Whatever you are looking for in a book, Homebru – Your Local – has it all.
The Homebru selection for 2025 is a beautiful combination of every flavour and every taste of South Africa, represented in a carefully curated collection of 36 trending, unputdownable books – all written by local authors or set on home ground.
Let’s face it, local never gets old. Places you know, characters you recognise and the feeling of something you can always come back to. Not only does your local Exclusive Books (and we all have a local) have every kind of book to suit every kind of reading taste, but also, and particularly, a range of local books that will spark the same fondness that reminds you of home.
It was not long ago when local writing was a small segment of the total and largely international publishing offering on the shelves, a niche in of itself. Now with South African writers turning their pens to everything from celebrity biography to real life crime, BookTok romance and nail-biting domestic noir thrillers, medi-dramas and business, on-trend self-help and African spirituality, there is nothing you won’t find in the 2025 Homebru selection, the local for all locals.
While you might be all booked up this May, keep your eye out for the always inviting Homebru events happening across the country. Join us for a range of book signings and for the first time ever, a Homebru Author Market - you won’t want to miss the best in local literature! If you are attending an event in store, be sure to check out the wonderfully vibrant Homebru store displays and bookmarks, and if you’re a Fanatics member, expect to earn double discounts on any Homebru books purchased in May!
As we continue to celebrate the books, people, places and things that bring us all together, let Homebru be a reminder that your local has it all.
-Exclusive Books GM, Books and Brand
Song of the Slave Girl
Ashraf Kagee
ISBN: 9781431435692
Meraj and Djameela are two young slaves in love when Djameela is sold to a farmer. Consumed by grief, Meraj kills his master and flees. Djameela must learn to defend herself from unwanted advances and plot her escape to reunite with Meraj. Will love triumph, or will the lovers’ fight for freedom come at too great a cost?
If the Dead Could Talk
Juliette Mnqeta
ISBN: 9780795711084
Azania Sethosa has just been made the sole heir to her absent father’s estate.
Detective Florian Welters has just been transferred to Knysna after blundering an important case. Welters is now investigating the apparent suicide of Joseph Mafu, a former politician and Azania’s father. Together, Azania and Welters must uncover the truth.
The Lucky Ones and Other Stories
Alistair Mackay
ISBN: 9780795710162
The Lucky Ones and Other Stories is a collection that champions love and community in a time of anxiety and isolation. Follow the stories of a young man desperate to live freely, a group of children seizing power from apathetic adults to secure their future and a childless woman driven from her home.
Hell Run Tobruk
Justin Fox
ISBN: 9781776194643
In the height of World War II, Lieutenant Jack Pembroke is ordered to sail his escort ship HMSAS Gannet from South Africa to Egypt and join the coastal escorts. Maritime traffic, enemy submarines and bombers present a unique challenge for Jack, as he is thrust into battle while escorting ships running supplies to Tobruk. Trapped in the port, will Jack and his crew manage to escape?
Die vyf susters
Eleanor Baker
ISBN: 9780798185042
Die vyf Delport-susters woon saam in hul oorlede ouers se huis. Toe die oudste suster, Rose, geskiet word, is daar minstens vier verdagtes. Speurder Adriaan Kruger moet die skuldige ontmasker terwyl hy sy gevoelens vir die hoofverdagte onder beheer moet hou. Volg die skerpsinnige whodunnit met romanse en humor soos wat die saak ontrafel.
Leeumens
Rudie van Rensburg
ISBN: 9780795802928
Skatryk tweelingbroers wat vyf jaar gelede verdwyn het, se geraamtes word in ‘n veld opgediep. Kassie en Rooi moet die saak ondersoek, maar dit moet in die grootste geheimhouding plaasvind. Anders kan Kassie-hulle ook die gevaar loop om vermoor te word soos die speurders wat by die destydse verdwyningsaak betrokke was.
Paige Nick is a novelist, columnist and advertising copywriter. She is the founder of The Good Book Appreciation Society and the host of Book Choice, a show on Fine Music Radio. Book People is her latest novel, a savagely funny satire about online media, cancel culture and the power of books.
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‘You kicked him out?’ Marina asked.
PAIGE NICK
‘Yup. Your mobile will probably ring any second, with enquiries from your new housemate, eager to leave an indent of his arse on your couch, deposit his squeezed-out teabags on the edge of your sink, and spend freely on your credit card until he puts you in the poor house, too,’ Norma said, as they settled in at the counter at Tonkotsu, their favourite Ramen spot.
Marina had strange eating habits. She followed a daily diet of Monster Munch, miso soup, McDonalds and Cadbury’s Crème Eggs, punctuated by regular visits to Michelin-starred restaurants and some of the finest Ramen holes-in-the-wall you could find in London.
‘Speaking of mobiles ringing. What’s going on there, Grand Central?’ Marina asked, nodding at Norma’s phone, which was lighting up with a new call or message every few seconds.
TOM EATON
Tom Eaton is an author, satirist, screenwriter and well-known newspaper columnist. He has written three novels and two non-fiction books. An Act of Murder is his fourth novel and his first murder mystery.
READ AN EXTRACT
I’m not saying I felt better about things when Zelda got out of bed and put on her clothes and walked out of my cottage, and I ran out into the midnight street behind her in my underpants, calling after her to wait, to tell me what I’d done wrong. I’m not saying that at all.
I love Zelda. I didn’t understand how much I loved her until she drove away and the truth of my feeling crashed down around me like a stack of plates falling out of a cupboard. I love her – her quickness, her directness, her crooked smile, her black hair with its streaks of grey, her warm, firm hand in mine – more than I’ve ever loved anything, even the theatre, so I’m not going to say that her leaving me at five to twelve on a Tuesday night made me feel better. But I will say that it made me feel something different to what I’d been feeling when she’d arrived, half an hour earlier, and that’s what I’m talking about.
BOOK PEOPLE
Paige Nick
ISBN: 9781770109063
When Norma’s book club is on the receiving end of a viral meltdown from crime author Harry Shields, desperate to make the big time and frustrated by a negative review, it’s not long before Norma, her book club and Harry are at the centre of a murder investigation. With Harry’s outburst going viral and a book club member in a coma, it couldn’t get any worse, could it?
Canary
Onke Mazibuko
ISBN: 9781776381036
Onke Mazibuko returns with a paranoid thriller about a whistleblower pushed to the edge. Canary follows Maks Ntaka, an employee at Arms Tech Industries who has just discovered the company is embroiled in serious corruption. When his longtime mentor implicates him in the illegalities, Maks has a target on his back as his life starts to collapse around him.
an act of murder
Tom Eaton
ISBN: 9781776380374
Arnold Prinsloo’s acting career has hit rock bottom, he’s about to be evicted, and the love of his life has left him. To top it all off, Arnold has been accused of murdering insurance billionaire JP Mulder. Arnold must assume the most dangerous acting role of his life: pretending to be a hard-boiled East Rand detective to clear his name and win Zelda back.
Blood’s Inner Rhyme
Antjie Krog
ISBN: 9781776391813/ 9781776391837
Poet Antjie Krog merges genres in Blood’s Inner Rhyme, writing about her relationship with her mother, Dot Serfontein, and her childhood in the Free State plains. Combining letters, diary entries and care-home records, this book explores creative influence and ideological differences while displaying the mutual admiration between two highly skilled writers.
Follow Me to Africa
Penny Haw
ISBN: 9781728295459
It’s 1983 and a begrudging Grace accompanies her father to Tanzania for an archaeological dig. Here, Grace and famed paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey meet, and Grace is tasked to sort through 50 years’ worth of Mary’s work and memories. The women learn that they are more alike than they thought and discover a secret that connects them.
Mevrou Smit se reëls vir goeie gedrag
Elizabeth Wasserman
ISBN: 9781776380817
Wanneer ‘n vloed ‘n dekades oue geraamte op die oewer van die rivier uitspoel, moet mevrou Smit haar eie reëls neerlê om te oorleef, Sy wil die raaisel oplos voor sy weer paaie kruis met die lastige Kaapse speurder. En kan die verhouding tussen mevrou Smit en dokter Tomas tot iets lei wat haar uiteindelik op Aronspoort sal anker?
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Also available in Afrikaans
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MICHELLE KEKANA
Michelle Kekana is a former librarian and teacher. As an eternal student, she is passionate about literacy, particularly writing. She was a 2021 Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study (JIAS) writing fellow and has been published in an anthology of essays about post-Apartheid South Africa. The Fragile Mental Health of Strong Women is her first novel.
INTERVIEW
Congratulations on publishing your debut novel! As a passionate reader, writer and educator, how does it feel to have published a novel?
I have always believed that authors achieve a form of immortality. Words continue to resonate long after a writer has gone. So, I feel the tiniest bit immortal being published. I am also pleased and surprised that I kept a promise to myself and managed to work on a manuscript and saw it to publication.
The title, The Fragile Mental Health of Strong Women, is striking, immediately highlighting that strong women can have underlying struggles, how did you decide on the title of the book?
I wanted to relate the interplay of fragility and strength that is present in the lives of the women I know. Women are sometimes asked to be either, to pick a position but across time, both are present especially when there is a struggle with mental health. The mind that is ailing, that is weak, vulnerable is required to be its own champion by demonstrating strength. The story follows three women in different parts of their lives, navigating things like depression, grief, parenthood and relationships while being connected to each other by a doctor. How did you decide on each character’s backstory?
I got the backstories from being an observer. These are women I know, women I’ve met and women I am. I wanted the backstories that lead to mental health struggles to be varied so that people see that there is no one single way that leads to the struggle.
Mental health, trauma, and the ups and downs of life through the eyes of three women are topical themes, in times where women are beginning to challenge the idea that they must always be strong. What does it mean to you to be a strong woman?
Strong women for me are the women who create community with each other, women who are self-aware, who have the courage to name their pain and work with others to overcome it. Strength is never the absence of vulnerability. When we acknowledge how breakable we all are, it makes us more tender with ourselves and by extension with each other.
The Fragile Mental Health of Strong Women
Michelle Kekana
ISBN: 9781431435708
Follow the stories of three South African women who must confront their own realities while navigating love, life and mental health. Hope feels trapped in her mother’s house and contemplates ending her life. Ayanga is struggling with the harsh realities of motherhood. Zethu is starting university with big dreams before everything changes.
Looking for your local romance fix? We have 3 searing reads perfect for any romance lover.
Sunshine Kisses
Kelly L. Clarke
ISBN: 9780796143280
Abigail Briar and Erik Larsson have been friends for 25 years. While their families think they would work better as a couple, Abby and Erik are just friends. When a week-long family holiday forces them to confront the connection that has always existed between them, will the ghosts from their past threaten to tear them apart, or bring them closer together?
Friends to lovers
Khaki Fever
Lindsay Norman
ISBN: 9781776194629
Game guide Alex Carnell-Ellis is determined to make a fresh start. However, after landing her dream job at an exclusive game resort in Mpumalanga, things start to fall apart. Making enemies, stealing dogs and falling for the head guide were not part of her plan. When a storm breaks as Alex attempts to rescue a baby baboon, things only go from bad to worse.
The Ex Effect
Jo Watson
ISBN: 9781035400492
When Ash tried to lose her virginity to her high-school boyfriend Logan, nothing went to plan. Since then, Logan disappeared and Ash is sexually cursed: every time she tries to sleep with a man, something disastrous happens. When Ash finds herself flirting over email with her colleague Max, she is sure he will be the one to break the curse. That is, until she meets him in person…
DUDU NHLABATHI-MADONSELA
Dudu Nhlabathi-Madonsela is a witty and straight-talking dating coach that focuses on social issues and Black family dynamics. The Dating Playbook is a collection of invaluable insights into self-awareness, expectations from relationships and the realities of contemporary dating.
The Dating Playbook
Dudu Nhlabathi-Madonsela
ISBN: 9781776193431
Dating is an extreme sport and like any other sport, the odds are better if you find the right coach. The Dating Playbook is a sobering guide to navigating the dating scene, from online dating etiquette to practical flirting and seduction techniques. Dudu Nhlabathi-Madonsela helps readers face the reality of modern dating with compassion and honesty.
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In this digital age, social media is a repository of knowledge and entertainment, an ever-evolving account of the spectrum of human desires and aspirations. So, grounded in my personal observations, I’ve distilled a series of prevailing trends. These trends offer a subtle yet telling indication that many of the wonderful souls who parade our streets are, perhaps not overtly – no, I take that back. Actually, this phenomenon is straight up in your face. So let me try again: these trends offer an indication of how many wonderful and not-so-wonderful souls are engaged in the complex dance of dating for survival.
The allure of the blesser
In South Africa, the term ‘blesser’ is used to describe an older, wealthier man who enters into a transactional relationship with a younger woman. The relationship is often characterised by financial and material benefits provided by the older partner in exchange for ‘companionship’...
The rise of swindlers
Last year, my husband and I sat down to watch the highly publicised documentary titled The Tinder Swindler
As the episodes unfolded, I found myself growing increasingly frustrated. I couldn’t comprehend how a man with mediocre skills could captivate so many women, making them forget who they were. Having read books on pickup artistry, learnt the techniques and watched countless videos, I can confidently assert that this man possessed only a fraction of the advanced game employed by seasoned pickup artists.
The rise of the high-value woman
Have you wondered why there’s a sudden surge of females obsessed with becoming high-value women? It seems that many are now taking courses and investing in learning how to embody this concept- seen as high-value, elegant, refined and classy beings.
Rumbidzayi Munyaradzi is an author, mentor and CEO of the Sasai Super App and has over 12 years’ experience in finance. She has a passion for the transformative power of finance.
Adulting is something we all must do, and it can all be a bit overwhelming.
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RUMBIDZAYI MUNYARADZI
Knowing what you want, being committed to it and being willing to sacrifice to get it are the three pillars on which your vision rests. Vision is cognisant of your current circumstance but is fixed on your destination. This type of clarity helps you withstand the distraction, demotivation and disruptions which inevitably threaten your progress over time. It gives meaning to every action in pursuit of your goals. Most importantly, it gives reason to believe you can breathe life into any seemingly hopeless circumstance that is connected to your destiny. Your vision may take time to conceptualise and you will refine it as you immerse yourself in its pursuit.
There is no such thing as a small or plain vision. Your vision is not in competition with anyone else’s. One person’s vision is not more important than the next person’s vision.
We each have our roles to play in building happy families, vibrant communities, successful economies, and progressive countries. Adulting is your call to action. Your vision is your response as to how you will make your vital contribution in a manner that is personally fulfilling.
VUSUMZI NGXANDE
Journey
Kwantu
Vusumzi Ngxande
ISBN: 9781776193134
Inspired by Vusi Ngxande’s popular podcast of the same name, Journey Kwantu delves into South African spiritual identity and beliefs over hundreds of years and the presence of African spirituality in the contemporary world. Combining extensive historical research, lived experiences and interviews with healers, this book is an exploration of rituals, lineage and the personal impact of spiritual life.
Your Guide to Adulting
Rumbidzayi
Munyaradzi
ISBN: 9780796183026
Becoming an adult comes with a lot of questions: what kind of person do you want to become? What kind of career will you have? What motivates you? Find advice, strategies, and resources for any young adult looking to confidently navigate the important transitions of becoming an adult, or any adult looking to reset their life in this helpful guide.
“We
are encouraged to retain certain practices because that is how a particular society is kept together.”
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If I Can U Can
Barney Beukes
ISBN: 9780620985123
Learn how to achieve your goals and shift your mindset with top tips and mindful advice from CEO Barney Beukes. Aspiring entrepreneurs can learn how to adopt the right mindset, tackle any challenge and achieve success. Drawing from personal experience and over 30 years of business expertise, If I Can U Can is the story of a man with big dreams who learned to define the meaning of success.
The Mavericks
Stephen Cranston
ISBN: 9780624095446
Discover the inner workings of the top asset management companies in South Africa: Coronation, Allan Gray and Investec (later Ninety One). Experienced business writer Stephen Cranston explores the rise of big personalities like Hendrik du Toit, Leon Campher and Patrice Motsepe, the struggle of independent fund managers and the bright stars of the 1990s that didn’t make it.
BARNEY BEUKES
Barney Beukes is an accomplished CEO and executive in the technology and services industry. With over 30 years’ experience in entrepreneurship, Beukes has been able to work across different industries to continue to learn and grow as a business owner.
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As human beings we tend to look for solace in concocting reasons why we have not achieved the things in life that we dreamed of. We blame a multitude of things, including ourselves,and it is true that many of us – all of us –encounter obstacles, some of them seemingly insurmountable.
I wrote this book as an aspiring entrepreneur, and as someone who started out from behind. I know what it feels like to be judged as someone who will never amount to much. I want to show you, the reader, that even when it does not look like it, you have power. You need not accept the judgement of others: you can choose to challenge the status quo, or not. By changing my mindset and looking at things differently, I constantly redirect my life to live it more effectively – and if I can do it, you can too.
“This is a book about
business success. They say stick with the winners and over the years, I have been a consistent supporter of the CIA, as the big independent gorillas – Coronation, Investec and Allan Gray – came to be known.”
Raymond Ledwaba is an author and chartered accountant with over a decade of experience in finance. He co-founded ITThynk, ITThynk Gaming and Diski Nine9, after switching from a career in finance to a successful career as a tech entrepreneur.
Ledwaba shares his insights on switching careers, the growing entrepreneurial sector and his experiences within the tech industry so far.
INTERVIEW
Entrepreneurship is a growing sector, with young people across the country starting their own businesses. Do you have any words of wisdom for the future generation of first-generation founders?
Start small, start scared but just start. Don’t wait until you feel ready. If you’re the first in your family to try this path, know that the fear and uncertainty are normal. You’re not just building a business you’re building a new story for your family and your community. Surround yourself with people who believe in your potential, even when you doubt it. And don’t try to skip the hard, challenging and cringe parts. The struggle is part of the story. Be consistent, stay curious, and focus on solving real problems. You don’t need to be perfect, you just need to be brave enough to try. I hope you try.
What qualities do you think the next generation of founders will need to succeed in the rapidly evolving world of business and technology?
The next generation of founders will need adaptability to be comfortable learning, unlearning and pivoting quickly. They will need emotional resilience to be able to handle failure and bounce back. They will also need to have purpose-driven thinking. Those who succeed long-term are the ones building with intention. Make money, but build with impact in mind.
Technology and gaming are growing industries globally, with growing integration of tech across industries like finance, media, manufacturing and more. As someone who worked in finance, is there anything you have learned from the tech industry?
The tech industry taught me to embrace experimentation. In finance, you’re trained to avoid risk. In tech, calculated risk is how you grow. You have to test, iterate, and be willing to fail forward. Tech also reinforced the value of speed. I’ve learned to make decisions faster, trust smaller pilots, and adjust based on feedback. Lastly, the culture of collaboration and open learning in tech has challenged me to unlearn hierarchy. It’s not about titles, it’s about value and getting things done.
RAYMOND LEDWABA
THE First-Generation Founder
Raymond Ledwaba
ISBN: 9780624094104
Raymond Ledwaba successfully migrated from a career in finance to a life in entrepreneurship as the CEO of ITTHYNK, ITTHYNK Gaming and Diski Nine9. The First-Generation Founder is the story of how Ledwaba overcame challenges, filled his own knowledge gaps and grew to understand the venture capital environment to turn a struggling business into a successful start-up.
PHAKAMISA NDZAMELA READ
Phakamisa Ndzamela is an awardwinning former business journalist for Thomson Reuters, Business Day, Financial Mail and Moneyweb. Ndzamela lives in Cape Town and is currently a Masters candidate in Business History at the University of Stellenbosch.
Black Pioneers
Phakamisa Ndzamela
ISBN: 9780796151599
In a time when there were little to no opportunities for people of colour to succeed in business, meet the Black pioneers that challenged the system. Including figures like Constance Ntshona, HM Pitje, Sam Motsuenyane and more, this book shares their history, challenges, successes and contributions to business at large.
AN EXTRACT
In the annals of South Africa’s rich and diverse history, the narratives of black merchants who defiantly carved out spaces of enterprise amidst the tumultuous backdrop of apartheid and its cascading socio-political constraints, stand as beacons of resilience and innovation.
The Untold Stories of Black South African Merchants
Who Defied the Odds aims to shed light on this vital chapter of South African history, by threading together the entrepreneurial journeys of select individuals and institutions, illustrating how they transcended the period’s adversities to etch their names into the tapestry of the country’s economic legacy.
From the vision-driven enterprise of Africanbank to the indomitable spirit of women like Constance Ntshona, Epainette Mbeki and Sally Motlana, this collection of stories captures the essence of determination and foresight. The entrepreneurial ventures of individuals like SJJ Lesolang, AN Gadi and HM Pitje, not only signify personal triumph, but also reflect the broader Black Consciousness of Business; a movement underlining the nexus of entrepreneurship and identity politics. Moreover, these stories shed some light on the ramifications of pivotal events and policies, such as the Group Areas Act and the 1976 riots, on the black business community, highlighting the intricate interplay of history, business, and individual agency.
A portion of this book focuses on and pays homage to the resilient women of the era. The apartheid system, deeply rooted in patriarchy, posed even more compounded challenges for black women. They grappled not only with racial discrimination but also genderbased prejudices, making their journey in the business realm all the more arduous. Women had to manoeuvre through societal norms that often relegated them to secondary roles; restrictive laws that limited their economic activities, and a patriarchal business culture. Yet, in this adverse setting, they rose, establishing themselves in trade, retail, and more, making indelible marks on the country’s economic history.
Sol: My friend and adversary, Sol Kerzner
Peter Venison
ISBN: 9781990973956
Discover the man behind the mystery, in this comprehensive biography of business tycoon Sol Kerzner. Peter Venison provides an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the life of Kerzner through personal anecdotes and exclusive details on how Kerzner became a key player in the international hospitality industry and his role in South African politics in the 1990s.
Led by Shepherds
Jeffrey Rakabe
ISBN: 9781431435722
Jeffrey Rakabe reflects on what it means to be a man in Led by Shepherds. Part memoir, part manifesto, Rakabe recounts his experiences as a boy embarking on an adventure of masculinity, to becoming a man studying in Pretoria beginning to question the misogyny lurking in the ritual circumcision ceremony.
Odyssey of Liberation
Muzi Sikhakhane
ISBN: 9780796193209
Muzi Sikhakhane offers insight into the social injustices shaping South Africa today. Through examining his career as an advocate, Sikhakhane delves into the paradox of liberation, the persistence of racial inequality and systemic injustice in the country.Sikhakhane shares a captivating exploration of South Africa’s socio-political landscape.
How did we get here?
Mpoomy Ledwaba
ISBN: 9781776193868
Founder of the Wisdom and Wellness podcast, speaker and influencer Mpoomy Ledwaba shares her story in How Did We Get Here?. Ledwaba reflects on her upbringing, major milestones and challenges, all on her journey to self-discovery. Through it all, Ledwaba uses her faith as a guiding light to ground herself.
Anne Biccard is a medical doctor living and working in Johannesburg. She studied medicine and psychology at the University of the Witwatersrand. Biccard lives on a small farm with her partner where they provide a home to rescued greyhounds and other creatures.
We spoke to Dr. Biccard about the continued chaos in the emergency department, how she manages to keep her sense of humour amidst the madness and what readers can expect from One Call Away.
ANNE BICCARD INTERVIEW
Saving a Stranger’s Life and Holding My Breath were both bestsellers readers praised for their balance of humour, storytelling and the comings and goings inside the emergency department. What can readers expect from One Call Away?
One Call Away invites the reader back to my side, facing the Grim Reaper in a day-to-day battle. I would like to think that the reader comes with me, almost in my shoes, as my day unfolds. There are more stories about the emergency department, with further adventures with the snoopies and a bit more about my internal world. If you enjoyed the first two books, I hope that you enjoy One Call Away
One Call Away feels more personal than your last two books, with this book inviting readers to learn more about your life outside of medicine. What inspired you to write a more intimate story?
I think I have become more accustomed to sharing my internal world with my readers, many of whom have been very supportive of my writing and wanting to know more about me as a person.
Working in the emergency department must be a fast-paced environment where you need to make important decisions timeously. Your books have documented the more technical aspects of medicine as well as the humour that can be found in stressful situations. How do you find humour within the chaos?
Anyone who knows me will know that I can joke about pretty much anything in life. Even true tragedy sometimes has an undercurrent of irony. It’s something I learned from my mother – there was humour even in serious injury or death.
Don’t take yourself too seriously - she never did – you’ll have to laugh or cry about most things in life. Laughing is way better in my opinion. Almost everything can have a lighter side or a dark humour.
You’ve mentioned previously that working in the emergency department allows you to learn something new every day. Is there anything that still surprises you in your day-to-day in the ER?
People. They surprise me. In their inventiveness, their life stories, and the things that we all do. At the end of the day, with all the algorithms and protocols in emergency medicine, I’m still in it because every person is different and holds a surprise within themself.
One Call Away
Anne Biccard
ISBN: 9781431435456
One Call Away is the third installment of Dr. Anne Biccard’s bestselling stories from the ER, Saving a Stranger’s Life and Holding My Breath. Join the front lines of the emergency department of a busy hospital in Johannesburg and meet a cast of unforgettable characters encountered by the emergency team. Readers are also invited back home to the farm, for a deeper understanding of Biccard’s journey.
RYAN BLUMENTHAL
Ryan Blumenthal is ‘n senior spesialis forensiese patoloog en mede-professor aan die Universiteit van Pretoria. Sy boek Autopsy is in 2020 bekendgestel en het ‘n nie-fiksie Suid-Afrikaanse topverkoper geword. Hy het ook Risking Life for Death geskryf en uit werklike gevallestudies, sy insig en kennis oor forensiese patologie gedeel. Outopsietafel is sy eerste boek in Afrikaans.
LEES ’N UITTREKSEL
Wanneer ek iemand vir die eerste keer ontmoet, dwaal my oë onmiddellik na die aspekte van hul liggaam en gedrag wat vir my “forensies betekenisvol” is. Ek kyk na hul vel. Het hulle tatoeëermerke? Ek kyk na die toestand van hul tande. Ek kyk na hul postuur en die klere wat hulle dra. Is een hand effens bleker as die ander hand? Ek let op hul parfuum en/of naskeermiddel. Ek kyk selfs na hul naels.
Dit gebeur binne millisekondes – selfs nog voor ek oogkontak gemaak het. Teen die tyd dat ek hulle groet, het ek reeds ’n beeld, in my forensiese geestesoog, van hul algemene gesondheid, hul gemoedstoestand en die risiko’s wat hulle loop.
Ek was nog altyd gefassineer deur die onontdekte en die onbekende. Dit is ’n kombinasie van dr Joseph Bell en sir Arthur Conan Doyle se stories wat my geinspireer het om ’n forensiese patoloog te word.
Om Holmes aan te haal: “Wanneer die ondersoeker iemand ontmoet, laat hy begin deur met een oogopslag die geskiedenis van die man en sy ambag of beroep te probeer bepaal ... deur te kyk na sy vingernaels, sy baadjiemou, sy stewels, sy broek se kniee, die eelte van sy wysvinger en duim, sy gesigsuitdrukking, sy hempsmouboordjie – ’n man se beroep blyk duidelik uit elkeen van hierdie elemente.”
Hierdie tegniek om agteruit te redeneer is moeilik om aan te leer, maar dit is nie onmoontlik nie. Ons kan baie leer by die dooies sowel as die lewendes.
Outopsietafel
Ryan Blumenthal
ISBN: 9781776194704
Mediese ondersoeker en forensiese patoloog, Ryan Blumenthal het al derduisende lykskouings uitgevoer wat tot die arrestasie van talle misdadigers gelei het. Dit is sy doel om oortreders aan die pen te help ry. In Outopsietafel beskryf hy van die moeilike lesse wat hy as ’n jong patoloog moes leer en hy vertel van die ongewone en dikwels grusame sterfgevalle wat hy al teëgekom het.
TSHIAMO MODISANE
Tshiamo Modisane is an award-winning producer, actress, fashion stylist and former lifestyle writer. She was named Sowetan S Mag’s Woman of the Year in 2022, Hot Chick of the Year in 2019 by the Feather Awards and was the first gender-non-conforming brand ambassador for Lux in 2019.
Modisane puts creativity, authenticity and intentionality at the centre of all her work and how she navigates the world. Through her award-winning career, she has faced challenges and personal hurdles, all in her journey towards self-discovery.
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The story behind the name goes as follows: I was the very first ‘acknowledged’ grandson in the Modisane family; my father had had a son before me but denied paternity until much later in our lives. Therefore, my entrance into the world was heralded as the arrival of a king. I was the family’s heir and the one who would proudly carry the Modisane name forward. There’s a level of (unhealthy) red-carpet treatment afforded a woman whose first child is a boy – as though those whose first offspring are girls have done a lesser job. Most African cultures are rooted in boy children being the be-all and end-all of life – the superheroes ordained to carry the family name into the future. What a cross to bear!
True to the many African beliefs purporting that children inherit the meaning and characteristics of their names, I guess it was long written in the stars that I would live like a king – or queen, in my case. Strong leadership skills and the ability to be empathetic yet very decisive are some of the traits that have always come naturally to me. Because I’d been named the king of the family and assumed that position, my younger brother was named Tau, a Tswana name meaning lion. I love my first name, together with its inherent meaning. But it wasn’t until age six that I learnt of
my second name, Tshiamo, meaning ‘God’s complete plan’. What made it special was that my mother had given me this name.
I’ve always wondered how the brain discerns between what it chooses to remember and what it refuses to acknowledge. Though I still don’t fully understand the psychology behind the staying power of memories, what I do know is that those memories linked to our internal battles often attach themselves to the innermost part of our brain.
I Am Tshiamo Tshiamo Modisane
ISBN: 9781776390687
I am Tshiamo is the memoir of fashion stylist, beauty influencer and former lifestyle writer Tshiamo Modisane. Modisane shares her experience growing up sure of her gender from as young as five years old and the courageous choices she made to live freely. Modisane shares her experiences through career challenges, dating and fractured family relationships on her journey to unconditional self-acceptance.
Faces and Phases of Resilience
Tinyiko Maluleke
ISBN: 9781067228873
In this captivating memoir, Tinyoko Maluleke traces his journey from an upbringing in Limpopo to the invaluable lessons he learned in academia, rising in the ranks to become the Vice Chancellor of Tshwane University of Technology. This memoir combines personal reflections with rigorous scholarship to reflect on the South African experience.
Hollywood on the Veld
Ted Botha
ISBN: 9781776194681
Discover how secretive millionaire Isidore Schlesinger – better known as IW - built a studio on a farm called Killarney in 1913, to challenge an American industry that was in its infancy: Hollywood. The glamour, gossip and high drama of IW’s studio fit perfectly into a city experiencing an intoxicating golden age. This is the story of the rise and the fall of the most unique empire ever.
Being There
Tony Leon
ISBN: 9781776193813
Life is frequently about ‘turning up’ and Tony Leon was present at the making of history, both big and small. Being There is a frank and insightful collection of insider accounts from a life in politics. Leon shares his insight on the fault lines of the Middle East, shares ambassadorial adventures in Argentina and outlines the perils of political party fundraising in this observant memoir.
The Uncomfortable Truth about South Africa’s Agriculture
Wandile Sihlobo and Johann Kirsten
ISBN: 9781067228897
This candid manifesto urges South Africans to invest in the agriculture sector. Uncover the many issues plaguing the sector such as policy discussions and divisions among South African farming organizations, alongside solutions that have the potential to grow the sector, increase employment and revitalise the rural economy.
R390 R290
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R300
Khaya Dlanga is an author, marketing executive and social commentator known for his witty humour and thought provoking musings. His memoir To Quote Myself, was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Literary Awards Non-Fiction Prize in 2016, and These Things Really Do Happen to Me was a runaway bestseller.
Dlanga takes readers on a deeply personal journey in Life is like that sometimes, weaving together personal stories on love, loss, identity, family and the complexities of human relationships.
KHAYA DLANGA
Life is like that sometimes
Khaya Dlanga
ISBN: 9781770108585
Weaving heartfelt stories together with hilarious exploits, Khaya Dlanga takes readers through his life from his rural Eastern Cape childhood to the profound losses he faced in adulthood. Life is like that sometimes is a collection of stories exploring love, loss, loyalty, family and tradition, with insights on relationships, identity and the lessons we learn in life’s toughest moments. R340
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Life is like that sometimes is a journey through nostalgia, loss, and the bittersweetness of life. It revisits my childhood in Dutyini, a time filled with the vivid memories of growing up in rural Transkei. But as much as it captures those simpler days, this book also delves into the profound weight of loss – the ache that lingers when those we love are no longer here.
Loss is universal, but it’s never simple. No matter how much we know it’s an inevitable part of life, nothing prepares us for the void it leaves or the tiny, unexpected moments that catch us off guard and break our hearts all over again. Yet, amid this grief, life insists on moving forward, teaching us to find meaning in the pain and joy of the memories.
For some readers, a chapter or two may feel familiar, echoing parts of my earlier books. Don’t be alarmed nor dismayed. In those past works, certain stories were briefly mentioned in just a sentence or two – enough to spark curiosity but not satisfy it. Over the years, readers have told me how much they wished I’d shared those stories in full. So, here they are, expanded and given the space they deserve.
The stories in this book, while deeply personal, are also reflections of the lives of millions of South Africans –their resilience, humour, heartbreak, and hope.
The only difference is that I have been afforded the privilege of writing them down, of preserving moments that many others quietly live through without the chance to share them with the world. This is both a responsibility and gift I accept and hope to use with humility and grace.
