FOR YOUR GUY
Spud – The Reunion, John Van De Ruit
It’s been a decade since we last had access to the hilariously angsty diaries of Spud Milton and, despite the lapse of time and lofty acting ambitions, adulting doesn’t seem to be going too well for him. So much so, that the invitation to attend his Michaelhouse ten year school reunion sends him plummeting into a One Third Life Crisis. With great reluctance, and more than a little forced coercion from The Crazy Eight, Spud returns to face the ghosts still haunting his boarding school past, only to find he may be the most grown-up and evolved of all his ex-dorm mates. In this latest instalment of the hugely popular series, Van De Ruit’s comedic genius continues unabated but is measured with an exploration of darker themes
relevant to elite boys’ boarding schools. A must read for Spud fans, new and old.
Buy it in Paperback from Wordsworth
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FOR YOUR FOODIE FRIEND
Klein Jan, Jan
We should all be so lucky to experience Restaurant Klein JAN on Tswalu Game Reserve in the Kalahari but until then, we can lap up its rustic luxe by indulging in the vision of its creator, and mastermind behind its menu, chef Jan Hendrik Van Der Westhuizen. What started as a doodle on a napkin (now framed in his office) became the sensitive restoration and re-imagining of a Kalahari property, now a prime destination for those who want to soak in the sheer magnificence of the landscape while still enjoying the finest of everything. Apart from 150 locally elevated recipes, like Braaibroodtjie Macarons and Rooibos Creme Caramel, it is also full of of visually evocative photographs and stories of the Kalahari from Jan himself. A feast for the senses, in every aspect of the phrase; this hard-cover collector’s item will be what all your foodie friends will want this festive season.
Buy it in Hardcover from Wordsworth
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FOR YOUR MUM
How To Age Disgracefully. Clare Pool
I love a novel with a bad-ass b*tch as the main character, especially when the b*tch in question is 70 years old, an ex-mob boss and is clad head-to-toe in Dior. After 15 years of hiding out, Daphne decides it’s time to stop talking to her plants and rejoin the real world. She joins a local Senior Citizens Social Club determined to meet other interesting pensioners, but when the council threatens to shut it down, Daphne – and her motley crew cohorts – find renewed purpose in their quest to save the day, even if it means letting their pasts catch up with them. Delightful, with wonderfully colourful characters, and an energising view on giving the middle finger to ageing.
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FOR THE LITTLES
Into The Uncut Grass, Trevor Noah with illustrations by Sabina Hahn
Trevor Noah often brings up his mother in his comedy shows; and how he always rebelled against her rules. In his first illustrated children’s book, he brings his boyhood desire for freedom to life with The Boy and Walter, The Old Bear, who run away from home to experience the wildness of the uncut grass that lies beyond the rusty garden gate… After encountering an inquisitive gnome, a pair of arguing snails, the attacks of a leaf monster and a roll of dropped coins, Boy and Water begin to understand Mother’s point of view, and the importance of home. A beautiful hard back edition that is perfect for bed-time stories, and saving as a future family heirloom.
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FOR YOURSELF 🤗
Here One Moment, Liane Moriarty
I am a huge fan of Liane Moriarty’s novels Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers, and am happy to report that her latest offering, Here One Moment, is just as excellent. Described by Marian Keyes as ‘off the scale brilliant’, the novel starts when a group of strangers board a local fight from Hobart to Sydney in Australia. The plane flies its course and safely lands at its destination but many of the passengers disembark with their lives in turmoil thanks to the dark predictions made mid-flight by an elderly lady. Age of death. Cause of death. Knowing how and when the people are going to die is the gift of knowledge that she imparts to them but all who hear her words are left reeling and must now decide for themselves if she’s a true clairvoyant or a crazy fake. Their lives literally depend on it…
Buy it in Paperback from Wordsworth
