Skepelinge is ’n impressionistiese betragting van die vroeë koloniale tydperk in die Suid-Afrikaanse geskiedenis, gebaseer op Schoeman se kennis van die VOC- tyd en meer spesifiek die skeepvaart. Self het die skrywer dit beskryf as ’n ‘hibriede skepping . . . wat in laaste instansie beoordeel moet word as produk van die skeppende verbeelding eerder as van navorsing’.

Tydens die boekstawing van die duisende skepelinge wat oor die eeue heen na die Kaap van Storms gereis en onderweg ook omgekom het, verweef Schoeman literêre stemme soos dié van Eliot, Auden, Eybers en Melville in Moby Dick met dokumente uit die oorspronklike dagboeke van die 1600’s en 1700’s, soos Van Riebeeck se Dagregister, Peter Kolb se noukeurige beskrywings van die Kaap en ander reisjoernale en geskiedkundige werke van die era.

Dit is geskiedskrywing soos geen ander Suid-Afrikaanse skrywer dit nog kon vermag nie. Skepelinge is ’n unieke nalatenskap – veral waar ‘oorsprong’ nou meer as ooit vantevore ondersoek word.

A NUMBER ONE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

CHOSEN AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN, TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, I PAPER, SUNDAY EXPRESS, IRISH TIMES, TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT, AMAZON, AUDIBLE, BUZZFEED, REFINERY 29, WASHINGTON POST, BOSTON GLOBE, SEATTLE TIMES, TIME MAGAZINE, NEWSWEEK, PEOPLE, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, KIRKUS, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY AND GOODREADS

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. Circe is a strange child - not powerful and terrible, like her father, nor gorgeous and mercenary like her mother. Scorned and rejected, Circe grows up in the shadows, at home in neither the world of gods or mortals. But Circe has a dark power of her own: witchcraft. When her gift threatens the gods, she is banished to the island of Aiaia where she hones her occult craft, casting spells, gathering strange herbs and taming wild beasts. Yet a woman who stands alone will never be left in peace for long - and among her island's guests is an unexpected visitor: the mortal Odysseus, for whom Circe will risk everything.

So Circe sets forth her tale, a vivid, mesmerizing epic of family rivalry, love and loss - the defiant, inextinguishable song of woman burning hot and bright through the darkness of a man's world.

Dis 1934. Poppie Nienaber is 21 jaar oud, en sy werk in die Haberdashery- afdeling in Mr Cristal se algemene handelaar op Bethlehem. Saam met haar ouer sussie, Anna, woon hulle in tant Nelie se losieshuis in die straat af, en haar broer Jannie kom kuier gereeld op ’n Sondagmiddag, sedeprekies en al. Poppie weet daar is geheime in die familie waarvan sy niks weet nie, en dat Sussie Anna dinge van haar weghou. Party goed onthou sy vaagweg, soos haar ma wat staan en strykwerk doen, die skroeireuk van ’n stryklaken wat hang in die lug. Dis wanneer Poppie besluit om haar eie potjie te gaan krap op Senekal dat dinge stadig in plek begin val. En dis nie lank hierna nie dat sy die spoorwegklerk Frikkie Bredenkamp ontmoet

Alles begin met Anna is losweg gebaseer op die skrywer se eie familiegeskiedenis. Die roman vertel ’n roerende verhaal oor drie geslagte heen, van voor die Anglo-Boereoorlog tot die aanloop en gebeure van die Tweede Wêreldoorlog.

"Conspirata "is "a portrait of ancient politics as a blood sport," raves the "New York Times." As he did with "Imperium," Robert Harris again turns Roman history into a gripping thriller as Cicero faces a new power struggle in a world filled with treachery, violence, and vengeance.
On the eve of Cicero's inauguration as consul of Rome, a grisly discovery sends fear rippling through a city already racked by unrest. A young slave boy has been felled by a hammer, his throat slit and his organs removed, apparently as a human sacrifice. For Cicero, the ill omens of this hideous murder only increase his dangerous situation: elected leader by the people but despised by the heads of the two rival political camps. Caught in a shell game that leaves him forever putting out fires only to have them ignite elsewhere, Cicero plays for the future of the republic . . . and his life. There is a plot to assassinate him, abetted by a rising young star of the Roman senate named Gaius Julius Caesar--and it will take all the embattled consul's wit, strength, and force of will to stop the plot and keep Rome from becoming a dictatorship.

Italy, 1456. The Renaissance is in glorious bloom. A Carmelite monk, the great artist Fra Filippo Lippi acts as chaplain to the nuns of the Convent Santa Margherita. It is here that he encounters the greatest temptation of his life, beautiful Lucrezia Buti, who has been driven to holy orders more by poverty than piety. In Lucrezia's flawless face Lippi sees the inspiration for countless Madonnas and he brings the young woman to his studio to serve as his model. But as painter and muse are united in an exhilarating whirl of artistic discovery, a passionate love develops, one that threatens to destroy them both even as it fuels some of Lippi's greatest work.

The No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling series set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy and Netflix's The Crown 'Gripping' Sunday Times 'Fast-paced and entertaining' Mail on Sunday A TREASONOUS PLOT England, 1586. Giordano Bruno, heretic turned spy, passes on vital information to spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham. A band of Catholic Englishmen are plotting to kill Queen Elizabeth and install Mary, Queen of Scots, on the English throne. A DEADLY TRAP Walsingham, already aware of the plot, is allowing it to progress. He hopes that Mary will put her support in writing - and condemn herself to a traitor's death. A QUEEN IN DANGER Bruno must go undercover, join the conspirators and stop them. A queen is destined to die; Bruno must make sure it is the right one... Praise for Execution 'A brilliantly realised fictionalisation of the Babington plot against Elizabeth 1' Observer 'Execution has an atmospheric sense of place. The plot twists and turns' The Times 'Immaculate... the depth of period detail, the all-enveloping sense of time and place, and the sheer gory drama' Metro 'Sumptuous' New York Times 'Parris's attention to the details of Elizabethan life and her ability to create characters of depth are again on display in a gripping narrative' The Sunday Times 'Fast-paced and entertaining' Mail on Sunday 'Parris is one of the stars of historical crime fiction and this, her sixth Giordano Bruno novel, is among her best'i 'Superbly plotted, shimmeringly written, it will have you on the edge of your seat' Kate Williams, author of The Storms of War 'An impressive feat' Marisa Haetzman, also writes as Ambrose Parry

Johannesburg dreig om ’n spookdorp te word. Die stad se myne is deurspek met piriet, en op politieke gebied word die fondamente gele vir die Anglo-Boereoorlog. Dit is teen hierdie agtergrond dat die liefdesverhaal van Deborah Mannheim en Kit Malloy afspeel. Maar Deborah sal uiteindelik moet kies: Kies sy haar liefde vir Kit, of eerder die verpligtinge teenoor haar man, Karl, en die skatryk Mannheim-familie, wie se myne skielik haar verantwoordelikheid geword het?

Plain and dutiful and a passionate Catholic, Mary Tudor is overjoyed when she becomes Queen of England. After the misery of her childhood, when her father, Henry VIII, rejected her and her mother, Mary feels at last that she is achieving her destiny. And when she marries Philip of Spain, her happiness is complete.

But Mary's delight quickly turns sour as she realizes that her husband does not love her--indeed, that he finds her devotion irritating. Desperate for a baby, she begins to believe that God is punishing her. Her people are horrified at the severity of the measures she takes and begin to to turn against their queen, who is lonely, frightened, and desperate for love.

Rafael, a member of Philip of Spain's entourage, reluctantly witnesses the tragedy that unfolds as the once-feted queen tightens her cruel hold on the nation. As Rafael becomes closer to Mary, his life--and newfound love--are caught up in the terrible chaos.

This gripping bestseller, first published in 1966, has continued to captivate readers with its wide-ranging yet intimate portrait of an America sundered by racial conflict. David Champlin is a black man born into poverty in Depression-era New Orleans who makes his way up the ladder of success, only to sacrifice everything to lead his people in the civil rights movement. Sara Kent is the white girl who loves David from the moment she first sees him, and who struggles against his belief that a marriage for them would be wrong in the violent world he has to confront. And the "five smooth stones" are those the biblical David carried against Goliath. By the time this novel comes to its climax of horror, bloodshed, and hope, readers will be convinced that its enduring popularity is fully justified.

'A gargantuan, memorable story, a film in the making, ready for global success' - La Repubblica, Italy 'A powerful and heart-breaking story about sacrifice and courage' - Le Monde, France Argentina,1978. President Jorge Rafael Videla's military dictatorship reigns with an iron fist, regularly kidnapping, torturing and murdering political activists and opponents and their families at secret concentration camps. The country is locked in a spiral of fear and chaos - and are soon to host the World Cup. As the cacophony of protest against Videla's government rises, his regime's drive to 'disappear' these troublesome elements accelerates before they can embarrass him in front of the world's media. This is the story of a rugby club that refused to be silenced. When one of their teammates is found dead - assassinated - the Club La Plata first XV took a minute's silence before their next game. The minute ran to two ... to three ... For ten long minutes they stood in furious silence. When the junta learned of this protest it wasn't long before another player disappeared. And then another. Over the course of four years, twenty La Plata players were murdered by the regime: gunned down, assassinated, 'disappeared'' This extraordinary novel is based on interviews with survivors of Argentina's so-called 'dirty war' in the seventies, when tens of thousands of protesters disappeared, many never to be found again. Bold, powerful and heart-breaking, The Silenced is a portrait of astonishing courage and defiance and an examination of the unbreakable bonds forged by a team of rugby players in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

Continuing the authora s exciting new take on Roman Britain this well researched fifth novel of the nail-biting series has chief investigator Felix yet again having to combine intuition with detection. Arch provocateur Mercurialis fully understands the financial constraints placed on Governor Urbicus by the Emperor and takes advantage of the lack of resources to expand his plans to usurp Britannia. When the insurgent groups begin to fight amongst themselves Felix and his son-in-law, Clemens, allow that it might only be a ruse. However, putting their lives at risk daily, Felix and his team counter-plot by employing stratagems of their own. At the same time as befits family men, humour and emotion are not forgotten. Live their lives with them. Share the danger.

During the 9th and 10th century's the battles between the Anglo Saxons and Vikings were always bloody, but none more so than at the battle of Wodens elde. Our history shows that the Anglo Saxon army, consisting of men from Mercia and Wessex met the might of the Viking army on the elds of Woden and utterly defeated them on the 5th day of August 910.

A French army marches through Europe to attack Russia. In Lithuania, a Russian province, the people try to remain on the sidelines but the peasant KadiA!ius family are dragged into it. As the story unfolds and follows the everyday lives of succeeding generations we begin to understand exactly what it meant to live in this beautiful but little known country occupied by an alien power. Years later the peasants are still under the same Russian yoke. Poverty, cruel persecution of the Jews and the attempted erasure of Lithuanian culture forces an Exodus from the country of almost Biblical proportions towards the West. It is a decision that is not easy for the migrants but one which many have been compelled to take. In 1894 Elzbieta, a farm girl, and her sister Juoza, are seeking something better. They set out on their long, eventful journey through life, by road, train and ship. Arriving in England, the country which has offered them sanctuary, Elzbieta is appalled to discover the teeming slums of London's Stepney, where she is destined to live. The culture shock is great as she quietly battles to retain her identity huddled together with others of her kind in the Lithuanian ghetto. Her family's trials, throughout the years, are mirrored by world events. She and they fight against the odds armed with intelligence, humanity, honesty, and a religious faith which is sometimes not without its contradictions. The family progresses despite many setbacks. Between them they make a huge difference to the lives of others. In wartime and peace they are involved in major events as were their Lithuanian ancestors. This is about the striving of the human soul for something better.

The thrilling sequel to Fifteen Postcards Disappearing from her antiques shop amid a spray of bullets, Sarah Lester leaves no body, only questions. Sarah's friends are left to deal with the aftermath of her disappearance, including questions about the dubious provenance of her antiques which threaten to crush the business she's brought back from the brink of failure. Sarah struggles to reunite with her father while continuing the search for her mother, unaware that England's violent colonial past has followed her to the present, putting herself and those she loves in danger. From the remote shores of New Zealand, through India's hill-country stations and onto the streets of Victorian London, Sarah must determine whether family bonds are strong enough to reach across the centuries. The Last Letter is peopled with reticent soldiers, conniving clergymen, fanatical collectors and commission-hungry auctioneers, taking you on a spectacular journey through time.

In this darkly beautiful and hauntingly vivid novel, Michelle Lovric, acclaimed author of "The Floating Book," embarks on an unforgettable journey through the winding alleys and shadowy streets of eighteenth-century Venice and London. With vibrant prose, she weaves together the stories of three disparate yet intertwined characters who find themselves embroiled in a world of murder and secrets. There is Mimosina Dolcezza, the Venetian actress employed as an "agente provocatrice" by surreptitious European power brokers. By fortune and circumstance, she begins an affair with the elusive Valentine Greatrakes, a roguish fixture within London's medical underworld. Complicating matters for the pair is the presence of the eccentric and strange child-woman Pevenche, a figure whose fate and identity lie at the heart of the book's mystery.

Following this shadowy group from the dark environs of London's Bankside to the lively streets of Venice, "The Remedy" guides us through playhouses, brothels, and convents with luscious details that breathe intoxicating life into the era. Long-listed for the prestigious Orange Prize for Fiction, "The Remedy" is a seductive and suspenseful tale that stays with you long after you've turned the final page.

From New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn comes the second novel in the beloved Regency-set world of her charming, powerful Bridgerton family, now a series created by Shonda Rhimes for Netflix.

Anthony Bridgerton needs a wife.

Having spent his twenties in a rakish pursuit of pleasure (whilst taking care to ensure the financial security of his mother and seven younger siblings and mother) he knows it's high time he settled down and ensured the continuation of the Bridgerton line.

Edwina Sheffield is considered the most beautiful debutante of the current season. She is also sweet, innocent and eminently biddable - Anthony is sure she'll make a perfectly acceptable wife and vows to make her his.

The only obstacle in his way is Edwina's older sister, Kate. Kate is determined to do all she can to allow her sister the chance to marry for love rather than convenience. And the roguish viscount is beginning to think he may have met his match in Kate's keen wit and sharp tongue. Until, that is, he makes the mistake of kissing her...

Having brought peace to a country at war with itself the benign Roman governance encouraged previously unknown literacy plus education, trade, farming, an economy and the usage of Roman invention including the improved Roman plough, wind/water mills, double action pump and glass amongst many things. Such wealth production naturally generated envy and crime existed, including treason and murder as well as extortion and fraud, in the 105 towns that catered for a population of 2.5 million. A well organised civil service included policing and Albinus Felix, himself the son of a British ex-slave, had climbed the army's promotion ladder to become chief of intelligence in Britannia to be ably assisted by his son-in-law, Clemens, from a wealthy family in Rome. At daily risk from traitors, confidence tricksters and their acolytes they plan and counter-plan to capture them, at the same time attempting to infiltrate the groups. Experienced Governor Urbicus and his fleet admiral Agrippa offer whatever support is required within the law but often leaving Felix and Clemens out on a limb. A local tribal leader who understands that peace and stability can only benefit the tribes also offers help, to the chagrin of the overall tribal council.

James Falconer returns in the third House of Falconer historical novel from multi-million copy bestseller Barbara Taylor Bradford.

The Somme, 1916. James Falconer, once a barrow boy on a London market, stands in the trenches, awaiting the command to go over the top. Away from his business empire in London, he is simply a soldier, war the great leveller. But, unlike his men, and unknown to them, deep down, Falconer doesn’t care if he lives or dies.

When a face from the past offers James the chance to repair his fractured relationship with his estranged daughter, Leonie, he must decide if he can hold different things dear – and make space in his life for love.

But the war has left terrible scars, both personal and professional, and swept huge changes through the glittering world he once inhabited. James must weather myriad storms as he attempts to right past wrongs and build a new life.

Believing in Tomorrow is the new epic family saga from the top ten bestselling author of The Storm Child, Rita Bradshaw. Molly McKenzie is only eleven years old when her abusive father beats her to within an inch of her life. Escaping from the hovel she calls home, Molly is found by kind fisherfolk, sick and near death. With them she experiences the love of a family for the first time and, even though life is hard, she is content. Time passes and Molly's looking ahead to a future with the boy she loves, but then a terrible tragedy rips her life apart. Once again she's cast adrift in an uncaring world, but Molly is made of stern stuff and is determined to survive. In the male-dominated society of the early 1900s, Molly has to fight prejudice and hatred, and rejection comes from all sides. Can she hold fast and become the woman she is destined to be?