Kingsmead Book Fair 2025

Birds of a feather bookmark together at Kingsmead Book Fair this year. The Kingsmead Book Fair is an annual celebration of everything books – the places they can take you, the emotions they evoke and the way books engage your imagination. For all readers, young and not so young, the Kingsmead Book Fair is the perfect place to join in engaging book discussions and spirited debates with exceptional company, good food and a warm atmosphere. Shop the Adult and Children’s programmes below.
Get your tickets for the Kingsmead Book Fair here!
Adult Programme
R 270.00
Spud: The Reunion
It is 2003 – ten years since Spud Milton’s class of 93 matriculated and the boys went their separate ways. Despite their seemingly unbreakable bond, the Crazy 8 – Rambo, Mad Dog, Vern, Fatty, Garth Garlic, Boggo, Simon and Spud – have not kept in touch. Or at least, not as far as Spud knows. When he receives an invitation from the school to attend the Ten-Year Reunion weekend, Spud is determined to avoid the event at all costs, but he hasn’t reckoned with the bombardment of intrusive messages and threatening phone calls from his former dorm mates. No one is going to bend his arm, not this time; he is immune to peer pressure and wise to Rambo’s devious manipulation techniques. Spud has moved on. And, anyway, he has enough to worry about on the home front. At 28 Spud is stuck in a one-third life crisis. Reflecting on a decade of spectacular non-achievement, at a point where he’s coming to realize that his glittering stage career might have stalled before it’s even begun, casts him into deep gloom. For the former scholarship kid, the prospect of once again having to measure up to his blue-blooded school friends – and be found wanting – has him riddled with anxiety. Not only that. Spud still doesn’t have a serious girlfriend, which has seen him resort to a questionable international bath-sexting relationship with an old flame. Not to mention that circumstances have forced him to move back in with his parents and his senile grandmother, Wombat, whose walks never end where they began. After a wildly unsuccessful fishing trip with his father, as well as a return to his old way of figuring things out – writing in his diary – to his own surprise, Spud finds his reunion resistance crumbling. Curiosity and courage win the day. It’s just a weekend, after all … what could possibly go wrong?
R 360.00
R 330.00
The Super Cadres
The ANC has ruled South Africa for three decades during which time the country has gone from the promise of the Rainbow Nation to disfunction and despair. In The Super Cadres, bestselling author Pieter du Toit examines this legacy from the early halcyon days through to the disappointment of the Ramaphosa presidency. Du Toit asks key questions before coming to a critical observation and a damning conclusion: - What was the state of the ANC when it took power? - Was ANC failure inevitable? Did they inherit a country so stricken by apartheid that success was impossible? - When did the first signs of misrule and corruption occur? - How did each of the presidencies perform, from Mandela to Ramaphosa? What role did each play in the road to failure? - What was President Cyril Ramaphosa doing to stop state capture while he was deputy president? Du Toit concludes that at the very centre of ANC – and thus state - failure is ‘cadre deployment’ which the ANC adopted as official party policy under President Thabo Mbeki. He shows how, over time, the appointment of cadres at every level of government inevitably led to the (con)fusion of party and state, the spread of incompetence, and the dire corruption that ate into every part of the country once Jacob Zuma took over.
R 340.00
Killer Stories
‘If you made me angry, to me, for that anger to go away I have to get hold of you . . . For that anger to go away, I have to do something to you.’ These are the words of one of South Africa’s most terrifying serial killers as told to Brin Hodgskiss in the bowels of one of our most secure prisons. Hodgskiss got his doctorate in psychology for a study based on interviews with thirteen serial killers. The recordings sat gathering dust until recently, when top true-crime podcaster Nicole Engelbrecht found his paper online. The two connected and the concept for this book was born. In Killer Stories, Hodgskiss uses each of the interviews, combined with the tenets of narrative psychology, to take the reader into the minds of the killers. He lays out how the stories these men told themselves about their lives contributed to where they ended up –and how they aren’t that different from the stories we all tell ourselves. The book intertwines the killers’ versions of the truth and the truecrime stories behind them, an interpretation of the tales using narrative psychology, and how Hodgskiss’s own journey as a psychologist and human being contributed to his deeper understanding of the minds of these killers.
R 320.00
R 330.00
Life is Like That Sometimes
Life is like that sometimes draws readers into the unforgettable personal experiences that have shaped Khaya Dlanga’s world. Weaving heartfelt and often hilarious tales, from his rural Eastern Cape childhood to the profound losses he has faced as an adult, Khaya reflects on life’s unpredictability with warmth and wit. The vivid stories explore love, loss, loyalty, forgiveness, tradition, chance, mischief, justice, responsibility and resilience, offering insights on relationships, identity and the lessons found in life’s toughest moments. Both deeply moving and laugh-out-loud funny, Life is like that sometimes is an exploration of personal growth, faith and the power of storytelling to find meaning in it all.
R 340.00
Children of Sugarcane
Vividly set against the backdrop of 19th century India and the British-owned sugarcane plantations of Natal, written with great tenderness and lyricism, Children of Sugarcane paints an intimate and wrenching picture of indenture told from a woman's perspective. Shanti, a bright teenager stifled by life in rural India and facing an arranged marriage, dreams that South Africa is an opportunity to start afresh. The Colony of Natal is where Shanti believes she can escape the poverty, caste, and troubling fate of young girls in her village. Months later, after a harrowing sea voyage, she arrives in Natal only to discover the profound hardship and slave labour that await her. Spanning four decades and two continents, Children of Sugarcane demonstrates the lifegiving power of love, heartache, and the indestructible bonds between family and friends. These bonds prompt heroism and sacrifice, the final act of which leads to Shanti's redemption.
R 330.00
Table
Embark on a culinary journey with Elmarie Berry that blends the vibrant flavours of South Africa with the rich heritage of Middle Eastern cuisine; guided by the cherished recipes of her Lebanese Granny. In this cookbook; tradition meets innovation as generations collide around the dining table; creating unforgettable moments with every dish. With a focus on easy yet flavourful recipes; this cookbook is your go-to guide for effortless entertaining – from casual gatherings to special celebrations; each recipe is designed to impress without the fuss; ensuring that every meal becomes a cherished memory. Featuring stunning photography and styling; this book not only tantalises the tastebuds; but also inspires you to create unforgettable dining experiences. Whether it’s a laidback alfresco meal or a grand family affair; allow The Table to be your trusted companion in crafting unforgettable moments around the table.
R 415.00
R 360.00
Twice the Glory
You only need to win a game by one point.’ – Jacques Nienaber after South Africa’s tournament opener against Scotland in the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Little did the coach know that it would take three one-point games to propel the Springboks into the history books as back-to-back winners of the Webb Ellis Cup. In 2017 the Boks looked punch-drunk as Jacques Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus watched them being overpowered by Ireland. The following year, the coaching duo took up the reins little more than 18 months before the 2019 RWC in Japan. And so began a journey that was to end in victory in the Stade de France six years later. Twice the Glory goes deep inside the Bok story of that historic era. Filled with drama, cheers and tears, it will have you on the edge of your seat as you relive each nail-biting moment. It’s all here: the Covid disruption, Siya Kolisi’s rise to the captaincy, Rassie in hot water over that video, injury blows and the emergence of new talent as they head off to France. The book also includes penetrating analysis and insights from the self-effacing Nienaber into how this team became the finest the world has seen. A recurring theme is the friendship between Jacques and Rassie that goes all the way back to their university days, and why they decided to come home to South Africa to ‘turn things around’.
R 335.00
The Protector
A gripping new thriller by the master of adventure Tony Park about rescue, revenge and redemption, and the things we do to protect the ones we love. Professor Denise ‘Doc’ Rado is South Africa’s expert on pangolins, busting poachers and freeing the endangered anteaters in elaborate undercover stings. After a risky operation backfires, Doc’s life is shattered, but she still has to lead an eclectic group of donors on a wildlife tour of Southern Africa. But there’s a target on her back. As the safari ventures deep into Africa, Doc fears they’re being followed and she will do anything to keep them all safe – especially Ian Laidlaw, a handsome Australian businessman turned accidental philanthropist. Is Doc being hunted by the poachers she once fought, or is there some other bloodthirsty predator prowling the wilderness?
R 360.00
Patient 12A
So here I am, at a psychiatric hospital, looking for myself in a building I’ve never been in before. A few nights ago, I was ready to rid myself of myself. I still am, only, in a different way. This time, I want to do away with what I hope will soon be my former self. There is a promise written on the hospital’s walls: ‘You are the captain of your soul’. I don’t know what is wrong with me, I never have. All I know is that my head is clouded with loud voices screaming in different frequencies; none of them making sense. With only a stony face to hide it all behind, and a pained smile to offer my friends and colleagues. Patient 12A is Lesedi Molefi’s absorbing memoir, reflecting on his time spent in a psychiatric clinic in 2016. With vulnerability and candor, Lesedi reflects on the moments, large and small, that led him here. It is at once a personal history, an observation of how childhood experiences can have a profound effect on the adults we become, and a commentary on how mental illness remains a difficult conversation in black families. More than anything, Patient 12A is Lesedi’s attempt to filter out the noise in his head to find the truth, however uncomfortable that may be.
R 380.00
R 360.00
R 360.00
We Were Perfect Parents Until We Had Children
‘I straighten her little tiara every morning – I lift her chin and remind her that she is meant for greater things than playground bullies.’ ‘Everything shines in its own time. There is no timetable for life. Timetables are for classrooms, not for people.’ These are just some of the wisdoms shared on The Village, South Africa’s beloved Facebook group for parents raising tweens, teens and young adults. Having kids is a baffling endeavour beset with sulks, meltdowns, anxiety and disappointment – and that’s just the parents! When you get that call to the principal’s office? When don’t the school acceptances come? When the bedroom door slams, and you hear your child sobbing behind it? All awful but the family years are also, to many of us, our most precious time. The trick? To find a way to enjoy our families, love our children and believe in them and ourselves despite the daily challenges. And laugh . . . In this book, Vanessa Raphaely and Karin Schimke have gathered together experiences and insights from The Village members. These are the gems and remedies from the real parenting experts – the parents – to help you raise your family in your own perfectly imperfect way.
R 340.00
Sol
Sol Kerzner, the controversial and charismatic business tycoon, oncedominated the Southern African tourism landscape. He left an indelible mark by developing dream destinations like Sun City, The Palace, and the Atlantis developments in the Bahamas and Dubai. In this riveting memoir, Venison – Sol’s longtime associate, confidante, and eventual adversary – offers an intimate, behind-the scenes look at the life of Kerzner whose legacy has long been shrouded in mystery, with no comprehensive biography until now. Venison fills in the gaps with vivid personal anecdotes and exclusive details, including the little-known relationship between Kerzner and Mandela, which played a crucial role in South Africa’s political transition in the early 1990s. This tour de force unveils the true Kerzner – the brilliant, magnetic, chain-smoking, whiskey-drinking workaholic – who transcended borders and became a key player in the international hospitality industry and South Africa’s own Sun King.
R 360.00
Saving South Africa
The Democratic Alliance won control of the uMngeni Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands after the local government elections in 2021. As the only DA-run municipality in KZN, uMngeni provides a template for how local government could work in a post-ANC South Africa. Written by two leaders at the very heart of the project, Saving South Africa reveals the challenges, the triumphs and disasters the new administration has encountered along the way. It is an eye-opening exposé of how cadre deployment has helped to bring the country to its knees. It is a story of incompetent officials, political spies, gunwielding tenderpreneurs, petty theft and grand larceny. And yet, as we follow the authors on their journey, there is always hope for a better future as the corrupt layers of local governance are gradually stripped away, revealing the responsive and caring civil service envisioned by the South African Constitution.
R 350.00
R 340.00
The Ex Effect
They had a night to remember. For all the wrong reasons.Thirteen years ago, Ash was planning the night of her life with her high-school boyfriend, Logan. They were madly in love, wild about each other, and had been waiting patiently for this moment. It was going to be perfect. That is, until it went down in very unsexy flames. Logan disappeared and Ash was left, quite frankly - and very inconveniently - sexually cursed.After years of disastrous dating and even more disastrous sex, cinematographer Ash has almost given up. But some seriously flirtatious emails with location agent Maximillian Adam, to set up a scouting trip, offer her hope. Because if rumor is to be believed, Maximillian Adam might just be God's sexual gift to women.Is Max going to be the one to finally break the curse? And, even better, break it over and over again?Or when Ash and Max finally come face to face, will they both get so much more than they bargained for?
R 290.00
One Call Away
Following her bestsellers Saving a Stranger’s Life and Holding My Breath, One Call Away invites you to join Dr Anne Biccard on the front lines in the emergency department of a busy Johannesburg hospital. You’ll meet the Eye-roller, the Clothes peg, the Hairbrush and the Crackling Malaprop. Mostly though, you’ll be exhilarated as Anne and her team battle to snatch patients back from their main adversary, the Grim Reaper. Dentures and daggers, acid and aneurysms – it’s all in a day’s work for Dr Anne and the emergency team. Back home at the farm, the roller-coaster ride continues with the famous band of rescued Snoopies, long walks and reflections. One Call Away asks big questions about life while acknowledging the joy and brevity of it all.
R 275.00
Now You Suffer
Detective Ruben Ellis wants to die. The only reason he hasn’t killed himself is because he first needs to hunt down the man who kidnapped and murdered his daughter. Meanwhile, another victim is being held captive in a twisted underground dystopia. But does Ruben have enough will left to find her in time? Can his partner, Zander, and his brilliant therapist, Melissa, help him unravel a mystery as dark and unseen as the gold mines that run deep beneath the streets of Johannesburg? And will they discover the mind-bending truth about Thing – the deeply troubled figure in the basement? Now You Suffer is a chilling and wholly unforgettable thriller – the first in bestselling author Gareth Crocker’s riveting new Ruben Ellis series.
R 290.00
Who Looks Inside
The news of her mother’s death pulls Hannah back from South Korea to her childhood home in the Karoo where she discovers that she has never escaped her abusive father and passive mother. That, in fact, she has been there all along, baking bread and raising a son whose father might be a local farmer she is having an affair with. Her world unravels as she struggles to separate the life, she has built for herself from the one she survived.
R 350.00
The Syndicate of Twenty-two Natives
In The Syndicate of Twenty-two Natives, Lindiwe Sangweni-Siddo offers an elegy to her father, the late Professor Stan Sangweni, which explores the personal saga of a family’s lineage rooted in Zuka on Suspense Farm, Newcastle, in what is now northern KwaZulu-Natal. In turn, Prof Sangweni opens a window into a past where his grandfather, with foresight and ingenuity, became part of The Syndicate of Twenty-two Natives, a group that secured land for their families, including his family of seven wives, and for succeeding generations at a time when Black people in South Africa were being systematically dispossessed of their land. While packing up her father’s study as her parents prepare to move from their home after 27 years, Lindiwe and her father uncover his lifelong collection of documents and pictures that detail the intricacies of his life as a devoted family man, an ANC veteran and anti-apartheid activist, a pioneer of public service excellence in post-apartheid South Africa and an inveterate stickler for detail in every aspect of his life. Inspiring, often humorous, occasionally cataclysmically disruptive and generally victorious, this memoir is a tribute and a testament to the enduring legacy of those who paved the way amidst the trials of history for future generations.
R 360.00
The Finish Line
Brenda has always worked hard to fit in – from her school days, when her talent in athletics gave her access to a richer world, to marriage to her soulmate, which bound her to that world. It’s hard to know how much of her discomfort comes from the ongoing presence of Denver in her life. From the time when they were the two fastest girls in the athletics team, through years of marriage and parenthood, Denver has always offered friendship, worthy competition … and simmering resentment. When Brenda realizes that Denver is a threat to her family’s wellbeing, there’s nothing she won’t do to protect them. And Denver will do anything to protect herself. After years of rivalry, who will cross the finish line first?
R 350.00
The Ghost of Sam Webster
Writer Daniel Hawthorne is packing up his mother’s house in Johannesburg when he hears about the disappearance of Sam Webster, the beautiful daughter of his friend, the famous historian Bruce Webster. When the body of Sam appears briefly on the banks of the flooded Buffalo River, Daniel decides to visit the Websters’ luxury lodge in the heart of Zululand. Under the guise of researching a new novel about his disgraced ancestor, the lepidopterist Lieutenant Charles Hawthorne, who fought in the Battle of iSandlwana, Daniel starts to investigate the reasons for Sam’s disappearance. The lines between loyalty and betrayal, love and hate, cowardice and courage, redemption and shame, soon become blurred as Daniel gets closer to the truth. Written in Craig Higginson’s masterful prose, The Ghost of Sam Webster is at once a war novel, a murder mystery, a multi-layered love story and a robust reassertion of what it is to remain human during the most challenging times.
R 360.00
Paris Muse
'Living with him was like living at the centre of the universe. It was electrifying and humbling, blissful and destructive, all at the same time.'Paris, 1936. When Dora Maar, a talented French photographer, painter and poet, is introduced to Pablo Picasso, she is mesmerized by his dark and intense stare. Drawn to his volcanic creativity, it isn't long before she embarks on a passionate relationship with the Spanish artist that sometimes includes sadism and masochism, and ultimately pushes her to the edge.The Paris Muse is the fictionalized retelling of this disturbing love story, as we follow Dora on her journey of self-discovery and expression. Set in Paris and the French Riviera, where Dora and Pablo spent their holidays with their glamorous artist friends, it provides a fascinating insight into how Picasso was a genius who side-stepped the rules in his human relationships as he did in his art. Much to Dora's torment, he refused to divorce his wife and conducted affairs with Dora's friends. The Spanish Civil War made him depressed and violent, an angst that culminated in his acclaimed painting 'Guernica', which Dora documented as he painted.As the encroaching darkness suffocates their relationship - a darkness that escalates once the Second World War begins and the Nazis invade the country - Dora has a nervous breakdown and is hospitalized. Atmospheric, intense and moving, The Paris Muse is an astonishing read that ensures that this talented, often overlooked woman who gave her life to Picasso is no longer a footnote.
R 420.00
Addict
I wanted to be who I felt I was. Broken. A wreck. Unloveable.’ There’s a moment where life happens. It’s the moment just before making a good decision, or a bad one. For Milton Schorr, just such a moment took place at the age of seventeen, when he found himself squatting on his haunches in a Cape Town flat with a heroin needle in his arm. A friend sat with him, his thumb on the plunger, and a decision was to be made. Let the heroin slip inside, and take the road the drug offered, or turn away, and find a new life not defined by the endless quest for oblivion. For Milton, the path was already set, as it had been at his first taste of shoplifting, porn, cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, Mandrax, LSD, Ecstasy and crack. In this memoir he details the life that led him to addiction, the wild and dark years of his drug use, his struggles to return to normality, and the reckoning with the self that ultimately led to his recovery. Addict is a courageously honest account of Milton's life in active addiction and recovery. Today, two decades sober, he relates the pivotal points in his journey toward death, and back to life. This book is essential reading for anyone touched by addiction.
R 330.00
Canary
Maks Ntaka has a target on his back. After years of loyal work for Arms-Tech Industries, Maks has found proof of serious corruption in his department. Tender fraud, illegal kickbacks, inflated contracts, the same old story. Maks wants to do something about it, turn whistleblower. What else can a good man do? But who can he tell if he can’t trust anyone? The people in charge seem complicit, while the rest turn a blind eye. Soon suspicions cloud the office, and all the knives are out for whoever turns on them first. As Maks prepares his disclosures, he discovers that his longtime mentor has implicated him in the illegalities. Not only is he being set up by his company, but some foreign nationals with deep pockets are also on his trail looking for their cut. For Maks, the walls are closing in, and danger waits at every turn. Meanwhile, his own private indiscretions are coming to light, and soon his life starts collapsing around him. In this compelling and harrowing account of a whistleblower, Onke Mazibuko creates a nail-biting, paranoid thriller about a good man pushed to the limit. Drawing from all too real instances of corruption and collapse, this book shows what such a system does to those who still listen to their conscience. What is a good man to do when your own company made the bullet with your name on it?
R 330.00
Follow Me to Africa
It's 1983 and seventeen-year-old Grace Clark has just lost her mother when she begrudgingly accompanies her estranged father to an archeological dig at Olduvai Gorge on the Serengeti plains of Tanzania. Here, seventy-year-old Mary Leakey enlists Grace to sort and pack her fifty years of work and memories. Their interaction reminds Mary how she pursued her ambitions of becoming an archeologist in the 1930s by sneaking into lectures and working on excavations. When well-known paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey commissions her to illustrate a book, she's not at all expecting to fall in love with the older married man. Mary then follows Louis to East Africa, where she falls in love for a second time, this time with the Olduvai Gorge, where her work defines her as a great scientist and allows her to step out of Louis's shadow. In time, Mary and Grace learn they are more alike than they thought, which eventually leads them to the secret that connects them. They also discover a mutual deep love for animals, and when Lisa, an injured cheetah, appears at camp, Mary and Grace work together to save her. On the morning Grace is due to leave, the girl—and the cheetah—are nowhere to be found, and it becomes a race against time to rescue Grace before the African bush claims her. From the acclaimed author of The Invincible Miss Cust and The Woman at Wheel comes an adventurous, dual timeline tale that explores the consequences of our choices, wisdom that comes with retrospection, and relationships that make us who we are, based on the extraordinary real life of Mary Leakey.
R 405.00
Playing Flirty
A board game designer is forced to work alongside her nemesis in this charming and geeky rivals-to-lovers romcom perfect for fans of Olivia Dade and Jen DeLuca.
R 360.00
Chris van Wyk: The Irascible Genius
When he died in 2014, author Chris van Wyk left behind an impressive literary legacy. The scope of his work was broad – poetry, children’s books, short stories and biographies. But perhaps he is best remembered for his memoir Shirley, Goodness & Mercy, which chronicles his growing up in Riverlea and introduces us to the colourful characters who helped to shape his life and inform the stories he wrote. The public persona of this witty and wise raconteur was well known, but behind it was a family man, who liked nothing better than to spend time with his two sons Kevin and Karl, his wife and childhood sweetheart Kathy, and the friends and family who were his primary sources of inspiration. Using the unique vantage point of oldest son, Kevin van Wyk’s astute observations of his father and the strong bond they enjoyed throughout Chris’s life have resulted in a memoir that is as affectionate as it is entertaining. In taking us behind the scenes into the Van Wyk household, we witness the inner workings of the mind of a storyteller, from the flowering of his father’s activism, wit and wisdom to the sources of his occasional quirky outbursts. If storytelling runs in the genes, Kevin may just be proof that his father’s spirit lives on.
R 370.00
Whisper of Death
Revenge is an act of passion Paul Morgan, a washed-up novelist, is wasting his life away in Zanzibar. But his luck changes when he meets Angelika, a young orphan girl, and her guardian, a retired British spy … Sandollar, the ex-spy, tells Morgan the story of his deadly World War Two spy career, complete with Nazi gold and assassinations. He then sets Morgan off on the trail of the psychopathic British spymaster who betrayed him. On his quest, Morgan finds himself trapped in a dangerous web of deceit and murder, and finally uncovers the terrible secret the British spy establishment is desperate to keep. Whisper of Death is an action-packed spy and adventure tale that sweeps from Zanzibar to the Tanzanian wilderness, from London to deepest Africa
R 330.00
Sizzlers
In 2003, ten gay men were brutally attacked at Sizzlers, a massage parlour in Sea Point. In a massacre of savage violence, nine of the men lost their lives. Quinton Taylor, the badly wounded sole survivor, managed to identify Adam Woest and Trevor Theys as the two men responsible for what was considered to be one of the worst mass murders in SA. Now Adam Woest is up for parole. For Taylor and those who lost their loved ones, this severe travesty of justice will not happen without a fight.
R 330.00
My Year of Not Getting Sh*tfaced
After an exceptionally wild Mother’s Day where she danced like there was no tomorrow, picked a fight with a stranger and collided with the floor, Johannesburg scriptwriter and author Pamela Power is forced to take a hard look at her drinking habits. She realises that although she does not need to find an AA group immediately, she might be a serial binge drinker and needs to take back control. In this honest yet humorous account of her year of not getting sh*tfaced, Pamela examines her long, complicated relationship with alcohol. She is shocked to realise just how much of a crutch alcohol has been for her. There is always a bottle of wine or Prosecco around to her to help her manage the many demands of life as a freelancer and as a parent. Pamela starts her journey to sobriety at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic as her family faces financial troubles, and life in the suburban Parks of Johannesburg isn’t so blissful anymore. Through her, we experience all the frustration, irritation and surprising benefits of going dry. In dealing with her dependence on alcohol, Pamela also confronts her troubled relationship with her parents. While many other sober curious books portray sobriety as the only answer, Pamela has found a sweet spot between total sobriety and binge drinking: moderation.
R 290.00
I Am Tshiamo
As a child I would often lie awake at night, praying that through some miracle I would be woken up by people who had come to take me back to my rightful family, and that those I had come to know as my parents would tell me the truth: that I was, in fact, adopted and had been born a girl and they had had a doctor operate on me.’ Growing up as Kgositsile, meaning ‘king’, Tshiamo Modisane always knew that she was a girl despite her assigned birth gender. This talented child of a pastor from KwaThema and Daveyton townships near Johannesburg was expected to conform to conservative black culture’s expectations for a male, and would endure censure and even abuse from family, friends, peers and strangers into adulthood. Yet Tshiamo began making courageous choices at the age of five, a journey of both self-doubt and self-belief that culminated in gender-affirmation surgery in her thirties. With sass, faith and baked-in confidence from her family ties to the entertainment world, she successfully transitioned from male to female while navigating a career as an actress, celebrity stylist and Lux’s first gender-non-conforming brand ambassador. As admirable as it is affirming, this poignant memoir examines past hurts and present truths and opens up a sorely needed discussion about unconditional acceptance.
R 280.00
R 360.00
Hungry Table
Food and memory are inextricably linked; flavours and dishes evoke emotion, rooted in nostalgia or specific experiences. The Hungry Table embodies this idea. For Fatima Saib, food exists as a backdrop to her childhood memories, intertwined with her precious relationship with her late father. Rooted in this culinary inspiration, the book expertly weaves story and memory through a journey of over 90 contemporary recipes, most with a nod to the author’s South African-Indian heritage.With this in mind, the book is divided into five chapters, each one tapping into a feeling. The Basics offers an array of chutneys, sauces, pickles and flavour-enhancers to round off any dish. Togetherness is an ode to food that is best shared among friends and family, like hot honey fried chicken and fragrantly layered biryanis. Comfort covers those recipes that warm the body and soul from the inside out, like dhal and rasmalai. From Fast, expect deliciously quick-and-easy dishes like chilli crunch toasted cheese or yoghurt and cardamom potato curry. And for those slower days, when time is best used to explore and enjoy, look to Relaxed, for dishes like parathas, sticky BBQ lamb ribs or creamy cabbage and corn bake.The Hungry Table ignites the senses, telling a story of time and place, reminding readers to slow down and enjoy food and the way it makes us feel. It is an invitation into the kitchen, to enjoy the catharsis of cooking and the dishes that result, and, perhaps most importantly, to be nourished by the memories created in the process.
R 390.00
All Sorts of Junk Food Made Healthy
Author Chantal Lascaris asks the question: who doesn’t love junk food? Whether we are upfront about it or it’s an occasional guilty pleasure; let’s be honest; we all do. Those cravings will hit us and there’s nothing quite like the thrill and comfort of yielding to the temptation. But what if we didn’t have to feel quite so guilty? Chantal proves that it’s possible by making use of clever; healthier ingredient substitutes and smarter cooking techniques that will fool those tastebuds. So say yes to burgers; chicken wings; calamari; tacos; pastas; pizzas and doughnuts. Check out All Sorts of Junk Food Made Healthy and find out how.
R 310.00
Map of Bones
A sweeping story of love, adventure and adversity, The Map of Bones by Kate Mosse is the sequel to the number one bestselling The Ghost Ship.'Mosse is a master storyteller' – Madeleine Miller, bestselling author of CirceOlifantshoek, Southern Africa, 1688. When the violent Cape wind blows from the south-east, they say the voices of the unquiet dead can be heard whispering through the deserted valley. Suzanne Joubert, a Huguenot refugee from war-torn France, arrives in search of her cousin – the notorious she-captain and pirate commander Louise Reydon-Joubert – who landed at the Cape of Good Hope more than sixty years before, then disappeared without a trace . . .Franschhoek, Southern Africa, 1862. Nearly one hundred and eighty years after Suzanne’s perilous journey, another intrepid woman of the Joubert family – Isabelle Lepard – has journeyed to the small frontier town once known as Oliftantshoek in search of her long-lost relations. Intent on putting the women of her family back into the history books, she quickly discovers that the tragedies and crimes of the past are far from over. Isabelle faces a race against time if she is not only going to discover the truth, but also escape with her life . . .Painstakingly researched and beautifully told, The Map of Bones is the fourth – and final – novel of The Joubert Family Chronicles, following the bestselling The Burning Chambers, The City of Tears and The Ghost Ship.Praise for The Joubert Family Chronicles:'Gripping, complex and intensely atmospheric' – The Mail on Sunday on The Burning Chambers'A historical epic' – The Observer on The City of Tears'Meticulously researched and stunningly written' – Santa Montefiore, bestselling author of Wait for Me, on The Ghost ShipThe Ghost Ship by Kate Mosse was a #1 Sunday Times bestseller w/c 09-07-23
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R 345.00
R 330.00
R 340.00
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R 350.00
In Silence My Heart Speaks
A searing and brave memoir chronicling the author’s resilience, compassion and growth as she moves from a childhood of trauma, through the challenges of dealing with the early loss of her beloved husband and becoming a single parent as well as subsequently accompanying her child on a difficult journey of self-discovery, to a life of acceptance and forgiveness. Thobeka Yose confronts the taboos surrounding mental health, abuse, betrayal and sexual identity with fearless honesty, kindness and understanding that will inspire countless others.
R 300.00
If the Dead Could Talk
Azania Sethosa receives a call from former politician Joseph ‘Lefty’ Mafu’s lawyer to notify her of Lefty’s death. She decides to go to Knysna to seek answers about his life and the circumstances surrounding his death. But soon her quest for closure becomes intertwined with detective Florian Welter’s investigation. The seemingly straightforward case quickly turns into a complicated web of conspiracies. But the truth is as elusive as whoever is behind it all. If only the dead could talk...
R 340.00