEASE NOTE THAT BOOK VOUCHERS CANNOT BE EXCHANGED FOR CASH.

Don’t delay, enter our Book Quiz TODAY…

Do you like paranormal romance books? We cannot tell you how much we enjoy werewolf mate novels on Dreame. It may seem a bit cliche to some people, but Dreame does have the best werewolf romance books for free, so why wouldn’t you enjoy reading them?

If you thoroughly enjoyed reading Twilight Saga back then, you will also love reading werewolf romance books on Dreame. But if you are struggling to find the best paranormal romantic books and have no idea where to start your reading journey, let us help you.

Top 5 Paranormal Romantic Books

There is something about reading paranormal romance books. Whether it is about ghosts or vampires and werewolves, these novels give an edge and tell us a story that we know is not true, yet it feels relatable.

There are many good werewolf romance books that we found extremely worth reading. These books aren’t just excellent at character development and have good storylines, captivating characters, and amazing chemistry.

So, to help you start your reading journey, here are our top recs for paranormal romance books.

The Unloved Mate

There is no bigger heartache than being unloved by the person you love the most. The Unloved Mate is a werewolf romance novel dealing with similar notions.

Isabella, a beautiful and determined young woman who mostly goes unnoticed by her pack, has dreams and hopes in her eyes. She is kind and generous because she has never known people to be the same as her. Unloved by her parents, Isabella hopes that one day, her mate will find her and make everything better in the world.

Little did she know that her mate, the person she was destined to be with, would reject her, and all hope would be lost. All she wanted to do was die at that moment, but her wolf didn’t let her.

She kept strong and determined that one day, people would realize her efforts, and she would get everything that Isabella truly deserved.

Welcome Home Mate

Roxie, a young werewolf, has been away from her pack for a long time. However, this year, she plans to meet her brother’s mate. Even though it was her brother’s best friend, Alexander, who made her leave the pack in the first place after breaking her heart, Roxie still decides it is time for her to return to her territory.

Welcome Home Mate is a story of love, rejection, and hope. It will tell you about the strong connection Roxie, and Alexander shared and all the turmoils they both had to face before they could finally be together.

So, why did Alexander send her away? What are the chances they will get back to this? Find out all this and much more on Dreame.

His Evil Luna… Accidentally

We all believe that once we die, all the good people will go to heaven while all the bad will have to go to hell. Isn’t that correct?

But unfortunately, that won’t be the case for Brenna. After having a failed one-night stand with a stranger, Brenna gets into a car accident and wakes up in the paranormal world of a werewolf romance novel she once wrote herself.

To add to the craziness, she finds herself the story’s antagonist, who is supposed to die real soon at the hands of the story’s main hero. But soon enough, she finds herself in bed with the same person who is supposed to kill her, the alpha of Shadow Pack, the ruthless Prince Ruhn Brynmor.

This steamy novel contains twists, turns, and excellent comic timing. The book also has a prequel named Breaking Engagement. You can also read that before starting this book.

The Defiant Mate

After attacking the fated luna of her Blood Moon Pack, Jay-la is banished by soon-to-be alpha Nathan for a year. Jay-la doesn’t even know why she attacked the future luna in the first place, but according to her wolf, she was trying to protect the pup.

After leaving her pack’s territory, Jay-la returns to live on campus, completes her law degree, and hopes the banishment will end soon. However, once she starts pursuing her degree, going back home is the last thing on her mind, and she soon begins her career as a practicing lawyer in the human world.

It took six years for her pack to send her a letter telling her to finally come home. But what she does is defy her Alpha’s orders, who is also determined to bring her back. Will Jay-la go back or fight for her freedom and choice? Start reading the novel today and find out.

The Alpha’s Forbidden Bride

The Alpha Prince, James Lance Vinci, was a strong-headed and determined man. All his life, he had waited for the moment he would lay eyes on his mate, and from that moment on, he will worship her and lay the world at her feet.

He didn’t know that the Black Council would hold her mate captive and had already been promised to another Alpha.

In James’s fight for his love, he could lose everything he once had but didn’t care. All he cared about was Eden Cross, his true mate, and James didn’t care who and what he must sacrifice to claim her as his.

Follow the story to experience everything James and Eden have to go through to claim their love for each other. It is a story about heartache, hope, and love and will give you a reading experience of a lifetime.

Final Thoughts

These are some of the best paranormal romance books on Dreame. Each one of these novels has a story that will leave you awestruck. These novels possess strong storylines, incredible character development, and some steamy scenes, bound to give you an experience for a lifetime.

So, if you are looking for something new to read, give this a try.

ALSO READ: NECT has developed 189 indigenous language storybooks

Her Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series is even going to be adapted to the big screen! According to Deadline, Moonage Pictures are set to adapt this New York Times bestseller into a TV series.

Despite the acclaim of Jackson’s previous work, her latest novel, Five Survive, fails to shine. With a predictable plot, odd storytelling, and one very weirdly familiar scene, Five Survive sadly just doesn’t hit the mark.

ALSO READ: ‘The Cloisters’: Renaissance magic, dark academia mingle in debut

‘FIVE SURVIVE’: GRIPPING STORY LET DOWN BY PACING

Now, don’t get me wrong; I am a big Holly Jackson fan. Her A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series got me through the first lockdown and I wish I had her books around when I was a teenager.

The positives of her new thriller are the interesting characters and the Jackson-esque tense storyline which makes you devour this book in days. Jackson knows how to keep the reader hooked and Five Survive is no exception.

But the tension is broken by the predictable plot which makes the later twists in the novel less surprising. This breaks the pace and all the built-up tension breaks down, leaving the reader with a “Well, I called it”.

Jackson’s other books are so well-written and are all-around wonderful reads, which makes Five Survive so much more of a disappointment. It lacks the depth of her previous work. Jackson fans seem to agree as Five Survive is one of her lowest-rated books on Good Reads.

One particular issue I had with the book was that one scene was taken directly, almost word for word from the movie Good Will Hunting. If you haven’t seen the movie, maybe this scene won’t jump out at you so much, but it completely removed me from the novel and broke all the tension that Jackson was trying to build up.

All that said, I still enjoyed parts of this book. I would recommend this book to readers who are looking for a quick and easy YA thriller that you don’t have to focus on too much.

‘FIVE SURVIVE’ SYNOPSIS

Eight hours. Six friends. One sniper…

Eighteen-year-old Red and her friends are on a road trip in an RV, heading to the beach for Spring Break. It’s a long drive but spirits are high until the RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere. There’s no phone reception and nobody around to help. And as the wheels are shot out, one by one, the friends realise that this is no accident.

There’s a sniper out there in the dark watching them and he knows exactly who they are. One of the groups has a secret that the sniper is willing to kill for.

A game of cat-and-mouse plays out as the group desperately tries to get help and work out which member of the group is the target. Buried secrets are forced to light in the cramped, claustrophobic setting of the RV, and tensions within the group will reach deadly levels. Not everyone will survive the night.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Holly Jackson was born in 1992 and grew up in the UK. She started writing stories at a young age and even completed her first book at age fifteen.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder was her debut novel and put her on the map as an incredible new YA author. Jackson has written several more installments in this series and her work is even going to be adapted to the big screen.

She lives in London and aside from reading and writing, she loves binge-playing video games.

Five Survive is published by Electric Monkey publishers and is available from Exclusive Books stores for R236.

The novel is set in New York, at the intriguing museum called The Cloisters. The museum the novel is named after actually exists and houses The Metropolitan Museum’s impressive collection of medieval and Renaissance art.

Set against the backdrop of this gothic museum, The Cloisters explores the dark underbelly of academia, making this novel perfect for fans of the dark academia theme!

CHECK THIS OUT: BOOK QUIZ: 2023’s most anticipated books – WIN R500 vouchers!

‘THE CLOISTERS’: DEBUT NOVEL HAS SOME HITS AND MISSES

This debut novel is a bit of a mixed bag. Some elements of The Cloisters are intriguing, while others fall a bit flat.

First, the positives; the setting of this novel is just sublime. As a fan of gothic architecture, Hays’ descriptions of The Cloisters were wonderful. The reader was transported to the dark hallways of this incredible museum. The Cloisters centres around history, dark magic and the dangerous side of academia. Readers who enjoy dark academia themes in their reading, will love this novel.

Towards the end of the novel, a delicious murder mystery creeps out. Even though this mystery appears a little too late in the story for me, it was a fun and intriguing twist.

Even though this novel does get some things right, there are also things that didn’t work in this novel. The characters are all a bit flat. Our main character, Ann Stilwell, and most of the other characters, are very one-dimensional. They don’t match the complexity of the setting or the plot. Because of this, the story drags. I agree with many readers online who said that this book is very slow and the twist at the end cannot make up for the pace.

There are also many elements in the novel which are hinted at but never explored. This leaves the reader with many questions and gives the story a few plot holes.

So, even though this novel has some hits and misses, I still think it is worth reading if you are a lover of dark academia and beautiful descriptions.

SYNOPSIS – ‘THE CLOISTERS’

When Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, she expects to spend her summer working as a curatorial associate at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she finds herself assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its medieval art collection and its group of enigmatic researchers studying the history of divination.

Desperate to escape her painful past, Ann is happy to indulge the researchers’ more outlandish theories about the history of fortune telling. But what begins as academic curiosity quickly turns into obsession when Ann discovers a hidden 15th-century deck of tarot cards that might hold the key to predicting the future. When the dangerous game of power, seduction, and ambition at The Cloisters turns deadly, Ann becomes locked in a race for answers as the line between the arcane and the modern blurs.

A haunting and magical blend of genres, The Cloisters is a gripping debut that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

ALSO READ: ‘Silence of the Shadows’: SA author wins esteemed literary prize

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

According to her website, Katy Hays is a Californian, writer, and cake aficionado. In addition to writing, Hays works as an adjunct Art History Professor teaching rural students from Truckee to Tecopa.

She holds an MA in Art History from Williams College and pursued her PhD in Art History at UC Berkeley. Her academic writing has been published by Ashgate, an imprint of Routledge.

When not writing, Katy is a skier, cyclist, trail runner, and—well, reader. The Cloisters is her first novel.

The Cloisters is published by Transworld Publishers and is available for purchase from Exclusive Books stores for R306.

Donald’s latest novel explores the dark inner workings of violence and female trauma in South Africa. Silence of the Shadows is very deserving of its award as it offers a truthful and tender look at some of the all-too-common experiences of women in South African. The novel also shows the power of female connection and the strength of modern women.

With compelling characters and beautiful writing, Silence of the Shadows is not one to be missed! Donald seamlessly blends fiction and reality in her work, making her one of South Africa’s best authors on the scene at the moment.

CATHY DONALD WINS BIG AT INTERNATIONAL LITERARY AWARDS

In November of 2022, Donald won the esteemed Jury Prize at the Milan International Literary Awards. The Silence of the Shadows, Donald’s third novel, nabbed the highly sought after prize and has cemented her as a now internationally recognized author.

“There are few authors who include so much insight where values and the personalities of role models play such an important part in the characters of a novel”.

Anne Preston

ALSO READ: BOOK QUIZ: 2023’s most anticipated books – WIN R500 vouchers!

‘THE SILENCE OF THE SHADOWS’ SYNOPSIS

The Silence of the Shadows tells the story of five very different women, Cape Town is home to each one of them. Surrounded by its mountains and seas, but also by the struggles and difficulties of a young post-transformation country, each one lives out her separate life. Then fate begins to intertwine their lives through a series of circumstances.

Faith, who has taken on a job as part-time receptionist in Bethany’s practice, is physically abused by her manipulative and controlling husband. Between Bethany and Rafiqah, the detective who investigates her case, they manage to persuade her to prosecute him and this involves the legal help of Lindiwe, the public prosecutor. But Lindiwe’s nightmare past means that her involvement in cases of abuse can never be totally objective.

Ayesha, who teaches Bethany’s young daughter notices subtle changes in the little girl’s behaviour and, together with Faith, makes a shocking discovery.

The Silence of the Shadows is a novel about the strength and frailty in each of us, the recognition that at different times we can be either the helper or the helped and that it is acceptable to be both.

ALSO READ: Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple lives on in short story collection

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

According to her website, Cathy Donald was born in Port Elizabeth in 1959. She has written for as long as she can remember – stories, scripts for plays and musical productions. She followed a career in Medicine and practiced as a medical doctor in both rural and urban settings.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, she was involved on various fronts – within her general practice, in the hospitals and on a telephonic helpline. She has used her knowledge in Breathless but has also experienced first-hand both the anguish and the euphoria that healthcare workers went through during the pandemic.

Cathy has written three novels over the past five years: The Reluctant Cuckoo (2016), Miles to Go (2018) and The Silence of the Shadows, all of them celebrate family and friendship and the life-affirming values that mean so much to her.

The Silence of the Shadows is published by Kwarts Publishers and is available for purchase from Cathy Donald’s website.

Test yourself with our new Book Quiz about the hottest books of 2023 and stand a chance to win one of three R500 vouchers from Exclusive Books!

BOOK QUIZ: WIN ONE OF THREE R500 EXCLUSIVE BOOKS VOUCHERS

ALSO READ: Latest novel by bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid fails to shine

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That said, the cultures and literatures of travel from Africa have long been under-recognised by mobility studies. Exposing structures and norms that privilege white travel, as well as centering the voices of those on the move who haven’t traditionally been counted as travellers, are important aspects of “decolonising travel”.

ALSO READ: Sho Madjozi released her debut children’s book

The “travelling while black” movement foregrounds racial danger and discrimination around travel, while illuminating distinctive experiences that black travel brings. With this telling phrase as its title, Kenyan writer and analyst Nanjala Nyabola’s ground-shifting book explores multiple dimensions of being a mobile African woman.

As a literary scholar of these books, I’ve recently published a research paper that explores how a range of contemporary popular travelogues by black South Africans offer fresh, often provocative, perspectives. The travelogues, mostly focusing on exploring Africa (including South Africa itself), bring to life the places visited and celebrate the acts of travel – while also reflecting deeply on what the travel means.

Travel in South Africa is no straightforward subject. It takes on heightened significance in the light of the country’s history of colonialism and apartheid. Apartheid, South Africa’s institutionalised system of segregation, attempted to limit or force black mobility and to regulate black travel in intensive ways.

In post-apartheid South Africa, much has been in flux. While race-based mobility laws are no longer in place, questions of black movement, border crossings and belonging are peaking. In many of the travelogues in my research, the writers reflect on how history, race, nationality, gender and other factors affect travel.

1. Vagabond by Lerato Mogoatlhe

Journalist Lerato Mogoatlhe, loved on social media as Madam Afrika, shares her action-packed experiences of travelling to 21 African countries over five years in her debut book Vagabond: Wandering Through Africa on Faith (2019).

She dedicates her adventures to “those who had gone before”, including her grandparents “who could only travel in their dreams”. What motivates her is the “freedom to wander from place to place and the possibility of knowing the world beyond what’s around my corner”.

She sees travel on the continent as giving her “the opportunity to experience being black and African without disguising or denying myself to fit in”.

2. Niq Mhlongo’s blog

Along with tales of book hustles, visa hassles, local brews and astounding sights, novelist Niq Mhlongo reflects on how the past and present connect through journeying in his energetic travel blog.

On his 4,459km trip through Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, he emphasises that African travel enables the retracing of “the history of our people that has not been properly documented or told”.

3. Hardly Working by Zukiswa Wanner

A multi-country African journey with the thrills and spills of public transport is the story of novelist Zukiswa Wanner’s Hardly Working: A Travel Memoir of Sorts (2018) – on one level. She is also on the road to teach her son about the continent beyond the realms of “a textbook”.

As a child of exiled South African and Zimbabwean parents, she has been transnationally mobile since childhood, but imbues this trip with special importance. It marks her 40th birthday and four decades since the 1976 Soweto uprising.

Through her journeying, she powerfully links up personal and historic milestones to reflect on her own life and a nation that hasn’t lived up to its post-apartheid promises.

4. Reclaiming Home by Lesego Malepe

Reclaiming Home: Diary of a Journey through Post-Apartheid South Africa (2018) is by author and scholar Lesego Malepe.

She returns from decades in the US to criss-cross the country of her birth over 11 months.

During apartheid “the many discriminatory laws made travel for a black person very difficult”, so she explores every corner of South Africa for herself and in memory of her brother.

As a political prisoner on Robben Island off Table Bay, Cape Town, for 22 years, her brother was taunted by the view of Table Mountain and all that lay out of reach.

5. Rainbow Nation, My Zulu Arse by Sihle Khumalo

Travel writer Sihle Khumalo takes to the road to write his first book about his native South Africa in Rainbow Nation, My Zulu Arse (2019). While he is known for his upbeat approach (his brawny debut was Dark Continent, My Black Arse in 2016), he starts this journey at apartheid’s Sharpeville massacre site in contemplative mode.

He strikes a note of “looking back” as “part of moving forward” and connects his travel to historical sites, among others, to try and grasp where the country’s headed.

Khumalo’s book is far from solemn though. It rants and raves across the spectacular terrain of nine provinces, bringing to life dusty towns, forgotten communities, bright lights and open horizons.

He accentuates that travel is “about being greedy for new experiences that can never happen if you do not move your sorry ignorant naïve self from one point to the other”.

6. Blacks Do Caravan by Fikile Hlatshwayo

Equally ambitious, but striking a different note, is author and businesswoman Fikile Hlatshwayo.

Her Blacks Do Caravan (2016) is based on an extended family adventure, providing an inspirational, full-colour guide to 60 camp sites across South Africa and neighbouring Eswatini.

Before becoming a tourism champion, she had grown up with the idea that camping was “purely for white people”. Travel has a vital role to play in “breaking down barriers and stereotypes”, says Hlatshwayo.

7. Those Who Travel Meet Themselves

In a similar vein, writer Michelle van Onna Green-Thompson edited a booklet of stories, Those Who Travel Meet Themselves (2018).

In it she casts herself and fellow millennial travel contributors as “door openers” in 21st century South Africa.

Knitting together travel and life trajectories, she encourages young black South Africans to grab hold of horizons denied to earlier generations.

She links encountering new “spaces” to discovering “pages” of life.

ALSO READ: Slee dubbed ‘highlight’ of ‘RHOD’ S3: ‘She read Jojo like a book’

Claiming spaces

These vibrant, varied South African writers embrace the open road. Far from needing to “justify their movements”, which tends to be the case for black travellers, as historian Christabelle Peters highlights, they bring irrepressible stories of touring for its own sake. They claim spaces and places as black travellers, as movers and shakers.

At another level, these travelogues don’t miss a chance to explore their mobility as a form of time travel and of human expression. The past is never far away as they think of those who didn’t have the same freedoms. At the same time, they assess how much the country they call home has “travelled” from its past, as well as towards imagined post-apartheid futures. Many of the writers reflect, too, on what it means to visit South Africa as a black person from other Africa countries, as borders tighten and attitudes sharpen.

For these contemporary writers, who take themselves and their readers on transporting journeys, there’s no turning back.

Article by: Janet Remmington. Research Associate, Humanities Research Centre (and African Literature Department, University of the Witwatersrand), University of York

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES BY THE CONVERSATION.

Even though we will never have another novel from the “Queen of Crime” herself, Christie’s legacy lives on in a new collection of “Agatha-inspired” short stories.

With the feisty Jane Marple at the helm, Marple is a collection of viciously fun and deliciously dark stories from some of our generation’s most loved authors such as Leigh Bardugo and Naomi Alderman.

Additionally, the audiobook is read by an exciting cast of 12 actors, including Adrian Scarborough, Ramon Tikaram and Miriam Margoyles.

BESTSELLING AUTHORS CONTINUE AGATHA CHRISTIE LEGACY

ALSO READ: Agatha Christie biography explores magnificent legacy

This collection of 12 original short stories, all featuring Jane Marple, will introduce the much-loved character to a new generation. Every author reimagines Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple through their own unique perspective.

According The Guardian, the writers were given strict criteria to follow when writing their short stories. They had to stick to the time period Christie wrote in and they could not mess with the protagonist’s original backstory.

Some famous authors you will see featured in this collection, are Alyssa Cole, Lucy Foley, Val McDermid and Karen M. McManus. The collection also includes writing from critically acclaimed author Kate Mosse.

While all these authors have vastly different styles, the collection works as a whole because the character of Jane Marple stays the same. Fans of Agatha Christie’s work will not be disappointed in this reimagining of her most famous character.

THE HISTORY OF MISS MARPLE

According to the Agatha Christie website, Miss Marple was first introduced to readers in a story Christie wrote for The Royal Magazine in 1927. The character’s first appearance in a full-length novel was in 1930 with The Murder at the Vicarage.

Over the course of her career, Agatha Christie would write twelve novels and twenty short stories featuring Miss Marple as an amateur detective.

It has been over 45 years since Agatha Christie’s last Marple novel, Sleeping Murder, which was published posthumously in 1976. This collection of ingenious new stories by twelve Christie fanatics will remind readers why Jane Marple remains the most famous fictional female detective of all time.

FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, CHECK OUT OUR BOOK PAGE

Marple is published by HarperCollins and is available for purchase at Exclusive Books stores for R350.

Christie, who passed away on 12 January 1976 at the age of 85, wrote 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections. She was the mastermind behind some of the most famous literary characters such as Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot.

Even though her work is famous all around the world, the real woman behind the fame is still somewhat shrouded in mystery. Her career and personal life still raise many questions.

Did she really disappear for a week and go and live another life? Did she align herself with the feminists of her day? Why is her writing so often critiqued?

Historian Lucy Worsley tackles these questions and many more in her new book, Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman.

BIOGRAPHY SHOWS AGATHA CHRISTIE IN NEW LIGHT

Through her writing, it is clear that Worsley is a big Agatha Christie fan, and this makes her the perfect person to introduce the real woman behind the public image of the mysterious writer.

Worsley’s writing style is so ideally suited for non-fiction writing that her work almost reads like fiction. With beautiful writing steeped in research, Worsley finds that rare balance of history and humanity.

ALSO READ: ‘Fairy Tale’: Stephen King puts dark twist on childhood classics

My favourite element of this book is the many excepts from Christie’s dairies and letters. Readers get a clear sense of who this formidable writer really was. Worsley also opens the world of 20th century Britain as she explores the ins and outs of Christie’s personality and books.

PRAISE FOR LUCY WORSLEY

“One brilliant woman writing about another: an irresistible combination”.

Bestselling author Antonia Fraser

“One of the most delightful biographies I have ever read”.

Journalist A.N. Wilson

“Gripping, revealing, and ultimately extremely moving”.

Amanda Foreman

ALSO READ: ‘Transcend’: A modern woman’s guide to navigating life and ambition

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr Lucy Worsley is a British-born historian, author, curator, and television presenter.

The 49-year-old is joint chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces, but she is best known as a presenter of BBC Television series on historical topics. On her website, Worsley describes herself as “by day, Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, and by night a writer of history books”.

Agatha Christie is published by Hodder and Stoughton and is available for purchase at Exclusive Books stores for R414.

Fans have eagerly been awaiting a new novel from her and luckily for us, the author recently released Carrie Soto is Back. Set in the 1970s to 1990s, Carrie Soto is Back transports readers into the world of tennis as we follow fictional tennis legend Carrie Soto.

Despite having Taylor Jenkins Reid’s incredible writing and some compelling characters, this novel ultimately fails to shine in the same way her previous work has. The book has had some mixed reviews with some fans loving it and others just not getting it.

Fancy some more reviews, check out our BOOK PAGE

‘CARRIE SOTO IS BACK’: STRUGGLES TO BUILD TENSION WITH FAST PACE

Let’s be clear: this is still a good book and well worth the read. But with the standard Reid has set for herself with her previous work like Malibu Rising and Daisy Jones and The Six, this new book does not succeed in the same way.

Carrie Soto is Back is all about the wonderful game of tennis. Readers follow retired champion Carrie Soto as she comes out of retirement to reclaim her record. Fans of the sport will tell you how tense a match can be. I was hoping to see some of this tension in Reid’s writing, but because the chapters were so short and the tennis games so quick, the tension just wasn’t there.

The pacing of the novel lets the story down. There were just not enough words on the page to successfully build the tension needed to make this a great novel.

That being said, Reid came through with her characters. Carrie Soto is wonderfully complex and utterly realistic. The characters of her and her father somewhat redeem the story. Their relationship is beautifully portrayed and it will tug at your heartstrings.

Even though this is not Reid’s best work, Carrie Soto is Back still makes for a good book and an enjoyable read.

SYNOPSIS: ‘CARRIE SOTO IS BACK’

Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular. But by the time she retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Grand Slam titles.

She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father, Javier, as her coach. A former champion himself, Javier has trained her since the age of two. But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning player named Nicki Chan.

At thirty-seven years old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year. Even if the sports media says that they never liked “the Battle-Axe” anyway. Even if her body doesn’t move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley.

In spite of it all, Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the author of the New York Times bestselling novels Carrie Soto Is Back, Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones and the Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, as well as One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, and Forever, Interrupted.

According to her website, her books have been chosen by Reese’s Book Club, Read with Jenna, Indie Next, Best of Amazon, and Book of the Month. Her novel Daisy Jones and The Six is currently being adapted by Hello Sunshine into a limited series for Amazon.

We have got you covered with our fail-safe book recommendation list for all ages. Whether you are looking for a book for a teenage bookworm or a budding baby bookworm, this list will have something for everyone.

ALSO READ: ‘Fairy Tale’: Stephen King puts dark twist on childhood classics

GIFT IDEAS FOR MYSTERY FANS

1. The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman

It is an ordinary Thursday, and things should finally be returning to normal.

Except trouble is never far away where the Thursday Murder Club are concerned. A local news legend is on the hunt for a sensational headline, and soon the gang are hot on the trail of two murders, ten years apart. To make matters worse, a new nemesis pays Elizabeth a visit, presenting her with a deadly mission: kill or be killed.

2. The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith

The latest installment in the highly acclaimed, internationally bestselling Strike series finds Cormoran and Robin ensnared in another winding, wicked case.

When frantic, disheveled Edie Ledwell appears in the office begging to speak to her, private detective Robin Ellacott doesn’t know quite what to make of the situation. The co-creator of a popular cartoon, The Ink Black Heart, Edie is being persecuted by a mysterious online figure who goes by the pseudonym of Anomie. Edie is desperate to uncover Anomie’s true identity.

Robin and her business partner, Cormoran Strike, become drawn into the quest to uncover Anomie’s true identity. But with a complex web of online aliases, business interests and family conflicts to navigate, Strike and Robin find themselves embroiled in a case that stretches their powers of deduction to the limits – and which threatens them in new and horrifying ways.

ROMANCE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOPELESS ROMANTICS

1. The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas

From the author of the Goodreads Choice Award winner The Spanish Love Deception, comes the eagerly anticipated follow-up novel, The American Roommate Experiment.

Rosie Graham has a problem. A few, actually. She just quit her well paid job to focus on her secret career as a romance writer. She hasn’t told her family and now has terrible writer’s block. Then, the ceiling of her New York apartment literally crumbles on her. Luckily, she has her best friend Lina’s spare key while she’s out of town. But Rosie doesn’t know that Lina has already lent her apartment to her cousin Lucas.

Lucas offers to let Rosie stay with him, at least until she can find some affordable temporary housing. And then he proposes an outrageous experiment to bring back her literary muse and meet her deadline: He’ll take her on a series of experimental dates meant to jump-start her romantic inspiration. How could this go wrong?

2. It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover

Before It Ends with Us, it started with Atlas. Colleen Hoover tells fan favorite Atlas’s side of the story and shares what comes next in this long-anticipated sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller It Ends with Us.

Switching between the perspectives of Lily and Atlas, It Starts with Us picks up right where the epilogue for the gripping bestselling phenomenon It Ends with Us left off. Revealing more about Atlas’s past and following Lily as she embraces a second chance at true love while navigating a jealous ex-husband, it proves that no one delivers an emotional read like Colleen Hoover.

READING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HISTORICAL FICTION FANS

1. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell

The author of award-winning Hamnet brings the world of Renaissance Italy to jewel-bright life in this unforgettable fictional portrait of the captivating young duchess Lucrezia de’ Medici.

Full of the beauty and emotion with which she illuminated the Shakespearean canvas of Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrell turns her talents to Renaissance Italy in an extraordinary portrait of a resilient young woman’s battle for her very survival.

2. All The Broken Places by John Boyne

From the New York Times bestselling author John Boyne, a devastating, beautiful story about a woman who must confront the sins of her own terrible past, and a present in which it is never too late for bravery.

All The Broken Places moves back and forth in time between Gretel’s girlhood in Germany to present-day London as a woman whose life has been haunted by the past. Now, Gretel faces a similar crossroads to one she encountered long ago. Back then, she denied her own complicity, but now, faced with a chance to interrogate her guilt, grief and remorse, she can choose to save a young boy. If she does, she will be forced to reveal the secrets she has spent a lifetime protecting. This time, she can make a different choice than before — whatever the cost to herself.

FANTASTIC NON-FICTION RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

In an extraordinary story that only he could tell, Matthew Perry takes readers onto the soundstage of the most successful sitcom of all time while opening up about his private struggles with addiction.

Candid, self-aware, and told with his trademark humor, Perry vividly details his lifelong battle with the disease and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all.

2. Agatha Christie by Lucy Worsley

Why did Agatha Christie spend her career pretending that she was “just” an ordinary housewife, when clearly, she wasn’t? Her life is fascinating for its mysteries and its passions and, as Lucy Worsley says in her new novel Agatha Christie, “She was thrillingly, scintillatingly modern”. She went surfing in Hawaii, she loved fast cars, and she was intrigued by the new science of psychology, which helped her through devastating mental illness.

With access to personal letters and papers that have rarely been seen, Lucy Worsley’s biography is both authoritative and entertaining and makes us realize what an extraordinary pioneer Agatha Christie was—truly a woman who wrote the twentieth century.

BOOK GIFT IDEAS FOR BABY BOOKWORMS

1. What the Ladybird Heard at Christmas by Julia Donaldson (ages 0-5)

What the Ladybird Heard at Christmas is a perfect festive version of What the Ladybird Heard which will be enjoyed equally by fans of the series and brand new readers. The rhyming story with a festive twist will delight young and old – as will the vibrant, detailed illustrations that we have come to expect from the series.

2. Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston (ages 10-12)

Sequel to Amari and the Night Brothers, Artemis Fowl meets Men in Black in this magical second book of the New York Times bestselling trilogy. This is a perfect book for fans of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, the Percy Jackson series, and Nevermoor.

3. Kill Joy by Holly Jackson (Teen – young adult)

Pippa Fitz-Amobi is not in the mood for her friend’s murder mystery party. Especially one that involves 1920’s fancy dress and pretending that their town, Little Kilton, is an island called Joy. But when the game begins, Pip finds herself drawn into the make-believe world of intrigue, deception and murder.

But as Pip plays detective, teasing out the identity of the killer clue-by-clue, the murder of the fictional Reginald Remy isn’t the only case on her mind.

Find out where it all began for Pip in this prequel to the best-selling A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and Good Girl, Bad Blood.

You can find all these titles in any Exclusive Books store. Happy shopping and merry Christmas!

Activist and author Ronen Aires believes that their youth is exactly what makes them worth listening to. In his new book Breach, he states, “Young people, looking at the world they are inheriting, are standing up and shouting, ‘Hell no!'”.

With humility and honesty, Aires unpacks why previous generations can learn from the young people of today. Breach is a wonderfully insightful look at the inner-workings and experiences of Generation Z and all we can learn from them.

‘BREACH’ CELEBRATES THE HOPE AND BRAVERY OF GEN Z

Even though we might not understand everything about them, (what even is K-pop anyway and why does everyone love it?), there is a lot we can learn from Generation Z. Likewise, they still have a lot to learn as well but, as Ronen Aires believes, we must open up and give them the opportunity to do so.

ALSO READ: ‘Transcend’: A modern woman’s guide to navigating life and ambition

With easy-to-follow writing, Aires tackles the conflict existing between the status quo and the new wave of ideas. He celebrates the bravery and hope which drives young people today. With practical tips and tricks for both the workplace and personal development, Breach is a must-read for both young and old.

While it may seem that Generation Z comes from different factory settings, in reading this book you will come to understand they are not so different from us.

Ronen Aires on the cover of ‘Breach’.

‘BREACH’ SYNOPSIS

Generation Z is primed to breach the status quo. They aim to disrupt the establishment and define life on their own terms, with their collective values leading the way.

They are the future of the workplace and are your clients, your consumers, and your leadership team. Gen Z holds the key to your success. If we learn to guide them wisely, we will all benefit from the breach they are forging. We may even find ourselves living in a better, kinder world.

As an entrepreneur and youth expert with more than 20 years’ experience, Ronen Aires has learned to harness the genius of Generation Z so that his business thrives. He longs to bring people together and create harmony through progress.

ALSO CHECK OUT: ‘Dark Music’: Latest Lagercrantz thriller boasts new detective duo

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aires is an entrepreneur and the founder of Student Village, a youth market specialist connecting businesses all over the world. He is an internationally certified high-performance coach and has supported entrepreneurs and leaders globally with life-transforming work for many years.

Everything he does is to help people find their mental magic and fast-track their human potential to become the clearest versions of themselves.

Breach is published by Merack Publishing and is available for purchase at Exclusive Books stores for R257.

Fans of King’s work will enjoy this modern but classic take on age-old stories, but don’t be fooled into thinking this is a children’s book!

Readers who love horror shouldn’t be put off by the fantasy elements of Fairy Tale. This story is very dark, gory and will have you on the edge of your seat – what else could you expect from Stephen King?

ALSO READ: ‘Dark Music’: Latest Lagercrantz thriller boasts new detective duo

KING’S ‘FAIRY TALE’ IS THE GROWN-UP, DARKER VERSION OF ‘NARNIA’

For those of us who grew up reading the Narnia Chronicles by C.S. Lewis, Fairy Tale by Stephen King works perfectly as the grown-up version of this magical fantasy.

King adds a new dimension to the characters we know and love: the hero, the villain and everyone in between. He puts a modern spin on these one-dimensional placeholder characters, making them so much more human.

Even though there were some elements of the story which were built-up but never really explored, the book is a must-read for the incredible writing, world building and classic King-esque darkness.

‘FAIRY TALE’ SYNOPSIS

Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid. He is great at baseball and football and is a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was ten, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself—and his dad. Then, when Charlie is seventeen, he meets Howard Bowditch, a recluse who lives in a mysterious house on a hill.

In the backyard of this house is a locked shed from which strange sounds emerge, as if some creature is trying to escape. When Mr. Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie the house, a massive amount of gold, and a cassette tape telling a story that is impossible to believe.

Because within the shed is a portal to another world—one where the people are in peril and dark forces rule. In this parallel universe, where two moons race across the sky, and the grand towers of a sprawling palace pierce the clouds, there are exiled princesses and princes who suffer horrific punishments.

There are dungeons, games in which men and women must fight each other to the death for the amusement of the “Fair One”, and there is a magic sundial that can turn back time.

A story as old as myth, and as startling and iconic as the rest of King’s work, Fairy Tale is about an ordinary guy forced into the hero’s role by circumstance, and it is both spectacularly suspenseful and satisfying.

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MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

According to his website, Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947. He made his first professional short story sale in 1967 to Startling Mystery Stories. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.

In the spring of 1973, Doubleday & Co., accepted the novel Carrie for publication. He has since published over 50 books and has become one of the world’s most successful writers. King is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to the American Letters and the 2014 National Medal of Arts.

Stephen lives in Maine and Florida with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

Fairy Tale is published by Hodder and Stoughton and is available for purchase from Exclusive Books stores for R388.

This festive season, we are giving our readers the chance to win one of three R500 Exclusive Books vouchers with our Christmas Book Quiz. Our new December quiz is all about the biggest books of 2022.

From movie adaptations to bestsellers, test yourself on the biggest books of 2022 and stand a chance to win big! This voucher is a great present for the bookworm in your life or it could serve as a little treat-yourself moment.

BOOK QUIZ: WIN ONE OF THREE R500 EXCLUSIVE BOOKS VOUCHERS

TAKE A LOOK AT ALL OUR PREVIOUS QUIZ WINNERS HERE

Keen bookworms who enter our quiz this month will stand the chance to win one of three R500 book vouchers from Exclusive Books!

So, what are you waiting for? Get quizzing!

ALSO READ: Book review: ‘Daisy Darker’ our top pick for best thriller of 2022

CHRISTMAS BOOK QUIZ: HOW TO ENTER

All entrants who score 6 out of 6, will go into a draw where a winner will be chosen and contacted via e-mail. So, make sure to supply your e-mail address along with your contact number.

The closing date for the book quiz is 3 January 2023.

PLEASE NOTE THAT BOOK VOUCHERS CANNOT BE EXCHANGED FOR CASH

Don’t delay, enter the our Book Quiz TODAY…

Good luck!

For more book news and new book reviews, visit our BOOK PAGE

According to Ethnikids Publishers, the children’s book is a unique South African tale with an important message and a touching backstory.

Book serves as tribute to little sister and ‘Sho Madjozi Stars’

The Limpopo-born musician, who also boasts a degree in creative writing, wrote this story of celebrating one’s uniqueness and being courageous as a tribute to her younger sister, Makhanani “Nyeleti” Maganye. Nyeleti tragically died in a car accident in 2019.

“I was inspired by my young fans who became my little sisters when I lost mine,” the singer said. “My young fans, whom I call the ‘The Sho Madjozi Stars’, motivated me to keep going.”

According to News Central.Africa, her manager showed her photos of young girls getting Sho Madjozi braids a couple of days after she lost her sister.

“They were like bright little stars when my life felt so dark. I remember crying and crying when I saw that. It was so touching. My young fans gave me the strength to keep going. They are my biggest inspiration, and with this book, I want to keep encouraging them to celebrate being daring and different,” Madjozi said.

ALSO READ: ‘I miss you so much’: Sho Madjozi still reeling after sister’s tragic death

‘Shoma and the Stars’: Dealing with loss and being an outsider

Shoma and the Stars tells the tale of a little girl called Shoma who grows up in a South African village. From her parents, to the way she dresses and likes to do her hair, it is clear that Shoma was always going to be a little bit different. Very much like Sho herself!

Luckily, Shoma has a little sister, Nyeleti, who she does everything with. But one day Nyeleti, which means “star” in Xitsonga, disappears to become a star in the sky.

The book unfurls the tale of Shoma learning to accept loss, navigating life as an outsider and eventually learning that her uniqueness is her power. By being herself, little Shoma saves the day and finds a new group of “sisters”.

The story behind the story

Sho Madjozi fell in love with the power of writing at a young age.

“I have loved words all my life. I have been writing poems and stories since I was seven years old.”

Her most cherished gifts from her parents as a child were the many books they blessed her with. She credits this early proclivity to writing for her subsequent interest and career in music. 

“Even my introduction to music was through writing. The only difference is that now I’m writing lyrics.” she added. “I am so glad I was a bookworm, or I wouldn’t be who I am today.”

ALSO READ: Watch: The colourful truth behind Sho Madjozi’s ‘proudly Tsongan’ style

Colourful like Sho Madjozi

ALSO READ: For-sho! Sho Madjozi launches traditional kids clothing line [photos]

The John Cena hitmaker is known for being proud of her roots and promoting the Xitsonga culture in her music and iconic style and fashion choices. The book resonates with her vibrant, colourful personality and style and includes an immersive visual experience.

Various pages of the book include 3D animation elements that can be accessed via a smart mobile device. The typography and imagery of the book is beautiful and vibrant, aligned with the Sho Madjozi brand and illustrated by artist Katlego Keokgale.

And since Sho Madjozi is a musician after all, young fans can expect music that goes along with this new extension of Sho Madjozi, Shoma and the Stars!

Shoma and the Stars is available for purchase (R180) nationwide at all major South African book retailers.

This is where Nyandoro comes in. In her first book, Transcend, the author provides young South African women with an honest and hopeful look at the modern corporate world.

Packed with Nyandoro’s own personal stories and sound business advice for both young professionals and seasoned businesswomen, Transcend is not one to miss. No matter what your career, this self-help guide will open your eyes and change the way you look at the world.

‘TRANSCEND’: THE MUST-HAVE MANUAL FOR MODERN WOMEN

Transcend is especially important, not just for its good business advice, but also because it is a hands-on look at the business world from a black woman’s perspective. Evita Nyandoro is a shining light for South African women everywhere and her love for female empowerment is clear in her work.

“I feel like this book landed on my doorstep 5 years too late!”

Author Sue Nyathi on ‘Transcend’.

Too many times we are waiting for the big names to validate us before we speak. Nyandoro challenged this as she fights to recapture individual stories by telling her own.

ALSO READ: ‘Farm Killings in South Africa’ challenges modern misconceptions

‘TRANSCEND’ SYNOPSIS

Often, we are taught to separate our work lives from our personal lives. We have to show up in the different spaces we occupy as different people all in an effort to excel in our lives and careers.

How do some people have it all? How do they climb up the corporate ladder, have the seemingly perfect family, and still manage to own the boardrooms they sit in? Ever wondered how they got there?

Nyandoro had those exact same thoughts from an early age. As she grew in her career within financial services, she realised that the biggest mistake we make is waiting until we are successful before we share our stories. Now, Nyandoro finds herself in the middle of her career and has decided to share some of the things she has learned thus far on how to navigate life and ambition in your career.

In this book, readers will change the way they think about themselves and their career. You will learn:

• To develop a winner’s mindset as you embark on your career journey and ensure what you study is aligned to what the world needs
• The basic life skills that will see you flourish in the workplace
• How to find a corporate role that resonates with you
• Strategies that you can utilize to get ahead in your career
• And finally, the reality of being a woman in the working world and how to navigate the challenges that come with it

Overall, this book will revitalize you, encourage you and help you thrive in all spheres of your life.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nyandoro grew up in a small town in Gweru, Zimbabwe. Although she never really thought much about her career when growing up, she knew she wanted to enjoy whatever career she would end up in.

Today, she is a highly sought-after chartered accountant who has worked in various roles all over the world in advisory positions, construction and banking.

She has served on the boards of unlisted and listed entities and has worked for some of the biggest global corporates. Nyandoro uses her experience to ignite discussions around careers and how they can be enhanced without losing one’s self-essence.

This book is what Nyandoro had hoped someone would have told her about or given to her when she started her career.

Transcend is published by Kwarts Publishers and is available for purchase from Amazon.

After Larsson’s death, Lagercrantz took the baton and continued writing the fourth, fifth and sixth instalments of the Millenium series. The Girl in the Spider’s Web, The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye and The Girl Who Lived Twice all went on to became bestsellers.

Leaving behind the world of Larsson, Lagercrantz has taken on a new challenge. His latest thriller, Dark Music, is the first instalment of his own murder mystery series. With a layered mystery at its core and an unforgettable crime-fighting duo, Dark Music is not one to miss.

UNLIKELY DETECTIVE DUO CARRIES LAGERCRANTZ NOVEL

The true crime world has not shortage of unlikely crime fighting duos. From Arthur Conan Doyle’s Holmes and Watson to Stieg Larsson’s Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander, readers love detective duos.

David Lagercrantz knows this and his latest thriller Dark Music (translated from Swedish by Ian Giles), while a compelling mystery, is carried by the unlikely friendship and teamwork of Professor Hans Rekke and detective Micaela Vargas.

These two characters could not be more different and this is what makes this duo a top team. With dark humour, fast-paced writing and a twisty mystery, Dark Music gives readers a new team to root for.

If the novel did not have such a great combination of characters, it would not have been as good a mystery.

While the mystery is compelling, the writing style leans a bit chaotic. The reader is sometimes left feeling a bit confused. This could just be Lagercrantz’s writing style, or it could have something to do with the fact that Dark Music is a translated work. Sometimes, things do get lost in translation and in Dark Music, the story got a bit muddled at times.

This does not take away from the fact that this is a mystery that will have you hooked. With stunning descriptions of Scandinavian cities and intriguing characters, Dark Music is a perfect Christmas gift for the true crime fanatic in your family.

‘DARK MUSIC’ SYNOPSIS

ALSO READ: ‘Catch Me A Killer’: SA criminal profiler’s memoir turned into series

Professor Hans Rekke is a world authority on interrogation techniques. He was born into wealth and power and has a picture-perfect wife and daughter. But he also has a fragile psyche that falls apart under pressure.

Micaela Vargas is a street-smart police officer. She is the daughter of Chilean political refugees, grew up in the projects on the outskirts of Stockholm and has two brothers on the wrong side of the law. She is tenacious and uncompromising, and desperate to prove herself to her fellow cops.

Micaela needs Hans’s unique mind to help her solve the case of a murdered asylum-seeker from Afghanistan. Hans needs Micaela to save him from himself. Together, they need to find the killer before they’re both silenced for good.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Lagercrantz is a Swedish journalist and bestselling author. He studied philosophy and religion, before obtaining a degree from the Gothenburg School of Journalism. He worked as a crime reporter for four years at the Scandinavian newspaper Expressen, where he covered the most prominent murder cases in Sweden during the late 80s and early 90s.

Lagercrantz made his book debut in 1997 with the story of Göran Kropp, a Swedish adventurer who summited Mount Everest with neither oxygen nor Sherpas, only one week after one of the worst disasters ever on the mountain.

The book was a success in Sweden and abroad and paved the way for an illustrious writing career. He has gone on to write several bestselling crime novels.

Dark Music is published by Quercus Publishing and is available from Exclusive Books stores for R363.

With depression and anxiety levels rising in our busy and stressful world, it is vital that we remind ourselves of the importance of our own mental health, as well as the mental health of those around us.

With our Mental Health Awareness Book Quiz, we take a look at some authors and books which have made a difference in ending the stigma around mental illness.

BOOK QUIZ: WIN ONE OF THREE R500 EXCLUSIVE BOOKS VOUCHERS

TAKE A LOOK AT ALL OUR PREVIOUS QUIZ WINNERS HERE

Keen bookworms who enter our quiz this month will stand the chance to win one of three R500 book vouchers from Exclusive Books!

So, what are you waiting for? Get quizzing!

MENTAL HEALTH BOOK QUIZ: HOW TO ENTER

All entrants who score 6 out of 6, will go into a draw where a winner will be chosen and contacted via e-mail. So, make sure to supply your e-mail address along with your contact number.

The closing date for the book quiz is 30 November 2022.

PLEASE NOTE THAT BOOK VOUCHERS CAN NOT BE EXCHANGED FOR CASH.

Don’t delay, enter the our Book Quiz TODAY…

Good luck!

For more book news and new book reviews, visit our BOOK PAGE

In her previous bestseller, Femicide in South Africa, Brodie tackled how the media portrays femicide: Who they include, who they ignore and why. Her latest release, Farm Killings in South Africa, provides an unbiased look at one of the most controversial topics in South Africa.

In Farm Killings in South Africa, Brodie examines data, legal cases and the media’s problematic portrayal of farm murders. She does so with compassion and honesty.

Read our review of Femicide in South Africa HERE.

FARM KILLINGS: BRODIE CALLS FOR A REFOCUS ON THE FACTS

ALSO READ: Book review: ‘Daisy Darker’ our top pick for best thriller of 2022

There is no denying that this is a very difficult topic. Violence and crime are never feel-good and light topics to read or talk about. But this does not mean that we should avoid it. In this book, Brodie challenges the silence that covers certain topics like ‘white genocide’ and farm murders.

She takes readers through decades of history, data, and court cases without ever losing the reader’s interest with political or legal jargon. With sound research and touching compassion, Brodie sticks to the facts as she unpacks the inequality of the media’s portrayal of farm murders.

She questions what we mean when we think of “farm murders”. Does it only mean farmers, or does it include any person who is killed on a farm? Does it only apply to white farmers and if so, why? Instead of skirting around uncomfortable topics like colonialism and land grabbing, Brodie faces these head on, making this book must-read.

‘FARM KILLINGS IN SOUTH AFRICA’ – SYNOPSIS

Are farm killings political? Criminal? Is there really a white genocide under a black majority government?

Farm murders have occupied a central role in South Africa’s narratives for over 200 years. At the same time, the definition of a ‘farmer’ is highly contested. Media reports and activism groups typical acknowledge white farmers, frequently excluding the large number of people of colour.

Dr Nechama Brodie uses information, spanning over the last four decades and more, gathered from media reports, together with statistical data, police reports, legal cases and civil society actions, to try and understand and explain what we do and do not know about farm killings in South Africa.

She also explores how we might integrate this information to help us see the phenomenon as a form of violence that affects many, not only a few, and which has affected us for far longer than contemporary narratives like to acknowledge.

Fancy a quiz: BOOK QUIZ: WIN one of three R500 Exclusive Books vouchers

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

According to her website, Dr Nechama Brodie has worked as a multi-media journalist, publisher and editor for nearly twenty-five years. During her illustrious career, she has also dodged the secret police in Burma, reported on the myth of ‘white genocide’ in South Africa, and explored tunnels underneath Johannesburg.

Her work has appeared in several leading newspapers such as the Sunday Times, The Mail and Guardian. Brodie also holds a PhD in journalism and is a part-time lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand’s School of Journalism and Media Studies. Her research work focuses on interpersonal violence and media representations of violence in the media.

Farm Killings in South Africa is published by Kwela Books and is available from Exclusive Books stores for R302.

Feeney is not new to the world of bestselling thrillers. Her first four novels sold millions of copies across the world and has been translated into 25 languages.

Her latest novel, however, is her best by far. In Daisy Darker, Feeney tackles the darkness that lurks behind seemingly perfect families and the terror that lurks behind white picket fences…

FEENEY’S ‘DAISY DARKER’ ECHOES AGATHA CHRISTIE MYSTERY

Feeney’s storytelling resembles the style of the mystery queen herself, Agatha Christie. Daisy Darker is a modern twist on Christie’s famous And Then There Were None novel, but Feeney tells an even darker story.

As an avid thriller and mystery fan, I am pretty good at guessing the endings of mysteries. It takes a lot to truly catch me off guard, but Feeney’s mystery caught me by complete surprise. As good as the twist was, the other elements in the novel like Feeney’s beautiful writing and her unbelievable characters were what really cemented this book as a 2022 favourite.

ALSO READ: ‘The Eye of the Beholder’: Dark mystery with a South African twist

‘DAISY DARKER’ FAVOURITE QUOTES

We spend our youth building sandcastles of ambition, then watch as life blows sands of doubt over our carefully crafted turrets of wishes and dreams, until we can no longer see them at all. We learned to settle instead for flattened lives, residing inside prisons of compromise.

All families have their own private routines and secret language, and all families know how to hurt each other.

We make moments with our families. Sometimes we stitch them together over time, to make more of them than there were. We share them and hold on to them together as if they were treasure, even when they start to rust.

The trouble with little white lies is that they sometimes grow up to be big dark ones.

‘DAISY DARKER’: SYNOPSIS

The New York Times bestselling Queen of Twists, Alice Feeney, returns…with a family reunion that leads to murder.

After years of avoiding each other, Daisy Darker’s entire family is assembling for Nana’s 80th birthday party in Nana’s crumbling gothic house on a tiny tidal island. When the tide comes in, they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours.

The family arrives, each of them harboring secrets. Then at the stroke of midnight, as a storm rages, Nana is found dead. And an hour later, the next family member follows.

Trapped on an island where someone is killing them one by one, the Darkers must reckon with their present mystery as well as their past secrets, before the tide comes in and all is revealed.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

According to her website, Alice Feeney is a New York Times bestselling author and journalist. Her debut novel, Sometimes I Lie, was an international bestseller, has been translated into over twenty languages. Her novel His & Hers is being adapted for screen by Jessica Chastain’s production company Freckle Films.

Rock Paper Scissors, her fourth novel, is also being made into a TV series for Netflix by the producer of The Crown. Her latest novel, Daisy Darker, has also become a bestseller worldwide.

Daisy Darker is published by Pan Macmillan Publishers and is available from Exclusive Books stores for R348.