To celebrate both Heritage Month and Exclusive Books’ 75th birthday, South Africa’s leading bookseller has a list of new reading recommendations from South African writers.
Continuing Exclusive Books’ Homebru campaign, which highlights new releases and favourites that capture what makes South Africa so special. From engaging fiction to important political stories and flavourful cookbooks, Homebru shows how novels can reflect our home and expand understanding of Mzansi through words.
These are the recommendations for 2026.
Fiction
Fiction brings together contemporary storytelling and enduring South African classics, including Divine Arrangements by Takalani Mutshinyane, Dogs of Vivo by Sven Axelrad, The Near North by Ivan Vladislavić, Bare VI by Jackie Phamotse, Recipes for Love and Murder by Sally Andrew and Spud by John van de Ruit.
Among this year’s Fiction highlights, Takalani Mutshinyane has built a devoted following for the kind of love stories that keep South African readers turning pages long after bedtime. Raised in Shayandima, near Thohoyandou, and now based in Pretoria, she is one of the country’s most popular contemporary romance authors; in Divine Arrangements, a jilted bride-turned-chef pours her heartbreak into building a catering business on her grandmother’s land, rising over a decade to become a sought-after chef among Venda’s elite.
Another newcomer is Mia Arderne’s How to Stop Being a Naai, a hilarious self-help book that follows a man called Lucian on his quest to develop a nine-step framework for being a (slightly) better person.
At the other end of the shelf, John van de Ruit needs little introduction to South African readers: his 2005 debut novel, Spud, became a publishing phenomenon, smashing local fiction records and winning the Bookseller’s Choice Award, before being adapted into a hit film starring Troye Sivan and John Cleese. Two decades on, Spud remains a coming-of-age favourite – a comedic, diary-style account of a scholarship boy’s first year at boarding school on the eve of South Africa’s democratic transition, capturing a very particular kind of South African adolescence. The new Spud book, ‘Two for the Road’, is available at Exclusive Books.
Children’s Books
The children’s and educational collection celebrates the stories, languages, wildlife and experiences through which younger readers encounter South Africa. Titles include Athambile Masola’s Dancing Words / Woorde Wat Dans, Refiloe Moahloli’s All That I Am, and Erroll Cuthbert’s My First Book of Southern African Wildlife.
History & Politics
Homebru’s biographical, political, and historical collection ‘Know’ explores South Africa’s history, politics and people through titles including Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom, Steve Biko’s I Write What I Like, Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime, Jonny Steinberg’s Winnie & Nelson, Mpoomy Ledwaba’s How Did We Get Here?, Max du Preez’s End of Normal, and Coloured by Tessa Dooms and Lynsey Ebony Chutel.
Cooking
Taste celebrates the food, flavours and traditions that bring South Africans together, with books including Mogau Seshoene’s The Lazy Makoti and Reuben Riffel’s Braai.
Exploring SA
Explore turns to South Africa’s landscapes, wildlife and natural heritage through titles such as Herman van Niekerk’s Sappi Birds of South Africa: Enhanced Edition, Eddie Germiquet’s South African Birds by Name and Mario Cesare’s Tracks in the Dust.
Keep up with Exclusive Books
This collection of books highlights many aspects of South African life, from authentic cooking and natural landscapes to local storytelling and important histories. With these recommendations, Exclusive Books celebrates 75 years of being a proudly South African bookstore that prides itself on its catalogue of homegrown stories, narratives, and writers.
Throughout September, readers can explore and shop the Homebru collection at Exclusive Books stores nationwide and online at www.exclusivebooks.co.za
Website: exclusivebooks.co.za
Email: info@exclusivebooks.co.za
Tel: 087 365 4677
Facebook: Exclusive Books
Instagram: @exclusivebooks
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