Books

Sometimes it is hard to be an adult. Yes, you can go to bed as late as you want, but you have to make decisions all the time. You have bills to pay and taxes to do. It’s enough to make you want to scream – WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME IT WOULD BE LIKE THIS? Adulting 101 will help you navigate the tricky terrain of adulthood. Jen Thorpe guides you through everything you need to know from relationships, sex, work, health and money to how government and the media work. *Price includes paperback and postage

When Thuli reveals her secret – that she can see into the near future – to journalist Helen, the latter is skeptical. But as Thuli believes she’s seen that #FeesMustFall protest leader, Hector, will be assassinated, Helen looks into the matter. What she finds is odd behaviour by the police on campus. Police sent by President Noné, who wants no trouble from pesky students while she launches her zoo of magical creatures. If what Thuli say is true, they have only seven days to change the future. *Price includes paperback and postage.

Many of our experiences are filtered through our bodies – norms, myths, and cultural standards shape the way that we feel about our bodies and how we see ourselves. Feminism says these rules are bullshit. This collection take us from an examination of skin and hair, to an exploration of pleasure, sex, and safety. They explore our bodies and health. They examine the way that institutions can trap us and how we can trap ourselves. It remind us that feminism is dynamic, open, and ever relevant. *Price includes paperback and postage.

Do you call yourself a feminist? What does this mean in your daily life? In this book, South African feminists explore their often vastly different experiences and perspectives in accessible and engaging voices. Feminism Is touches on issues as wide-ranging as motherhood, anger, sex, race, inclusions and exclusions, the noisy protest and the quiet struggle. It will challenge your thinking and inspire you to action, reaffirming the urgent necessity of feminism in South Africa today. *Price includes paperback and postage

Phobias abound at the Centre for Improved Living, where Nazma goes for help. She’s crazy about baking and desperately wants to become a pastry chef, but her fear of driving keeps her stuck working in a train-station kiosk, where she sells stale food to commuters while dreaming of butter croissants and fresh strudel. The Centre is also a lifeline for Sam, who is scared to death of being robbed and spends his days in his pyjamas in front of his computer, his house alarm always armed. Like the rest of the patients, Nazma and Sam want to face their fears, but will four weeks at the Centre be enough to change their lives? And will the two allow their budding romance to bloom without letting their phobias get in the way? Meanwhile, the Centre risks losing its funding, a fear that Ruby, the Centre’s eccentric director, must face while she tries to manage the patients’ fears. Set in a Cape Town as peculiar as its characters, The Peculiars is Jen Thorpe’s heart-warming and humorous debut.