The animals in this landmark book – elephants, hippos, okapi, lions, jackals, cows, sheep, horses, white ants, quagga, Nazi cattle, police dogs and baboons – are chosen strategically to highlight different facets of our shared past. With this animal-centric lens, decades of research are brought together in an astonishing book, one that takes animals seriously.

The possibility of our shared future pivots on a reckoning with our shared pasts. This pioneering work shows what human-animal history can do, not only to help us better understand our place in the world, but to make our world – however slightly – a better place.

Part celebration, part secret-weapon manual, Dressed & Seasoned is the debut cookbook from Colette Maclennan – chef-owner of The General Store, a small but mighty café at the bottom of Bree Street in Cape Town that’s been feeding locals since 2015.

With recipes built on simplicity and flavour, this is unfussy food done well. From learning the secrets to making the juiciest grilled chicken to The General Store’s iconic chocolate brownies, this book promises café favourites and midweek winners alike. Delivered with the signature General Store flair: veg-forward, herb-heavy, seasonally inspired and deceptively simple but impressive.

Home cooks will learn the art of cooking the humble chicken breast to perfection (with half a dozen different flavours), how to make a salad you can’t wait to eat, and how to use an arsenal of sauces and dressings to turn everyday ingredients into crave-worthy meals. Whether you’re cooking for one, feeding your family or hosting friends, Dressed & Seasoned gives you the blueprint for good food – no overthinking required.

• Over 60 easy recipes, from weekday staples to crowd-pleasers
• Café-style food with bold, bright, veg-forward flavour
• The ultimate guide to sauces, dressings and finishing flourishes
• Baked goods, sweet treats and the famous TGS chocolate brownies
• All the pantry favourites, from granola and rusks to preserved lemons and dukkah
• Tips and formulas for salad-building, baking and meat-cooking basics
• Everyday food that’s easy to cook, beautiful to serve, and delicious to eat

Jan Braai Junior In The Kitchen is a cookbook for the next generation. Written in Jan Braai’s signature style, the easy-to-follow, step-by-step recipes can be enjoyed by the whole family. Aimed at youngsters to help them successfully make great food and build trust in their abilities in the kitchen, it will be the start a lifelong journey of pulling off many special meals with ease and confidence.

This user-friendly book covers fundamental cooking knowledge every person should have, using basic equipment and budget-conscious ingredients. With Jan Braai’s tips and advice, Jan Braai Junior In The Kitchen will set the next generation on their way to cooking like a champion for the rest of their life!

Shirley, Goodness & Mercy is a heart-warming, yet compellingly honest story about a young boy growing up in the coloured townships of Newclare, Coronationville and Riverlea during the apartheid era.

Despite Van Wyk’s later becoming involved in the struggle, this is not a book about racial politics. Instead, it is a delightful account of one boy’s special relationship with the relatives, friends and neighbours who made up his community, and of the important coping role laughter and humour played during the years he spent in bleak and dusty townships.

In Shirley, Goodness & Mercy Chris van Wyk – poet, novelist and short story writer – has created a truly remarkable work, at once both thought-provoking and vastly entertaining.

In a world where allergies and food intolerances are becoming more and more common, The South African Guide to Gluten-Free Baking will make your time in the kitchen a little sweeter. This cookbook will teach you how to seamlessly pivot from ‘normal’ baking to gluten-free baking, so you can enjoy your favourite baked goods and sweet treats without the guilt – or any unpleasant side effects. As a go-to guide for baking all things gluten-free, the book includes a section on how to stock your pantry for gluten-free baking (including a breakdown of the best gluten-free flours to use, and which combinations work best for different recipes), what ingredients are safe to use for a gluten-free diet, as well as the equipment and tools you’ll need to become an expert gluten-free baker.

Gluten-free baking can seem daunting, but The South African Guide to Gluten-Free Baking will inspire readers to learn how to make their favourite baked goods gluten-free – without being able to tell the difference! – so they can walk into the kitchen with confidence. Expect recipes for everything from decadent triple-layer celebration cakes, cute cupcakes and one-bowl brownies, delicious doughnuts, decadent cheesecakes, comforting pies and easy pizzas, South African favourites like malva pudding, as well as a chapter on easy air-fryer bakes.

Youth Revolution is the inspirational story of how a sixteen-year-old high-school student from Johannesburg, Kiara Nirghin, overcame huge health obstacles to win the grand prize at the 2016 International Google Science Fair for her unique and innovative solution to worldwide drought. Having experienced bacterial meningitis, undiagnosed bilharzia and severe weight loss, Kiara was forced to postpone her school career for hospitalisation, with a real chance of losing her hearing, her sight and the use of her limbs.

Youth Revolution not only covers her journey from the hospital bed to the stage as the winner of the science award, but also looks at issues surrounding stagnant youth innovation, while considering the dangers of lacking diversity in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths). It also includes contributions from prominent women in science and education, among them Malala Yousafzai, VP of Education and University Programs for Google and the recipient of the L’Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science.

Youth Revolution is a deeply human and truly inspirational real-life story that will enthral teenagers and adults alike, and proves that even ‘ordinary’ teenagers can do extraordinary things.

Bennie Griessel en Vaughn Cupido ontvang die blye tyding dat hulle uiteindelik weer bevorder is tot die rang van kaptein. Maar hul vreugde is van korte duur. Die vergruisde liggaam van een van Cupido se beste vriende is gevind onder die motor waaraan hy in sy motorhuis gewerk het . . . was dit 'n ongeluk, of koelbloedige moord? En op ’n imposante plaas buite Stellenbosch ontplof ’n woonwa. Onverklaarbaar. Nadat die vuur geblus is, word ’n liggaam in die wrak gevind . . .

“Twenty-one years [since the TRC] that have led to this Pretoria courtroom, and to the appearance of this giant man who, 46 years ago, claimed to have been the only eye witness to Uncle Ahmed’s suicide. Joao Rodrigues was the state’s star witness at the 1972 inquest. He would have been deemed pretty perfect for the job of covering the murder of Uncle Ahmed. A white South African of Portuguese descent, he worked as an administrative clerk at security police headquarters in Pretoria. After more than 10 years of service he had ascended just one step up the police hierarchy, to the rank of sergeant – proof, if nothing else, of his loyalty to the cause for his role in covering up the murder of Uncle Ahmed.”

Follow Ahmed Timol’s nephew, Imtiaz Cajee, on his 20-year journey to find his uncle’s killer and bring him to justice. In 1971, a state inquiry found that Ahmed Timol, held by the security branch of the tenth floor of John Vorster Square, committed suicide by jumping to his death. Forty-six years later, a new inquiry found that Ahmed Timol was murdered. Only one man remained alive who could tell the truth, a lowly clerk from the police, who was in the room when Timol was pushed. Joao Rodrigues has now been charged with murder and defeating and or obstructing the administration of justice. The book is a wonderful evocation of a time and places; Johannesburg, London, Mecca, Moscow. The last years of Timol’s life, the woman he loved, and his commitment to a non-racial and free South Africa. His last days are detailed here; the roadblock that was set up to catch him and his treatment by the security police.

Not content with finding his uncle’s murderer, Cajee has been on a quest for justice for other murdered victims of apartheid, whose killers never applied to the TRC and who were never charged, despite the information being available. Cajee investigates the possible deal that was done between the National Party and the ANC during the early 90s, and asks how it is possible that so many murderers and torturers were not prosecuted. He is clear that now is the time to find these people and prosecute them.

The book is unputdownable, and one that will leave you deeply touched.

This rich and absorbing biography of Can Themba, iconic Drum-era journalist and writer, is the definitive history of a larger-than-life man who died too young. Siphiwo Mahala’s intensive and often fresh research features unprecedented archival access and interviews with Themba’s surviving colleagues and family.

Mahala’s biography takes a critical historical approach to Themba’s life and writing, giving a picture of the whole man, from his early beginnings in Marabastad to his sombre end in exile in Swaziland. The better-known elements of his life – his political views, passion for teaching and mentoring, and family life – are woven together with an examination of his literary influences and the impact of his own writing (especially his famous short story ‘The Suit’) on modern African writers in turn. Mahala, a master storyteller, deftly follows the threads of Themba’s dynamic life, showcasing his intellectual acumen, scholarly aptitude and wit, along with his flaws, contradictions and heartbreaks, against a backdrop of the sparkle and pathos of Sophiatown of the 1950s.

Can Themba’s successes and failures as well as his triumphs and tribulations reverberate on the pages of this long-awaited biography. The result is an authoritative and entertaining account of an often misunderstood figure in South Africa’s literary canon.

Force for Good is a bold and refreshingly balanced exploration of positive masculinity, written to inspire men to become powerful forces for good in a world that desperately needs them to step into this role. The book challenges the extremes that often define the discourse around masculinity – aggressive dominance on one side and passive disengagement on the other. It offers a vision of true and healthy masculinity that is both strong and gentle, fierce and safe, confident and humble.

At its core is the conviction that men are made to be powerful forces, but only in service of what is good. Power, often misunderstood or negatively viewed, is essential. Without it, a man cannot fulfil his potential or meet the needs of those who depend on him. Power itself is neutral; how it is used determines whether it becomes a force for good or harm.

The book is divided into three parts – Being Man, Becoming a Force, and Doing Good – and builds a compelling case for the value of healthy masculinity. It explores the internal and external battles men face, the journey from boyhood to manhood, and the sacred responsibility to grow in strength and purpose. Force for Good calls men to action, not against others but for the good of others. It is a timely, courageous invitation to be all that a man was made to be, because such a man will be a Force for Good.

Boss Your Money is a no-fluff guide to building wealth in South Africa, written by someone who has asked all the same questions you have about work, salary negotiation, saving and investing, buying your first car or home, and more.

With honesty, humour and hard-won insights, Nokuhle Kumalo unpacks the money habits we inherit from our parents, the mistakes we make and the steps we can take to break the cycle. This isn’t about quick tips or flashy flexes; it will help you understand money and finally take control of how you earn, spend, save and build your wealth.

If financial freedom is your dream, this is your starting point to mastering the wealth creation formula.

Hierdie boek is ‘n praktiese reis om die leser te neem van gegrief en verontrief oor uitdagings soos aftrede, afleggings ander soortgelyke uitdagings, tot ‘n beter verstaan van die leser self, wat sy uitdagings is, en wat daaromtrent gedoen kan word.

Inhoud en tegnieke is verpak in ‘n maklike verteerbare vorm om die leser weer op koers (Ware Noord) te plaas.

Some secrets can’t be burnt away. Cops are being murdered all over the city, each falling victim to a designer poison that causes them to bleed out. Unable to make a breakthrough in the case and with the bodies piling up, detectives Ruben and Zander recruit counsellor Melissa to help them. Hoping that her unique insights into the human psyche might help trigger a discovery, they’re expecting to hunt down some kind of deranged lunatic. The real murderer, however, is a devilishly intelligent professor of human physiology, an academic icon standing on the brink of a groundbreaking discovery. Why is he killing them? How many more will fall victim to his brilliance? And who’s next?

Accomplished American artist Stella Wright’s beachside home in Cape Town is perched on the edge of land and sea, safety and vulnerability, the domestic and the wild. When Stella takes an afternoon swim, she is unprepared for the drama that unfolds. She and a nearby surfer are tracked by a giant great white shark that swims close enough so she can look it in the eye, leaving the two of them deeply traumatised.

The surfer – Ben – is a waterman who paints trawlers for a living. There is an almost instant attraction between them, but Stella is married to wealthy American financier Jack Barlow, and she and her husband are preparing to leave the country.

Stella and Ben begin a passionate affair. The two of them must face their fear of the water; Stella because beaches and oceans form the basis of her art, Ben because surfing is his passion. Into this situation Jack returns from overseas to tie up their affairs and bring Stella back to New York.

Stella must make a choice between the man who has reawakened her original passion for art, and the man who can give her everything else the world has to offer.

My Side of the Ocean is a novel of great empathy and insight, exploring essential questions about what it means to live, and love, when the secure foundations of a life have been ripped away.

The stories in Once Removed traverse the theatres, artist studios and archives that characterise the world of contemporary art and performance. But they also zero in on the homes, private lives, daily journeys and emotional interiorities of the various characters that inhabit them. While the stories in Once Removed draw from the undercurrents of the South African art world, their concerns and evocations are not limited to it.

“Once Removed is for readers who are familiar with the worlds of art and performance, and those for whom it is completely foreign. A reader doesn’t need to be immersed in the world of artists, critics, exhibitors, gallerists or academics to access the collection, and to enjoy the imbalances, precarity, hilarity, and possibilities represented in it,” explains Mann.

Part ironic realism, part experimental surrealism, these stories will matter differently, but equally significantly, to those inside and outside the world they evoke and inhabit.

How far can you distance yourself from your enemy without losing sight of the threat they pose – or without becoming an enemy yourself?
 
In the shadow of a flawless facade, the Coal family’s dynasty teeters on the brink of collapse. Luna Parks’ marriage balances on a powder keg of secrets and lies, and results in the presence of an unwelcome guest on the Coal farm, which is the spark that sets it ablaze.
 
With the Fletchers’ sinister grip tightening on the town of Clanwilliam, the advocate emerges as the last line of defence against the forces of destruction, and Cameron Coal is forced to confront an impossible choice: will love be the salvation or the downfall of the rooibos farm, a legacy forged in blood and sweat? And will Luna’s devotion be enough to bring the family together? With every twist and turn, the stakes get higher, and the truth threatens to rip everyone apart.
 
Against the backdrop of South Africa’s tumultuous rural landscape, this gripping tale exposes the intricate dance between power, corruption and the human condition. Can the advocate untangle the web of deceit, or will the pursuit of justice and truth be sacrificed at the altar of money and influence?

Four thirty-something girlfriends navigate the complexities of love and life in upmarket Johannesburg.

Nomzamo yearns to have her own child, but her husband keeps postpo-ning. Is he truly too busy or is something else going on? Kioni is in seventh heaven when Michael finally wants to commit. But does he really? Or is he just trying to get back into her bed? Single mom Jazmine has sworn off love – until a charming new doctor arrives at her hospital, testing her resolve. And Asanda, fiercely independent and at the top of her game, is determined to find the perfect man to match her perfect life.

As their lives twist and tangle in unexpected ways, these four women will discover that love is never simple – but always worth it.

A witty, heartwarming, and deeply relatable South African novel about friendship, romance, and the messy, beautiful journey of figuring it all out.

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, non-paying municipalities, unfounded accusations of racism, wildcat strikes, sabotage and a poisoning attempt. De Ruyter takes the reader inside the boardrooms and government meetings where South Africa’s future is shaped, with ministers often pulling in conflicting directions. He explains how renewable energy is the cheapest and quickest solution to our power crisis, in spite of fierce opposition from vested coal interests.

De Ruyter candidly reflects on his three years at the power utility, his successes and failures, his reasons for leaving and his hopes for the future. As someone who worked at the highest levels of the state but is not beholden to the ruling party, he is uniquely placed to speak truth to power.

Worrier State looks at the pervasive culture of fear in South Africa. It reveals how narratives of fear manifest in contemporary media forms and the people they serve, and how these are impacted by race, class, gender, space and identity.

Through an interdisciplinary body of work, and using a case-based study approach, media analyst Nicky Falkof investigates how risk, anxiety and moral panic show up in media portrayals in modern South Africa. Her main intervention in this approach is through ‘affect’: how do South Africans feel about living under conditions of extreme fear, which is related to gross inequality, and how does the media make us feel? Together, these essays about ‘white genocide’, ‘Satanist’ murders, township urban legends and suburban community groups present an always-partial and necessarily contingent picture of some of the ways in which cultures of fear structure life and meaning for various people in various communities.

They show how narratives of fear underpin everyday life, informing both self-making and meaning-making in contemporary South Africa.

Everywhere she looked, the world was in poor shape. And because she’d quit drinking, she no longer had the comfort blanket of alcohol to tamp down her anxiety. How did sober people stay sane?

In recent times, the self-help industry has exploded into a multi- billion dollar global industry – and along with it has come every imaginable type of therapy, healing or general woo-woo. In the past, Rebecca scoffed at this industry, mocking its reliance on half-baked science and the way it appears to prey on the mentally fragile.

But as she searched for a meaning of life that did not involve booze, she found it increasingly hard to rationalize her default scepticism. This shit really seems to work for some people, she reasoned. And it’s not like I have any particularly solid alternatives.

Rebecca lives in Cape Town, the undisputed epicentre of ‘alternative’ paths to peace and enlightenment in South Africa. She decided that over the course of a year, she would embark on a quest for personal wellness, spiritual enlightenment and good old-fashioned happiness. She was willing, within reason, to try anything. She would open herself to even the most outlandish contemporary fads in self- improvement.

What followed was a twelve-month immersion in the world of auras, chakras, hallucinogenic drugs, sweat lodges, sangomas, past lives and more.

And by the end of it? Maybe she would find some new ways of thinking and living. Or maybe she would emerge with her prejudices untouched.

Either way, it would be a good story.

Met haar aankoms by Noordeberg Hospitaal is Lola Anley aangenaam verras om aangewys te word as een van die topmediese studente wat blyplek in die gesogte Straumann Huis kry.

Maar haar opgewondenheid is van korte duur wanneer sy uitvind dat sy in die kamer gaan bly van ’n student wat ’n jaar gelede op die kampus vermoor is. Die raaisel rondom Asher Parker se dood is nooit opgelos nie en die moordenaar is nog op vrye voet.

Wie het vir Asher vermoor en hoekom? En waarom voel dit asof iemand Lola dophou en wag vir die regte oomblik om toe te slaan?

In die Straumann Huis begin vreemde dinge gebeur. Boonop word Lola se slaap versteur deur drome oor haar oorlede tweelingsuster. Om al die spoke ter ruste te lê móét sy die geheim van Asher se moord ontrafel – sónder dat iemand die waarheid oor haar eie verlede leer ken.

Waar bloed kruip is Marieta Carrick se debuutroman, nou heruitgegee. Die gebeure vind plaas voor dié van haar gewilde Bloed van ’n vlinder.

After unknown saboteurs toppled a strategic pylon near Lethabo Power Station in the Free State in November 2021, almost causing the country to plunge into stage 6 load shedding, Eskom’s chief executive officer André de Ruyter declared: ‘This was clearly now an act of sabotage and I think we can call it as such.’ Who was behind this, and what is their ultimate goal?

Since his appointment in January 2020, De Ruyter has faced intense opposition from within the power utility as he attempts to clean up corruption and return the electricity company to a semblance of its former glory. He is not alone. Chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer and other trusted allies in Eskom have also come under intense fire. From forensic investigations and botched probes to accusations of racism, De Ruyter and Oberholzer have spent significant amounts of time fending off allegation after allegation. Amid this onslaught, it has become clear that their enemies will take any measures necessary to have them removed from office.

Based on exclusive interviews with De Ruyter, Oberholzer and other key figures, Sabotage is a story of conspiracy and subterfuge at South Africa’s ailing power utility, uncovering the power struggles that threaten the country’s very survival.

Your pet runs your life. You just haven’t admitted it yet.

From booking a seat on Bark Air to planning a pet-friendly holiday, A Pawfect Life is packed with practical advice for modern pet parents – along with a hilarious deep dive into just how far we’ve gone to pamper our furry overlords.

Dion Chang unpacks the latest trends, from CBD treats for anxious dachshunds to birthday pawties as well as pawternity leave for new pet owners, while also tackling the trickier side of pet parenting.

Speaking to animal behaviour expert Leigh Shenker, Chang explores why we spend small fortunes on our pets – and whether treating them like tiny humans is actually a good idea. As a trained pet doula, he also delves into the complexities of pet loss, grief and saying goodbye.

Equal parts insightful and absurd, this book will make you laugh, rethink your pet’s power over you, and finally figure out how to navigate an airport pet relief zone like a pro.

“Ek wil uitmaak, Ellie. Ek is jammer, maar dit is dit.” En net daar spat Ellie se lewe soos sy dit ken aan stukke. Maar die vernietiging is erger as wat sy ooit sou kon droom.

Nie net verloor sy vir Gustav, haar steunpilaar van die afgelope paar maande nie, maar ook haar vriende, haar skoollewe en die vrede wat sy tot dusver as vanselfsprekend aanvaar het. Haar ma is in Oekraïne en haar pa word deur die Valke ondersoek. En die swart wolk van haar boetie se ongeluk hang nog steeds swaar oor die gesin. Vir haar eie veiligheid moet sy plaas toe gaan.

Wat op aarde het haar pa besiel om hulle so in gevaar te stel? Is die oplossing regtig om nou Lisa in ‘n ander skool te word? Hoe lank voordat Liam van die buurplaas haar geheim begin ontrafel?

’n Pragtige tienerroman oor self-ontdekking, genesing ná ‘n familielid se dood en om jou identiteit te vind wanneer baie dinge onseker voel.

Toe Covid-19 die mat onder Marita van der Vyver en haar Fransman se voete uitruk en hulle noodgedwonge hul ou groot huis op die Franse platteland moes verkoop, besluit hulle om die meeste van hulle aardse besittings ontslae te raak en ver in die wêreld te gaan reis. In hierdie reis, wat oor drie vastelande strek, word ’n hele leeftyd se herinneringe ontgin. Want soms moet mens baie verloor, en ook bereid wees om self verlore te raak, voor mens regtig vryheid kan wen.