Litnet

"Every child deserves a story that reminds them they are brave enough to face the unknown, kind enough to make a difference, and strong enough to believe in themselves."

"Land is among the finest historical novels of recent years: intellectually ambitious, emotionally resonant, politically alert and written with extraordinary grace. It confirms Maggie O’Farrell as one of the most accomplished novelists writing in English today."

Tannie Maria is wrestling with a fear of the dark and Henrietta has PTSD. But this doesn’t stop the intrepid agony aunt – and her hen – from going undercover with Maria’s fiancé, detective Henk Kannemeyer, to the Karoo Wilderness Reserve. Their mission: Save the vetplantjies!

"The whale shark becomes more than just an animal encounter; it feels like a quiet symbol of acceptance and calm strength."

"Blaise Pascal put it beautifully when he said (paraphrased) that we have a God-shaped hole in our souls that only God can fill."

"The story is filled with exciting moments, but it also takes time to explore the emotional impact of losing a home and being forced into unfamiliar surroundings."

"Books, the art of reading – we come into this world alone and we depart from it alone, but in between we get to read. And hopefully read a lot."

We have an exciting announcement. Through a new partnership with the National Arts Festival, the Conference on Children’s Literature is now a hybrid event!

"Through research, I was trying to write the history of Soweto from the perspective of the people who lived there, and it was a multidimensional place."

"The cast of quirky feline characters kept me entertained, and the cat-themed humour added plenty of fun without taking away from the emotional moments."

Ken Forrester Wines is delighted to announce a new series of Bookshelf Events, bringing together acclaimed authors, passionate readers, and exceptional wines in an intimate and inspiring setting at the wine farm in Stellenbosch. The first event takes place on Thursday, 25 June 2026.

"Viewed in its entirety, Mathe’s biography is ultimately a meditation on memory, political ownership and historical erasure."

"In a world where we are regularly faced with body shaming and bullying due to appearance, this book allows us to talk to children openly about these important themes and how to deal with them."

The Schreiner Karoo Writers Festival takes place from 18 to 21 June 2026 in Nxuba (Cradock). The full programme of the festival, made possible by the Avbob Poetry Project and the Amazwi South African Museum of Literature, has been released.

"There’s something provocative when one tells the truth and lays one’s soul bare. And I guess honesty is provocative, and, like a fire horse, that kind of feeds me and inspires me. Writing Swift was not planned. It had to come out of me."

"In many ways, this is not merely a historical novel about Taiwan under Japanese rule, but a novel about every colonised society where the coloniser arrives convinced of their own sophistication while remaining blind to the humanity standing beside them."

"You have to create intrigue and curiosity pretty quickly for a reader to want to finish the story."

The theme for this year’s conference is: Indigenous Knowledge Systems for a New Era of Enlightenment.

"South Africa’s challenge is no longer simply moral reconciliation, but coordinated survival. The capacities produced by Afrikaner covenantal thinking – planning, infrastructure, institutional memory, long-horizon cooperation – cannot simply be discarded because the metaphysics that once organised them has shifted."

"Anyone who is interested in creativity may want to get hold of the book. While it is an academic text, Hardman writes fluently, and the bits that I have been reading since buying it are easy to understand."