If you ask us, there are not many traditions that are as much fun as a proper Easter egg hunt. They’re fun to set up, they’re fun to take part in, heck, they’re even fun just to watch. All the colour, all the excitement… all the chocolate. Add books to this situation and, well, you’re golden.

This Easter, we’ve teamed up with Penguin Random House – producers of some of the most beautiful and exciting kids’ books out there – to bring all the fun of the Easter egg hunt to a select few of our stores. We’ve picked one store from each region, so hopefully, wherever you are, you won’t be too far from the fun.

Here’s the Schedule for our Easter Egg Hunts:

Here’s how it will happen:

The five BB stores that we have chosen will enlist their greatest and most ingenious egg hiders (yes, that is a thing) to conceal Easter eggs throughout their stores. When the whistle is blown, or the hunt master yells “go!” – or, you know, whatever feels right in the moment – the participating kids will have five minutes to search the shop floor for as many Easter eggs as their eyes can spy. And the kid who presents the most eggs before the time is up will win…

This glorious Easter Hamper!

…which, along with a bunch of chocolate, will include five Easter-themed picture books from some of the most beloved series out there. Peppa, Peter, Bluey and Spot are all on hand to make your Easter celebrations that much more exciting. And Quentin Blake is around to add the wackiness.

Here’s a little more about the books. If you don’t win the hamper, you can still pick up the books you fancy for great prices.

The World of Peter Rabbit:  Peter’s Nature Walk

 Easter is important for many reasons, but one of the loveliest of those is that it means that spring has definitely arrived – and that’s when nature really comes alive.

Join Peter Rabbit and his family as they learn all about the world of the outdoors. You’ll learn about the different insects and animals that are so important and the various trees and plants that are their homes. You can even learn about pollination and hibernation.

And to help you along, Peter’s Nature Walk includes ten buttons you can press to hear what some of our favourite birds and critters actually sound like. It’s the perfect book for any fledgling explorer.

Bluey Easter Fun – A Craft Activity Book

Everything’s better when it involves crafts. Everything’s also better when it involves Bluey and family. Here we have both!

Make your Easter a crafty one with masks to cut out, dot-to-dots to puzzle through, colouring in to colour in and your very own Easter basket to assemble.

The whole Bluey crew is on hand to help you out and amp up the fun!

Roald Dahl’s Easter Eggstravaganza

 A rhyming board book with flaps to lift, shiny eggs to discover and zany characters to meet, this one is all about celebrating Easter in every little one’s absolute favouritist way… with chocolate!

You might even find something new to do with your scrumptious eggs…

Peppa Loves Easter

 Probably just as much as you do!

If you like baking Easter cakes and decorating Easter eggs and making Easter cards, then you can join Peppa and her friends for a special Easter Egg-stravaganza put together by Madame Gazelle!

Oh, and Granny and Grandpa Pig have some fluffy, newly-hatched chicks to show you. They’re so cute! We might also need to find out where Miss Rabbit has gotten too and who’s hiding in the giant egg.

Spot’s Easter Basket

 Perfect for young kids just getting started with Easter, this delightful board book is just the ticket for bringing counting, colour and patterns to life. And your young Spot fan can carry it with them wherever they go.

Spot and his friends are going on an Easter egg hunt at the farm. Can you help them find all the hidden eggs?

Toddlers will love this basket-shaped board book for little hands that can be played with or read for twice the fun!

Happy Easter and Happy Hunting!

We hope you’ll be able to join us.

This month, we thought we’d go with something thrilling. And then we saw that there are two enormous thrillers new to the shelves this month and, rather than attempting to choose between them, we thought we’d feature them both. So, if you’re into shocking twists, sleek storytelling and action-packed thrills, take a look at the newest titles from two of the biggest names in the thriller world.

23rd Midnight by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

23 novels have now featured Lindsay Boxer, the tireless detective, Cindy Thomas, the intrepid crime reporter, Claire Washburn, the wise Chief Medical Examiner, and Yuki Castellano, the passionate District Attorney (though Yuki, for the record, joined in the 4th novel). And now…

Detective Lindsay Boxer, along with her circle of expert colleagues and friends, the inimitable Women’s Murder Club, is back.

Evan Burke, the country’s most appalling and prolific serial killer, is safely locked up in prison. He was put there by Lindsay Boxer herself. Interest in him and his crimes is hardly dwindling, however. Thanks to a bestselling book on Burke by Boxer’s friend crime reporter Cindy Thomas, there are some whose obsessions have kicked into deadly overdrive. A disturbed Burke superfan has taken it upon themselves to recreate some of Burke’s most notorious horrors. And they clearly know what they are doing.

While Thomas is off promoting her book, Boxer is having trouble tracking down their biggest copycat suspect. Whoever the copycat is, they’re proving themselves a devastatingly capable disciple of the worst perpetrator Boxer has ever encountered… and Thomas feels dangerously connected to it all.

Meanwhile, ace prosecutor Yuki Castellano is working a domestic abuse case that shocks even those who’ve seen it all.

Snappy chapters, dramatic events, no end of fast-paced twists and turns, and well-loved characters make for another terrific addition to Patterson’s most stellar series. And, as always, you needn’t worry about going all the way back to the start: if you’re jumping into the Women’s Murder Club novels right here, you will be neither confused nor disappointed. This is quintessential single-sitting thriller country right here.

Last Orphan by Gregg Hurwitz

As a boy, he was plucked from obscurity and raised, and trained, as part of a top secret programme. The aim of this programme: to create deadly assassins that the government can claim to have no knowledge of. But he took the elite skills they taught him and used them to disappear. Ever since, he has been trying to reinvent himself, to purge himself of his past.

Evan Smoak, sometimes known as Orphan X, freelance assassin and unstoppable vigilante, thought he had made it out: thought he had at last severed ties with the nefarious program that raised him, thought he had escaped the clutches of the government at last. He just wanted to live his atonement on his own terms, just to create a better code to live by, a truer set of values. But there’s no real freedom, not for Smoak. And once again he is being offered an ultimatum, this time by the president.

In the Orphan X novels, Hurwitz ceaselessly infuses his brand of hard-hitting action with compelling moral ambiguity, and even spiritual and philosophical complexity. The Last Orphan is no exception. Again, Smoak is forced to weigh the principle he swore to uphold – that he would only use his deadly skills against those who truly deserve it – against his own survival.

Smoak has managed to float beneath the radar for a while, but those who take an interest in him have tracked him down once again, specifically to offer him a choice: kill a man deemed by the president to be an unacceptably dangerous threat, or be killed himself – executed for the sins of his past. The president would consider it a win either way. In her mind, neither Evan himself nor the target should be alive. But for Smoak, who has been attempting to reform himself for too long already, it’s an impossible lose-lose. And that’s exactly the sort of situation that only makes Smoak more dangerous.

Relentlessly compulsive, explosively action-packed, and coloured with a surprising amount of emotion depth and thoughtfulness, The Last Orphan might be the best entry in the series yet. Smart, expertly crafted suspense does not get better than this.

HAPPY READING!!

Pride month is all about understanding, accepting, and valuing your identity. So, in celebration of Cape Town Pride 2023, we have created a list of LGBTQIA+ Must Reads! Strap yourselves in and get ready for a weekend full of satisfying reads that tick all of your queer boxes.

1. Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie

A teen girl navigates friendship drama, the end of high school, and discovering her queerness in Ophelia After All, the hilarious and heartfelt contemporary YA debut by Racquel Marie.

Ophelia Rojas knows what she likes: her best friends, Cuban food, rose-gardening, and boys – way too many boys. Her friends and parents make fun of her endless stream of crushes, but Ophelia is a romantic at heart. She couldn’t change, even if she wanted to.

So when she finds herself thinking more about cute, quiet Talia Sanchez than the loss of a perfect prom with her ex-boyfriend, seeds of doubt take root in Ophelia’s firm image of herself. Add to that the impending end of high school and the fracturing of her once-solid friend group, and things are spiralling a little out of control. But the course of love – and sexuality – never did run smooth. As her secrets begin to unravel, Ophelia must make a choice between clinging to the fantasy version of herself she’s always imagined or upending everyone’s expectations to rediscover who she really is, after all.

2. Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

From Stonewall and Lambda Award–winning author Kacen Callender comes a revelatory YA novel about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time.

Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after.

When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle….

But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.

Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognizing the love you deserve.

3. The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas

Welcome to The Sunbearer Trials, where teen semidioses compete in a series of challenges with the highest of stakes, in this electric new Mexican-inspired fantasy from Aiden Thomas, the New York Times bestselling author of Cemetery Boys.

“Only the most powerful and honourable semidioses get chosen. I’m just a Jade. I’m not a real hero.”

As each new decade begins, the Sun’s power must be replenished so that Sol can keep traveling along the sky and keep the evil Obsidian gods at bay. Ten semidioses between the ages of thirteen and eighteen are selected by Sol himself as the most worthy to compete in The Sunbearer Trials. The winner carries light and life to all the temples of Reino del Sol, but the loser has the greatest honour of all—they will be sacrificed to Sol, their body used to fuel the Sun Stones that will protect the people of Reino del Sol for the next ten years.

Teo, a 17-year-old Jade semidiós and the trans son of Quetzal, goddess of birds, has never worried about the Trials…or rather, he’s only worried for others. His best friend Niya—daughter of Tierra, the god of earth—is one of the strongest heroes of their generation and is much too likely to be chosen this year. He also can’t help but worry (reluctantly, and under protest) for Aurelio, a powerful Gold semidiós and Teo’s friend-turned-rival who is a shoo-in for the Trials. Teo wouldn’t mind taking Aurelio down a notch or two, but a one-in-ten chance of death is a bit too close for Teo’s taste.

But then, for the first time in over a century, Sol chooses a semidiós who isn’t a Gold. In fact, he chooses two: Xio, the 13-year-old child of Mala Suerte, God of bad luck, and…Teo. Now they must compete in five mysterious trials, against opponents who are both more powerful and better trained, for fame, glory, and their own survival.

4. This Poison Heart Series by Kalynn Bayron

Darkness blooms in bestselling author Kalynn Bayron’s contemporary fantasy about a girl with a unique and deadly power.

Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch.

When Briseis’s aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer. Hopefully there, surrounded by plants and flowers, Bri will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they could never have imagined–it comes with a specific set of instructions, an old-school apothecary, and a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world that can only be entered by those who share Bri’s unique family lineage.

When strangers begin to arrive on their doorstep, asking for tinctures and elixirs, Bri learns she has a surprising talent for creating them. One of the visitors is Marie, a mysterious young woman that Bri befriends, only to find that Marie is keeping dark secrets about the history of the estate and the surrounding community. There is more to Bri’s sudden inheritance than she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it. . . until a nefarious group comes after her in search of a rare and dangerous immortality elixir. Up against a centuries-old curse and the deadliest plant on earth, Bri must harness her gift and protect herself and her family.

The sequel to this fantastical novel is called The Wicked Fate and is now available at your nearest Bargain Books branch!

5. Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

Juliet Milagros Palante is a self-proclaimed closeted Puerto Rican baby dyke from the Bronx. Only, she’s not so closeted anymore. Not after coming out to her family the night before flying to Portland, Oregon, to intern with her favourite feminist writer–what’s sure to be a life-changing experience. And when Juliet’s coming out crashes and burns, she’s not sure her mom will ever speak to her again.

But Juliet has a plan–sort of. Her internship with legendary author Harlowe Brisbane, the ultimate authority on feminism, women’s bodies, and other gay-sounding stuff, is sure to help her figure out this whole “Puerto Rican lesbian” thing. Except Harlowe’s white. And not from the Bronx. And she definitely doesn’t have all the answers . . .

In a summer bursting with queer brown dance parties, a sexy fling with a motorcycling librarian, and intense explorations of race and identity, Juliet learns what it means to come out–to the world, to her family, to herself.

6. The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons

Love, Simon meets Bend It Like Beckham in this feel-good contemporary romance about a trans athlete who must decide between fighting for his right to play and staying stealth.
Fifteen-year-old Spencer Harris is a proud nerd, an awesome big brother, and a David Beckham in training. He’s also transgender. After transitioning at his old school leads to a year of isolation and bullying, Spencer gets a fresh start at Oakley, the most liberal private school in Ohio.
At Oakley, Spencer seems to have it all: more accepting classmates, a decent shot at a starting position on the boys’ soccer team, great new friends, and maybe even something more than friendship with one of his teammates. The problem is, no one at Oakley knows Spencer is trans—he’s passing.
But when a discriminatory law forces Spencer’s coach to bench him, Spencer has to make a choice: cheer his team on from the side-lines or publicly fight for his right to play, even though it would mean coming out to everyone—including the guy he’s falling for.

7. Simon Snow Trilogy by Rainbow Rowell

From the New York Times bestselling author Rainbow Rowell comes an epic young adult fantasy series, the Simon Snow Trilogy. Set in the same world as Fangirl, the series mixes a blend of paranormal romance with action-packed adventure.

Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who’s ever been chosen.

That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.

Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, and a mystery. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell novel — but far, far more monsters.

Simon, Baz and Penelope battle monsters, dragons, and vampires, while dealing with the demands of schoolwork, relationships, heartache, and so much more. The fun starts with Carry On, continues with Wayward Son, and concludes with Any Way the Wind Blows.

8. Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman

Andre Aciman’s Call Me by Your Name  is the story of a sudden and powerful romance that blossoms between an adolescent boy and a summer guest at his parents’ cliffside mansion on the Italian Riviera. Each is unprepared for the consequences of their attraction, when, during the restless summer weeks, unrelenting currents of obsession, fascination, and desire intensify their passion and test the charged ground between them.

Recklessly, the two verge toward the one thing both fear they may never truly find again: total intimacy. It is an instant classic and one of the great love stories of our time.

Ps. There’s a sequel… Find Me by André Aciman, brings us back inside the magic circle of one of the greatest contemporary romances to ask if, in fact, true love ever dies.

9. Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

What happens when America’s First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?
Alex Claremont-Diaz is handsome, charismatic, a genius – pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House ever since his mother first became President of the United States. There’s only one problem. When the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an altercation between Alex and Prince Henry, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.
Heads of family and state devise a plan for damage control: stage a truce. But what begins as a fake, Instagram able friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon they are hurtling into a secret romance that could derail the presidential campaign and upend two nations.

Guess what? Red, White & Royal Blue is being made into a movie! Now’s your chance to read the book before everyone starts talking about them. You’re welcome 😉

10. The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M Danforth

When Cameron Post’s parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief they’ll never know that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl. But that relief doesn’t last, and Cam is forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth and her well-intentioned but hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different.

Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and leaving well enough alone, and Cam becomes an expert at both. Then Coley Taylor moves to town. Beautiful, pickup-driving Coley is a perfect cowgirl with the perfect boyfriend to match. She and Cam forge an unexpected and intense friendship, one that seems to leave room for something more to emerge. But just as that starts to seem like a real possibility, ultra-religious Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to “fix” her niece, bringing Cam face-to-face with the cost of denying her true self – even if she’s not quite sure who that is.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a stunning and unforgettable literary debut about discovering who you are and finding the courage to live life according to your own rules.

11. Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins

Regal romance abounds in this flirty, laugh-out-loud companion novel to Prince Charming, by New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins, now in paperback!

Millie Quint is devastated when she discovers that her sort-of-best friend/sort-of-girlfriend has been kissing someone else. Heartbroken and ready for a change of pace, Millie decides to apply for scholarships to boarding schools . . . the farther from Houston the better.

Soon, Millie is accepted into one of the world’s most exclusive schools, located in the rolling highlands of Scotland. Here, the country is dreamy and green; the school is covered in ivy, and the students think her American-ness is adorable.

The only problem: Mille’s roommate Flora is a total princess.

She’s also an actual princess. Of Scotland.

At first, the girls can’t stand each other, but before Millie knows it, she has another sort-of-best-friend/sort-of-girlfriend. Princess Flora could be a new chapter in her love life, but Millie knows the chances of happily-ever-afters are slim . . . after all, real life isn’t a fairy tale . . . or is it?

12. Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

Heartstopper is the bestselling LGBTQ+ graphic novel series about life, love, and everything that happens in between. *Also, an acclaimed live-action Netflix series! *

Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. Charlie and Nick are at the same school, but they’ve never met … until one day when they’re made to sit together. They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn’t think he has a chance.

But love works in surprising ways, and Nick is more interested in Charlie than either of them realised.

By Alice Oseman, winner of the YA Book Prize, Heartstopper is about love, friendship, loyalty and mental illness. It encompasses all the small stories of Nick and Charlie’s lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us.

13. Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan

In this YA contemporary queer romance from the author of Hot Dog Girl, an openly gay track star falls for a closeted, bisexual teen beauty queen with a penchant for fixing up old cars.

Morgan, an elite track athlete, is forced to transfer high schools late in her senior year after it turns out being queer is against her private Catholic school’s code of conduct. There, she meets Ruby, who has two hobbies: tinkering with her baby blue 1970 Ford Torino and competing in local beauty pageants, the latter to live out the dreams of her overbearing mother. The two are drawn to each other and can’t deny their growing feelings. But while Morgan–out and proud, and determined to have a fresh start–doesn’t want to have to keep their budding relationship a secret, Ruby isn’t ready to come out yet. With each girl on a different path toward living her truth, can they go the distance together?

14. It’s Not Like It’s a Secret by Misa Sugiuru

Sana Kiyohara has too many secrets. Some are small, like how it bothers her when her friends don’t invite her to their parties. Some are big, like the fact that her father may be having an affair. And then there’s the one that she can barely admit to herself–the one about how she might have a crush on her best friend.

When Sana and her family move to California, she begins to wonder if it’s finally time for some honesty, especially after she meets Jamie Ramirez. Jamie is beautiful and smart and unlike anyone Sana’s ever known. There are just a few problems: Sana’s friends don’t trust Jamie’s crowd; Jamie’s friends clearly don’t want her around anyway; and a sweet guy named Caleb seems to have more-than-friendly feelings for her. Meanwhile, her dad’s affair is becoming too obvious to ignore.

Sana always figured that the hardest thing would be to tell people that she wants to date a girl, but as she quickly learns, that part is easy…what comes after it, though, is a whole lot more complicated.

Contact your nearest Bargain Books store for stock availability and pricing!

Our Book of the Month is, as seems only appropriate for February, a book about love. A book about romance, connection and intimacy, about how to find these things, keep them and improve upon them. A book by a former Vedic monk and current leading light of wellness and purpose. Our Book of the Month is 8 Rules of Love by Jay Shetty!

So much of the time, we are left to navigate love – and everything that goes with it – with but the haziest set of touchstones and the most unavoidable battery of misconceptions to direct us. You know, all the songs, all the cinematic moments and repeated cliches, that tell us over and over again that love is something that happens. Bam! There it is. Lightning strikes, the soaring strings soar, the camera pans woozily and there love just is. Delivered immaculately by the stars. But isn’t it more likely that it is something that takes work? Isn’t it more truthful to suggest that there are skills you can learn to make it all make more sense? And wouldn’t it be nice to know that those skills are relatively straightforward? Well…

Given that few, if any, of us were ever sat down and given a comprehensive education in love, its many guises, complications, pains and beauties – because, after all, how would that even go? – Shetty’s new book is a major comfort. 8 Rules of Love realises that the whole business of loving and being loved is too enormous a thing to be communicated all at once, so it wisely breaks it all down into eight steps that we can actually take, things we can actually do, to help ourselves along in this department.

Drawing on the Vedic wisdom and the experiences that have informed his life and approach to love, Shetty takes us through the whole cycle of a relationship. From those tentative and nerve-wracking first dates through to the point at which two lives meld, and without shying away from what happens when a relationship dissolves and we have to start again, he helps us to build the skills we’ll need to craft something lasting. And, more than that, he shows us how to avoid the pitfalls and fallacies that can trip up a relationship no matter the phase it’s in.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t necessarily a book about dating. And it certainly is not about seducing. This is about the joy and fulfilment that can be found in loving more fully… and more realistically.

All in all, 8 Rules of Love presents a wealth of workable guidance tailored by insight and science to help us more effectively and lastingly love each other and ourselves. And when could that ever be a bad thing to learn? Maybe it’s just what this month needs… we certainly think so.

The thrill of finding a brand new voice in fiction is, for many of us, the real pinnacle of reading pleasure. It certainly is for us. We are captivated by that singular excitement that comes from meeting a new writer through their work, and there’s just nothing like opening a book by an author you don’t know – the promise, the rush of new turns of phrase, of new styles and perspectives and thoughts. It’s something we strive to share with all readers. It’s always worth taking a chance on something new. We are conscious, however, that you are spending hard-earned money to take that chance, so we came up with a way for you to experience the thrill of the new within an environment you can trust.

About a year and a half ago, we started a new promotion designed to share with you all our great passion for new writers. We called this promotion Debut of the Month, and through it we’ve been highlighting the most exciting new voices in fiction. The response to our recommended debuts has been incredible thus far and we’re really looking forward to another year of literary discoveries and sensational first novels. Just so you know, here are just a few of the most incredible books to have been part of this promotion (you’ll probably have heard of some of them!)

● The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
● The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
● My Name is Yip by Paddy Crewe
● The Mad Women’s Ball by Victoria Mas

These books have gone on to become bestsellers and critical darlings, and their authors have become ones to watch. Excellent company, we are sure you will agree.

Hopefully, many of you are already familiar with our Debut of the Month recommendations, which come out monthly, but if you aren’t, and since we’re about to embark on a whole new year of them, we thought it’d be a good idea to give you a quick rundown on what it is, how we do it and why we do it.

What It Is

Our Debut of the Month promotion is our way of giving worthy attention to the kind of novel that might otherwise go under the radar. That is, a novel by an as yet unheard of new author. And that is what we mean by “debut”: the first novel by an author who has not published one before – the very first work of fiction by a newly emerging writer. It’s a series of very carefully chosen recommendations, one for each month, aimed at introducing you to something, and someone, new. These recommendations, you should know, are read and voted for by a core group of avid readers within the Bargain Books team. The chosen book also hits our shelves at a significant discount, of course.

How We Do It

Well, it’s a bit of a process… because we don’t take our book choices lightly, and we don’t expect you to either. How it works goes something like this: Each month, our main publishers submit their choice for the most exciting upcoming debut. These are people in the know, so these picks are always enticing. These picks, there are usually four of them, are then shared with our top team of Bargain Books staff readers (these are also people in the know, you know, proper book people) who then read them, digest them, and secretly vote on which of the four should be promoted. That book, the winner, is then generously stocked throughout all of our stores and sold to you at one of our signature Was/Now prices. We also compose and share a brief writeup on the book so that you know what kind of treat you are in for.

It’s a process driven by our avid love of books and our ceaseless desire to share the best out there with our customers. When you pick up our Debut of the Month, you can rest assured that it deserves your attention… not because advertising execs have decreed it thus, but because the very booksellers you meet on your visits to our stores think that the book is so good it needs sharing.

Why We Do It

Well, at the risk of repeating ourselves, and of gushing even more effusively, we love debut novels and we think that they matter. Every writer begins their career with a single book. Even those enormous names that absolutely everyone knows – each of them once released their debut. That very first book offers us the chance to sense what drove that writer to write in the first place – and to experience their work in its purest form, before the name overshadows the writing.

For us to be able to play a part in bringing new novelists to the fore, to give new voices and imaginations a much needed leg-up, and to lovingly involve you in this process, well, that’s really what we’re here for. And we hope that you take as much pleasure in it as we do. We hope too, as humbly as we might, that our debut recommendations this year will be some of the best books you read. We will certainly be giving it our best!

So, to round all of this off, we invite you to continue to share in our love of new offerings and to give a boost to those writers reaching the shelves for the very first time. So keep an eye out for our Debuts of the Month this new year: the promotion, no doubt, will be as successful and as fulfilling in 2023 as it has up to this point.

… And come and talk to us about your favourite debuts… you might just meet a fellow fan.

Valentine’s Day Promotion

This Valentine’s Day, you can get four Mills and Boon titles for just R200! This is at least half the usual price!

Here’s a Valentine’s thought: what would romance be without books?
Books can, and have, explored and illuminated every facet of love from the get-go: some of them reveal its essence, some of them probe its tribulations, some of them test and redefine it… and some of them provide it in heady, steamy doses. And that’s where this promotion comes in.

Fantasy worlds, passionate desires, modern lives, reformed villains, heart-warming comforts, salacious scandals… treat yourself to everything that Mills and Boon have to offer for even less than usual.

For years and years, Mills and Boon books have supplied unabashed escapism in the form of simple, enthralling tales of romance. Sometimes this romance is forbidden, sometimes it is wholesome, sometimes it’s doomed and sometimes it’s redemptive. And most of the time, it’s really sexy.

On Valentine’s Day, of all days, why not treat yourself to an idealised, titillating and absorbing version of romance? It seems like the proper time for a happy ending, after all. It seems like the proper time too, to enjoy the gradual softening of a hardened and damaged hero as he is redeemed by love, and the self-discovery of a heroine finding her true autonomy. These are Mills and Boon staples – and they are things in which we get to believe more fully on this particular day of the year. And, given the enormous range of themes and backdrops provided by the Mills and Boon catalogue and its roster of authors, you’ll have no trouble finding the stories that really float your boat. Who knows, this could be a great chance to discover some brand new, um… preferences 🙂

They’ve been around for yonks, but how well do we actually know Mills and Boon?
Here are a few fun facts about the all-present imprint.

● Mills and Boon was founded in 1908 by the two eponymous publishers and their very first book was, you guessed it, a work of popular romance.
● They publish over seven hundred new titles each year. That is a lot of romance!
● Nora Roberts has written for them.
● As have Rosamunde Pilcher and Georgette Heyer.
● The six major series that form the Mills and Boon oeuvre are:
Modern – the ones with all the splendour, glamour, seduction and international locales.
Medical – where love collides with the intense pressures of high-stakes healthcare.
Historical – with the lords and ladies, Vikings, pirates, warriors and, of course, more lavish gowns and resplendent frock coats than you could ever remove in a hurry.
Heroes – all the romance with an added dose of adrenaline pumping danger.
True Love – the most romantic of them all, tears pretty much guaranteed.
Desire – the steamiest and most passionate of the bunch.

Happy Reading and Happy Valentine’s Day!

Win with Quivertree Publications – The Grootbos Florilegium Getaway Competition! Nov 17, 2022 Buy your Copy Today!

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF CONSERVATION IN FYNBOS FROM THE CAPE FLORISTIC KINGDOM, SOUTH AFRICA!

The greatest botanical artists in the world capture one of the most diverse floral kingdoms on earth.

You can stand a chance to win an accommodation Voucher for a 1-night stay for 2 people in a One-Bedroom Luxury Suite at Grootbos Private Nature Reserve by visiting 1 of these 12 Bargain Books branches and purchasing a copy of The Grootbos Florilegium at the special price of R2500:
1) Walmer Park
2) Nelspruit
3) Mall of Africa
4) Brooklyn
5) Woodlands
6) Hermanus
7) Somerset
8) Ballito Lifestyle
9) Musgrave
10) Hilton
11) Canal Walk
12) Willowbridge
When you buy a copy at 1 of 12 of these stores write your name, email address, and phone number at the back of your receipt and pop it in the competition box provided at the selected store.

Included in the Package:
• Accommodation in freestanding suites
• Welcome drink served upon arrival
• Water, soft drinks, tea and coffee, minibar
• Fresh fruit daily in suite
• Breakfast buffet with full English breakfast menu
• Light Lunch
• 5-course dinner
• Horse riding for non- and experienced riders through the reserve (please note that the weight limit is 90kg/198lbs per person/ children under the age of 12 are only allowed on guided pony rides)
• Guided Walks including fynbos nature tours and Milkwood walks
• Nature, marine & coastal drives, and walks
• Seasonal land-based whale watching (whale watching especially during July – December)
• Birdwatching
• Transfers to/from all activities
Excluded from Package:
• Alcoholic beverages
• Laundry
• Conservation Contribution of R 200 per person per night
• Additional Activities that are not mentioned above
• Items of personal nature
Details Should you Win:
• Booking is subject to availability and excludes 16 December 2022 – 10 January 2023, Easter Holidays as well as Public Holidays
• The original voucher must be presented on arrival
• The voucher is not transferable and cannot be exchange into cash.
• Travel is excluded
⁠
This competition closes at midnight on 16/12/2022. Winners will be announced shortly thereafter.

T’s and C’s:
• This prize is open to South African citizens only.
• The prize will be valid till 30 September 2023.
• T&C’S Apply – https://bit.ly/2LdbdKH

Heartstopper Yearbook by Alice Oseman
👉WAS R359 NOW R329 SAVE R30
Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. This joyful trip into the LGBTQ+ world of Heartstopper is the perfect gift for anyone who loves the graphic novels or Netflix TV series

The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna
👉WAS R199 NOW R189 SAVE R10
The rich, feminist, West-Africa-inspired fantasy world crafted by Forna first appeared with the first instalment in this series, The Gilded Ones. With this new entry, that world grows. In scale, in substance and in thrills.
In fighting hard to free the goddesses of Otera, Deka has already proved her mettle – has shown her world that she will not be tamed, that she will not be defined by the circumstances of her birth. But with the kingdom descending into all-out war and with a new even darker force taking hold in Otera, Deka’s real battle is only just beginning. But with her army enduring its own challenges, with her gifts changing shape and her burgeoning power defying control, Deka will have to come to greater grips with who she is. And who she is… is either the indomitable spirit that will save Otera, or the boundless flame that will destroy it all.
An epic, captivating tale… and one of the fiercest female protagonists you’ll ever encounter.

American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas
👉WAS R249 NOW R229 SAVE R20
Steamy, swoon worthy – the perfect summer read – Elena Armas improves on the romantic headiness she provided with her debut, The Spanish Love Deception.
Rosie Graham has a burning secret. She is an undercover romance novelist. No one knows this of course, but now that she’s quit her well-paid job to concentrate on writing, she has no choice but to make it work. Could be tricky though – not just because of her terrible writer’s block but also because her New York apartment is literally falling apart. Fortunately, she has a key to her best friend Lina’s apartment while she is away. On arriving there, however, she finds that her friend’s place already has someone in it: Lina’s gorgeous, hopelessly distracting cousin Lucas.
Lucas offers to let Rosie stay until she can find somewhere suitable. And then, hearing of her troubles fulfilling an upcoming deadline, he proposes something interesting: that they go on a series of experimental dates designed to jumpstart her romantic creativity. They have just six weeks though. Will it be enough? Will she? Will he?

The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake
👉WAS R349 NOW R319 SAVE R30
Six magicians. Two rivalries. One researcher. And a man who can walk through dreams. All must pick a side: do they wish to preserve the world—or destroy it? In this electric sequel to the viral sensation, The Atlas Six, the society of Alexandrians is revealed for what it is: a secret society with raw, world-changing power, headed by a man whose plans to change life as we know it are already under way. But the cost of knowledge is steep, and as the price of power demands each character choose a side, which alliances will hold, and which will see their enmity deepen?”

First To Die at the End by Adam Silvera
👉WAS R239 NOW R219 SAVE R20
Orion and Valentino cross paths in Times Square and immediately feel a deep connection. But when the first round of End Day calls goes out, their lives are changed forever—one of them receives a call, and the other doesn’t. Though neither boy is certain how the day will end, they know they want to spend it together…even if that means their goodbye will be heart-breaking.

It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover
👉WAS R339 NOW R299 SAVE R40
As surely everyone knows by now, Colleen Hoover recently rocketed to writer stardom thanks in large part to her book It Ends with Us. But there is more to the story. With this new release, It Starts with Us, Hoover brings us the backstory – in all its glorious and beautiful mess and romance – of beloved fan-favourite, Atlas Corrigan.
Following their breakup, Lily and her ex, Ryle, have settled into an acceptable co-parenting arrangement. Things are quickly shaken up, however, when Lily runs into her first love, Atlas. Her excitement is difficult to contain, and the two quickly agree to a date. But the thing is, Ryle is still a part of her life and there’s no way that he will welcome an old flame into things – especially where their daughter is concerned. This could get messy. But this is how it starts.

Die Demokratiese Republiek van Braai 2 by Jan Braai
👉WAS R429 NOW R399 SAVE R30
Die nuwe uitgawe van Die Demokratiese Republiek van Braai bevat ‘n keur van nuwe resepte. Die indeling van die hoofstukke is aangepas, met besonderse resepte vir steak, hoender, slaai, groente, lam en meer. Die ideale geskenk vir enige Suid-Afrikaner wat daarvan hou om vir vriende en familie oor ‘n vuur te kook.

One by Jamie Oliver
👉WAS R499 NOW R449 SAVE R50
A book to rival 15-Minute Meals and 5 Ingredients in its smart simplicity – a one-pan cookbook from Jamie
Quick and easy meals are even simpler when you cook with just one pot, pan or tray. And with each recipe using eight ingredients or fewer, requiring minimal prep (and washing up), they offer maximum convenience.
ONE is packed with budget-friendly dishes you can rustle up any time: delicious work from home lunches, quick dinners the whole family will love, meals to get novice cooks started.
With over one hundred recipes that will teach you simple one-pan techniques – chapters include Veggie Delights, Celebrating Chicken, Frying Pan Pasta, Batch Cooking and Puds & Cakes – there are plenty of no-fuss, tasty recipes that make this a must-have for every kitchen.

Lekker & Goed: Heerlike Kos Propvol Heilsaamheid by Carmen Niehaus
👉WAS R329 NOW R299 SAVE R30
LEKKER & GOED Heerlike kos propvol heilsaamheid is Carmen Niehaus se nuutste kookbook nadat sy reeds meer as twintig kookboeke uitgegee

Minecraft Gift Box
👉WAS R389 NOW R359 SAVE R30
Dive into Minecraft with the official Minecraft Gift Box, packed with tips and tricks for creating amazing builds in the game.
Get creative with this ultimate builder’s gift box, a must-have for all Minecraft fans.
Take your creative skills to the next level with the Creative Handbook
Find inspiration for ingenious builds with Bite-Size Builds
Pore over block choices in the mini Blockopedia.
This gift box comes with three books, a poster, and a door hanger, and is sure to provide hours of entertainment.
The perfect gift for the gamer in your life!

Harry Potter Patronus Mini Projector Set
👉WAS R289 NOW R259 SAVE R30
Expecto Patronum! Call on the Patronuses of 11 major Harry Potter characters with this officially licensed collectible set.
SPECIFICATIONS: 3-inch projector features 11 Patronuses from the Harry Potter films and projects them across a 5-foot distance. Bonus 12th projection of the Harry Potter logo also included.
BONUS STICKER BOOK: Mini sticker book includes 22 full-colour stickers.
PERFECT GIFT: A unique and keepsake item for all fans of Harry Potter.
OFFICIALLY LICENSED: Authentic collectible.

Terry Pratchett A Life with Footnotes: The Official Biography by Rob Wilkins
👉WAS R359 NOW R329 SAVE R30
Terry Pratchett, as if you need telling, was one of the greatest world-creators, wordplay humourists, off-kilter satirists, unseen academics and, of course, fantasy authors that ever lived. In his time, he created an inimitable kind of fantasy writing – a kind of writing infused with such wry genius that it defies classification – and was heaped with plaudits and awards for it. But what you might not know, when he tragically died, in 2015, he was hard at work on the kind of story he had not yet told. His own.
And it’s the story of a boy told he would never amount to anything. A young man who abandoned his studies to become a searching journalist and who came up with his first novel idea (in both senses) before he turned twenty. A man who smelted his own celebratory sword, who ate his first prestigious award in front of a crowd of dismayed librarians and insisted that his unfinished novels be literally destroyed by steamroller upon his heart-breaking death.
Pratchett sadly ran out of time before he was able to complete his memoir. But, thanks to the efforts of his friend and manager, Rob Wilkins, and with the help of his numerous cherished friends, we at last are treated here to the first and only biography of the great, great, singular fantasist. How can you not take this chance to visit the life of an artist whose staggering imagination literally shaped the world of books as we know it?

FAF: Through Fire by Faf du Plessis
👉WAS R329 NOW R299 SAVE R30
This is not a book about cricket. It is the story of a man who just happened to play cricket at the highest level. Through Fire is a no-holds-barred autobiography offering exceptional insight into the core being of an elite sports personality.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse: The Animated Story by Charlie Mackesy
👉WAS R479 NOW R449 SAVE R30
A journey, in search of home
Charlie Mackesy’s beloved The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse has been adapted into an animated short film, coming to BBC One and iPlayer this Christmas.
This beautifully made hardback celebrates the work of over 100 animators across two years of production – with Charlie’s distinctive illustrations brought to life in full colour with hand-drawn traditional animation and accompanying hand-written script.
“I made a film with some friends about a boy, a mole, a fox and a horse – their journey together and the boy’s search for home. I hope this book gives you courage and makes you feel loved.” Love Charlie x

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
👉WAS R389 NOW R359 SAVE R30
Matthew Perry, for many of us, will forever be Chandler Bing (from Friends, of course). Many of us will be guilty of having assumed at one time or another that Perry is Bing. But more went into Perry’s journey with the beloved sitcom that most of us realise. Here’s how he introduces the book:
‘Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And
I should be dead.’
Here his tale charts his life and career from his early childhood ambition to his spectacular fame and success and on into the present day. In particular, it zeroes in on his life-threatening struggle with addiction and the contentment he has finally achieved through sobriety. Expect vignettes of a fractured family and a young man desperate for recognition, stories about his equally recognisable castmates and behind the scenes happenings, unexpected accounts of other celebrity encounters and, most illuminating of all, expect to be intrigued by Perry’s thoughts and Friends and everything that went into it and what it continues to represent.
Warm, disarmingly honest and, naturally, exceptionally funny, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing is a celebrity memoir that comprises more than your average doses of intimacy and candour.

The Journey: A Big Panda and Tiny Dragon Adventure by James Norbury
👉WAS R399 NOW R359 SAVE R40
Join Big Panda and Tiny Dragon as they set off on an extraordinary adventure in this companion to the global bestselling phenomenon Big Panda and Tiny Dragon.

Op pad na Moormansgat by Chris Karsten
👉WAS R229 NOW R199 SAVE R30
Een aand in 1914 word Koos de la Rey op pad na ’n rebellie noodlottig gewond. Die teiken was die bendelid William Foster. Dat De la Rey in die spervuur beland het, was pure toeval. Of was dit?

Die verkeerde vrou by Irma Venter
👉WAS R319 NOW R289 SAVE R30
Liela Oloffson het alles wat die meeste mense wil hê. Skoonheid, roem, ‘n sterre akteursloopbaan. Maar toe sy een Vrydagaand verdwyn, moet die polisie die media inroep om haar te help vind.

Hans Hou Sy Lyf Sherlock by Rudie van Rensburg
👉WAS R259 NOW R229 SAVE R30
Hans van Kraaienburg sal hom mos nie met ’n piramideskema laat vang nie . . . of hoe? Toe Huis Madeliefie se mense onder ’n gladdebek-skelm deurloop en hul kosbare geldjies soos mis voor die son sien verdwyn, en die polisie ’n beloning uitloof aan enigeen wat hulle na die skurk kan lei, gaan Hans en trawante op die oorlogspad, Weskus toe.

Doolhof by Rudie van Rensburg
👉WAS R339 NOW R299 SAVE R40
Kassie en Rooi pak hul ondersoek sonder forensiese rugsteun aan, en al die verdagtes hardloop kringe om hulle. Gaan iemand dié keer vir Kassie ore aansit ̶ en met die perfekte moord wegkom?

Murasie By Chanette Paul
👉WAS R359 NOW R329 SAVE R30
Die huurpag is duur gekoop – nie soseer met geld nie, maar met ‘n veel duurder kommoditeit. Eers toe Georgie Rabie Verlatenfontein toe moet vlug ná ‘n twiet wat haar baie suur bekom het, hoor sy wat die ware storie is agter die huurpag wat haar peetma hou.

Heimwee by Sophia Kapp
👉WAS R359 NOW R329 SAVE R30
Dis ʼn storie wat strek oor geslagte, van mense wat so seer gekry het dat hulle swerf, maar dis ook ʼn storie van heling. Boweal is dit die storie van moederskap, van die verskriklike prys wat dit soms vra, en van ma’s wat bo-oor die ewigheid sal reik om seker te maak hulle kinders is geborge.

Terry Pratchett A Life with Footnotes: The Official Biography by Rob Wilkins
👉WAS R359 NOW R329 SAVE R30
Terry Pratchett, as if you need telling, was one of the greatest world-creators, wordplay humourists, off-kilter satirists, unseen academics and, of course, fantasy authors that ever lived. In his time, he created an inimitable kind of fantasy writing – a kind of writing infused with such wry genius that it defies classification – and was heaped with plaudits and awards for it. But what you might not know, when he tragically died, in 2015, he was hard at work on the kind of story he had not yet told. His own.
And it’s the story of a boy told he would never amount to anything. A young man who abandoned his studies to become a searching journalist and who came up with his first novel idea (in both senses) before he turned twenty. A man who smelted his own celebratory sword, who ate his first prestigious award in front of a crowd of dismayed librarians and insisted that his unfinished novels be literally destroyed by steamroller upon his heart-breaking death.
Pratchett sadly ran out of time before he was able to complete his memoir. But, thanks to the efforts of his friend and manager, Rob Wilkins, and with the help of his numerous cherished friends, we at last are treated here to the first and only biography of the great, great, singular fantasist. How can you not take this chance to visit the life of an artist whose staggering imagination literally shaped the world of books as we know it?
FAF: Through Fire by Faf du Plessis
👉WAS R329 NOW R299 SAVE R30
This is not a book about cricket. It is the story of a man who just happened to play cricket at the highest level. Through Fire is a no-holds-barred autobiography offering exceptional insight into the core being of an elite sports personality.
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse: The Animated Story by Charlie Mackesy
👉WAS R479 NOW R449 SAVE R30
A journey, in search of home
Charlie Mackesy’s beloved The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse has been adapted into an animated short film, coming to BBC One and iPlayer this Christmas.
This beautifully made hardback celebrates the work of over 100 animators across two years of production – with Charlie’s distinctive illustrations brought to life in full colour with hand-drawn traditional animation and accompanying hand-written script.
“I made a film with some friends about a boy, a mole, a fox and a horse – their journey together and the boy’s search for home. I hope this book gives you courage and makes you feel loved.” Love Charlie x
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
👉WAS R389 NOW R359 SAVE R30
Matthew Perry, for many of us, will forever be Chandler Bing (from Friends, of course). Many of us will be guilty of having assumed at one time or another that Perry is Bing. But more went into Perry’s journey with the beloved sitcom that most of us realise. Here’s how he introduces the book:
‘Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And
I should be dead.’
Here his tale charts his life and career from his early childhood ambition to his spectacular fame and success and on into the present day. In particular, it zeroes in on his life-threatening struggle with addiction and the contentment he has finally achieved through sobriety. Expect vignettes of a fractured family and a young man desperate for recognition, stories about his equally recognisable castmates and behind the scenes happenings, unexpected accounts of other celebrity encounters and, most illuminating of all, expect to be intrigued by Perry’s thoughts and Friends and everything that went into it and what it continues to represent.
Warm, disarmingly honest and, naturally, exceptionally funny, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing is a celebrity memoir that comprises more than your average doses of intimacy and candour.
The Journey: A Big Panda and Tiny Dragon Adventure by James Norbury
👉WAS R399 NOW R359 SAVE R40
Join Big Panda and Tiny Dragon as they set off on an extraordinary adventure in this companion to the global bestselling phenomenon Big Panda and Tiny Dragon

All the Broken Places by John Boyne
👉WAS R339 NOW R299 SAVE R40
It may be fair to suggest that The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas occupies a special place within the myriad fiction that has been written about the atrocities of that particularly awful period of history. Certainly, it is fair to say that as a profoundly memorable story, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas had an enormous impact on the world – and now the story continues with this gripping, beautiful sequel. All the Broken Places grapples sensitively and compellingly with the very personal fallout of the story that preceded it. And the results are certainly not to be missed.
In 1946, having endured, and emotionally participated in, unimaginable horrors, a mother and daughter flee Poland, hoping to get to Paris, hoping to somehow put the past behind them and to forge completely new identities and lives. If this is to happen, it is paramount that nobody knows who they are and what part they did (or did not) play in the horrors of Auschwitz.
Almost eighty years later, Gretel Fernsby lives a life far removed from the trials of her childhood. In her nineties, still bright and still sharp, she lives a comfortable life in a luxury apartment block in London. But she is nonetheless burdened by a secret she has had to shoulder for far too long. Hers is a quiet life… until a new couple moves into the apartment beneath her. This is hardly a terrible thing, but the appearance of the couple’s young son, Henry, brings her traumatic past roaring back into view. He unsettles her, she is concerned about his safety, but to reveal this would be to risk revealing herself and her past in a way she may be unable to bear. Because where does culpability really lie and how many of the sins of others can one person be compelled to carry?
With great insight, ingenious characterisation and all the gifts for which John Boyne is rightly celebrated All the Broken Places returns us to a place that can really never be made too much sense of.

The High Notes by Danielle Steel
👉WAS R349 NOW R319 SAVE R30
An inspiring tale of what it takes to find the strength to pursue your own dreams, The High Notes sees the legendary novelist in fine form.
Iris Cooper has a gift. She has been singing for her entire life, and nobody can hit the high notes like she can. She was just twelve when her father convinced a bar owner to let her play, and the two of them have been travelling from one run downtown to the next, her passion and dedication to her music increasing with every performance.
But this is not the life she wants. With her father in charge, what little money they make is quickly squandered and when she finally gets her own manager, he exploits her too. The musicians and bandmates she met on the way, however, finally convince her to strike out on her own, to really seek out the heights she knows she can reach. Her talent blossoms but, having endured the abuses and hardships of an undervalued life on the road, every step toward the top is a fight.

Next in Line by Jeffrey Archer
👉WAS R359 NOW R329 SAVE R30
The fifth book in the series sees William Warwick plunged into a situation of unusual sensitivity. It is 1988 and Britain is in the grip of Royal Fever. Princess Diana is at the height of her popularity and the country’s most famous family has never seen more attention. The Royalty Protection Command – a unit set up to ensure the safety of the royals certainly has its work cut out… and some doubt their ability to perform. And so, DCI William Warwick and his team are sent in to investigate this most crucial outfit. Anything less than perfection could cost the country dearly. Especially when an unchecked group has set its nefarious sights on one royal in particular.
Brilliantly conjuring an intense period of British history and deftly weaving together multiple plot threads – including the presence of an old foe – Next in Line is a treat for anyone who values skilled storytelling and is especially tantalising for those interested in the British monarchy.

Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks
👉WAS R339 NOW R299 SAVE R40
Set over the course of one unforgettable week, Dreamland treats us to a dose of heady first love the likes of which only Sparks can provide.
Colby always had ambitions of a flourishing musical career. And he might have gotten there too, had tragedy not curbed his plans. Now he manages his small family farm and music has had to take a back seat. But a slight reprieve is offered when he agrees to play a gig at a small bar in Florida. There he meets Morgan.
Morgan too is committed to the life of a music star. She is headed for Nashville. Meeting Colby is unexpected, but she cannot deny the draw she feels. Colby too, quickly starts to wonder whether his humdrum responsibilities should be allowed to rule his life.
Meanwhile, Beverly and her six-year-old son are fleeing an abusive husband, looking for somewhere out of the way that they might be able to make home. The journey seems near impossible, and everything is about to be changed by one fateful decision.
As the lives of these three people improbably intersect, each of them is forced to figure out whether the past is truly escapable and whether their dreams can endure.

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult
👉WAS R359 NOW R329 SAVE R30
Picoult continues to demonstrate her knack for conjuring tough decisions and complex pasts with this new tale of secrets and sacrifice.
Olivia McAfee thought she had the perfect life. Married to a successful surgeon and raising a beautiful son, Asher, she thought everything was as it should be. Until her husband revealed a terrifying dark side and she was forced to return to her New Hampshire hometown to attempt a fresh start.
Lily Campanello also knows what it is to start again. She and her mom have just relocated to a sleepy town in New Hampshire, where she means to finish her final year of high school. It is not long, however, before Lily meets Olivia’s son Asher. They fall for each other, and the romance brings with it more happiness than Lily can remember. But can she trust him completely?
When Olivia receives a phone call informing her of a horrible tragedy, her fresh start is completely shattered. Lily has been killed and Asher is being questioned by the police. She knows her son is innocent… but she also knows that he may be hiding his father’s violent temper. As events are pieced together, Olivia is forced to wonder whether she really knows her son at all.

Koos Bekker’s Billions by T.J. Strydom
👉WAS R289 NOW R269 SAVE R20
In Koos Bekker’s Billions, business journalist T. J. Strydom takes a detailed look at Bekker’s life and career, evaluating business decisions and identifying successful patterns on the way. Ultimately, he lands on fifteen of the most standout and effective strategies employed by Bekker during his incredible rise to extraordinary wealth – making Koos Bekker’s Billions not just an interesting look into a personality from whom we seldom hear directly, but also an illuminating read for anyone looking to make their fortune in high-stakes business.
Koos Bekker, South African businessman, is the chairman of the media group Naspers – and that’s an entity we are all familiar with, whether we know it or not. Naspers is the parent organisation of Media 24 and Takealot, it’s the largest media company outside of the US, China and India and it has a total value that runs into the billions (in US dollars). He is one of the wealthiest South Africans ever. Full stop.
But and this is what the book explores, how did he manage it? How did he go from working in advertising to jointly founding MNET and MTN and finally ending up as the third richest person in SA (as of 2020)? What were his strategies, and how did he land on the deal – a risky play involving Chinese tech start-up Tencent – that skyrocketed Naspers to its current influential heights?

ANC Billionaires by Pieter Du Toit
👉WAS R309 NOW R279 SAVE R30
In The ANC Billionaires top-selling author Pieter du Toit investigates whether secret deals were struck between capital and the liberation movement to ensure the status quo remains in terms of economic policy. He also shows how the ANC was completely unprepared to navigate the intersection between business and politics.

Black Beach by Daniel Janse van Rensburg
👉WAS R329 NOW R299 SAVE R30
Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking we know what prison is like. As South African businessman and survivor Daniel Janse van Rensburg can tell us with full horror and force: we do not.
In 2013, Janse van Rensburg travelled to West Africa to “finalise a legitimate airline contract with a local politician.” Before long, and without explanation, he was arrested. His passport was confiscated, and he was held without trial in torturous and unspeakable conditions that rival Guantanamo in sheer inhumanity. His eventual release was short-lived, and he was rearrested… this time to be sent to Black Beach: a globally notorious and widely feared prison fearsomely famous for its brutality and unfettered abuse.
For more than a year, Daniel survived through little more than faith and the occasional glimmers of humanity offered by his fellow inmates. Black Beach is the thrilling, staggering and heart-breaking account of his ordeal from his initial capture and near-escape to his excruciating, deeply traumatic incarceration. It is a reminder that anyone can fall victim to the powerful and the corrupt. But it’s a reminder, too, that the human spirit has reserves of resilience that are almost boundless.

Takka Takka Bom Bom: A South African War Correspondent’s Story by Al J. Venter
👉WAS R359 NOW R329 SAVE R30
Venter, whether you are familiar with his reportage, is a man with an incredible story to tell. Several, in fact. He is one of the oldest war correspondents still active and has personally witnessed conflicts (and the atrocities that go with them) stretching all the way back to the sixties.
But it began humbly… with little more than a hunger for adventure and more than a small amount of youthful gutsiness. In the sixties, in search of experience, Venter ventured from Cape Town to London over land. Thus began the stellar reporting career that would take him to 25 different conflict zones across the world. Venter knows far more about war, violence, and upheaval than just about all of us and, with global conflicts persisting, it makes good sense to delve into his wealth of wisdom.

Rhodesia, Sudan, Angola, The Congo, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Somalia… the list goes on. Venter has witnessed more significant conflicts than most of us are able to remember.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 17: Diper Overload by Jeff Kinney
👉WAS R259 NOW R239 SAVE R20
Greg Heffley and his wimpy kid diary are back at last with another hilarious new adventure… and this time, it is all about fame and glory and rock n’ roll!
As we all know, nothing ever goes wrong when you set your sights on musical stardom. You are in an impressive band, and you make awesome music… it is just a matter of time before you blow up.
Something else we all know joining in with your older brother is a piece of cake.
When Greg decides to tag along with his brother Rodrick’s incredible band, Löded Diper, he gets a major glimpse of the realities of life on the road: band members at each other’s throats, gigs where you do not get paid, late nights and endless money troubles. But Löded Diper are absolutely legends, right? The world will soon come to love them, right? Will Greg be able to help Löded Diper reach the heights for which they are grasping? Or will it all wear a bit thin?
Another unstoppably hilarious entry from the beloved series.

Spaceboy by David Walliams
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On top of all the adventure, action, mystery, shocks and laughs that you always get in a Walliams book, this one has an extra dose of galactic fascination! If you have ever wondered what really goes on beyond the sky, if you have ever looked at someone and thought, well, I am really not sure that this person actually comes from planet Earth, then this is one you will not want to miss.
It is the 1960’s in America. A time that some will tell you was simpler. A time that some will tell you was the beginning of the future. Ruth is a girl with an absolute obsession. Sure, she loves to mess around outside, climbing trees and whatnot, but the thing that she loves more than all other things is space. Capital S Space. She reads alien invasion comic books and doodles UFOs, watching those movies with the strange intergalactic creatures and the invaders from other worlds, and, most of all, she is glued to her worn out old telescope.
One night, one of those nights where she creeps out to gaze at and examine the stars, she sees something that seems ripped straight from her wildest dreams. Something blazing across the sky. Could it be a flying saucer?! It is a flying saucer! And it is on fire. It is on fire and heading straight for the cornfield.
Ruth rushes to the site of the UFO crash to help, to see, to know what the heck is going on. And there she finds a mystery that will change her entire life.
It is quick, it is thrilling, it is everything you would want from Walliams. Spaceboy is just astronomically entertaining. You might even say, it is out of this world.

The 156-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton
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Quick: what is 156 divided by thirteen? That is right, twelve! This is the twelfth book in this utterly wondrous, impossible creative series! And things are just getting whackier and more stupendous. This one even manages to put a festive spin on things. (How long do you think it would take to put Christmas decorations up on 156 storeys?)
What if a sandwich maker could read your mind and just make whatever you want? How high up do you think a wishing well could be? What if you could have an entire place just for breaking world records? What if you could have your own robot-run quiz show studio? These are all possibilities gloriously explored by Andy and Terry in the thirteen new floors they have just added to their inimitable treehouse.
What if, also, let us say, you could find yourself at war with an unusually angry snowman? What if Santa loses his control of his sleigh and somehow ends up in the cloning machine. That is a whole lot of Christmas… perhaps even more than our heroic duo can manage?
Easy to read, madly inventive and always, always gleefully funny.

Amara goes to the Olympics by Ms YJ Banda
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An inspirational little story for young girls everywhere, Amara’s triumphant tale reminds us of all that no dream is too big to be followed.
Amara is small for her age. She gets sick often. She is, as people keep reminding her, just a little girl. What can she do? She gets cruelly teased for her big curly hair. Her bullies are so mean and so constant, she wonders if she will ever be free of them.
She is not about to sit back and take it. This year she is going to try out for the school Olympics and show everyone what she can do. She is not just trying out for one event. Oh no. She is trying out for every. single. one.
Can the little girl with the big hair and the even bigger dreams compete against all the others? Or is she just fooling herself?

Die Meisie met Vlerke by Jaco Jacobs
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Wilson se lewe is, net soos haar naam, ietwat buitengewoon. Sy woon saam met haar ouers in ‘n huis op wiele en moet elke paar maande na ‘n nuwe dorp trek. Dit frustreer haar baie. Amper so baie soos Errol.

Which Way to Anywhere by Cressida Cowell
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Cressida Cowell – author of the stupendous How to Train Your Dragon and The Wizards of Once series – is back with the first in a brand new anarchically thrilling, world-traversing, completely bonkers and hugely lovable series.
As far as Theo and Mabel are concerned, their stepbrother, K2 O’Hero, is about the most hopeless person on Earth. What they do not know is that K2 and his twin sister, Izzabird, have been sworn to keep their family’s secret: Magic exists. But nobody else can know.
K2, for reasons he almost does not understand, spends a lot of his time drawing maps. Maps of worlds that do not exist. Worlds with more moons than you can count. Worlds with plants that hunt animals, rivers that burn, jungles that are alive. That sort of thing. What he does not know, however, is that the worlds he draws are actually real.

When the baby sister of the family, Annipeck, is kidnapped, the other siblings turn to K2 and his unusual gift for help and guidance. Because who else can figure out how to get to the impossible world their sister has been taken to? They are going to have to learn to love each other… because you cannot fight off terrible magical beasts and relentless robot assassins all by yourself without a little teamwork.

Faf du Plessis is one of cricket’s greatest ever fieldsmen as well as an accomplished all-format batsman. He is among SA’s most memorable and characterful former national captains. But his new autobiography is not merely a book about a career in cricket.

Faf: Through Fire is an authentic work of introspection that seeks to explore the gap between a recognisable persona and a genuine self – a book that expounds upon a successful sportsman’s core values. In this case, honesty, integrity and empathy – essential leadership qualities. In the process, Faf introduces us to the leaders that most influenced him… and the destructive relationships that most affected him. With little off limits, this is an autobiography that goes beyond the ordinary reports to get at the real heart of a renowned sportsman.