We recommend:

CONFESSIONS OF A GAMBLER (Rayda Jacobs)

“Confessions of a Gambler centres, almost incongruously, around a Muslim woman in Cape Town who develops a compulsive gambling problem. Her name is Abeeda Ariefdin, or Beeda, and she is, in no particular order, a faithful Muslim, mother to four sons, the ex-wife of a cheating ex-husband, a sister, daughter, neighbour, employer and friend to some of the most delightful characters ever to wend their way into a novel.”

“The book is absolutely gripping and the reader is thrust from one drama to the next, all underpinned by the deterioration of Beeda’s state of mind, as she is drawn into the ever-darker world of the hopelessly addicted gambler.”

“Jacobs’s writing is littered with typically SA phrases and she switches between Afrikaans, English and African languages throughout, lending her writing a very chatty feel.” (Lisa McLeod, The African Review of Books)

We recommend:

PETALS OF BLOOD (Ngugi wa Thiong'o)

“After a terrible murder in the village of Ilmorog, four suspects are placed in detention: the headmaster; the storekeeper; the assistant teacher and the barmaid. Their lives are inextricably linked with the lives of the murder victims, the fortunes of Ilmorog and with the fate of Kenya itself.”
“Published to great controversy (…) it is as much a whodunnit as a political novel and satire.” (Nielsen BookData Online)

We recommend:

Six fang marks and a tetanus shot (Richard de Nooy)

“A war correspondent sets out from Amsterdam to South Africa to piece together the fragmented history of Ysbrand (Ace) and Rem, two brothers from SA.”

“The book starts with a hilarious look into the childhood of brothers Ace and Rem. Rem blunders into so many accidents as he tackles life without thinking . One feels sorry for Ace who gets burdened with the responsibility of keeping Rem, if not in one piece, at least alive.”

“…gripping ending which will take you by surprise.” (http://ninjamonkeys.co.za)

Get it at shelf no. 823.92 DE NOOY on Level 6

We recommend: KATY’S KID by Rosemund J Handler

- “Sex sells, or so the saying goes. If that is the case, this novel should be a bestseller”

A local author’s disturbing, heart-warming fictional tale of a young Cape Town girl’s life and struggle to choose better options amidst abandonment, violence and prostitution.

“Riveting local tale!”

Get it @ 823.914 HANDLER