General

by Jen Thorpe (Penguin) ISBN: 978485903406 This debut novel, set in Cape Town, is a light-hearted story of how people deal with their fears. Unconventional Ruby is the director of the Centre for Improved Living. The centre coordinates a few studies a year and conducts therapy sessions for the participants to improve their lives. Ruby and her […]

by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein (Young Arrow) ISBN: 9780099568292 This is the second book in the House of Robots series by James Patterson and collaborator Chris Grabenstein (I Funny). Sammy Hayes-Rodrigues lives with robots. Robots that fly, mop, garden and make breakfast, all built by his computer-science-professor mom. His mom creates E (short for Egghead),

Heart Of Gold by Robert Jordan, Harriet McDougal, Alan Romanczuk and Maria Simons (Orbit) ISBN: 978-0-356-50614-2

by Richelle Mead (Razorbill) ISBN: 9781595147639 Richelle Mead is no stranger to the young adult fantasy scene. However, while her Vampire Academy series was a hit because of its fresh take on angst-ridden paranormal teens, a different author might as well have written her latest novel, Soundless. At first glance, Soundless follows the extraordinary journey of

A Military History Of Modern South Africa by Ian van der Waag (Jonathan Ball) ISBN: 9781868424184 A passing glance at the history section of the local book store will testify to the sustained interest in historical military conflicts. Whilst many books tend to focus on a specific period, there is often little by way of general

by Aatish Taseer (Picador) ISBN 9781447272724 At thirty-something, Skanda is living and studying Sanskrit in New York City when his father dies. Skanda accompanies his father’s body to Kalasuryaketu, a remote Indian village where his father will be laid to rest. This is his father’s birthplace and the backdrop to his parents’ passionate but ill-fated relationship

by Yann Martel (Canongate) ISBN: 9781782114697 The Man Booker Prize-winning author of Life of Pi has written a new novel. It covers three stories of love and loss, weaved together by recurring themes of religion, magical realism and animal psychology. The first story is of the archivist Tomás who, in 1904, has started walking backwards since his

by Holly Seddon (Corvus) ISBN: 9781782399452 The real world had to take a back seat while I followed this engrossing story about a girl in a “locked-in” coma, and the woman who discovers she can communicate. Alex Dale is a journalist struggling with an addiction to alcohol. Meeting the girl in the coma ward, forces her

by Johnny Ball (Dorling Kindersley Limited) ISBN: 978-0-24124-357-2 In this companion book to his first book Think of a Number, UK television personality Johnny Ball takes maths to the next level. Maths is not just about numbers. Ball is a master at capturing the imagination of children between the ages of eight and fourteen. In this

The Innocent Killer by Michael Griesbach (Windmill) ISBN: 9780099510833 A book like The Innocent Killer is in danger of becoming a glorified court transcript with a few opinions thrown in. More so when the author, in this case Michael Griesbach, is not only a prosecutor, but one involved in the case. He seems to acknowledge these issues in the book, writing