Fiction

Monday – 30th January 2023

‘Ian is ’n liefdevolle pa’ … net jammer hy het twee families: Lees ’n uittreksel uit Uit die donker deur Santie van der Merwe

LAPA Uitgewers het ’n uittreksel gedeel uit Uit die donker deur Santie van der Merwe: Ian Strydom het twee gesinne … en ’n groot besluit wat hy nie meer kan uitstel nie.

‘The impulse to write often strikes when I’m observing someone else’ – Ayobami Adebayo chats about her new novel A Spell of Good Things

The seed of a story starts with the glimpse of a shadow, writes Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀.

Friday – 27th January 2023

‘Welkom in die Kom, hartlam’: Lees die eerste hoofstuk van Hans du Plessis se nuutste boek, Inkommers

Inkommers deur Hans du Plesis is ’n eietydse verhaal, ’n kroniek van die Afrikaners – die familie, nie die volk nie – wat al van die Groot Trek se dae af wydsbeen oor die vuil Vaal in die Vredefortkoepel boer.

‘It was definitely a skull … Was it human?’ Read an excerpt from A Deadly Covenant, the new thrilling mystery by Michael Stanley

Michael Stanley’s award-winning, international bestselling Detective Kubu series returns with another thrilling, chilling sequel: A Deadly Covenant – out now from Jonathan Ball Publishers!

Footnotes, January 2023: Book links from around the web

At The Reading List, we’re trainspotters when it comes to interesting book links, and here are a number that caught our eye.

Thursday – 26th January 2023

Laugh-out-loud funny, razor sharp and painfully relatable – Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey

Really Good, Actually is one of the most hotly anticipated, hilarious and addictive debut novels coming in 2023, from Schitt’s Creek screenwriter and electric new voice in fiction, Monica Heisey.

A tale of obsession and magic – Author Katy Hays chats about her sinister, atmospheric debut novel The Cloisters

The Cloisters is a sinister, atmospheric novel about the discovery of a mysterious deck of tarot cards. Author Katy Hays speaks about the setting of the story, fortune and the idea behind her riveting debut.

Wednesday – 25th January 2023

Listen to an excerpt from How to Kill Your Family – a wickedly dark romp about class, family, love … and murder

They say you can’t choose your family. But you can kill them. How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie is out now from Jonathan Ball Publishers.

‘The entire novel is so close to my heart … I almost couldn’t write it’ – Catherine Newman chats about her debut We All Want Impossible Things

Author Catherine Newman chats about writing fiction versus writing memoirs, taking inspiration from real life, and her favourite scene from her first novel for adults, We All Want Impossible Things.

Tuesday – 24th January 2023

New book alert! Ghost Limb, the emotionally charged and poignant debut novel by Almini van der Merwe

Looking for an emotionally charged and poignant read? Local author Almini van der Merwe’s debut novel, Ghost Limb, is out now in the Umuzi Trailblazer series!

Friday – 20th January 2023

Cover reveal! The girl with the dragon tattoo returns in The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons

Introducing the pulse-pounding new thriller from bestselling Swedish author Karin Smirnoff, starring iconic anti-heroine Lisbeth Salander!

Five minutes with David Viviers, author of the debut novel Mirage

You may know the face. David Viviers is one of our well-known actors, but now he is a published author as well. And his writing is every bit as good has his acting.

Thursday – 19th January 2023

‘Do people remember the exact moment they fall in love?’ – Listen to an excerpt from Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan

Award-winning and bestselling ‘powerhouse’ author Kennedy Ryan is at her absolute best in Before I Let Go, a compelling, scorching novel about hope and healing, and what it truly means to love for a lifetime (USA Today).

Tuesday – 17th January 2023

A human skeleton, a terrifying local feud, an angry river spirit – A Deadly Covenant by Michael Stanley is out now!

A Deadly Covenant by Michael Stanley is out now from Jonathan Ball Publishers!

Monday – 16th January 2023

Waarom woon Zia se familie ’n primitiewe lewe in die bos? Lees ’n uittreksel uit Uitverkies deur Noreen Nolte

In Uitverkies deur Noreen Nolte – die naaswenner van LAPA se Jeugromankompetisie in 2021 – is Zia moeg vir haar ouers se selfopgelegde isolasie in die bos. Lees nou die eerste hoofstuk!

Friday – 13th January 2023

‘On nights like these, sleep doesn’t come easily’: Read an extract from Fanie Viljoen’s latest book, Sacrifice to the Flies

Read a riveting excerpt from Sacrifice to the Flies by Fanie Viljoen, an award-winning YA novel set in a dystopian state!

Raai wat verskyn in Januarie 2023 by Penguin Random House SA? Lokval deur Bettina Wyngaard!

In Lokval deur Bettina Wyngaard stel Nicci de Wee en haar span ’n lokval vir ’n internasionale sindikaat … maar wie is aas, en wie bobaas?

The perfect festive gifts for 2022 loading … five books your literary friends will add to the top of their TBR piles

Forget scented candles and ironic T-shirts – give your literary friends the perfect gift this festive season! Here are five of the best novels and short story collections of 2022.