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VOLUME 32 THE MAGAZINE ABOUT BOOKS FOR BOOK LOVERS AQUATIC WONDERS Paul Skelton and freshwater fi shes ONE-PAN MEALS Simplify dinner, amplify flavour AT MY DESK Richard Osman’s new adventure ON MY MIND Steve Smith inside The Pain Cave THE MAGAZINE ABOUT BOOKS FOR BOOK LOVERS LATEST RELEASES FROM JODI PICOULT AND PAULA HAWKINS TO JO NESBO AND LEE CHILD WIN A BOOK STACK TO THE VALUE OF R1 000! JAN BRAAI 20 EPIC YEARS AT THE FIRESIDE YOUR FREE COPY!Welcome! Welcome to another great issue of your ultimate guide to the world of books. Th is edition is brimming with memories, ideas and opinions that make a diff erence – the perfect companion for any book lover. We start with our exclusive interview with Jan Braai, who celebrates South Africa’s Heritage Day (or, heritage month, as some might celebrate it) with tales of unity and unforgettable braai memories. In fi ction, we discover more about Richard Osman’s latest adventure (we’ll give you a clue: it involves a murder) and Gareth Crocker’s chilling new thriller. We’re also super excited to welcome Jodi Picoult to the Penguin family. Her novel is a literature lover’s dream, which raises the question, What if Shakespeare was a woman? We already know you can’t wait to dig your teeth into that one, so we’ve given you an extract! Th ank us later. In keeping with the spirit of heritage, this issue also pays tribute to South African authors who, with their writing, have captured the essence of our diverse nation. Wellbeing features Gabor Maté’s exploration of the illusion of wellness and in Nature, Paul Skelton describes his fascinating journey into the world of freshwater fi shes. Plus, we’ve got delicious one-pan recipes that will make dinner a breeze. And fi nally, as we approach the new year, we’d love to hear your thoughts on our beloved magazine. What do you want to see more of? What can we do without? Share your thoughts, and you could stand in line to win a stack of books from this issue to the value of R1 000. So, fi nd your happy place and happy reading! contents 02 BOOKSCAPE Yuval Noah Harari’s new book, the novel that’s dominating the bestseller lists and fi ve minutes with Gareth Crocker 06 COVER Jan Braai on the power of a fi re, plus a mouthwatering recipe from his new cookbook 10 AT MY DESK Richard Osman’s new adventure, and top new fi ction 13 BOOK CLUB Jodi Picoult’s new novel, By Any Other Name 14 SPECIALSouth Africa through the eyes of its authors 16 AFRIKAANS Ons het die skrywers van vier splinternuwe Afrikaanse boeke ’n paar vrae gevra 19 NATUREPaul Skelton’s life in fi sh taxonomy and conservation 23 WELLBEING Gabor Maté exposes how toxic culture harms true well-being and health, and Thomas Erikson’s Surrounded by series in quotes 27 FOOD Simplify your dinner routine with these flavourful one-pan dishes 32 ON MY MINDSteve Smith, familiar yet unaware of endurance suff ering’s true Pain Cave Johannesburg| Growthpoint Business Park, Unit 12A, 162 Tonetti Street, Halfway House Ext 7, Midrand, 1685 | 011 327 3550 Cape Town| Estuaries No 4, Oxbow Crescent, Century Avenue, Century City, 7441 | 021 460 5400 © Copyright Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd. The Penguin Post is published by Penguin Random House South Africa. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the written permission of the editor is strictly forbidden. Editor Lauren Mc Diarmid Designer Sean Robertson Sub Editor Frieda Le Roux ContributorsTams Lomas, Gareth Crocker, Jan Braai, Ilse Verster, Bun Booyens, Erla-Mari Diedericks, Martin Steyn, Paul Skelton, Steve Smith Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. Lauren Mc Diarmid ThePost@penguinrandomhouse.co.za C OVER PHOTOGRAPH: David LeyesTHE PENGUIN POST VOLUME 32 2 bookscape news | snippets | what’s new +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DOMINATING THE BESTSELLER LISTS A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles Stories brought us together. Books spread our ideas – and our mythologies. The internet promised infi nite knowledge. The algorithm learned our secrets – and then turned us against each other. What will AI do? From renowned historian and the bestselling author of Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari, comes the story of how information networks have made, and unmade, our world. For the last 100,000 years, we Sapiens have accumulated enormous power. But despite all our discoveries, inventions and conquests, we now fi nd ourselves in an existential crisis. The world is on the verge of ecological collapse. Misinformation abounds. And we are rushing headlong into the age of AI – a new information network that threatens to annihilate us. If we are so wise, why are we so self-destructive? Nexus considers how the flow of information has shaped us, and our world. Taking us from the Stone Age through the Bible, early modern witch-hunts, Stalinism, Nazism and the resurgence of populism today, Yuval Noah Harari asks us to consider the complex relationship between information and truth, bureaucracy and mythology, wisdom and power. He explores how different societies and political systems have wielded information to achieve their goals, for good and ill. And he addresses the urgent choices we face as non-human intelligence threatens our very existence. Information is not the raw material of truth; neither is it a mere weapon. Nexus explores the hopeful middle ground between these extremes, and of rediscovering our shared humanity. Nexus is a deeply entertaining and engaging work of history and philosophy, much like Sapiens, that reminds us that we are all living on a continuum, that everything is connected. AI didn’t come out of nowhere, and it is only by understanding our past that we can begin to shape our future. Everyone’s talking about … THE MAJOR NEW PUBLICATION BY YUVAL NOAH HARARI “I just reread A Gentleman in Moscow ... It’s a wonderful book at any time, and this time it brought home to me how people fi nd ways to be happy, make connections, and make a diff erence to one another’s lives, even in the strangest, saddest and most restrictive circumstances.” Tana French, author of The Hunter PHOTOGRAPHS: Richard Stanton Nexus is on shelves now.VOLUME 32 THE PENGUIN POST 3 UPFRONT Tams Lomas is a book-loving stay-at-home mum trying to fi nd time to read all the fantasy, YA and historical fi ction novels on her to-be-read pile. “It was great to be back in the world of Otera (or maybe not, because it’s falling apart, thanks to the gods) with Deka and her friends. In The Eternal Ones, the third and fi nal book in Namina Forna’s Gilded Ones trilogy, we discover that there is more to the pantheon of gods than just the Oteran ones. Like Deka, I very much kept waiting for the other shoe to drop when we met the Maiwurian gods, but thankfully they were awesome through and through. I absolutely love that you fi nd out Iksa’s origins and get to meet his family, because he has been my favourite companion throughout the series. And speaking of favourite companions, Britta never fails to stand by Deka’s side and just be awesome. Britta is the absolute most valuable player of this little found family. One of my favourite things about Namina Forna’s writing is that there is love and friendship but the romance never gets in the way of the plot at pivotal points. It is fantasy fi rst and foremost which I really enjoyed.” The Eternal OnesbyNamina Forna is out now. MUST of the MONTH Let us know what you think of The Penguin Post, and you could be the lucky winner of a hamper of books from this issue valued at R1 000. To enter, scan the code using your phone camera, or visit www.penguinrandomhouse.co.za/ competitions. Ts & Cs apply. Entries close 31 October 2024. WIN! WIN! WIN! OUT IN PAPERBACK The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman The fourth and fi nal novel in the Thursday Murder Club series involves a friend’s murder and a missing package. The team faces art forgers, fraudsters, and dealers. Will their luck run out? Island in the Sun by Katie Fforde Amid hurricane devastation, photographer Cass travels to sunny Dominica to photograph rare stone carvings, assisted by journalist Ranulph. Despite the circumstances, and Cass’s doubts, love may just blossom. 5.1k followers @bookwolftams #bookstagram The Burnout by Sophie Kinsella Sasha, overwhelmed and seeking solace at a rundown Devon resort, meets Finn. Shared messages on the beach reveal deeper connections and mysteries. The bestselling author’s new standalone. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. Abraham Verghese, Cutting for StoneTHE PENGUIN POST VOLUME 32 4 UPFRONT Five minutes with … GARETH CROCKER Who is Gareth Crocker? Former footballer who dreamed of playing right wing for Manchester United, author of seven novels (including the fan- favourite Finding Jack), international screenwriter/ director and father of two brilliant young women. Now You Suff er is your comeback book. Tell us about it. Now You Suff er is a novel I’ve been itching to write. It tells the story of a suicidal detective who, after losing his daughter in a botched kidnapping, wants to end his life. However, he’s trapped in a kind of purgatory as he can’t check out until he fi nds the man responsible for murdering his child. Sounds depressing, right? Only it isn’t. If anything, this novel has more humour in it than anything I’ve ever written. It’s also fast-paced with the kind of ‘big-swing’ twist that has kept me awake for more nights than I can remember. Ultimately, Now You Suff er is an entertaining and uplifting story that will take readers A man with many irons in the fi re, Gareth Crocker luckily found the time to write a chilling new thriller. Now You Suff er is out now. to a very unexpected place. I’m already working on the follow-up, Now You Bleed, which will be out next year. So who are the main characters and what can readers look forward to? Both Now You Suff er and the novels to follow will be centred around Detective Ruben Ellis, a behemoth of a man. As an ex-South African Special Forces Brigade operative, Ruben is no stranger to pain and suff ering. He also has a gift for spotting details – the slightest minutia – that others are oblivious to. His ageing and sarcastic partner, Zander Malan, is a dry and loyal soul who’s doing his best to support Ruben even as he navigates his way through a catastrophic divorce. Ruben and Zander are complemented by Ruben’s highly unconventional therapist, Melissa Evans, who is trying her utmost to keep Ruben alive. Bold, brash and brilliant, Melissa soon begins to assist Ruben and Zander on the case. Now You Suff er also introduces a one-of-a-kind villain. A man who lives deep underground … and who has more than a few buried secrets to share. Do you plot your stories, or did Ruben Ellis and the other characters surprise you as you kept on writing? I always plot upfront and create a broad outline. I think too many authors are guilty of coming up with a great idea to begin a story … but have no idea how to fi nish it. If I don’t have a clear idea of where I’m going, I won’t waste my time (or the readers). Of course, the outline is only a rough guide and will always change as I explore the story, but most of the key markers – the reasons I set out to write the book in the fi rst place – will remain. Of course, the best part of writing is how your characters surprise and delight you along the way. As I see it, Ruben, Zander and Melissa have now transcended the page and are real people living out in the world. In 2005, Jan Braai founded the National Braai Day initiative, which has become synonymous with South Africa’s Heritage Day, celebrated annually on September 24th. COVER With a trip down memory lane, across stunning locations and delicious fare, Jan pays heed to the unifying power of a fi re, which captures the warmth and joy of SA’s heritage.Next >