Ten fiction titles to please include A Coat of Many Colours by Fred Khumalo and Sunday Times Books Editor Jennifer Platt quotes “Signature Fred Khumalo stuff – energetic, acerbic and darkly comic.” Tall Bones by Anna Bailey is an irresistible, compelling and nuanced psychological thriller suffused with small town prejudice and dark family secrets. The Heart Is The Size Of a Fist by P.P Fourie is a call to speak out about abuse and an invocation of healing. It is the quality of the writing, and it’s sophistication, that lifts this novel above most narrations of childhood trauma. If the hardest part of an artist’s job is to meet the moment fully and honestly, poet Amanda Gorman of The Hill We Climb delivered a master class [at the inauguration]. She spoke truth to power and embodied clear-eyed hope to a weary nation. She revealed us to ourselves. Stephen Kings quotes “I haven’t read anything this exciting since Gone Girl.” about The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward.
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn is immersive, thrilling and packed with wonderful characters. An ode to the complex strengths of South African women, When the Village Sleeps by Sindiwe Magona is a powerful call to respect the earth that nurtures human life, and to live in self-sufficiency and harmony with the environment and each other. Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi is suspenseful, emotionally compelling and a page turner. ‘n Hart is so groot soos ‘n vuis deur P.P Fourie se teksfragmente glim soos glasteëltjies; saam vorm hulle ‘n mosaïek wat ‘n donker skittering uitstraal. ‘n Boeiende en diep ontroerende verhaal oor emosionele oorlewing. ‘n Reeksmoordenaar jag by stormweer, en Rooi en Kassie moet hom vastrek in Hartedief deur Rudie van Rensburg.
There are thirteen non-fiction titles that have been selected for May. A Long Letter To My Daughter by Marita van der Vyver is an unputdownable read that weaves together both love letter, to a daughter, a language and a country, whilst tracing Van der Vyver’s early years. Dinner at Matloha’s by Liziwe Matlohais is about bringing family and friends together around the table. As dishes are passed around and plates are piled high, it is not only food that is shared. Thoughtful and provocative, Land Matters by Tembeka Ngcukaitobi sheds light on one of the most complex questions in South Africa today. Easy-to-follow lessons to take care of your future will be found in Midlife Money Makeover by Kim Potgieter. My Final Answer by Jeremy Maggs is written in an engaging and self-deprecating style, is unexpectedly funny and candid and behind-the-scenes account of what was unfolding in those newsrooms as the stories broke, peppered with anecdotes around those involved in making those stories happen.
“Wahbie Long author of Nation on the Couch is indisputably one of the brightest young stars in the field of psychotherapy. [This] is a timely and groundbreaking book.” quotes Jonathan Jansen. Native Boy by Thabo A. Molefe is an honest, touching and important read. Our Long Walk to Economic Freedom by Johan Fourie is the first book to bring Africa in from the margins and place it centrally into the big narratives of world economic history. The subject will never be the same again. The Bystander Effect by Catherine Sanderson is a fascinating look at why some of us will go to others’ aid, while others do nothing.
The Fear-Fighter Manual by Luvvie Ajayi Jones underlines why facing your fears is crucial to changing the status quo – both personally and politically. In her small, potent polemic The Soul Of a Woman, Isabel Allende writes about the toxic effects of “machismo”, combining wit with anger as she picks apart the patriarchy. Mosilo Mothepu recounts this troubling yet seminal chapter in her life with honesty, humility and wry humour in the hope that others who find themselves in a similar situation will follow in her footsteps and speak truth to power in her book Uncaptured. Daar is min mense wat so onthutsend weerloos en onmiddellik oor kinderjare kan skryf as Marita van der Vyver oor haar boek ‘n Baie lang brief aan my dogter.
The last five titles are YA and Children’s. By The Fading Light by Ashraf Kagee is an exquisite tale about the end of boyhood and the burning away of innocence while a country is set alight. Your favourite children’s author Nicky Daly is back with his delightful local heroine, Thoko! Thoko’s kind-hearted! Thoko’s creative! Thoko’s full of fun! In these four easy-to-read stories, follow Thoko as she realises that beauty is not about how you look. Murder on the Safari Star by M. G. Leonard & Sam Sedgman is a first class choo-choo dunnit! Rule of Wolves (King of Scars Book 2) by Leigh Bardugo is a wild ride both fantastical and grounded in nuance. Scaredy Cat by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein is a hilarious illustrated adventure from James Patterson, author of the bestselling Middle School series.