The Penguin Post Volume 29

VOLUME 29 | MARCH/APRIL 2024

T H E M A G A Z I N E A B O U T B O O K S F O R B O O K LOV E R S

WIN

LATEST RELEASES

A HAMPER OF BOOKS VALUED AT

From Marian Keyes and Leigh Bardugo to Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Gregg Hurwitz

R1 000

YOUR FREE COPY!

BOOK CLUB

The Yorkshire Ripper Through the Eyes of a Child SNEAK PEEK Lesley Pearse’s autobiography

OFF THE RADAR Inside the Fish River Canyon

GLORIOUS FOOD From Dianne Bibby’s new cookbook

ON MY MIND

Karl Kemp on vigilante justice

A revolutionary method to becoming truly wealthy

From the legendary personal growth expert and famed mentor

Welcome!

Join us as we embark on a journey of discovery, enlightenment, and inspiration.

contents 06 10

16 18

BOOKSCAPE The new series from Richard Osman, the novel topping the charts, en vyf minute met Chanette Paul

COVER Robin Sharma’s new book will help us wake up to the riches around us ICTION At my desk F with Chukwuebuka Ibeh; a novel inspired by the author’s own connection to the Yorkshire Ripper; when fantasy meets modern-day; and the best in new fiction I NSIDER An extract from Lesley Pearse’s autobiography A FRIKAANS Pieter Stoffberg vertel hoe sy roman begin het

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M ONEY How small steps make for lasting financial change

20 23 24 28 32

WELLBEING Channel effective communication with Charles Duhigg DVICE Master the A art of reducing friction for enhanced productivity NATURE Henk Blanckenberg on his transformative experience of hiking the Fish River Canyon FOOD Elevate your dinner parties, and explore what happens when Mexico meets Mzansi N MY MIND Karl O Kemp on vigilante justice as a symptom of systemic failures

Johannesburg | Growthpoint Business Park, Unit 12A, 162 Tonetti Street, Halfway House Ext 7, Midrand, 1685 | 011 327 3550 C OVER PHOTOGRAPH: David Leyes

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.

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Cape Town | Estuaries No 4, Oxbow Crescent, Century Avenue, Century City, 7441 | 021 460 5400 © Copyright Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd. The Penguin Post is published by Penguin Random House South Africa. All rights reserved.

Reproduction without the written permission of the editor is strictly forbidden.

Editor Lauren Mc Diarmid Designer Sean Robertson Sub Editor Frieda Le Roux Contributors Kym Argo, Chanette Paul, Robin Sharma, Chukwuebuka Ibeh, Jennie Godfrey, Gareth Brown, Pieter Stoffberg, Henk Blanckenberg, Karl Kemp

Kicking us off is legendary growth expert, and our esteemed cover star, Robin Sharma, who shares his profound wisdom on recognising the wealth that transcends material possessions. We also explore practical guides for personal growth and development with Warren Ingram and Marc Rogatschnig, and Charles Duhigg offers valuable insights into achieving lasting change and effective communication.

On the fiction front, we had the privilege of spending five enlightening minutes with Chanette Paul, a true queen of Afrikaans literature, who has an impressive fifty books under her belt. We uncover the haunting narrative of Jennie Godfrey’s debut novel, The List of Suspicious Things, inspired by her father’s connection to the Yorkshire Ripper case. And Gareth Brown takes us on a fantastical journey with The Book of Doors, a tale of magic and adventure set in contemporary New York. His reflections on the inspiration behind his debut novel offer a glimpse into the creative process.

Plus, an author known for her brilliant novels has ventured into new territory. Lesley Pearse’s autobiography, The Long and Winding Road, shares the remarkable story of resilience and optimism amidst adversity. Through her words, we witness the strength of the human spirit.

In nature, Henk Blanckenberg invites us to embark on a transformative journey through the Fish River Canyon; culinary delights await with recipes from Dianne Bibby’s latest cookbook and Chef Aiden Pienaar’s Mexican fusion cuisine; and Karl Kemp’s exposé, Why We Kill, confronts the complexities of vigilante justice.

Happy reading!

Lauren Mc Diarmid ThePost@penguinrandomhouse.co.za

bookscape news | snippets | what’s new

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Everyone’s talking about …

A Brand New Series from Richard Osman

With the heart and humour of The Thursday Murder Club combined with the international mystery of The Da Vinci Code, welcome to the blockbusting new series from the biggest new fiction author of the decade, Richard Osman.

We Solve Murders is the first in a new series from the record-breaking phenomenon and globally bestselling author Richard Osman, starring a brand-new detective duo.

Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life in the New Forest. He does the odd bit of investigation work, but he likes his familiar habits and routines: the pub quiz, his favourite bench, his cat waiting for him when he gets home. His days of adventure are over: adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy’s business now.

Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul: she doesn’t stay still long enough for a habit or routine. She’s currently on a private island keeping world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio alive. Which was meant to be an easy job ...

Then a dead body, a bag of money, and a killer with their sights on Amy mean an end to Steve’s quiet life. As an iconic new detective duo is born, a breakneck race around the world begins. But can they stay one step ahead of a deadly enemy?

Richard Osman is a creative director for Endemol UK. He has worked as an executive producer on numerous shows including 8 Out of 10 Cats and 10 O’Clock Live. Richard rose to fame presenting Pointless with Alexander Armstrong. Richard’s popularity and tremendous knowledge of trivia led to him presenting his own BBC quiz, Two Tribes along with Insert Name Here, Child Genius and Richard Osman’s House of Games.

He is also a regular on panel shows such as Have I Got News For You and writes a column for the Radio Times.

We Solve Murders hits shelves in September 2024.

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DOMINATING THE BESTSELLER LISTS The Fury by Alex Michaelides “Infinitely thrilling and delicately crafted, the plot keeps everyone guessing until the very end, with an unscrupulous villain to underline just how good it is.

Do not miss it.”

Daily Mail

Savour this moment as if it were your last breath. You can live only one day at a time, and no one can be certain that they will wake up the next morning. So let’s not postpone happiness.

The best moment in your life is always this one.

Héctor García and Francesc Miralles, authors of Ikigai

UPFRONT

#bookstagram

MUST of the MONTH @sammikoalareads

WIN! WIN! WIN! A hamper of books from this issue valued at R1 000 is up for grabs to one lucky reader. To enter, scan the code using your phone camera, or visit www. penguinrandomhouse.co.za/ competitions. Ts & Cs apply.

Entries close 15 May 2024.

OUT IN PAPERBACK

When widower Kane Black encounters a woman resembling his late wife Lily, a complex tale of love, grief, and rivalry unfolds in Manhattan’s highstakes world. The first book in Day’s Blacklist series.

Killing Moon

by Jo Nesbo

When a body is found in the forest, the police make a horrifying discovery: the scalp has been removed and sewn back on. But they have no idea why.

The brand-new Detective Harry Hole thriller.

Kym Argo is the National Group Editor for Get It local magazines, and an avid reader.

She shares some of the books that have stood out for her.

The Last Orphan

by Gregg Hurwitz I rather fancy Evan Smoak, or Orphan X, Hurwitz’s trained government assassin. He’s all high stakes, adrenalin, and protecting the helpless. The Last Orphan sees him given an order by the president to either kill someone who’s a danger to the government, or face execution. But no-one forces his hand …

4.2k followers

So Close

by Sylvia Day

Bookworm Faves

Happy Place

by Emily Henry

Harriet and Wyn, once the epitome of a perfect couple, conceal their breakup. They fake affection for one last week at a cottage sale gathering, hiding their split from close friends.

The Family Remains

by Lisa Jewell When her readers begged for a sequel to The Family Upstairs, Jewell gave in and wrote this cracker! Bones decades old. Seeds from a rare tree. A murder investigation. And discovering what happened to the children (now adults) who lived in the notorious home, and to the baby left behind. No sleep was had until I finished this one!

Tackle! by Jilly Cooper All the now 50-plus women who lusted after the rakish Rupert Campbell-Black (handsomest man in England), way back in 1985, did a little leap of joy with the release of this one ... and I was right there with them! Cooper’s novels are pure hedonistic joy, so I knew exactly what to expect from Tackle! It’s full of scandal, sabotage and seduction.

Find Kym on Instagram @readitonthegrapevine and Get It Magazine, @getitnationalmagazines.

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UPFRONT

Vyf Minute met …

CHANETTE PAUL Met ’n koel vyftig boeke op haar kerfstok, is Chanette Paul inderdaad ’n koningin van die Afrikaanse skryfkuns.

Hoeveel jaar skryf jy al?

En as hierdie boek nommer 50 is, hoeveel boeke skryf jy gemiddeld per jaar?

Eintlik skryf ek al sedert ek kon letters maak.

Ek het my eerste boek in 1995 geskryf. Deesdae skryf ek gemiddeld een boek per jaar, maar voor 2007 het dit gewissel afhangende van die genre.

My rekord is die Daveltjies.

Ek het ses van die sewe in een jaar geskryf.

Toe jy begin skryf het, was daar enige doelstellings in jou kop? Dat jy ten minste een manuskrip wil voltooi en instuur, dalk een boek uitgee?

Ek het destyds net gehoop ek kry eendag iets gepubliseer. Toe my eerste manuskrip aanvaar is, was daar hierdie drang na nog een en nog een. Stories uitdink en skryf kan nogal verslawend wees.

Jy het ‘n baie goeie verhouding met jou lesers

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op sosiale media. Vir hulle is jy nie ‘anoniem’ nie. Hoe hou jy dit opreg sonder om jou privaatheid op te gee?

My lesers is so wonderlik ondersteunend, en kan soms so skreeusnaaks wees, dat dit vir my lekker is om sekere dinge met hulle te deel. Dis maar soos gesels met vriende. ‘n Mens deel uiteraard nie alles nie, maar wel dinge waarin ek dink hulle sal belangstel en dinge wat vir my lekker is. Soos foto’s van my tuin, resultate van my ander stokperdjies en dies meer.

In Anoniem wil Lula Prins ‘n nuwe lewe begin op ‘n plek waar niemand haar ken nie. Waarop sinspeel die woord nog?

Onder meer op die vraag of ‘n mens deesdae, met die gewildheid van sosiale media en die vinnig ontwikkelende tegnologie, ooit nog werklik anoniem kan wees. Ook op die redes waarom manuskripte

THE PENGUIN POST MARCH/APRIL 2024

anoniem gekeur word en die voordele en nadele daarvan. Daar is ook sekere fases in haar lewe waar Lula verskillende name genoem is en elke naam, onder meer haar skuilnaam as skrywer van vrystories, verteenwoordig ‘n ander aspek van wie sy is. In ʼn stadium besef sy dat sy eintlik vir haarself ook anoniem is. Een van die onderliggende temas is dan ook ‘n vrou op soek na haar ware identiteit.

iets hieruit kan leer, of was dit nie die idee nie?

Ek dink lesers sal ‘n bietjie meer van die hele proses van skryf leer, hoeveel harde werk dit verg, met hoeveel teleurstellings skrywers dikwels te doen kry en deur hoeveel fases ‘n manuskrip gaan voor dit (dalk) uitgegee word. Daar is egter nie lesse in oor hoe om ‘n boek uit te gee nie. Net wat nodig was vir die storie.

Jou kat, Thomas, het homself in jou vorige boek ingewurm en ʼn karakter daarin geword. Het hy dit weer gedoen? Is daar enige diere in hierdie boek?

Nee, Thomas was nie weer lus vir ‘n storie nie. Hy is in Murasie deur te veel trauma. Daar is wel ‘n rondloperkat in die verhaal wat al makker word en vir Lula tot troos is.

Jy skryf oor die proses van ‘n boek uitgee. Sal mense

Anoniem is nou beskikbaar.

Also available in Afrikaans

COVER

Robin Sharma is a legendary personal growth expert and famed mentor to billionaires, professional sports superstars and heads of state. Based on The 8 Forms of Wealth learning model that he has taught to his clients with transformational results, The Wealth Money Can’t Buy is sure to become your daily guide to enjoying the lifetime of your highest dreams.

“I

was at a wonderful restaurant in Cape Town last winter and experienced an unforgettable sushi lunch. As I left, I saw the chef and walked over to him to compliment him on his skill. He opened up and shared that he used to be in a gang, in a rough part of the city. The chef explained that he saw too many of his friends die, so he decided to completely rewire his life. The owner of the restaurant gave him a chance to start off at an entry-level position but through commitment and mastery, he rose to the top. He spoke with such pride on realising his natural gifts and personal talent. This is an example of wealth that money just can’t buy.

Too many good souls are living their lives like a five-alarm fire, rushing through their days. Yet let’s not confuse ‘busy’ with ‘productive’ and ‘movement’ with ‘progress’.

None of us want to spend the best years of our lives climbing mountains, which, at the end, we realise were the wrong ones.

The Wealth Money Can’t Buy is a carefully crafted guide that can help anyone wake up to all the riches around them that they never knew they had. And lead a completely upgraded life that will shine as a brilliant model for others to follow.

The inspiration to write The Wealth Money Can’t Buy was the reality that too many people are chasing a definition of wealth and success that leads to misery – and a lifetime of discontentment. Our society has taught us that success is about money, fame and fortune.

I humbly suggest that it’s less about those things and more about joy, peace and freedom.

The Wealth Money Can’t Buy is based around one model: The 8 Forms of Wealth, that will walk readers through the thinking patterns, daily habits and life lessons for lasting happiness, peak health, career mastery and a life of honest serenity.

It is super inspirational yet also highly tactical, sharing practical tools that anyone can use to live a far better life in this age of deep uncertainty. It very much redefines what success is all about.

It also includes a ton of new insights and methods that I’ve only taught previously to my top mentoring clients.

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COVER

PHOTOGRAPHS: David Leyes

None of us want to spend the best years of our lives climbing mountains, which, at the end, we realise were the wrong ones.

Methods and practices to help cultivate wealth:

• The vast importance of using “wealth words” versus victim speak.

• The value of setting up a “Dead Board of Directors”.

• Why one should take baths in a forest and breathe like a samurai.

• The wisdom of creating “an anti-hero scenario” to subtly scare yourself into leaving a life of complacency and ordinary.

I’ve done my best to make this book like a conversation. Just me and the reader. There are parts where I bring the reader into my library at the farmhouse I live in and talk about the books that have transformed me. At other parts of the book, I’m on the road and sharing valuable (and sometimes strange) experiences that will reward the reader with real wealth.

‘Money’ is actually the fifth form of wealth.

This is certainly not a book that’s anti-financial success! Money is important. It allows us to put food on the family table, do great things for the people we love, make choices that make us happy versus ones that we’re forced to make and it allows us to contribute to those in need.

So there are 20 short chapters under ‘Money’ that will show readers exactly how the world’s richest people think, act and accomplish their results.

But I explain that while money is important, it’s only one of the eight forms of wealth. It’s a wonderful servant but a tragic God. If I’ve done my job correctly, this book will absolutely transform how people see success and live their days.

I hope readers of The Wealth Money Can’t Buy will use the information in the book to fundamentally live much richer, happier, healthier and more prosperous lives! The world is a messy place right now and as each of us makes our lives richer, we brighten the world in the process.

And as for ‘how can they practically apply’ the ideas? Well, it’s like any project in life: the best way to change is to start. Take small steps daily. Be consistent. When you stumble, get up again. Over time, life will reward you with gorgeous returns.”

Build a mindset that values the forms of wealth that money can’t buy by:

How to effectively manage your time to enhance overall wealth:

•R eading books of wisdom that remind you what’s most important to a well-lived life.

•M editating alone, slowing things down and deeply reflecting on what’s most important to you.

Writing in a journal each morning is always a fantastic ritual.

•A ssociating ourselves with people who prioritise health, happiness, inner peace and making a difference over fast cars, shiny possessions and having a ton of money as a badge of success.

The Wealth Money Can’t Buy hits shelves in April.

• Get up at 5 am and spend an hour getting fitter, wiser, happier and more peaceful. This morning routine has helped millions of people around the world find true and lasting wealth.

It works!

• Stop playing with your phone all day and live a real life.

• Become a minimalist, focusing on being great at just ‘The 8 Forms of Wealth’ and removing all other complexity and distractions from your days. Less is more!

• Prioritise sleep, as we are at our best when we are well rested.

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DESK

AT MY “T

here were a few things that inspired me to write Blessings – the passage of the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act in Nigeria in 2014, the notion of unconditional parental love, and life in boarding school, which, for me, was interesting … to put it mildly.

I grew up in a culture that dictated behaviour around masculinity and sexuality, which didn’t align with my make-up, and it had its effects. I was quite young in 2014, when the law was passed – and in boarding school, with limited access to the outside world and media.

To write the novel, I had to read archives from newspapers covering the law’s passage, and I watched several archived news clippings on YouTube to get an exact sense of the response.

The novel is quite contemporary in scope though, so I didn’t necessarily need to carry out a ton of research for the sake of accuracy.

I was writing what I knew about.

Prior to writing this novel, I’d rely heavily on inspiration in an ‘as the spirit leads’ sort of way. For the novel though, I had to create a routine, making sure to get at least a couple sentences down every day. It helped, I think, that I had an agent who applied gentle, necessary pressure.

Because most of it was written during the pandemic, in some sort of self-imposed solitary confinement, you might say that time and space was on my side. To eliminate distraction though, I had to force myself to hibernate from social media for stretches of time, writing non-stop.

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In Blessings, debut author Chukwuebuka Ibeh has compiled a stunning novel about embracing identity and unconditional love. Chukwuebuka chatted to us about the novel, and how it came together.

Prior to writing this novel, I’d rely heavily on inspiration in an ‘as the spirit leads’ sort of way.

The book mostly centres around two characters – Obiefuna and his mother, Uzoamaka. Obiefuna is a young teenager coming into the knowledge of his sexuality and realising the dangers of such an identity in a country where it is criminalised.

Uzoamaka is a devoted but religious mother who is forced to confront the conflict of accepting her son while holding on to her moral beliefs. You could say the ‘tension’ inherent in Obiefuna’s reality and life experiences, as well as Uzoamaka’s internal conflict make for the story’s overall narrative.

Ultimately, it’s a story of the importance around loving your children without conditions, and never allowing politics to interfere with a person’s basic human rights.”

ABOUT THE BOOK

Blessings is out now.

Obiefuna faces expulsion to a Christian boarding school after his father catches him in a moment of intimacy with the family apprentice.

Amidst friends, lovers, and adversaries, he conceals his identity while his mother, Uzoamaka, struggles to support him. As Nigeria outlaws same-sex relationships, the novel explores their intertwined futures amid societal pressures. A stunning novel charting the coming-of-age of a young gay man in 2010s Nigeria.

PHOTOGRAPH: Erin Lewis

FICTION

FICTION

TOP FICTION MARCH

Lone Wolf

by Gregg Hurwitz

One of the world’s bestloved heroes returns in an all-new adventure Evan Smoak, formerly known as Orphan X, faces a personal crisis, causing him to disappear.

Meanwhile, reclusive billionaire Allman’s tech empire raises concerns about privacy and ethics.

As a mysterious killer, the Wolf, emerges, leaving a trail of apparent accidents or suicides, Evan becomes her target. With high stakes and uncertain alliances, Evan must uncover connections and rediscover his skills to survive or face a deadly end.

The Island of Mists and Miracles

by Victoria Mas

In 1830, a novice named Catherine Labouré has a vision of the Virgin Mary.

Nearly two centuries later, Sister Anne seeks a sign, leading her to a remote Brittany island.

There, she encounters a diverse cast including a skeptical nun, a stargazing youth, a grieving grandmother, and an otherworldly teenager, Isaac. When Isaac experiences a mysterious vision, the island faces unexpected scrutiny and upheaval, uncovering deep-seated secrets. An atmospheric novel from the author of The Mad Women’s Ball.

Until August

by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The extraordinary lost novel from the Nobel Prize-winning author of Love in the Time of Cholera and One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Ana Magdalena Bach, content in her marriage, annually indulges in a fleeting affair during her pilgrimage to her mother’s island grave.

Amid lush landscapes and encounters with captivating characters, Ana delves deeper into her desires and confronts the underlying fears.

This sensual tale explores themes of freedom, regret, and love’s enigmatic nature.

Still See You Everywhere

by Lisa Gardner

Frankie Elkin, a missing persons specialist, has only three weeks to find Lani, the sister of a Death Row serial killer, held captive by her ex-boyfriend on a remote Hawaiian island. Frankie must navigate deadly secrets, suspicious coworkers, and a looming tropical storm to uncover the truth. With time ticking and danger at every turn, can she trust the word of a serial killer to solve the case? A gripping thriller from the New York Times bestselling author.

The 24th Hour by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

In the latest instalment of the Women’s Murder Club series, trouble strikes during a celebratory dinner in San Francisco when a woman is violently assaulted. Sergeant Lindsay Boxer makes an arrest while Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano handles the case.

However, the victim’s inconsistent memory complicates assigning blame. As Yuki tackles the challenging case, Lindsay pursues a highsociety killer, risking the safety of the Women’s Murder Club.

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FICTION

TOP FICTION APRIL

The Shadow Key

by Susan Stokes-Chapman

In the remote village of Penhelyg, Meirionydd, 1783, Henry Talbot, a disgraced London physician, takes up a post amidst suspicion and folklore. Investigating his predecessor’s mysterious death, he uncovers dark secrets.

Linette Tresilian, mistress of Plas Helyg, isolated and suspicious, joins forces with Henry.

Together, they unravel truths that bind their destinies, shedding light on the village’s enigmatic past, and potentially bringing either illumination or shadow to Penhelyg’s inhabitants.

Credence

by Penelope Douglas Tiernan de Haas, orphaned after her wealthy parents’ sudden death, feels indifferent to life. Jake Van der Berg, her only living relative, becomes her guardian along with his sons, Noah and Kaleb. Living in Colorado’s mountains, Tiernan finds herself influenced by the family’s dynamic.

Amid blurred boundaries, she navigates complex relationships, including a dark romance, in a remote cabin. Penelope Douglas’s steamy tale explores desire and control in a compelling narrative.

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

The No. 1 Lawyer

by James Patterson & Nancy Allen

Stafford Lee Penney, Mississippi’s top defense attorney, faces an unexpected loss when his wife is murdered following his courtroom triumphs. With his career shattered and his innocence questioned, Stafford battles to clear his name and catch the true culprit, who appears intent on framing him.

The stakes escalate as he mounts his defense in a high-profile murder trial, determined to secure justice in his most personal case yet. An exciting legal thriller from the world’s bestselling thriller writer.

In this highly anticipated novel set in Madrid, Luzia Cotado, a maid with hidden magical abilities, navigates a treacherous world of power-hungry nobility and religious persecution. Pressured by her mistress to use her talents to gain favour at court, Luzia must tread carefully to protect her secrets. With the backdrop of the Inquisition, she faces danger and deception, determined to secure her place in a world where ambition can be fatal.

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The Hunter

by Tana French

Tension builds as two men disrupt a peaceful village with a quest for gold, endangering the tranquility cherished by former detective Cal Hooper. Cal’s bond with local woman, Lena, and teenage girl, Trey, is threatened when Trey’s father, one of the men, resurfaces. While Cal seeks to shield Trey, Trey seeks revenge, igniting a conflict between love and vengeance in the blazing summer heat of the West of Ireland.

Crackling with tension and slow-burn suspense.

The Yorkshire Ripper Through the Eyes of a Child

BOOK CLUB

Jennie Godfrey was born and raised in Yorkshire and her debut novel, The List of Suspicious Things, was partly inspired by her father having worked alongside Peter Sutcliffe, the man eventually charged with the crimes of the Yorkshire Ripper.

PHOTOGRAPHS: Esme Mai

“W

hen I started the book, I was very clear in my mind that I wanted West Yorkshire to feel like a character in its own right. It helped that I grew up there – though we left when I was relatively young – and old family albums were my starting point for images that captured the time and place.

While I was writing, I actually wallpapered my study with photographs of Yorkshire, so that I was surrounded by vivid scenes. This really helped, as did the work of a particular photographer (Peter Mitchell) whose images of Leeds in the 1970’s perfectly captured the world I was writing about. They are so evocative that it made writing about the look and feel of the time much easier.

The book is inspired by real-life events and my own family history – my father worked alongside the man eventually charged with the crimes of the Yorkshire Ripper. I am lucky that my dad is still with us, and I grilled him for memories and stories from the 1970’s (which he remembers vividly). I particularly wanted to focus on the emotion and ‘feel’ of the time, so that I could build those into entirely made-up scenes and characters. I was quite nervous about him reading it, as he’s clearly not Austin (Miv’s father) but some of his experiences are, of

I am lucky that my dad is still with us, and I grilled him for memories and stories.

The List of Suspicious Things is out now.

course, reflected in the book – particularly when Peter Sutcliffe was caught and he realised he knew him – but he absolutely loved it, which was important for me.

It was a real risk having a child narrator, as I know they can be hard to get right, but in a world full of true crime documentaries and podcasts, I wanted to look at that time and place through a different, more innocent lens. I think it shines a different light on events, and as I wrote at the front of the book, there really is a whole generation of northern children whose childhoods were forever changed by the murders.

Miv’s perspective shows that, I think, while also being the hope for the future that children represent.

This novel was written during the early stages of the pandemic, when we really did not know what the future held for any of us. It was such a fearful and unsettling time, but the thing that shone through for me was how communities came together and supported each other through it. There was so much hope in that, and with the book, I really wanted to leave the reader with that same sense of optimism about the human spirit, even in the darkest of times.”

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FICTION

THIS BOOK IS WORTH KILLING FOR ...

The Book of Doors is about Cassie Andrews, a New York bookseller who comes into possession of a magical book; one that bestows extraordinary abilities on whoever holds it.

Author Gareth Brown discusses the inspiration behind his riveting debut, which irresistibly merges fantasy with the contemporary world.

“T

he Book of Doors was really two different things coming together at the right time.

The first was this idea of a magical book that could turn any door into every door. I’d had that idea for a long time, but I’d always imagined it as a device for a fantasy novel.

I don’t really write fantasy so I never had any way to use it, until, out of nowhere, I wondered what would happen if I placed this idea in our real, contemporary world. I don’t know why it had never occurred to me before, but it suddenly seemed rich with possibilities.

Secondly, the novel was written in large part as a response to the Covid pandemic and the lockdowns we all lived through. My wife and I love to travel but for a couple of years we just couldn’t go anywhere. If I couldn’t go anywhere, I wanted to write about travelling and being in places I love, and fortunately I had this idea up my sleeve for a ‘Book of Doors’. The two elements came together quite naturally.

Although I live in Scotland, the story largely takes place in New York. Some of this was simply because I love New York.

I love big cities generally, and New York is probably my favourite of the big cities I’ve been to. So, part of it was again just living vicariously through my own writing during

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If I couldn’t go anywhere, I wanted to write about travelling and being in places I love.

The Book of Doors is out now.

a time when I couldn’t travel. Some of the other United States locations essentially followed as a consequence of basing it in New York, but I have travelled a lot across the US, so it was fun to revisit a few of my favourite places when Cassie and her friends meet up on the Pacific Coast, or when Cassie visits the Bookseller in New Orleans. It is easier to write authentically about places you’ve actually visited, I think.

The Book of Doors includes a number of different magical or ‘special’ books, but my favourite has to be The Book of Doors itself … it was the start of it all, and it was me living vicariously through my own writing.

I would still love to have a Book of Doors. I am quite hungry as I type this and I would love to be able to open my study door and be in Malaysia, at one of my favourite road-side hawker stalls, or at a sushi bar in Tokyo.

Yes, I’ll admit it, The Book of Doors is really just about me getting access to food I love without having to endure long haul flights.

The end of the novel very much lends itself to a sequel, but I haven’t started on a follow-up just yet. I do, however, have ideas for possibly two sequels if there is an appetite for them! Some of the magical books that I didn’t have a use for in The Book of Doors are waiting to be discovered …”

Anna has just lost her taste for the Big Apple …

The hilarious and heartwarming new novel from the global bestseller

‘Sensitive, funny, wonderful, immensely touching.’

– Nigella Lawson

ALSO BY MARIAN KEYES

THE BEATLES, BIRTHDAYS BEREAVEMENT

&

INSIDER

Packed full of Lesley Pearse’s signature warmth, wit and poignancy, her autobiography is the story of a woman and a writer fighting against the odds to achieve her dreams. In this extract from the book, The Long and Winding Road, Lesley reminisces on her early years, which were marked by tragedy, but which saw Lesley emerge resilient, and an optimist at heart.

“I

can remember exactly where I was when I first heard the Beatles’ song ‘The Long and Winding Road’. It was early June in 1970. I was twenty-five, sitting in London’s Richmond Park, listening to a transistor radio, and the song made me cry because I felt I’d been on that winding road for ever. Had I known then just how fraught with drama and disappointment it would continue to be, I might have wished to step off it. But I’d always been an optimist.

I was born in Rochester, Kent, in February 1945, just as Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin were winding up their talks on the future of Europe after the expected defeat of Germany.

These took place in Yalta, Crimea. Apparently, Stalin wanted to meet in Moscow, but Churchill said it was too damn cold there in February.

Two months later Roosevelt died, and despite the discussed plans, Stalin took over a huge amount of Europe, including Poland.

Of course I wasn’t aware of any of that, but as a kid I certainly felt it was a curse to be born in freezing February. My birthday always fell at half-term too, and I’d be shoved out to play in the snow. I still prefer looking at snow through a window in a warm room!

My mother, Marie Glynn, was an Irish nurse from Roscommon, and my father, Sergeant Arthur Geoffrey Sargent (yes, really), was in the Royal Marines, stationed in Chatham. My brother Michael was two when I was born, a very pretty little boy with a mop of blond curls. I resembled Winston Churchill.

I don’t know when my parents bought the house in Grafton Avenue, Rochester.

It was typical of the late 1930s terraced houses, with a keyhole-style front porch and a large back garden.

I assume as the address was on my birth certificate that they must have bought it in 1937 or 1938 when they got married and Dad

I could never get adults to verify or explain, and mostly they didn’t wish to discuss what had happened.

The Long and Winding Road is out now.

was seconded to the New Zealand Navy.

He was there until the Second World War broke out when his ship sailed away to fight.

The next part of my story is legend and hearsay. I could never get adults to verify or explain, and mostly they didn’t wish to discuss what had happened or really didn’t know. But the undeniable fact, proved years later by my mother’s death certificate, was that in early January of 1948 she died of septicaemia following a miscarriage. My father was away at sea, and Michael and I were seen out in the garden in the snow with no coats on. When Michael was asked by our neighbour where our coats were, he said he couldn’t reach them, and Mummy was asleep.

She’d been asleep for a long time.

She had been dead, it seems, for a few days.

Michael was five, I was three, but if my brother remembered anything about that time, he never said. It doesn’t bear thinking about, two small children being alone in the house for so long with no heating or food and thick snow outside. I think it was possible that Michael attempted to light the gas to get warm or try to cook something for us, but we were afraid of the popping sound the Ascot water heater made when it was turned on and of lighting the gas stove. To this day I have an absolute hatred of gas cookers.

I don’t remember anything of this, and in fact I didn’t discover what our mother had died of until I got married at twenty and had to show her death certificate. There it was in black ink. The truth.

We had been told various stories over the years – one was that our mother tripped over our toys on the stairs. What sort of person puts the blame for a mother’s death on her children? On Coronation Day, when we were crowded round a neighbour’s television to watch the ceremony, I heard some old lady ask if we were the ‘Tragic Children’.”

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AFRIKA ANS

Hoe woorde beweeg Soms meld ’n storie aan as idee, insident of selfs karakter.

Ander kere is daar ’n toneel of gebeurtenis wat die bal aan die rol sit. Pieter Stoffberg vertel hoe Die beweging van bloed vir hom begin het.

D

ie konsep vir Die beweging van bloed is in één sessie neergeskryf. ’n Enkele bladsy wat my oorweldig het. Die ongenaakbaarheid daarvan, die skrikwekkende binneblik in die psige van ’n mens wat miskien ek of jy kan wees.

Ek is ’n intuïtiewe skrywer en word dikwels verbaas – partykeer selfs geskok – oor vreemde dinge wat my karakters doen. Dan neem die boek sy eie loop. Dis iets waarmee ek nie ’n probleem het nie, want is dit nie hoe die lewe is nie? Die onverwagte gebeur en in ’n oomblik keer jou lewe om en dan gaan dit aan op ’n ander koers, en moet jy noodgedwonge nuwe planne maak.

Van al my boeke is hierdie die eerste keer waar ek vooraf geweet het wat die storie is. Of so het ek gedink. Dit is nét te kompleks – op sielkundige, geestelike en narratiewe vlak – om binne bestek van een poging uit te sorteer.

Baie leservriende en mense wat baie meer kundigheid het oor die skryfkuns, onderwerpe soos prostitusie, verslawing en trauma, het my gehelp. Die meestersgraad in kreatiewe skryfkuns wat ek onlangs by Kovsies voltooi

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Die beweging van bloed is nou beskikbaar.

het en die ervaring opgedoen in die redigering van my vorige roman, Tenk, was vir my deurslaggewend om die manuskrip af te rond.

Hierdie boek kom ’n baie lang pad en op een of ander stadium het Kies, Oop wond, Beweging van bloed en Die einde van ’n perfekte dag as titel aangemeld. Elkeen van hierdie moontlikhede probeer om een van die sigvlakke van die storie te belig.

Aan die een kant is daar professor Nino Everhard. Hy kan nie onthou wat op daardie dag gebeur het nie, daarom kan hy nie die hele prentjie sien nie. Om sy gebrek aan insig met die lesers te deel, word die verhaal gedra deur ’n eerstepersoonsverteller. Ons weet net wat Nino weet. Hy het keuses om te maak en moet die gevolge daarvan dra – van nuwe én ou besluite. Uiteindelik moet hy, soos ons almal, besluit waaraan hy bo alles lojaal wil wees en uitvind waar sy morele kompas regtig lê, al is dit nie altyd ’n mooi prentjie nie.

Aan die ander kant is dit die aksie wat voortspruit uit gevaar, die avonture van die lewe wat lóóp op adrenalien of testosteroon. En nee, ek dink beslis dis ’n boek nie net vir mans nie.

MONEY

BREAKING THE CYCLE

If your money goals keep dropping off the priority list and you want to understand why that keeps happening, then Small Changes for Big Results by Warren Ingram and Marc Rogatschnig is a mustread. In this extract from the book, the authors emphasise how small, manageable steps make for lasting change.

“A

re you tired of making the same New Year’s resolutions every year without seeing any progress? Do you struggle to stick to your goals? If so, you are not alone. Many people struggle to achieve the resolutions they’ve set for themselves.

The good news is that the solutions to most of our problems are within reach – we just need a road map to get us there. Small Changes for Big Results provides the tools and guidance you need to take control of the changes you wish to make in your life and turn your resolutions into reality.

Our focus in this book is to help you understand your relationship with money and how you can proactively take control of your life and move in a new direction.

You might not share all these goals, but we bet that a few will resonate with you. The fact that most of us share similar life goals and yet repeatedly struggle to achieve them is a source of enduring frustration … and unexpected opportunity, too. Discovering easier routes to our goals is definitely worth exploring, but don’t feel dejected if you seem stuck; most people either do nothing, or do things that are not good for them, because they don’t actually know how to start doing things differently.

Other common resolutions include quitting smoking, reducing alcohol consumption, spending more time with family and friends, and improving emotional health and wellbeing. Look familiar too? Ironically, the knowledge required to address most of these life goals is freely available to anyone who can read and has an internet connection.

So, why is it that so many people have similar New Year’s resolutions and yet seem unable to achieve them?

Discovering easier routes to our goals is definitely worth exploring.

Small Changes for Big Results is out now.

We look at the interesting phenomenon of lost, abandoned and undercooked goals through the lens of money and emotions.

We believe that money and emotions are so intertwined that we cannot separate our attitude towards money from our feelings about ourselves. If you are stuck in a repetitive, spiralling money problem, the solution to that problem could be staring back at you when you look in the mirror.

Whatever you do, you don’t need to feel helpless about a money problem, because you can change your circumstances.

You may simply need some new tools and insights to find the motivation to get you moving in a different direction.

Changing your life might seem like an enormous mountain to climb and could be so daunting that you are scared to even try.

But you don’t need to make any dramatic, firework-size changes! What you need to understand is that change gets easier once you break it down into small, repeatable actions rather than taking one giant leap.

To get started, you need to commit to one small action tomorrow morning. Nothing major: just one tiny step that starts a ripple effect that could change the direction of your life forever. We are not offering a magic cure for all your problems or an easy way to achieve all your dreams, but we want to provide a road map that can guide you to take control of your life through a deliberate and healthy relationship with your money.

It always starts and ends with you.

Because no one else can provide you with the motivation to change your life sustainably. The motivation to change must come from within.”

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CRACK THE CODE OF Ever wondered why some conversations leave you feeling uplifted while others fall flat? Delve into this compelling exploration of the neuroscience behind effective communication with an extract from Charles Duhigg’s brand-new book, Supercommunicators.

“W

ho would you call if you were having a bad day?

If you had screwed up a deal at work, or had gotten into an argument with your spouse, or were feeling frustrated and sick of it all: Who would you want to talk to?

There’s likely someone that you know who will make you feel better, who can help you think through a thorny question or share a moment of heartbreak or joy.

Now, ask yourself: Are they the funniest person in your life? (Probably not, but if you paid close attention, you’d notice they laugh more than most people.) Are they the most interesting or smartest person you know?

(What’s more likely is that, even if they don’t say anything particularly wise, you anticipate that you will feel smarter aft er talking to them.) Are they your most entertaining or confident friend? Do they give the best advice?

(Most likely: Nope, nope, and nope – but when you hang up the phone, you’ll feel calmer and more centered and closer to the right choice.)

So what are they doing that makes you feel so good?

This book attempts to answer that question. Over the past two decades, a body of research has emerged that sheds light on why some of our conversations go so well, while others are so miserable. These insights can help us hear more clearly and speak more engagingly. We know that our brains have

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THE PENGUIN POST MARCH/APRIL 2024

These insights can help us hear more clearly and speak more engagingly.

Supercommunicators is out now.

evolved to crave connection: When we ‘click’ with someone, our eyes often start to dilate in tandem; our pulses match; we feel the same emotions and start to complete each other’s sentences within our heads. This is known as neural entrainment, and it feels wonderful.

Sometimes it happens and we have no idea why; we just feel lucky that the conversation went so well. Other times, even when we’re desperate to bond with someone, we fail again and again.

For many of us, conversations can sometimes seem bewildering, stressful, even terrifying. ‘The single biggest problem with communication,’ said the playwright George Bernard Shaw, ‘is the illusion it has taken place.’ But scientists have now unraveled many of the secrets of how successful conversations happen. They’ve learned that paying attention to someone’s body, alongside their voice, helps us hear them better. They have determined that how we ask a question sometimes matters more than what we ask.

We’re better off , it seems, acknowledging social differences, rather than pretending they don’t exist. Every discussion is influenced by emotions, no matter how rational the topic at hand. When starting a dialogue, it helps to think of the discussion as a negotiation where the prize is figuring out what everyone wants.

And, above all, the most important goal of any conversation is to connect.”

WELLBEING

The relentless overload that’s wearing us down is generated by a belief that ‘good’ work requires increasing busyness – faster responses to email and chats, more meetings, more tasks, more hours.

But when we look closer at this premise, we fail to find a firm foundation.

Cal Newport, Slow Productivity

Negotiate in their world.

Persuasion is not about how bright or smooth or forceful you are. It’s about the other party convincing themselves that the solution you want is their own idea. So don’t beat them with logic or brute force. Ask them questions that open paths to your goals. It’s not about you.

Chris Voss and Tahl Raz, Never Split the Difference

Communication is not about talking, it’s about understanding.

When we communicate, we need to listen more than we speak, and we need to be open to new perspectives and ideas.

Thomas Erikson, Surrounded by Idiots

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WELLBEING

Returning from work feeling inspired, safe, fulfilled and grateful is a natural human right to which we are all entitled and not a modern luxury that only a few lucky ones are able to find.

Simon Sinek, Leaders Eat Last

Never will I labour to be happy; rather will I remain too busy to be sad. I will enjoy today’s happiness today. It is not grain to be stored in a box.

It is not wine to be saved in a jar. It cannot be saved for the morrow. It must be sown and reaped on the same day and this I will do, henceforth.

Og Mandino, The Greatest Salesman in the World

What you are afraid of is never as bad as what you imagine. The fear you let build up in your mind is worse than the situation that actually exists.

Dr Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese?

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THE PENGUIN POST MARCH/APRIL 2024

You are the master of your own earthly destiny ... You may influence, direct, and eventually control your own environment, making your life what you want it to be.

Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich

Don’t waste time trying to predict an unknowable future – construct the most likely scenarios and plan what you’ll do if they occur, and you’ll be prepared for whatever actually happens.

Josh Kaufman, The Personal MBA

ADVICE

THE SILENT PRODUCTIVITY KILLER Uncover the hidden culprits sabotaging workplace efficiency with renowned experts, Robert Sutton and Huggy Rao, and learn how to master the art of friction reduction for enhanced productivity and satisfaction in this extract from their book, The Friction Project.

“T

he email, all 1,266 words of it (not including a separate 7,266word attachment), popped up in our inboxes on a Monday morning at 9:14, before the coffee had begun to kick in. Sent by a Stanford vice-provost to more than two thousand faculty, it invited us to spend the following Saturday brainstorming about the mission of our university’s new School of Sustainability. We love the new school and were, at first, willing to give up a Saturday to help craft the mission – it’s important to our students, faculty, and the planet. But the email left us annoyed and skeptical of any meeting convened by the big cheese who wrote it. That email was wordy, repetitive, confusing, and packed with defensive responses to picky past criticisms. Though it acknowledged how busy we all were, our struggles to decipher it sucked up more time than we would have thought possible.

With a little editing, the email could have been cut to five- or six hundred crisp words, and the attachment to two thousand words or so. Time would have been saved. Frustration spared. That leader’s reputation wouldn’t have taken a hit. And more Stanford faculty would have shown up that Saturday – including us.

Anyone who has tangled with organisations as an employee or customer has had moments, days, and, sometimes, months and years when it felt as if the overlords who imagined and run the place have no respect for their time.

Such as encounters with systems that seem designed to create maddening ordeals rather than give the simple answers, services, or refunds we need. Or unbearable meetings with

It’s about how to think and live like a friction fixer who makes the right things easier and the wrong things harder.

The Friction Project is out now.

ill-defined agendas and clueless blabbermouths that stretch on for hours. Or wrestling matches with rules, procedures, traditions, and technologies that once made sense but are now so antiquated, pointless, and inefficient that they make you want to pull your hair out.

All are forms of friction that chip away at our initiative, commitment, and zest for work.

That hurt our coworkers and the customers and clients we serve. And that undermine the productivity, innovation, and reputations of our organisations.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that so much can be done to dampen the damage inflicted by friction problems, to reduce or eliminate such troubles, and to stop such ugliness from rearing its head in the first place.

Every leader, whether you have influence over one or two people, or over hundreds or thousands, can be part of the solution.

The Friction Project is about forces that make it harder, slower, more complicated, or downright impossible to get things done in organisations. It’s about why and when such friction is destructive, useful, or a mixed bag. Above all, it’s about how to think and live like a friction fixer who makes the right things easier and the wrong things harder. So that work doesn’t grind people down and drive them crazy.

We call it a friction project because we have, for the last seven years, made it our project to learn everything we can about the causes and cures for friction problems.

Our goal is to help leaders craft homegrown projects that are tailored to fix the friction troubles in their organisations.”

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ECHOES OF THE CANYON

Henk Blanckenberg is an outdoors guide and, along with Lizet Meyer, the author of Hiking the Fish: The Ultimate Guide to the Fish River Canyon Hiking Trail. Having taken on this renowned hike a number of times, Henk describes it as transformative, and something one can only experience for themselves.

NATURE

“I

have been an outdoors travel guide for hiking and cycling tours for well over 20 years, and have seen firsthand how adventure and the great outdoors transforms people’s lives in ways they could not even begin to imagine. It is a job that I feel blessed to have, and which has taken me to phenomenal places – the orange cliff faces of the Grand Canyon, the distant mountains of Nepal, the verdant roads of Kerala in India, rainbow mists of Victoria Falls, the slopes and daunting peak of majestic Kilimanjaro, the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in southern Peru and of course the awe-inspiring stark beauty of the Fish River Canyon.

People have often told me I should write about my experiences. Firstly, for interest’s sake, but also to make this knowledge and experience available to people who are setting out on similar adventures and need some assistance … or perhaps just a push out the door.

When I hiked the iconic Fish River Canyon for the first time, I saw how difficult it was to obtain relevant information about the hike; in terms of preparation, training, hiking gear, food, transportation, border controls for Namibia as well as detailed guidance for the actual hike itself. I put out feelers as to whether people might find a single volume with the necessary information helpful, and the idea of writing an inclusive book about the hike was enthusiastically received on all fronts.

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25

Far preferring to be outdoors and enjoying the wonders of nature, I quickly realised that sitting behind a computer and actually writing a book would take tremendous effort, willpower and commitment on my part. To this end, I approached a good friend and fellow outdoor enthusiast, Lizet Meyer, for help. She proved to have enough energy and enthusiasm for the both of us and threw herself at the project wholeheartedly, juggling a very demanding career and a move to Australia in the process. Without her total dedication to the cause, this book would never have seen the light of day.

It took many months of research, late nights and the occasional butting of heads to get all the information together. Once we had thrashed out the contents of the guide, we hiked the Fish River Canyon again on short notice to make sure all the relevant information in the book would be correct.

The help we received from the Penguin team was extremely valuable. Since neither

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There are very few places left in the world where one can just disappear off the radar.

of us had written a book before, it took a lot of editing and patience to get us to the finish line.

Essentially, the hiking fraternity in Southern Africa is divided between people that have hiked the Fish River, and people that are going to hike the Fish River. Careful planning is an essential prerequisite when such a venture is undertaken. Our hope is that this book will help many future hikers to better plan, prepare and do the necessary training required for the hike. Having the right gear, enough food and, of course, ensuring you are able to carry everything on your back takes careful deliberation, and hopefully this book can be vital in helping to guide prospective hikers.

There are very few places left in the world where one can just disappear off the radar. Once you begin your descent into the canyon, you are completely cut off from the outside world. There is no mobile reception anywhere on the hike, no news comes in and no news gets out. There are no facilities inside the canyon. You have with you only that which you can carry on your back,

NATURE

MORE HIKING GUIDES

HIKING CAPE TOWN

by Evelyn John Holtzhausen An essential guide featuring 35 diverse hikes around Cape Town, catering to all levels of hikers. From Table Mountain’s iconic trails to coastal rambles and nature reserves, each hike is detailed with directions, walking time, distance, difficulty, and terrain, with options for more challenging extensions.

Richly illustrated with maps and photos.

and the endeavour is to leave no trace that you were ever there when you depart.

Overnighting takes place on the banks of the river, more often than not in the open air. Lying under the incredible night sky of Southern Namibia is something you cannot adequately describe to anyone – you have to experience it for yourself.

The fauna and flora inside the canyon is unique and it is only the hikers that will ever experience the inside of this incredible canyon.

For five or six days, the vastness, intense stillness and beauty of the canyon slowly seeps into your soul, so that when the welcoming bell rings for you at the end of the hike at Ais-Ais, you are a changed person and will find yourself yearning back for this experience for years to come …”

HIKING TRAILS OF SOUTH AFRICA

by Willie Olivier Discover over 500 trails across South Africa in this fully updated fifth edition by the wellknown author. With 60 new trails, explore diverse landscapes and receive essential information on distances, facilities, points of interest, safety tips, and more. An indispensable guide for hikers of all levels.

Hiking the Fish by Henk Blanckenberg and Lizet Meyer is out now.

WALKING SAFARIS OF SOUTH AFRICA

by Denis Costello & Hlengiwe Magagula Discover the safest and most enriching outdoor adventure in SA: walking safaris.

With vast protected areas teeming with wildlife, top-notch tourism facilities, and expert guides, the authors detail over 50 guided walks across 21 parks and reserves. Their guide offers insights, options, and firsthand experiences, alongside essential tips.

JOIN THE STRUIK NATURE CLUB! Be the first to hear news of new releases, special editions, offers, as well as launches and author events. Plus, members stand in line to win great prizes every month! Sign up at www.struiknatureclub.co.za.

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FOOD, FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD Embrace food less ordinary and elevate your at-home gatherings to new heights with these recipes from Dianne Bibby’s gorgeous new cookery book.

Lemony Cacio e Pepe Risotto

SERVES

6

“The secret to a good risotto – besides good ingredients – is stirring. It’s really that simple. Risotto is needy, requiring a fully focused cook and 30 minutes.

Bear in mind that the first course – Primo – is considered a starter, so portion sizes should lean more towards conservative than ample.”

30 ml olive oil 30 ml butter, divided 1 shallot, finely diced 2.5 ml coarsely ground black pepper zest of 1 lemon 2 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked 200 g arborio rice 100 ml white wine (chenin blanc) 1 litre hot chicken stock 55 g parmesan, finely grated 15 ml lemon juice grated pecorino, to serve fine salt, to taste extra virgin olive oil, to serve

Heat 30 ml olive oil and 15 ml butter in a deep saucepan. Add the shallot and cook over a low heat until softened but still pale, 5–7 minutes. Stir in the pepper and lemon zest, and sizzle until the oil smells fragrant, just a minute or so.

Add the thyme and rice. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Once

28

the rice smells nutty and sounds almost ‘glassy’ against the pan, deglaze with the wine and reduce by half.

Keep the stock warm by placing it in a saucepan over a medium heat.

Ladle in the stock gradually, stirring all the while. The stock should be fully absorbed before adding the next ladle. Cooking times will vary between 22–25 minutes. Check that the rice is al dente and the consistency creamy.

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Remove from the heat and rest for 2 minutes with the lid on. Stir in the parmesan, lemon juice and the remaining butter. Season to taste.

At this point, you may want to loosen the risotto by adding a little hot water.

Divide the risotto between six shallow bowls. Serve with grated pecorino and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

TRIVIA Cacio e pepe, Rome’s famed pasta dish, epitomizes simple cooking – spaghetti, pecorino Romano and black pepper.

FOOD

Shortbread Matchsticks with lime zest “Only once I’d styled the shortbread did I realise they looked exactly like Lion matches, hence the name.

However you choose to shape them, they’re crumbly, wonderfully crisp and just what tea needs. Orange zest, instead of lime zest, works well too, especially with dark chocolate.”

180 g butter, room temperature 90 g castor sugar zest of 2 limes 5 ml vanilla extract 250 g cake wheat flour 60 g cornflour 1.25 ml fine salt 120 g dark or white chocolate, melted (optional)

Rest on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Dip the tips in melted chocolate.

Once set, store in an airtight container.

Bibby’s More Good Food is out now.

SERVES

32

Line a 22 cm square tin with baking paper. Extend the paper over the rim to create lifting handles.

Cream the butter, castor sugar, lime zest and vanilla together.

Sift in the flour, cornflour and salt. Whisk on a low speed until combined. Tip the dough into the tin and press down firmly. Smooth over the top. Chill for 45–60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Carefully lift the shortbread out of the tin using the paper handles.

Using a bench scrape or smooth knife, cut down the centre, dividing the dough into two equal halves.

Cut into matchsticks, about 12 mm in width. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake for 30–32 minutes until lightly golden.

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A FUSION FIESTA! Get ready to experience the vibrant fusion of two distinct culinary worlds in every bite with Chef Aiden Pienaar’s recipes from his brilliant new cookbook, Mexico in Mzansi.

Beef Enchiladas canola oil for frying 2kg whole beef brisket, bone in salt and ground black pepper to taste ½ cup beef spice rub 12–15 corn tortillas 1 cup enchilada sauce ¼ cup grated cheddar cheese ¼ cup grated mozzarella cheese fresh coriander for garnishing

SERVES

4-6

Preheat the oven to 190ºC. On the stovetop, heat a little canola oil in a heavy-based ovenproof pot over medium heat.

Season the beef brisket with salt and black pepper and place it into the pot. Brown it on all sides until a deep golden colour, then remove the beef from the pot and rub it all over with the spice rub. Return the beef to the pot and add some water to cover about a quarter of the brisket.

Put on the lid and place the pot in the oven for 2.5–3 hours, checking the water level every 30 minutes.

Top up with a little more water if needed. The beef brisket is cooked when you can pull out the bone and it comes out clean.

When cooked, transfer the beef brisket to a tray to cool slightly.

Return the pot to the stovetop over medium heat and reduce the liquid until thick. While the sauce reduces, shred the beef into a bowl.

30

When thickened, strain the sauce through a sieve into the bowl with the shredded beef. Mix gently and check for seasoning.

Reheat the oven to 180ºC. Place a tortilla onto a flat surface. Place a healthy amount of shredded beef in a line in the centre of the tortilla, then roll it up like a pancake to encase the filling completely. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

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Place the rolled tortillas into an ovenproof dish, seam-side down, in a single layer. Spoon over the enchilada sauce, spreading it evenly to cover the tortillas. Mix the cheeses and distribute evenly over the sauce.

Bake for 20–25 minutes on the middle rack of the oven until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling. Garnish with fresh coriander.

FOOD

Churros Bites 1 cup water or milk 84g butter 2 tsp castor sugar ¼ tsp salt 1 cup cake flour 2 large eggs 4–6 cups sunflower oil ¼ cup cinnamon sugar

Place the water or milk, butter, castor sugar and salt into a small pot over medium–high heat. Bring to a rolling boil.

When the butter is fully melted, remove the pot from the heat and immediately add all the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until no lumps remain.

Return the pot to a medium heat, stirring continuously, until the

mixture forms a starchy dough ball around the spoon.

Transfer the dough to a stand mixer fitted with a K beater. Beat the dough for 2–3 minutes on low speed to cool it down. When it has stopped steaming, add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.

Increase the speed to medium and beat for 20 seconds until the dough turns into a batter, then switch off the mixer, scrape down the sides and mix for another 20 seconds until well combined.

Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle.

Refrigerate if you don’t plan to use it immediately, otherwise allow it to cool to room temperature.

SERVES

(If refrigerated, allow the batter to come up to room temperature before use. This will make it easier to pipe.)

Heat the sunflower oil to 190°C in a large pot over medium heat.

Holding the piping bag just above the oil, pipe 3cm-long nuggets of batter into the oil, using scissors to cut off each piece. Fry until golden brown – they should puff up and flip themselves, but if not, give them some help.

Remove the churros with a slotted spoon and roll them in the cinnamon sugar. Serve hot with a side of chocolate ganache sauce.

TIP If you don’t have a stand mixer or if you are feeling adventurous, you can do all the beating by hand with a wooden spoon.

4

Mexico in Mzansi is out now.

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ON MY MIND

On my mind

VIGILANTE JUSTICE IS A SYMPTOM OF SYSTEMIC FAILURES

“O

Dive into the heart of the nation’s escalating vigilante conflicts, from township turmoil to the middle-class response, as chronicled in Why We Kill, a compelling exposé by Karl Kemp on the complexities and consequences of mob justice.

peration Dudula, trying to evict old women from their homes in Alexandra township, unleashing a vigilante conflict by pushing one community too far. Would-be muti murderers, racing along the chaotic Nzhelele Valley freeway in rural Limpopo, chased down by taxis and set alight in their own vehicles. Cable thieves, tortured and necklaced for crashing the power system in the rural village of Chavani just one too many times.

These accounts of vigilantism and mob justice are ten times more complex than that summary can be. But they are decidedly violent, make no mistake. And they augur our future.

It’s getting darker out there. South Africa murder’s rate has reached record territory in the past two years. The authorities ate more than 27 000 bodies in 2022, up by around 10 000 over the past decade.

Traditionally, the middle class has been able to batten down the hatches and shut out the maelstrom somewhat, but with the tangible expansion of brazen, organised crime – hitmen and extortionists leading the charge – we now fear not just carjackings and home invasions, but a new type of lawlessness, one that chokes even private-sector enterprise and eviscerates the already-poor service delivery we have left.

It feels like the country is turning into a dog-eat-dog land where the strong devour the weak – where liquidators and whistleblowers are assassinated, where armed gangs can shut down construction sites or hold Eskom to ransom. The fire rises; lawlessness becomes a way of life, a necessity to get ahead.

The middle-class may be feeling it, but

32

THE PENGUIN POST MARCH/APRIL 2024

The fire rises; lawlessness becomes a way of life, a necessity to get ahead.

Why We Kill is out now.

the purest expression of this notion remains the campaign waged against crime in the impoverished townships of the nation. The pushback has now reached a bloody zenith.

Mob justice and vigilante murders accounted for almost 1 900 of the total murders in 2022 – or 7 per cent – and the first nine months of 2023 served up a further 1 472, meaning that last year was well on track to break the record. News of vigilante killings is beamed to our screens on a weekly basis, piles of charred bodies at a time, always accompanied by the taglines of ‘a surge in’ or a ‘a rise of’.

We cannot definitively say that the mob justice situation has never been worse; the stats weren’t available in the early nineties.

But certainly, the volume has been turned up.

Certainly, the picture has been brought into sharper focus.

When I started Why We Kill, I thought that I would find more excuses for the violence, that what we believe is right: ordinary people cannot be blamed for acting how they do, because the state has abandoned them.

But it is not so simple.

Could we remain the innocents, the victims, if we condoned this intensification of vigilantism based on false premises?

When the line between predator and prey becomes impossible to see clearly, where does the average South African stand among the record number of bodies? Why We Kill is an attempt to unravel this web; of why we kill in the name of justice. What this growing extrajudicial justice system might mean for the future, and the rule of law, and the heart of the country.”

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